Manhattan Reborn 1978

California.

San Francisco.

In the Summa District of downtown, next to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in a coffee shop.

Pine looked across at Apple co-founders Stephen Woz and Mike Markkula with a smile and asked with a smile.

"Mr. Jobs, he's not coming, is he?"

Woz twitched the corners of his mouth a few times in embarrassment, turned his eyes to one side, and said nothing.

Mike Markkula smiled and said: "Mr. Pine, we have talked about cooperation several times."

"We welcome you to join Apple."

"We also know that when funding is no longer the biggest problem we have to face..."

"We really need successful people like you to expand us more..."

Pine smiled and waved his hand: "Mr. Markkula, be more direct~ What else do you want?"

"Um... I heard that you and Intel also..."

"That's right!"

"You also want to add some terms?"

"Yes!"

"Yes~"

"What about the shareholding ratio?"

"Intel was willing to give us more than 30% of the shares, so we offered him generous additional terms."

"what about you?"

Mike Markkula glanced at Stephen Watts and smiled after receiving his confirmation look.

"Although the two of us cannot represent all shareholders of the company."

"But I believe they will agree with our decision."

"15%!"

"This is the highest shareholding ratio we can give."

Pine slowly put away his smile, looked at the two people with a calm expression and a hint of indifference, and asked softly.

"Mr. Markkula, as far as I know, you joined Apple because Nolan Bushwell, the founder of Atari, introduced you to Steve Jobs, right?"

A very strange feeling flashed through Mike Markkula's heart, and he nodded: "Yes~"

"Hmm~"

"On January 1 last year, you, Woz, and Steve Jobs discussed the future development plans of the company by the pool at your home, and signed a document to officially transform Apple into A joint stock company.”

"Is it right?"

Stephen Watts looked at Markkula with his eyes widened.

Mike Markkula licked his lips and said with a wry smile: "Yes!"

Pine glanced at Woz, who had an unnatural expression, and continued in a low voice: "You still insisted on stating in the document that Qiao and Woz must become full-time employees of Apple~"

"Although Mr. Woz was still somewhat reluctant to leave his job at HP at the time, he decided to resign."

"Correct? Mr. Watts?"

"..."

"Mr. Markkula, after you joined Apple, you helped Steve Jobs formulate a complete set of company development strategies and business plans."

"You pointed out in this plan that you can't just focus on computer amateurs. Only by allowing Apple computers to gain more attention from ordinary people can Apple truly grow."

"And, based on these development plans, you predicted that Apple will become one of the Fortune 500 companies in five years."

"Correct? Mr. Markkula?"

"...Yes~"

Pine picked up the coffee, took a sip, shook his head slightly and said.

"While you were in contact with me to discuss cooperation, you also went to Hambrickett Quest to inquire about an IPO?"

"Their CEO, Mr. Bill Hambrickett, is my friend, did you know?"

"...Now I know~" Mike Markkula suppressed the shock and replied with his lips pursed.

Pine put down his coffee cup calmly: "Mr. Markkula, you are smart and prudent. You know that managing the start-up Apple requires an experienced and capable person!"

"In addition, you all began to be unable to stand Steve Jobs's moodiness, acrimony, and tyranny."

"Mr. Woz, you have always had a good personal relationship with Steve Jobs, but are you okay with the way Jobs manages the company?"

"Markkula, what about you?"

"Obviously, not~"

"That's why you changed several CEOs in a row, and Steve Jobs was so angry that he ran away...an embarrassing experience~"

Woz felt itchy on his face, his right hand holding the coffee couldn't help shaking, and he smiled bitterly.

Pine ignored this and continued.

"Mr. Markkula, one of the greatest achievements of the CEO Mr. Scott you invited back was getting Steve Jobs to accept taking a shower at least once a week...?"

"It's hard for me to imagine how you tolerated Mr. Scott before he came to Apple."

"..."

"Jobs has a strong desire to control!"

"He just wants to control other people and doesn't like to be controlled by anyone."

"What did Scott get in return for his control?"

"shouting!"

"Mr. Markkula, Fortune 500?"

"Humph~"

"He and Scott had to argue several times before settling even some trivial matters."

"How long do you think Scott can endure it?"

"It's a fact that all of you are at odds with Steve Jobs."

"Apple is about to prepare for its IPO, but there is a huge rift among the top management. What's your solution?"

"Waiting for the situation to continue to deteriorate?"

"Gentlemen, we have expressed the utmost sincerity in our cooperation negotiations with Apple."

"And what about you?"

Pine stood up slowly, adjusted his coat, looked down at the two of them, and whispered: "Thanksgiving is coming~"

"Today, I will leave San Francisco and return to New York."

"Happy holidays to you, gentlemen."

"goodbye!"

. . .

Pine, gone.

Stephen Watts stared straight at the door of the coffee shop. It took him a long time to recover, and he frowned and muttered.

"How...how does he know everything?"

Mike Markkula sat back in his chair and said with a wry smile: "The last time, Steve Jobs rudely rejected that Ms. Grace, I had a premonition..."

"Sure enough~"

Markkula glanced at Woz, who looked puzzled: "Do you still think he came to discuss cooperation with us on behalf of Stanley?"

"Forehead.."

"Hehe~"

"Stanley's willingness to help our company go public with its IPO is a great help to us."

"But for him, it just adds another piece of business to Stanley. That's all~"

"The gap is all there!"

"It's just that we've been acting like idiots and ignoring it."

Woz frowned and asked, "What should we do next?"

"Get Steve Jobs!"

"You want to kick him out of the company?"

Markkula couldn't help shaking his head and laughing: "I mean, get the shares in Steve Jobs' hands!"

"Oh~"

"Haha~ Sorry, I misunderstood."

"Let's go too."

"Ok!"

----

new York.

42nd Street, Wildfire Bar.

In the car on the street, Karu, the gang leader with a pig's head on his head, had a cigarette in his mouth, squinting at Mike Bai's disgusting face, and said helplessly.

"Are you finished yet?"

"Hehe~ I just think you look like this. If... you don't take a photo to commemorate it, I will definitely regret it!"

"Hahaha~"

Carew reluctantly rolled up the car window and prepared to drive away.

Mike Bai quickly patted the car door and said with a smile: "David feels uncomfortable today. He took some medicine and is sleeping at home~ In the evening, he will entertain some friends at home~"

"Let's do it another day! Come back another day and I'll help you make arrangements!"

Kalu raised two middle fingers to him, started the car, and walked away~

. . .

Mike Bai looked at the car disappearing in the distance, and the smile on his face disappeared~

He had heard Madonna mention casually about Sini's strange behavior during the meeting with Carew in the bar.

Afterwards, Xinni took his family and left New York, and Carew got himself a big pig head~

Is there any connection here?

there must be!

But Karu would not tell him this!

----

evening.

42nd Street, neon lights shine~

Upstairs at Wildfire Bar.

David slept all afternoon, took a shower, and changed his clothes before he felt that his condition had improved a lot.

Cui Yingying and Susan, who were busy preparing for tonight's party, prepared various delicacies for everyone in the kitchen.

Elena, Toby, Tilda, and Maggie were chatting and laughing while helping to put the dishes on the table.

David held a glass of water in his hand, looked at the busy women, and smiled.

"Tonight, this is your home! You're welcome~"

"Hahaha~"

Tilda Swinton, wearing a loose pullover, her long red hair tied into a ponytail and thrown behind her head, smiled youthfully and said nothing.

Elena helped her question on the side: "You tricked her into coming to New York for fun... but you were busy with work?"

"Haha~ Tilda, how is New York?"

“Very good~”

"Hmm~ It's definitely much better than London where it rains all day and there are parades!"

"Hahaha~"

"Maggie, when did Giles and the others say they would arrive?"

"The time is coming, and so should they..."

Just as the little secretary Maggie was speaking, Bloomer's voice came from outside the open door and from the stairwell.

"Hey~"

"Here we come!" Bloomer and Giles came together~

. . .

After a few minutes.

In front of the Wildfire Bar, a car slowly stopped. Yuri Orlov led Ava Fangtian out of the car and walked to the door of the unit.

Black Mike and Giovanni, who had been standing at the door, saw the two of them coming. They smiled and joked with Yuri, and watched the tall and beautiful Ava Fangtian walking up the stairs.

Giovanni was familiar with Yuri. He put his arm around his shoulders and asked with a low smile: "This beauty... is the best!"

"Boy, can you afford your salary?"

Yuri touched his nose in embarrassment, Black Mike rolled his eyes and kicked him: "Are you the only one who is smart!?"

"Freeze said!"

"Hahaha~ It doesn't matter, David has arranged a new job for him, everything will be fine, right?"

Yuri Orlov nodded confidently and smiled: "I will!"

"Haha~ Is it right this time?"

"You must have confidence to chase girls! Do you understand?"

"Don't let a girl think that you only like to look at her face..."

Black Mike looked down at his watch and walked out of the unit, deciding not to be embarrassed anymore by standing with these "idiots"~

. . .

A few minutes later.

Leslie and Livlin came over, said hello to Black Mike, Giovanni, and Yuri, and went upstairs.

The last person to arrive was Polly, who had been busy at the company for a day.

She was holding a small bag in her hand and angrily told Mike Bai, who had picked her up, "Go tell Auston that all the auxiliary police officers can come to the Wildfire Bar for a drink tonight, and the bill will be mine!"

"Haha~ok!"

When she walked into the unit door and saw Black Mike, Giovanni, and Yuri, she remembered another thing and gave Black Mike instructions.

"You go find Giles, Bloomer, Leslie, and Livlin's bodyguards and drivers."

"You go with them to Brother Biao's restaurant in batches, eat as much as you like, and drink as much as you want at Wild Fire. The bill will be mine!"

"Oh ~ remember to tell them, don't drink! That thing will delay things!"

"Okay!" Black Mike blinked a few times, nodded and smiled.

Polly nodded with satisfaction. As she went upstairs, she smiled at Yuri and said, "Don't worry~ I will help you take care of Ava~"

"Thank you!"

"Haha~"

----

Two 10 minutes later.

In David's dining room.

There were eight ladies and four gentlemen on either side of a large long dining table.

The ladies are: Polly, Livlin, Susan, Tilda Swinton, Elena, Maggie, Toby, Cui Yingying, Ava Fangtian.

For men, there are four bad friends: David, Giles, Bloomer, and Leslie.

As the host, David stood up, held up his wine glass, and said a few words of welcome to everyone~

Everyone also smiled and raised their glasses together.

Dinner has begun.

After everyone put down their wine glasses, David sat down and took the lead in picking up the tableware and smiled.

"Today is a family dinner~ Don't be restrained in any way~"

"I'm hungry! I think you are hungry too, right?"

"Lilith and Laura have already called and will arrive later~"

"We won't wait for them!"

"Please enjoy the dinner carefully prepared by Cui Yingying and Susan for everyone!"

"Hahaha~"

. . .

Tonight, the three-year-old friend who was originally wearing a suit came to the banquet, but David took off his coat, threw off his tie, and even rolled up his shirt sleeves~

The four of them all wore napkins around their necks, waving the cutlery in their hands. Their eyes took a good look at the various delicacies on the table, and they immediately "transferred" them to their own plates. .

Then he ate it in his mouth and held it in his hand, but his eyes were aimed at another "target"~

The ladies couldn't help laughing at the "eating" of the four of them.

David swallowed a piece of fish in his mouth, licked his lips, and smiled at Tilda Swinton, who still maintained her "British" attitude.

"Tilda! No one here cares whether you are rude or not!"

"Relax a little bit~eat more!"

"Look how thin you are..."

"Aren't you afraid that a gust of wind will blow you away?"

"Hey~ Can't you keep your mouth shut even when you eat?" Livlin said bluntly, waving the fork in her hand.

"Haha~ What qualifications do you have to speak against me?"

"Look down and look at your belly first!"

"It's almost grown into a large swimming ring~"

"You have such a big heart!"

"Hahaha~"

"Pfft~hehe~ Yeah...hehe~" Giles and Bloomer couldn't hold it back and almost spit out the food in their mouths~

Leslie didn't know whether to be worried or laugh out loud at David's "incomparable image" metaphor~

Livlin ignored the women's covered mouths and snickered, gritted her teeth, and stared at David fiercely: "You... bastard!"

"Haha~ each other!"

"Hahaha~"

. . .

Polly, who was sitting opposite Tilda, glanced at Livlin's face, and after confirming "no problem", she smiled.

"Tilda, where did you, Elena, and Toby go to play?"

"Oh~ we... went to the Empire State Building, took a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty~ and also went to Broadway and watched two shows~"

"Haha~ These places you went to are all tourists' favorite attractions~"

"Elena hasn't been in New York for a long time. There are some interesting places she doesn't know~"

"Another day, let David lead you to see those different...sceneries!"

"It's different?" Tilda flashed her big eyes, showing excitement and expectation.

David heard Polly mention him, "took the time" to take a sip of red wine and smiled.

"Why did New York rise rapidly and become a world-famous city in a century?"

“In addition to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Broadway, there’s more to this place!”

“New York is one of the best art cities in the world!”

“Here are countless young people who work tirelessly to pursue their dreams~”

“For example: Greenwich Village in downtown is the favorite gathering place for underground musicians!”

“The large and small theaters near Broadway are packed with young people chasing their stage dreams~”

“Thousands of galleries all over New York have long been the reason why collectors who are keen on collecting art must come to New York several times a year~”

"The gallery's business is booming, which in disguise promotes paintings of various new genres of art, slowly entering the field of vision of more people~"

"poet!"

“New York has never lacked famous poets who have drawn countless inspirations from this city.”

"playwright!"

"Most of the Broadway stage plays come from real life~"

"And life in New York is inherently more magical than in novels!"

"actor!"

“Although New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts has been established for a relatively short period of time, its faculty, professional reputation, and well-known alumni are far inferior to the University of Southern California, the number one film school in the country.”

"But the various types of films produced and shot in New York in recent years have given Tisch School of the Arts and its graduates an excellent growing soil!"

"I believe that, given time, these new generation of filmmakers and TV professionals will definitely gain a place in Hollywood!"

David raised his wine glass and smiled at everyone who slowly stopped holding the cutlery in their hands.

"I dedicate this drink to Tilda~ and to everyone else too!"

"We are all dream chasers in this city!"

"As long as we keep moving forward, getting stronger and faster~"

"Dreams and dreams ~ are never out of reach!"

"Cheers! My friends~"

"Cheers! Hahaha~"

. . .

Polly, who had been silently observing, put down her wine glass, with a smile on her lips, her eyes touched Livlin, Elena, Tilda, and Ava Fangtian, who were also silently observing, and thought about it. Think, smile.

“David, you forgot to mention the fashion industry!”

“New York is also the largest fashion capital in the world after Paris!”

"Uh-huh, right!"

David followed Polly's gaze, took a bite of the food, and said with a smile: "Ava, is this your first time meeting Leslie, Livlin, Tilda, and Toby?"

Ava Fangtian immediately stopped what she was doing and smiled sweetly: "Yes~"

"Hehe~"

"Remember, you must be careful about this bad guy Leslie in the future!"

"If he does anything wrong to you, just tell Livlin directly and he will take advantage of you!"

"Hehe~"

"Hahaha~"

Leslie chewed the food in her mouth, glared at David, and smiled at Ava: "I happen to have a friend who needs to plan an outdoor billboard for the company next year."

Livlin, who was sitting next to him, also smiled and said: "My Maybelline company also needs to shoot a TV commercial for the new year."

When David heard this, he suddenly stopped holding the cutlery in his hand and glanced at the faces of the girls~

After looking around, he was surprised to find that, except for the younger Tilda and Livlin, the facial skin of the remaining women was not as good as he thought~

Especially when he belatedly discovered that Elena, this exquisite and charming beauty, did not have that shiny skin on her face~

On Susan's face, the luster of her skin looked a little dull because she stayed up late for a long time and was not good at taking care of herself~

On the contrary, Cui Yingying, who has been working in the kitchen in recent days, has a delicate and faint blush on her face, except for some undetectable wrinkles at the corners of her eyes~

strange!

Could it be that this is the difference between the skin of Easterners and Westerners?

I never paid much attention to it before!

Emm. .

Bloomer and Giles, who were sitting next to David, saw that he was eating food somewhat mechanically, but his eyes kept moving, and they knew that this kid was starting to "think wildly" again~

"Hey~ What are you thinking about again?"

"Uh...skin!"

"What?" The two friends looked at each other and shook their heads indifferently.

Polly heard this, looked at David with curiosity, and asked: "You mean...skin?"

"Yup!"

David chewed the food, raised his head to Tilda, and said with a smile: "Look at her!"

"Tilda is 18 years old and the skin on her face is in the best condition of her life."

"what!?"

"Tilda, you are only 18 years old!?"

"You...you can't drink~"

"..Hahaha~"

Everyone was amused by David's "sharp turn"~

Tilda raised her glass and said, holding back her laughter, "I'm British!"

"You can drink alcohol if you are 18 years old in the UK!"

"Oh~ Really?"

"Haha~Sorry, you can do whatever you want~"

"Hahahaha~"

. . .

After everyone laughed.

Livlin seemed to understand what David meant, looked at Tilda curiously, and asked.

"Did you associate our plan with Maybelline's products?"

"Yup!"

David put down the tableware, wiped the corners of his mouth, stood up and walked behind Tilda, put his hands on her shoulders, and smiled.

"Look!"

"The skin on her face right now is exactly the delicate skin full of youthfulness that all women want to keep~"

"Time is the fairest!"

"It makes boys grow into men, and it also makes girls gradually turn into more attractive women!"

"However, compared with men, women's often exposed skin on the face, neck, and hands is more likely to attract people's attention, and it can also highlight women's beauty, charm, and age~"

David moved his steps, walked behind the little secretary Maggie, and continued.

"Maggie, she has not been working for a long time and is a few years older than Tilda."

"The skin on her face is just at the age where simple maintenance is needed to keep her young and beautiful~"

He walked behind Elena again, held her shoulders with both hands, and smiled.

"A few days ago, I saw Elena up close without makeup~"

"At that time, I didn't pay much attention to her skin. I just kept marveling at her exquisite facial features."

"But now everyone should have discovered it after my reminder~"

"The skin on her face is a little different from Maggie and Tilda~"

"Not only did time leave traces on her face, but the cosmetics she commonly used also left traces of the past on her face~"

David patted Elena hard with both hands. After getting her smile and shaking her head, he happily walked behind Ava Fangtian and asked Livlin with a smile.

"As a model, Ava needs to keep herself in the most beautiful condition all year round~"

“Does Maybelline’s product research and development department conduct regular follow-up visits to professional women like Ava?”

"Each of them has different skin types, different jobs, and different needs for cosmetics~"

"How is Maybelline doing in this kind of market demand survey?"

"Is there anything that needs improvement?"

"Have you ever considered the needs of more ordinary people for daily skin care?"

"What exactly do they need?"

"Livlin, as the boss of Maybelline, as a woman, do you know?"

"Uh... I don't know~"

"Hehe~"

David patted Ava's shoulder, walked behind Cui Yingying, put his hands on her somewhat stiff shoulders, and smiled.

"Look!"

"Yingying is an Oriental, and her skin quality is very different from that of you~"

"The skin on her face appears thinner, more delicate, and more shiny~"

"I think, on the one hand, this is a gift brought to her by her bloodline, which makes her facial skin pores smaller and the skin layer thinner. The capillaries densely covered under the skin give her a very complex look. Natural red~”

"But, on the other hand, her thin skin layer and tiny pores will also make her facial skin more sensitive, and her response to environmental changes will also increase accordingly~"

"For example: cold, dryness, sun exposure, wind, etc., will quickly cause corresponding adverse reactions on her face~"

"Yingying, am I right?"

"Yeah..." Cui Yingying relaxed slightly and nodded with a smile.

"I'm allergic to ultraviolet rays~"

"Although my face rarely appears greasy, it does make me feel a little itchy on my face in dry environments, so I need to do some treatment."

Cui Yingying, simply shared her skin care with everyone~

David held back his laughter and patted her shoulder. After expressing his approval, he walked behind Toby, held her shoulder and smiled.

“God’s gift to everyone is different!”

“Whether it’s a man or a woman, whether you want to admit it or not, we are all purely visual creatures!”

"If we say Elena has a face like an angel~"

"Then Toby has an alluring figure like a devil!"

"Hahaha~"

When I met Toby for the first time, I also thought it was very "eye-catching" and the best friend with three disabilities was very "supportive" and gave me a big laugh~

David ignored the different expressions on the women's faces and continued.

"Beautiful, beautiful, eye-catching, and can bring visual impact to people... everyone likes to see it~"

“But it’s still what I said just now ~ time is fair!”

"No matter how beautiful things are, they will slowly slip away with time~"

"That's why women hope to use various means to maintain their most beautiful period~"

David moved his steps, walked behind Polly and Susan, held their shoulders respectively, and smiled.

"friends!"

"If what I just said has caused you some worries or troubles, please don't worry and listen to what I have to say first!"

"The standards of beauty are not uniform for us!"

"Some people think Marilyn Monroe is the most beautiful!"

"But before she became famous, she was just an ordinary, beautiful female worker..."

"Some people think Elizabeth Taylor is the most beautiful~"

"Her wonderful performances in countless films are so fascinating~"

"Some people may think that Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful!"

"As a world-class actress, she can maintain the public image of a good wife and mother, and does not give in to the audience's vulgar appreciation taste... It is admirable!"

"Of course ~ there are also Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Natalie Wood, Lauren Bacall, etc., countless unforgettable The most beautiful person~"

"but!"

"While people admire their beauty, they subconsciously ignore some more beautiful things."

"For example: the lover next to you!"

"For example: the beauty of kindness, sincerity, friendship, etc. around us."

"When time flies by, what will it leave me?"

"Leave you behind! My friends! My love!"

David smiled and kissed Susan, then turned to kiss Polly~

Then he smiled at everyone and said, "The time we can get together and spend together is the most beautiful moment!"

"You are the most beautiful people I want to see!"

"Ladies!"

"A beautiful face is of course important!"

"However, health, optimism, and a cheerful attitude are more important!"

"Please, never lose it, pursue your own health and optimistic life!"

"They will make you beautiful all the time!"

David walked to his seat, raised his wine glass, and said with a smile: "Here's to you! For a wonderful tonight!"

"...Okay!" Polly responded the fastest!

The remaining people also raised their glasses with a smile, and shouted with a smile: "Cheers!"

"Hahaha~ Cheers!"

. . .

David sat down again, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and saw all three friends giving him a quiet thumbs up. .

Blumer came closer and praised in a very low voice: "Is that so... you can make it come true?"

"Nice, man!"

"Hehe~"

He smiled helplessly, shook his head, and whispered.

"I almost died!"

"Haha~"

Giles, who had been silent just now, suddenly said quietly: "I finally know why you always have headaches~"

"You act like this every day...but you still have to come back~"

"It really takes a lot of brains!"

"Hahahaha~"