"What did you say?"
Nidi's voice was so soft when she ntioned her online userna that Ashley didn't catch it at all.
So, Nidi repeated herself, and this ti Ashley heard it clearly—and burst out laughing.
"Ashley! I told you not to laugh!"
"Sorry, Nidi! I couldn't hold it in, hahaha…"
Fuming with embarrassnt, Nidi retaliated by tickling Ashley's sides, and the two ended up rolling around in the mailroom, giggling and wrestling.
"Ashley, you're such a letdown!"
"I didn't an it! I really couldn't help it, hahaha…"
Their playful scuffle only stopped when another student entered the mailroom, prompting them to halt their unladylike tussle.
By then, Ashley was gasping for air from all the tickling. Nidi, having undergone the bloodline enhancent ritual, was physically stronger than most, while Ashley was just an ordinary girl.
"Ashley, you absolutely cannot tell anyone else about this userna!"
"Phew! So it's okay to tell our friends, then? Can I tell Nancy?"
"No way!"
Nidi reached out to tickle her again, but Ashley dodged just in ti.
In truth, only Jennifer and Roy knew about this userna before Ashley, making her the third person in on the secret—a sign their friendship had grown closer.
After so more playful banter, Nidi gathered the invitation letter and server components, ready to head back to the dorm.
"Ashley, would you co with to this escape room ga on Sunday night?"
Ashley looked at Nidi, a bit surprised. She was naturally cautious.
"Nidi, are you sure this 'Puzzlemaster' person is legit? What if it's so kind of scam?"
"Hmph! With my brains, who could possibly trick ?"
Nidi puffed up with confidence, always proud of her intelligence.
"Alright, I don't have any plans for Sunday, but we should probably tell Roy and Jennifer first!"
"Of course!"
As they carried the server parts back to the dorm, they ran into Roy on the way.
"What are you two hauling?"
Roy stepped forward and effortlessly lifted the heavy equipnt they were struggling to carry.
"Server hardware. I'm upgrading my server," Nidi explained, her face lighting up with a sweet smile the mont she saw Roy. Seeing him daily always put her in a great mood.
"Server hardware? Isn't your current server good enough? What are you up to?"
"I'm building a personal portal site. If traffic spikes, the old server won't cut it."
Roy's lips twitched. He knew Nidi's plan. Her so-called "personal portal" was basically a blog where she could share things online she wouldn't dare say in real life.
A site like that would be lucky to get a few hundred visitors, but Roy didn't want to burst her bubble.
"Ahem, Nidi, instead of a small site like this, why not build sothing big that could attract college students nationwide? That way, your server upgrade would actually be worth it."
Nidi's eyes lit up with interest.
"Roy, what do you an by a site that college students nationwide would care about?"
"Right now, the best internet access is at universities and federal governnt facilities. College students have plenty of ti to surf the web, so they're the perfect users for internet companies."
Roy was talking about sothing like Facebook, which launched in 2004 and beca the pinnacle of social networking in the PC internet era.
Arica's infrastructure wasn't great in 2000, so internet coverage wasn't as widespread as people might think. It was mostly limited to major cities, with the fastest connections at top-tier universities. Roy was spot-on about college students being the ideal target.
"Roy, are you saying I should start an internet company? But how would I do that?"
Nidi's big eyes sparkled as she looked at Roy, genuinely intrigued by the idea of entrepreneurship.
"I'm no expert in building websites—that's your domain. The basic idea is to let users register and list their university, then connect with others from the sa school to form a social network. That's the foundation. The key is to have a killer hook to draw people in, sothing that gets college students to join voluntarily."
"What kind of hook?"
Nidi leaned in, eager for Roy to elaborate.
"How about a nationwide vote for Arica's hottest college guy and girl?"
Nidi frowned, thinking it over. She wasn't great at socializing, so the idea didn't imdiately click with her.
But Ashley, standing nearby, was instantly hooked.
"That sounds like fun! If I joined, I'd totally get my friends to vote for !"
"Exactly, Ashley's got it! An event like this spreads organically. It's way better than TV ads. If you see soone less attractive than you getting votes, wouldn't you want to sign up, upload your photo, and join the contest?"
Nidi's expression shifted to one of realization.
"I get it now!"
"The toughest part is getting that initial traffic. Maybe start with a few California colleges and expand from there."
California's Los Angeles and San Francisco were economic hubs with tons of universities—multiple UC campuses, plus private schools like USC and Stanford. If Nidi could make it work in California, going nationwide would be much easier.
Ashley chid in again.
"I've got an idea to drive traffic! We could put Roy's picture up. With his fa in Arica, it'd boost the site like crazy!"
"Great idea! Let's do it! Roy, I'll start working on the site when I get back. But I'd need the school's BBS to funnel traffic to it—think that's possible?"
Roy thought for a mont and nodded.
"I can talk to the administration. They'll probably give so leeway. If not, a donation should smooth things over."
The hardest part for any internet company is the initial breakthrough from nothing to sothing. But with Roy's support, Nidi had a head start compared to soone like Mark Zuckerberg.
"One more thing—what should I call the site?"
"How about Facebook?"
Roy suggested the original na, but Nidi wasn't impressed.
"That na's kinda ugly! Ashley, any ideas?"
"What about RedBook?"
Nidi considered it.
"That's actually pretty good—catchy and morable! It's settled, RedBook it is!"
Roy's expression turned odd.
RedBook? Will there be a mobile version called Little RedBook later? Good grief, is this Little RedBook invading Arica early?
Still, seeing how much Nidi liked the na, Roy let it slide. His goal was just to keep her busy and happy when he wasn't around.
After helping Nidi carry the hardware to her dorm and watching her get to work, Roy thought she looked even more radiant in her focused state.
"By the way, where's Jennifer? Is she in class?"
Roy glanced around the four-person dorm and noticed Jennifer was missing.
Ashley answered for him.
"Nidi ntioned Jennifer's been busy with sorority stuff."
Top-tier sororities were no less intense than fraternities. The wealthy and elite won in them were often wild—Madison was a pri example. Though, after joining the witch school and eting Roy, Madison had changed completely.
Roy wasn't worried about Jennifer being led astray—he trusted her completely. Jennifer, Nidi, Heather, and Penny were the four won he trusted most, the only ones who'd undergone the bloodline fusion ritual.
His concern was Jennifer's temperant. She might face bullying in the sorority. Fraternities and sororities were notorious for internal hazing, sotis so severe it led to student deaths.
"Should I check on Jennifer?"
Ashley hesitated but stopped him.
"Roy, I wouldn't. If the sorority girls find out about your close relationship with Jennifer, it could make things worse."
Ashley hadn't joined a sorority, but she understood won's psychology. She'd once been jealous of Jennifer herself, to the point of being manipulated by an evil spirit in a cursed box.
Roy took her advice.
"Alright, maybe you're right. I won't go for now. But if anything cos up, call right away."
Ashley nodded.
"I will."
Roy glanced at Nidi, engrossed in her work, then said goodbye to Ashley and left the dorm.
That evening, Roy, Jennifer, Nidi, and Ashley gathered for dinner at Madison's Beverly Hills mansion.
Ashley, with so free ti lately, had taken up baking. They were now sampling her creations.
To put it kindly, Ashley's baking skills were… average. After days of practice, her desserts looked bizarre and tasted either overly sweet or bland.
Roy, Jennifer, and Nidi ate with blank expressions.
"Is it bad?"
Ashley looked at Roy expectantly.
Roy didn't want to be harsh, but lying could lead to even scarier desserts in the future.
"The flavor's a bit off, and the presentation's not great."
With Roy being honest, Jennifer and Nidi chid in with their real thoughts.
"The taste is uneven—so parts are too bland, others too sweet."
"The texture's off, like it's a bit burnt."
Disappointed, Ashley took the desserts away.
"Guess I need more practice."
Luckily, Roy had brought food from a restaurant, and Jennifer had made so hostyle dishes, so no one went hungry.
After dinner, things naturally progressed to the next stage. But during a "friendly match" with Jennifer, Roy noticed she seed distracted.
"Jennifer, what's wrong?"
Sensing his concern, Jennifer snapped back to the mont.
"Nothing, just so school stuff."
"Sorority stuff?"
Jennifer paused.
"How'd you know?"
"Ashley ntioned you've been busy with the sorority."
Jennifer nodded.
"Yeah, it's related to that."
Roy gently stroked her hair.
"Jennifer, if it's making you unhappy, you don't have to do it. I want to see you happy, not stressed or upset."
Touched, Jennifer hugged Roy tightly, nuzzling his neck.
"But I want to do sothing for you!"
Jennifer was a proud woman. She'd always relied on Roy's help but felt she hadn't given much back. After starting at UCLA, she wanted to support him in her own way.
But that wasn't easy. Coming from an ordinary Texas family, she lacked the polished skills—like etiquette, piano, or equestrian training—that the elite sorority girls had grown up with. Even if she joined a top sorority, she'd likely be at the bottom of the pecking order, a target for bullying.
Roy cupped her face.
"Jennifer, listen to . I want the confident, untouchable Jennifer, not soone who bows to others. If anyone tries to bully you, fight back. I've got your back."
Hearing this, Jennifer kissed him passionately, tears of emotion welling up, leaving a salty taste on Roy's lips.
"Roy, love ."
Seeing her like this, Roy decided to cheer her up.
"Jennifer, you didn't tell about joining a sorority? I think you need a little punishnt! Ashley, Nidi, co help!"
Nidi hesitated at Roy's call, but Ashley didn't miss a beat. Though her relationship with Jennifer had improved, she wasn't above a chance to ss with her.
"Roy, what do I do?"
Ashley looked eager, and Roy grinned mischievously.
"Do you know Jennifer's ticklish spots? Co here, I'll show you!"
(End of Chapter)
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