Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Buffett didn't rush to talk about money.

"What did Goodfred mention to you today?"

"Continue the three-year agreement, expand cooperation, long-term capital, and standby credit."

Satsuki paused for a moment.

"And also 'maintaining management continuity'."

When Buffett heard the last item, he paused for a moment.

He put the Coke back on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Yeah, that's definitely John's style."

Satsuki noticed that his smile this time was different from the one before.

"You don't seem to agree."

"No, that's not it." Buffett shook his head. "I'm just curious, did you agree?"

"I promised to help Solomon."

Satsuki leaned back on the sofa.

"They also agreed to formally begin crisis due diligence."

"As for who will remain in the office—"

"When did I agree to this?"

Buffett looked at her for a few seconds.

Then he laughed.

"clever."

"I think at least we don't have to spend half a day arguing about the first thing today."

"So, we've reached an agreement on Mr. Goodfred's retirement?"

"Yes, I think that's a crucial point." Buffett held up his can of Coke, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It's worth taking a sip, at least. For Solomon, and for John to have more rest in the future."

Satsuki glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh.

"That's a very tactful way of putting it."

She picked up her own Coke and tilted it forward slightly.

"Then I wish him a happy retirement."

The glass and the can touched lightly.

Two people with a combined net worth of over $500 billion celebrated Gutfred's retirement by clinking glasses of Coke.

Satsuki took a small sip—okay, it's too sweet.

She was starting to regret drinking the cola. It seemed like sugar was practically free in America, and Satsuki was seriously considering whether drinking a few more sips would make her gain weight.

The living room was quiet for a while.

The light outside the window was beginning to dim, and the canopy of trees in the distant Central Park was tinged with a deep gold by the setting sun.

Buffett sat up a little straighter.

"Then let me share my thoughts."

Satsuki put down the heinous glass of cola and looked at him intently.

"First of all, the facts must be fully investigated."

Buffett's tone became serious.

"Solomon cannot continue to hide anything if he wants to regain the trust of the Treasury, regulators, and the markets."

"Once these things are investigated, the people responsible must be held accountable."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm not demanding a change of leadership in order to seize power."

"But if a financial institution cannot even maintain its reputation, then no amount of capital will help delay its demise."

Satsuki's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.

Buffett and Gutfred have completely different positions on this matter.

Gutfred's goal was to "survive and remain in the CEO position."

What Buffett wants is to "make Salomon Brothers a trustworthy company again".

If two objectives conflict—

Buffett would not sacrifice the entire Solomon Islands for the sake of Gutfred alone.

Secondly—

Buffett continued.

"As long as there is a possibility, I hope to preserve the value of Solomon as a complete institution, rather than deliberately waiting for it to collapse before dismantling its assets."

"Because Berkshire itself is a shareholder, I have no reason to help others actively destroy their own investments."

Satsuki nodded.

"That's what I think too."

"That's good."

Buffett smiled.

"It seems we at least don't have much disagreement on the general direction."

He picked up the Coke can from the coffee table, found it was empty, and casually put it back.

"but--"

He looked at Satsuki.

"What does Saionji want from Solomon?"

That's a very direct question.

Satsuki remained silent for a few seconds.

She knew this question would be asked sooner or later.

Moreover, she must give a sufficiently clear answer.

"I want a real partner."

Buffett raised an eyebrow.

"Over the past few years, what Saionji has been doing in the United States has boiled down to one thing: take money, invest it, make a profit, and leave."

Satsuki's tone was calm.

"Whether it's Solomon, Carlyle, or other partners, in their eyes, Saionji is a very large buyer from Japan."

"They have money, act quickly, and aren't too demanding in terms of conditions."

"But the 'buyer' is ultimately just sitting on one side of the table."

She paused for a moment.

"When it comes to actually cutting the cake, only the person sitting on the other side has the right to take the knife first."

Upon hearing this, Buffett's expression turned serious.

"So you hope that when Saionji conducts large transactions in the United States in the future, he won't just be a client holding money and waiting for Wall Street to open the door for him."

"right."

Satsuki looked at him.

"Fixed income, institutional clients, cross-border clearing, trading talent, and access to large-scale US capital transactions—"

"These things are more important to the entire Saionji system than the returns from an ordinary investment."

Buffett stared at her for several seconds.

Then, he slowly nodded.

"Understood."

He stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked out the window with his back to Satsuki.

The sun was about to set, and the sky was a mixture of light purple and dark gold.

"But you need to be careful about one thing."

Buffett did not turn back.

"If Americans think you're planning to take advantage of the crisis to 'move a core U.S. investment bank back to Japan,' the goodwill you've built up at Salomon Gate today will immediately turn into hostility."

Satsuki did not speak.

If Saionji is indeed portrayed as a "Japanese zaibatsu that took advantage of the Wall Street crisis to buy up core US financial assets at rock-bottom prices"—

The positive effects of her words downstairs today will probably be completely wiped out overnight.

Buffett turned around.

"So if we cooperate—"

He walked back to the sofa and sat down.

"Solomon should still maintain its status as a U.S. financial institution."

"The US management and the US regulatory framework cannot be changed."

Satsuki nodded.

"I don't intend to change any of these things."

"That makes things easier."

Buffett smiled.

"I am better suited to be in charge of board governance, communicating with the Ministry of Finance and regulatory authorities, handling management responsibilities, and restoring market credibility."

"Saionji is better suited to handle new capital, standby credit, continue providing large-scale business, and stabilize Asian clients and cross-border business."

He paused for a moment.

"If we cooperate, we can simultaneously solve the two things Solomon needs most right now—"

"A trustworthy core of American governance, and a sufficiently strong source of new capital."

After hearing this, Satsuki slowly smiled.

"sounds good."

"That's settled then."

Buffett patted his knee.

"Starting tomorrow, have people go in to conduct crisis due diligence. I'll simultaneously gather internal information through the channels of shareholders and directors."

"Once we have enough information, we will study the specific capital structure and governance plan together."

He looked at Satsuki.

"As long as it is proven that the current management system is unable to regain regulatory credibility—"

"We will not sacrifice the entire Solomon Islands for the sake of Gutfred alone."

Satsuki nodded.

"agree."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then laughed at the same time.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened.

As New York City's nightscape gradually brightens, the outlines of distant skyscrapers are revealed by the lights, and New Jersey across the Hudson River slowly transforms into a tapestry of twinkling lights.

Satsuki glanced at the time.

"It's already so late."

She put the cup back on the table and looked at Buffett with a smile.

"Mr. Buffett, do you have any plans for tonight? If not, how about we have dinner together?"

Buffett glanced down at his watch, then shook his head.

"This invitation sounds very appealing."

"But you've already been on a plane for over ten hours today, and after getting off the plane you went straight to Solomon Islands. If I have to have dinner with you, I'm afraid I'll end up working with you until midnight."

As he said this, a smile appeared on his face again.

"Therefore, I must decline this beautiful lady's invitation for now."

Satsuki raised her eyebrows slightly.

"That doesn't sound like a very convincing reason for rejection."

"Then I'll choose another one."

Buffett folded up the newspaper on the table.

"If I stay for another three hours, tomorrow's New York newspapers might start discussing why a 61-year-old man would leave an 18-year-old girl in a hotel to discuss business until midnight."

Satsuki burst into laughter.

"Writing it like this doesn't look very good."

"So for the sake of my reputation tomorrow, it's safer to stay here tonight."

"So it was all for your own sake."

"certainly."

Buffett answered confidently.

"This is very important risk management."

Satsuki smiled and shook her head.

"Alright, then I won't make things difficult for you today."

Thank you for your understanding.

Buffett smiled, picked up the newspaper from the table, and then stood up from the sofa.

Satsuki got up and saw him to the door.

As he reached the door, Buffett seemed to suddenly remember something, stopped, and turned around.

"By the way, do you have any plans for tomorrow afternoon?"

Satsuki mentally reviewed the schedule.

"There are some, but none that I have to go in person."

"That's perfect."

Buffett said.

"A few friends invited me to go for a stroll in New York Harbor, grab a bite to eat, and chat. If you're interested, you can come along."

"New York Harbor?"

"on board."

Buffett added.

"Private yachts"

Gaoyue glanced at him, and her smile widened.

"Yours?"

"Of course not."

Buffett's answer was straightforward.

"It's obviously much more cost-effective to have someone else take care of buying the ship, maintaining it, and paying the crew's wages, and then invite me to join them."

"You even need to calculate this?"

"It's a habit."

Satsuki tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment.

"What time tomorrow afternoon?"

Buffett told her the time.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

See you tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Buffett."

The door opened.

The staff who had been waiting outside quickly came to greet them.

Buffett didn't linger any longer. After a brief farewell to Satsuki, he headed towards the elevator.

Satsuki stood at the door, watching his figure disappear around the corner of the corridor.

Before meeting him in person today, her knowledge of Warren Buffett largely came from materials left over from another era.

The internet age has become overly fond of creating idols, but what it talks about are all superficial things.

Investment records, shareholder letters, interviews, and later quotes that were quoted so often that they almost lost their original meaning.

After sitting down and talking for more than an hour, she realized that this person was not much different from the Buffett she had come to know.

The logic on the surface is always very simple.

Is it worth it?

Should we or shouldn't we?

Who will take care of this?

What can you get in return for putting in a dollar?

But to be able to break down complex matters back into these most basic questions day after day for decades is by no means simple.

At least for now, Satsuki is very willing to continue working with people like this.

As for the yacht party tomorrow afternoon...

She glanced down at her schedule.

It's a rare opportunity to visit New York.

We can't just have meetings every day.