I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 825 Exposed
On October 18, 2011, the iPhone 4S was officially released in North America.

The stock price that day was $422.

However, Apple's performance did not meet expectations, marking the first time since 2005 that Apple has failed to meet its targets.

By December, the stock price had hovered around $410.

However, compared to Liu Jin's investment in 01, the stocks he held have increased in value by more than four hundred times.

The value of the stocks he bought in 2001 has now skyrocketed to $1.8 billion.

However, his shareholding has shrunk to 0.06 percent due to Apple's financing and several strategic adjustments.

Liu Jin predicted that the amount would decrease further.

“Amos, this is Levins.”

"Hey, Dr. Levins, long time no see."

"Let's get down to business. I heard you own quite a few Apple shares?"

Liu Jin received a call from Apple's chairman, Arthur Levins, who got straight to the point and mentioned the stocks he held.

I was taken aback at first, but then I understood.

Liu Jin never imagined that he could keep his Apple stock holdings a secret forever.

I just didn't expect it to be discovered so quickly!
It's not that fast; he's held these stocks for almost ten years.

"Yes!"

"Are you planning to sell it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin immediately burst into laughter.

"Now? I'm afraid it's too early."

"You're very optimistic about Apple, aren't you?"

"Of course!"

"So, you won't make a move easily, is that right?"

"Yes."

Arthur Levins remained silent for a long time on the phone.

Finally, he said, "Amos, if you are interested in selling, please let me know as soon as possible. I am willing to take it on."

If Liu Jin were just a writer now, Levins would never have been so kind.

Perhaps they've already used methods to forcibly take those stocks from Liu Jin.

But he heard that Liu Jin had made a huge profit from the American stock market in May and had extensive connections.

This also involves the Blumenthal and the Bush family.

This forced him to become more cautious.

More importantly, this indicates that Liu Jin has ample funds at his disposal.

If he were to use underhanded tactics, his cash flow might not be as strong as Liu Jin's, which forces him to be extremely cautious.

Liu Jin's two actions in the stock market made him somewhat wary.

Apple is currently recovering and is unwilling to provoke strong rivals.

Levins could only discuss this matter with Liu Jin in a gentle manner, and also wanted to take the opportunity to sound out his opinion.

Liu Jin said, "Arthur, I'm very sorry, but I will not be selling Apple stock in the short term."

Apple's current market capitalization is still far from meeting my expectations..."

"That's it, okay then."

Levins didn't waste any time; after a few polite words, he hung up the phone.

He understood what Liu Jin was trying to say from Liu Jin's answer.

I have no intention of interfering in Apple's operations, nor do I want to get involved in Apple's management.

I just want to make money!
I will definitely make a move when the profits from Apple satisfy me.

This also relieved Levins.

After all, he was vying with Steve Jobs for control of Apple.

As Apple's largest individual shareholder, he was also worried that Liu Jin and Steve Jobs were working together.

Mr. Joe's personal shareholding is second only to Levins'. However, if Liu Jin's shareholding is included, it will surpass Levins' shareholding.

Why make trouble for yourself?
However, with the release of the year-end financial statements, Liu Jin's name appeared on Apple's list of private shareholders, ranking eighth.

……

Apple wasn't the first person to discover Liu Jin's existence.

Amazon had actually contacted him in early 2010, wanting to buy the 3% stake from him.

But Liu Jin refused!
The reason is the same as with Apple: he is not satisfied with Amazon's current stock price.

In December 2011, Forbes released its list of the wealthiest people.

Liu Jin ranked ninety-eighth with a net worth of 21.2 billion.

This infuriated Liu Jin.

But at the same time, I also breathed a sigh of relief.

His blitzkrieg operation in May was not made public.

But it probably won't be kept secret for long... The news will spread by next year at the latest.

Liu Jin felt he needed to keep a low profile for a while!

On December 21, the renowned writer and painter Mu Xin passed away.

Yes, he's the teacher of that painter Chen who did nothing but cause trouble and act pretentiously when he returned to China.

Liu Jin had never read his works and had no interest in him whatsoever.

He just felt very angry!
Because AA, Alizee, and Eva decided to take an early vacation and return to China.

Liu Jin originally planned to go back, but he was left in Toulouse.

The reason is quite simple: both La Cinq and Southern Italy television networks are at a critical juncture, and he needs to stay and oversee them.

"I'm not involved in any management, so what's the point of me staying?"

"If you stay, everyone will feel more confident."

Liu Jin was very reluctant.

He also wants to return to China...

However, I couldn't refuse everyone.

After all, Mela, Tasca, Chloe, Marco Müller, and Monica all accepted the contracts with the two television networks because of him.

Everyone's busy, and his going back on vacation is certainly not a pleasant thing to say.

Helpless, I could only comply.

It's really boring!
Liu Jin stayed in the villa, feeling somewhat idle.

Out of sheer boredom, he opened his laptop again and stared blankly at the computer screen.

Or, how about we write something?
Taking advantage of the free time now...

After much deliberation, he finally chose the novel "Halo".

I've already written six books, so I might as well write one more.

However, having not created much in the past six months, I suddenly found myself at a loss for words when I tried to put pen to paper.

It took me three whole days to recover a bit, and the writing of Halo 7 then became smoother.

December 31st is another New Year's Eve.

But instead of going out to celebrate the New Year with others, Liu Jin stayed home and diligently wrote.

The phone rang; it was Nancy Miller calling.

She first wished Liu Jin a Happy New Year, and then told him that the negotiations for "The Conjuring Universe" had been finalized.

Lionsgate was ultimately eliminated, and the deep-pocketed Warner Bros. took over all eight titles in the Conjuring Universe.

Total value: US$1800 million.

It sounds like a lot, but this is the price for eight parts.

Given that Liu Jin has already completed four films, Warner Bros. is very confident.

Lionsgate is unwilling to take risks and is only willing to sign priority rights.

Universal was willing to buy it outright, but after setting a price of $1500 million, they refused to increase it further. Warner Bros., on the other hand, was very generous… During our negotiations, they repeatedly mentioned their personal friendship with you, so I couldn't raise the price any further.”

Eighteen million dollars?

It feels a bit low!

But it seems...

That's not low either!

Liu Jin's status is different now.

Back in 2001, $1800 million would have made him ecstatic.

"That's settled then, Nancy, Happy New Year!"

Nancy Miller will receive a $180 million commission from this deal, which she deserves.

"Amos, how's your novel 'Halo' coming along?"

"Ha, I'm writing the seventh one."

Nancy paused for a moment, then said softly, "Microsoft's 343 Industries is interested in purchasing the game's copyright."

"all?"

"Yes, all of them... all at once. Mr. Tommy Jones of Studio 343 has reported to headquarters, and Mr. Bill Gates would like to have a chance to speak with you."

"What did Bill and I talk about?"

Ten years ago, he had to be addressed as Mr. Bill Gates.

But now...

"I'm not sure about this."

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing.

Indeed, what Bill Gates talked to him about was something Nancy Miller couldn't possibly know.

Liu Jin closed his eyes and thought for a moment, and could roughly guess a clue.

If it's not about the stocks he owns, then it's a matter of financial investment.

Could it be that we can talk to him about literature?
"I will visit America next February, and if he has time then, I will pay him a visit in person."

"Okay, I will pass on your words to him."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Jin couldn't help but feel a little smug.

Ha, now I'm someone who can talk to Bill Gates!
……

That night, the phone kept ringing.

Liu Jin patiently answered each call one by one until he received a video call from his mother.

Everyone is in the video.

Dad, Mom, AA, Alizee, Eva, and five children.

They were in a courtyard house in Beiluoguxiang, all in high spirits.

Liu Jin couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Everyone else is having a great time, but I'm stuck here wretchedly typing away.

So much so that after hanging up the phone, he immediately turned it off, not wanting to answer any more calls.

On the lawn outside, Jerome and his wife were setting off fireworks, while their assistant, Margot, Leah, and Verena laughed and chatted.

Indeed, the joys and sorrows of human life are all different, and I only find them very noisy.

I lost all interest in writing, so I simply turned off the computer, collapsed onto the bed, and fell fast asleep...

I slept until dawn.

After waking up, Liu Jincai remembered that when Nancy called yesterday, she didn't seem to mention how much money 343 Industries was prepared to spend to acquire Halo.

However, if it's just game copyright, I don't think it will be too high.

The key point is that Bill Gates wants to see him!
Liu Jin sighed, got dressed, and walked out of the house.

He had arranged to meet up with Abel, Rust, and others.

Margot asked him if he needed to come along, but Liu Jin refused.

This is Toulouse, not Paris.

He could walk with his eyes closed and wouldn't encounter any trouble.

Come to think of it, it seems to be true.

Margot and the others did not insist.

Liu Jin drove straight to Abel's boxing gym.

This guy's boxing gym is still in the same old spot, but it looks a bit old and not as sleek as it used to be.

Liu Jin parked the car and went inside.

"Abel, you're fucking crazy. I said I wanted to find a place to have coffee, but you dragged me to this crappy place of yours."

"It's the first day of the new year, can't we take a break?"

There was a cold atmosphere in the boxing gym.

A burly woman is fighting Rust.

Abel and several coaches stood beside the ring, shouting and yelling.

Upon hearing Liu Jin's voice, Abel turned his head and looked over, then smiled and said, "Look who's here, 98 Rich Man!"

"what?"

Weren't you ranked 98th by Forbes?

"Don't listen to those idiots at Forbes."

"What, your ranking has improved?"

"Low!"

As Liu Jin spoke, he took off his coat and tossed it aside.

"real or fake……"

"Really? You're trying to kidnap me?"

"I wouldn't dare to do that."

As Abel spoke, she hugged him and patted him hard on the back.

He was actually quite touched!
I've known Liu Jin since we were both nobody, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye!
The young man who wrote the book back then has now become a world-class billionaire.

But if he makes a phone call, Liu Jin will still come over leisurely.

"Who!"

Liu Jin walked to the side of the arena and asked softly.

"A friend recommended her to come and learn some boxing."

At that moment, Rust was punched in the chin and fell to the ground on the ring.

"Ruster, you actually got beaten up by a girl, that's really embarrassing... You've wasted your life all these years!"

"Shut up, you try it, this girl's fists are really hard."

Liu Jin couldn't help but scold, "Ruster, don't make excuses, you've just wasted your time."

"Amos?"

Rust felt a little dizzy when he was first knocked down.

Having recovered by now, upon recognizing Liu Jin, he immediately said, "I'm a failure? Why don't you give it a try?"
This girl is pretty fierce.

"Ronda Rossi?"

At this moment, Liu Jin also got a clear look at the boxer.

She was wearing a helmet, so she couldn't see clearly.

At that moment, she took off her helmet, immediately revealing her face.

She has long, brownish-yellow hair, tilts her head, and has a very cute smile.

"Sure enough, there's no pretty girl you don't know."

Abel, standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh.

"She's an Olympic bronze medalist in judo... Hey, Rossi, it's Amos."

At this moment, Ronda Rossi also recognized Liu Jin.

She is American.

I live in California.

Liu Jin is quite famous in America.

The figures on Hollywood's power list, and every California girl dreams of Hollywood...

"Mr. Amos!"

Ronda Rossi, who was 23 years old at the time, was not as robust as she later appeared.

She walked up to him with a pleasant surprise and bumped fists with Liu Jin. "This is such a surprise. I never expected to see you here."

"Rosie, aren't you from America? What are you doing here? And why did you go looking for Abel?"

"Am I that bad? She came here to learn boxing..."

"Give me a break. You've ruined such a promising talent as Rust."

Upon hearing this, Rust couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I will be participating in the Strikeforce Championship in Las Vegas in February."

If I win the championship, I'll most likely enter the UFC. My coach said that Coach Abel is a good boxer, so he sent me here to train for a month.

"Aren't you a judo practitioner? I remember you were a black belt."

"Yes!"

"Practice hard."

"Amos, Rossi's punches are pretty good, why don't you give him a try?"

"Get lost, he's a professional!"

Everyone in the boxing gym burst into laughter.

"Are you done practicing? If you are, let's go get a beer."

I don't want to be stuck in the boxing gym on New Year's Day... Everyone's coming, it's on me.

"Rosie, let's go together. It's a rare opportunity to treat someone to a big meal."

The crowd responded in unison once again.

Ronda Rossi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Wait for me, I'll take a shower and be right back."

……

(End of this chapter)