booktalesy Chapter 236 Alumni Circle
Chapter 236 Alumni Circle
Chapter 236 Alumni Circle
Ernst hadn't been to a nightclub for a year. Didn't he realize how fast nightclubs had developed?
In just one year, the gameplay has become so innovative? Beautiful women throw themselves at you the moment you open your mouth, your emotional state is off the charts!
I glanced down and realized this woman looked familiar; she really resembled Charlize Theron.
Adhering to the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," Ernst was not overly reserved and readily reached out to put his arm around the other person's waist.
But the moment Ernst's hand touched the woman's waist, her body jolted violently, as if she had been quite frightened.
She had been walking too fast and had lost her footing, tripping and falling into Ernst's arms.
She intended to regain her balance and quickly explain and apologize to Ernst, but the sudden warm touch on her waist left her completely at a loss.
But what shocked her even more was what happened next. If you're going to put your arm around my waist, why did you pinch my butt before doing so?
This sudden action completely stunned her, and for a moment she forgot how to react.
This scene was witnessed by Brett Crosby, who was not far away.
I thought to myself, "Wow, so you actually know Ernst."
Seeing how close you two are, he doesn't believe there's no secret story behind it.
Thankfully, some misunderstandings didn't cause any major trouble just now, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
Looking at the henchman who had been shouting incessantly just moments before, his current reaction was even more ridiculous.
From his initial surprise upon seeing Ernst to his utter horror at witnessing Charlize Theron rush into Ernst's arms, he finally came to his senses and quickly and subtly took two steps back, cleverly using Brett Crosby to block the view between himself and Ernst.
He had long lost his previous arrogance, let alone the idea of going up to befriend Ernst.
With her head down, she kept muttering, "You can't see me, you can't see me, Grandma, please be kind and don't tell anyone about the stupid things I did before, or I'll be in big trouble."
But in reality, no one cared about his insignificant idea; everyone's attention was focused on Ernst.
Everyone in the private room was frozen in place, as if under a spell, standing there dumbfounded, each one as stiff as a statue in a museum.
The music in the room was still deafeningly loud, creating a stark contrast with the eerily quiet crowd. This contrast made the whole scene seem particularly comical.
After a long while, Brett Crosby broke the awkward silence.
He straightened his clothes, puffed out his chest, and looked just like Rowe Roy before he gained weight—spirited and full of pride.
He strode forward and said to Ernst with a smile, "I thought you had something important to do and wouldn't be coming."
Ernst released his grip on Charlize Theron and gave Brett Crossby a warm hug, replying with a smile, "How could I break my promise to you? I definitely had to come."
After the two parted ways, Ernst looked around the room, then lightly punched Brett Crosby on the shoulder and joked, "You're still the same as ever, haven't changed at all. You really are the prince of nightclubs."
To be called the "Prince of Nightclubs" in front of Ernst, who was also a nightlife enthusiast, shows just how much Brett Crosby loved and adored the lively nightclub environment.
Brett Crosby smiled smugly after hearing Ernst's words, and said with a hint of boastfulness, "Well, what can I do? I was born to be here."
In his view, being able to wrest the title of "Prince of Nightclubs" from Ernst was something to be proud of. After all, he considered himself inferior to Ernst in many other aspects, and now that he had finally surpassed him in one area, the sense of accomplishment was extraordinary.
At that moment, the deafening music in the private room was quietly turned off by someone.
The crowd recovered from their shock and looked at Ernst with a mixture of fear and barely concealed excitement.
This is Ernst, America's hottest tycoon today, who has built a vast business empire and is an idol worshipped by countless young people.
They never dreamed that they would be able to see Ernst in person in such a private room today; their excitement was indescribable.
If this happened in the mobile internet era, it would probably have caused a huge uproar online by now, just like the shock of the video of Ma Huateng hugging a girl in a nightclub.
"Come on, let me introduce you to some new alumni. They all admire you."
This is where Ernst and Brett Crosby's paths crossed. Both graduated from USC and were in the same fraternity, and they've always had a good relationship.
Although Brett Cross is a year older than Ernst, he is actually Ernst's junior, one year younger than Ernst.
In American universities, it is common for students of varying ages to be in the same class, and sometimes the age difference can exceed three to five years.
Moreover, Ernst was among the early students, which is why the older student ended up being considered a junior.
Ernst habitually put his arm around the woman's waist again and walked with her to sit down in the middle of the sofa.
Brett Crosby began introducing Ernst to several young men around him, all of whom were USC alumni.
Judging from their clothes and appearance, these young people all come from quite well-off families.
They were all dressed in the latest trendy brands, with expensive Swiss high-end watches on their wrists, exuding an air of wealth and luxury in every gesture.
In academic circles in California and even throughout the United States, there has long been a perception that may or may not be considered a hierarchy of contempt.
Genius students will choose to go to Stanford University, bright and clever students will go to Berkeley, and the rest of the students who are both stupid and rich will choose to go to USC.
This statement is actually quite unfair to USC.
USC is actually very strong overall, consistently ranking among the top 30 universities in the United States and among the top 100 universities in the world.
At its peak, USC was even ranked among the top 20 in the United States, a testament to its formidable strength.
However, USC's art programs are so outstanding that they enjoy a very high reputation throughout the United States and even the world. Almost every two years, one of its graduates receives an Oscar nomination, and its influence in Hollywood is significant.
When people mention Hollywood, they often think of all sorts of bizarre and outlandish things, believing that it's a place where demons run rampant and that people in the Hollywood circle aren't very intelligent.
Furthermore, when admitting students, USC does not place particular emphasis on students' grades, but rather focuses more on discovering students' talents.
But talent, unlike academic performance, doesn't have clear measurement standards, so there's a lot of room for manipulation.
This has led many wealthy families to send their children to USC through various means, which has gradually created the impression that USC is not very reliable and is a gathering place for rich kids.
But the truth is that USC has top-notch strength in many professional fields.
For example, engineering, business, medicine and public health, architecture and urban planning, as well as media and journalism are consistently ranked among the top ten in the United States, with some even ranking among the top five, cultivating a large number of elite talents in the industry.
Not to mention its film arts program, which is ranked number one in the world, so powerful that no one can refute it, making it a sacred place in the hearts of countless young people with dreams of making movies.
Ernst exchanged a few words with these junior students from USC, and the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed.
Then the music started again, and the dancing continued, filling the private room with a joyful atmosphere once more.
Seeing Ernst's approachable and easy-going nature, everyone relaxed considerably from their previous tension and restraint, and began to fully enjoy this joyful time.
In an instant, the private room became lively again, with everyone swaying their bodies to the rhythm of the music and laughing and chatting.
Brett Crosby pulled Ernst close to his ear and began to whisper about serious business.
"I've sold WebDopet and am now planning to start a new company, so I'm contacting you because I need your help."
Brett Crosby was blunt and stated his purpose directly.
His willingness to be so direct stems from USC's unique campus culture.
Among all the universities in the United States, if we were to ask which school has the most united alumni, USC would dare to say it's second, and absolutely no other school would dare to say it's first.
Within the USC alumni network, there's an unwritten rule: whenever a recent graduate wants to start a business or needs help in their career, the alumni who graduated earlier and have already established themselves in society will readily lend a helping hand. Sometimes, they'll even handle everything from investment and resource connections to fully support the younger alumni's development.
This strong alumni support atmosphere may also be influenced by Hollywood.
After all, USC's campus is only ten kilometers away from Hollywood, and the entertainment industry has always valued connections and circle culture. Under the influence of the entertainment industry, this campus circle culture has gradually evolved into USC's unique campus system and alumni culture.
Ernst was also deeply influenced by this culture, so when Brett Crosby called him to invite him to the nightclub party, Ernst readily agreed, even though the two hadn't seen each other for over a year.
Upon hearing that Brett Crosby was starting a new company, Ernst picked up a glass of red wine from the table, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then asked, "What area of business do you plan to focus on?"
Brett Crosby replied with a determined look, "I want to create a user data analysis tool."
Upon hearing this answer, Ernst instantly understood why Brett Crosby had asked him for help.
If he agrees and provides support, Brett Crosby's new company could quickly capture the market and potentially even dominate the field, becoming a leading enterprise in the industry.
The core functionality of user data analytics tools is not complicated; it mainly helps businesses track user visits to websites and assists Google Ads in tracking data such as Google click-through rates.
Suppose a large Google Ads company advertises Google Ads on the Google platform. In the past, they could only see the number of times the Ads were clicked by users, but they could not know the actual number of times the Ads were displayed.
However, with the kind of data analytics tool that Brett Crosby wanted to develop, Google merchants would be able to clearly see detailed information such as the number of Google impressions and clicks.
By using this data, Google Ads sellers can accurately analyze the probability of users clicking on each ad display, thereby determining whether the ad matches user preferences and whether it can achieve the expected promotional effect.
If the results are unsatisfactory, adjustments can be made to Google content and campaign strategies in a timely manner, greatly improving the efficiency and return on investment of Google campaigns.
This data analysis tool is also of great value to various websites.
Website operators can use it to understand the daily search volume of their main business on Google Chrome in real time, and know how many users found their website through search, and how many users chose other competitors' websites after searching.
Based on this data, website operators can clearly understand their own strengths and weaknesses, formulate more targeted operational strategies, and improve the website's competitiveness and user stickiness.
However, to achieve these features, there is a crucial prerequisite: Google needs to allow Brett Crosby's new company software to open a proprietary interface.
Only with this interface can his data analysis tools obtain relevant data from these company platforms and truly realize the various functions mentioned above.
"No problem, I'll take care of it for you." Ernst agreed readily without the slightest hesitation.
He wasn't just saying it casually; he had given it serious thought and genuinely believed that the Brett Crosby project had great investment value and development potential.
On the one hand, the data analysis tool developed by Brett Crosby also has certain value to Google itself.
By collecting user data and market feedback through this tool, Google can better optimize its platform services, improve the user experience, and further solidify its position in the search engine and internet spheres.
On the other hand, Ernst can also take this opportunity to participate in the investment of this project, which can help his old friend realize his entrepreneurial dream and add another valuable piece to his own business empire. It is a win-win situation, so why not?
More importantly, Ernst himself had a very high opinion of Brett Crosby's abilities.
In terms of seniority and experience in the Internet field, Brett Crosby is far more experienced than Ernst.
Back in 1995, Brett Crosby created the WebDopet website and successfully operated it, achieving initial entrepreneurial success.
At that time, Ernst was still engrossed in writing his novel.
Moreover, this is a network of connections. There are too many types of the Internet, and it is simply unrealistic to develop everything on your own.
By helping the other party build their reputation, who can guarantee that USC won't become their own private domain?
Upon hearing Ernst's unwavering agreement to help, Brett Crosby's smile instantly became incredibly radiant, almost reaching his ears.
He excitedly picked up the wine glass on the table and said to Ernst, "This glass is for you. I won't say thank you, but I will remember your help today."
Ernst also picked up his glass and gently clinked it against Brett Crosby's, producing a crisp sound.
He laughed and said, "With so many years of friendship and schoolmate ties between us, do we really need to say such polite things?"
The music in the private room seemed to become even more cheerful the moment the glasses clinked.
Ernst, seeing the lively scene before him, was also affected, and his large hand unconsciously slid down to the buttocks of the woman next to him.