American History 1988
Chapter 86 - 81: Get on the Bus in Time

Chapter 86: Chapter 81: Get on the Bus in Time

From the beginning of April, when he sent out the final application materials, until the end of May now, nearly eight weeks had passed. By Dean’s calculation, the response from Stanford should be arriving about now.

And indeed, as he had thought, when Dean came down from his dorm, the UPS delivery person was holding a red and white striped envelope, straddled across the motorcycle.

"I hope it’s good news," the delivery person said with a smile as he handed the letter to Dean—each year around this time, he would deliver a large number of similar letters.

So just by seeing the envelope, he knew that the letter pertained to whether the student in front of him would be admitted to the university of his dreams.

"Thank you, and I wish you a smooth journey too." Taking the letter from the delivery person, Dean could hardly wait to open it.

Just by the feel of it in his fingers, the envelope was obviously much thicker than the last one. Tearing open the seal, Dean set aside the other materials, and first opened the burgundy-colored folded letter.

"Dear Dean Price, we are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to the College of Engineering. The Computer Science program at Stanford University will begin in the fall of 1989.

Your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, personal statement, and letters of recommendation suggest that you will contribute significantly to the vibrant energy of our student body.

If you would like to join us, please follow the instructions below..." What followed were student instructions, tuition fees, specific enrollment dates, and an attached scholarship application guide.

But Dean had skimmed over all that, he was already so excited at the first sentence that he waved his fist, "YES!"

All his efforts had not been in vain, and his wish had finally been fulfilled. Ohio was just too remote after all; it was too far from the center of America and the stage not big enough.

In addition to the admission letter, to his surprise, Dean also received a full tuition waiver for his first year at Stanford. This might be related to the fact that he had explained his family situation in his resume.

Single-parent family, unemployed father, these two buffs, stacked on top of Dean’s excellent academic performance. Stanford, which is not short of money, waived nearly twenty thousand US dollars of tuition for him.

That was not all, Stanford also suggested in the letter which scholarships Dean could apply for. With his impressive record, it was not impossible for him to continue mooching off tuition fees in the coming years.

"Wow~ I think this is an exhilarating piece of news, right?"

While Dean was holding the admission letter with a beaming smile on his face, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Miranda?!" Dean turned around, and there stood Miranda, dressed in a teal lady’s shirt and sunglasses, not far behind him.

"You’re back?"

"Yeah~ Connecticut’s nice, but the summer in Cleveland is more alluring." Taking off her sunglasses, Miranda’s blond hair danced and fluttered in the gentle spring breeze.

"Well, I thought you would say that it’s the people in Cleveland that you can’t get enough of," Dean said as he walked up with his arms open.

"Um~" Miranda nodded, pretending to ponder, "That could be said too."

"Come on," receiving the answer he wanted, Dean smiled and stepped forward.

The couple embraced without wasting a second, plunging into a fiery three-minute kiss right on the roadside.

This is America, where everyone is unabashed in their passion and exuberance.

"I think we should find a place to properly discuss what has happened during this period and to check up on each other’s bodies," Dean suggested, still wanting to take things further.

"Come on," Miranda said with a laugh, patting him lightly, "Don’t be in such a hurry, I’m not ready yet."

Not ready? Dean blinked. Wow~ That... sounds like good news?

"So you got the offer from your dream school?" Miranda’s gaze shifted to the letter in Dean’s hand.

"That’s right, I think it’s more suitable for me, Cleveland doesn’t have the resources for computer science." Due to the collapse of the traditional industry, Cleveland was struggling to transform.

But clearly, looking at the current situation, the efforts were barely yielding results. To achieve a greater socioeconomic leap, Dean had to leave this place.

And Stanford was still far away in Southern California; it and Cleveland were on opposite ends of America, one at the southwest tip and the other at the northeast, separated by two to three thousand miles.

Dean was heading to California, meaning he would leave here. Miranda and Dean both fell into silence, but perhaps because of her optimistic nature, Miranda did not let the mood linger too long.

She nodded with a smile, "This is good news, Dean. You are one step closer to your dream."

"Miranda..."

"Alright, we still have three months until school starts. I think we’re going to have an unforgettable summer?"

"Of course, I’m looking forward to it immensely."

...

"I heard that some other people want to invest in Price’s List?"

"Gary, are all venture capitalists noses as keen as yours?"

With a laugh, Gary leisurely sipped his coffee, "Not all, it mainly depends on the attractiveness of the target company."

"Can I take that as a compliment for Price’s List?" Dean nodded with a smile to the Italian girl who tacitly added three sugar cubes to his coffee cup.

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to have a second cup of coffee here."

It was still the same century-old coffee shop, and Gary once again invited Dean to talk about financing.

Only three or four months had passed since their last six-month appointment, but Gary couldn’t wait any longer. He had heard of Price’s List from someone at the Hillman Fund during a gathering. After a little probing, Gary understood what had happened.

His prey was being watched by other hunters, and before it attracted more attention, Morgan Tailer had to get on board ahead of time.

"I’ve been to your office in Ohio City, and it’s very nice, full of energetic young people."

"When was this?" Dean looked at Gary in surprise, as Price’s List had only recently moved there, and not many people were aware of the news.

"I just happened to pass by there the other day, the Price List’s logo is very eye-catching." Gary was referring to the office facade facing the street, the Price’s List sign with a white background and blue letters.

"We need more hands, the school is not really appropriate for pure commercial activities."

"Wow, it sounds like you’ve made some good progress." This was also why Gary was now looking for Dean. According to Morgan Tailer’s research, Price’s List had experienced a small-scale burst of business.

From the current results, Dean had proved the change brought by his initial six-month agreement. No, it didn’t even take half a year, Price’s List had completely changed.

Since the time was ripe, there was no point in hesitating, and Gary was willing to reassess the value of Price’s List.

"Tell me, Dean. What kind of conditions would you accept to let Morgan Tailer become the angel investor of Price’s List?"

Dean felt the sweetness from the coffee in his mouth, it was more acceptable than the first time he had tasted it.

He was starting to like the taste of Italian coffee, if it had enough sugar in it.

"Gary, Price’s List needs to expand in Ohio. I need more hands, finance, legal, and ’guides’ who understand the local information."

"It looks like you already have a complete plan," Gary was not afraid of Dean setting terms. The more demands the other party had, the more it showed that Price’s List had detailed arrangements for the future.

On the contrary, if Dean only cared about how much money he could get, Gary would have to lower his expectations for Price’s List.

Now, Gary put down the coffee in his hands, perked up, and was prepared to meet Dean’s various demands.

"Price’s List is a classified service website, its core is service, more specifically, providing services for the cities it is in. Cleveland’s success has proven that this model is feasible.

So in order to take a share in the future wave of the web, Price’s List must make itself known, launching in different cities is our first step and the most important one.

The information from Youngstown and Cleveland was collected by myself and friends around me. This includes local hot events, performance services, and even down to which restaurant tastes better.

But if we move to other cities, we need some ’locals,’ or guides willing to scout other cities.

Through their information collection, and then putting this content on Price’s List, it will become attractive. When more and more people visit Price’s List, those advertisers will come to us on their own. Gary, it’s a virtuous cycle."

Dean didn’t want to expand Price’s List’s reputation? He did, but this required a lot of investment.

With his current net worth, it was clear that he couldn’t do it. Even if he could, it would empty his pockets, which was not an option that Dean considered. In addition, resources in the form of connections were also key, which he didn’t have either.

At this time, Morgan Tailer was the best choice—real businessmen never use their own money to do business!

Gary really appreciated what Dean had said, but as a venture capitalist, he also had to be responsible for his partners’ funds.

"Dean, do you have specific plans for the next cities that Price’s List will enter?"

"Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, from north to south through the entire Ohio." Dean instantly named three cities.

"Tell me more," Gary detected a well-considered tone in his voice.

"These three cities are the largest metropolitan areas in Ohio, with Cleveland and Cincinnati being approximately the same size, each having a population of over six hundred thousand in the city proper.

The state capital, Columbus, is even the political and economic center of Ohio, with a population approaching a million. The radii of influence from these three cities, when connected, cover more than 60% of Ohio’s population.

As long as Price’s List establishes a firm foothold in these places, there won’t be a chance for similar competitors to emerge in Ohio; we will be the only choice.

Gary, I know the NSF network’s ban restricts Price’s List’s expansion outside of the state. But just three months ago, Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist at the European research organization CERN, proposed a concept called the World Wide Web.

And just this month, he completed the first Web server and the first Web client. It won’t take two years for the internet to undergo drastic changes.

This period is the best time for us to build up our strength when the tide comes, Price’s List will be the flagship that everyone’s watching!"

Dean wanted not just an investment; he also wanted Morgan Tailer’s long-term support for Price’s List.

Honestly, this went somewhat against the quick-money approach of venture capital, so he needed to convince Gary to accept this idea.

Faced with Dean’s continuous plans, Gary fell into deep thought.

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