Manhattan Reborn 1978

Houston, Texas.

night~

Houston International Airport.

Carrying a large briefcase, Mr. Tianniu followed a crew member into the door of the private jet, and happened to see David walking towards him.

He smiled and handed the briefcase to David and whispered: "For now, that's all."

"Okay!" David took the briefcase, handed the check to Mr. Tianniu, and whispered with the same smile.

“Here’s a Valentine’s Day bonus!”

"Hahaha~" The beetle laughed and shook his head, and put away the check happily.

David took a half step forward, hugged him, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Mr. Tianniu nodded in understanding, turned around and left.

in the cabin.

Old David and Mother Sierra were watching Polly's children, Little Bernice and Little Lindsay, running around curiously.

Sitting next to Sierra's mother, Lilith saw that the children were like two "naughty boys" "exploring" on the plane, and she couldn't help but recall the scene when she first took a plane in her childhood.

----

new York.

night~

Wildfire Bar, 42nd Street, Manhattan.

Harvey Washman, the head of Da Film and Television Company, directed the crew to complete today's shooting, and asked everyone to restore the tables and chairs in the bar to their original positions, and waved to the bartender Erica, "proprietress" Susan and others. gone.

The melon-eaters who gathered outside the bar to watch the excitement slowly dispersed after the crew finished work.

A young boy wearing a short jacket walked through the crowd, opened the door and walked into the bar. He looked around curiously, walked straight to the bar, took out a few coins, and smiled at Bruce Willis, who was smoking and relaxing at the bar. road.

"Can I have a drink?"

Bruce, who was sitting next to the track, blew out a cloud of smoke and looked at the young man and asked.

“We don’t sell alcohol to minors here!”

"..." The young man pressed the change on the bar counter with some frustration and embarrassment, and tried to speak more naturally.

"Then... give me a drink of whatever you want."

"Haha~" Bruce looked at his "stupid" look and couldn't help but think of the first time he walked into a bar. .

He picked out two pieces of change and put them away. He placed a glass of mocktail that he had just mixed in front of the young man and said with a smile.

"Were you outside yesterday?"

"Yeah~" The young man nodded to Bruce with gratitude in his eyes and shrugged while sitting on the bar stool.

"Yesterday, I heard from a friend that you have a big star filming here."

"So I wanted to come over and have a look after get off work..."

"But there were too many people last night, so I could only stand on the trash can behind the crowd and watch from a distance~"

"Hahaha~" Bruce smiled and put out the cigarette butt, glanced at Susan and Erica who were having a "hot chat", took out a bottle of whiskey from behind and added a little bit to the young man's glass.

"Without it, this cup wouldn't be called a cocktail."

"Wow~" the young man made an exaggerated expression and whispered.

"Thanks, buddy!"

"what's your name?"

"Jon Bon Jovi, you can call me Jon."

"Okay~ Jon."

"After drinking this cup, you should go back quickly."

"Yeah!" Young Jon picked up the wine glass, smiled at Bruce, and took a big sip.

Next to the bar door.

Menge, the steel-toothed dog, realized that he moved away from the young boy and asked Bai Mike who was sitting opposite. .

"What time are you going to the airport?"

"There's still about half an hour left."

"how?"

"Nothing~"

Menge shook his head with a sigh, and saw the bartender Madonna, hugging the sweet-dimpled Martha and Miranla. The three of them gathered next to Susan and Erica, laughing with rich expressions.

Mike Bai followed his line of sight and sighed with a smile, "Unknowingly, that kid has been gone for more than a month..."

"Hmm...how long will he stay when he comes back this time?"

"Probably not for long."

Menge nodded silently, raised his glass and took a sip. This was what he expected.

Mike Bai also lowered his head in silence and thought for a while, then asked: "Has that guy who came to you to inquire about information recently come here?"

"coming."

Menge turned to look outside the bar door with a smile on his lips: "Maybe you can see him soon."

----

It was approaching midnight.

Queens, LaGuardia Airport.

A plane landed slowly on the runway.

ten minutes later.

Elder, who was standing next to the three cars, saw several people coming out of the hatch and greeted them with a smile.

David was a little surprised to see him, turned to say a few words to his parents, then pulled Lilith forward and joked.

"Are you afraid that I won't be free tomorrow?"

"Hahaha~" Elder enthusiastically stepped forward and hugged Lilith, then smiled and nodded at the old David and his wife who came over, and then smiled at David.

"You're not afraid of Valentine's Day, so what am I afraid of?"

"Haha~" David pulled Lilith with his hand, and the two looked at each other and smiled in unison.

Lilith leaned into Elder's ear, whispered a few words, then turned around with a smile and walked to Sierra's mother, picked up little Lindsay who was already in a daze, and walked to the car not far away. .

David took the initiative to follow Elder to the car, threw the briefcase in his hand in the back seat, walked to the passenger seat, and said, "You take a look at these materials first, and let's talk on the way."

"Yeah." Elder glanced at the briefcase, nodded with some surprise, and got into the car.

. . .

on the way.

Elder quickly read the information in the briefcase, took one of them in his hand, and asked David.

"Where did you get this information?"

"bought."

"purchase?"

"Yes~"

David glanced at the unfamiliar driver and turned to Elder and asked.

"Don't you have your own special information channel?"

"Yes, there is, but..." Elder obviously didn't want to talk about this topic, and stopped talking mid-sentence.

David raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "The copy in your hand is about Brazil's domestic economic data statistics in recent months."

"Then let's take Brazil as an example."

"Brazil, because it has not suffered the ravages of war for many years, has always maintained a strong economic development trend."

"From 1948 to 1979, the average annual growth rate of the Brazilian economy was as high as 7%~"

"In the five years from 1968 to 1973, it achieved an economic growth of more than 5%, which is called the Brazilian Miracle by the world."

"In 1978, Brazil's per capita disposable income had been included in the ranks of international middle-income countries. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before it became a developed country."

"However, the Brazilian government's economic development strategy of massive borrowing has enabled domestic industrial development to achieve leapfrog growth."

“However, due to the particularity of Brazil’s economic structure, the domestic consumer market is relatively small, and the per capita purchasing power cannot keep up with the speed of industrial development and the growth rate of average consumption levels, making it difficult for production companies in various industries to rely on the domestic market to meet the needs of expanding production, resulting in Enterprises are unable to fully utilize production capacity and improve production efficiency.”

"This has also resulted in Brazilian companies not being competitive enough to gain a dominant position in the international market."

David looked out the window and felt that the speed of the car seemed to be getting slower and slower. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth and he continued.

"After the oil crisis broke out in 73, various hidden dangers brought to Brazil have slowly come to light in the past two years."

"From 73 to 79, Brazil's domestic inflation index tripled."

"Although the agriculture, mining and manufacturing industries that created Brazil's miracle have certain competitive advantages in the international arena."

"But in their rapid development, they have also accumulated many problems!"

"What about?" Elder suddenly put down the information in his hand, feeling relaxed all over, and asked.

"for example.."

David paused deliberately for a moment, feeling that the speed of the car had slowed down again, and smiled: "You know how serious the land annexation situation has been in Brazil in the past ten years, right?"

“You must also know that in recent years, due to the soaring inflation index in Brazil, the textile industry, petroleum industry, automobile manufacturing, steel industry, shipbuilding industry, chemical industry, and various mineral mining and deep processing industries have all seen a wave of mergers and acquisitions. .”

“Judging from the wave of annexation of agricultural arable land, the total area of ​​land held by island immigrants in Brazil has increased more than six times in the past ten years~”

"They basically used financing and loans from foreign banks to purchase these lands."

"In 77-78, Brazil's total agricultural exports accounted for 38%-40% of its total domestic exports!"

"In other words, if Brazil's agricultural production is affected by the El Niño phenomenon, the direct economic losses may exceed one billion meters, or even more~"

"If you take into account the upcoming new round of oil crisis, I think Brazil's domestic inflation rate is likely to experience explosive growth."

"If we take the Fed's interest rate hike and other factors into consideration..."

When David said this, he consciously closed his mouth.

Elder also frowned and thought, as if he didn't notice that the speed of the car had become faster again.

. . .

Manhattan.

The southern end of Central Park, the Plaza Hotel.

When David and Elder walked into the hotel lobby, they immediately spotted "Mediterranean" Julie. .

This "bad old man" in David's eyes was dragging David Sr. and Sierra and his wife to the elevator, talking and laughing. .

David stopped and looked at Elder with some confusion, waiting for an explanation.

Elder spread his hands and shrugged, saying that he didn't know what the old man wanted to do when he didn't go home to sleep in the middle of the night. .

David looked directly at Elder and was silent for a full minute before speaking.

"Although I can't say I hate you, I can't say I like you either."

"Because I feel that you are not as honest with others as Giles and Pine."

"You don't have enough trust in me like Leslie and Karnes."

"..." Elder remained silent with a calm expression.

Seeing that he didn't respond, David shook his head slightly and continued: "Perhaps from the first time we met, you have always thought that I am just a lucky guy who likes to play tricks, is eloquent, can make women happy, and loves to play tricks."

"But whether you like it or not ~ this is me!"

“I don’t have the self-cultivation that makes people admire me, nor the rich knowledge that makes people famous and respected.”

"If so, let me evaluate myself."

"I prefer to be a sincere fool, a philandering bastard, a reliable friend, and a warm family member!"

"Their constant company with them makes me feel a kind of support and expression~"

David opened his arms to Elder, took a deep breath, and smiled: "I don't want to be a salty fish lying flat again."

"I don't pretend or hide it. If I want it, I'll chase it. I won't regret it if I chase it."

"My dream is something I would rather share with others!"

"I know that opportunities are always available, but few people can seize them!"

"To this end, I will try my best to create opportunities for myself to pursue more, and enjoy the joy of the process~"

"Even if the result is not what I want...I am not ashamed."

"Of course~"

"What makes me feel happier in this process is... when I look around me, I find that there are many cuties who are willing to accompany me..."

"...Cute?" Elder couldn't help but reveal a smile on his calm face.

David put down his arms and shrugged: "During this period, we have had more and more opportunities to interact with each other, and I gradually realized that you don't actually have much prejudice against me, you are just used to looking at everyone with a cautious attitude. , everything..."

"This is a sign of maturity and the biggest boost that can help you go further."

"But~ you may have discovered that the number of people around you who can happily chat is slowly decreasing..."

"Maybe you don't care about this."

"Perhaps, you feel that this is the price you must pay to enter a new stage of life."

David put away his smile and saw Lilith walking from the distance out of the corner of his eye. He exhaled and whispered.

"To me, to you, to anyone, Lilith's life and happiness can be used as a bargaining chip!"

"Even if I go bankrupt and become penniless now, she will not be used or harmed by you and you again!"

"..."

Elder seemed to be "pricked" by this sentence to a certain sensitive nerve. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, he heard a familiar voice coming from behind.

"What are you talking about?"

David winked at Elder, stretched out his hand to stop Lilith, and teased in her ear.

"We just said...this Valentine's Day, Laura can no longer have you all to yourself!"

"Disgusting~" Lilith asked with two blushes on her face, biting her lip and kicking David.

"Are you going to stand here all night?"

"Hahaha~"

David smiled and changed the subject and asked, "Uncle Julie, why are you here too?"

Lilith glanced at Elder, smiled and shook her head: "He said he wanted to talk to you about something."

"Find me?"

"Now?"

"Yes~"

"Um..Okay."

David knew that he might be "plotted" by that bad old man again tonight~

But this is also the result of both parties taking the initiative to "rush". .

As my tutor Professor Bartley said, now that you have chosen to speak out, stop being coy and holding back~

Whatever needs to be done, do it!

Leave the rest to God~

----

new York.

After midnight.

On a street at the junction of Queens and Flushing.

Three cars and a van slowly stopped in front of a four-story old building.

Several figures armed with firearms jumped out of the car. After observing the surroundings, they pulled a dozen blindfolded and gagged girls into the old building.

After more than 40 minutes.

Two middle-aged men with contented expressions and lazy demeanor walked out of the building, stood on the street and chatted for a few words, then got into two cars and left.

In a dark alley less than 100 meters away from this building, Farr Pocchivino, who had followed him all the way here, gritted his teeth and gently rubbed his hands, trying to keep his frozen body as warm as possible. .

About half an hour passed.

Just when Farr felt like he was about to freeze to death, he finally received the "support" from a large force brought by Pamela Randy.

Several military vehicles without lights + several police cars without lights.