Claudia laughed and said, “We have at least the two of us already, so it’ll also be a brave step for us.”Stephanie snorted and said, “I don’t want to form a girl group with you! Mrs. Lewis and I still have to work hard to take good care of Charlie’s orphanage!”Charlie also said to Claudia at this time, “Claudia, let’s go now if you don’t have anything else to do. The dean of the university and the person in charge of recruiting overseas undergraduates have already arrived. We should go and meet them to complete the process.”“Okay!” Claudia hurriedly nodded and turned to Stephanie as she said, “Stephanie, I’ll get going first, then!”Stephanie smiled and said, “Mrs. Lewis and I will celebrate with you at noon after you get the admission notice!”Charlie raised his brows and said, “Count me in. Tell Mrs. Lewis that I’ll have to trouble her to cook more special dishes at noon today.”Stephanie said excitedly, “Really? I’ll go to the supermarket to find Mrs. Lewis and buy more del
Charlie had grown up in an orphanage, so he understood Claudia’s feelings at this moment very well. Back then, when he was completely ignorant of everything that Stephen had arranged for him, he had been really sad and desperate as he curled up in a corner of the dormitory of Aurous Hill Welfare Institute alone and cried until dawn. Today, Claudia was going through almost the exact same process as he had back then. This was also why Charlie was paying special attention to Claudia. He hoped to be able to use his attitude and actions to help her untie the knots in her heart so that she could face her future life with openness and optimism. Therefore, Charlie told Claudia about his own experience in the orphanage, hoping that she could find resonance with him.When Charlie described his mental state back then to Claudia in detail, she really felt a strong sense of empathy toward him. At this moment, she suddenly realized that Charlie might be the one who truly understood her best i
Isaac was already waiting inside by the time Charlie drove the car to the front of Aurous University’s Academic Affairs Building.When Isaac saw Charlie parking his car, he quickly stepped forward and helped him open the car door as he said respectfully, “Young Master, I’ve already made all the arrangements with the school. Claudia only needs to fill out an application form and submit all her documents before she can choose her major directly.”Charlie nodded and then remembered the banner he had seen outside and asked him, “Have you heard of Logan Carrick? This person sounds familiar.”“Logan Carrick...” Isaac hurriedly said, “Mr. Carrick is the richest man in Northvale. Some years ago, he deliberately split up all his family’s industries, so his rankings also dropped, but the Carrick family’s strength is still very strong in Northvale.”After saying that, Isaac asked, “Did you see them hanging up a banner at the entrance? They were taking it down when I arrived. I asked about it
Isaac smiled slightly and said, “Mr. Laverick, I’ll have to trouble you with this matter this time.”Mr. Laverick responded with a smile, “Mr. Cameron, you’re welcome. It’s just a trivial matter. Besides, recruiting international students is also an enrollment task that we attach great importance to recently, so you’re also helping me complete my performance evaluation, Mr. Cameron.”Isaac laughed, introduced Claudia to him, and said, “Mr. Laverick, this is Claudia, the distant relative I mentioned. She was born and raised in Canada, and she also studied in Canada. The person next to her is also my distant relative. He’s Claudia’s cousin.”Mr. Laverick nodded at Charlie and then smiled as he spoke to Claudia, “Hello, Claudia. I’m Malachi Laverick, and I’m the Director of Admissions at Aurous University. Welcome to Aurous University.”Claudia said very politely, “Hello, Mr. Laverick. I hope that you will take good care of me if I’m lucky enough to be able to study at Aurous Universi
Claudia had already lost interest in material things and money at a young age when her peers were just beginning to appreciate and realize the importance of it.The tragic death of her family members caused her to take these things lightly. She did not expect to be rich, nor did she pursue a good life or a high social status in this life. She only hoped to live well without regrets so that the spirits of her family members in heaven could also feel relieved.Therefore, after looking at so many majors, she had no interest in any other majors and was only interested in the archaeology major. This was not only because she wanted to know more about Oskia, but it was also because she wanted to avoid dealing with too many people as much as she could. She would face all kinds of historical sites and artifacts every day in archaeology, and the major was very unpopular, so she would not have many classmates, which was more in line with her selection criteria.So, Claudia made up her mind
Claudia then handed the information over to Mr. Laverick. After looking through the information carefully, Mr. Laverick said, “Okay, there are basically no other problems. The admission notice will be mailed to the address here when the time comes. There will be a reporting time on it, so when the time comes, you should report to the university and go through the admission procedure accordingly.”With that said, he asked Claudia, “Do you have relatives in Aurous Hill?”Claudia nodded. “My godmother is in Aurous Hill.”Mr. Laverick asked, “Do you plan to live on campus or only attend university during the day?” Claudia asked, “Can I only choose one option out of these two?”Mr. Laverick nodded and said, “Theoretically, yes, because the university needs to sign an agreement with students if they are only attending university during the day. The process is a little more troublesome because personal safety issues and responsibilities are involved in this matter. It’s not impossible
When Mr. Laverick heard the woman’s words, he asked in surprise, “Huh? So soon? Didn’t he say that he would be arriving at noon or later?”The woman said, “Unexpectedly, he left early at night. He called the previous dean just now and said that he’s almost here! I guess that it’s too late for us to meet him at the entrance of the university now, so we can only wait for him downstairs!”Aurous University’s new campus covered an area of almost five thousand acres, and the entrance of the university to the Academic Affairs Building was more than one kilometer. If a group of middle-aged and elderly people were to really walk there, it would take them at least ten to twenty minutes.Having said that, she hurriedly said, “Mr. Laverick, you should hurry up. The dean asked us to meet downstairs in three minutes. I have to go and notify the others now.”The woman left as soon as she said this. When Mr. Laverick heard this, he could only say to Isaac apologetically, “Mr. Cameron, I’m reall
Mr. Laverick nodded. “I’ll see you off downstairs, then.”When the four of them arrived downstairs, a group of school leaders were already waiting there. Mr. Laverick hurried over to the line after saying goodbye to them. Isaac then looked at Charlie and asked respectfully, “Young Master, what other arrangements do you have in mind?”Charlie said, “I have nothing else to do. I will send Claudia back first and have a meal at Mrs. Lewis’s house at noon.”After saying that, Charlie then added, “By the way, I brought Porter and a group of soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies to rescue an old lady and her only son in Mexico back then. Ask Porter for the old lady’s home address so that I can pay her a visit in the next few days.”When Isaac had gone to Mexico with Albert, Charlie and the soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies had already annihilated the entire Crazy Juarez. He was not very clear about the details, but his style of action had always been very quick and straightforward, so he did
Charlie shook his head. "It's alright, Dad. You can go ahead if you're busy—I can pick up Claire on my own.""No way!" Elaine promptly snapped. "It's been so long since she came back. We are all going to the airport!"Jacob sighed in exasperation. "Well, I'm sticking to my schedule—first the Calligraphy and Painting Association, then I'll be back an hour before to pick you guys up before going together to the airport."Elaine was left fuming. "Is there no getting through to you? You really have to go to that stupid association, don't you? Okay, fine. If you must go, I will be going with you!""You're their honored vice president who will be promoted to president soon, no? As Mrs. Vice President and the future Mrs. President, is there an issue if I went for a look?"Jacob shuddered at the thought of Elaine going to the Calligraphy and Painting Association as he absolutely didn't want her to humiliate him with her antics. People would talk, asking how a proper gentleman like him c
Jacob yawned, stretching his arms and smacking his cheeks, before finally retorting in contempt, "For Pete's sake, woman—don't make dissing me a habit. Or does it please you so much?"Elaine pursed her lips. "You call that dissing? It's all facts—do you think I don't know you? Tell me, what qualifications do you have? Your knowledge about calligraphy is skin-deep, and even the frauds working on Antique Street could beat you.""Only you would have the audacity to take the role of vice president at the Calligraphy and Painting Association—heaven's above, how blind is the president to appoint you as his second fiddle? Still, you'll be packing your things as soon as he realizes the truth.""Oh, Elaine, poor Elaine…" Jacob grinned smugly at her right then. "I'm afraid things won't go the way you want. Mr. Bay's been chasing a promotion lately, and once he gets it, I will take his place as president. That means I'll be the top dog instead of second fiddle!""Bullshit!" Elaine snapped in
Jacob slept in the next day while Elaine got out of bed past ten as well.However, in the case of the latter, she wasn't drunk and was simply watching livestreams and video clips on her phone—a hobby she had picked up recently.As for Charlie, he had initially planned to visit the Champs Elys hot spring villa and train Nanako in her Reiki control. However, since Claire would be arriving in the afternoon, he stayed home, planning to leave for the airport when it was time.Elaine appeared groggy as she emerged from the elevator, rubbing her eyes while holding her phone in the other hand.Seeing Charlie cleaning the living room, she asked in curiosity, "Not going out today, Charlie? Aren't you usually going out to meet clients?"Then, she became concerned in an instant, "Wait, don't tell me—the Feng Shui business is falling off? Are we going to be affected altogether?"Charlie laughed. "You're just getting paranoid now. Things are going fine—I'm just giving myself a day's leave.""
"Anyway, we have an issue," Helena continued. "Two days ago, Nvidia launched the B100 processor, their latest product, just two hours ago—a next-generation chip that will outperform our H100 considerably. I've instructed Harrison to pull some strings and preorder a batch from Nvidia before the B100 hits the market, at least ensuring that we can get our hands on 20,000 in the first quarter when the B100 circulates."Charlie asked, "What are Harrison's thoughts on the matter?" "Of course that old fox is going to be reluctant," Helena snorted. "But with the B100's processing strength outclassing the H100's, many AI institutions and multimedia giants are waiting with their wallets wide open. He's complaining that after pulling strings to get his hands on so many H100s, he is too embarrassed to do it again for the B100.""Bullshit," Charlie chuckled. "He's just not keen on us raising our prices after that previous agreement.""Exactly," Helena laughed as well. "He's about the shrewdest
By the time Jacob was sent home, he was almost passed out drunk.As Charlie took him off Walker's hands, Jacob's eyelids were but narrow slits.With his rough facial features, his flushed cheeks, and that strange smile of his, he looked just like those sleazy middle-aged men often seen in animated cartoons.Still, seeing that Charlie had come out of the house to get him, he chuckled drunkenly, "D-Dear boy… Your dad… was so amazing!"Charlie shook his head in exasperation. "You're drunk, Dad—get some rest already. Otherwise, you might wake Mom up and get an earful for this.""Earful?" Jacob's eyes widened ferociously as he snorted, "S-She'd never dare!"Charlie chuckled as he said quietly, "Come on, keep it down—Elaine is plenty daring. And in your state, you stand no chance if she starts to beat you."Despite being drunk a second ago, Jacob suddenly shuddered from the shiver running down his spine, and he promptly corrected himself, "A gentleman… never lays a hand on a woman! T-
Naturally, neither Mr. Bay nor Hal argued with this, thus following Albert and Jacob to the Diamond Room—the grandest room of Heaven Springs.After Albert led the trio there and smiled, "Gentlemen, if you would please take your seats, my people will be delivering Big Red Robe tea and our menu to your table shortly. I've spoken to the kitchen as well, and they will be preparing appetizers first. Please feel free to enjoy a game of poker until everyone arrives, and the main courses will be delivered right away."His arrangement was utterly detailed, and the trio were awash with gratitude.Hal and Mr. Bay especially were looking upon Jacob worshipfully, as if he was an unassuming bigwig on Charlie's level.Soon, as the invited guests arrived, Albert personally brought two bottles of 3-liter Moutai that cost an arm and leg to the Diamond Room.For politeness's sake, Hal ordered two more bottles of one-liter Moutai, meaning that it was one liter for the eight persons in attendance.Th
Don Albert was waiting at the front doors of Heaven Springs when Jacob's Cullinan arrived.He was absolutely enthusiastic in welcoming the man, even stroking his ego as much as possible as he knew Jacob and his vanity—which made that a must.Hence, as soon as Jacob stopped the Cullinan, Don Albert and the manager of Heaven Springs were immediately on hand to receive him.Mr. Bay was riding shotgun but recognized Albert right away, exclaiming, "Shit, he's coming personally to receive you too?"Jacob chuckled. "Well, he and my son-in-law have a lot of respect for each other, so I guess that respect is extended to us as well."As they spoke, Albert had reached the Cullinan and opened the door for Albert, nodding at him respectfully, "Greetings, Mr. Wilson. You can leave the keys with Mr. Carson while I escort you and your friend upstairs.""Thank you very much." Jacob grinned and turned to Mr. Bay. "Come on. Let's go.""Yes, yes, of course!" Mr. Bay smiled and nodded, a little nerv
Mr. Bay's friend promptly asked, "Was it the manager, Mr. Carson?""Nope," Mr. Bay chuckled. "Guess again.""Oh, come on!" Mr. Bay's friend whined. "You're still telling me to guess now? Just so you know, those bigwigs were so pleased when I told them we'd have the Golden Room and said they'd be bringing their cards. I'd be laughed at if I didn't give them the details right now!"Mr. Bay laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll quit being mysterious—it's Jacob Wilson, my vice president. He contacted Don Albert of Heaven Springs personally, and the man promised you the Diamond Room and the finest wines of his cellar!""Holy shit!" Mr. Bay's friend gasped. "Mr. Wilson did? For real?! And the Diamond Room on top of that?!""Indeed," Mr. Bay nodded. "And you know me. Would I kid when it comes to such matters?"Mr. Bay's friend breathed a long sigh as if he had just cheated death. "Heavens… Thank you so much, my friend! You've really saved my skin there! You have no idea how much persuasion t
Jacob wasn't really concerned with the invitation. He wouldn't be going anyway, and he wouldn't tell Elaine about it.Right now, he had a question.After hanging up on Walker, he asked curiously, "A designated driver would be just a few dozen bucks at most. Why get Walker?"Mr. Bay sighed meaningfully. "Jacob, my boy—it's not just my job description you must handle when you succeed me. You must understand the unspoken rules of the workplace as well as interpersonal relationships."Raising his right index finger, he chuckled, "Earning the loyalty of subordinates is a science. But it has to be a carrot and stick—never just the carrot, while offering them chances to be of service.""Take Walker, for example. As his boss, buying him lunch is 5 points. Ask for a favor, but it's 50 points instead!""As a leader, you should also make sure to give requests that are reasonable. That way, they will consider you to be their ally, or soon enough.""People are strange that way—psychology sim