"Upside Down" was a huge success.

On Harvard, there are three performances a week, and the venue is still full, and many students brush it up for the second or even the third time.

Even the people from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology next door came to join in the fun.

This makes it even more difficult to get a ticket.

Lu Shi's prestige also rose with the tide.

In The Crimson Newspaper, Franklin published a drama review,

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

From strangeness and distrust at the beginning, to mutual understanding, mutual dependence, 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 pervasiveness of racial discrimination is shown, which makes the audience deeply stabbed.

Another important point is its absurdity.

It's just that Franklin is not a student of this major, so he does not dare to make judgments.

This drama review has attracted more attention,

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

Unfortunately, Elliot has agreed to tour the Circus of Jerry Lee at colleges and universities across the United States.

They are ready to leave Harvard.

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

All kinds of discussions abounded,

"You're leaving? I haven't taken a fancy to it yet! ”

"Alas...... It's all face! It's all for the principal's face! You...... Cough...... Come closer, I'll whisper to you. Have you heard? Mr. Chancellor is ready to expand the Ivy League, which is no longer a purely social and athletic competition, but a multi-school alliance! ”

"Damn! I want drama more than face! ”

"Let's go! Let's go to the principal to report the situation! ”

……

It's a lot of noise.

However, although they said that they were going to scare Eliot, no one moved, but watched each other.

Lu Shi looked straight and wanted to laugh,

These students, in the face of a prestigious principal, were directly intimidated.

He walked around the circus quarters.

At this time, the actors had almost packed their luggage, several large boxes were piled together, and as soon as the carriage arrived, they could set off immediately.

Seeing Lu Shi appear, Li Dai immediately greeted him,

The girl's face was full of smiles,

"Mr. Lu!"

Lu Shi nodded and asked, "Are you ready to go?" ”

Li Dai replied, "That's right, go to Yale University." ”

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

From Cambridge, the straight-line distance is less than 300 kilometers, which is not far.

Lu Shi said: "Behave well." ”

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

Lu Shi couldn't help laughing,

"You asked questions directly before, when did you learn to notify me in advance?"

Li Dai blushed a little,

After nearly three weeks at Harvard, she has realized Lu Shi's status in the academic and educational circles, so it is difficult to treat him with a normal heart.

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

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

Lu Shi said: "Okay, you ask." ”

Li Dai tilted her head and thought about it, as if she was sorting out the wording,

After a moment, she said, "I heard from the students at Harvard that they all thought we were the best on stage for the first time. However, there were obviously a lot of mistakes at that time, going in the wrong place, reciting the wrong words, etc., I don't believe they couldn't see it. ”

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

Li Dai shook her head,

"Then take a step back. Our English lines are constantly improving, why do they still feel better the first time? ”

Lu Shi was dumbfounded,

"This ...... You can understand it as some kind of literary art of theirs. ”

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

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

They worship Lu as their ancestors.

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

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

But her best friend is already calling her,

"Xiao Dai, the carriage is coming!"

Li Dai sighed,

"Mr. Lu, we're leaving~"

As she spoke, she bowed deeply to Lu Shi.

Lu Shi smiled and waved his hand,

"Go ahead."

Li Dai looked at Lu Shi, and she didn't know which tendon she had built wrong, so she made a grimace with her tongue sticking out.

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

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Little girl~"

He stretched and left the circus station.

I saw that the group of students who said they were looking for Elliot to report the situation hadn't left yet.

"There you go."

"Okay, I'll go."

"Why don't you go?"

"Huh? You're leaving me alone? I thought you were going to come with me. ”

……

Several people blame each other.

At this moment, Elliot suddenly appeared,

Behind him were Theodore and Waldhouse.

In an instant, the tone of the students' words changed, muttering "let's go to the cafeteria together", and left as if fleeing.

Elliot glanced at them,

"None of them are on the right track."

As he walked towards Lu quickly, he said with a smile, "Professor Lu, your friend and partner, Brother Pike, ordered someone to send several decks of board games called Monopoly yesterday, two of which are yours personally, and have been delivered to your dormitory. The remainder was donated to the Harvard University Colleges and Library. ”

The Pike brothers acted well, and Monopoly was published so quickly.

Theodore was curious,

"Is this the game?"

Because of the conflict between Lu Shi and Owens on the ship, Theodore has also heard of "Monopoly",

"I want to see it too," he said. ”

Elliot said, "Let's go to the economics department together." The game has been used as a teaching aid by the professors. ”

Harvard's economics program (originally named Business Management) has long been the most popular major among students, and since its founding in 1897, the school has led the world in its field.

Theodore is as good as a stream,

"Okay, let's take a look."

Lu Shi and Wardhouse also followed.

The four of them went to the School of Economics together, and as soon as they arrived at a classroom, they heard an argument inside.

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

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

"You'd rather not win?"

"That's right! I'd rather not win! ”

……

There was a commotion from inside.

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

For a moment, the room fell silent.

The three students were a little flustered.

Lu Shi looked at the desktop,

Messy, all kinds of items scattered at random, magazines, documents, stationery, etc. were pushed aside,

Some of the paper was crumpled, and the "$" symbol on it was faintly visible, along with the calculation formula.

In the center is the Monopoly chessboard, with green squares for "land", orange for "local public services", and red for "public transportation services", and houses have already been built on many plots.

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

Joseph Ainslie Bear;

Robert Stearns;

Harold Mayer.

Because the surname Stearns is uncommon, Lu Shi couldn't help but take a few more looks, and thought carefully,

Subsequently, he remembered a well-known investment company -

Bear stearns.

Its name was none other than "The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc.", which was later sold to JPMorgan Chase during the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008.

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

"Hiss......"

Lu Shi gasped.

After crossing over, you can really meet celebrities everywhere.

But it's reasonable to think about it,

After all, this is Harvard's School of Economics, and it's normal for one or two financial predators to come out.

Elliot stepped forward,

"I think I just heard your argument?"

Three students did not explain,

Bell just replied, "Mr. Headmaster, we had some ...... while playing the game Well...... There are some dissenting opinions. ”

Elliot was curious,

"What is the disagreement?"

Bell glanced at Stearns and said, "Robert, I don't want to carry this pot for you." ”

Stearns then became anxious,

"How can this be called a backpot?"

Bell snorted coldly,

"Isn't this called a pot? The two of us make a deal, and it's obviously a win-win ......"

Before the words fell, he was interrupted by Stearns: "Bullshit's 'win-win'!" Don't you see that I'm about to go bankrupt and want to take the opportunity to buy my big farm at a low price? ”

Bell spread his hands and said, "In business." I help you get out of bankruptcy, and I get a big farm myself, how is it not a win-win? You have a few stations in your hands, and if you delay it, you might drag Harold to death~"

Stance said, "you! I don't want to be such a 'win-win'! Let Harold avenge me. ”

Bell: "! @%#……”

Stearns: "! @%#……”

The two of them actually spat out dirty words, and they saw that they were going to do it in front of Lu Shi and others.

Wardhouse couldn't help but laugh,

When he approached the land,

"Sure enough, as you said, it's a game that creates one winner and multiple losers, and the name "Monopoly" really captures its essence."

Elliot cleared his throat,

"Ahem......"

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

The two quickly reined in their voices and stopped arguing.

Elliot asked, "Is this game fun?" ”

Mayer glanced at the two friends, and saw that they didn't speak, so he had to go on top of himself,

"Mr. Principal, this game is really interesting. It's nowhere near as deceitful as it is in reality, but it's realistic enough that I can learn a lot from it as an economics student. ”

The answer is decent.

Eliot nodded, turning his head 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 spoke in unison.

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

In an instant, he was stunned,

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

It's outrageous!

Stearns glared at his friend Bell fiercely,

"Professor Lu is here, should I ask if your offer just now is a 'win-win'?"

Bell was not convinced,

"Just ask, I'll take it!"

After speaking, the two looked at Lu Shi together.

Lu Shi was speechless,

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

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

Lu Shi really didn't have a trick, so he could only give an example: "Mr. Bell, Mr. Stearns, I will give the two of you 100 yuan now, and let you negotiate the distribution." Among them, Mr. Bell can propose a distribution plan, but Mr. Steens can decide whether the plan can pass or not, and if Mr. Stops rejects the distribution plan, the money will be recovered, and the two men will get nothing. Also, you only have one chance to negotiate. Under such conditions, how will Mr. Bell distribute the money? ”

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

But in 1900 there was no von Neumann, no Nash equilibrium,

The game is only the study of the victory and defeat in chess, bridge, and gambling, and people's grasp of the game situation only stays in experience, and does not develop into theory.

Lu Shi can only give this example.

Asked about Bell and Stearns, they fell into deep thought.

After a long time, Bell said, "Rationally, I would keep $99 for myself and only give Robert $1." ”

Stearns spreads his hands,

"Then I can only be embarrassed. I am not a brainless believer in Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Sismondi. ”

The three men he was talking about were all classical political economists.

Classical economic theory believes that human beings are rational calculators, and no matter how much they are wronged, as long as they have money, they are willing to swallow their anger.

Lu Shi said with a smile: "Most classical economics may never venture into the real world in their lifetime. Most people, as long as they take too little money, will refuse for no other reason, it's just 'unfair', they would rather not take the $1 than look like a fool. ”

Stearns stabbed his friend in the ribs,

"See? That's the real way the world works. ”

With that, he turned his gaze to the chessboard,

"So, the same goes for monopolies."

Lu Shi is interested,

"How?"

Stearns said with a smile: "Joseph, as the largest capital in the audience, should indeed preach a beautiful 'win-win', but this 'win-win' cannot be tragic, but quietly create countless small losers and a winner for himself." ”

Bell nodded,

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

Land Hours: ???

Are these Americans so capable of drawing inferences?

It is the capitalists who study Capital to be the most fatal.

Bell said to Lu Shi, "Professor Lu, thank you for your guidance. This game is sure to take the whole of America by storm...... No, that's conservative. This game is sure to take the world by storm. ”

Lu Shi "......" and said, "I borrowed your auspicious words." ”

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

Stearns, Bell, and Mayer sat back at the table and continued to play.

However, they no longer have the situation of "distributing $100 according to the ratio of 1:99", but more of an undercurrent.

Every transaction seemed to be normal, but the wealth on the table was still slowly flowing, gathering in the hands of Bell alone.

In half an hour of such development, a de facto monopoly will be formed.

Wardhouse couldn't help muttering: "It's still interesting to watch these economics students play "Monopoly". ”

As he spoke, he lowered his voice,

"It's a special kind of capitalism."

Elliot laughed,

"Isn't that the beauty of this game? I also feel that it can be ...... globally"

Before he could finish speaking, a clerk suddenly broke into the outside.

He was followed by Theodore's staff.

The staff approached Theodore and whispered.

Suddenly, Theodore's eyes widened,

"Really?"

The staff nodded solemnly,

"Deputy ...... Mr. President, your long vacation is over, and now, you must rush back to Washington, where there is a mess waiting for you to clean up. ”

Theodore closed his eyes, as if to calm his mind,

When he opened his eyes again, the momentum of the whole person changed, as if he was wearing a yellow robe.

He looked around, but said to Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, suddenly there is something important, so I won't accompany you." ”

With that, he strode out the door.

Everyone present sensed that something was wrong.

Elliot's gaze shifted to the clerk,

"What's going on?"

The clerk's lips twitched, and he looked at Lu Shi and Wardhouse, as if he was a little hesitant.

Elliot said, "If there is anything important, it will definitely not be hidden from Sir and Professor Lu, it is nothing more than the difference between letting them know sooner or later." It's okay, just say it. ”

The clerk replied: "Yes! ”

Then, he took a deep breath,

"President William McKinley was assassinated by anarchists in Buffalo and is being resuscitated. But...... The situation is not optimistic, and life is on the line. ”

Wardhouse suddenly realized,

"I see. This matter really can't be hidden, and Professor Lu and I will ...... sooner or later Wait a minute! What did you say!? ”

The clerk looked at him like a fool,

“……”

“……”

“……”

An eerie silence filled the classroom.

Suddenly, Wardhouse rushed to the door,

"I'll send a telegram to London!"

(End of chapter)