Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

Wall Street, Stanley [-]th Floor.

in the office.

When Meyer Lansky's laughter slowly stopped, David turned to look at him and asked.

"Are you interested in financial investment and the real estate industry?"

"Of course~"

"As long as I can make money, I'm interested!"

"Hehe~"

"That'll be easy~"

David got up and walked to his desk, found paper and pen, and smiled.

"Since you have chosen to come to my office to see me..."

"As a New Yorker, how about I make a bet with you?"

"Haha~ Okay!"

"What are you gambling?"

David took a pen and paper, walked back and sat down, casually wrote the names of a few stocks, raised it, and smiled.

"I will set up a fund specifically for you and help you invest in these stocks~"

"We use five years as a period. If the annualized rate of return of these stocks does not reach 20%, I will make up the remaining gap for you out of my own pocket~"

"But if within five years, the annualized rate of return of these stocks exceeds 25%... we will divide the excess income [-]-[-]!"

"What do you think?"

Seeing David's confident look, Meyer Lansky couldn't help but smile and took the piece of paper, looked at it a few times, and said with a smile.

"OK~"

"Five years, no problem!"

"Hahaha~ok!" David shrugged happily and gave Meyer Lansky a thumbs up.

But Meyer Lansky suddenly changed the subject and said: "However, I want to use this money to buy a batch of gold and store it in the bank first."

"Use them to borrow money and invest in your fund..."

"Oh?!"

David slowly put away his smile, thought about it seriously, and said, "You..."

"If you have anything to say, just say it~" Meyer Lansky smiled and waved his hand, indicating to David that he could say whatever he wanted~

David scratched his nose with his hand: "Investing in gold... I personally feel that you are not suitable for it..."

"The investment risk is far greater than what you currently know..."

"I... Let me tell you this!"

"If you are a bank investor and want to buy a batch of gold as a bargaining chip to resist inflation risks, I think it is a very good idea!"

"But if you invest in gold personally, its investment properties will completely change!"

"You probably don't have much personal experience with price fluctuations in the futures market, right?"

"In the futures market, every trader suffers from... heart disease to one degree or another!"

"Almost no one can withstand the psychological pressure of commodity prices rising and falling all year round."

"Not to mention you are just an ordinary investor..."

"So, I suggest you that it is best to invest in a fund or stock with less risk and stable returns~"

“In this way, you can make money with less worry and trouble, and you no longer have to keep an eye on the violent fluctuations in commodity market prices.”

"it is good!"

Meyer Lansky nodded very readily: "Do you have a ready-made investment contract here? I will sign it now!"

"Forehead.."

David laughed and shook his head: "I'm not officially working here today, if you want..."

"It's okay~"

Meyer Lansky stood up and waved his hands: "We just saw...Sam Rogers?"

"He should be able to help me, right?"

David raised his eyebrows in surprise: "You don't have to be so impatient...!?"

"Hahaha~"

"David, don't misunderstand anything..."

"I am a person who loves gambling by nature, and I go to Las Vegas for a few weeks every year~"

“After I asked about the details of short selling and futures trading yesterday, I was very interested in them~”

"So, I am going to give you 2000 million yuan!"

“1000 million for short selling, 1000 million for futures purchase~”

"I don't care how you operate, I just want the results."

"If we make money, we'll split it half and half."

"Anything I owe is mine~"

"Just think that I went to the casino and lost~"

"Wow~hahahaha~"

David's face showed a look of surprise and awe, and he stood up and said with a smile: "Uncle Meyer, there is a big difference between investing in stocks and futures and going to Las Vegas to gamble a few times..."

"In the trading market, few people can fully explain how they lost all their money."

"There are too many factors that will affect market price trends~"

"But in the casinos of Las Vegas, few people can understand how they win..."

"If you want to win in gambling, you must learn probability + luck. Just put it all together~"

"This is their biggest difference!"

Meyer Lansky stepped forward with a smile, patted David on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Not bad!"

"You are indeed...very good!"

"I have visited several well-known fund companies on Wall Street in the past two days. Only these words you just said sound like advice to a friend~"

"Uh...Uncle Meyer..."

"No more!"

"You and Blanco, let's talk some more~"

"I'll go find Sam Rogers myself and sign the investment contract."

Meyer Lansky patted David on the shoulder with a slight force on his hand, turned around and walked out of the office.

. . .

Meyer Lansky, gone.

David returned to his seat and sat in silence with Griselda Blanco for a while.

"I heard that you never lie?"

"..It's not~"

"At least in the past few months, I haven't told any lies~"

Blanco seems to have developed a "strong interest" in David again. .

She sat relaxedly on the sofa, crossed her legs, and asked with a smile: "Then...who did you lie to for the last time a few months ago?"

David also lay back on the sofa very relaxedly, supporting his chin with one hand, and replied with wandering eyes.

"My ex-girlfriend and my mother~"

"Ex-girlfriend.."

Blanco smiled and shook his head: "You lied to her... I can understand it, but what did you do to your mother?"

"I... lied to her that I was living a good and happy life in New York~"

"Oh~"

"It seems that you were very unhappy at that time?"

"..Yes!"

"why?"

"Because...I suddenly understood a truth!"

"After giving someone hope, and then pushing her into the abyss of disappointment with your own hands, it is one of the cruelest things in the world."

The smile on Blanco's face froze.

She seemed to be reminded of some bad memories, and nodded coldly: "So, you are kidding me when you ask me to surrender?"

"Of course not~"

David stretched out his legs and put them on the small table: "This is the United States!"

"Everything is a free country that requires evidence!"

"You can speak whatever you want, whatever you want to say~"

"Without evidence, there's nothing anyone can do against you~"

"but!"

"Those things you have done and those people you have hurt, which ones have been watching you silently in the dark?"

"You...do you make it clear?"

Blanco frowned and slowly put the cigarette he had been holding in his bag back into his bag.

David moved his head, tilted his head to look at Blanco, and said with a smile: "I sent people to Miami, and I had no intention of making a special trip to find you to cause trouble~"

"Their mission is to find out who is behind sending gunmen to follow me, and to eliminate the hidden danger~"

"But in the end, you became one of their targets."

"This kind of accident... As long as you don't completely clean yourself up for a day, it will always be rooted in your shadow..."

"You don't know when and in what form it will break out~"

"You can only remind yourself all the time and not let your guard down, so that you won't be defeated by a sudden attack~"

Blanco tried to keep a calm expression on his face, remained silent for a moment, and then asked again.

"Why did you decide... not to lie?"

David smiled self-deprecatingly: "Actually, I never decided not to lie anymore ~ ​​I just decided that when I want to tell the truth, I have to say it to the right person at the right time."

"I don't expect that my sincerity will be reciprocated by others."

"But that doesn't mean it...is cheap!"

"Because the relationship between people is like...knitting a sweater!"

"When people establish friendship, you are the one who helps me complete this satisfying and enjoyable work~"

"But what about when it's time to dismantle it?"

"With just a slight tug, this beautiful-looking work fell apart~"

"So, another decision I made is that I will only give this sweater to people who know how to cherish it!"

David tapped his chin with his finger and looked at Blanco with a smile on his face: "Only when good friends trouble each other can the relationship go further. Only by being grateful to each other can the friendship become stronger!"

"Ms. Blanco!"

"Now, do you have any questions?"

"..have!"

Griselda Blanco put down her crossed legs, moved her body forward, looked directly into David's eyes, and asked David seriously.

"I need your help!"

"can!"

"As long as I can help you...it's no problem!"

"..Thanks!"

"You're welcome~"

"Hahaha~"

----

Manhattan.

42nd Street, in front of Wildfire Bar.

A medium-sized van slowly parked on the street.

Old Rhett, who was counting the amount of drinks purchased today at the door of the bar, looked curiously at a middle-aged man dressed as a driver and asked.

"Who are you..?"

“This is the Wildfire Bar?!”

"Yes~"

"Mr. Aclade Parkinson, are you there?" the middle-aged driver asked, pointing to the order in his hand.

"Um...here!"

"Did you see that unit door?"

"he.."

"Forget it~"

"I'll find someone to help you call him~"

Old Rhett took the order from the driver, walked into the bar, and handed it to Madonna, who had a pair of dark circles under her eyes.

. . .

After a while.

Upstairs at Wildfire Bar.

Zina went to a party last night and came back to rest very late. She grabbed a nightgown and put it on before walking to the door.

Outside the door, Madonna was holding a cardboard box and smiled at Qina: "Morning~!"

"Haha~ Morning!"

Zina rubbed her eyes and let Madonna in.

Madonna put the box in her hand in the living room and said with a smile: "These are seasonal fruits sent by Acklade's friends in Australia from thousands of miles away~"

"He asked me to bring you a taste too."

"Australia? Wow~"

"That's indeed far enough..."

Zina stepped forward, opened the box and looked through it: "Cherrys, apricots, avocados, peaches, cranberries..."

"There are actually well-preserved strawberries?"

"Friend Acklade, is this fruit sent by plane?"

Madonna looked at Zina's surprised expression, shrugged and smiled: "He said...it was a gift from a common friend~"

"Hahahaha~"

"I estimate that the shipping cost will exceed the value of this box of fruit!"

"The relationship between Aclade and his friend is definitely not an ordinary one~"

"Look~ we also guessed this..."

"But he didn't want to say... so we didn't continue to interrogate him..."

"Hmm~"

Xina picked up a strawberry from the box, threw it directly into her mouth, and praised it with an expression of enjoyment.

"So sweet!"

“The last time I was able to eat fresh strawberries from Australia in winter was at a New Year’s reception a few years ago.”

"It is said that all the fruits that day were flown in from Australia..."

Madonna sat sideways on the sofa, staring at the fruits in the box, and sighed: "This is... the life of rich people~"

"Um?!"

Zina tightened her nightgown, sat next to Madonna, tilted her head and asked, "You didn't go to the Power Plant recording studio today?"

"..No~"

"what happened?"

Madonna pursed her lips and said nothing.

Zina leaned back, figured it out quickly, and asked again: "Yes...Tony?"

"What did he say to you?"

"..Um!"

"fxxx!"

"That talkative bastard!"

Xina spit out a curse word without being "ladylike", shook her head and said: "Forget it~"

"I just want you to learn music and composition from my friend Gila."

"Tomorrow afternoon, she will come over and give you your first lesson!"

"I have the book list she gave you in my little bag."

"Go buy some books later~"

Madonna looked down at her toes, nodded slightly, and said nothing.

Zina tilted her head and looked at her for a few seconds, then stood up and took out a few fruits from the box, walked to the kitchen and washed them, and said while eating.

"What kind of life do you think...rich people should live?"

"Do you want to enjoy life like an idler all day long?"

"Hehe~"

"I have been in New York for so many years and I have met countless so-called rich people~"

"But none of them live so... leisurely~"

"Because money and wealth have become part of their lives."

"As long as they don't want to lose this wealthy life, they must push themselves harder!"

“Keep making money and keep moving forward~!”

Zina casually handed a washed peach to Madonna, sat down, and said with a sigh.

"Let's not talk about the other people~"

"Let's just say...David!"

"Why do you think he can make money in just a few months that many people can't make in a lifetime?"

"Lucky!?"

"Hehe~"

"Do you believe it?"

Madonna held the peach in her hand, tilted her head and leaned on Xina's shoulder, and asked softly.

"When you first met him, you never thought... that he would become a rich man so quickly, right?"

"Hahahaha~"

Zina recalled her first meeting with David, nodded and said with a smile: "Yeah~"

"That seems to be...the same as yesterday~"

Madonna asked in a quieter voice: "Can you tell me... the shortcut to success?"

"shortcut?"

Zina shook her head with a secret smile in her heart and put a cherry into her mouth: "Of all the people I know, no one relies on shortcuts... to achieve success~"

"You have seen Barbra Streisand and Mary Tyler Moore. They both experienced a lot of setbacks and difficulties before they achieved the fame and status they have today."

"Do you think... if they had chosen the shortcut, would they still have succeeded?"

"If you were asked to be a canary locked in a cage all day... would you do it?"

Madonna shook her head silently.

Xina smiled and patted her head: "The so-called shortcuts are all narrow roads on the edge of the cliff."

"If you're not careful, it can make you fall to the bottom and lose your life~"

"So, don't imagine...that there is any shortcut!"

"Okay?"

"..Um!"

Madonna snorted from her nose and nodded slightly.

"ok~"

"I have already set up a detailed plan for you for the path you want to take~"

"As long as you persevere, you will definitely become a big star like Barbra Streisand!"

"Go back~"

"I'm going to take a shower, I have a date later..."

"Ok!"

"Thank you, Xena!"

"Haha~ You're welcome!"

. . .

Madonna, gone.

Zina came to the bathroom, slowly took off her nightgown and looked at herself in the mirror.

Shortcut~

She never thought about this. .Want to try it?

But if only everyone could take shortcuts. .Achieve success~

Is that still called a shortcut?

Xina brushed her neck and collarbone with her hands, sighed quietly, and shook her head.

Having unrealistic fantasies, something that only bothers young people in their 20s, is no longer suitable for her now~

Focusing on the present is what she should do most!

----

Manhattan.

Wall Street, Stanley [-]th Floor.

Near noon.

Lilith led Susan, Cui Yingying, and Laura out of the elevator and walked to David's office.

Office door.

Secretary Maggie and Toby Olga, after seeing the four of them, stood up and said hello with a smile.

"David, is he busy?"

"Yes! Mr. Bernard Madoff and Mr. Mikhail Friedliman are in the boss's office."

Lilith nodded slightly and asked David who he had met in the morning.

When she learned that the first person David met today was Julie, she immediately looked at Laura next to her.

Laura had a stern face, forced a smile on her lips and comforted: "Julie's coming this time... shouldn't be difficult..."

"Ok!"

Lilith thought for a while, nodded in agreement and said, "Then let's wait here for David for a while~"

"We'll ask him again at lunch."

"...Okay~" Laura shrugged helplessly, pulled Lilith to sit down next to Susan, and continued to whisper about women. .Those things ~

. . .

After half an hour.

David walked out of the office first and smiled at the two people behind him.

"Let's go~ I'll treat you to food..."

"Hey~?"

"Are you...all really here?"

"Hahaha~Yes!"

"Aren't you welcome?"

"Of course welcome!"

David turned to Mikhail Friendliman, who had followed him out, and introduced: "This is my fiancée Lilith."

"These two are my girlfriends Susan and Cui Yingying."

"And this is...my little tail, Laura!"

"Hey! What are you talking about!?" Laura waved her little fist and shouted in protest.

"Hahahaha~"

Everyone laughed.

Bernard Madoff came out from behind Mikhail, glanced around quickly, and joked to David.

"It seems... we need to make another appointment?"

"No need~" David smiled and waved his hand.

"Okay!" Laura curled her lips and said with a bad smile.

"Tsk~ don't make trouble!"

"I do not!"

"...You deserve a beating again, right?"

"Hey~? You still dare to hit me?"

David pretended to mock Laura for not seeing "the world", took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards Laura with a smirk.

"Come on, come here!"

"Ah~!"

Like a frightened little rabbit, Laura immediately pulled Lilith in front of her to block her, and said harshly: "Don't come over here!"

"I...I'm going to call the police!"

"Ha~ call the police?!"

David curled his lips with disdain and sneered: "If you don't spread your ass today...it won't be of any use even if God comes!"

"I said!"

"Hahahaha~"

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they watched David and Laura's "cat and mouse" game.