A moment later, the six of them met up. After a brief introduction, as expected, the two guys were William Scott and Ethan Stone. All of them were seniors this year, students who would be entering their final year after the summer break.

Eric Bennett had also watched “Beijing Love Story” back in the day. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense that they were seniors now.

Take one of the main characters, Ethan Stone, for example. Because of a 38-square-meter apartment, he drove himself to collapse, turned dark, and switched jobs from Hu’s Advertising Company to Cheng Feng’s Da De Group.

In his resignation letter to the advertising company boss, Hu Rongqiang, the date was clearly written as December 10, 2010. During that period, Ethan Stone also clearly mentioned that he got into Beijing University from a small town in Yun Province, and that it was his seventh year in Beijing!

Four years of university, then working for three years after graduation.

December 2010 was the third year; from summer 2009 to summer 2010 was the second year; from summer 2008 to summer 2009 was the first year.

This group would be graduating with their bachelor’s degrees next summer!

As these thoughts flashed through Eric Bennett’s mind, Sophia Thompson and the girl Olivia Bennett also chatted a bit with Emily Foster. Upon learning that Old Wang was the main force in assembling computers, Sophia Thompson immediately looked at William Scott.

Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses that made him look somewhat refined, William Scott smiled and offered a cigarette. “Bro, about assembling computers, what’s your take? How much does it cost?”

Eric Bennett took the cigarette and nodded. “The cheapest second-hand machine, good enough to play popular games on the market, won’t have problems for two years, can be done for around 2,000 yuan. If you want to run professional software for your design major smoothly, like 3DsMAX and such, I’d still recommend a machine above 3,500 yuan.”

“Of course, if you want top specs, that’s another story. I charge 150 yuan to assemble a machine. My role is to make sure you don’t get ripped off.”

William Scott asked in surprise, “That big of a difference?”

When he looked at Sophia Thompson, he found his girlfriend a bit pleasantly surprised. Clearly, the budget Eric Bennett mentioned was lower than she expected.

Ethan Stone was also curious. “Bro, you charge 150 per machine, right? Can it be a bit cheaper?”

Ethan Stone’s words were straightforward, and bargaining like this was pretty common.

He quoted 150 just waiting for someone to haggle. In his daily work, as long as he made 50 yuan per machine, he was satisfied.

Eric Bennett smiled and took out his graduation certificate. “I also graduated this year, just two or three months ago.”

“We all have similar educational backgrounds, no one’s going to be too dumb. When it comes to assembling computers, you can find a lot of details online if you search.”

“I won’t say much more…”

Even as he said this, Eric Bennett still started explaining from genuine CPUs, boxed or OEM chips, or second-hand refurbished parts—a single main component could have a price difference of one to five or six hundred yuan.

This was part of the process of getting business and making money. Overall, it was much bigger and more complex, but it included all the big-name brands, the performance of different parts, and the overall quality of the machine.

His skills in assembling and repairing computers were top-notch. He easily dazzled the four seniors with all kinds of technical jargon, giving off a strong sense of professionalism!

This is what you call professional!

Finally, after taking a sip of the bottled water Emily Foster had just bought and opened, he smiled and said, “That’s basically the situation. You guys need computers for your major, and you’re seniors now? I’m sure some classmates have already bought theirs.”

“How about the prices? Make a call and check? Then decide if you want to use my services.”

Sophia Thompson had been dazzled for a while. She looked at Emily Foster, then at Eric Bennett, and finally sobered up. “Let’s go with what you said, around 3,500? I’ve also asked around—our computers should be at least 4,000 yuan in specs.”

“To run all kinds of professional design software smoothly, including 3D modeling. If you go for a big brand’s prebuilt, you can’t get anything under 5,000.”

Eric Bennett nodded with a smile. “You have Xiaowei’s business card. Once the computer is assembled, if there’s any problem, just call me anytime. I rely on my reputation to make money.”

At this point, he added, “Junior Yang, we’re not from the same school, is it okay if I call you that?”

“I really want to break into your Beijing University of Economics market. In the future, if your classmates, juniors, or anyone needs a computer, just come to me. I guarantee it’ll be affordable, reliable, and durable. If you refer someone and the deal goes through, I’ll give you a 20 yuan commission.”

“With this condition, you should understand that when I help you assemble a computer, I’m building my reputation—I won’t scam you.”

Sophia Thompson’s eyes lit up instantly. “Really? Don’t lie to me, 20 yuan per computer? Wouldn’t 100 computers be 2,000 yuan?”

Her roommate Olivia Bennett couldn’t help but tease, “What are you thinking? 100 computers? Wake up!” Sophia Thompson quickly looked at William Scott, and William Scott… he was a bit dizzy.

But getting a gaming machine for around 2,000, and a professional one for over 3,500, was really cheap. Even Ethan Stone was very tempted.

Ethan Stone, a poor student from a small town in Yun Province, missed getting into Tsinghua by just 7 points in the college entrance exam, so he came to Beijing University of Economics. For the first three years, he was always at the top of his department—a model student, a top achiever.

Now in his senior year, his parents back in the small town were still dirt poor. Wanting to stay in Beijing to work after graduation? The pressure was overwhelming.

Over the years, he’d borrowed money from his roommates more than once to get by.

His own computer? He couldn’t afford one, but it was a necessity for job hunting, sending out resumes, doing assignments, and practicing design.