Outside the door was Tiger, who had brought in what Link had asked for. Two dozen beers, and a few things to go with.

When Tiger was gone, Link put some cooked food on the small table and said, "Come, even if you're full, eat some with me." It's lonely to eat alone. He said, holding up the disposable cup.

Neil didn't take the cup and asked him, "You have money, but what are you going to do?"

Link put down the cup and asked instead of answering, "You have the ability, what are you going to do?"

Neil smiled and said, "Of course, do what is within my power." ”

"I'm a novice computer player, but I also know that advanced software needs to be in a matching hardware environment to fully exploit its capabilities. It's the same with people, high-level talents need a matching platform to fully exert their abilities. Claire, what do you think?"

"You seem to be right, but I find that while wine is not very suitable for drinking in disposable glasses, when the wine is allowed to slowly oxidize, it tastes not much different from the glass. ”

Link sneered, was silent for a while, and said with a smile: "Then, people should also adapt themselves to the platform like red wine?"

Claire stopped talking.

Neil looked down at the red wine and didn't speak.

Link smiled, picked up the disposable cup and took a sip of red wine, and continued, "Many people say that the queen and the fire cloud are red wines with spirituality. But in my opinion, it's still just wine. The so-called spirituality is given to it by man. So whatever cup we want to use for it, it won't open its mouth to raise objections. But he still protests in his own way. For example, the taste. With a disposable cup, even if the degree of oxidation is suitable for drinking, it will still give people a feeling of incompatibility. That's also a human-given trait. In fact, everything is what people think. Because disposable cups are changing, they are still plastic, not glass or crystal. ”

Neil looked up at him and said, "Link, you're right. The wine will protest, and it won't run, but people will choose the platform that suits them best. Like this cloud of fire, I don't think it will ever succumb to a wine glass that doesn't fit it. If Huoyun had its own mind and action, I think it would even create its own exclusive wine glass that suits it best. And not by people. ”

"Haha, that's a very interesting analogy. Link understood what he meant. "But it's clear that it doesn't have that ability, at least not yet. Maybe it will evolve like an animal, but for how long?"

He paused for a moment and said, "Actually, if it can yield to us a little, maybe we will soon be able to exchange it for a basically perfect wine glass." Even as soon as we walked downstairs, there was a supermarket just a mile away. I think you will find a wine glass that is ten or even a hundred times better than this disposable glass. The point is that we get out of this house. ”

Neil was silent again.

Link stopped beating around the bush and said, "Actually, I've been looking into you for a long time, Neil. It was during that time when you were working on GE that you suddenly came up and offered to cooperate. I had you investigated. Knowing what I thought after seeing your experience?"

"Crazy?"

"Haha, yes, crazy! But that's only part of it. Link took a big sip of the wine. "You know I'm an orphan, but I'm lucky enough to be adopted by my current parents. You are also an orphan and have been growing up in an orphanage. I think you're much luckier than I am, though. Because my grades in high school were not necessarily worse than yours back then, but you got a full scholarship to Stanford, and I couldn't even go to college because of the intervention of some people. So I'm actually a little jealous of you. ”

"Also, I've seen you make your first start-up capital in stock at the age of twenty-one. After graduating, he broke into the stock market directly with Claire, and every time he operated in the form of gambling. But you all win. Once it can be luck, but you have accumulated a large amount of money in that way, and even took the lead at the age of twenty-eight, almost interrupting the process of rapid economic development of the hegemon of South Asia. But if you weren't doing it while operating GE, today's scene may have been around for more than a year. But you were so decided. Although there were quite a few losses in the end, at least the Geddes were saved. So I know it's not your luck, it's your strength. ”

"Do you know why you went to Ozette to ask me for investment, and I didn't think much about investing in you directly? In fact, I still think you can succeed. But how long do you have to wait to find your way to success again? When the people on Wall Street have completely forgotten about you? When do you think they're going to forget about you, when are they willing to let you go? Some of them aren't much older than you. Maybe they don't intend to retire until they're seventy. Are you going to wait until you're in your 60s?"

Neil kept looking him in the eye as he spoke, never interrupting him, and waited until he was done before bowing his head and falling silent.

Link felt that he had already said everything he needed to say, and if Neil still insisted on starting his own business and being the boss, he couldn't do it.

Neil lowered his head in contemplation like a statue, and Link looked at it for a moment, not seeing any reaction from him, and turned his head to look at Claire.

Claire shrugged, then picked up the disposable cup and lip-synced "Cheers!" to him.

Link smiled wryly, had to pick up the cup and touch it silently with him, and then took a small sip.

Neil was silent for six or seven minutes before he looked up again and said, "Then Link, if I help you work, what kind of platform can you give me?"

"It's not a part-time job. I give you the opportunity to be a collaborator. At least $1.5 billion, still do your business. I can give you a 30% option, and as long as you are in the company, you can buy shares in the company at any time, at the time of purchase, at 80% of the price of the immediate asset. At the same time, 1.5% of the shares = 1% of the dividend. That is, as long as you do not buy every 1.5% of the remaining options, you can get 1% of the company's profit as a dry stock dividend, and when you buy all the options, you will not be paid another dry stock dividend. But you can't take any chances lately, because I know Wall Street will be watching you all the time. Until you don't have enough capital or absolute certainty, I want your investment to be prudent. ”

"1.5 billion dollars. It was an unimaginable investment for me right now. But that's not enough. Link. ”

"Of course, I know that $1.5 billion isn't a big platform for you. If my other plan succeeds, maybe next year you'll get $15 billion in access to it. You know I don't really know anything about finance. I'm not going to hold any fingers at the company, like Stoll did. ”

In fact, $1.5 billion has already made Neil excited. He raised the lack of funds, mainly to put forward a condition. But what Link said now, he couldn't make a request, so he had to ask: "You know that you and I are actually not good at running companies, and Claire used to manage and run companies." Are you going to send someone to assist me?"

Link knew he had accomplished the purpose of his trip when he said this, and smiled and said, "Yes!" he said as he stretched out his hand to Claire. "What do you think of Claire!"

Claire and Neil didn't come from the same orphanage, or even the same state. But both of them were orphans, and when they were in college, they became roommates. Similar life experiences make them good friends for life. The two have been working together for more than a decade.

Link knew that Neil would definitely want to get a job for Claire as well. But he had other plans for Claire.

As Neil himself said, he was a genius at speculation, but he was inadequately at managing the company, and without Claire by his side to assist him, Geddes might not have been able to grow as quickly.

Neil finally nodded and said, "He's very good." I am very happy with such a candidate. ”

Link added, "But I expect something else from Claire. So he can only assist you part-time. And his job is to manage you. ”

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Claire and Neil have been like conjoined babies at work for the past ten years, so he wasn't worried that Neil would be unsettled if he agreed to Link's invitation. But this would surprise him a little by Link's words.

Link looked at him and said, "Claire, you know, I started a bank. ”

Claire said unceremoniously: "Of course, Ozette Investment Bank." A company with billions of dollars in principal is doing $400 million in business a year. It is known as the least efficient bank in the financial world. ”

"So it needs you. Link didn't take his heart-piercing words to heart, because they were the truth. "You know, I hired a group of professionals, but I couldn't find a manager who could actually run a bank, so I'm still the president of the bank. I think you're the person I'm looking for. ”

"Managing a bank is a very attractive challenge for me. But it's in Huazhou!"

"Neil can also be in Washington. ”

Link understands that he is saying that he needs to assist Neil. But Link also has his own opinion on this: "While there is more financial talent on Wall Street, Neil does not do any good on Wall Street. will only make him stand in front of the predators on Wall Street all the time, and he has a spotlight effect on him. So he could have gone to Huazhou as well. Because I want the company he runs to be an investment fund of Ozette Bank. It is a subsidiary of a bank. Neil, what do you think?"

"As long as you have a network cable, you can operate even in Antarctica. Of course, Neil didn't have a problem with that. "Maybe I'll be able to find my former men. ”

"They can be paid the same way they did when they were in Geddes. I can also arrange suitable housing. ”

"You can arrange some housing for them. My words, ordinary will do. Because I still owe $4.41 billion in debt. ”

"OK, how many do you think there will be?"

"There should be 10 to 15 people, all of whom are the backbone of my team. ”

Link nodded and asked Claire again, "Claire, what about you?" yes or no?"

"Is there an option?"

"Can give you 2.5% of the option, the same 80% of the price. At the same time, I can give you a 2.5% dividend during your employment. But the annual salary will not be too high. It can only be three million dollars at most. If you want to make more money, help me run a good bank. And you have to be the CEO of the bank, and Neil's assistant. ”

"Boss, I have to pat your ass: you have such a good eye!"

Even Neil laughed out loud this time.

Link laughed and said, "So, I guess I should have a toast to our collaboration?"

Neil smiled and picked up his glass, touched it with the two of them, and then dried it in one gulp. He liked the word "cooperation" very much.