Chapter 401 Wishing You All Become Billionaires Tomorrow
The distance to Universal Investment Company's office was not far, only about one hundred meters away from the hotel where Lin Haoran was staying.
He and his bodyguards didn't bother with a car; they simply walked.
In Hong Kong, Lin Haoran was already a household name, widely recognized even across Southeast Asia for his legendary rise in the business world over the past two years. However, in the United States, despite occasional mentions in business newspapers and even once making the front page of The New York Times, the American public's impression of him was faint at best.
While some who followed the news might know his name, few could recognize his face.
Thus, Lin Haoran confidently strolled through bustling Times Square with more than a dozen bodyguards dressed in ordinary coats, drawing little attention from passersby.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of a towering skyscraper, standing over 200 meters tall.
Su Zhixue, having received notice, was already waiting for them downstairs.
Under his guidance, the group ascended to the 39th floor — the floor Lin Haoran had purchased for 4.8 million US dollars.
As soon as they stepped into the office, many employees greeted Lin Haoran warmly.
These were the employees who had been transferred from Hong Kong.
Initially, stabilization was the priority, so there was no need to hire many new local staff yet.
"Boss, to help the company settle quickly, and considering that tasks aren't heavy for now, I don't plan to hire ordinary traders immediately. But I am planning to recruit a local professional manager as my deputy, and also fill some administrative roles with local hires to make our operations smoother.
After all, we haven't built local networks yet," Su Zhixue explained after leading Lin Haoran into an office.
"Good idea. I completely agree. You're in charge here," Lin Haoran nodded approvingly.
Being newcomers, unfamiliar with the area, having local employees was indeed necessary.
"Also, although we've been here for over a week now, our main task is still getting familiar with the environment and market — studying the stock market, arranging visits to the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and so on," Su Zhixue continued.
"No rush. Take it slowly. By the way, how are your living arrangements?" Lin Haoran asked with concern.
"After arriving in New York, we stayed in a hotel for five days. During that time, I let everyone find their own housing, with a standardized housing subsidy provided by the company.
Everyone was satisfied. Some chose to live nearby for convenience, others opted for cheaper places farther away.
They're all top graduates, and although many are in the U.S. for the first time, language isn't a barrier, so they've integrated smoothly," Su Zhixue said with a smile.
"Good, as long as everything is settled," Lin Haoran nodded.
The cost of supporting nearly two hundred employees was no small amount, but considering the returns from just one successful project, which could be worth billions, this expenditure was more than worthwhile.
Looking around the office, situated on the 39th floor with its wide floor-to-ceiling windows, Lin Haoran realized the view here was even better than his hotel suite.
The cityscape of New York stretched magnificently before him.
Though Hong Kong was prosperous, it still couldn't match New York in terms of urban construction.
This was the world's number-one city, after all.
Standing by the glass, Lin Haoran gazed out at the dense forest of skyscrapers, reluctant to tear his eyes away.
Due to geographical constraints, Hong Kong could never present such an awe-inspiring view — a slight regret, he thought.
He and Su Zhixue discussed future plans and Su Zhixue's findings during his first days in New York.
After chatting for a while, they left the private office to visit the general office area.
Nearly two hundred employees now each had their assigned tasks, many reading through documents.
Even with 1,300 square meters of space, two hundred people still made the area feel a bit sparse.
After a full tour, Lin Haoran returned to Su Zhixue's office and made several phone calls back to Hong Kong — to Ma Shiming, Cui Zilong, Burton, and Chen Shoulin — letting them know that if they needed to reach him, they should call Su Zhixue first.
Since his schedule in New York was unpredictable, contacting Su Zhixue would be the fastest way to find him.
After those calls, Lin Haoran dialed a number Steve Jobs had given him a few days earlier — the phone number for Apple's New York office.
Without mobile phones, communication was undeniably inconvenient. Lin Haoran couldn't help but miss the era when everyone carried a mobile phone and could be reached at any moment.
When the call connected, it wasn't Jobs who answered, but Lin Haoran learned from the office manager that Jobs was currently at NASDAQ, meeting with executives to finalize preparations for the IPO.
Since Jobs was at NASDAQ, that made things easy.
Universal Investment Company's U.S. headquarters was right across from NASDAQ at Times Square.
After confirming Jobs' whereabouts, Lin Haoran hung up.
Once again, he lamented the absence of widespread mobile phone use.
"Maybe I can speed up the mobile phone revolution?" a thought flashed through his mind.
It would be difficult worldwide, but perhaps in Hong Kong it could be done quickly.
The technology was probably already mature enough. It was just that countries like the U.S., due to their size, would take longer to implement widespread service.
Hong Kong, however, was compact — perfect for early adoption.
Still, he recalled that the first commercially available mobile phone wasn't launched until 1983.
He wasn't entirely sure about the details but decided to find time during this U.S. trip to meet Motorola's executives, since he knew Motorola had developed the first mobile phone.
After saying goodbye to Su Zhixue, Lin Haoran took Li Weiguo and Li Weidong and headed across the street to NASDAQ.
The other thirteen bodyguards disguised themselves as ordinary people, following discreetly to protect him.
Standing outside the ten-story NASDAQ MarketSite building, Lin Haoran gazed up at it with a surprised expression.
During his previous visit to New York, he had toured Times Square but hadn't entered the NASDAQ building.
Instead, he had visited the New York Stock Exchange, adjacent to the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The NASDAQ building was not especially striking among the towering skyscrapers of Times Square, yet its fame far surpassed most neighboring buildings.
The building not only symbolized the NASDAQ exchange but also housed advanced event spaces for celebrating major capital market milestones.
Tomorrow, Apple would hold its IPO right here, marking a monumental occasion.
Lin Haoran was quite looking forward to it.
From his memories, Apple's market capitalization would hit around 1.8 billion U.S. dollars on its first trading day — nearly 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, ranking it among the top three listed companies if placed on Hong Kong's exchange.
And now, Lin Haoran himself was among its major shareholders. He was curious whether his stake would influence the stock's final valuation.
Accompanied by two bodyguards, he crossed the bustling trading area and explained his purpose to a front desk manager.
After some communication through a walkie-talkie, they were soon led into a meeting room.
The remaining bodyguards blended into the crowd, pretending to be ordinary investors.
Inside the meeting room, Lin Haoran saw Steve Jobs, along with Apple's core team: Steve Wozniak, Michael Scott, Mike Markkula, and Rod Holt.
These five individuals represented the heart of Apple.
They had all come — a clear sign of how much they valued tomorrow's IPO.
Upon seeing Lin Haoran, Jobs and the others warmly greeted him, full of enthusiasm.
After all, Lin Haoran was one of Apple's major shareholders, holding 10% of the company.
Moreover, the $10 million he had invested previously had been crucial for Apple's development over the past year.
Without that funding, Apple wouldn't have progressed so smoothly.
Now, all five men radiated excitement, eagerly anticipating the next day, which would bring both honor and immense wealth.
"Congratulations! Tomorrow, you will all become billionaires and multimillionaires," Lin Haoran said, offering his heartfelt congratulations.
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