Since coming to this world, the person Luke cared about most was Grandpa—the old man who always sat in a wheelchair, liked to put on a solemn, deadpan face, and was genuinely good to him.
From childhood to adulthood, he had never refused any of Luke's requests, no matter how unreasonable or reasonable they were. Never.
Recalling the days they lived together, Luke couldn't help but sigh,
"Is Grandpa doing alright?"
"Nothing serious, he just likes to throw things."
Luke sighed softly, "He's really angry."
"His most beloved grandson ran away from home for several months without even making a phone call. How could he not be angry?"
Billy pouted, his expression betraying a hint of jealousy. They were both grandsons, so why was there such a huge difference? Logically, he was the biological grandson.
Luke asked again, "Besides telling me to go home, what else did he say?"
"Oh, a lot."
Billy chuckled, habitually resting his leg on the sofa—a habit developed from years of playing video games. Anyone who frequented internet cafes would know.
"I'm telling you, when you go back this time, you need to be careful. Grandpa wants to arrange a marriage for you!"
Pfft!
Charlie, who was drinking water, directly spat it out, completely stunned.
Luke was also dumbfounded and quickly said, "What's going on? Did he forget to take his medicine again? I'm only seventeen, and he wants me to get married."
"It's all because of your girlfriends!"
At the mention of those seductive women, Billy's eyes lit up. "You don't know how deeply they feel for you. Every time they get drunk, they run outside your house, wailing like banshees, calling you a heartless cad, a scumbag, a degenerate. They'd carry on for half the night, infuriating Grandpa so much that he almost took a gun and shot them."
"Grandpa said, 'If you keep messing around like this, something bad will happen sooner or later.' Someone suggested, 'Let him get engaged first. Once a man has a family, his personality will stabilize.' Grandpa thought it made sense and agreed."
Billy took a sip of water, his interest piqued, his short, thick eyebrows raised.
"The candidate has been decided. A Chinese girl, raised in Midtown. Her family background is excellent. Her mother works at the embassy, and her father seems to be a vice-chancellor at a famous university in China. She comes from a scholarly family. Grandpa is very satisfied with her. The reason he's calling you back this time is to have you two meet and finalize the engagement."
Charlie interjected, "What does she look like? Does she have a good figure?"
"Her looks don't match my aesthetic, but according to their standards, she's a fairy. As for her figure…"
Billy pouted, "She's only eighteen. It's still early."
Charlie was immediately disappointed. He wasn't an idiot; he could tell what was implied. If an eighteen-year-old's figure couldn't be discerned yet, it meant she didn't have one.
"I've delivered Grandpa's message. Now it's time to talk about my business."
Billy sat up straight, unusually bashful, which was quite uncharacteristic of his boisterous personality.
"Luke, we grew up together. On the surface, I'm your older brother, but everyone knows the real situation—you're the boss. So, I want to follow you and work under you."
Luke pushed other emotions aside in his mind, paused for a few seconds, and said,
"If I remember correctly, you're a senior this year."
Billy nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I'm a senior. I've learned everything I need to learn. All that's left is practice."
"I've seen your transcript. A top student in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. Even if you didn't ask, I would have recruited you. However, I don't need to tell you about the family situation. Uncle won't agree."
At the mention of this, Billy's expression immediately soured, even showing a hint of gritting teeth.
"This is my business; he doesn't need to interfere. What era is this? He's still involved in gangs. I worked hard to get into university, not to join the underworld."
"Anyway, I'm staying here with you. I'm not going anywhere. If you don't take me in, I'll go beg on the streets."
Luke felt helpless. This guy was just like before, completely reckless when he got stubborn.
"You can stay, but some things must be made clear: First, you start as an intern and prove yourself with your abilities. Don't expect special treatment from me. Second, you are not allowed to reveal our relationship to anyone."
"Don't worry, I know the rules."
Billy patted his chest, very forthrightly, "I'm a top student who graduated from USC. In terms of strength, I'm second to none. Of course, you're an exception; you're a monster, not within the scope."
"Alright, stop flattering me. Charlie, take him to sign the contract."
Luke waved his hand, dismissing them, and turned to sit back on the sofa. Recalling their earlier conversation, he pressed a hand to his forehead.
Will this day ever be peaceful?
And Grandpa, if he misses me, he should just say so. Why all these convoluted schemes? Am I the type of person to get married?
It seems I have to go back… In the following days, Luke entered full work mode.
Under the stimulation of large sums of money, the preparations for Bluebird and Tesla proceeded very smoothly. The factory site was set at a deserted car factory in the eastern district of the metropolis. Renovation work had already begun, and it was just a matter of time for things to develop.
Then there was ShowMe. Luke fully entrusted Charlie with the operational management, while he personally oversaw research and development and application. These two were the core of ShowMe and had to be done well.
Spending half a day, Luke comprehensively upgraded ShowMe's source code, even adding an AI sub-program to it.
The AI program thoroughly optimized the user's operating experience, automatically organizing and categorizing content based on preferences, bringing what users wanted to see directly to them.
This feature, once launched, caused a huge stir. ShowMe once again experienced a mini-surge in users. In just a few days, the total number of users exceeded twenty-eight million, firmly establishing its position as the industry leader and leaving competitors like Friendste, Mybook, and others far behind.
Investors and bankers also realized that in the face of the omnipotent ShowMe, copycats like Friendste and Mybook were paper tigers. Expecting them to catch up was simply unrealistic.
As the pioneer of social networking platforms, ShowMe naturally became the juiciest pig at the forefront of the trend. Not only local investment institutions, but several large groups from Europe and China also called, expressing investment interest.
Business is like this: when there's money to be made, even if you don't want to be the boss, people will wave cash and beg to be your subordinate. When there's no money to be made, even if you shamelessly come knocking as a subordinate, you'll be kicked out.
Luke had not only witnessed such things but had experienced them firsthand, more than once.
So, when those investors approached him with contracts that would make ordinary people drool, Luke remained calm throughout. No matter how beautiful or bright the future they described, he showed no sign of excitement.
He was like a calm, experienced old fisherman, seeking the fattest king fish, not the small shrimp by the shore.
After multiple attempts, the investors finally realized that this young-looking boss was far more shrewd than they imagined. Seeing that their attempts were futile, those who had hoped to seize an opportunity had to give up their intentions and leave dejectedly.
The dross had left, leaving behind twenty-one reputable financial groups from various parts of the world: China, Japan, the UK, France, and so on. Of course, the most famous were Wayne Enterprises and LuthorCorp, especially the former, which expressed a very strong interest in cooperation.
"It seems Mr. Batman can't sit still."
Luke curled his lips, deciding to let him stew for another half a month.
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