Andy came to the company, pushed open the door of the manager's office, and saw Carl, Nelson and his new financial advisor David were all there.
"Hello, boss..."
"Hey, Andy, you finally made it over. Last night..."
"boss."
"Hey, shut up Carl! Damn it, you really hurt me last night!" Andy and Nelson, after greeting their financial advisor David, glared at Carl fiercely.
"Hey... isn't it just some marijuana?" Carl had an indifferent expression on his fat face, but because of Andy's anger, his voice became very soft.
Andy pointed at Carl with a helpless expression. He really had no way to deal with Carl. As an old man who followed him, Carl was very attentive to the things he instructed. His identity as an agent destined him to focus on serving Andy and meeting Andy's needs. Even if the needs were illegal, he would try his best to meet them. As for outsiders, he had another face, which was very similar to the Chinese jester.
Andy knew what kind of person Carl was, and there was nothing he could do about him. The Chinese used the inertial thinking of people: your talents can be ordinary, you can have various shortcomings, but you must be loyal. With loyalty, everything else can be forgiven, and Andy, who was white in skin but yellow in heart, was naturally no exception.
"Okay, guys, I need to discuss the next thing with you." Andy sat in Carl's boss chair and said to the three people who were already sitting opposite him.
"The first thing to do is to spread the news about the contract with the independent TV station to NBC and CBS. Nielsen, I'll trouble you with the subsequent negotiations."
"The second thing, David, is that I'll tell you about my stock account. I've put $22 million into Apple stock. If you trust me, you can buy some too. Don't say I didn't give my own people a bargain."
"Third, Carl, I need you to find out about a piece of land in Blake Shores, San Diego, California. I'm not sure of the exact location, so I'll use Google Earth to check it out."
20 million pounds is equivalent to 36.8 million US dollars at the exchange rate in 2006. Although he is rich, he has other uses for the remaining 14.8 million besides buying stocks.
Nelson and David both got their tasks and left, leaving only Andy and Carl in the office.
"I'm leaving the company with one million in funds to run it. Besides helping me find out about that cliffside plot of land on the Blake coast, can you also help me find any gaming companies for sale?"
Andy was lying on the sofa at this time, with his head resting on the armrest and his feet facing the other armrest, and he spoke lazily to Carl.
"Boss, why are you asking about the game company again?" Carl was a little confused about the task Andy assigned to him.
Andy lay there, not wanting to move, and rolled his eyes at Karl. "Just ask me if I ask you to. Don't you brag about your connections all day long? You can handle such a small matter, right?"
"How is that possible! I just don't understand why you bought a game company. That thing is a bottomless pit. Millions or tens of millions are not enough to burn it!" Carl was very angry about Andy's questioning, but Andy knew that he was just a coward.
Andy looked down on him speechlessly, "Why are you asking so many questions? I know what I'm doing!"
"Heh..." Carl laughed dryly, "I'm just concerned about you and worried that you might suffer losses! After all, I'm your most loyal partner." He was quite shameless and played the emotional card immediately after the embarrassment.
"You fat bastard, sometimes I really want to fire you, really." Andy said helplessly.
"Hehe, you've fired me several times, but considering my loyalty and ability, I don't think you will make the wrong decision." Carl changed his obscene expression and said calmly.
"Well, I'm defeated by your shamelessness.
Andy emphasized his helplessness, "By the way, the manuscript of The Hunger Games is in my bag. Take it and talk to Scholastic about it."
"Why do you want to publish The Hunger Games now? Didn't you say you wanted to wait?"
"No need to wait. Since Xue Le has offered such good conditions, there is no need to keep it. Besides, it's only the first volume." Andy explained to him.
"What's the subsequent story?"
Andy shrugged and said, "I have a new idea, a very strange story, I want to write it first!"
Although Carl looked very calm, the surprise in his eyes betrayed him. Andy's performance in recent months made him feel like he was dreaming. He really had dug up a gold mine and embraced a golden thigh. Facing the future that Franklin kept pouring towards him, he restrained the debauchery in his bones, looked at the manuscript on the table, thought of the humiliation he suffered in CCA, and couldn't help but sneer. As long as Andy kept publishing new books, these IP copyrights would be weapons in his hands, and he would always have a chance to take revenge.
Andy sat up, picked up the coffee on the table and drank it all, then stood up and stretched his muscles. "Okay, you go ahead and do your work. I'll be back."
Looking at Andy who left him with a bunch of things to do and then just walked away, Carl couldn't help feeling helpless, but more of it was gratitude. He was grateful that Andy didn't abandon him. As a middle-aged man with a failed marriage, his career was everything to him now.
His career at CCA Entertainment was ruined, and he even thought about dying. Luckily, he still had Andy. "Thank you, Andy. I won't let you down."
The sun was setting, painting the sky a crimson orange and framing the mountain peaks with a golden edge, making everything around it seem vibrant. It was completely quiet, with the occasional quaint little building poking out from the hillside, lazily nestled among the trees.
After dinner, Andy came to the lounge chair by the swimming pool with a bottle of ice wine and a wine glass. He held the highball glass of amber ice wine in his right hand against his chest, and put his left hand behind his head. He looked up at the starry night sky. The cool night breeze blew the leaves, making a rustling sound.
This kind of leisurely and relaxing life is so wonderful. The extravagant desires in the past only made me more miserable. But now, this kind of life is at my fingertips. Thinking of this in my heart, I couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile and helplessness at the corners of my mouth.
Suddenly, a cell phone rang. He moved up, took out the phone from his pocket, looked at the caller ID, and let out a light exclamation, as if he had realized something.
"Hello, Mom, why are you still awake so late? Isn't it already past ten o'clock in New York?" Andy asked calmly after answering the phone.
"Son, I heard that you made a fortune? Come and tell mom what happened." Li Wanqing's somewhat excited voice came from the phone.
Andy had a look of astonishment on his face and smiled. "Oh my god, why don't you care about my health or something? You start by asking me about getting rich. You're such a money-grubber."
"Go, go, how can you talk to your mother like that? You are in good health. I have asked Liu Yan a long time ago. It was your father who made me curious because of his envious and jealous look when he came back at night. My son is so amazing. Your father looks calm on the surface, but I don't know how happy he is in his heart." Li Wanqing said with a smile.
"Here's what happened…"
After half an hour of blah blah blah, he finally explained the whole story clearly. Finally, Andy asked, "Mom, what do you want? I'll give it to you."
"Silly son, mommy doesn't need anything. I just hope you can be well. I have read your new book. Although some parts are scary, I think this reflects the profound meaning of fairy tales." The care in Li Wanqing's words made Andy feel warm.
"Haha, it seems that you like the story I wrote very much, Mom." Andy controlled the excitement in his body and smiled relaxedly.
"Of course I like it. I think the New York Times book review is the best. 'In a work that can be called both a fable and a fantasy, both a fairy tale and realism, the author has maintained a pure soul from beginning to end, as if he has been wearing a school uniform or his first face in life.' Mom is so happy for you. Now I can finally rest assured." Li Wanqing read the book review in the newspaper to Andy with great pride. The joyful mood was beyond words, and it also revealed the mother's love for her son, as well as a feeling of relief.
I don't know what part of his soul was affected, but tears welled up in Andy's eyes. He wiped them away silently, sadness and happiness intertwined. "This feeling is really annoying! I will take good care of them, don't worry!" It seemed like he was promising someone, but also like he was talking to himself.
"Okay, I won't say any more. You should rest. If nothing else, go back to New York. Mom misses you a little." As she spoke, Li Wanqing's voice choked a little.
"Okay, Mom, I'll go back to see you after I finish my things here. I love you, Mom." Andy knew he couldn't go on.
"Yeah, yeah, mom loves you too. Okay, you can take a rest!" Li Wanqing seemed to be whispering something to the person next to her, and her emotions stabilized.