Ethan hurriedly stopped his parents:
"Mom and Dad, don't worry about it! How about this—I'll give you two honor students' notes. You don't have to fight over mine anyway. It's useless for you to fight—they can't get my score even if they read them, right?"
The couple thought it made sense when they heard it.
What Ethan was actually thinking was: My notes? He knew best what his notes looked like. Doodles of superheroes? Rocket ships delivering pizza? He'd also written a bunch of random nonsense, even sketches of anime characters.
Back home.
As soon as Ethan finished making a cup of coffee, the steam rising, the phone rang abruptly.
Victoria's call.
Victoria's voice was so excited it cracked on the other end of the phone:
"Little brother, you didn't lie to me! What you said about Harvard and Yale was actually true! And you also became state champion!" Oh my God! You're amazing, little brother!"
Ethan took a sip of coffee, and the corners of his mouth raised unconsciously:
"Sister Vic, I said it a long time ago! No one believes the truth these days. You should believe it now!"
Victoria's voice was filled with unconcealable excitement:
"I believe it! Now I completely believe it, and I'll believe whatever my brother says in the future! I will never question you again!"
Ethan chuckled and shook his head:
"Sister Vic, keep it low-key!"
The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent for a few seconds, and then Victoria's hesitant voice came:
"Wait, little brother... You said last time you wanted to go to New York to study! But with your score, Harvard and Yale admissions offices are probably fighting over you, right? So where are you going?"
Ethan played with the coffee cup in his hand, his tone light:
"Of course I'm going to New York. I've already reached an agreement with NYU, so I'm going to NYU. Harvard and Yale both approached me, but I refused!"
"What?"
Victoria's voice suddenly rose:
"You actually gave up Harvard and Yale directly? This... Do your parents have any objections?"
Ethan smile deepened:
"Don't worry! They all respect me, and they support me wherever I choose!"
Victoria was silent for a moment and sighed:
"Your uncle and aunt are really enlightened. If it were other parents, knowing their child was valedictorian and still giving up the Ivy League, they'd probably lose it!"
She paused and couldn't help but ask:
"But... you really won't reconsider?"
"Not reconsidering!"
....
The two chatted for a while.
Finally, Victoria warmly invited Ethan to dinner at her place.
But Ethan politely refused:
"Sister Vic, it's really unfortunate today—I've already made plans with someone else. I'll definitely come another day!"
Of course he couldn't miss the appointment—he'd made plans with Diana the day before yesterday to watch the game together tonight.
What's more, there was a special surprise in store for tonight!
At four o'clock in the afternoon, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Diana: [I've already booked a room, the same hotel as last time. But I have to arrive later, around ten o'clock. I'm at Ashley's grandfather's house now—there's a dinner, and I have to go there first]
Ethan replied briefly with "Okay," a smile unconsciously raising at the corner of his mouth, then locked the phone screen.
He leaned back on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the armrest, combing through the trajectory of Snapchat in his mind.
The company, founded in 2011, had revolutionized how people shared content with its disappearing photo feature. But what Ethan knew from his previous life was that Snapchat was just the beginning of the short-form video revolution.
In 2013, a small startup called Vine had been acquired by Twitter for $30 million before it even launched. The six-second video app had exploded in popularity, proving there was a massive market for short-form video content.
But Ethan knew something that most investors didn't yet understand: Vine would eventually shut down in 2017, leaving a massive gap in the market. And the company that would fill that gap—and dominate the entire short-form video space globally—hadn't even been founded yet.
That company was Musical.ly, which would launch in August 2014. In his previous life, Musical.ly would grow to over 200 million users before being acquired by a Chinese company for nearly $1 billion and transformed into TikTok.
But Ethan's real target wasn't Musical.ly itself. His target was getting in early on the American short-form video market before the big players realized its potential.
His thoughts continued: Right now, in June 2014, Instagram was still primarily a photo-sharing app. YouTube was focused on long-form content. Vine was popular but limited by its six-second constraint. The market was wide open for a platform that could combine the best of all these services.
What really made his previous life's tech landscape explode was when short-form video platforms added powerful AI-driven recommendation algorithms. That's what made content go viral, that's what kept users scrolling for hours.
And now, it was the best window period for investment. Ethan remembered that later this year, several venture capital firms would start pouring money into video-sharing platforms. He had to make his move before the market got saturated.
"I have to hurry."
Ethan muttered to himself, already planning the strategy in his mind.
He planned to discuss with Diana first, register an investment company as soon as possible, and then start reaching out to the key players in the short-form video space. Maybe even fund the development of their own platform.
Time was money, and he must make a move before that critical shift in the market. Thinking of this, he unconsciously sat up straight, his eyes shining with ambitious light.
The short-form video revolution was too important. In his previous life, he'd watched TikTok become one of the most valuable private companies in the world, worth over $200 billion. If he could position himself early in the American market, capture even a fraction of that value...
The numbers were staggering. But more than that, Ethan knew the cultural impact. Short-form video would reshape entertainment, advertising, social interaction, even politics. Getting in early wasn't just about money—it was about influence.
"Phew—" Ethan exhaled and glanced at the calendar.
On July 9, after the battle of the century between Brazil and Germany, he'd start making calls to potential partners and investors. But first, he needed to get Red Bean Capital officially established and funded.
Before that, two things must be done: finalize the company registration with Diana, and start building a network in Silicon Valley.
He picked up the coffee cup that had already cooled down, and the bitter coffee entered his throat, but it made him more sober—this business game about the future couldn't have any mistakes.
Then he headed to Jack's house!
He shouted from more than ten meters away:
"Jack! Jack! Come out!"
"Dude!"
Jack rushed out with lightning speed, lowered his voice and cursed:
"Are you sick? Will you die if you just come in directly? The whole thing like you're announcing something! Later, Mr. Lee next door will chase me with a broom again!"
This wasn't a joke—last time when their buddy Mike came to find him, he was also yelling at the door, and Mr. Lee was so angry he rushed out directly, pointed at Jack's nose and scolded for half an hour: What kind of hooligans are you hanging out with, kid? It's like summoning spirits all day long!
This was also the reason why when Ethan shouted for Jack, he'd run out quickly!
Ethan held back his laughter and deliberately raised his voice:
"Isn't this celebrating your good grades!"
Jack was so anxious he jumped:
"Celebrate nothing! Uncle Lee doesn't care if you got into Harvard or became a garbage man! Disturbing his nap is a capital offense!"
Ethan drew out his tone and smiled mischievously:
"I know!"
Jack was so angry he wanted to hit someone:
"If you know, why the hell are you still yelling?"
Ethan leaned close to his ear and said cheaply:
"You did so well on the exam, you probably think you're dreaming! Let Uncle Lee scold you twice and you'll know it's real! I'm here to help you—understand?"
Jack turned and went into the house:
"Fuck! Ethan, you're so cheap!"
There are 50 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439