[Chapter 777: The Young Master's Trials]
After discussions, William White finalized a 10% investment in the movie for the North American distribution.
Although Raymond Chow and Lau Kar-leung weren't inexperienced hicks; they had worked in Hollywood and knew precisely the status of the man in front of them. Naturally, any script he was interested in had its merits.
If this movie became a hit in Hollywood, oh boy, the glory would be unmatched; the money wouldn't even matter.
...
Outside, William was having a blast, but his son was feeling a bit dizzy. School was manageable -- a private school run by the church, the environment was decent. But Hong Kong? It was just a bit insane.
Seeing her son with tears in his eyes, Michelle Reis felt a pang of sympathy. But as William White often said, "You can't keep him tied down forever." If he grew up surrounded by women, his sexual orientation might be a concern.
William White himself faced enough challenges. He wasn't worried if his son lacked ambition; the worst part would be if he couldn't produce a bunch of grandchildren.
"Tommy, you're growing up now; you need to be more understanding. You know your dad has been working hard for you," he said.
"Mommy, there are no classmates or friends here; they are laughing at me."
"Silly child, did anyone laugh at your English? Remember what your dad always said?"
"Only idiots use their shortcomings to compete. You must leverage your strengths and crush your opponents time and time again. Be like a hammer -- if one hit doesn't work, hit again."
"Good boy, once you graduate from college, your dad said you can pursue whatever you love. As for why I brought you to Hong Kong, your dad believes that Asia is where the best opportunities will arise in the future."
"Mommy, why is Jess going to Shanghai?"
Michelle Reis was at a loss for words; each place was farther than the last. It truly made one worry.
"Your dad said the pond is too small to accommodate you two brothers' antics. Once you reach adulthood, he'll give you equal resources; the path you take in the future will rely entirely on you."
"That's not fair! Why can the sisters stay in the U.S.?"
"Silly child, they'll be getting married in the future. Your dad has even bigger worries ahead."
Letting such young children fend for themselves was unfortunate, but there was little choice. Raising sons usually didn't yield much success. If he wanted them to thrive, they had to be independent early on.
Honestly, how much suffering could he endure? Living in luxury aside, he had countless people watching over him. No matter how grand his aspirations were, he couldn't simply cast aside his son.
...
"Tanner, everything set up?"
"Master, don't worry. I reinforced the arrangements in Hong Kong. These are all our people; I trust them."
...
"Did you get to talk to our son?"
"Yeah, he still seems a bit reluctant to part ways."
"Sigh, a loving mother often spoils her kids. Look around -- there's nothing he lacks! I brought him here for an education, not to make him work."
"Hey, you weren't tossed abroad when you were little."
"Me? I've been in boarding schools since childhood; the so-called elite schools. Don't get it twisted; that damn place treated us worse than regular schools."
"Ah, why is that?"
"They say it's to cultivate resilience, but it's all nonsense -- they just want to make more money off it."
"Pfft, no wonder you don't want them to go."
"Alright, cheer up! If you frown, the kids feel it too. Besides, during vacation, they're all going to Lanai Island; don't overthink it."
...
[Chapter 778: A Cautionary Tale, Yet No One Cares]
In Hong Kong, this little beauty, Michelle Reis, didn't worry much. After all, her sister and mother were here. Besides, there were plenty of people watching over them.
"Filson, after looking around, what are your thoughts?" William White asked as he lit a cigar.
"It's a jungle of steel and concrete. People here work terribly hard; they resemble ants. They tirelessly work over and over again, and it's bizarre how energetic they appear. Cough, also, the apartments they build are really small, aren't they?"
"Small? Filson, those places you visited today were over a thousand square feet. You realize that a hundred-square-foot unit is called a mansion here."
"Alright, sir, I just can't grasp it. You say the land is scarce; I don't see it that way. It can't possibly be scarcer than Tokyo. The income doesn't even reach the levels of Japan. Sir, there's a serious bubble here, and it's only going to get worse."
"Haha, Filson, you still don't understand. There is indeed a bubble in the property market here, yet it won't burst anytime soon. The reason? The property developers are tightly knit. Or rather, they all believe that prices will be even higher tomorrow."
"There's only so much land released each year; those who purchase land are gradually building, selling one building at a time, and won't finish construction for another twenty years. Haha, if this situation doesn't change, property prices will struggle to drop unless there's a global financial crisis."
Filson felt a bit dizzy. He discovered that his financial theories didn't bear any weight here. Instead of fretting over economic indicators, it was better to figure out how much land would be traded next year.
Financial institutions and real estate developers were in cahoots; well, they were all part of the same crew. If property prices crashed, banks would be the first to suffer.
If prices really surged significantly, no one would allow the developers to fail.
The game invented by the Americans was indeed popular worldwide. William White tilted his head in thought; it was truly interesting.
"Sir, it doesn't take much capital to make the property market soar. That's downright terrifying. Sooner or later, we'll see what happened in Japan repeat itself."
"Yeah, I share the same view. So let's wait a bit longer; when the time is right, we'll manage commercial real estate. Regarding everything else, let's not touch it."
Filson chuckled bitterly. Waiting a bit more? You've already made a lot of money. Tsk, tsk, it seems like the rich earn money far more easily.
*****
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