Chapter 330: Young Sheldon: Why Only 70%? Young Leonard: 70% is Chuck's!
After leaving Miami, Frank drove off first.
Chuck, on the other hand, took Hailey back to New Jersey.
"What's going on tonight?"
Hailey asked, still wanting more action.
"Call home, rest, and tomorrow you'll visit Princeton University and Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, then go home."
Chuck dropped her off at the hillside villa and prepared to leave.
"Aren't you staying with me?"
Hailey looked at him pitifully.
"Not a problem."
Chuck walked away.
"Bros before hoes in action!"
Hailey pouted and complained as she watched Chuck's decisive departure, then looked at the empty hillside villa with an expectant look in her eyes.
Chuck then went to Professor Alicia Harper's house, and after a particularly memorable evening together, he listened to her talk about her work.
"Young Sheldon is indeed very clever. He recently came up with an idea to create a database for research funding."
Professor Alicia Harper casually remarked. "You know, many donors give money randomly, which means many researchers who need funding are unaware that such donations exist, leading to a lack of funding for projects and causing delays or even abandonment.
Furthermore, donated research funds are often left idle or even misappropriated. If such a database were created, it would maximize the use of these funds and greatly benefit scientific development."
Seeing Chuck working diligently without responding, she finally snapped out of her thoughts and couldn't help but ask, "What do you think?"
"It's just a simple tech startup approach."
Chuck said while working. "Nothing particularly groundbreaking."
"I think it's great."
Professor Alicia Harper said, somewhat disapprovingly. "It doesn't have to be revolutionary to be meaningful."
"Are you involved in this idea?"
Chuck looked over.
"Young Sheldon consulted me, and I thought it was a great idea. He asked me to help him refine it, so I agreed."
Professor Alicia Harper got to the point. "We were thinking of making a website prototype first to verify its feasibility. I originally wanted to ask you for help, but it's obvious you're a complete boogeyman in his mind. He refused and went straight to Howard Jr."
"With Howard Jr. and Leonard Jr. helping, the three of them are more than enough to work on this website prototype."
Chuck nodded. "You shouldn't get involved, and don't tell anyone you were consulted."
"Why?"
Professor Alicia Harper asked in surprise.
"You're a physics professor at Princeton University."
Chuck reminded her. "During your tenure, 75% of any intellectual property you create belongs to Princeton."
"I know."
Professor Alicia Harper chuckled. "If I own half of this idea, then if Sheldon actually implements it, 37.5% instantly belongs to Princeton.
If the president leans on him, I wouldn't be surprised if 90% goes to the university. What surprises me is that you're asking me to give up my own interests for Sheldon. Since when have you been so good to Sheldon?"
It wasn't the money she cared about—she just found it genuinely strange.
As a university professor and physicist, anyone who truly valued money would be struggling.
After all, universities make them sign exploitative contracts, paying pitifully little—less than what a dishwasher easily earns with a 'big house'.
In the future, when Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj are asked by Raj's father if their parents don't care about them receiving such meager pay, they'll all shake their heads and say they don't.
But the universities reap the real benefits. Not only can they use the scientists' names to receive massive donations, but scientists and professors who sign contracts with universities also surrender 75% of any intellectual property during their tenure, sometimes even more!
A blatantly exploitative contract!
There's a reason why university faculty strikes are likely to happen in the future.
Young, unmarried scientists don't really care about their income—they're more concerned with the platform a good university provides for their research.
But in the future, these young scientists, dedicated to their ideals and science, will eventually get married, have children, and settle down.
Their meager salaries won't be enough then.
Didn't you see Howard in The Big Bang Theory struggling to make money after having a second child?
He comes from a Jewish family, and his wife earns a huge income in the pharmaceutical industry.
"Because after the three kids develop the website prototype, I'll invest."
Chuck said bluntly. "I'll give them 30% of the equity."
"...Are you serious?"
Professor Alicia Harper's expression was strange.
"What do you think!"
Chuck met her gaze.
"Didn't you say you didn't care about this kind of money?"
Professor Alicia Harper teased. "You didn't come here just to mess with Sheldon and make him miserable, did you?"
"That's right!"
Chuck honestly admitted.
He didn't care about the profits themselves—what he cared about was seizing most of Sheldon's earnings, becoming a major shareholder, and then using that position to further solidify and expand his position as the terrifying demon in Sheldon's mind.
"You're so petty!"
Professor Alicia Harper said, both amused and exasperated.
"I will donate all the profits from this website to research funding."
Chuck glanced at her. "You can distribute them!"
"Deal!"
Professor Alicia Harper had originally wanted to advise Chuck not to torment Sheldon so relentlessly, but upon hearing this, she immediately changed her mind.
If all the profits were converted into research funding and she could distribute them, it would be an enormous opportunity for an idealistic scientist.
A group photo of scientists at the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, featuring top scientists such as Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Marie Curie, reveals that more than half a century later, fundamental physics has completely stagnated.
For a scientist like Professor Alicia Harper, who is dedicated to scientific advancement, this stagnation is intolerable.
Besides lacking the "software" of groundbreaking scientific leaders, the amount and allocation of research funding are also crucial underlying factors.
After all, no matter how much research funding exists, without proper allocation, it will likely be used to hire some nepotism hire whose research consists of checking emails, updating social media pages, managing Wikipedia entries, and binge-watching Netflix documentaries.
Professor Alicia Harper felt that if she were in charge of the allocation, it would be far more efficient.
For this reason, Sheldon's psychological trauma was completely insignificant.
After all, Chuck's shadow had already been so deeply embedded in Sheldon's psyche—what difference would it make?
Besides, Sheldon himself often said he was a scientist, and he would certainly be honored to contribute and sacrifice for scientific advancement.
Yes.
That must be it.
Professor Alicia Harper quickly convinced herself.
"Don't tell Sheldon about these arrangements, and don't tell anyone else you talked to him."
Chuck warned. "Otherwise, if the school finds out, they'll definitely take it to court, and given Sheldon's personality, he'll lose 100% of the time."
"Okay."
Professor Alicia Harper nodded in complete agreement, her usually sultry eyes sparkling with renewed scientific interest thanks to Chuck's arrangement.
She felt confident again!
At the Hofstadter house
The three boys were in Leonard's bedroom. Howard sat at the computer, while Sheldon and Leonard stood on either side, watching Howard work.
"Building the website prototype is simple—the difficulty lies in communicating with various schools and purchasing servers."
Howard said. "We need to bring in a partner, someone who can provide both money and connections!"
"Get Chuck!"
Leonard immediately said.
"No!"
Sheldon instinctively objected.
Ever since he came up with the brilliant idea of 'making money' and asked Chuck to invest, hoping to get rich together with Chuck, only to have Chuck dismiss it with "I'm rich" and say he didn't care about such small amounts, he never wanted to help Chuck get rich again.
Because in the end, all he'd imagine was Chuck imitating Batman's deep voice.
That feeling was awful.
"Can you think of anyone else?"
Leonard protested.
"We can ask Beverly!"
Sheldon always thought of Beverly, the perfect intellectual match for him, at times like this.
"Don't even think about it!"
Leonard snapped. "My mom won't pay for this! Not last time, not this time either!"
"Then why did you even mention Chuck?"
Sheldon frowned. "He wouldn't have done it last time, and he won't do it this time either!"
"We have to try!"
Leonard laughed. "After all, he's rich and scientifically minded—the perfect partner for us. As for why it didn't work last time, that was because of your attitude."
"What was wrong with my attitude?!"
Sheldon glared angrily at Leonard.
"You said you'd help him get rich."
Leonard scoffed. "Does Chuck need you to help him get rich? If I pitch it this time, he'll definitely agree!"
"It's all about helping him get rich."
Sheldon said proudly. "Time will prove me right. This 'money-making' project will definitely make a lot of money in the future!"
"This isn't exactly a revolutionary idea. It's not surprising if it becomes popular."
Leonard said dismissively. "We should focus on the future and create something that truly belongs to the future. And besides Chuck, I don't think anyone else is more worthy of our partnership!"
"We can talk to the president. She said we can contact her for anything we need."
Sheldon said, still unwilling to torture himself by going to Chuck. "Yeah! Let's talk to her! This website needs the university's help to really get started. The president of Princeton University is the best partner!"
"The president of Princeton University?"
Leonard shook his head. "If you talk to her, this project will completely belong to her and the university."
"What does it matter? As long as it gets going and is good for science, that's all that matters."
Sheldon said, head held high.
"That's debatable."
Howard Jr. chimed in. "If we give up this initiative, and Princeton's fees are too high, other universities might be unwilling to pay to join. Even if the project doesn't fail, it'll be delayed."
"Exactly!"
Leonard Jr. quickly agreed. "Commercializing education? Are you really comfortable with these administrators? They're not pure scientists at all!
Chuck is! He's a top-tier scientist. If I talk to him, he'll definitely be willing to push it forward.
Besides, he's very wealthy and doesn't care about the profits. This is the best option for everyone!"
"I'm a top-tier scientist too!"
Sheldon Jr. retorted. "I'll call the president first and see what she says."
"I'll ask Chuck first."
Leonard Jr. quickly dialed Chuck's number and explained the situation.
"For your sake, I can invest. 70/30 split."
Chuck naturally took this as a favor to Leonard Jr.
"Thank you!"
Leonard Jr. proudly raised his chin, said a few more words, and then hung up the phone.
"Only 70%?"
Sheldon didn't care at first, but facing anything Chuck-related, he instinctively wanted to pick a fight, though he only dared to complain after the call ended.
"70% is his!"
Leonard looked disdainfully at Sheldon, who only dared to gossip behind his back. "We only got 30% because Chuck gave me face!"
"I'm calling the president!"
Disliking Leonard's attitude, Sheldon snatched the phone and dialed. The university president's weary voice came from the other end.
After listening to Sheldon's pitch, she faced Sheldon's excited explanation: "Do you know what this means for the scientific community?"
"Yes."
The president finally smiled. "We can charge all universities membership fees, and I can go on a yacht vacation in the Bahamas after I retire."
"You missed the point!"
Faced with his friends' 'I told you so' looks, Sheldon could only correct the person on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's good for science. I love that."
The president's perfunctory voice came from the other end of the phone.
"What percentage will we get?"
Leonard, tired of the president's dismissive answers, asked the crucial question directly.
"Who is this?"
The president paused, and after Sheldon introduced Leonard, she asked hopefully, "Was this idea of yours inspired by Dr. Beverly Hofstadter?"
"No!"
The three boys shouted in unison.
"It was me!"
Sheldon protested.
"Alright, I believe you. I'll call the legal department right now."
The president's voice was filled with regret. "Don't worry, we'll give you a satisfactory offer."
"Please reply as soon as possible, because we may need to find other partners."
Leonard reminded her.
"Okay."
The president's disbelieving laughter came through the phone. After hanging up, she called back shortly after. "We've discussed it. We'll give you ten percent equity. How about that?"
"Ten percent each?"
Howard retorted.
"Ten percent total."
The president said curtly. "You've only provided an idea—the school and I will need to handle all the follow-up work. This is already quite generous."
She then smiled. "This ten percent is for Sheldon. After all, it's his brilliant idea. How he allocates it is his business."
"That sounds fair!"
Young Sheldon, flattered by the president's praise, proudly raised his chin and immediately agreed.
"Fantastic!"
The president smiled. "Since you're not yet adults, please have your parents come and sign the papers immediately. The school will cover the travel expenses. After all, you don't want to delay too long, right? That's not good for science, and it might allow someone else to beat you to it, right?"
"I'll notify my parents immediately!"
Sheldon hung up the phone.
"Wait, you didn't actually agree, did you?"
Leonard, seeing Sheldon easily manipulated by the president, quickly stopped him from calling home.
"The president is right—I don't see any reason to refuse."
Sheldon said seriously.
"But it's clearly our idea, yet 90% goes to her and the school, and only 10% goes to us!"
Howard's instincts kicked in. "Professors who signed exploitative contracts with the school get 25%, and we didn't even sign a contract with her, yet we only get 10%? Isn't that getting totally screwed? Chuck even gave us 10% each!"
"It's my idea!"
Sheldon looked at Howard seriously, correcting him. "So I made the decision!"
"I built the website!"
Howard exclaimed. "You're missing the point! The point is, the percentage we get is way too low!"
Sheldon repeated, "It's my idea. I made the decision."
Howard: "..."
(End of Chapter)
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