Chapter 32: Broadening Horizons

More companies weren't something Carter didn't want to do, but rather something he couldn't do.

Although six million in cash was a lot, it wasn't needed for the initial phase of short selling. However, this six million served as reserve funds, similar to bank reserves or margins. If the value of the borrowed stocks didn't exceed or slightly exceed it, others would dare to lend to him. If it exceeded too much, his own brokerage firm would refuse.

However, including Vixstar, there were a total of four companies, with over two million different shares in circulation. If lucky, with a price difference of $1 per share, there would be profits of over two million dollars.

After mentally calculating the potential estimated returns, Carter felt his breathing become much heavier. Perhaps the allure of finance lay here. If you wanted to make two million...

Not to mention the cost of starting a factory, just considering your product. For a high-priced item with a unit price of $200, with half the net profit, how many units would you need to sell? And how long would it take?!

After selecting the targets in the morning, Julian went to coordinate stocks in the afternoon, and Carter followed Julian to meet his other clients. The day ended quickly.

For dinner that evening, Carter arranged it at the same Chinese restaurant. However, unlike yesterday when he indulged himself, this time Carter instructed the chubby owner to prepare some light dishes.

Choosing to invite Julian to dinner at the Chinese restaurant this time wasn't because Carter had forgotten his lessons. It was simply because his car was still in Chinatown after last night's drinking. Since he had to treat Julian to dinner anyway, he might as well do it here to conveniently pick up his car and drive back. Also, with no outsiders at the table, they could speak freely.

Discussing how to target those companies, whether they needed to buy newspaper ads to discredit them, stirring up public opinion, how much stock to sell, and their potential reactions—once they had made their choices, Julian, firm in his stance, offered Carter his suggestions. It was a learning experience for Carter, who couldn't help but feel that these finance players had dirty minds!

For their own benefit, they targeted other companies, disregarding their survival. Perhaps this was the true nature of these people, and now, Carter was one of them.

With the plan in place, the remaining two days became much easier for Carter. Visiting Kindell again was pointless except to annoy Julian. Instead, he fulfilled his promise and took Melissa out.

While exploring New York, he bought the dress he promised Melissa. Also joining them on the trip was a Chinese girl named Chen Shuzhen.

She was the daughter of the owner of the Sichuan restaurant. After hearing that Carter planned to tour New York in the next few days, the owner asked Carter to take his daughter with him. He had longed for his daughter to experience more outside of Chinatown.

"Let's go, two little princesses. Where do you want to go? Times Square or the Statue of Liberty?"

With the car keys borrowed from Julian, Carter walked out with a girl on each hand. They were both first-time visitors to New York, so they didn't know where to go. Carter, being from a future where information was abundant, knew a bit more.

The American cities looked particularly old-fashioned in the future, with many roads appearing dilapidated, and even wooden electric poles lining the streets, as they weren't products of that era. New York in 1979 was no different from the future. It had skyscrapers, shopping malls, and everything else. Carter might have been tired of seeing these cityscapes, but the two little girls found them fascinating.

"Walk, walk! Carter! How come this building is so tall and it doesn't collapse? I used to play with building blocks, and anything slightly tall would collapse in the wind!"

As they entered the World Trade Center, Melissa, like an unbridled husky, jumped around freely, leaving Carter behind. Chen Shuzhen, however, stayed close to Carter, quietly holding onto his sleeve.

Entering such a place made the little girl instinctively nervous, especially with many Caucasians staring at her suspiciously. Their gazes weren't on Chen Shuzhen but on Carter.

They seemed to wonder why a person like him was with an Asian girl. Despite the daily talk of equality in America, systemic discrimination against minorities had never ceased. It's ridiculous to think that it wasn't until the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that blatant discrimination was legally prohibited.

However, legal requirements, as Mr. Zhang said, were the lowest moral requirements for people. Expecting their real moral level to be any higher?

In such a prestigious commercial office building like the World Trade Center, the so-called elites unabashedly used their scrutinizing gazes to examine others. Carter was learning a lot.

"Don't be nervous. They aren't better or nobler than you. Lift your head high and walk your own path. We have the right to come in here since we bought the tickets!"

Feeling Chen Shuzhen's nervousness, Carter quietly held her hand and encouraged her. He didn't even bother to answer Melissa's question. He had brought the girls to broaden their horizons, not to make them feel bad.

Seeing that his goodwill was about to backfire, and remembering the hopeful look in the chubby owner's eyes before they left, Carter decided to speak up. Turning to those who kept scrutinizing them, he shouted:

"What the hell are you looking at?! Bunch of idiots with too much free time? Don't want overtime pay anymore? Low-lifes, go work instead!"