British writer

"Upside Down" was a huge success.

On the Harvard campus, there are three performances a week, and the performances are still full, with many students attending the show twice or even three times.

Even people from MIT next door came to join in the fun.

This makes it even more difficult to get a vote.

Lu Shi's reputation also rose with the tide.

In the Crimson, Franklin published a play review,

He believes that the plot of "Upside Down" is cleverly designed and gradually shows the changes in the relationship between the two protagonists through a series of events.

From being unfamiliar and distrustful at the beginning, to gradually understanding and relying on each other, and finally becoming each other's friends, the transformation of this relationship is very natural and real.

At the same time, through these details, the universality of racial discrimination is shown, which deeply hurts the audience.

Another important point is its absurdity.

However, Franklin was not a student of this major and did not dare to make any judgments.

This review attracted more attention,

Through word of mouth, "Upside Down" gradually became a legend and became more and more popular among students.

It's a pity that Elliot has agreed to let Jerry's Circus tour in colleges and universities across the United States.

They were ready to leave Harvard.

Lu Shi went to see him off and found that the circus station was tightly surrounded by students.

Various discussions arose,

"You're leaving now? I haven't taken a liking to it yet!"

"Oh...it's all about face! It's all for the principal's face! You...cough...come closer, I'll whisper to you. Have you heard? Mr. Principal is planning to expand the Ivy League, and it's no longer just a simple matter. It’s a social and athletic competition, but a multi-school alliance!”

"Damn it! I want drama more than saving face!"

"Let's go! Let's go find the principal and report the situation!"

…

There was a huge quarrel.

However, even though they said they were going to confront Elliot, no one moved. Instead, they looked at each other.

Lu Shi felt like laughing when he saw it.

These students were immediately intimidated when faced with the prestigious principal.

He entered the circus station from the side.

At this time, the actors had almost packed their luggage, and several large boxes were piled together. As soon as the carriage arrived, they would be ready to set off.

Seeing Lu Shi appear, Li Dai immediately came up to greet him.

The girl's face was filled with a smile,

"Mr. Lu!"

Lu Shi nodded and asked, "Are you ready to set off now?"

Li Dai replied: "Yes, go to Yale University."

Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. It is a world-renowned private research university and the third oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

Starting from Cambridge, the straight-line distance is less than 300 kilometers, not too far.

Lu Shi said: "Perform well."

Li Dai said "hmm" and then said, "I have a question."

Lu Shi couldn't help but laugh,

"You used to ask questions directly. When did you learn to inform me in advance?"

Li Dai blushed a little,

After staying at Harvard for nearly three weeks, she had become aware of Lu Shi's status in the academic and educational circles, so it was difficult for her to treat him with a normal attitude.

After all, the title "Professor" is not for nothing.

She whispered: "Mr. Lu, don't make fun of me."

Lu Shi said, "Okay, you can ask."

Li Dai tilted her head and thought for a while, as if she was sorting out her words.

After a moment, she said: "I heard from Harvard students that they all thought our first performance on stage was the best. However, there were obviously many mistakes that time, such as taking the wrong position, memorizing the wrong words, etc. I don't believe they could see it. come out."

Lu Shi explained: "The first time is always the most impressive~"

Li Dai shook her head,

"Then let's take a step back. Our English dialogue level continues to improve, why do they still feel that the first time is better."

Lu Shi was speechless,

"This...you can understand it as some kind of their writing art."

In fact, the students felt that the Chinese actors did not speak English well, which made "Upside Down" more satirical and absurd.

There are even drama clubs that specialize in this technique of expression.

They worshiped Lu Shi as their ancestor.

In this regard, Lu Shi could only say "performance art".

Li Dai wanted to learn acting well, and wanted to know what was happening and why, so she was not satisfied with Lu Shi's answer.

But her best friend was already calling her,

"Xiaodai, the carriage is coming!"

Li Dai sighed,

"Mr. Lu, we have to leave~"

With that said, she bowed deeply to Lu Shi.

Lu Shi smiled and waved,

"Go ahead."

When Li Dai looked at Lu, she didn't know which tendon was wrong and made a face with her tongue sticking out.

After she finished, she felt that her behavior was a little carried away and ran away quickly.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Little girl~"

He stretched and left the circus station.

I saw that the group of students who said they wanted to report the situation to Elliot had not yet left.

"you go."

"Okay, I'll go, I'll go."

"Why don't you leave?"

"Huh? You left me alone? I thought you wanted to come with me."

…

Several people put the blame on each other.

Just then, Elliot suddenly appeared,

Behind him were Theodore and Wodehouse.

In an instant, the students' tone of conversation changed. They muttered "Let's go to the cafeteria together" and fled as if they were running away.

Elliot glanced at them,

"Nothing right."

When he walked quickly towards Lu, he said with a smile: "Professor Lu, your friends and partners, Parker Brothers, ordered someone to send you several copies of the tabletop game called "Monopoly" yesterday. Two of them are yours. They are already It was delivered to your dormitory. The rest was donated to various colleges and libraries of Harvard University."

It was a good move by Parker Brothers to get "Monopoly" published so quickly.

Theodore was curious;

"Is this the game?"

Because of the conflict between Lu Shi and Owens on the boat, Theodore also heard about "Monopoly".

He said: "I want to see it too."

Elliott said, "Let's go to the economics department. That game is already being used as a teaching aid by the professors."

Harvard University's economics major (originally named Business Management) has always been the most popular major among students. The college was founded in 1897 and has been a global leader in this field since its establishment.

Theodore followed the good deeds,

"Okay, let's go take a look together."

Lu Shi and Wodehouse also followed.

The four of them went to the School of Economics together. As soon as they arrived in a classroom, they heard an argument coming from inside.

"Why don't you trade with me? It's obviously a win-win situation!"

"I just don't want to trade with you!"

"Would you rather not win?"

"Yes! I would rather not win!"

…

There was a commotion inside.

Outside the door, several people exchanged glances, and Elliot pushed the door open and entered.

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

The three students were a little flustered.

Lu Shi looked at the table,

It was a mess, with various items scattered randomly. Magazines, documents, stationery, etc. were pushed aside.

Some of the paper was crumpled, and the "$" symbol and calculation formulas could be vaguely seen on it.

In the center is a "Monopoly" chessboard. The green grid represents "land", the orange grid represents "local public services", and the red grid represents "public transportation services". Houses have been built on many plots.

The three students played very seriously and even made their own name tags, namely:

Joseph Ainslie Bear, Joseph Ainslie Bear;

Robert Stearns, Robert Stearns;

Harold Mayer, Harold Mayer.

Because the surname Stearns was not common, Lu Shi couldn't help but look at it a few more times and thought about it carefully.

Then, he remembered a famous investment company——

Bear Stearns.

Its name was "The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc." and was later sold to JPMorgan Chase during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.

Its collapse led to the bankruptcy of countless middle-class families.

"hiss……"

Lu Shi took a breath of cold air.

After traveling through time, you can meet celebrities everywhere.

But it makes sense when you think about it,

After all, this is Harvard's School of Economics, so it is normal for one or two financial giants to emerge.

Elliot stepped forward;

"I thought I heard your argument just now?"

The three students did not explain,

Bell just replied: "Mr. Principal, we had some... um... we had some different opinions when we were playing the game."

Eliot wondered,

"What is the disagreement?"

Bell glanced at Stearns and said, "Robert, I don't want to take the blame for you."

Stearns then became anxious.

"How can this be called taking the blame?"

Bell snorted coldly,

"Isn't this called pot? The deal between the two of us is obviously a win-win situation..."

Before he finished speaking, Stearns interrupted: "Bullshit 'win-win'! Don't you think I'm going bankrupt and want to take the opportunity to buy my big farm at a low price?"

Bell spread his hands and said: "We are talking about business. I will help you escape from bankruptcy, and I will get a big farm. How can it not be a win-win situation? You have a few stations in your hands. If you delay for a while, you might give Harold to It’s so frustrating~”

Stearns said: "Fuck you! I don't want a 'win-win' like this! It's better to let Harold avenge me."

Bell: "! @% # ......"

Stearns: "! @% # ..."

The two of them actually uttered dirty words and were about to have sex in front of Lu Shi and others.

Wodehouse couldn't help laughing.

When he got closer to Lu,

"Sure enough, as you said, this is a game that creates one winner and multiple losers. The name "Monopoly" really captures its essence."

Elliot cleared his throat.

"Ahem..."

Hearing the cough, Bell and Stearns came to their senses and realized that the principal was still there.

The two quickly calmed down their voices and stopped arguing.

Elliot asked, "Is this game fun?"

Mayer glanced at his two friends and saw that neither of them spoke, so he had to stand up.

"Mr. Principal, this game is indeed interesting. Although it is far from the intrigues of reality, the simulation is realistic enough. As an economics student, I can learn a lot from it."

The answer was quite satisfactory.

Elliot nodded and turned to look at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, it seems that the game you designed is very successful."

The three students were shocked on the spot.

"This was designed by Professor Lu!?"×3

They said in unison.

Stearns reacted the fastest. He picked up the game packaging box and quickly found the designer's column. He found that there were indeed two letters written on it, "Lu".

For a moment, he was confused.

A writer and historian can actually design a "monopoly" game that understands human nature and business war...

That's outrageous!

Stearns gave his friend Bell a hard look.

"Professor Lu is right here. Should I ask if the offer you just made is a 'win-win'?"

Bell was not convinced either;

"Just ask, I'll answer!"

After saying that, the two of them looked at Lu Shi together.

Lu Shi was speechless,

"Don't ask me! I'm here just to see how popular this game is."

Bell said: "Professor Lu, you are the designer of the game, so we hope you can give a ruling."

Lu Shi really had no choice but to give an example: "Mr. Bell and Mr. Stearns, I will give you two 100 yuan now and let you negotiate the distribution. Among them, Mr. Bell can propose a distribution plan, but Stearns Mr. Stearns can decide whether this plan can be passed. Once Mr. Stearns rejects the distribution plan, the money will be withdrawn and the two people will get nothing. Moreover, you only have one chance to negotiate. Under such conditions, what will Mr. Bell do? What about distributing this money?”

This is a typical experiment in game theory, called "The Ultimatum Game".

But there was no von Neumann or Nash equilibrium in 1900.

Game only studies the winning and losing issues in chess, bridge, and gambling. People's grasp of the game situation only remains based on experience and has not developed into theory.

Lu Shi could only give this example.

When asked, Bell and Stearns fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Bell said: "Rationally, I will keep $99 for myself and only give Robert $1."

Stearns spread his hands,

"Then I can only be embarrassed. I am not a brainless disciple of Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Sismondi."

The three people he mentioned were all classical political economists.

Classical economic theory believes that human beings are rational calculators. No matter how much they are wronged, they are willing to swallow it as long as they have money to take it.

Lu Shi said with a smile: "Most classical economists have probably never ventured into the real world in their lives. Most people will refuse as long as they are offered too little money. There is no other reason than 'unfair'. They would rather not take it." I don’t want to look like a fool for this $1.”

Stearns poked his friend in the side.

"See? This is the real way the world works."

After saying that, he turned his attention to the chessboard,

"So, so does monopoly."

Lu Shi became interested,

"how to say?"

Stearns said with a smile: "Joseph, as the biggest asset in the game, should indeed promote a beautiful 'win-win', but this 'win-win' cannot be tragic, but quietly create countless small losers and himself." Winner."

Bell nodded,

"Yes, so sometimes, capitalists have to give unions and workers a little sweetness. Otherwise, how can a monopoly be formed?"

Lu Shi:? ? ?

Are these Americans so capable of drawing inferences from one instance to another?

The most important thing is for capitalists to study "Das Kapital".

Bell said to Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, thank you for your guidance. This game will definitely be popular throughout the United States... No, that is an understatement. This game will definitely be popular around the world."

Lu Shi said "Uh..." and said, "I'd like to lend you some good advice."

He didn't know if this was a good thing.

Stearns, Bell, and Mayer sat back at the table and continued playing the game.

However, they never had the situation of "distributing 100 US dollars according to the ratio of 1:99". Instead, there was more of an undercurrent.

Every transaction seemed normal, but the wealth on the table still slowly flowed and gathered in Bell's hands.

After half an hour of this development, a de facto monopoly will be formed.

Wodehouse couldn't help but murmur: "It's still interesting to watch these economic students play "Monopoly"."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice,

"This is so capitalist."

Elliot laughed,

"Isn't this the charm of this game? I also think it can be played on a global scale..."

Before he finished speaking, a clerk suddenly broke in outside.

Following closely behind were Theodore’s staff.

The aide approached Theodore and whispered.

Suddenly, Theodore's eyes widened,

"real?"

The staff nodded seriously,

"Mr. Vice President, your long vacation is over. Now, you must rush back to Washington, where there is a pile of mess waiting for you to clean up."

Theodore closed his eyes, seeming to calm down.

When he opened his eyes again, his whole aura had changed, as if he was wearing a yellow robe.

He looked around and said to Lu Shi, "Professor Lu, something important suddenly happened, so I won't accompany you."

After saying that, he strode out.

Everyone present noticed something was wrong.

Elliot's eyes moved to the clerk,

"what happened?"

The clerk's lips trembled and he looked at Lu Shi and Wodehouse, seemingly hesitant.

Elliot said: "If there is something big, we definitely can't hide it from Sir and Professor Lu. It's just a matter of letting them know earlier or later. It doesn't matter, just tell them directly."

The clerk replied: "Yes!"

Then, he took a deep breath,

"President William McKinley was assassinated by anarchists in Buffalo and is being rescued. However... the situation is not optimistic and his life is hanging by a thread."

Wodehouse suddenly realized,

"I see. This matter really cannot be hidden. Sooner or later, Professor Lu and I will... wait! What did you say!?"

The clerk looked at him like a fool.

"..."

"..."

"..."

An eerie silence filled the classroom.

Suddenly Wodehouse rushed towards the door,

"I'll send a telegram to London!"