Chapter 113 Dark Web
As expected, Choi Yun-soo was driven away by the two psychopaths who sang the same tune.

Song Anli was very sorry but could do nothing about it, and so was Xie Jingxing. The two of them smiled in tacit understanding, like a pair of dogs who were in cahoots with each other and were willing to kill someone.

"delivery service!"

The dark-skinned Mexican delivery man rushed into the room and roughly threw a large stack of pizza boxes at the door.

Song Anli calmly took out two twenty-dollar tips. The Mexican picked up the box again and placed it on the workbench in the middle of the hall with swift and gentle movements, and said "enjoy your meal" in his broken English.

Indians occupy management positions in Silicon Valley's Internet industry; Chinese are spread across various technical occupations such as programmers and interior decoration teams; Mexicans have swept the low-end service industry with minimum wage standards.

They couldn't understand what was being said but could see the green banknotes. After so many days, Song Anli had gotten used to the process of adding money without much explanation. She and Xie Jingxing had pizza takeout for dinner on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the shapes were mostly round.

"There's going to be a meeting later."

She finished her lunch quietly in the independent office on the second floor and took the wine glass away from the desk.

Xie Jingxing grabbed the free iced black tea drink and poured it into his mouth: "Cui Yunxiu is going to New York with us?"

"That's what she said." Song Anli frowned slightly.

Xie Jingxing suggested: "In fact, it is very convenient to go to New York to recruit a partner assistant for you."

"I think she'll join us if she thinks about it."

Song Anli insisted on her judgment, put down the wine glass, walked to the door and took a white shirt from the hanger: "You smell of alcohol, you need to wash your face and change into this shirt."

Xie Jingxing shrugged indifferently. He didn't have a good or bad impression of Cui Yunxiu. The only memorable thing was the pretentious test at the Venture Capitalist's House that night. It was from a Korean named Cui, who looked like he knew him very well.

It slightly reminds people of a certain Choi chaebol family of the South Korean SK Group, but that's where it ends.

"Wait."

Xie Jingxing took the clothes and just walked to the door to go to the bathroom, Song Anli suddenly blocked his way, bent down and squatted to help him smooth out the wrinkles in his pants: "You'd better not drink alcohol to refresh yourself in the afternoon in the future."

"You're meddling a little too much." Xie Jingxing commented.

Song Anli squatted on the ground and looked up at him: "Before, you dragged Didi and Tencent to a meeting to force a discussion about the 10 billion yuan subsidy and drank. Afterwards, you blamed me for not reminding you."

"..."

Xie Jingxing lowered his head and stared at her. After a few seconds of silence, he smacked his lips and was about to say something.

Suddenly, there was a slight bang outside the office. Several employees stood stupidly in the corridor, not knowing whether to move forward or backward. One of them, a burly black man, smiled awkwardly: "Uh, boss, it's time for the meeting... Do you need an extension..."

"Wait, give me five minutes."

Xie Jing Xing felt extremely annoyed and raised the shirt in his hand to show his innocence.

Song Anli calmly grabbed his trouser leg and checked him up and down slowly, making sure there were no wrinkles before standing up.

Xie Jingxing maintained a stiff and polite smile on his face, and walked towards the bathroom without saying a word. The sturdy black man saw this and thought that his boss was really a good man who was calm and upright, and was not afraid of any romantic scandal with his female subordinates.

The female subordinate's performance was even more impressive. She watched Xie Jingxing's back as he hurried into the bathroom. She put her hands behind her head and pulled her hair into a simple high ponytail. She asked calmly, "Are you waiting for me to open the door to the meeting room for you?"

"Haha, please come in."

The burly black man reacted quickly, flashed to the door of the meeting room, pushed it open, laughed dryly, and gestured for invitation, and several employees came in one after another.

Song Anli followed at the end and looked around with her chin slightly raised: "Five minutes, prepare your work plan, I don't want anyone to waste time later."

Xie Jingxing changed his clothes and walked out of the bathroom. He looked at her childish and serious performance through the glass window. He couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth, just like a gardener appreciating the flowers he planted and trimmed by himself blooming little by little.

Over the course of several months, Song Anli traveled from China to abroad and witnessed the top people and things in the industry. After seeing and hearing them, she finally developed some decent workplace temperament.

Especially during the past ten days abroad, she seemed to have come to her senses from the process of investing in ZOOM, completely found her own position, and began to consciously try to take charge of many things.

Xie Jingxing cooperated deliberately. This was much more interesting than virtual strategy games like "Total War" and it could give him the same sense of accomplishment as the growth of the companies he invested in.

…………

In the afternoon, I held a meeting to make arrangements for the company’s work. In the evening, I had a small gathering with my new Silicon Valley friends to celebrate Grapefruit Capital’s official move into Sand Hill Road and to say goodbye.

Time passed quickly and it was the next morning. Xie Jingxing took Song Anli and Li Yan on a flight from San Francisco to New York, the last stop of their trip to the United States.

Choi Yun-soo actually came along, but perhaps because of insufficient travel funds, she was in economy class and was unable to show her perseverance in the project during the flight.

"Go to Concubine Pei to watch the show, pay her bill, and buy yourself some clothes and jewelry."

After arriving in Manhattan at noon and getting off the plane, Xie Jingxing arranged: "A budget of one million dollars, you decide how to manage it."

"I want to have a formal talk with Choi Yun-soo, and I may need you to come forward." Song Anli tried her best to persuade him.

Xie Jingxing grabbed the bag from her hand and took out his wallet and phone from it: "This is not included in the itinerary you made for me."

The New York Fashion Week in September every year is a grand event in the fashion and entertainment circles. It is natural that Concubine Pei will come to the red carpet again. In the past few days, she has frequently called him to act coquettishly, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to date him, take photos, and buy some press releases to hype herself up as a rich girlfriend.

He was so busy that he had no time, so he had to ask Song Anli to play with Concubine Pei.

But the last shooting incident still left people with a lingering fear. Song Anli was worried about him wandering around alone. Li Yan also looked serious as he observed the surroundings. His hand subconsciously touched his pocket, but there was actually only a pen in it.

Xie Jingxing had no choice but to give in: "How about this, you come to Columbia University to meet me after watching the fashion show. If I can finish early, I will come to find you."

"Call me anytime if anything happens." Song Anli emphasized again and again.

Xie Jingxing was quite relaxed. He got into the driver's seat of a Porsche 911 first and waved to Li Yan to get in the car and head to Columbia University.

Excluding uncontrollable accidents like shootings, he had studied in Manhattan for four years and was familiar with the place so it wasn't likely that something would go wrong. This car was sent to the airport in advance by his college friends who knew he was coming to New York.

Song Anli also had a car, a fiery red Ferrari coupe. She leaned against the car door and asked leisurely, "Would you like to come with me?" "Your company's travel benefits look pretty good."

Choi Yun-soo looked at the Porsche 911 that had left first, then looked at the young girl and the Ferrari in front of him, and praised them with all his might.

From a work perspective, both domestic and foreign top funds stand at the top of the contempt chain. Banks are rich, and it has nothing to do with ordinary employees.

Song Anli threw the car keys to her: "Come and experience the work of an assistant."

"I think we need to have a good talk about investment cooperation." Choi Yun-su took the key and emphasized.

Song Anli pursed her lips and smiled in agreement: "Hmm, let's talk while walking, the Chanel fashion show is about to begin."

"What?" Choi Yun-soo's expression froze.

Song Anli got into the car: "New York Fashion Week, one of the benefits of being an assistant."

Cui Yunxiu was speechless. A fund manager who dared to offer a five-fold bet on fundraising over five years was certainly not a normal person. The employee benefits were so outrageous, and the corresponding job prospect risks were also outrageous. It was hard to say for sure that the fund would collapse one day.

Although she envied Song Anli, she had no plans to change jobs. She thought investment cooperation was more practical.

Cui Yunxiu calmly lobbied Grapefruit Capital to accept Wells Fargo's investment. Song Anli listened with interest, occasionally interrupting to ask about the details of her work. The two sides talked and drove to the fashion week venue in Midtown.

On the other side, Xie Jingxing also arrived at the Columbia University campus and met Professor Joseph Stiglitz and staff from the Columbia University Endowment Fund in a university-level professor's office.

"You seem to be recovering well."

Professor Joseph is a sturdy man with a full face of white beard and a pair of glasses. When he smiles, he exudes the elegant aura of an academic leader.

Xie Jing Xing placed a cigar gift on the table, and said with a friendly and self-deprecating smile: "Work is the best medicine."

"I have to say that your transformation is truly amazing. The last time you came to say goodbye to me before returning to China, I insisted that you should return to school to complete your graduate studies."

Professor Joseph unpacked the gift box in front of him without any hesitation, took out a cigar and cut it open: "Now you are a qualified investment manager."

"Thank you for your recognition. I am very proud of it." Xie Jingxing nodded slightly in thanks with a serious expression.

The thin, hook-nosed Columbia University endowment fund staff member sat nearby and pursed his lips, thinking that everyone knows that you work as a strategic consultant at Grapefruit Capital, earning an annual salary of up to $400,000 or 500,000 after tax.

We are all experienced people, so there is no need to go through all this foreplay. It is better to just get straight to the point. Just tell us how much you want to invest.

In addition to his Nobel Prize title, Professor Joseph is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, former Chairman of the Clinton Administration’s Council of Economic Advisors, Senior Vice President of the World Bank... His and other identities can be summed up in two words - academic tycoon.

He worked hard for most of his life but never won the Nobel Prize, but he got it immediately after joining Columbia University; in turn, Columbia University used its resources in the academic field to train students and improve the school's social status.

The two parties are equal in status and there is a great degree of exchange of interests. This is particularly common in American universities and is an unspoken rule.

Therefore, as long as Professor Joseph makes his position clear, coupled with the five-fold return rate bet agreement made by Xie Jingxing over five years, it will be difficult for Columbia University's endowment fund to refuse the invitation for investment cooperation.

“I heard that you have received investment from Stanford University’s endowment fund?”

The master and the disciple exchanged pleasantries for a long time, half seriously and half jokingly, and then Professor Joseph got to the point.

Xie Jingxing looked at the hook-nosed staff member next to him and introduced: "Currently, my fund has raised $1.8 million from nine investors, including the Stanford Endowment Fund. There are only million shares left, and I hope to give back to Columbia University."

"Columbia University's endowment fund has never lacked willingness to invest in outstanding alumni, and we are happy to cooperate in this regard." The hook-nosed staff member spoke with a smile on his face.

Professor Joseph smoked his cigar and interrupted, "It seems that Grapefruit Capital has not yet obtained the relevant regulatory approval for fund raising?"

“Yes, we expect to complete the process by the middle of next month, and our fund will be operational in November.”

Xie Jingxing explained, and then said: "Before that, I plan to donate two million US dollars in cash to Columbia University to pay tribute to Columbia University for its training and support for me."

"That's great. I think our cooperation will be smoother because of this." The hook-nosed staff member's eyes lit up and he stopped pretending.

Even for a top university like Columbia University, a single individual donation of two million is not a small amount. It can make the review process of investment decisions easier and also looks better in name.

Xie Jingxing smiled with satisfaction. Academic giants like Professor Joseph, who stood at the top of the financial industry, would instinctively care about their reputation. Being able to serve as a strategic advisor to Grapefruit Capital was of course a recognition of his personal status.

But it is more about wrapping the ability to pay with a soft and noble shell. When he was studying before, he deepened his feelings by asking Professor Joseph to write financial research articles. One article was about 100,000 US dollars, the market price.

The same is true for donating to schools. Two million dollars is roughly the upper limit. Anything more than this will disrupt the market, and anything less than this will be ineffective.

Xie Jingxing was relieved that he had gotten the job done easily. With the investment from the endowment funds of two top universities, Columbia University and Stanford University, the relationship network built by Grapefruit Capital had an anchor.

"Teacher, I met a member of the Mellon family in Silicon Valley. He has a deep understanding of virtual digital currency. I am inspired to think that this may become a hot financial topic in the next decade. Are you interested in it?"

The hook-nosed staff member took his leave first, and Xie Jingxing continued to make plans.

Professor Joseph couldn't help but frowned. "You mean Bitcoin? It has characteristics that legal currency doesn't have. It is not controlled by banks or regulated by the government. As long as there is Internet, it can circulate all over the world, which makes its application scenario very difficult."

Two years ago, a criminal named Ulbricht created an online trading platform called "the Silk Road", which people called the dark web. After more than two years of development, various illegal and criminal transactions formed a market here.

When Ulbricht is arrested by the FBI next month, Bitcoin will surge to $1000 in a short period of time, because people have discovered the most perfect application scenario for Bitcoin...

Professor Joseph did not need to wait until after the fact to see that this was completely contrary to his academic views. He was a firm leader in "moral hazard in the financial industry" and believed that financial markets must be reasonably regulated.

"Yes, I think there are serious regulatory gaps and legal risks, so I would like to fund your research team to promote relevant academic research." Xie Jingxing said his thoughts with a smile on his face.

Investing in mining in advance to hoard bitcoins and then acting as a banker and waiting for prices to rise is a weak strategy. If you want to play, play it big, such as opening a "casino" as a trading platform.

Not only Bitcoin, but all other virtual currencies can be traded on this platform.

This obviously won't work in China, so we need to find a solution in the United States.

(End of this chapter)