Manhattan Reborn 1978

a new day.

Early in the morning, the sun rises.

In the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu Island (Honolulu), Hawaii.

In Hanauma Bay in the northeastern corner of the island, Donald D. Klein walked at the front of the crowd and pointed at the ship's position to introduce.

"The ship, named Sailfish, was originally a small supply ship ordered by the Navy to quickly transport supplies between the Hawaiian Islands."

"However, due to the readjustment of the navy's ship sequence after World War II, this ship served in the navy for eight years before being decommissioned."

"So the hoisting equipment and military equipment on the ship have been removed and converted into a civilian whale-watching vessel."

"Oh~"

Following Klein, the "Whale Watching Tour Group" composed of David's family and friends stopped not far from the Sailfish. Looking at its "huge" body, they took out their cameras and watched with their family and friends. Take photos as a souvenir. .

David handed the camera that his sister Loisa was playing with to Klein and said with a smile, "Please help us take a group photo!"

"Big group photo? Everyone?"

"Correct!"

"Come on, let's take a group photo first!"

"Hahaha~"

Everyone was waving the small colorful flags that David bought from somewhere, chatting and laughing together, and under the command of Klein and David, they took a photo with this "huge" whale watching ship as the background. A large group photo.

. . .

After David and others boarded the boat, the whale watching boat waited at the pier for about 10 minutes until all the tourists on the pier got on the boat, and then slowly left the port.

On a whale watching boat.

The number of tourists is only half of the rated capacity.

Klein placed his wife and children on the first floor, led David and other young people to the second deck of the observation boat, pointed at the sponge in the distance and smiled.

"Every December, pods of humpback whales migrate more than 12 miles from the waters near Alaska to the warm waters near Hawaii to breed."

"However, they arrive here sooner or later each year, depending on various factors, such as weather factors in Alaskan waters, etc.~"

"But generally speaking, from the end of November to April of the following year, humpback whales, which usually stay alone most of the time, will arrive in groups in warm shallow waters near Hawaii."

"So, around January to the end of March every year is the traditional peak season for whale watching in Hawaii."

“When the weather is clear, visitors can occasionally see these humpback whales, which are called kohala by Native Hawaiians, even while standing on the shore~”

"And they also believe that these humpback whales choose to breed in the waters near Hawaii and should be considered native to the Hawaiian Islands."

"In the past few years, a humpback whale protection group voluntarily formed by island residents also submitted an application statement of this type to the United Nations."

David, who had a telescope hanging around his neck, put his hands on the railing and laughed and joked.

"The waters of Alaska and Hawaii are both part of the territory of the United States. How come no one regards humpback whales as a native species of the United States?"

Following the slight swing of the ship's hull, Klein shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "How about... let's try to apply as well?"

"Hahaha~" Several people around him laughed at this joke.

. . .

Sunshine + dark green and blue sea + gentle sea breeze + seagulls flying with the whale watching boat made Deborah and Tilda, Mrs. Devonshire, who arrived in Hawaii last night, feel very comfortable.

David went down to the first deck and joked a little with Old Rhett, Andy's family and Professor Nash's family who were taking pictures. He walked to sit down opposite Deborah, Tilda and Lilith and asked .

"How about it?"

"The jet lag has reversed?"

"Well, it's alright."

Deborah sat back in her chair, tilted her head to look at Sponge, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect this place to be... so beautiful~ I already like it here!"

"Hahaha~ Let's play for a few more days!"

"It just so happens that I bought a few vacation houses from Klein yesterday. When we go back, you can choose one too!"

"How many buildings?"

"Why...why did you buy so many vacation homes?" Tilda asked with confusion in her eyes.

David smiled and did not explain anything immediately. Instead, he looked at Lilith, who was sitting quietly next to Deborah, and said, "I chatted with Klein for a long time yesterday, and we didn't separate until the evening."

"His grandfather turned out to be a naval logistics supply officer who served at Pearl Harbor."

"When the island nation attacked Pearl Harbor in 41, his grandfather happened to follow the supply fleet at Pearl Harbor and went to the shipping base in California to deliver supplies, thus escaping the heavy casualties."

"However, Klein's father and mother are not as lucky as women..."

"His father was a maintenance technician at Pearl Harbor Airport at the time, and his mother was a nurse in the hospital. Unfortunately, they both lost their lives that time~"

"So, when Klein's grandfather returned to Pearl Harbor from California with the supply fleet, he only saw their bodies, 7-year-old Klein, and his younger brother and sister."

"Oh~ I understand." After listening to David's explanation, Lilith thought for a while and then said.

"Then, Klein grew up with his grandfather and inherited everything on the island..."

"No!"

"His experience is more interesting!"

David waved to Lilith, looked at Deborah and continued: "After Klein lived on the island for a few years, he returned to California with his grandfather and was admitted to the School of Architectural Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC)."

"After graduation, he joined a construction company in California and became a construction supervisor."

"Later, he became very interested in aerospace and aeronautical engineering, which emerged in the late 50s. After graduating from graduate school, he asked his grandfather for help and successfully entered NASA, which had just been established not long ago, and became an engineer."

"In the first few years of working at NASA's Cape Canaveral Air Launch Center in Florida, Klein got to know many university professors + heads of private laboratories + owners of rocket parts manufacturing companies, etc., and established a Very wide network of contacts~”

"Klein also partnered with his brother to open a middleman company after he graduated from college. He used his personal connections to develop the company's business bit by bit in California and Florida."

"Later, you all will know~"

"In July 1969, the Apollo 7 spacecraft was ignited and lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, beginning the first human space journey to land on the moon."

"In December 1972, the sixth moon landing of the Apollo program was successful. NASA announced the official end of the Apollo program, and Klein became unemployed."

"However, the company he and his brother owned has already earned them enough pensions for the rest of their lives~"

"He sold his shares in the company to his younger brother at a discount, and took his family back to California to live. Occasionally he would come to Honolulu, Hawaii, to visit his parents."

After David finished speaking, he looked at Lilith and smiled: "Klein's brother's company encountered the first oil crisis after he left, and the company's business basically came to a halt."

"After his brother gritted his teeth and persisted for a few years, through Klein's matchmaking, he sold the company to Bloomer's father, Mr. Wharton Sr."

"Subsequently, while attending various social gatherings, he and his brother were first persuaded by friends to invest in a holiday home in Honolulu~"

"I was persuaded by Eugene Kalena, who had worked for Fairchild Semiconductor Company, and opened a venture capital company on Sand Mountain Road in Silicon Valley."

"As a result...their first investment was in a company called Snow Country Miracle together with the venture capital firm founded by Tom Perkins and Eugene Kalena."

"The Miracle Company in the Snow Country is a start-up company that produces and modifies snowmobiles. Its products target a very narrow range of customers."

"So, their company's sales are in a mess, and their financial statements only show expenses and no revenue."

When David said this, he smiled with admiration because Klein's first investment failed miserably again.

“Ever since Intel Corporation in Silicon Valley was successfully listed on Nasdaq, people on the East Coast have turned their attention to...the rise of Silicon Valley due to the concentration of technology companies!”

"Kleon said something to me that made me feel very accurate."

"People who live and work in cities such as Philadelphia, New York, and Boston on the East Coast are more accustomed to viewing and judging new things according to the default company hierarchy and the default inherent cognitive scope."

"For example: Nolan K. Bushmills, the founder of Atari, was repeatedly rejected by various banks during his first round of venture capital investment, so he could only try his luck on Wall Street in New York~"

"But the answer he got from Wall Street was that he couldn't understand the market prospects of game consoles."

"Hehe~"

David's smile did not hide the sarcasm at all, and said with a smile: "Nolan at that time did not have a house of his own to mortgage, nor a luxury car to mortgage..."

"He doesn't have any collateral that would satisfy the banks!"

"In the end, Nolan had no choice but to try his luck on Sand Mountain Road, where investment can be found in legend~"

"Don Valentine from Sequoia Capital followed Nolan to Atari's factory and saw their latest product: a home table tennis game console. He quickly decided to join forces with two other venture capital companies to invest together! "

“On Christmas Day 75, the overwhelming advertisements for Atari’s family table tennis game console completely detonated the domestic and European markets~”

"Just like the saying that later spread on Sand Mountain Road: Atari's wonderful products + huge market gaps = the trendsetters in the new technological era~"

"The success of Atari proves Nolan's ability, and it also makes Don Valentine of Sequoia Capital successful."

“However, after talking about these superficial aspects, Klein and I talked about another side of the venture capital world that is not widely known.”

“The importance of resources is far greater than funds!”

David looked at Lilith who was lost in thought and smiled: "I want to give you half of the shares in the venture capital company under my name, and you will hold the other half on my behalf."

"...Okay!" Lilith stared at David hesitantly for a few seconds, but instead of refusing, she put forward her own conditions.

"Leave the project R&D center and medical project R&D laboratory under the venture capital company to me."

"no problem!"

David took Lilith's little hand, hugged her whole body, and said with a smile: "Klein said that there was a man named Arthur Block on Wall Street who invested in Tianjin to produce fault-tolerant computers two years ago. Teng Company.”

“For those start-up companies, just solving the funding problem does not allow them to grow!”

"A visionary board of directors + a trustworthy CEO + a complete future development plan + human resources that can solve all problems in a timely manner are the solid foundation for the success of these start-up companies."

“So, bringing everyone’s resources together, looking for projects together, investing together, solving problems together, and obtaining huge profits together is the right direction for the future development of the venture capital industry!”

"After you return this time, you can lead Ben Likert, the head of our venture capital firm, to try to contact Arthur Block and discuss cooperation."

"From now on, in all venture capital projects we invest in, we will try not to eat alone~"

"Well! I see!"

Lilith sat directly on David's lap as if no one else was around, hugged his neck, and kissed him passionately.

"..."

Deb, sitting opposite the two of them, turned her head to "dodge" the "dog food" coming towards her face, and smiled at Tilda.

"Shall we go to the upper deck to take a look?"

"...Oh~"

Tilda bit her lip and stared at the two people kissing passionately for a few seconds before helping Deborah to the second floor. .

"...Hmm!" David patted Lilith's back twice, and backed away from her "hot kiss"~

Lilith's eyes looked at the "strands of saliva" connecting their lips, and she chuckled: "Do you think our intimate behavior... will work on Tilda?"

"Tsk~" David curled his lips as he felt some toothache and said with a wry smile.

"Every woman is a difficult book to understand~"

"Ordinary people will spend their entire lives trying to understand their wives... this book!"

"But I need to swallow the bitter pill of my greed and spend my life trying to understand you..."

"If I have one more book, I..."

"I might die?!"

"Hahahaha~"

Lilith was so teased that she got into David's arms, her whole body shaking non-stop~

David grinned at the people looking around, and quietly stretched his hand to Lilith's waist. .Itchy meat~

"Hahahaha~ don't scratch me... hahaha~"

"Hey hey hey!"

"Don't think I don't know!"

"Say!"

"Did you tell Polly and the others yesterday that Tilda was coming with you?"

"Last night, Susan said she was going to stay with her mother and brother. Polly took Cui Yingying with her to take care of the children, and let me sleep alone with my arms around the pillow..."

"Hahaha~"

"You deserve it! Hahahaha~"

"Don't scratch...I was wrong, wrong!"

"I...hahaha~ I won't dare to do it again!"

"Hmm~"

David felt that he had regained his "husband strength" and hugged Lilith again and kissed her a few times before smiling with satisfaction: "ok~"

"You said it... I won't do it next time!"

"Hahaha~" Lilith smiled and nodded with a flushed face.

----

new York.

Afternoon~

Manhattan, Rockefeller Center.

Attorney George Floyd McCarran led his parents and younger brother in front of the huge Christmas tree, leaving a happy family photo.

Later, George led his family to watch the movie "Superman" which was recently popular in newspapers, and went to Macy's Department Store to buy some travel necessities~

at dinner time.

George led his family to the Wildfire Restaurant on 42nd Street to taste a luxurious dinner of strange-flavored lobster carefully prepared by chef Zhang Wenbiao.

On the table.

George's father looked at the eight large lobsters on the table. He could no longer hold back his curiosity and asked his son tentatively.

"You told us on the phone...?"

"Haha~ Yes, Dad!"

"Don't worry~ I'm not lying, it's all true!"

"Oh~" George's father let go of the big stone hanging in his heart and continued to ask.

"But it didn't take long for you to get your lawyer's license, right?"

"Your boss... trusts you so much?"

A picture of David's smiling face flashed in George's mind. He looked at the concerned family members and explained with a smile.

"When we were studying in law school, our tutor once told us this as a joke~"

"The lawyer profession only looks very glamorous to outsiders."

"Many lawyers may have never walked into a courtroom, sat in the defense position, and participated in a case trial in their entire lives."

"They prefer to resolve the case relatively perfectly before it goes to trial!"

"That is the out-of-court settlement that we often hear and see on TV or in newspapers."

"So this type of lawyer is often jokingly called: out-of-court lawyer in our industry."

"But when I entered the law firm as an intern and got exposed to more cases, I realized... what the instructor told us was not a joke at all, but a kind of praise and recognition!"

George put a piece of peeled lobster meat on his mother's plate, looked at the confusion on her face, and continued to explain.

"You also know a general rule of attorney's fees, right?"

"Everyone charges according to the time spent serving customers."

"Generally speaking, simple cases can be solved perfectly in just a few hours."

"If you encounter a complex case, the lawyer will usually discuss with the client the total price of the entire case, and will not rigidly charge based on time."

"Haha~ That's right!"

“Find a lawyer to help solve your legal problems and you can bargain!”

"So a new lawyer like me who is not famous and is very young can only follow the big lawyers in the law firm and do some supporting work~"

"But~"

"In our legal profession, there is also a type of lawyer who specializes in providing clients with private legal consultation."

"And I am a private lawyer who solves legal problems in work and life for my boss!"

"Oh~ that's right..." George's mother chewed the lobster meat, nodded as if she was enlightened, and said with a smile.

After listening to his son's explanation, George's father thought of a new question.

"Your boss runs a company on Wall Street?"

"Yes~"

"Did he invest in your law firm?"

"Ok!"

"Then if you become his personal lawyer, will that mean... you can only serve him alone?"

"No, Dad!"

"Hahaha~ You misunderstood."

George smiled and shook his head, raised his glass, and signaled to his family: "My boss invested in me to open a law firm, not only to make it more convenient for me to serve him, but also because he is very optimistic about my ability to handle legal issues!"

"As he said: He gave me the opportunity~ My future is in my own hands!"

"He very much believes in his own judgment about people~"

"I will not let down his and your expectations, support and trust!"

"Here's to you, my favorite family!"

"Happy New Year!"

"cheers?!"

George's father and mother raised their wine glasses, clinked them with their eldest son's, and said with a smile, "Happy New Year!"

"Hahahaha~"

George's brother, who was sitting next to him and had been eating lobster with his head down, turned his eyes around his confident brother, bit his lips silently a few times, and lowered his head.

My elder brother is too good, and my younger brother is under a lot of pressure!

----

Manhattan.

53rd Street, Zina's home.

After dinner, Miranla and her family were sitting in the living room, watching TV programs and chatting about interesting things about today's trip.

at the door.

Zina, who finally got rid of the "harrassment of her best friend", held a fruit basket in her hand, opened the door and walked into the living room, smiling at the Webster family who all stood up to greet her.

"happy New Year to all!"

"you too!"

"Happy New Year~"

"Hahaha~ I brought fruits for everyone, Miranla can help us..."

"Of course!"

. . .

After a while.

Zina sat on the "main seat" on the sofa in the living room, holding Milan's mother's hand and smiling.

"Milan La's advertisement for Tiffany Jewelry was officially aired last night."

"Wait a minute, let's take a look together!"

"Ah~? Okay!"

Miran pulled her mother and looked at her husband with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Mirala's father, Old Webster also looked at his daughter in surprise, handed the remote control in front of him to Zina, and said.

"She...how did the photo shoot go?"

"Hehe~"

Xina explained as if she knew what they were thinking.

"Milanla refused to continue working as an advertising model and develop in the advertising industry."

"Academic studies at Columbia are what she values ​​most... right?"

Zina's rhetorical question made the Webster family look at Miranla.

Miranla nodded calmly: "Yes!"

"Before I graduate, unless..."

“I’m not going to take commercials anymore.”

"Oh~" Old Webster nodded calmly, smiled and asked Zina something about his daughter.

Zina explained everything in detail, which made the Webster family very happy and satisfied.

. . .

more than an hour later.

street.

Zina pulled Miranla who was escorting her out, glanced at the pedestrians and vehicles passing by, and whispered.

"You must lock the doors and windows at night!"

"There was a loaded revolver under the bedside table in my bedroom."

"If you don't encounter a very dangerous situation, don't touch it! Do you understand?"

"...Okay!" Mirala was a little surprised and speechless, and nodded "silly" in response.

"Hey~"

Zina sighed with a strange feeling in her heart, brushed her fingertips against Miranla's delicate face, and shook her head slightly.

"Go back quickly~"

"I'm here to watch you lock the door!"

"..Um!"

"Thank you, Xena!"

"Haha~ Thank you for what?"

"I should thank you!"

"...?" Miranla didn't understand what Zina said.

Zina didn't explain too much. She pushed her hard and watched her return home and lock the door.

"Whoo~"

Zina let out a long breath and walked slowly towards the car not far away. The "hateful" smiling figure that appeared in front of her eyes made her even more upset. .