Jacob instantly regretted his words as soon as he was done saying them.He had just been momentarily agitated, and that was the reason why he had blurted those words out. It was only after he had finished speaking when he realized that he had stirred up a hornet’s nest. Sure enough, as soon as Elaine heard this, she stretched out her hands as though she wanted to fight with him as she cursed, “Jacob, you b*stard! It’s fine if you don’t want to give me anything, but you are actually coming up with all those damn f*cking ideas when my good son-in-law is giving me something! Just wait and see if I will f*cking tear your face up into pieces!”Claire did not expect that the both of them would start fighting as they talked. So, she hurriedly stepped forward and stood in between them to block them as she said helplessly, “Oh! Dad! Mom! How long are the both of you going to keep this up?! Don’t forget that it is Charlie’s birthday today. It’s supposed to be a happy and joyous occasion, but
Charlie made a silent wish amidst the sound of Claire’s singing before he blew out the candles.After that, Claire spoke up, “Husband, close your eyes. I have a gift for you!”Charlie nodded, and he gently closed his eyes.Claire took out a gift box from behind her, and she held it up with both hands before placing it into Charlie’s hands as she smiled and said, “Okay! You can open your eyes now!”Charlie lowered his head, and he saw that there was actually a watch box placed in his hands.There was a simple line of English letters written on the box. Charlie recognized it at a glance, and it turned out to be Patek Philippe. Charlie looked at Claire in surprise and spoke up, “Wife, why did you buy such an expensive gift for me?”Claire said shyly, “It’s not expensive. Hurry up and open it to see if you like it!”Charlie nodded before he opened up the package. There was a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch lying serenely inside the box.At this time, Claire said softly from the sid
The family of four dined and wined to their heart’s content. Jacob was already a little drunk, and he had already started to speak with a lisp. It was obvious at first glance that he had drunk too much.Both Elaine and Claire could not hold their liquor very well, but after Elaine had heard that a bottle of wine costs more than a hundred thousand dollars, she ground her teeth and drank more than half a bottle of the wine. She drank until she was delirious, and she looked foolishly happy as she held onto the bottle of wine.Claire drank less, and although her cheeks were also a little flushed, she was still very sober. When she saw that everyone had already dined and wined to their hearts’ content and there was only an hour left to the concert, Claire then said to Charlie, “Husband, I’ll go upstairs and change my clothes. The both of us can just head to the concert directly in a short while!”Charlie nodded, and he smiled as he said, “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”At this
Charlie smiled awkwardly and said, “The both of them were just talking about the past, and as they talked about it, it seems as though their feelings have surfaced…”Claire nodded and said emotionally, “That’s good. I’ve not seen both of them embracing each other like that for many years now.”As she spoke, Claire hurriedly beckoned at Charlie and said in a low voice, “Then, we should hurry up and leave now! We should not disturb them anymore!”Charlie hummed slightly, and he quietly left the house together with Claire.***The couple went out and called for a taxi before they headed straight to the Aurous Hill Olympic Centre.When they were getting nearer and approaching the venue, the surrounding traffic was already so jammed that it was difficult to even move forward slightly.The couple did not want to trouble the driver too much, so they decided to get off the car earlier, and they walked toward the entrance of the venue.At this time, the surrounding area was already fill
Charlie recalled how Loreen had seen him and Quinn at Herrolls Bay. At that time, Charlie had even lied to Loreen and told her that Quinn’s family had always been helping him. Loreen obviously knew this, and so, the reason why she was asking him this question must be because she wanted to deliberately tease him.”So, Charlie casually replied, “Actually, I’ve never had any interest and feelings for any idols or celebrities. However, I’m just accompanying Claire to come and watch this concert because she likes it.”“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Loreen did not expose him, and she smiled as she asked Claire, “Oh, by the way, Claire, which section and which row are your seats located at? Let me see if we are seated close to each other.”Claire said awkwardly, “Oh! I would have forgotten about this if you did not ask about it. Charlie was the one who helped to get the tickets for us. So, I do not know exactly which row and which seats we have.”After saying that, Claire looked at Charlie, a
Claire laughed and said, “I cannot do these kinds of things to fool people. I’d better continue designing in a practical way instead.”Loreen, who was aside, could not help but feel more or less jealous when she saw the both of them whispering and laughing amongst themselves. So, she complained, “The both of you should also pay attention to the occasion even if you want to show your affection for one another. Don’t put on a public display of affection, okay?”Claire giggled and said, “Loreen, since we are all in the infield area, let’s go in together. We should not continue standing here.”Loreen nodded gently before following Charlie and Claire as they went inside the venue after the security check and ticket inspection.At this time, the interior of the venue was already crowded with people, and the surrounding stands were filled with Quinn’s fans. Most of them had glow sticks as well as LED light signs with Quinn’s name written on them. Tens of thousands of people were waving at
Charlie and Claire had just arrived at the first row and were about to head to the center when they suddenly saw that the four people who were sitting down before them were actually all their acquaintances.The person who was sitting closest to the entrance of the first row was Doris. When she saw that Charlie and Claire were here, she stood up and smiled as she said, “Master Wade, Chairman Wilson, the both of you are here too!”Claire was surprised and said, “Oh! Vice Chairman Young, are you also here to see Quinn Golding’s concert?”Doris laughed and said, “I’ve always been a huge fan of Quinn Golding, and I know how to sing every single one of her songs! How could I possibly not come now that she has finally decided to hold a concert in Aurous Hill?”Claire nodded repeatedly as she smiled and said, “I really would not have expected that you would actually have time to chase after celebrities when you are usually so busy with work.”Doris looked at Charlie before she said with p
In truth, Claire had seen the reports and news during Aurora and Nanako’s competition back then, but at that time, both girls had looked extremely valiant when they were wearing professional combat clothing on the field. Moreover, Nanako’s long hair had been tied into a neat and sharp ponytail, whereas Aurora had had medium-length hair at that time. But now, these two girls’ hairs were long and draped over their shoulders. They looked very gentle and meek, and this was the reason why it was very difficult for Claire to link these two girls to the two valiant girls during the competition back then.Each of these five women, who were sitting side by side, had their own characteristics and strengths. They were simply five extremely beautiful women.Just as Claire was still extremely dumbfounded, Jasmine took the initiative to speak up. “Hello, Mrs. Wade, long time no see!” Previously, when Claire’s best friend, Magnolia, had gotten married, Charlie had brought her to Jasmine’s top b
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove
Charlie smiled. "Who, me? You'd laugh at me, but it was only after Steven found me that I learned to drive. I never bought my own car either and only had the two supercars gifted to me, and I only drove those a handful of times at best. Even now, I'm driving the BMW 5-series I bought for my father-in-law."Then, he remembered Marianne Long and said, "I did drive a friend's Tesla back to Hong Kong, but it was only for a short time, and I didn't manage to look into their so-called assisted driving system."Yolden thought about it and smiled, "But y'know… how would I describe the car, specifically? Have you heard of Mario Balotelli, the soccer player?"Every man present aside from Keith nodded—Mario had been a philosopher on the soccer field, and even those who didn't watch soccer were familiar with his name.Nodding, Yolden continued, "The way I see it, Mario has been a player with top-class hardware but third-rate software. Give him Messi or Ronaldinho's intelligence, and he'd be a
Kaeden then asked, "Well, professor, how do you suppose we overtake the competition at turning points? Or indeed, what qualifies as succeeding in that respect?"Yolden thought about it, formulating his words before explaining, "My personal understanding of the matter isn't simply to aim for turning points. Instead, it's things like staying on the inner lane of the race track and reaching the finish line faster by going where no other race car had gone before—or indeed where people never thought to go before."That's the case for new energy cars. Our fossil fuel energies have constantly lost to other countries and would always come up short. But with new energy cars, we can change the rules altogether."We can't catch up to their engine tech? Then we won't—there's no way they are masters in electric-powered engines, are they? They've spent decades on internal combustion engines and haven't the first clue about electric-powered engines."So, while everyone hasn't turned all their foc