Elaine could have never imagined that Jacob, who had been doing nothing for most of his life, would suddenly strike a pot of gold when he got older.Elaine kept mocking Jacob’s useless position as the vice president for the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Secretly, however, she knew that the position held a certain weight to it.The higher management of such cultural associations were usually cultural and influential people. On top of that, the city leaders respected them.However, Elaine had been tyrannical with Jacob all her life. She couldn’t let Jacob overshadow her with his new achievements, so she deliberately piled more and more ridicule on him to bring him down.Jacob was very displeased with Elaine’s ridicule, and wanted to refute her. Her scathing remark about him being a good-for-nothing who was just there to make up the numbers hit him hard. It stirred his sheer pettiness and deep-seated sensitive feelings of inferiority.He had felt the same as he was in front o
Charlie took the name card and glanced at it casually. He noticed there was only a name and a string of numbers on the card.Kylie’s name was printed on it with a domestic phone number starting with 159. There was still a faint smell of ink from the name card. It seemed as if it was printed not long ago.Charlie didn’t think much about it. He took out his phone, snapped a photo of the name card, and then handed it back to Jacob.He planned to contact Kylie tomorrow, have a quick look at her villa’s Feng Shui, and get it over with.On the next day, Jacob reminded Charlie again during breakfast. “Hey, Charlie. Remember to give Ms. Jane a call.”Charlie nodded. “I’ll send Claire to the office first and contact Ms. Jane later.”Jacob quickly said, “You can skip that. I’ll drive Claire to the office. Anyway, I need to go to the association earlier today, so Claire can leave her car with you. If Ms. Jane is in a hurry, you can drive and meet her immediately.”Claire agreed with anod.
Elaine was never interested in the amulet. Seeing that Jacob and Claire both had one except for her, she felt left out and voiced her complaints. She did not want Charlie to discriminate against her.When she heard about the two gold bars Charlie planned to give her, the cloud hanging over her disappeared immediately.She assumed that he got the amulets from some wholesale or small market. In most cases, the amulets would be only worth a few dollars or ten dollars at most. How could it be compared to two gold bars?She earned a lot more than them!She immediately clapped happily and chirped happily, “Oh, I see! That’s great to hear! Anyway, I won’t go out for a while until my legs recover. Giving a safety amulet to me is simply a waste. Gold bars make more sense. Besides, I can work out with it! Thanks, Charlie!”Claire shook her head helplessly upon seeing her mother’s obsession with money. She kept the amulet carefully and said softly, “Husband, I’ll leave with Dad.”“Okay,” Ch
Kathleen was still on the way when Charlie arrived at Sonfo valley. Charlie gave her a call and learnt that she would be arriving in ten minutes. Thus, he waited for her in front of the residential area.Initially, he thought of visiting Graham since the latter was just around the corner. However, he decided to scrap that idea since there wasn’t much time.About ten minutes later, a low-profile Cadillac car arrived and stopped beside Charlie.The backseat door opened not long after. A young lady stepped out of the car with grace.Charlie was slightly stunned by Kathleen when he first set his eyes on her. Kathleen was not only tall and beautiful, but had a sensual charm and exuded a witty demeanor. Kathleen scrutinized Charlie, who was standing in the front of his car. She immediately recognized him as Master Wade at just first glance. After all, she had seen him at Shangri-La a few days ago.She was relieved to have finally met him. She approached Charlie and greeted him with a
There was only one downside to staying in Sonfo Valley. The place was far from the urban areas, so the traffic would be inconvenient if one entered and left the city during rush hours.As Charlie came here in the morning, the traffic was considerably smooth. If he were to travel during the after-work rush hour, he would spend at least double the time, and would be mainly stuck in traffic.The most expensive villas in Sonfo Valley were the ones next to the reservoir. There were only five units in total. Graham bought two of them, and had spent a lot more to combine them into one huge villa.While they were approaching the reservoir, Charlie asked, “Ms. Jane, did you purchase a waterfront mansion?”“That’s right.” Kathleen nodded and explained with a smile, “I heard the best units are the ones near the water, but I’m unsure if there’s anything peculiar about the Feng Shui.”Kathleen entrusted the task of purchasing the house to Sherry. At first, she had no idea of her newly bought v
Charlie did not realize that something was amiss, even when Kathleen mentioned his wife Claire. After all, his father-in-law had already told her everything about their family. Seeing that Kathleen planned to renovate such a large house, Charlie immediately told her, “My wife has a lot of projects on hand recently. She’s probably already running at full capacity. Are you planning to do a complete overhaul? There’ll be a huge workload for a major renovation here. I think she won’t be able to take on the project even if she wants to. I think Ms. Jane should look for other companies.”Kathleen nodded lightly and grinned. “If there’s a chance, I’ll visit your wife’s company. It’ll be nice if she can accept the project, but it’s fine if she can’t.”Kathleen was worried. She did not want to offend Charlie, so she quickly explained, “Mr. Wilson recommended her services to me. I don’t want to make Mr. Wilson unhappy by contacting other designers first.”Kathleen used Jacob as the reason f
Kathleen had no plans to renovate the place at first. She did not plan to live in it, either. However, her plans changed completely after knowing that Charlie’s wife, Claire, had an interior design company. She planned to renovate the place, but not for living. She wanted to use it as an opportunity to get to know Claire.Charlie said solemnly, “Ms. Jane, since you’re planning to have a full renovation, the current interior Feng Shui wouldn’t be a problem anymore. There’s no issue with the house’s overall Feng Shui. As for the future Feng Shui, we’ll need to wait until you’ve decided on the design. Then, we can make specific adjustments according to the design plan.”Charlie added, “Since you’re hoping that your elders can live here with great health, I can give you some tips and suggestions.”Kathleen said quickly, “Mr. Wade, do share your tips with me.”Charlie explained, “It’s best to choose a room that ensures longevity, preferably on the first floor for convenience. Try and
Kathleen knew better than anyone that Charlie couldn't care less about charging her his Feng Shui service, which usually ranged between millions of dollars.After all, just one Rejuvenating Pill could easily be ten billion US dollars and above. There was a high possibility that Charlie was the real owner behind The Apothecary Pharmaceutical.The Apothecary Pharmaceutical’s net profit could easily range from billions to ten billion US dollars annually. Why would Charlie care about a mere million dollars?With that in mind, Kathleen quickly discovered the reasons behind Charlie’s action. Charlie established an image of Feng Shui Master to his family, but not for money. There must be other reasons for it. Perhaps he needed time and space to work under his other identity.Kathleen told Charlie in an understanding tone, “Thank you, Mr. Wade. I owe you such a big favor! I don’t know how to repay you yet, but let’s keep in contact for now. Do let me know if you require my assistance in th
Later, after Charlie told Jeremiah over the phone about the joint venture with the Ackers to establish Curtis Autos, the old man was awash with tears, especially after Charlie told him that it was Keith who suggested it. After all, Curtis was his favorite son whose death he could never really get over. Moreover, he once believed that only his family mourned Curtis while the Ackers never did, and he held a grudge over his son's passing. As such, he was surprised that Keith held such great respect toward his late son and didn't hesitate to say yes when Charlie invited him to Aurous Hill to sign an agreement with the Ackers.Still, Charlie wasn't in a hurry to arrange for a specific time, and he was going to let the Ackers sort out the human resources of Godot Autos over a few days. It still wouldn't be too late by then.Moreover, he was keen to allow the buzz to have time to grow so that the automotive industry would be astounded by the joint project between the Ackers and the Wade
Christian was the first to exclaim in approval, "Yes! Curtis Autos sounds wonderful! It has my vote!""Seconded!" Kaiden nodded, pumping the air with his right fist. "I've looked up to Curtis the most, and I absolutely agree with naming the company after him!"Jaxson was nodding too. "Me too!""Yes!" Lulu chirped.Yolden couldn't help agreeing as well. "Curtis Autos is definitely a good name!"Merlin raised his hand gingerly as well. "Quit it with your flattery already," Keith chuckled, and he turned toward Charlie solemnly. "In the end, Curtis is Charlie's father, and the final decision goes to him!"Charlie's eyes were welling up with tears—his parents had been gone for almost three decades, yet he had never thought of dedicating anything to their memory.As such, Keith's suggestion to use Curtis's name for the car company left him thrilled. After all, wouldn't his father's soul be honored if Curtis Autos rocked the country, maybe even the world?With that in mind, he nodd
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