"It's better to arrive on time than to arrive too early. When Huang He arrived at Netflix's headquarters, he unexpectedly received news that Netflix's boss, Reed Hastings, was seeking financing help.
This was normal. Any company, when it develops to a certain stage, needs financing. Huang He was an exception because he had a cheat.
Most other companies would seek financing, obtain funds from investors, and then rapidly develop their companies.
Now, with Netflix's mail-order policy taking effect, it was the peak of Netflix's popularity. Reed Hastings was trying to promote his business model across America, which required a large amount of capital to open stores nationwide and establish a presence.
Therefore, Reed Hastings proactively signaled his intention to seek external financing and announced that he would host a banquet at his estate, inviting various investment companies in California. The event was scheduled for three nights later.
This outcome both surprised and delighted Huang He. He was happy that he wouldn't have to go to great lengths to persuade Reed Hastings to sell the company; he could simply acquire shares in Netflix with money.
The frustrating part was that Huang He was not qualified to attend the banquet. Reed Hastings had explicitly stated that only investment companies in California were eligible for this exclusive event.
Huang He had tried to contact Reed Hastings privately, but Reed Hastings had directly refused, stating that he only accepted investments from investment companies and not from any individuals.
The reason was simple: investment companies generally only handled investments and rarely interfered with the normal operations of a company. However, individual investors were different. Reed Hastings did not want his company to eventually fall into the hands of others, hence the investment banquet.
But the problem was, in his haste, how could Huang He establish an investment company in the United States? Previously, Huang He had always invested in companies directly under the name of Jiangnan Group. It was the first time he had encountered a situation where an "investment company" qualification was required.
"Brother-in-law, can we acquire an investment company temporarily?" Leng Zhiruo suggested. "There are still two days until the banquet. If we acquire one now, it should be in time!"
\---
"Congratulations, Little Swift, starting today, you are the president of our Western Mustang Investment Group!" In a dimly lit office, an old white man said with a peculiar smile to a lean boy who had just reached adulthood.
Little Swift was black, as was clearly evident from his dark skin.
However, he seemed to be a very successful black man, becoming the president of a prominent investment group at the age of 18.
But Little Swift couldn't even cry, because this Western Mustang Investment Group had accumulated losses of a full 3 million US dollars.
This Western Mustang Investment Group was not a legitimate investment company at all. It was a front for a local California gangster family, used for money laundering and defrauding public funds.
The company could have continued to operate smoothly, but recently, the family had encountered problems, leading to internal strife and a melee. The ultimate outcome was the fragmentation of the family and the loss of most of their assets.
The Western Mustang Investment Group was given to the youngest son of the family, an unaccomplished gambling addict. Because he remained neutral during the internal conflict, he was unharmed. Instead, he was ultimately rewarded by the victors. As he was their own brother, they gave this investment company to him.
However, this was not a good deed. The company was actually in debt more than its capital, making it a hot potato. Giving it to his own brother allowed him to gain a good reputation and get rid of this burden.
But this younger brother was also a shrewd individual. The first thing he did after taking over the company was to sell all its valuable stocks, then create some fraudulent accounting to deceive investors, and finally, he fled with all the money.
To avoid future trouble, this younger brother directly found a newly-turned-18-year-old associate from his family. After a series of procedural arrangements, this associate found himself confusedly becoming the president and chairman of Western Mustang Investment Group. Unfortunately, the assets were negative. And today was the day this president and chairman took office.
"Goodbye, dear Little Swift, I am heading to beautiful Las Vegas. If I return laden with riches, I will share a basin of gold with you. If I never return, I will probably die there!" The former boss said, and then left resolutely. His demeanor truly had a bit of Jing Ke's spirit as he set out to assassinate the King of Qin, never to return. Little Swift was left to look helplessly at the office, which was almost devoid of electricity.
"I wonder when the police will come and arrest me and make me spend a few years in prison!" Little Swift already knew his fate. The younger brother's fraudulent accounting was very crude and could only deceive for a short time.
It was estimated that within a few days, many investors would discover the trickery, report it, and then the police would arrive.
If he were white, he could still argue a bit. But as a black person, he would likely be immediately thrown into prison and spend a few years behind bars.
Logically, Little Swift should have fled immediately, but he couldn't. According to the agreement with his younger brother, he had to stay and take the blame until his brother was released from prison.
The reason was that his younger brother had taken $30,000 to treat his sister's illness. Although not a large sum, it was enough to support him until his release.
Although Little Swift was a hoodlum, he was also a man of his word. Since he had taken the money, he would see it through!
Just as Little Swift was lamenting his fate alone, a doorbell rang from the office.
"Aren't those investors here already?" Little Swift was startled and wished he could jump out the window and escape immediately.
However, his promise kept him in place. Trembling, he opened the door and saw four Asian faces appearing at the company entrance.
This was not all. Little Swift also saw seven or eight burly men holding fully automatic weapons, controlling the entire floor's hallway. This formation was much more imposing than their family's gunmen, which made Little Swift even more fearful, thinking he was surely doomed.
"I presume you are the new president and chairman of Western Mustang Investment Group, Mr. Tyronne Swift?" Huang He asked with a smile.
"Sir, it has nothing to do with me. I'm just a temporary scapegoat, and I don't have a single cent!" Little Swift said quickly, making Huang He frown.
"What's the problem here? Tell me truthfully, and I won't make things difficult for you!" Huang He said.
"Yes!" Little Swift was terrified by the gunmen. He instinctively believed these people were from his family, and if he dared to deceive them, he would probably be hung under a bridge the next day, his corpse swaying in the wind.
So, Little Swift very straightforwardly recounted his entire story, except for the $30,000 he received to treat his sister's illness; he told them everything else.
"Sir, I will cooperate with whatever you ask me to do. I just beg you to spare my life. I am also innocent!" Little Swift said pitifully.
"So!" Huang He pondered for a moment and then asked, "Show me all your company's accounts, the figures in your company's bank accounts, and the detailed data of all investors!"
"Yes!" Swift said immediately. But he was just a temporary scapegoat, and everyone else from the company had fled, leaving him as a lone commander. He had no understanding of the company's situation and couldn't find these things after searching for a long time.
Finally, Huang He took matters into his own hands and retrieved these items from the company's only decent-looking iron cabinet.
"A total deficit of 3.62 million US dollars!" Huang He hadn't actually tallied the accounts. He had only glanced at the funds invested by investors and then at the empty company accounts to understand the company's basic financial status.
"Are you sure you are the chairman of this company? Is all company material, power, shares, etc., in your sole possession?" Huang He asked.
"Yes, I am sure!" Little Swift nodded. "Although I don't know how to check these things, I know Mr. Rand is a meticulous person. He wouldn't let the fire burn himself, so I think he must have put everything onto me."
"Anyway, for me, 50% of the shares and 100% of the shares are the same. I'm going to jail either way!" Little Swift said mournfully.
"Zhiruo, isn't this the same as the intelligence we just gathered?" Huang He asked.
Huang He did not directly find such a peculiar investment company. Instead, he spent the entire morning hiring a professional business lawyer and selecting one from a large number of investment companies in California. This company had a small investment scale, its equity was concentrated in one person, and it had been losing money for years, making it seem very easy to acquire.
As expected, all these conditions matched. However, Huang He had never expected its background to be so complicated.
"Yes, the lawyer confirmed that Mr. Swift's statement is true. We only need him to sign the transfer documents, and this Western Mustang Investment Company will be completely our Jiangnan property!" Leng Zhiruo said.
"Western Mustang!" Huang He clicked his tongue and then smiled, "Interesting. We are Jiangnan, and this is the West. It's a perfect match. We'll buy this company!"