Looking at Professor James, a highly respected scholar in academia, now showing off his achievements like a triumphant child.
Ethan was filled with emotion. Scholars never stop competing with each other — the old saying never lied.
This old professor was as steadfast as a mountain when serious, but as cute as a kid when he let loose. Genuinely sincere.
James laughed enough and warmly waved Ethan over: "Come, come, sit down, the food's getting cold! We can eat and talk at the same time!"
Just as Ethan had expected, that meal was full of surprises and fun.
At the dinner table, the more James talked, the more he felt that the young man sitting across from him was no ordinary person.
He spoke calmly and with unique insights. His views on economic phenomena and social issues far surpassed those of his peers, and faintly carried a sense of someone who already knew how things would play out.
When the conversation shifted to academics and future plans, the admiration in James's eyes grew even stronger.
He put down his fork and spoke more seriously: "Ethan, I've been teaching my whole life. It's rare to come across a student as thoughtful and broad-minded as you. So — are you interested in formally becoming my mentee?"
He didn't say "be my student." He used a more deliberate, traditional weight to the word — under his personal guidance. It showed how seriously he meant it.
Ethan's heart stirred slightly when he heard that, followed by a quiet wave of joy.
James wasn't just the dean and academician of NYU's Business Department. His connections, vision, and influence across academia and beyond were enormous intangible assets.
In this life, the business empire Ethan was building would span multiple fields — especially high-tech and sensitive industries easily shaken by international turbulence.
The future was going to be rough. Having a knowledgeable, well-respected, and genuinely appreciative mentor as a guide and potential protector was nothing but a good thing.
"Professor, it's my honor that you think so highly of me." Ethan didn't hesitate, his tone sincere and humble. "I'd be very glad to learn from you."
"Alright! Alright!" James clapped his hands and laughed, clearly very pleased.
He then shifted the topic and went deeper, talking with Ethan about the current state of American and global industries — their weaknesses, their opportunities, and the undercurrents of international competition quietly building beneath the surface.
Drawing on the perspective of someone who had already lived through it all, combined with deeper reflection from this second life, Ethan spoke clearly and confidently. He pointed out specific bottlenecks in key industries, made forward-looking predictions about future tech competition and trade friction, and backed everything up with concrete cases and data. His analysis was sharp.
James nodded repeatedly, his eyes mixing surprise with approval.
He genuinely couldn't believe that a boy who had just turned eighteen could carry this kind of depth and sense of urgency.
This wasn't just a genius. This was someone who looked like a future pillar of something much bigger.
...
A full week of grueling freshman orientation training had finally come to an end.
The last day was the hardest, as if making up for every moment of mercy shown before.
When the sun fully sank below the horizon and the final dismissal whistle blew across the field, almost every student looked like something had hit them in the spine. They dragged their lead-filled legs, staggering in a slow wave of zombies that swept numbly toward the dining hall.
It was already past normal meal time. Hunger had long been buried under pure exhaustion, leaving only a hollow numbness.
The crowd moved in silence, the air thick with sweat and the kind of tiredness that comes from surviving something.
Somewhere in that wave of zombies, Nora walked with her head bowed, her small and thin figure looking especially fragile in the crowd.
She spotted Ethan, and the boxed meal and soup he was carrying.
This time, unlike every time before, she didn't hesitate or wait for him to call out to her.
She paused for a few seconds, like she was gathering something up inside herself, then lowered her head and walked toward him on her own.
Ethan watched her approach. A barely noticeable smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Not bad.
Getting more cooperative.
...
The week of training passed quickly.
Everyone came out tanned and a little thinner.
Everyone except Nora.
Her skin stayed that same unhealthy pale yellow, her figure almost unchanged. The slight thinness and pallor in her face were marks left by years of malnutrition, not the kind that a few days of decent meals could fix.
Even with the daily meals Ethan had quietly made sure she got, her already fragile body had barely managed to hold its balance against the physical drain of training.
If she had been eating the way she ate before — the way she had lived before — she wouldn't have made it through this week of training. Same as her previous experience. She would have been flat on the ground by day two.
Recalling Ethan's last words about "helping," Nora still carried a small thread of doubt.
A few days had passed. What exactly did he mean by that?
She had worked up the courage to ask a few times. The answers were always quick and vague.
The waiting tangled together with the physical exhaustion.
And then, just like that, the week was over.
Something quietly shifted in the group. The students who had spent days gritting their teeth under the sun and silently cursing the instructors under their breath — as the final review drew close, they found themselves looking at those few dark, serious faces on the podium with something that felt a lot like reluctance.
As the final formation marched across in perfect step, loud cadences echoing across the field, NYU's freshman orientation training came to a close.
The first real lesson of college life was done.
University life officially began.
That afternoon at lunch, Ethan headed to the dining hall with his roommates.
Marcus was especially fired up today, waving his hand like a big shot: "Ethan! My treat today! Spicy shrimp all around! We're celebrating — the boys are officially in the stock market!"
After several days of getting everything set up, Marcus had transferred the $20,000 he'd promised Ethan, plus his own $10,000 in savings, totaling $30,000 — all of it moved into his newly opened brokerage account.
At market open that morning, he had carefully bought his very first stock, officially stepping onto what he called his destiny as the next Warren Buffett.
"Alright, Marcus, that's generous of you." Ethan smiled back, expertly peeling the bright red spicy shrimp on his plate. "Then I wish you a strong start — ride those waves, and may the title of Warren Buffett of New York be yours sooner than you think."
"Haha!" Marcus was glowing with confidence.
Second floor of the dining hall.
Ethan happily worked through the shrimp...
He swallowed a piece and called out toward the serving counter: "Excuse me, could I get another order of the garlic shrimp?"
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439