Alexander, seeing his mother's puzzled expression, helplessly slapped his forehead and said with mild frustration, "Mom, I'm a top student at the University of London. How could I do anything bad? I have a bright future ahead of me."
"Then how did you earn this money? You've only been home for such a short time. Where did it come from?" Alexander's mother asked, still confused.
"Haha, Mom, you wouldn't believe it. Today was my lucky day. I sold 200 game discs in less than three hours at the community basketball court and earned 400 pounds!"
Alexander beamed at his surprised mother, pleased that he could help alleviate some of their financial burden.
"What game could earn you 400 pounds?" Alexander's father asked as he walked in through the doorway.
Seeing his father return, Alexander eagerly explained, "Dad, it's a game developed by a fellow student at my school. Many classmates think it's great, so we bought the game discs for 4 pounds each. I sold them for 6 pounds each at the basketball court. They sold like hotcakes, and many people still want to buy them. Tomorrow, after classes, I'll get more from my schoolmate. Based on today's sales, I think we can sell thousands of game discs in our community and beyond. Soon, I'll be making enough to take some of the burden off you and Mom."
Hearing that Alexander had found a legitimate way to make money and was so sensible, both parents were delighted.
Alexander's mother hugged him happily, "That's wonderful, Alexander! You're amazing! Your father is working so hard now; he's juggling two jobs for your education, and we haven't bought anything new for the house in a long time."
"Yes, Mom, I know. But things will get better for our family," Alexander assured her confidently.
Based on his sales analysis, Alexander was full of confidence in the prospects of this game called Plants vs. Zombies.
Early the next morning, William, still half-asleep, heard someone pounding on his dorm room door.
Reluctantly, William got up, grumbling about the interruption, but the persistent knocking wouldn't stop.
"Who's the idiot waking me up so early?" he muttered groggily as he opened the door to find Alexander Hammer.
"Alexander, what time is it?" William complained, still half-asleep.
"I'm sorry, William. I couldn't wait. You won't believe it—I sold all 200 game discs yesterday, and there are more people eager to buy from me! William, time is money!" Alexander Hammer was eager to share the good news with William. Remembering the 400 pounds he earned yesterday, Hammer felt every second wasted could cost him more money.
Hearing that 200 discs sold in one day, William was momentarily stunned, then elated: "Alexander, are you serious? All sold out in one afternoon? Wow, you're amazing! We're going to be rich!"
William excitedly put his arm around Alexander's shoulder. "How did you do it? You're a marketing genius! We're going to make a fortune!"
Alexander Hammer, equally excited, explained, "Of course, we're going to get rich! Don't waste any more time, William. I need more discs. I want to try selling them in other communities. I submitted a proposal to my professor about this. I think I can write a paper on our sales strategy. If it works, this could be a new sales method for university-related products, and we could even do a survey on young people's preferences. This could make money too."
Alexander continued, "The professor loved my plan. I don't even have to attend classes for now. I just need to document what I do daily and submit it. If he's impressed, he might recommend my paper to a magazine. This is perfect—I can earn money and publish a paper, which will be great for my graduation. I think I can sell 500 discs a day, making 1,000 pounds. I've never earned so much money in my life."
Alexander was truly enthusiastic, caught up in the excitement of making money.
He took out 1,200 pounds from the previous day and said, "Hurry, I want 300 more copies."
William, thinking for a moment, replied, "I'll give you 500 copies. Pay me for the rest after you sell them. This is a reward for your hard work."
"Really, William? You're the best! I'll sell them all today. We're going to be rich!" Alexander Hammer grabbed his backpack, loaded it with 500 game discs, and rushed off.
William thought, this guy is a real talent! Salespeople should have a drive for money and the guts to seize opportunities.
After finishing morning classes, William received calls from classmates who picked up discs, all asking for more. He skipped lunch, returning to his dorm to meet these second-hand dealers—all classmates selling game discs for him.
By noon, many who hadn't visited the game interest club yesterday came with money. By evening, he had over 100 people in his notebook.
These students took anywhere from a few dozen to 100 discs each. In two days, over 3,000 discs had been distributed. William realized he needed to order more. With over 12,000 pounds in hand, he could buy 20,000 discs at 0.6 pounds each.
Should he order 50,000? Damn, it seemed 50,000 for all of London wouldn't be a problem.
For 50,000 or more, each disc cost 0.5 pounds from the manufacturer, totaling 25,000 pounds.
Let's do it! William called his disc manufacturer.
The manufacturer was pleasantly surprised by William's large order and offered a small discount, reducing the price to 0.46 pounds per disc. They hoped to secure a long-term contract with him.
William considered it but declined. He didn't want to limit himself to London or England. He planned to expand to Europe, America, and eventually worldwide.
He rejected the manufacturer's proposal, not wanting small profits to hinder future growth.
At 6 PM, William visited the disc manufacturer, finalized the contract, and paid a 10,000-pound deposit, agreeing to take the goods in batches to manage his limited funds.
Declining the manufacturer's dinner invite, William returned to school, bought a pizza, and headed back to his dorm. Before he could eat, an excited Alexander Hammer knocked on his door.
Emptying change from his backpack, Alexander sighed in relief.
"Finally back, William. I was on edge all day, worried about being robbed," he confessed.
He counted out 800 pounds for William and excitedly counted his own remaining earnings.
After selling 500 copies, Alexander kept 2,200 pounds, covering the cost of 500 more copies.
Alexander Hammer grabbed the pizza from William's desk, eating heartily. Thankfully, William had bought a large pizza, enough for both.
After eating, Alexander took another 500 game discs, left 2,000 pounds, and departed.
In the following days, William consistently shipped 3,000 games daily. Over 150 University of London students were selling discs for him. No longer unknown, many classmates and friends earned extra money, some like Alexander Hammer selling nearly 500 discs daily, earning close to 4,000 pounds.
Most of William's peers now recognized him. When they met, they no longer ignored him.
Many attractive girls greeted him, some even flirted. Capitalist girls were realistic. Or maybe girls in Greater China were better, but in a few years, girls worldwide would be the same: first they'd check if you had money, then if you were handsome. If neither, you were invisible.
Several game publishers in London approached William, wanting to buy his game. The highest offer was only 1 million pounds.
1 million pounds for the entire game copyright? A joke! William had already sold nearly 50,000 discs, earning nearly 200,000 pounds. They wanted the full copyright for 1 million? No way!
1 million pounds wasn't enough for London distribution rights alone, let alone the full copyright. They must think I'm a fool.
After selling 50,000 discs, William ordered 100,000 more. Selling 50,000 in London had already exceeded his expectations.
Now, 20% of marketing students at London University were selling discs for him. Many used the excuse of helping Alexander Hammer's project to sell legitimately.
Some clever students even promoted the game in nearby cities' schools. Online, many asked where to buy Plants vs. Zombies discs.
The school took note of this new marketing strategy: first gaining fame in higher education, then spreading to other universities, middle schools, and primary schools, attracting societal attention. With this sales method, a standout product needed little advertising to become a sensation.
The most watched in a family are the children; parents notice their children's interests.
In schools, if students pay attention to something, others will too. Friends influence each other; if a friend likes something and you haven't heard of it, it's embarrassing.
What's popular among teenagers becomes popular in society. After selling 150,000 discs in London and surrounding areas in under a month, a major game publisher approached William.
After selling 150,000 copies, William stopped producing discs. He realized 6 pounds was too cheap. Many sold discs for over 10 pounds, not huge, but not insignificant.