American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 368 The Red Book
"What did you say?"

Nidi spoke so softly when she said her online name that Ashley didn't hear her at all.

Then, Nidi repeated it, and this time Ashley heard it clearly and burst out laughing.

Ashley! I told you not to laugh!

"Nidi, I'm sorry! I just couldn't hold it in, hahaha..."

Enraged, Neely began to retaliate against Ashley by tickling her armpits, resulting in the two of them rolling around in the mailroom.

"Ashley, you have really disappointed me!"

"I didn't mean to! I really couldn't hold it in, hahaha..."

The two only stopped their indecent attacks when other students entered the mailroom.

By this time, Ashley was already breathless from being scratched. Nidi had finally completed the bloodline enhancement ritual, and her physical abilities were much higher than those of ordinary people.

Ashley was just an ordinary girl.

"Ashley, you absolutely cannot tell anyone this screen name!"

"Phew! It's okay to tell people we're on the same side, right? Can I tell Nancy?"

"Neither!"

Niddy reached out to scratch again, but this time Ashley reacted quickly and dodged in time.

In fact, only Jennifer and Roy knew this online name, and Ashley was the third person to know it, which shows that their relationship has indeed improved.

After playing around for a while, Nidi took the invitation and other server components and prepared to return to her dormitory.

"Ashley, could you come with me to this escape room game on Sunday night?"

Ashley looked at Niddy with some surprise; she was still quite wary.

"Nidi, are you sure this person called 'Puzzle Master' is alright? It might be some kind of scam!"

"Hmph! With my intelligence, who can fool me?"

Niddy looked very confident; she had always been very proud of her intelligence.

"Okay, I should be free on Sunday, but I still need to talk to Roy and Jennifer!"

"Of course!"

The two ran into Roy on the way back to their dorm while carrying server parts.

What are you moving?

Roy stepped forward and lifted the things that the two of them were about to move with one hand.

"It's the server hardware; I'm upgrading the server."

As soon as Nidi saw Roy, a sweet smile appeared on her face. She would be very happy as long as she could see Roy every day.

"Server hardware? Wasn't your original server good enough? What are you trying to do?"

"I'm setting up a personal portal website, and if the traffic gets too high, the existing server won't be enough."

Upon hearing this, Roy's lips twitched slightly; he knew about Nidi's plan.

The so-called personal portal is actually equivalent to Nidi's personal blog, where she posts things online that she wouldn't dare say in real life.

If a website like that gets even a few hundred visitors, it should be considered a blessing, but Roy didn't want to shatter Nidi's illusions.

"Ahem! Nidi, instead of creating such a small website, why don't you create a large website that can interest college students all over the country? That way, your upgraded server will be of great use!"

Upon hearing this, Nidi became interested.

"Roy, what do you mean by this website that college students all over the country are interested in?"

"Currently, the best places to deploy internet, besides universities, are the federal government, and college students have plenty of time to surf the internet, so they are the best users for internet companies."

The website Roy was referring to is Facebook, which launched in 2004 and was essentially the pinnacle of social networking in the PC internet era.

Because America's infrastructure was rather poor, its network coverage in 2000 was not as high as people imagined. It was basically limited to first- and second-tier cities, with the fastest internet speeds undoubtedly coming from prestigious universities.

Therefore, there is absolutely no problem with Roy saying that college students are the best users of internet companies.

"Roy, you want me to start an internet company? But how exactly do I do that?"

Nidi's big eyes blinked as she looked at Roy; she did indeed have some interest in starting a business.

“I’m not a professional at building websites, so you’ll have to do that yourself. The main thing is to allow people who register on the website to fill in their university information and then connect with other users from the same university, creating a social circle. That’s just the most basic operation. The most important thing is that you need to have a sufficiently exciting way to attract traffic so that college students across the country will participate spontaneously.”

What traffic generation methods are used?

Nidi grew increasingly interested and eagerly urged Roy to hurry up.

What do you think of the event where college students across the country vote to select America's most handsome campus heartthrob and most beautiful campus belle?

Nidi frowned in thought. She wasn't good at socializing, so she didn't feel much for this event.

But Ashley, who was standing nearby, was very interested when she heard this.

"This activity seems really fun! If I participate, I'll definitely get my classmates to vote for me!"

"Yes, Ashley is right! This campaign allows users to spread the word spontaneously, which is much more effective than advertising on TV. And if you see a girl who isn't as good-looking as you getting votes on the website, wouldn't you want to register an account and upload your own photo to participate?"

Nidi looked thoughtful.

"So that's it!"

"However, the most difficult part of a website is attracting traffic in the early stages. Perhaps you could start with a few universities in California and then gradually expand to the whole country."

Los Angeles and San Francisco in California are both economically developed areas with a large number of universities, including several campuses of the University of California, as well as prestigious private universities such as USC and Stanford University.

If it can be successfully implemented in California, expanding it nationwide shouldn't be a major problem.

Ashley chimed in again at this point.

"I've got a great idea to attract traffic! We can put Roy's picture up there. With his current fame in America, it'll definitely boost the website's growth!"

"Great idea! Let's do it! Roy, I'll get the website up and running when I get back, but I need the school BBS to drive traffic to the new website. Is that possible?"

Roy thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I can talk to the school and they should be willing to give me face. If that doesn't work, I can donate some money, and that should solve the problem."

The most difficult part for all internet companies is the initial stage; the breakthrough from scratch is the most challenging.

However, with Roy's support, Nydy's start will definitely be faster than that of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"Now there's another problem: what should I name this website?"

How about Facebook?

Roy simply copied the original name without any hesitation, but Nydy wasn't quite satisfied.

"This name is awful! Ashley, what do you think?"

How about RedBook?

Nidi considered it for a moment.

"This one seems pretty good, it sounds nice and is easy to remember! I've decided, this is the name!"

Hearing this, Roy's expression became strange.

Should Red Book release a mobile version called Little Red Book in the future?
Goodness, has Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) already invaded America's database?

However, Roy saw that Nydy liked the name "Red Book," so he respected the founder's idea. He just wanted Nydy to have something to do so she wouldn't be bored when he wasn't around. Helping Nydy move the hardware to her dorm, watching her busy herself, Roy felt that Nydy seemed even more beautiful.

"By the way, where's Jennifer? Did she go to class?"

Roy looked around the four-person dorm room and found that Jennifer wasn't there.

Ashley helped answer Roy's question.

“I heard from Nidi that Jennifer seems to be busy with sorority matters.”

Top sorority clubs are just as sophisticated as fraternities; those rich heiresses and powerful princesses are all seasoned players, as you can see from Madison.

However, Madison had nowhere to play after entering the witch school, and everything changed completely after she met Roy.

Roy wasn't worried that Jennifer would be led astray; he trusted her completely.

Jennifer, Nydy, Heather, and Penny are the four people Roy trusts the most, so so far only these four women have completed the bloodline fusion ritual.

Instead, they were worried that Jennifer's temper would lead to her being bullied in the sorority.

Bullying within fraternities and sororities is a serious problem. It has been reported before that every year, students die in fraternities and sororities due to excessive initiation ceremonies and internal bullying.

Jennifer is so beautiful and has a cool personality, but she has no connections. If she joins the sorority, she's bound to be bullied.

"Should I go check on Jennifer's situation?"

Ashley hesitated for a moment, but still stopped Roy from going to Jennifer.

"Roy, I still don't recommend you do this. If the sorority women find out about your ambiguous relationship with Jennifer, the consequences could be even worse!"

Although Ashley had never joined a sorority, she understood women's psychology. She was so jealous of Jennifer that she was controlled by the evil spirit in the Soul Box.

Roy readily accepted the good advice.

"Okay, maybe you're right! Let's not go see Jennifer for now. Call me anytime if anything comes up."

Ashley nodded.

"I will!"

Roy glanced at Nydy working again, then said goodbye to Ashley and left Nydy's dorm room.

That evening, Roy, Jennifer, Nydy, and Ashley had dinner together at Madison's house in Beverly Hills.

Ashley has had some free time lately, so she's taken up baking, and now Roy and the others are enjoying Ashley's creations.

After eating, all I can say is that Ashley's talent in baking is only so-so. She spent many days researching, but the desserts she made were all very strange in shape and tasted either too sweet or bland.

Roy, Jennifer, and Nydy were speechless as they ate.

"Isn't it delicious?"

Ashley looked at Roy with anticipation.

Roy didn't really want to tell the truth, but the problem was that lying might have worse consequences.

Who knows if Ashley will make even more terrifying desserts in the future?

"The taste is a bit strange, and the presentation isn't very appealing either."

Seeing that Roy had told the truth, Jennifer and Nydy also began to express their true feelings.

"I feel the flavor is very uneven; some parts are too bland, and some parts are too sweet!"

"The texture seems a bit off; it seems a little burnt."

Hearing these comments, Ashley was somewhat disappointed and had no choice but to take the dessert away.

"It seems I still need to study further."

Fortunately, there was food Roy had bought from the restaurant on the table, and Jennifer had also cooked some home-style dishes, so no one would go hungry.

After a satisfying meal, it's time to move on to the next step.

However, during a friendly match with Jennifer, Roy noticed that she seemed a bit distracted.

"Jennifer, what's wrong?"

Sensing Roy's change, Jennifer quickly came to her senses.

"It's nothing, it's just that there are some things going on at school."

"Is it about the sorority?"

Jennifer was stunned for a moment.

"How did you know?"

"Ashley told me that you've been busy with sorority matters lately."

Hearing this, Jennifer nodded.

"Yes, it does have some connection with the sorority."

Roy stroked Jennifer's hair affectionately.

“Jennifer, if you’re not happy, you don’t have to do these things. I’d rather see you happy and cheerful than worried and troubled.”

Hearing Roy's words, Jennifer hugged him tightly, deeply inhaling his neck.

"But I want to do something for you!"

Jennifer is a proud girl who has long received Roy's help but has been unable to give anything back.

Therefore, after entering UCLA, Jennifer hoped to help Roy in his career.

However, it is clearly not an easy task.

Jennifer comes from an ordinary Texas family, unlike the heiresses of those top sorority families who have been taught etiquette, piano, horseback riding, and other high-society skills since childhood.

This means that even if Jennifer manages to join such a top-tier sorority, she will most likely remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy and become the target of bullying.

Roy cupped Jennifer's face in his hands.

“Jennifer, listen to me! I want to see the Jennifer who is aloof and unattainable, not the Jennifer who is groveling! Don’t put up with things for my sake. If anyone dares to bully you, fight back! I will stand up for you!”

Upon hearing Roy's words, Jennifer suddenly kissed Roy on the lips, and as she kissed him, Roy tasted some salty tears.

Jennifer couldn't hold back her tears and shed tears of emotion.

Roy, love me!

Seeing Jennifer's expression, Roy decided to cheer her up.

"Jennifer, you didn't even tell me you were joining the sorority, such an important thing! I think you need to be punished! Ashley, Needy, come help me!"

Nidy hesitated for a moment when she heard Roy's call, but Ashley did not hesitate at all.

Although Ashley's relationship with Jennifer has improved a lot, it doesn't mean he'll refuse to mess with Jennifer when given the chance.

"Roy, what should I do?"

Seeing Ashley's eager expression, Roy grinned wickedly.

"Do you know Jennifer's erogenous zones? Come on, let me tell you!"

Ashley

(End of this chapter)