69novels Page 45
Page 45
"I can't even afford a decent suit."
Jimmy suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "In last week's divorce case, the woman saw the loose thread on my cuff and the milk stain on my body, and thought I was also a womanizer. She changed lawyers on the spot. The legal aid center said they might not assign me any cases next month."
The three brothers exchanged a glance.
Victor put down his coffee cup, the metal making a crisp sound as it struck the wooden table.
"We have a proposal."
Viktor said, "I'm preparing for the boxing championship next March, and I have some investments, but these kinds of deals... you know, need legal protection."
"I can do it!"
Jimmy's eyes lit up, he put down his cup, and his back straightened unconsciously.
"Although I majored in criminal defense, I can study economic law! Give me a month—"
Victor was very skeptical.
"No, I can't do it in a week. I'm not that genius."
Jimmy asked for what seemed like a long time: "Six months, just six months! I can do it without losing to anyone."
Michael spoke for the first time, his voice low, "We contacted a friend who knows about investing, and we arranged to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow."
That night, Jimmy slept on a folding bed in the living room, listening to Victor counting as he did push-ups in the next room.
For the first time in four years, he felt a glimmer of hope—as long as someone could give him food, the future wouldn't be too bad.
The next morning, Victor was already at the Real Men's Gym training.
Jimmy watched him punch the sandbag through the window, each punch carrying precise power.
Michael was frying eggs in the kitchen, while Ethan was quietly reading an introduction to securities law.
Whom did you contact?
Jimmy took the plate that Michael handed him.
“Blair Parfait, you should know him, he’s that prodigy! He works on Wall Street now.”
Without looking up, Ethan said, "I called and said we have $50,000 and would like some investment advice."
"Would people from Wall Street really come all the way for a young boxer's $50,000 investment?"
Jimmy frowned: "Fifty thousand dollars is only the annual income of five middle-class people. Do you think Wall Street is short of that kind of money? Would they come?"
The call was connected at 10:00 AM.
Blair's voice came through the speaker, accompanied by strange electronic noise.
"Fifty thousand dollars?"
Blair repeated, "I need to see a concrete plan. Can you come to New York?"
Ethan looked at Victor, whom he hadn't seen all day, and seeing everyone busy, said, "It would be best if you could come over."
Blair thought for a moment, then said, "We're very expensive..."
“We can pay a consultation fee of $200.”
Ethan thought the price was too high.
But Blair refused: "We all get a cut."
"This needs to be discussed."
Blair offered a compromise: "$200 for transportation, and I will arrive in the afternoon."
After the call ended, Jimmy couldn't help but laugh: "This guy treats 50,000 yuan like a treasure, he's not doing so well."
When Victor returned, he suddenly slammed his fist against the wall, denting the plasterboard.
"Jimmy, we're all friends. Even if we don't achieve the desired effect, having a meal together is fine too."
His voice was icy. "Or perhaps, Jimmy, you think our emphasis on loyalty is just a show?"
Jimmy spread his hands: "No, if it weren't for loyalty, you wouldn't need a lawyer like me."
Victor's bodyweight training—Old Jack believed Victor's workouts could be done at home because Michael could provide assistance—continued.
Jimmy began studying the financial regulations book Ethan had given him, occasionally peeking at Victor in the backyard.
With each jerk of the resistance rope, the man's sweat glistened in the sunlight.
At exactly six o'clock in the evening, the doorbell rang.
The man standing outside the door was nothing like the Wall Street elite Jimmy had imagined—Blair Parfait wore a wrinkled suit, carried a worn-out briefcase, and had bloodshot eyes behind his glasses.
But when he entered the room, the atmosphere suddenly changed, like a shark swimming into a goldfish bowl.
Blair put down his bag and looked directly at Victor. "This is the lawyer you hired?"
His gaze shifted to Jimmy, scanning him like an X-ray across Jimmy's worn cuffs and repaired shoes. "Tell me, Mr. McGill, are you aware of the recent regulatory changes the SEC has made to private equity?"
Jimmy's throat tightened.
This issue is outside the scope of his hastily acquired knowledge today.
The three Viktor brothers all stared at him, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.
At that moment, Jimmy McGill realized that this was not just a conversation about a $50,000 investment, but actually a competition between two intellectuals.
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"So you're a newcomer who didn't even pass the interview?"
"You're a criminal defense lawyer who hasn't even confessed to his own crimes?"
Jimmy looked at Blair, Blair looked at Jimmy, Michael and Jason were reading, and Victor looked at the huge pile of dog poop in his dinner and couldn't take it anymore!
Viktor slammed his fist into his left hand, furious.
"Michael, please tell me, what time is it now?"
Michael ate the roast chicken in his mouth. "It's dinner time now, Victor. Don't cause trouble."
"Looking for trouble?"
Victor was furious: "It's not just dinner time, it's our get-together after my two friends come back, so I spent sixty dollars on groceries, and you're telling me to keep eating this?"
"Because of health."
"I don't want to eat it, I want to eat chicken."
"Victor, it's too late to eat chicken. There's chicken on the menu for tomorrow morning."
As a result of their argument, Victor ate the whole thing.
Blair then gave an investment suggestion of $50,000:
"Fifty thousand US dollars is enough for you to buy three apartment buildings like these..."
Victor refused: "I said I was renting this house, but I actually bought it. I just said it was renting to keep it a secret. Besides, I think the house is already very expensive, and the price increase is limited."
Blair wasn't angry when his first suggestion was rejected, and continued to push his offer: "Then I suggest you invest in the stock market. I can help you..."
Victor flatly denied it: "If you're that capable, you wouldn't make me pay for the postage."
Blair's face would instantly darken: "Then there's nothing I can do."
Victor looked at him, recalling several large companies he knew that probably weren't doing very well in 1984, so he asked around and got the answer he wanted:
"So, we'll buy $25000 worth of Nike stock and $25000 worth of Apple stock."
Blair was puzzled and tried to persuade Victor:
"Nike offered a rookie a sky-high contract in hopes of turning things around, but that's nothing short of a pipe dream. Their stock price is currently in a bad state, and their future looks bleak."
Apple made an even bigger mistake. Its founder had placed a competitor within the company, and Jobs even wanted to create the Lisa portable computer. Think about it, how can you carry a computer around in your hand? Wall Street predicted that Jobs would soon be ousted.
The more Blair talked, the more excited Victor became.
I don't know about other companies, but Nike and Apple have always been global giants, how could they possibly lose money?
Victor glanced at Michael and Ethan, then made up his mind: "I'll buy both of them. I'm betting on their future!"
Blair completely lost control, slamming his coffee cup on the table: "You idiot, I said..."
"I'll cover the losses if you lose money!"
Viktor played his trump card: "But if you make money, I'll give you 1% of the profits."
Blair sneered, "Why don't you learn from your kind and burn this money? At least you'll have some warmth."
Victor pointed to the stains on the ground: "Wipe them clean."
Blair stood still.
"Fine, I won't expect you to help me anymore."
Victor gave up on Blair: "Go back to the beginning, you buy these two stocks for me, and you take a commission."
Blair completely gave up on Victor, thinking him a complete fool. He only slept with Victor for one night, and Blair left the next day.
Chapter 37 Beasts Under Scientific Training
Jimmy commented on Blair early the next morning, saying that Blair was a fool who couldn't make it on Wall Street and wouldn't take the money he could get:
"I knew it. All Wall Street cares about is putting our money into the stock market! Whether we make money or not is secondary! They've made money anyway."
"Blair is no longer the child prodigy he once was! Wharton Business School produces geniuses in bulk; he's nothing special!"
After a morning of incessant chatter, Michael and Ethan manually muted their microphones—Ethan simply told him, "Jimmy, Victor is going to buy the automatic laundromat in the middle of the street for seven thousand dollars. You need to see the contract and convince him."
Jimmy was very surprised: "Where did he get so much money?"
Ethan chuckled, and Jimmy immediately shut up and started reading an introductory book on economics and law.
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The air in the gym is always filled with the mixed smell of rust, sweat and disinfectant.
Viktor took a deep breath and tightened the wristband again.
At 6:30 a.m., only he and Old Jack were in the Real Man Gym, a routine they had maintained for the past two months.