Charlie was a little puzzled, and he asked, “Why do you feel that it is particularly meaningless and of no significance for you to help companies make more profits? Now that you are teaching, aren’t you also helping the university cultivate more talents, then? I think that there is truly not much difference between the two.”Yolden smiled slightly before he said earnestly, “To be honest, I am not the kind of materialistic person who loves money very much.”As he spoke, Yolden said emotionally, “Truthfully, money no longer carries any significance or meaning to me after reaching a certain level. My standard of living and my living conditions have been fixed ever since I began earning an income of five hundred thousand US dollars a year. Moreover, when I subsequently began earning ten million US dollars a year, my standard of living and my living conditions were still the same as when I was simply earning five hundred thousand US dollars a year.”“Although I am not a rich or wealthy p
When Charlie saw the excited look on Yolden’s face, he hurriedly explained, “Sorry, Professor Hart, but I am not a Stanford University graduate.”Yolden asked puzzledly, “Then how did you know that the redwood tree that I painted is the one in the Stanford University’s emblem? If you did not have a deep understanding of Stanford University, you probably would not be able to remember the Stanford University emblem, right?”Charlie did not hide the truth, and he simply replied truthfully, “My mother studied at Stanford University back then. When I was a child, I was fortunate enough to have followed her to pay a visit to Stanford University.”“So, that is the case!” Yolden nodded slightly before he said, “You look like you are only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old this year. So, your mother’s age should be similar to mine, right?”Charlie nodded as he said, “I am twenty-six years old, so my mother should be fifty-four years old this year.”Yolden thought for a moment before he
“That’s right!” Yolden nodded as he said emotionally, “The both of us have been classmates for several years, and we also have a very close relationship and friendship. In truth, when I was pursuing my wife back then, your mother was the one who helped me hand the love letter over to her!”Charlie asked curiously, “Professor Hart, could you tell me more about my mother? I do not know anything about my mother’s life experience before she married my father.”Yolden sighed as he said, “Your mother was very popular and famous at Stanford University back then! She was not only the best top Oskian female student in the whole of Stanford University’s history, but she was also the president of the Stanford Oskian Alumni Association and a sponsor of the Stanford Internet Venture Capital Fund. Many of the top high-tech companies that are now in full swing in Silicon Valley started slowly building up their businesses step by step using the funds sponsored by your mother…”As he spoke, Yolden c
As Yolden spoke, he could not help but lament, “Sometimes, the adult world is like this. Everyone unmistakably has a very good relationship with one another, but because of the great distance and because everyone has to live their own lives, it might even be difficult for us to meet up every three to five years.”Immediately afterward, Yolden had a very serious expression on his face as he said, “Although my wife and I rarely had the opportunity to meet up with your mother later, we still shared a very deep and close friendship. When your mother was still alive, my wife and I have always regarded her as our close friend. It is indeed a pity that she had to die young when she was such a good and outstanding person…”Charlie could not help but feel extremely sad deep down in his heart when he heard this.The people around his parents spoke very highly of them, but unfortunately, he personally knew very little about his parents’ deeds.In fact, Charlie was merely a kid who had just en
Yolden suddenly came to a realization, and he blurted out, “Is that the reason why you want to venture into the ocean shipping business?”“Yes.” Charlie nodded and said, “I do not know how much you know about the Schulz family, but back then, the Schulz family and my father did not get along very well. The Schulz family even set up the Anti-Wade Alliance, and they colluded with many other families to deal with and go against my father. Therefore, in my eyes, the Schulz family is also my enemy. Since the Schulz family’s ocean shipping business has been completely halted at the moment, I think that it is the perfect time for me to take advantage of this opportunity and step into the ocean shipping industry. That is how this idea came to me.”As he spoke, Charlie said, “I was originally planning for Doris to help me start up this business. However, she told me that if she were to venture into this business, she would have to possess a very thorough understanding of international trade,
When Yolden said these words, Charlie already knew very well in his heart that it would simply be impossible for him to persuade Yolden to collaborate and work together with him.Moreover, he also understood a principle stating that ‘A gentleman would never force a person to do something against their own will’.Therefore, Charlie did not continue making any further efforts, and he said earnestly, “Professor Hart, I understand what you mean. I am sorry for being too reckless and hasty.”Yolden hurriedly waved his hand and said, “This is not your fault. This is just an issue that is weighing heavily on my mind. Since I have already made a promise to my deceased wife, I will have to keep my promise and not be ambiguous on this issue. So, I hope that you will not hold it against me.”Charlie hurriedly replied, “Why would I? Professor Hart, I truly understand your decision.”Yolden smiled happily. At this time, it seemed as though he suddenly recalled something, and he said, “Charlie,
“Google, Apple, Yahoo, Cisco, Oracle, Tesla, and many other top high-tech companies emerged and established themselves, step by step, from Silicon Valley.”“Their market value has already increased tens of thousands of times, and their growth and incremental space are extremely huge!”“If any stockholder bought Apple’s shares twenty years ago, he would have made a profit of more than three hundred or four hundred times.”“Did you know that your mother invested in Apple with the venture capital fund that she had set up even before you were born?!”“At that time, Steve Jobs treated her as the most distinguished guest, and when Apple’s market value was only worth a few billion dollars back then, she paid up hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for 10% of Apple’s shares!”“Apple’s market value at the moment is currently worth more than two trillion US dollars, and that is equivalent to more than fifteen trillion Oskia dollars!”“After many rounds of dilution and reduction, the
At this time, Yolden sighed as he said emotionally, “It is simply impossible for me to be able to finish talking about all of your mother’s successful investment and cases back then. If you have the opportunity to head to Silicon Valley one day, and if you look for any of the bosses of any top global group and tell him that your mother’s name is Ashley Layna Acker, they will certainly use their highest standard of etiquette to receive you and treat you as their most distinguished guest…”Charlie sighed as he said, “If I had not met you, I would have never have known all these things about my mother…”Yolden looked at Charlie before he smiled slightly and said, “Your mother’s vision and long-term strategy and planning are far beyond any of our reach.”“Truthfully, back then, many of us did not even understand your mother’s investment strategies or operations. This was because many of the companies that she invested in did not seem like it would have any developmental prospects to us.
Jimmy was taken aback since he didn't recognize Julien at all, mainly because the Rothschilds had always kept out of the public eye.In fact, it was basically impossible to gather genuine information about the Rothschilds online, as it was a mix of press releases and gossip. Most online biographies would only be about the older generations or certain frivolous figures. Any information about key members like Steve would never be searchable online.Matilda was confused as well, not quite understanding who Julien was since he wasn't on the list of guests invited.Seeing that she was confused, Julien turned and smiled at Yolden, "So, Professor, shouldn't you introduce me to the bride?"Yolden finally remembered that and quickly nodded, "Sorry, it slipped my mind."Turning toward Matilda, he smiled, "Darling, this is Julien Rothschild… A friend of mine from the states…"Julien's full name left everyone within earshot gaping as the Rothschild name was way too famous across the globe.
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved as he could see that Charlie really wasn't trying to make things awkward for him, and he straightened his collar as he said, "Actually, I didn't mean to cause trouble—I'm pleased that Matilda has found true love once more, and if we can be friends, I can set aside my claim and stay for the rest of this wedding, offering the newlyweds our best wishes as a representative of my family."Still, his expression showed contempt as he turned toward Yolden. "Also, I'm really curious and looking forward to seeing what connections Professor Hart might have that you say could be better than Bill.""You'll see soon enough," Charlie smiled and nodded.Jimmy remained skeptical and scoffed, "I really do
If Charlie really did get Jimmy to stay, who knew what other rubbish Jimmy would spout.As for Jimmy, he was actually surprised Charlie was asking him to stay, and his instincts told him that Charlie definitely didn't mean well.Not only that, he was on foreign soil—wouldn't he be defenseless if Charlie called in his friends to beat him up?Hence, he shook his head without hesitation as he said, "I'm sorry, but my sister-in-law is quite keen for me to leave, so I have no reason to stay and add to her problems. And it is her big day. I can afford to let her save face instead of spilling the beans on her all at once.""Oh, but you were complaining about the lack of important people just now!" Charlie quickly interjected. "It just so happens that we have a big-shot on his way here, and he's a good friend of the groom. When I told him about you over the phone, he said to keep you here no matter what it took, since he would like to talk to you face to face."Jimmy frowned. "What, are y
And with those words, Jimmy turned to leave.Despite threatening Matilda, there was no such agreement, and he knew that Matilda was well aware of that.Regardless, the only strategy he had in mind when he came to Oskia was harassment. As such, he simply came up with a lie to make Matilda look bad in public. All it took from there was just for one person to relay what he had said—even if it were all lies, Matilda's character would still be called into question.He made himself very clear so that Matilda would understand that if she didn't give in, his family would keep hounding her to take their two pounds of flesh. Even if she wouldn't surrender the stateside estates and human resources of Smith Group Corporate Law, they would still claim a sizable chunk.But if that failed too, they would just have to destroy Matilda's reputation along with Smith Group Corporate Law.Either way, they were not letting her off easy!And reading that much from Jimmy's behavior, Matilda snapped co
Jimmy didn't expect Matilda to break down the share ownership of Smith Group Corporate Law to such detail, and he hollered as he was starting to feel embarrassed, "Now, you're just being irresponsible, Matilda. My father gave my brother a million to start the law firm in the first place, and they had agreed that the family would have a stake, albeit only at 49%, to not deny your decision-making as a startup. Or are you denying it?"Matilda immediately became furious and snapped, "Bullshit! That was just a loan of one million, and the agreed term was three years. However, your brother returned it in one! I even asked him to return the money with every single one of his siblings watching, since you might all get skeptical, yet suddenly, you're calling it an investment?""You said he's returned it? Well, what proof do you have?" Jimmy quickly shot back. "Our entire family can testify that the money hasn't come back to us!""So, this is how you're going to play it?" Matilda smirked. "Th
In the first place, Jimmy had come to Oskia to claim a stake in Smith Group Corporate Law, ideally strong-arming Paul and Matilda into splitting the firm in two, with Jimmy taking everything in the States while Paul kept what was left.The way Jimmy saw it, Paul and Matilda were going to be permanently residing in Oskia anyway. There was no way they could manage things over in another country properly, so it was basically returning the firm to the rightful owner.Naturally, Jimmy also knew that despite bearing the Smith family name, the success of Smith Group Corporate Law was all the work of Jimmy's brother and Matilda. Jimmy's father had helped to a certain extent, but that extent of financial support wouldn't amount to an investment at all. No judge in the world would support his claim to the law firm's shares.Therefore, when he learned that Matilda was remarrying, he thought he could seize the moment to cause a scene. Nothing could be better if she and Paul decided to sacrifice
Jimmy deliberately raised his voice as he said coolly, "Oh, but I didn't want to intervene. It's you and your mother who left the States in a split second, taking with you the law firm which bears the Smith family name. Don't you think such behavior is inappropriate?"Seeing the surprised reactions of the guests, Paul promptly retorted, "The law firm uses the Smith family name, but it is my parents' legacy! They worked blood and sweat to build it from the ground up, and as their only son, I have a veto when it comes to decisions. Or did we need your permission to move to Oskia?""Where's your conscience, Paul?" Jimmy pursed his lips. "Even if you don't know how Smith Group Corporate Law was founded, is that the case for you? It would have been a joke if it weren't for my father's connections!"Hell, it's no exaggeration that it was my father who fought to expand the law firm across America, and just using the family name means you're borrowing the family's influence. The family hono
The blonde man's voice drew everyone's attention in an instant.Despite his foreign appearance, he spoke Oskian fluently and walked with a haughty gait, almost as though he was above the rest.Paul's expression turned grim the instant he saw him, and he hurried over with Charlie.Still, before Paul could speak, Charlie stopped him, frowning at the man as he said, "Don't you think it's inappropriate to come slinging personal attacks at someone else's wedding?"The man clearly didn't know Charlie, and he wasn't worried, seeing that he was young.Snorting in disdain, he asked, "You must be from the groom's family, yes? Please tell him that he doesn't deserve my sister-in-law.""It's up to the happy couple to decide that," Charlie retorted quietly. "Deserving someone is no issue as long as they both love each other."The man pursed his lips and looked pointedly around him. "Just look at how simple this wedding is. Forget picking an unassuming city like Aurous Hill—is there a single
Pausing, Charlie then said, "I'll call Steve to drop by later too. I'm sure folks in Aurous Hill won't know him, but your potential troublemaker might.""I-Is that really fine?" Yolden blurted."What's not fine about it?" Charlie chuckled. "He has been treated like a tool ever since he came to Aurous Hill, and now that he has a chance to strut about, he wouldn't ask for more."Yolden appeared slightly relieved at that, and Charlie asked, "By the way, where's Paul, Matilda, and Autumn?""Getting their makeup done," Yolden replied. "Paul's my best man while Autumn's the maid of honor.""Good," Charlie nodded with a grin. "Don't worry—the wedding's going to be a success."As they spoke, Matilda stepped out of the dressing room in a stark-white wedding dress, flanked by Autumn and Paul.Seeing Charlie, Autumn nodded politely, "Good morning, Mr. Wade."As Charlie nodded in turn, Paul started, "G-Good morning… Mr. Wade…"Seeing that he was nervous and tentative, Charlie knew that he