USC welcomed a new legendary alumnus. Even when he left, he was quite remarkable, and now he's come back in a kingly fashion. While some were enviously jealous, nobody would show it on the surface.
In reality, those pestering you just for the sake of it only exist in novels. Even if you don't want to befriend someone, there's no need to make an enemy either.
William White didn't care how others saw him. He tried to stay low-key and didn't want to cause any trouble for anyone.
Big lectures were always lively, and classroom discipline couldn't be expected. It was pretty good already if students weren't noisy, a big improvement over American high schools, which were downright chaos. Teachers wouldn't even care.
To navigate college life in America, you had to join a fraternity. To live more comfortably, it was best if you could snag some position within.
College was like a miniature society, with competition and bullying. Being too low-key didn't work; America didn't favor low-profile behavior. Maintaining a level of participation with moderate high-profile actions was the way to survive.
William White was already a fraternity member. Although he didn't hold any position, he got along well. No one wanted to mess with a wealthy guy.
...
"Hey boss, where're we eating?"
"Where else, on campus. I wanna go play ball later, you in?"
"Haven't played in ages, let's do it."
Don't expect gourmet in college. If you're full, that's good enough. The gap between the poor and the rich wasn't that big when it came to food -- hotdogs and burgers were for everyone.
Funny enough, William White liked the campus burgers, crunchy and tasty.
USC's basketball wasn't famous. No professional-level players would come show them up. Plus, they were sophomores now, seemingly with the right to bully others since those damn seniors had graduated.
It was the first day after all, sneaking off wasn't suitable, and half a day was sufficient for reviewing what little there was to learn here.
Some claimed you learn nothing in college, which wasn't true. College was a micro-society. If you couldn't handle the micro-society, you'd hit a dead end in the adult world.
What college taught most importantly was your way of thinking. If you had grasped it early on, you could truly graduate early.
The guys' basketball game was pretty lousy. Even the freshman rookies couldn't stand watching, though they stayed away to avoid trouble.
Basketball was truly a black man's toy. Others really didn't have the knack. It was a matter of physiological differences.
Running fast was the basis of all sports, and it was a genetic advantage for black people, whose ancestors outran lions, so the ones who made it were truly impressive folks.
William White actually played well, with a high three-point shot accuracy. If he wasn't afraid of intimidating this bunch, his accuracy would be even higher.
The players weren't great, but there were plenty of girls watching. This made the rookies envious. If it weren't the first day, they'd have planned to teach these jerks a lesson.
"Anthony, if those rookies come back tomorrow, let's give them a piece of our mind," said an excited big black guy.
"Luca, don't be dumb. The girls weren't watching the game; they're eyeing that guy with the short hair."
"What's his deal? Really impressive or something?"
"A bestselling author, a billionaire, that's about what I know."
"Heck, how are we supposed to compete with a jerk like that?"
The big black guy was obviously taken aback. His basketball skills were ordinary, and though black folks generally played better, even their average was better than William White's group.
After an hour, they left amidst squeals from the girls. Besides the girls who thought it was cool, the other guys simply looked depressed.
This bunch had always been the campus big shots, and now there was another standout figure. Feeling superior was just required -- it's a common youth issue.
...
The afternoon classes soon ended, and William White didn't linger, heading directly back to his mansion. After so long away from school, returning to the previous rhythm was somewhat jarring.
"Master, there's news from Boeing. There's a 747 up for grabs since it lost its buyer. It's going for forty million, ready for delivery by the year's end," said Fulton with a smile.
"By year's end, huh? That works. Our earnings from futures trading would cover it. What's the interior decoration style?"
"A lot of gold leaf, everything with Persian carpets."
"Ha, so it'll look like a desert tycoon's plane. Just remove the religious elements, and it should be fine."
"Okay, Master, that'll probably help in bargaining down the price."
Having a reliable aircraft was necessary, but buying this plane meant keeping a low profile wasn't possible. Few in America had such large private planes; even a Bombardier was quite impressive.
Jet planes had numerous downsides. Airports in this era were quite basic. Some smaller destinations couldn't accommodate a 747, which required quite large airports.
...
White Software's microcomputer database software finally hit the shelves, expanding the usage range of microcomputers once more. A few old-timers finally quieted down; they didn't want to be laughing stocks.
Regarding the software's future, William White was quite confused. The Big Blue must've already initiated their chess project. Not sure if it's still Bill Gates though.
Without support from industry giants, an operating system was a pipe dream. Without an OS, all software was futile, ultimately getting absorbed by others.
The Big Blue was also hesitant. White Software's advantages were evident, but their ties to Apple were too close. To ensure the plan's confidentiality, they weren't willing to take risks.
William White wasn't keen on venturing into operating systems; the stakes were too high. There were many chances to make money, so there was no need to mess with little Billy.
He wanted to quietly enjoy being wealthy and had no intention of stepping on everyone. The media industry was thriving with money and pretty faces, which was indeed the hallmark of reaching the pinnacle of life!
Though skipping on OS development, taking advantage seemed necessary. Anyway, Microsoft wasn't too pricey before the 3.0 system, and before Windows 95 came out, there were plenty of opportunities to jump in.
Having made his decision, William White didn't dwell on it. With school tomorrow, he opted to hit the hay early -- it had been an exhausting day.
...
He slept soundly, but the Hunter family was troubled. They noticed a decrease in long-term silver holdings. Although the other party was cautious, they still spotted something amiss.
Luckily, the amount wasn't significant; otherwise, it would have been a real headache.
Now they had no other recourse. They were like a fast-moving cargo ship -- forget about slowing down, even changing direction was off the table. As things stand, charging full speed ahead was their only option.
*****
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