Chapter 466 The Investment with the Most Generous Return
Ronald came to New York this time, and none of his friends in the circle told him. Kerkorian’s reminder is right. Faced with such a large project, anyone may be his competitor, or tip off a competitor.
of.
So the person who came to pick her up at the airport was her cousin Donna. Ronald only called her. Her relatives were the most trustworthy people. She drove over specially, picked up Ronald and drove to the Marriott Hotel.
"Donna, thank you for coming to pick me up. My trip this time has to be kept secret from Hollywood. You are my most trustworthy person. If you ask for leave to pick me up, it won't delay your work." Ronald himself said that year
On the passenger side of the car that was given to Donna, the Japanese car had a good design. Although it was small, Ronald, a tall man of over six feet, could sit very comfortably.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, it's hard for me to ask those bankers out to chat. It usually takes me more than a dozen times to get one willing to meet."
Donna's dress has gradually become closer to that of an office girl, and her overall sophistication is much better than when she was in college. Although her speech and movements sometimes still have the childishness unique to college graduates.
"They will beg you to meet one day in the future," Ronald said with a smile, the sister of the president of World Media Distribution Group, hahaha, Wall Street bankers will have to line up at that time.
"I hope so," Donna also smiled. "Actually, those bankers working on Wall Street are not bad people. They are also under a lot of pressure. It's just that sometimes they can't judge how much benefit I bring to them, so use them with caution.
It's just time.
I am now making unremitting calls to their secretaries to express my sincerity. After all, our fund manages funds for several Ivy League universities. When they see that I have made appointments with them ten times in a row, they will believe me.
of sincerity.
I am just a rookie who has just graduated from college, and Mr. Simmons is not giving me any more support. He said that understanding the way bankers on Wall Street do things will be good for my career development. After all, I am not the child of those rich people.
, driving a Porsche and visiting with luxury watches, the bankers can tell they are rich people at a glance..."
There will be good cars and luxury watches. Ronald feels that this cousin has suffered a lot of grievances. When I...
"By the way, you seem to admire your boss, Mr. Simmons?" Ronald changed the subject.
"He is actually more of a mathematician. He just thinks he can't be top in the field of mathematics, so he comes to invest." Donna is a top student in the MIT Department of Physics. She talked about Simons' investment ideas, which made many Rona.
Academic terms that Germany doesn’t understand.
The two arrived at the Marriott Hotel. After Ronald checked in, he and Donna had dinner in the restaurant.
Seeing that Ronald was full, Donna hesitated and asked him, "Ronnie, what's the reason for your visit this time? You can't be so mysterious just because you invited the son of the current deputy commander to dinner, right?
?I called Diane, but she didn’t even know you were coming."
"What did you say to her?" Ronald put down his knife and fork and asked.
"I said it was the deputy commander's son who came to discuss the film fund with you," Donna replied, and she wiped her mouth. When her childhood best friend Diane heard that Ronald came to New York mysteriously, she felt a little uncomfortable on the phone.
.
"This matter needs to be kept strictly confidential. I didn't even tell my agent. None of my friends in Hollywood told me, so don't tell anyone else." Ronald wiped his mouth.
"What's so mysterious? No one wants to invest in you, right?" Donna was familiar with Ronald's behavior in investment companies. Many investment bankers just like to keep projects secret.
"Actually, it's pretty much the same," Ronald told Kerkorian about what the three giants, MGM, Universal and Paramount, were preparing to form a joint venture to enter the Chinese market.
"Mr. Kerkorian is going to nominate me as the person in charge. For the time being, I'm here to talk to little George and see what his father thinks about the opening of the Chinese film market."
"Ah? Is there a big movie market somewhere? How come I heard that they are so poor that they can afford so much foreign exchange to import American movie copies?"
"Of course, you don't know. Although their income is not high, not many families have TV sets. We are facing a huge market with five times the population, and everyone wants to watch 20 movies a year."
Ronald told Donna the concept of the $25 billion market, "What do you think of this business ambition? The future banker of Wall Street?"
"Well, I think it is indeed possible based on numerical analysis." Donna was serious and did not hear Ronald's teasing tone. Instead, she started to work as a consultant for her cousin.
"And this is a very good concept. Wall Street money will like this idea. It's big enough, crazy enough, and greedy enough to make people's blood boil."
"I'll just say it's good. It seems you know how to invest." Ronald was very happy, and Donna thought so too.
"but……"
"But what?"
"But Mr. Simons said that when using numbers to invest, the only thing that can go wrong is not in the mathematics, but in the source of those numbers. If those numbers are not deliberately distorted or fabricated, then according to mathematical formulas, it will not
Something went wrong.”
"Well, what you said makes sense." Ronald touched his chin.
Donna has been working in a fund company for several months and already has some ideas for thinking about issues as Wall Street investors do.
What she said is indeed very reasonable. There is no problem with the logic of this business plan. If there is a problem, it will not come from here, but hidden in...
"The devil is in the details, Mr. Simmons always said."
"You have almost become a die-hard fan of Mr. Simmons." Ronald said to a fund boss when he saw Donna.
"Okay, I'll go home first. I told my mother that she will make preparations at home."
"Little Douglas will make arrangements so that Auntie won't be too busy."
"She said she would prepare some cookies for you, and leave the rest to little Douglas." Donna spoke of little Douglas, with a look of disgust on her face. This brother's classmate was still so courteous to her when he saw her. He looked like a fool.
, could I be as superficial as those female stars in Hollywood?
"Say hello to aunt for me, I have to meet some people here tomorrow." Ronald sent Donna to the car and waved goodbye.
Maybe Hollywood's secrets can be kept longer, but Wall Street's secrets obviously leak out quickly.
Ronald had just accepted Kerkorian's invitation and was considering the job carefully. Steve Bannon, who used to be on Wall Street, got the news from nowhere. Before Ronald left for New York,
, I was the first one to call and ask for an interview in Manhattan.
Ronald was surprised that he was well-informed, but Bannon said that this matter had been discussed on Wall Street for some time, but Hollywood artists were not aware of the business operations yet.
As for why the news of Ronald as a new candidate reached him, Bannon said that Kerkorian took the initiative to let a limited number of senior bank executives on Wall Street know.
So this time Ronald stayed at the Marriott Hotel in Lower Manhattan near the Financial District. The two made an appointment to talk in person the next day. Kerkorian's approach made Ronald feel a little uncomfortable. He asked
I kept it a secret from people in Hollywood, but I went to Wall Street to show off, not knowing what I was going to do.
What Donna said just now also aroused Ronald's doubts. When he was in Los Angeles, he was deducing the steps of the grand plan in his mind every day. Every detail was logical and no flaws could be seen.
But if the numbers entered as parameters in a mathematical formula are wrong, no matter how correct the logic is, it is impossible to get the correct result.
Alone in the room, drinking Coke silently, Ronald felt that he still needed to confirm Kerkorian's big plan in detail.
He took out his phone book, looked through it and found Xiao Yan's phone number, and called Xiao Yan, who was taking community college courses at Stanton College.
"Xiao Yan? I'm your Brother Luo. I just arrived in New York and I remembered you. Are you free tonight? Come to Manhattan to chat with Brother Luo. I promised your father that I haven't paid much attention to you recently."
"Brother Luo, look at what you said. I owe all my TOEFL and schooling to you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go to school. I'm in the dormitory, and the Staten Island ferry is still open. I'll go find you.
, what hotel are you in?"
"Come here, I'm staying at the Marriott. I can just walk to the pier in Manhattan and wait for you." Ronald put down the phone and put on his coat. He slowly walked to the Battery Marine Ferry Terminal in the southernmost part of downtown.
It is close to Roosevelt Street and Whitehall Street, and not far behind it is Wall Street, the financial center of the universe. On the wide water, the symbols of the Manhattan skyline are reflected, the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the twin towers and some lower buildings around it.
The light that shines through is reflected on the blue-black water, which is scattered at different heights and colorful, very beautiful.
Ronald was fascinated for a moment. Such a beautiful night view is rare in America. The population density on the West Coast is relatively low. Such a super metropolitan scene can only be seen in the Big Apple, New York City.
Of course.
"Woo..."
A whistle sounded, and the yellow ferry docked. It woke up Ronald, who was deep in thought. He looked at a few small boats on the water, and the yellow ferry JFK Kennedy was slowly approaching. It was several times larger than the other boats.
, very conspicuous.
The crowd began to commotion. There were many low-level secretaries on Wall Street who could not afford to rent a house in Manhattan and settled on Staten Island. Several female secretaries wore high hairstyles and held expensive high heels in their hands.
Wearing relatively light running shoes on our feet, we rushed to the pier, waiting for a seat after boarding the ship, so that we could take a rest after a busy overtime work.
When they get home, they still have to clean the room and other household chores waiting for them, and maybe their boyfriend will come over to eat the dinner they cooked. Ronald thought of the partner of the leg warmers, Theresa Kate. She turned out to be such a person
The hard-working secretary later met herself. After selling her leg warmer business, she continued to work in the store and sell goods. She and her husband David had a lovely son, and her life was out of the sea of hardship.
All these scenes gave Ronald a familiar feeling: New York, ferries, the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, and hard-working secretaries. He seemed to have dreamed of such a set of shots.
"Brother Luo, Brother Luo..."
Xiao Yan rushed down from the Kennedy against the flow of people and waved to Ronald.
"Xiao Yan," Ronald's thoughts were interrupted and he stepped forward to hold Xiao Yan's hand. After the two hugged, Ronald looked up and down for a while. Xiao Yan's clothes were already similar to those of native Chinese.
, in addition to his temperament and characteristics of the Mainland, and his English accent, it seems that he has integrated well into the school.
"How's it going? Are you happy going to school here?"
"I thought you were going to ask me if my grades were good." Xiao Yan replied in English. Regardless of his accent, he speaks English much more fluently now than in China.
"I like Stanton University very much. The atmosphere is very free. I can choose any course I want, and I can sneak in and audit classes that are not my own. My grades are still very good. We Chinese can endure hardships here. I
I also worked a part-time job distributing flyers in schools.”
Xiaoyan was very grateful to Ronald and explained his situation.
Ronald took him to a good restaurant in Chinatown. The two ordered barbecued pork and green leafy vegetables, soaked a pot of Pu'er chrysanthemums, and chatted.
"The master chefs here are better than those in China. The waiters are also very polite, unlike those in China who are indifferent." Xiao Yan lamented that the Chinese food here is no less good than in China.
"You have to give a tip," Ronald replied with a smile. There are advantages and disadvantages.
"I came to you and wanted to ask about the situation of the domestic movie market. How much is the ticket price for watching movies?"
"Us? The children of our film studio get free invoices every month, and there are also some imported copies that are only shown internally. With these tickets, you can go out and date girls." Xiao Yan answered while drinking tea.
Yeah. He relied on this trick to establish a relationship with the original partner.
"What if I buy a movie ticket myself? How much does it cost? Can I buy it for one dollar?" The most important thing Ronald wants to verify is the unit price.
"One dollar? That's for renting a movie. The ticket price for scheduled movies is very cheap, only one or two cents."
"Rent a movie? Schedule a movie?" Ronald's mind moved, and he still wanted to verify the accuracy of the data.
"The film schedule is the original planned screening, the head office's acquisition plan, and then distributed to various cinemas. They are all not good-looking, and there are re-screenings of old films.
Rental movies refer to imported movies, such as Luo Ge, Your Break Dance, and those popular movies that have good copy reservations. Cinemas have to pay copy rent.
Nowadays, movie theaters have become more efficient, and they can just cope with the kind of film arrangement. If they can get copies of rental films, that means they have the ability."
“What’s the ratio of those two types of movies?”
"The main thing is to schedule movies, and the proportion of renting movies is not high. Only a few movies are liked by the audience every year. At film festivals, movie companies from all over the country saw that there are not many movies that are being snapped up. Now domestic directors don't like them either.
Shoot. Anyway, all the items are purchased according to the plan, and the price is the same. If you complete the planned tasks, you will get a bonus."
"What about the duration of the screening? There are always more movies to rent, right?" Ronald's heart was already a little stunned. He thought about it and asked about the allocation of screenings.
"Hey, domestic copies are now produced according to the production tasks set by the head office. Many cinemas cannot get copies of rental films and have to find someone to run them. This cinema released the first two copies and they were immediately transported by bicycle.
In a movie theater, no one is allowed to stop for even a minute.
There are many movie theaters, especially those in the south near Xiangjiang, that still secretly show pirated copies, and the head office doesn’t care anyway.”
Ronald's expression changed. All of a sudden, the estimated revenue was shrinking again and again. What about McKinsey? I think they were all made up reports sitting in the office.
"Drink tea, drink tea, and call for snacks?" Ronald was in a bad mood and didn't want to touch the dishes anymore, so he asked Xiao Yan to eat more.
"Then, do the average employees in your unit buy many TV sets now?" Ronald thought about it and still couldn't reconcile it. Even if the revenue is only 20% of the original, it is still a very powerful market size. Besides, the economy is developing there.
It looks good. What if more people watch Hollywood in the future? As long as TV doesn't enter the home so fast, it still has great potential.
"Brother Luo, do you know that TVs are in short supply over there? When I got here, I realized that TVs are not such expensive appliances. It's not like where we are. If you don't buy a TV, you can't even get married."
"Huh?" Ronald was confused, why couldn't he get married?
Xiao Yan talked about his own situation. His target family was not willing to live with his father because his family had housing difficulties. After marriage, the target family was not willing. They asked Xiao Yan to buy various electrical appliances for his home, including a TV.
, refrigerator, washing machine, that little girl is a college student, it is impossible to marry someone who can wash clothes by hand.
We also need furniture with 48 legs, a chest of drawers, a large wardrobe, and a dressing table, none of which can be missing.
Xiao Yan's father's salary was not high, and he spent a lot of money on his inventions. When he couldn't raise that much money, the little girl's family broke off the relationship. It wasn't until Xiao Yan went to study abroad that he tried to renew the relationship.
"Don't TVs there cost more than a thousand yuan now? How much is your family's salary? How much can you buy so many electrical appliances?" Ronald was surprised when he heard that there are so many regulations for marriage. How can he buy it all with this salary?
?
"There's nothing I can do. Young girls nowadays are all looking at foreigners and people with overseas connections. If I hadn't had Brother Luo help me, my parents would have had to live frugally and borrow money to buy all these household appliances before we could get married.
, especially this TV, you can’t save it, otherwise people at work won’t be able to talk to you at all.”
"Shxt!"
Ronald felt that it was impossible to eat the huge pie that Kerkorian painted.
The cultures of different countries are different. Who knew that if you want to get married, you have to buy a color TV?
"You study hard in Staten Island. I'll tell the daydreaming people that you can go do some part-time work there and broaden your horizons. I'll take you to buy some clothes. Don't wear this one all the time."
After Ronald finished eating, he realized that Xiao Yan was not financially well-off, so he gave him a part-time job, took him to buy some ordinary clothes, and then let him take the ferry back to school.
When he arrived at Marriott, Ronald found out the phone number of Director Wu of the Northwest Factory and dialed it.
"Director Wu? I'm Ronald."
"Hey, Director Luo, are you calling from America?" There is a phone in Director Wu's office, but the international call has to be transferred before being connected. He was very happy to hear Ronald's call.
"I'm asking you to verify some data. Someone here wants to sell movies to you."
"That's good, we people just want to see more advanced cultural life." Director Wu was happy to hear that he could see more Hollywood movies. As a director, he was happy.
"I heard that last year, 25 billion people went to movie theaters to watch movies there?"
"Who said that? How could there be so many?" Director Wu denied, "I went to the head office for a meeting, and I didn't know yet? Oh, by the way, if you include the rural projection team, it's almost the same."
“What is the screening team?”
"I just take the copy to the countryside to show the movie to my farmer friends." Director Wu explained.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It turns out that this is a unique system in China. In order for the majority of farmers to see movies, each county has a dedicated screening team
Township, showing movies to farmers in the village.
Usually when a movie is shown, people from neighboring villages will come to watch it, making it as lively as the Chinese New Year.
"How much are the tickets for the screening team?"
"Hey, where are the tickets? Just use whatever is available in the village, pork or local specialties. And they are all old films. They are not 35mm copies used in cinemas, but specially made 16mm copies, suitable for outdoor screenings. Machines and
Put the curtain on the back of a bicycle and ride it down to the village."
"How much does this copy cost?" Ronald felt even colder when he heard this. 16mm copies are something some amateur photographers play with in America. They are better than children's 8mm toys.
"Those are all allocated by the national planned production. Every movie will have a production plan for 35mm and 16mm copies. For popular movies and local-themed movies, some extra ones will be produced. These are all planned, unlike 35mm copies.
You can rent movies at the post-reform prices."
"I understand, you've been a big help, Director Wu, thank you..."
"Well, next time you come, you must see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses."
After putting down the phone, Ronald was so angry that he hammered the table several times.
"Damn it, I almost fell into your trap! Those who open casinos in Las Vegas are all liars, liars!"
…
"Ding dong", the doorbell rang.
Ronald, who slept until dawn, regretted trusting Kerkorian's inflammatory sales techniques and no longer had any hope in this business.
He opened the hotel door, and outside was Bannon who came to chat with Ronald about a big project.
"Why haven't you gotten up yet?" Bannon looked at Ronald in pajamas and unshaven, and was very puzzled. Ronald has always been a very hard-working person.
"Hey, don't mention it. I called you all night last night."
Ronald yawned, "Tell me, what do your Wall Street friends want to know?"
"Wall Street is excited about this project, and many people have great expectations for the prospects. Kerkorian wanted to use this new project to continue financing in the capital market, and his MGM sale to Turner Television Network was unsuccessful.
, Ted Turner has a deep relationship with the political circles, and he dare not make any mistakes.
So Kerkorian wants to continue financing in the capital markets, improve cash flow, and then wait for the next buyer."
Bannon shared some of the information he had learned.
"Originally, everyone had doubts about who could open up the Chinese market, but when they heard that it was you, everyone felt that although it was surprising, it was also unexpectedly suitable. So..." Bannon's eyes showed the vision of Ronald two days ago.
That greedy light comes.
"Don't count on me, I won't accept this position."
Ronald yawned profusely, picked up the phone and called room service to bring breakfast.
"Why? Are you worried that you won't have time to continue your career as a director? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You spent two years in exchange for wealth and freedom. In the future, you can't just shoot whatever you want? You can collaborate with whomever you want.
?”
"Ronald said nothing, waiting for the waiter to bring the delicious breakfast, then closed the door and started eating.
Looking at Bannon who was very anxious but could not bear to rush Ronald, Ronald smiled, took a sip of orange juice, and waved to him.
The two of them approached, and Ronald said in a low voice, "Whether it is an investment or a business venture, if there are no logical problems, the only thing that can go wrong is not in mathematics, but in the source of those numbers..."
"you mean……?"
"Why don't you go and learn about China's box office structure? I'll tell you two key words for free: planned film schedule and rural screening team."
"Although I don't know what you mean, it must be important. I thank you wholeheartedly."
Bannon was so anxious that he left immediately to confirm the important clues given by Ronald.
After Ronald finished eating, he tidied himself up, then put on his carefully arranged handmade suit. After getting dressed, he called a car and went to his home on Staten Island.
…
"So what you're saying is that you were deceived by Kerkorian? He was using your relationship and your name to raise funds for himself in the capital market?" Douglas Jr. brought the barbecue chef to Karen in advance.
The aunt's house is preparing to receive little George's family.
In the room upstairs, he talked carefully with Ronald about the details of the incident.
"Yes, thanks to my cousin Donna who is a smart person and she reminded me rightly."
"Donna, you are indeed a smart person." Little Douglas was silent for a moment, "What should we tell little George now?"
"It doesn't matter, let's just keep in touch. He's actually a pretty good buddy. If you don't count his father's background, let's just have a barbecue with the neighbor."
"George, Laura, welcome." Hearing the sound of George's car, Ronald went out to the yard to greet George and his wife.
"Where are your bodyguards?" Ronald looked back deliberately.
"Haha, they only provide protection for the family in the official residence. Laura and I are just ordinary people when we go out." Little George, still wearing a plaid shirt, walked in with his wife Laura on his arm.
"This is my aunt, Karen. This is my high school classmate and one of the shareholders of Daydream, Mr. Douglas P. Hansen."
A few people sat in the garden, eating freshly grilled meat by the chef and drinking fresh home-brew beer from Hansen's family. Little George was very happy. It was rare for him to relax here and talk about random topics.
"Let me tell you, by the end of the year, the General Commander will have an interview with Mikhail, the General Secretary-General of the Alliance, to discuss the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons by both parties. In this way, the people of America will finally be satisfied.
You didn't see the anti-nuclear activists marching in DC, I saw them upstairs holding signs, and some girls were topless to attract media attention."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Little George talked vividly about some things in Washington, D.C., after a few glasses of beer.
"Hahaha, they must be too hot." Ronald and Little Doug laughed with him in amusement.
"Look, look, my wife Laura, how beautiful she is!" Little George pulled the two of them again to look at Laura who was exchanging cookie baking secrets with Aunt Karen.
"You're a lucky guy!"
"No, I defeated many competitors back then."
The guests and hosts were having a good time, and little George and Laura were about to say goodbye. It had been a long time since he had been so free and happy partying with friends like his college fraternity buddies, barbecuing, drinking beer, and making vulgar jokes.
"What a happy day, we must come here more often." Ronald escorted the couple to the entrance of the yard.
Little George let Laura get in the car first, and he took Ronald to talk. He knew that Ronald would not come to him for no reason.
"Do you have anything to ask me for help? We are friends. Just say it. Although I can't do much, my mother, Barbara, likes you very much..."
"No, no", Ronald thought to himself, it was really okay now, "We have said several times on the phone that you want to have a barbecue and drink beer together. I am free this time in New York, so I asked you if you are too.
There are not many people in New York or on the East Coast who can find like-minded friends who appreciate Texas barbecue."
"Hahaha... You are right. I think you are the only one who has the most vision after all these years in DC!"
Little George was amused and laughed loudly, "Laura and I have to go back. The child cannot be left with the nanny for too long. We are very happy today, and Laura is also very grateful to your aunt for the secret recipe."
But I really have to leave, if you have anything to say, just ask."
"Can't I invite like-minded friends to have a barbecue?" Ronald smiled. Originally, there was something really wrong, but now it's useless to ask.
"You are the best friend I have on the East Coast. Those politicians in DC and New York are all fools who want something from us, but in the blink of an eye they say behind our backs that we know nothing except that we are blue bloods."
Little George didn't expect that Ronald really didn't ask for anything, just to invite them to dinner. He really hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time.
"Call me when you are free in the future." George patted Ronald on the shoulder and got into the car.
"Bye!" Laura held a box of Aunt Karen's biscuits in the passenger seat and waved to Ronald with a smile. With this Hollywood director, Laura felt that her husband had returned to the way he was when he pursued her.
The look and the way he looks at himself are different.
"Ronald!" Little George stuck his head out from the driver's seat, "I thought about it, but I still have to tell you that you are my true friend. True friends shouldn't hide from each other, right?"
"Of course!" Ronald didn't know what the other party was going to say and took a few steps closer.
"My father is going to announce his candidacy for the next leadership. I will serve as a campaign manager and join his campaign team. You are the first among my friends to know. If you are interested in helping me, I will be very grateful.
.”
"Of course, of course."
Ronald suddenly received an unexpected piece of news, murmured a few words in response, and then said goodbye to little George.
"What's wrong with you? What did he say to you?" Little Douglas came over, looked at Ronald's surprised expression, and asked.
"Do you know what happened to the manager of T&T's campaign team?"
"He...?" Douglas Jr. glanced at the car driving away, "This is a big investment, Ronald, no less than the opportunity Kerkorian said, even America's most risky and rewarding.