Scumbag Zucker

A high-end restaurant.

Sometimes it has to be said that while Zucker is stingy, he is truly willing to spend big when it comes to picking up women. And so, upon seeing the young and beautiful Jessica Chastain, Zucker's restless heart began to stir once again.

After a period of getting to know each other, Zucker invited Jessica Chastain to dinner today.

"Good evening, sir, madam. What can I get for you?"

Just as Zucker and Jessica sat down at a window-side table, a waiter dressed like a British butler approached them, his attitude impeccable.

Taking the menu, Zucker said, "I'll have the bouillabaisse, the foie gras steak, the Parisian lobster, the red wine pheasant, the chicken liver steak, and, hmm, a bottle of the seasonal red wine."

The waiter nodded and turned to ask Jessica Chastain, "And for you, madam? What would you like?"

"I'll have the American-style steak, the apple salad, and the pancake with sugar syrup. Yes, that's all," Jessica said.

The waiter finished recording the order and said cordially, "Please wait a moment, the dinner will be served shortly."

With that, he departed.

For the remainder of the time, Zucker kept the witty remarks coming, causing Jessica to laugh incessantly.

"Mr. Zucker, you are truly wicked. Where do you come up with so many jokes? You've ruined my makeup for the day," Jessica said, feigning annoyance.

Hearing this, Zucker immediately replied, "What do you mean? I think you look beautiful right now!"

"Really?"

It must be said that at any time, as long as you compliment a girl on her beauty, you can never go wrong.

Zucker immediately declared, "Jessica, I mean every word. Don't look at those Hollywood actresses on the screen; they all look glamorous and peerless, but once they leave the lens, they look quite average. They can't compare to you at all—oh no, they aren't even on the same level."

As the words fell, Jessica's smile grew even brighter.

Jessica Chastain was only a 19-year-old girl; how could she withstand Zucker's prolonged and repeated bombardment?

And so, after just one meal, the relationship between the two had taken a step forward.

As for his little girlfriend, Lima, Zucker didn't even want to mention her right now.

Great figure, pretty face...

Well, Zucker didn't dare to think about it anymore; after all, the penalty starts at three years!

"Damn American laws. Lima is only 16; does that mean I have to live like a monk for several years?"

A scumbag is a scumbag, and there are always countless reasons.

But Zucker didn't care at all about being a scumbag. Since he had already transmigrated, if he didn't conquer a few Hollywood actresses, wouldn't he be bringing shame to his predecessors?

Tonight was a pleasant one!

Inside a presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel, Zucker transformed into a werewolf and fought fiercely with a vampire.

They battled for three hundred rounds!

So much so that when Zucker woke up the next day, his lower back felt like it was falling apart.

"It's great to be young, but if you don't exercise, you still can't handle it!"

A scumbag is a scumbag, and in the following days, Zucker became even busier.

Sometimes, one day Zucker would be tangled in the sheets with Jessica, and the next day he would be out shopping and watching movies with Lima.

Life was going swimmingly!

Of course, don't think Zucker was playing too wildly; compared to many American teenagers, he was practically a pure, innocent flower!

No drugs, no gambling, no alcoholism...

He was practically a model youth!

As for the Hollywood actresses, Zucker didn't take them too seriously either.

They weren't exactly pushovers; each one was shrewd. If Zucker weren't the boss of Wald Pictures, could he have gotten Jessica so quickly?

Absolutely impossible!

Zucker's good days didn't last too long before they were interrupted.

The person who interrupted Zucker was none other than his private lawyer—the great lawyer Zhang Wei.

"Mr. Zucker, I have made some progress on the matter you entrusted to me. I have screened two suitable banks for you. If you have time now, I will come to see you."

Zucker nodded and said, "Alright, I am still at the filming set of Juno—yes, the Warner Bros. studio. You should know where that is. Let's talk at noon; we can have lunch together."

After saying this, Zucker hung up the phone.

That's right, Zucker wanted to acquire a bank.

For no other reason than that for his future investments, loans, and other projects, having a bank of his own would make things much more convenient.

Of course, Zucker was also preparing for next year!

"Next year is 1997! Soros's Quantum Fund, in league with a group of Wall Street investment banks, stirred up a bloody storm in Asia, scraping a massive amount of wealth from Thailand, Southeast Asia, and the Four Asian Tigers. How could I miss out on something like that?" Zucker thought to himself.

Other things could be delayed, but when it came to making money, Zucker was exceptionally proactive.

Zucker actually had his bottom line, too.

As for Hong Kong, Zucker would absolutely never touch it!

I still have a loyal heart, after all!

Noon arrived.

Zhang Wei brought out a large stack of documents and began, "Mr. Wald, the two banks I have shortlisted for you are California Standard Bank and Los Angeles Credit Bank. Their acquisition prices are both around 20 million dollars. Given your financial strength, you can easily complete the acquisition."

Zucker nodded and began to look through the documents.

Very quickly, Zucker determined his target.

"Lawyer Zhang, I want California Standard Bank. You can start contacting them."

It had to be said that in America, aside from major banks like Citigroup and Wells Fargo, private small banks were truly as numerous as the stars, countless in number.

There were simply too many!

California Standard Bank, founded in 1965, had four branches in North America, all located within California. It had 115 employees and held 450 million dollars in depositor funds. Its primary means of profit were loans such as mortgages and auto loans, and its intrinsic value was between 17 and 20 million dollars.

It perfectly met Zucker's own requirements.

In America, there was nothing that wasn't for sale; if there was, it only meant that your money hadn't reached the right amount.

And so, in less than 10 days, Zucker had secured California Standard Bank. The full acquisition only cost Zucker 21 million dollars.

Although 21 million dollars was not a small sum, for the current Zucker, he could still manage it by gritting his teeth.

However, this also nearly wiped out Zucker's cash flow.

Make money!

Make money!

Keep making money!

"What kind of thing could allow me to get rich quickly?"

"Stock investment? No, the money comes in a bit too slowly."

"Gold futures? Hmm, although gold grows in the long run, it's still too slow."

In the end, Zucker still turned his gaze toward the internet.

"I could totally start an internet company!"

It had to be said, Zucker was quite cunning!

Between 1996 and 1999, if one were to ask what was the most profitable, it was undoubtedly internet companies.

One could just start a project with a gimmick to attract a large number of investors and investment firms. As long as one could gain a massive user base, it didn't matter if the company was profitable or not; it could quickly go public and harvest a vast amount of dollars from shareholders.

Could there be anything in the world more profitable than this?

Perhaps, but Zucker didn't know of any.

LinkedIn!

Since he was going to start an internet company, Zucker chose a valuable investment project, and that was LinkedIn!

LinkedIn was an online job search website, similar to 51job or Zhaopin in the Great Celestial Empire. However, the difference was that LinkedIn leaned more toward high-end job seekers in the internet recruitment field.

"Good, good, good! I really am a genius!"

"As long as I start LinkedIn, and with the promotional boost from the ICQ IPO, I can quickly acquire a massive number of users. I don't even need to worry about whether it makes money; as long as I flip it and sell it, I'll definitely make a fortune!"

Zucker thought to himself.

His positioning for himself was very clear. From beginning to end, Zucker understood that his abilities were limited. Compared to being an entrepreneur, Zucker was more willing to invest and speculate.

"Since I transmigrated here, isn't it just to enjoy life? Why make myself so tired? Isn't it great to just be a wealthy salted fish?"