Chapter 115

Chapter 114 Sometimes life needs acting skills Alex chatted enthusiastically with his opponent, then the opponent walked to the chair opposite the team's resting area and sat down. Of course, today the old white man named Herbert also came to watch the baseball game. the difference is, Abel noticed that occasionally there were a few cameras filming him on the field. Every time the camera was pointed at him, the old white man smiled and waved. As if he were a big star. Abel knows that, He's not a big star, This is not someone who works in the entertainment industry. But as an old white man, it was completely normal for media cameras to regularly take pictures of him. "...I still know him. Grandpa, you didn't tell me. The match is about to start, the field is very exciting. Abel sits in the middle and Alex sits near the left side of the team's dugout. On the other side of Abel is Miss Arya, who is also wearing a Rangers hat. Today, it is home to the Houston Astros, but there are only two Texas teams in the MLB. Texas baseball fans, Be like the Astros, Or like Rangers. Or just both. Of course, this favorite has to beat both teams' home cities of Houston and Arlington. Of course, fans of these two cities only like the team from their own city. Grew up and became a baseball fan in Tarrant and Harris Counties. I also love my district's football team. Other Texas baseball fans may enjoy both. Even though it is the Astros' home field, there is no shortage of Rangers fans. The Texas State Rangers have never had rich results. But with Juan Gonzalez and several other star players, the Rangers were always the giants of the Western division. As a wealthy family, despite their poor performance, they will always have a large number of fans. Tonight, 60% of fans were wearing Astros hats and the remaining 40% were Rangers. "Ha~ Tell me, how many times a year do you come to my house?" Alex asked rhetorically: "It's good that I'm young and only home a month or two a year. What if we grow up? Since you're fourteen, you can come live with me for up to a week a year!" The old man arrogantly said: "You don't know much about me. Even Alexander didn't know much. Because he and I have nothing in common! Seeing the old man's arrogant expression, Abel helplessly shook his head. Luckily, his grandmother loved him very much. Arya said softly: "Are you wondering why your grandfather met Herbert? Actually, they were comrades. During World War II, your grandfather was his comrade." "Plus, everyone is a Texan and his son is the general manager of the Rangers." "Your grandfather loved baseball so much that he even served as assistant general manager of operations for the Rangers." "So of course they know each other and the relationship is quite good." Hearing what his grandmother said, Abel nodded to show he understood. He also knows that the Rangers can now be considered one of the giants of the MLB West. Original name was Senator from Washington. Then, due to unsatisfactory results, they were referred to Texas. Change your name to Rangers and move on. It wasn't until around 1988 that Herbert's son was revealed. He gathered a group of wealthy people from Texas and each contributed money and effort to make the Rangers a wealthy family. Even Rangers' results are only average, not worthy of their wealthy status. But thanks to money, star players can still participate. So in Texas, it's also very popular. Even in the United States, it's a famous team. Herbert's son became known and loved by many Texans for this event. Herbert's son then ran in the 1995 Texas gubernatorial election. And successfully took office, becoming the 46th governor of Texas. With this background, my grandfather was a loyal Rangers fan and a former manager. My father is still a shareholder of Rangers. Their knowledge is therefore very logical and coherent. Moreover, in reality, sometimes there are many things that do not require logic. Reality is much more magical than fiction. "Hey~ don't listen to Arya." Alex said with displeasure: "Herbert is not from Texas, Herbert is from Massachusetts, and his son is from Connecticut." "It wasn't until later that Herbert made money running an oil company in Texas. The whole family moved here." "They could be considered the best New Texans. People who lived in Texas two hundred years ago were considered true Texans!" Looking at the old man's expression, Abel silently smiled, perhaps the old man was not convinced. A former teammate is more successful than him in business, and it doesn't matter if he makes more money than him. Later, he continued to do great things, even rising straight to the highest position in the country. The first son he gave birth to was clearly nothing special compared to his biological son. But he became governor and currently still follows his old father's path. It seems that the success rate is still very high. This makes Alex somewhat uncomfortable. "GOOD." Abel smiled and said, "That was my ignorance. At this time, a whistle sounded. The final match before this year's MLB season has officially kicked off. In baseball, the origin is American, Alex's grandfather also passed on related knowledge and interests to him. Can also be considered a baseball fan, very clear about MLB and many baseball teams in America. The current Abel has inherited everything from his original body. I loved baseball too but after ten months on Wall Street. This type of hobby died out a long time ago. Fortunately, the relevant knowledge is always kept in my mind. America's Major League Baseball, or MLB, has thirty teams. The thirty teams are divided into two leagues, one the National League and the other the American League. Before 1997, the two tournaments were almost separate. After 97 years, this situation has improved. Of the more than 160 MLB games played each year, at least 20 of them are interleague games. Otherwise, Texas derbies like Rangers vs. Today's Astros would be unwatchable. Thanks to these two teams, one team belongs to the National League in MLB and the other team belongs to the American League in MLB. The accounting strength of the two teams is clearly stronger than Rangers with star owners like Juan Gonzalez. But Rangers have always been strong but not strong, and their league record has always been poor. In today's match, it's hard to say who will win. Compared to the NBA known to the Chinese, who do not like baseball and have never played baseball. I don't think I'm very interested in baseball games. But Abel watched with enthusiasm. He felt that his body's previous preferences might affect it. Unlike the NBA, baseball games are not timed. There are usually 9 rounds and sometimes there will be extra rounds due to a deadlock on the score. Under normal circumstances, matches sometimes end in an hour or two, and sometimes matches can last four to five hours at the end of the match. The longest baseball game in history took place 16 years ago, in 1984, when the Chicago White Sox played the Milwaukee Brewers. In this game, it took another 25 rounds to determine the winner, lasting 8 hours and 6 minutes. After the match, whether it was a player on the team or an audience who insisted on watching the entire match, everyone was exhausted. Fortunately, today, I don't know if it was because of Abel's presence or because the Houston Astros starting pitcher was injured due to a misplay. Rangers always had the upper hand and in one hour and fifty minutes they completed nine innings of the match. Total score is 10:6. The Rangers had four more hits and one more turnover than the Astros. The relatively small number of Rangers fans in the stands happily sang the team's song: "We Travel in Texas." Even though Houston Astros fans lost the game, they still felt very upset. But there is no war with Rangers fans. Because many Houston Astros fans may actually be Rangers fans. Some Astros fans even took off their Astros hats, which had Rangers hats inside. On the contrary, if the Rangers lose tonight. It is estimated that many Rangers fans have hung their hats and become Astros fans. With the exception of a few extremely loyal fans like Alex, both teams in both leagues are equally popular in Texas. Finally it turned into a chorus and everyone happily sang the Rangers song together. "Hahaha~" The seventy year old man waved his hat, feeling like he was about to squirm for a moment. Abel was afraid of getting hurt so he had to stand next to him in case he fell or got hurt. But Abel himself really likes this atmosphere. There was also a smile on his face. But the next moment, his smile stopped slightly. Seeing this, Alex felt a bit uncomfortable and jealous of his former teammates who hated him. Herbert, who had just been welcomed by Alex, arrived here surrounded by several tall white men. "Hey Alex, it's great that the Rangers won." Old white man Herbert walked up smiling and said, "Would you like a drink to celebrate?" Tonight is a good night. Just now, writhing like a child, Alex saw Herbert's proposal and the other person also appeared. Suddenly calming down, the old man regained his peaceful and restrained expression. "Ha~" Alex looked at Herbert and then at Abel. At the latter's slight nod, the old man smiled and said: "Why not? How about a glass of Viognier white wine?" Arya, I know you won't let me drink. What will happen if I drink in this atmosphere tonight? " What could Arya say? Grandma could only laugh: "Okay, let's have a drink. Mr. Herbert, you too. At your age, it's best not to drink too much." "Haha~" Herbert laughed, "Okay, then let's have a little drink. Don't drink too much, right? Abel, son of Alexander, I remember that's your name." In the next sentence, Herbert addresses Abel. Abel smiled and replied: "From a doctor and physical health perspective, you really shouldn't be greedy." You are right, sir. "Haha~" Half an hour later, the two older children and Abel were joined by Abel's grandmother, Arya. I'm at a restaurant in Houston. "Barbara never liked baseball." Faced with Arya's friendly and curious question. Herbert explains why his wife did not go with him. "Even though this is a rare derby in Texas, sometimes only happening once a year, she doesn't think it's something to be ashamed of." "She doesn't like it anyway. We humans are always like that with things we don't like. » "Okay. Exactly." Arya smiled politely. Herbert spoke softly, gently, his tone was neither rushed nor slow, making the listener very comfortable. Compared to his son, this person was indeed the capable person in their family. We can even directly say that their families can change and become members of the American "deep state." Herbert alone contributed more than 40% of the contributions. The remaining 60% was divided between Herbert's grandfather and father. His grandfather was a senior oil executive under Rockefeller and had a good relationship with him. His father was a Connecticut state senator. Compared to my grandfather and father. His son is truly a pure second generation, the type of person who inherits the shadow of his father's generation and does lowly jobs. Not to mention other aspects, just the ability to deal with people. Abel was so focused that he couldn't help but admire and be careful. The conversation that followed was mainly about the two old men reminiscing about the past together. These are their unforgettable memories on the battlefield. "…At that time, seriously, I really thought they were going to eat me. Herbert said. "It's truly a group of wild beasts, a group of monsters." Alex commented. "It's lucky that I survived in the end, right?" Herbert smiled. "Ha~" Alex suddenly said: "Speaking of which, I admire you very much, Herbert." "After experiencing this, can you go to Neon and eat their sashimi like nothing happened? "I don't like raw meat or raw fish at all, but you have this kind of experience." Herbert smiled wryly, his expression a bit disgusted. "I don't like it either, but in life and work sometimes you have to express yourself. At that time I was playing. I don't hate playing as much as possible." Suddenly, Herbert looked at Abel, smiled at him and said: "Sometimes life just needs a little acting." Abel, are you right? During this small dinner, Alex and Herbert mainly talked, and Arya occasionally said a few words. Abel smiled and listened the whole time. It can be said that this sentence is the first time Herbert talked to Abel. "I think this sentence is correct." Abel said. "Like me, now I perform on Wall Street every day." "I will show them my financial skills. "That way they can like me." Sir, I should do what you say, right? Herbert was stunned for a moment, then the old man smiled again. "Ha~ That's right. If you do this then it's really a performance." He said with a smile on his face. (end of this chapter) This "gathering of old friends" in Alex's mouth. Finish work at about eight thirty in the evening. Herbert is gone. Abel also helped his grandparents and slowly left the restaurant. Return to the middle of the convoy and sit behind the rear compartment. Alex suddenly said: "Do you see anything? Abel: "???" "Herbert is not a baseball fan." "He doesn't even like any sports." "He doesn't even like golf. It's different from his son, who loves baseball and golf." Alex said softly. If Abel didn't know what Alex meant before. Hearing what Alex said now, he immediately realized something. "What do you mean?" Through the rearview mirror, he looked at his grandfather who had just changed his child's clothes on the field. Alex was calm and gentle at this time, the accumulation of time on his body could be clearly seen. An old house where treasure is hidden. Abel thought. "What do I mean?" Alex smiled silently: "It's clear that Herbert came tonight for a specific purpose." "Herbert was a man who fought all his life." "When he goes to school, he fights with knowledge and with teachers. After going to war, he fought with himself and with those neon lights." "After returning to China, he competed with business and political enemies." "He fought all his life, against his imaginary enemies. He never did boring things. "He almost never has any hobbies." "He is a very boring person and has almost no friends. His friends are all items he can fight or use. » "Like Herbert. Tonight he came to watch baseball and even came to see us. Now. Do you understand?" After hearing his grandfather's long words, Abel was silent for a while. He drove a Cadillac Escalade, in the dark, looked at the taillights of the Toyota Sequoia driven by Edward in front, and followed him. It could take a few seconds, it could take dozens of seconds, Abel sitting in the driver's seat nodded. "I see. You mean he came to pick me up?" Alex said softly: "You can say that, but maybe he's not coming to you for himself. It can represent certain people, come see your attitude and come see my attitude. "Your attitude?" » Abel asked in surprise. "What do you mean?!" Alex's tall and calm image was shattered. The appearance of the old child reappears. "Even though I'm not as good as Herbert, I'm also not as good as a lot of people. Mostly I'm just from a rich family in the countryside. » "But I live a long life and am very generous! I wouldn't dare say that elsewhere, but in Texas and some Southern states, a lot of people believe me!" Alex blew his nose and looked at – well, just the latter. Because Alex doesn't like beards, or the men in the Smith family don't have beards can be inherited, including Abel and Alexander. . The grandfather, son and grandson, other than their hair, don't have very strong hair. If it manifests inside, it is Bach Ngoc Long. From the outside, it is very difficult to grow a beautiful beard. Their beards are not long but sparse and ugly, affecting their image. This is very unusual among the hairy Anza people, perhaps because there are traces of mixed blood in the blood. The old man doesn't need to blow his beard, he can only stand and watch. "Hahaha~ okay. Sir, I'm sorry for what I just said. Abel laughed: "But please forgive me. Because I didn't expect him to be so strong. I think he looks like my dad. We only know how to feed cows, ride horses and shoot guns. » "You are still young." At this time, Arya was still smiling and saying little: "You don't know much. Son, my dear Abel. Your grandfather was also very powerful at that time. It's just his personality that keeps him from going too far." Even my grandmother, who was always calm and gentle, never said a bad word or lied, said the same thing. Abel really believes that. Believing in my grandfather is not as simple as it seems at first glance. "Okay. So grandpa, who do you think Herbert represents?" » Abel asked. "Who else could it be?" Alex, who calmed down and deliberately did not joke with his nephew, looked like an old-fashioned American Puritan. "Why did you come back? Who did you come back for? Oh, perhaps Herbert is." "Understand." Abel said. As it stands, they may be the most successful political family in Texas. Herbert and his son must have been deeply involved in the Texas mob. Among other aspects, his son could become governor. Without the support of these people, absolute success cannot be achieved. Now that he's in Texas again, what if Herbert really came here for something? The one most likely to choose him as its representative is the Texas Association. "So what do you think I should do next?" Keep waiting and meet these people? Abel asked again. Unexpectedly, Alex shook his head and gently said: "I do not know. It's just that Herbert clearly wanted more than just watching a baseball game and chatting with my old friends. Herbert never does such boring things. " Speaking of this, Alex paused for a moment: "If it were his son, he could do this." "Forehead" Abel could tell that Alex did not think highly of Herbert's son. There may be an element of jealousy in it. . "Okay, because even I don't know. Next, I can only use the Dong Huaxia proverb to express my attitude towards what may happen next. Abel translated this proverb into English: "Soldiers will block you, but water will cover you with earth." » » "The army came to attack, the officials resisted. The flood is coming, use land to stop it? Alex said softly: "This ancient country is truly terrifying and its cultural heritage cannot keep up with America's." "Ha, who can say otherwise? The simplest thing is that the people of Wall Street take this country very seriously. » "Don't talk about other people. You're a Wall Street guy now, too." "That's not what I said. Even if I plead on Wall Street, I'm still a Texan. These concepts are different and should not be confused!" "Oh yeah." The grandfather and grandson said so and then returned home to the Oak River community. When we got home it was 11am and Alex and Arya looked a bit tired. . After all, they are both old. Even in Houston there are the best medical and material conditions to support. But there is no way to violate the laws of nature and it is impossible to enthusiastically return to the past. Abel did not bother his grandparents, he told them to rest first. . He went on a business trip alone and about half past eleven he lay down on his bed. Before going to bed, he picked up the watch to check the time. Today is Thursday, September 21, 2000, half past eleven. "Monday Ikana, Tuesday Annie, Wednesday Jessica, Thursday it's Ikana's turn again." A person who aspires to become an expert in time management whispers to himself, who knows how to skillfully compose contacts. After finding the number he was looking for, he dialed Ikana's cell phone number. Since that party, his "feelings" for Ikana quickly flared up. Based on previous phone calls, I could only chat with a few simple greetings. This has evolved to this day and it is possible to converse for half an hour or more like men and women in the ambiguous period. The call was quickly made and Ikana responded very quickly. Abel's side is almost a ring, the other side is already connected. "Hello Ikana. Good evening." "Good evening, Abel." Abel heard the sound of water coming from the phone and gently asked: "Do you think you're taking a shower?" by phone, Manhattan, New York, on the top floor of the Ted Lener Building at 40 Wall Street. In the Ikana room, the bathroom is more than 30 square meters. She was lying on the bathtub, soaking her beautiful body in the bubbling water. Her hair is disheveled and covered with a scarf, making it look like a hat. She gently rubbed her body with one hand and held the phone with the other. "Yes, I just came back from the company, I'm very tired today. I will take a shower and go to bed after the treatment is finished. » She answered gently. In Texas, Abel was lying in bed, holding his cell phone and smiling: "Ha~ Okay. Actually, I almost want to sleep. It's been a few days since I heard your voice. I wanted to hear your voice so I made this call. "GOOD." Ikana said, "Exactly three days, that's your next contact in three days." "Forehead" "Ha~ okay. I know you're busy." Ikana immediately repeated: "Besides, we don't have any special relationship. It's good to call each other once every three days." On this side of Texas, Abel couldn't help but smile. This Ikana started talking to the pua again and wanted to shock herself again. Fortunately, Abel knew from the beginning that Ikana was not at all a "good woman" in the true sense of the word. It turns out he's not a good person either, so if we work together we can avoid harming others. "I'm in Texas right now, in Houston." Abel said: "I won't be back in New York for a few days, so why don't we meet?" "I'm very busy. YKM is currently in trouble. My business plan has been submitted to Smith Capital. It's been three days and no response. » "But." Ikana paused for a moment, "If it were you, no matter how busy I would be, I would always find time. So my answer is: it's okay." "Hahaha~" Abel laughed again on the phone. Then they both said something that wasn't nutritious but was worth mentioning. If you want to know what those words are, just find a girl to talk about love with. These are the words you would say when you haven't held hands yet but are feeling a bit confused. In general, this type of dialogue in the eyes of the viewer is simply boring. About twenty minutes later, Abel hung up. He looked at the phone, intending to say in his heart: Today's time management work is completed. But the phone rang and a clear voice rang out. is a message, i.e. the sound of a text message. Abel's cell phone is specifically used to contact girls. Unlike her usual office phone, only a few women knew about this phone. And his family. The people who can send messages at this time are of course the only ones. He opened the message and saw it was from Liv Tyler. Liv: [My role in New Zealand is over again and I can rest for another two weeks. I went back to New York and brought back all of Alwyn's clothes. ] Seeing this message, Abel was very surprised. He then remembered that "Alwyn" was Liv Tyler's name as an elven princess in the Lord of the Rings series. I just remembered the last time I was with Liv Tyler. I've mentioned it before, I want to experience what it's like to be an elf princess. Liv then went to New Zealand to film and the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed back to back. Filming began in October 1999 and is now nearly completed. Most of Liv's scenes have already been filmed, but sometimes she has to watch them over and over again. She's been dead for a few days. Now apparently it's back. I thought I could crush the movie's peerless elf princess who had an explosive personality underneath her. Even Abel, who had been through a lot, couldn't help but feel a little excited at this moment. Thinking of this, he didn't know how many days he would stay in Texas. He just texted: [Texas, Houston, see you tomorrow morning] After typing, send it. Liv Tyler quickly responded: [No, you will not meet Liv Tyler. But tomorrow you can meet Arwen, Princess of the Evening Star. ] Seeing this reaction, Abel couldn't help but laugh. This Liv Tyler must have inherited some aspects of her mother's IQ. Also very knowledgeable and interesting. Abel suddenly felt that signing this kind of "long-term contract" was really good. In his answer, he included his cell phone number. Then enter [make this call. Get down from your apartment in half an hour. Someone will bring you here. ] Liv Tyler, this time the answer is letters that Abel doesn't understand. Abel was wondering when he saw a new message from Liv Tyler— [In the previous post I used text from Elves of Middle-earth. Translated into our language, it is: Master, I will listen to all of you.] Yes, Abe remembered that. As a masterpiece of the great epic genre, it can be said that this is one of the origins of Western fantasy culture. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings built a beautiful but relatively demanding fantasy world. Tolkien even invented multiple written languages ​​for some of his fictional races. Like Quenya and Sindarin of the elves. Liv Tyler, this Abel can only say: very good acting! But he likes cosplay. What man doesn't like that? (end of this chapter)