As a rising star on Wall Street, Martin Channing was not tall, of average build, and dressed plainly, but he exuded a unique charm.
At this moment, he stood on the small stage like a friend, sharing his success story with a gentle smile.
His humorous words were full of ingenious rhetorical skills; compared to Jordan, the "telemarketer," his language was clearly more inflammatory.
"I heard you opened an investment company. Should I talk to my dad and have him take you along to do business?" In the first row below the stage, Caroline slowly leaned closer to Michael and whispered.
This intimate gesture showed that the girl was indeed interested in Michael. However, looking at her clumsy flirting skills, she probably had never made a move before.
She was a bit of a "silly big girl."
"Thanks, but no need. I'll run my company well myself." Michael declined the girl's kind offer.
Looking at Martin Channing's current state, there was already a hint of a "pyramid scheme." Michael certainly didn't want to throw his money away.
Moreover, looking at Caroline's expression, she didn't seem to genuinely want to help; she probably just wanted to use the excuse of helping to manipulate Michael.
A girl whose thoughts were so clearly displayed on her face was simply too easy to guess.
"You don't know a good heart when you see one." Caroline, whose first "act of kindness" failed, sat up straight in a huff.
Then, for the rest of the time, the girl's peripheral vision occasionally glanced at Michael, as if playing a childish game of "who speaks first."
"Everyone knows that there is an endless amount of money to be made in the world. And in this era of rapid economic development, the Channing Family is willing to share its secrets to making money. At the same time, on behalf of the Channing Family, I welcome everyone to become our partners at any time."
More than half an hour later, Channing's highly inflammatory speech ended. Afterward, he spread his arms and thanked, "God bless America."
The audience below the stage seemed to be inspired and applauded one after another.
"Yeah!!!"
Just then, a loud echo suddenly came from the back row.
Jordan stood up, applauding vigorously and shouting loudly. His fervent appearance looked even more excited than Martin.
"Heh, a lucky scammer." Caroline looked at Jordan's performance with a disdainful expression.
The reactions of the other guests at the scene were similar to hers.
"You know Jordan?" Michael asked the girl beside him, surprised.
"Of course, this man named Jordan Belfort, who sold penny stocks to the poor through telemarketing, has swindled countless people. This is no secret to people on Wall Street." Caroline, with a sense of justice, took this opportunity to show off her knowledge.
Sure enough, the current Caroline still lived in an ivory tower, and her privileged life made her thoughts very naive.
If she really knew the truth, she would know that what her father did was a hundred times more despicable than Jordan.
One was at most a telephone scam, while the other was an accomplice to bank cards, and was even planning illegal fundraising.
In terms of social harm, the two were incomparable.
At this time, Martin on the stage had achieved the desired effect of today's gathering.
As soon as the speech ended, he was surrounded by a group of successful people, as if discussing joint money-making ventures.
Jordan, who had just performed prominently in the back row, tried several times to squeeze next to Martin due to his net worth, but all failed.
Then, he saw Michael, who was chatting with Martin's daughter, to the side.
"Hi, Mike. Aren't you going to introduce me?" Jordan, being naturally familiar, came over.
"This is Caroline, the eldest daughter of Channing Family." Michael introduced Caroline to Jordan, then turned to the girl and said, "That's Jordan Belfort, a friend I just met."
"Hello, Miss Caroline, it's an honor to meet you." Jordan had a proper smile on his face.
His purpose in coming was to get to know the eldest daughter of Channing Family through Michael, and then through this eldest daughter to connect with the upper-class gentry.
He had gone to great lengths.
However, Caroline clearly didn't buy into him, her disdainful expression almost undisguised.
"Uh, maybe I was presumptuous." Jordan reacted quickly to the contempt, easing the awkwardness with a little self-deprecating humor.
Then, he shifted his target and chatted with Michael, his words full of admiration for Martin Channing.
In a sense, Martin, who had rapidly risen to become a super-rich man, could be considered Jordan's idol.
On Michael's side, he had already seen upper-class gatherings, and there was nothing extraordinary about them.
Therefore, he was now happy to chat more with Jordan, deepening their relationship to prepare for recruiting him in the future.
However, his actions seemed to have angered Caroline.
Looking at the two men talking and laughing, the eldest daughter, feeling neglected, glared fiercely at Michael, then swung her exquisite handbag and left the reception room.
Her dissatisfaction was obvious to anyone.
"Sorry, I seem to have interrupted your date with that young lady." Jordan, with good judgment, motioned for Michael to go after her.
As an old hand, how could Jordan not see that the young lady was interested in Michael?
"Actually, we are just schoolmates; our relationship isn't that intimate." Michael, who already had some capital, would not indulge the other party's spoiled temper.
To be obsequious to everyone would be to become a lapdog.
"Buddy, I'm really impressed with you now." Jordan gave Michael a thumbs up.
However, after seeing the other party's handsome appearance, Jordan seemed to understand something.
As the saying goes: those who are favored are always fearless.
Moreover, this private gathering of Channing family was much simpler than Michael had imagined. Mr. Martin, apart from being busy promoting his business, did not arrange too many programs.
Therefore, after another half an hour, this rich-class private gathering ended hastily.
Downstairs at Channing Mansion on Fifth Avenue, Michael waved goodbye to Jordan, watching him get into a small commercial vehicle and leave.
"How did you really get together with that Jordan? I have to warn you, he's not a good person." In the extended commercial vehicle, Chris spoke up, advising Michael.
Indeed, as Caroline said, the name Jordan Belfort was already notorious on Wall Street.
But this was also Jordan's own fault; his money-making methods were crude, and his personality was too eager for quick success.
To put it bluntly, he was still too young and had too smooth a path, never truly suffering a setback.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Michael smiled knowingly, then continued, "Mr. Jordan is a talent; if there's an opportunity in the future, we can try to recruit him. So, next, I need you to keep an eye on his every move and report to me immediately if anything happens."
It is known that Jordan will later manipulate a stock, achieving the feat of making over 20 million dollars in three minutes after the market opens.
Michael could completely follow behind and make a quick buck.
Then, when Jordan was down on his luck, he would extend an olive branch to him.
This was a win-win situation; Michael would win twice.
"This… okay." Chris, who didn't know the inside story, agreed to Michael's proposal, thinking that Jordan's achievement of starting from scratch was indeed that of a talent.
Next, after a week of relaxation after school started, Columbia University's courses officially got on track.
Unlike what Michael had thought before, Columbia University's main campus, in addition to popular majors, also had majors prepared for rich second-generation students who had money but didn't like to study, such as sociology and market research.
Of course, there were also specialized sports majors set up for sports-specialized students like Michael.
However, these had nothing to do with Michael. He and Paige both applied for Advanced Mathematics as their first major, which was considered an elite class at Columbia University.
Afterward, Paige also took electives in physics, biology, chemistry, and other subjects. Michael, on the other hand, took electives in economics, psychology, law, and other subjects.
For a super genius, taking several extra subjects was nothing. As long as it didn't delay the progress of the first subject, the school would not interfere with the students' affairs.