Wall Street was crowded, really crowded. Zheng Bai Cheng had only seen this many people during holidays in mainland China. He hadn’t expected to see such a crowd in the summer.
“Let’s go ahead, everyone, don’t get lost.”
Zheng Bai Cheng’s words were actually directed at Lin Xiao Hua. She was holding onto his arm tightly. If she got lost in this unfamiliar New York, it would be a disaster.
He had heard that there were many gangs here. He had once heard a saying: If you love him, send him to New York, because it’s paradise. If you hate him, send him to New York, because it’s hell.
This place was indeed bustling, and the buildings were towering. Comparing the scene to the images he had seen in his previous life, he felt a sense of temporal dissonance.
“Wow, this is the New York Stock Exchange.”
Zheng Bai Cheng didn’t see the bull. He wasn’t sure if it was there or not. Just as he was pondering, someone approached them.
“Hi, hello, I’m Ted. I’m a gold-medal broker at Morgan. If you come to me to buy stocks, you’ll make a fortune…”
Zheng Bai Cheng found the gushing fellow rather amusing. From his appearance, he didn’t seem to be a successful securities broker. These kinds of people were common on Wall Street. They often stopped people and tried to sell them stocks.
This was a newbie. That was Zheng Bai Cheng’s first impression. He could tell from his appearance. Although his shirt was probably new, his trousers and leather shoes were clearly from a second-hand stall. They were a size too big, and the wear and tear on the shoes indicated they were quite old.
“Oh, what can you recommend?”
Ted just wanted to try his luck. As a newbie, approaching people and trying to sell them things was a must for them. Most people rejected them. Seeing the four of them dressed well, he decided to take a chance.
When Zheng Bai Cheng spoke, he realized that the person who had spoken was a young Chinese man. In New York, Chinese people were not uncommon. There was even Chinatown. A guy like this, with a female companion and two white people, was definitely a wealthy Chinese person.
“Oh, sir, you’ve come to the right person. I, Ted, know everything about the stocks here. You know General Electric… You don’t? Well, that’s… IBM… Okay, okay, I have another company. At the beginning of this year, it acquired two insurance companies. Now its market value is just over $20 million, just under $30 million. It’s a pretty good company. It’s cheap now, but it will definitely become a hot company in the future.”
“Baker Hughes, a Harshaw?” Zheng Bai Cheng repeated the name. He felt it was quite familiar, like he had heard it somewhere. When Ted heard him repeat the name, he thought the other party must be interested.
“This company recently acquired two insurance companies. It’s very good. Very few companies are as ambitious as this one.”
“Stop, Ted, do you know who their shareholders are?”
“It’s Berkshire Hathaway. They’re the major shareholder…”
Zheng Bai Cheng only heard “Berkshire Hathaway.” He smiled and said, “OK, sir, I’m a traveler from Hong Kong. How do I buy stocks here?”
“Oh, that’s not a problem. This is New York, you can do it.”
Amanda had already frowned. She didn’t want to listen to this obviously novice guy recommending stocks on the street. People like this were common then, and still are now. She was about to remind Zheng Bai Cheng, but seeing how interested he was, she said, “Boss, your age might be okay in Hong Kong. This is New York. You should use your company to buy stocks.”
Zheng Bai Cheng suddenly remembered that he had a company: Jason Entertainment.
As Ted had said, this was New York, and these things were done very quickly. This time, Zheng Bai Cheng invested $250,000 and bought 1% of Harshaw’s shares. This company was not a hot company.
Zheng Bai Cheng, with a poker face, walked out of the stock exchange, feeling a sense of unreality. He looked back. Ted was still beside him, smiling at him.
“Congratulations, Mr. Jason. This is a very successful investment.”
“Yeah, Ted, I think so too.”
For the rest of the time, Zheng Bai Cheng had no interest in sightseeing. He went back to the hotel.
“Amanda, are these stocks real?”
Amanda had heard him ask this question many times, and she was already getting annoyed. “Jason, they are real, absolutely real. Don’t ask anymore. If you ask again, I’m going to be angry.”
“OK, Amanda, I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve bought stocks. I’m a little… nervous.”
“Heh…” Amanda let out a dry laugh. She wanted to say, “You’re such a country bumpkin,” but this young Chinese man in front of her was her boss. For the sake of money, she had to control herself.
“I really look forward to next month arriving soon. That way, I’ll get my royalties, and I can do some things I like.”
“Boss, you won’t forget about the Fifth Avenue thing, right?”
“Of course not, how could I forget?” Zheng Bai Cheng would never agree to their requests. He said, “Sorry, I just… Had an unexpected event today. Tomorrow, tomorrow we’ll go.”
He couldn’t sleep that night. He felt that as long as he held this 1% stake, he would be a billionaire in a few decades. Then he thought, having been reborn, he couldn’t be without aspirations. He should do something for the world. But then he thought, he was just a worker from his previous life, what could he do? He didn’t know technology, programming? He knew a little, but… There weren’t many programming softwares in this era, and he didn’t understand them either?
He fell asleep amidst his rambling thoughts.
The next day, he appeared in front of Amanda and Hans with panda eyes. Amanda laughed at him for a long time, telling him to take care of himself. Lin Xiao Hua could only remain silent. She couldn’t say that she hadn’t done anything last night, could she?
She wasn’t like those foreign girls, so open-minded and daring. She wouldn’t dare say anything in public. She could only lower her head and blush, but this blush was not one of shyness, but of anger.
“Alright, stop it. Let’s have breakfast, and then we’re off to Fifth Avenue for SHOPPING!”
Nothing attracts women more than SHOPPING. Well, except for not paying!