With the screech of brakes, a brand-new black Audi 90 sedan came to a halt outside a small villa. Ryan sat in the passenger seat, grimacing constantly. In his eyes, Nicole's driving skills were absolutely atrocious. He seriously doubted whether this newly bought car could make it through the break-in period in one piece.
"Nicole, did you bribe the examiner during your driving test?"
"Shut up, Ryan," Nicole ground her pearly white teeth. "If you say one more word, after this visit, you can walk back to Los Angeles from Santa Monica on your own!"
Ryan stuck out his tongue and swallowed the next sarcastic comment. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car first, heading toward the small villa, which though not large, looked extremely elegant.
It was the last day of August. He and Nicole had come to the seaside town of Santa Monica to visit the retired Dean Katie. After all, back when he was in the orphanage, the old dean was the only one who had truly cared for and helped him. She had also played a significant role during the legal case that followed.
"Aunt Katie, it's so good to see you."
Although they occasionally corresponded, they hadn't seen each other in two years. The old dean looked visibly older, with more than half her hair turned white.
"Ryan, you've grown taller, and more mature," Dean Katie said with some emotion. After the housekeeper served juice and coffee, she looked at Nicole and said, "I can't believe two years have passed just like that. Was this little guy easy to take care of? With his temperament, I'm sure he gave you some headaches."
"Mrs. Katie, we get along great. Adopting Ryan was the best decision I've ever made in my life." Nicole smiled as she ruffled Ryan's hair. "He's the only family I have in America."
"Then I'm relieved."
After asking Ryan a few questions about how he had been doing recently and chatting with Nicole for a bit, the old dean clearly started to run out of energy. So Ryan and Nicole had to say their goodbyes. Before they left, she held Nicole's hand and said, "Ryan is the smartest and most talented child I've ever seen. Take good care of him and help him grow up healthy. If you run into any trouble that you can't handle, just give me a call. I may be old, but I still have quite a few relatives and friends."
After taking a stroll along the Santa Monica beach and grabbing lunch at a seafood restaurant, Nicole drove Ryan back toward Los Angeles. He had an appointment that afternoon at Attorney Wilson's law office.
Attorney Wilson was somewhat well-known in the Greater Los Angeles area. Although his law firm could barely be considered mid-sized, business was decent, and he rented a two-story office building near City Hall.
In a closed conference room, two white men were waiting for him. The balding middle-aged man was Ryan's lawyer, Mr. Wilson. The other, a tall, sturdy, and much younger brown-haired man, was the stockbroker and investment adviser Mr. Wilson had introduced to him last year.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Scott. We've talked on the phone quite a few times. I never imagined you'd be this tall." From Ryan's estimation, the guy had to be at least six feet three inches tall.
"Ryan, I also didn't expect that you're not even ten years old yet." Mr. Scott's expression was a bit exaggerated.
What followed was an investment discussion. As a competent and professional attorney, Mr. Wilson left the meeting room on his own. Nicole, after dropping Ryan off at the office building, had gone to the gym and would come back to pick him up after the firm closed.
"Mr. Scott, I heard from Uncle Wilson that you're heading back to New York soon?"
"That's right. I plan to return to Merrill Lynch in a few days. I might resign from my current job."
"Resign? Why?" Ryan scratched his head, thinking, "What a pain! I finally found a reliable investment advisor, and now he wants to quit?"
Mr. Scott smiled helplessly, though the smile was filled with warmth and sweetness. "My wife is pregnant. I'll be a father in December. We plan to return to Montgomery, Pennsylvania, to wait for the baby's birth."
"So that's what it is." Ryan mumbled, then added, "Well, congratulations, Mr. Scott."
This was a real hassle. After finally convincing Nicole, was he just going to give up? Ryan's eyes shifted. "Mr. Scott, what I need help with actually doesn't conflict with what you've got going on. You just need to manage a sum of money and buy some stocks for me."
"Well, in that case…"
After a bit more persuasion—er, encouragement—from Ryan, and since the tasks wouldn't take too much time, Mr. Scott finally agreed.
"Wait a minute, Ryan!"
Mr. Scott suddenly interrupted the boy who had been speaking with great enthusiasm. Ever since entering the room, the boy had shown a surprising level of maturity and intelligence. But at this moment, Mr. Scott finally realized—he was still just an innocent kid.
"What's wrong?" Ryan was in the middle of showing off the little bit of knowledge he'd picked up online in his previous life and didn't understand why Mr. Scott had cut him off.
"Ryan, the Cisco you mentioned—isn't that a network equipment supplier?" After Ryan confirmed with a nod, Mr. Scott suddenly laughed. "Cisco hasn't gone public yet!"
Ryan's mouth twitched involuntarily, and his face turned gloomy. At that moment, he really wanted to run to the beach in Malibu, dig a hole, and bury himself in it. Oh God! He had made such a ridiculous mistake. If those super-powered reincarnators saw this, they would definitely turn him into a timeless joke.
"And Microsoft stock—right now, pretty much every investor is optimistic about Microsoft's growth. It's incredibly difficult to buy large quantities of Microsoft shares on the market. And then there's Apple…"
Mr. Scott gave a brief analysis of the financial and investment market. The more detailed his explanation became, the more cold sweat formed on Ryan's forehead, and the more relieved he felt deep down.
Good thing he had some self-awareness and never fully believed those bits of financial crisis and currency war knowledge from his past life. He never thought he could dominate the market with just that. If he had gotten carried away like those other overconfident transmigrators, trying to short the yen or exploit economic policies, he'd probably end up being another person jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Alright! I'm clearly not cut out for business and finance. Ryan could only sigh. Making such a massive blunder was super embarrassing. Luckily, he was still a kid and had developed thick skin over the years. Otherwise, he would have been mortified. Thank goodness Nicole wasn't there. If she had witnessed this, she'd definitely have exercised her guardian authority to lock down his wallet tight.
"There's really no other way?" Ryan asked, still unwilling to give up.
"I'll keep an eye on the market and try to acquire as much Microsoft stock as possible. As for Cisco, I've heard people say it might go public next year. If you're sure about buying its stock, I'll do my best." Although Mr. Scott didn't make any guarantees, his words still carried a degree of confidence.
"Alright then. Let's stay in touch."
Ryan sighed—this was the best he could do. Whatever he could buy was better than holding onto depreciating paper currency. Besides, reliable and capable investment managers were hard to find. Forget about those small firms—even Wall Street's major firms were full of frauds.
If it weren't for introductions from Dean Katie and Attorney Wilson, Ryan wouldn't have trusted Mr. Scott at all. Even so, proper oversight measures would still be necessary.
"Ryan, if you ever get the chance, come visit Pennsylvania. I've got a big farm there—you can go horseback riding." When they said goodbye, Mr. Scott warmly extended an invitation.
"If I ever make it to the East Coast, I'll definitely visit," Ryan replied with a bright smile.
It's no exaggeration to say that this afternoon meeting had dealt Ryan a blow and also embarrassed him quite a bit. But at the same time, it made him soberly reassess himself. He realized what kind of path suited him best and tossed out all those unrealistic dreams he had gathered from his previous life on the internet.
Forget the Plaza Accord, the yen crisis, the "shearing sheep" strategy, the fall of the red giant, the Southeast Asian financial storm, the subprime mortgage crisis—let them all go to hell! I'd better just focus on making movies.
Back home, Ryan sat at his desk with a wry smile. Just when his greedy ambition was beginning to swell, it was mercilessly pricked by a sharp needle.
Truth be told, having lived two lives, he knew very well that his greatest talent lay in the arts. In this life, that talent was magnified many times over. Still, people always get blinded by greed and unrealistic fantasies. In a sense, Mr. Scott Swift had been the stick that hit him over the head.
Although… why did that name suddenly sound familiar? Ryan scratched his head and dismissed the thought, then picked up his pen and began scribbling on his draft paper.
The scorching summer had come to an end. Ryan Jenkins, a transfer student from London, stepped into an American school for the first time. Nicole had chosen a private school for him—St. John Elementary. Don't be fooled by the name; it wasn't a religious school. Even though he had been reborn, Ryan was at best an agnostic. If anyone forced him into a strict Catholic school, he'd rather be dead.
"Ryan, behave yourself at school and get along with your classmates. Don't go doing anything weird. If the principal ever calls me in, I swear I'll send you to boarding school!"
After dropping him off at the campus, Miss Nicole Kidman issued a stern warning, even though she knew it probably wouldn't do much good.
"Come on, Nicole, do I look like the type of kid who causes trouble?" Ryan immediately fired back, almost reflexively. "Don't worry. As long as those little brats and weirdo teachers don't mess with me, I won't stoop to their level."