"Welcome to the Victory Fraternity! Believe me, you won't be disappointed here—"
During the official club recruitment event on Friday, Robert Musk enthusiastically spread his arms in welcome as Mike arrived.
"Don't I need any tests?" Mike hadn't expected the process of joining the brotherhood to be so smooth; he just filled out a form.
One should know that the Sigma Fraternity next door was holding an arm-wrestling competition. Only by defeating the gatekeeper could one qualify to join the Sigma Fraternity.
"For someone who owns an investment company, there's absolutely no need for that. You perfectly meet our requirements." Robert had a friendly smile on his face.
The family Robert Musk belonged to was precisely the family that owned Tesla Industry. For such a wealthy individual, some of Mike's actions on Wall street were no secret.
Moreover, if a list of the wealthiest people under twenty were compiled, Mike would undoubtedly be on it and ranked quite high.
With his wealth and achievements, he was already qualified to enter the upper echelons of New York society.
"Alright," Mike accepted his new identity, then asked, "What are the rules within the Victory Fraternity, and how are club activities carried out?"
Some rules and activities of fraternities or sororities can sometimes be outrageous. So, it's better to clarify such things in advance.
"We are the rules."
Robert's face showed strong confidence; in capitalist society, the wealthy are just that overbearing: "As for club activities, when a member has a need, they can apply for a gathering on their own…"
"The purpose of the gathering can be to seek help, or to share or exchange some internal information with other members."
To put it plainly, members of the Victory Fraternity are all people who are both wealthy and capable. Such people are often very individualistic, so rigid rules do not apply to them.
The nature of the Victory Fraternity is also more like a gathering place for talent.
"Thank you for informing me." Mike smiled, clearly very satisfied with his brotherhood.
"Oh, by the way, I have a private party invitation here. If you're free this weekend, you can go check it out; it might be helpful to you." Before Mike left, Robert handed him a gilded invitation.
Party Location: Channing Mansion, Fifth Avenue, New York.
Inviter: Martin Channing.
Goodness, Mike could confirm that he was indeed being targeted by the Channing Family's eldest daughter.
"I'm just passing on a message; whether you go or not is up to you." Robert gave Mike a look that all men understand, waved, and said, "Good luck, brother. If you need any help, feel free to come find me anytime."
Strictly speaking, the strength of the Musk family is no less than that of the Channing Family, and it has deeper roots.
So Robert didn't need to be concerned about the Channing Family's eldest daughter's feelings, and thus he had the confidence to back Mike up.
"Thanks for the concern, I'll come find you if I need to." Mike accepted Robert's good intentions.
Relationships, you see, are built little by little through such give and take.
After two interactions, Mike also realized that Robert was a wealthy second-generation with quite a few ideas, and also a valuable connection worth making.
Moreover, the matter of passing on a message couldn't be blamed on the other party.
Mike, having already confirmed that he was being targeted, could foresee that even if he chose to join the Sigma Fraternity next door, Johnny would probably still produce an invitation from the Channing Family.
...
Time came to Saturday morning, a black extended business car departed from Wall street and drove along the commercial district towards Fifth Avenue.
"Mike, do you like watches, sports cars, or precious jewelry?" In the business car, Chris chatted with Mike.
The King Investment Company, soon to enter the physical industry, needed to pay most attention to tax reporting issues afterwards.
One should know that IRS was not to be trifled with. Even the Joker dared not to mess with them, after all.
And purchasing luxury goods to offset taxes was a legitimate tax avoidance method used by all companies.
"Is it for tax reporting? Sports cars, yachts, private jets, whatever, can all be arranged." Mike said casually. The life of the wealthy is just that simple and unpretentious.
"Uh, conservatively estimated, our current annual reasonable tax avoidance fund limit should only be a few million dollars." Chris looked at Mike speechlessly and continued, "This money is fine for buying sports cars, but as for yachts and private jets, we can't afford them yet."
Better yachts and private jets often cost tens of millions of dollars, and even the wealthy can't necessarily afford them.
"I didn't say buy them now, there will always be opportunities in the future." Mike envisioned the future.
After all, once funds reach a certain amount, how to spend money on enjoyment is also an art.
Yachts, beaches, sunshine, bikini beauties, etc., he could enjoy them all when the opportunity arose.
"You're the boss!" Chris seemed to have believed Mike's nonsense. Afterwards, he took out a stack of documents and continued, "Also, the company is preparing to look for a lawyer to cooperate with. What are your thoughts?"
The company's tax avoidance issues, commercial disputes, property and trademark maintenance, and other issues all required the use of lawyers.
It could be said that a qualified business lawyer was equivalent to a protective umbrella for an enterprise.
"This one it is." Mike pulled out a document labeled [Nolan] from among many files.
This Mr. Nolan, though not particularly outstanding now, would become the most legendary lawyer on Wall street in the future.
His specialty was handling financial dispute issues.
Moreover, this person belonged to the type who did things for money, was clean-handed, and would not cause unnecessary trouble for clients.
Mike recalled that Jordan Belfort's future foreign exchange dealings in "The Wolf of Wall street" were facilitated by this very lawyer.
"OK, I'll have someone contact Mr. Nolan later." Chris had no objections.
The King Investment Company was just starting, and its scale was not that large, so there was no need for an overly famous lawyer.
Lawyer Nolan's resume was clean and his fees were reasonable, which was very suitable for the company's current requirements.
As time passed, the black business car smoothly drove into the bustling Fifth Avenue.
The location here was no less prime than the extremely expensive Wall street. On both sides of the street, the world's most expensive luxury stores stood tall.
And here, the Channing Family, owning an independent commercial building, showed just how powerful they were.
"I think you should wear a tie." In front of the building, Chris took out a red spare tie, looking even more nervous than Mike.
This private gathering, initiated by Wall street's new star Martin Channing, would likely be attended by important figures.
In Chris's view, this was a good opportunity for Mike to network with "dignitaries."
Even if he couldn't network, leaving a good impression was still good.
"No need for a tie, I'm fine as I am." Mike, dressed in a casual suit, looked very relaxed.
He clearly knew that when one's own social class was not up to par, rushing in would not lead to "friendship."
His main purpose for coming this time was to broaden his horizons.
Networking with "dignitaries" was out of the question; Mike didn't want to do it and couldn't do it.
"Alright, you're the boss," Chris seemed to have gotten used to his young boss's unconventional ways.
Then, he said, "I'll be waiting for you in the parking space over there in a bit."
For the Channing Family's gathering, each invitation allowed only one person to enter.
At the entrance of the magnificent commercial building, after Mike presented his invitation, he was led into the building by the doorman and took the elevator to the reception hall on the top floor.
At this time, many successful people wearing expensive suits and watches had already arrived. Among them were also a few bejeweled and beautiful noblewomen.
Additionally, the reception hall was lavishly decorated, with waiters carrying trays constantly moving about.
All of this indicated the identity of the host here, a super-rich individual.
To use an apt analogy: every breath taken here smelled of money.
Mike's arrival did not attract much attention.
Even if some were surprised by his looks, they didn't rashly come up to greet him.
Enjoying the peace, Mike took a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray and walked towards a corner.
The people chatting in the middle of the hall clearly knew each other; it would not be easy to join such a small group without an introduction.
"Hi, you look very unfamiliar." A young man in his twenties with a mature appearance walked up to Mike and exclaimed, "I can guarantee I've never seen you before. Otherwise, with your looks, I'd definitely remember you."
This young man seemed very talkative, and his eager expression indicated that his purpose for being here was likely to network.
It was just a pity that those successful people in the center of the hall didn't seem to think much of this young man.
Therefore, he settled for the next best thing and approached Mike, who was also young and seemingly a wealthy second-generation.
"Thanks for the compliment, this is indeed my first time attending such a gathering." Mike responded with a smile, not disliking the highly ambitious young man in front of him.
In an era of rapid economic development like this, having ambition is also a good quality.
"By the way, I'm Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker. May I ask what industry you're in?" Jordan, with his keen observation skills, had already noticed that Mike's suit was not a designer brand. Therefore, he began to doubt the other party's "wealthy second-generation" identity.
It wasn't that Jordan was snobbish; understanding the precise situation of a person was a basic quality of a qualified broker.
This was an occupational hazard.
After all, only by understanding the client's situation and needs could one better sell the "product."
This "product" could be a commodity, or of course, oneself.