My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 48th floor of the CP Building, the April morning light cuts the Manhattan skyline in two, one bright and one dark. The shimmering waters of the East River break into a silvery expanse in the distance, while the West Bank is somewhat dim.

Three lists were spread out on Li Fu's desk, each separated by a folder of a different color.

Red represents the relationship network of CP (couple).

Blue represents the Forrest family's old friends.

The white ones represent the high-quality clients that Jackson brought over from JPMorgan Chase Private Bank.

They are either interested in participating in this private equity fund, or they are LP (Limited Partner) candidates recommended by Thomas, CP, or Jackson, which would be helpful for the fund's operation.

Li Fu leaned back in his chair, twirling a Montblanc pen in his hand, his gaze sweeping across the red leather folder.

Ivanka sat opposite him, wearing a sharp ivory suit with the top button undone, revealing a thin platinum necklace around her neck.

She was holding a cup of coffee and looking down at the documents in her hand.

The events of the night before last at the hotel were still fresh in their minds, but this morning, the two of them tacitly switched to work mode.

"Let's talk about the red one first," Li Fu turned to the first page, "Many people on your father's side have contacted him, and he recommended three people: Bloomberg, Murdoch, and Stephen Ross."

Ivanka nodded. "The mayor called my father personally last night; he wants to participate in this private equity fund in his personal capacity."

Li Fu was not surprised. The real estate reopening project he and CP jointly promoted directly created thousands of jobs at the end of last year and the first quarter of this year, not to mention countless indirect jobs, before New York officially began to show signs of recovery.

This is one of Bloomberg's key achievements in his re-election as mayor.

The mayor now needs the success of this fund to continue to demonstrate that the New York economy is recovering and that liquidity on Wall Street is returning.

His joining the foundation was also of great benefit to Li Fu, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.

"Murdoch actually wants to get involved too?" Li Fu was surprised to find that the media mogul was on the list.

"He not only wanted to participate, but he was very proactive. He was much more direct when he called my father. His exact words were..." Ivanka cleared her throat, mimicking her father's tone, "'Rupert, I've reserved your share for you. Don't worry, I didn't give it to those people on Wall Street who were practically begging for it.'"

Li Fu couldn't help but laugh; Ivanka's intonation was quite accurate.

The CP and Murdoch have a decades-long friendship, and this kind of straightforward dialogue is the norm between them.

News Corp.'s financial channel released news about the fund a few days ago, possibly intentionally by Murdoch, probably because CP often boasted about Li Fu to him.

"In addition, Wendi Deng called me this morning to inquire about the fund's situation. The couple takes it very seriously," Ivanka added.

"Wendi Deng?" Li Fu frowned slightly.

This bitch and gold digger was someone he had heard a lot about in his past life. She first became a mistress and cheated the white couple who had sponsored her, and then immediately divorced them after obtaining her immigration status.

In the end, she used the same method to become Murdoch's mistress and marry him. I can only say that her methods are truly ingenious.

People are truly shameless.

Li Fu had absolutely no liking for Wendi Deng.

If he remembers correctly, in his previous life, after Ivanka and Kushner broke up due to religious reasons, it was Wendi Deng who acted as an intermediary, suggesting that Ivanka learn Jewish etiquette...

"What's wrong with you?" Ivanka sensed the change in Li Fu's emotions.

"It's alright. Since your dad has spoken, let's keep Murdoch!" Li Fu put a checkmark next to Murdoch's name.

As a media mogul, staying with the foundation would certainly be very beneficial for Murdoch, and his dislike for Wendi Deng was not enough to influence his decision.

"And this one," Ivanka's finger slid to the third name, "Stephen Ross, he was deeply involved in our reopening project, and my father wanted to leave him a share."

Li Fu flipped through the brief information attached to the red folder.

Related Companies is one of the largest private real estate developers in New York City. Ross's connections in New York City circles are second only to Bloomberg's, and importantly, he has partnerships with them.

"OK," Li Fu said without objection, closing the red folder and pushing it to the corner of the table.

While making money is an important objective of joint funds, the deepest level of purpose is to connect with and strengthen allies.

Ivanka was slightly surprised when she opened the blue folder.

"The first candidate chosen from the Forrest family's side is Jon Huntsman!"

Jon Huntsman, currently serving as governor of Utah, has been nominated as ambassador to the Eastern superpower, with formal congressional hearings scheduled for May.

But given his background—Governor of Utah, from a Mormon family, fluent in Mandarin, etc.—and the fact that a Black president's cabinet is happy to send potential rivals abroad in this way, his passage is a foregone conclusion.

"Why would he want to get involved?" Li Fu was a little confused. Was it that Thomas had specifically brought him over?

This is mainly because he doesn't understand Jon Huntsman.

Jon Huntsman comes from a typical political and business family. In addition to his political career, he is the son of Jon M. Huntsman, the founder of the chemical giant Huntsman Corp., and belongs to the Republican establishment.

His family, like the Forrest family, belonged to the old money family.

"In recent years, traditional industries have generally underperformed, so perhaps he is seeking diversified investment channels for the family," Ivanka easily guessed the root cause.

After all, she understood the North American ecosystem better than Li Fu.

Li Fu nodded slightly, agreeing with Ivanka's judgment; she had always been very perceptive about the financial situation and motivations of politicians.

Strictly speaking, she is not just a pretty "connected" person, but a family heiress who truly understands business maneuvering.

"Old Gates..." Ivanka turned to the second page and saw another important figure.

Bill Gates Sr. was a lawyer by profession, and his son is Bill Gates, the world's richest man. For the past twenty years, he has been helping his son manage his charitable foundation and has extensive connections in the legal and philanthropic circles of Washington State.

However, due to the financial crisis, the investments of the charitable foundation he manages have shrunk considerably, and the portion invested in A-shares has also been trapped.

He currently needs a stable investment project that can break the deadlock.

The joint private equity fund of Forrest Capital and CP Group is undoubtedly a good channel. Li Fu's trading miracles are widely known in the financial circle, and even Bill Gates has heard of him.

On the other hand, the Gates family's charitable foundation and the Forrest family's private hospital group have extensive medical collaborations, and he and Thomas are old acquaintances.

So, after Thomas talked about this joint fund, he did some background research and decided to participate.

"Perhaps the family foundation's investments have encountered some problems! He wants to obtain more stable investment returns?" Li Fu casually offered an excuse.

He didn't care about the reason at all; Thomas had recommended him, and he was a valuable client, so he wouldn't refuse.

Ivanka nodded thoughtfully. "However, his involvement can help us expand our network, and he might be able to provide greater support if we need to raise funds again later."

"Yes, that's how it is," Li Fu didn't delve any further; some things are best left unsaid.

The third page of the document is Thomas Lee.

Upon seeing this, Ivanka shook her head repeatedly. "Thomas Lee is a Wall Street celebrity, a representative of the old money in the financial world, and it's no exaggeration to say he's a top figure in the private equity circle."

Li Fu had heard of Thomas Lee's name many times over the past year, but he didn't know whether the involvement was a big shot specially brought in by the Forrest family to endorse him, or whether Thomas Lee himself had the will and need.

It's worth noting that the foundation he manages is worth over 10 billion yuan, making him one of the few people who made money against the trend during the financial crisis. He also had an accurate prediction of the subprime crisis.

This person's desire to participate in the fund he founded is likely to cause a stir in the industry.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Thomas Lee has an extensive network of connections, having maintained decades-long friendships with Larry Fink of BlackRock and Clavis of KKR.

The benefits of such individuals' involvement are numerous.

Soon, only the candidates recommended by Jackson of JPMorgan Chase remained.

The white folder also contained three pages, each with a JPMorgan Private Bank letterhead and a brief recommendation attached.

All of them were designed by Jackson.

The list includes Drucken Miller, Larry Fink, and Robert Rubin.

"Have these three people confirmed their intentions?" Ivanka asked.

"They had their last phone call with Jackson last night. Druckenmiller asked Jackson to tell me, 'I'm very interested. I want to see why your brain works so well.'" Li Fuyuan recounted that sentence verbatim.

He didn't feel offended; in fact, his success was achieved through "unconventional means."

Druckenmiller was more interested not in the fact that he had previously made three billion, but in the fact that he dared to take such a large position during the most volatile period of the foreign exchange market.

This is absolutely unprecedented.

Therefore, Druckenmiller's involvement may not have been solely for profit, but rather to assess Li Fu's true capabilities.

As Soros's former partner, and the person who once single-handedly defeated the Bank of England's trader, this kind of person in the financial world only recognizes one thing—whether you have real skills.

Last year, Li Fu's foreign exchange performance of growing from 5000 million to 30 billion was truly amazing to him, and he was also very curious about how the new fund would operate.

"Why does that sound like a provocation to me?" Ivanka looked at Li Fu with curiosity.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks," Li Fu replied casually, as if it were a trivial matter. "As long as we achieve results, that's all that matters."

He is not afraid of being tested by others at all.

"I believe you," Ivanka nodded gently, her eyes full of admiration and tenderness.

Her ideal man was always radiant.

After Druckenmiller came Larry Fink.

This important figure also wanted to participate actively. He expressed to Jackson that BlackRock needed an uncorrelated strategy allocation, and if Mr. Li's fund could provide it, they were interested in participating.

This is not a personal matter for Fink, but rather an institutional assessment.

Larry Fink investigated all of Li Fu's publicly available trading records and concluded that he was a bold newcomer with the potential to generate substantial profits.

Jackson's recommendations had clearly gone through a rigorous screening process; each one was someone he couldn't refuse after careful consideration.

Robert Rubin's last expression was the most subtle. He asked Jackson through a friend, "The former Treasury Secretary needs to allocate his assets after retirement. Do you have any suitable recommendations?"

Jackson recommended the fund outright, believing it to be a win-win deal.

Rubin receives stable returns through the fund, and his value lies not in how much money he contributes. He has the weakest financial resources among the three, but he was once the Secretary of Finance in the Clinton administration.

The benefits of having a former finance minister as a limited partner in the fund are self-evident.

These are also three candidates that are hard to refuse.

The office was quiet for about half a minute. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, a helicopter flew south along the East River. The roar of the propellers could be faintly heard even through the double-pane glass.

Just then, the phone on Li Fu's desk rang.

He glanced at the caller ID; it was an unfamiliar number, but the area code was 212, indicating it was from Manhattan.

"Li, how have you been lately?" A middle-aged man's voice with a slight nasal tone sounded after the call was connected.

Li Fu recognized the name, but couldn't quite place it.

"Aside from being a bit busy, everything else is fine," he could only give a general answer.

"I am Arthur Sulzberger. Would it be convenient for us to say a few words?" the other person introduced himself directly.

"So it's Mr. Sulzberger, please speak."

Ivanka looked up, her eyebrows twitching slightly, and mouthed, "The New York Times?"

Li Fu nodded. He found it strange that the other party contacted him using a company phone instead of a personal phone.

"Well, it's like this," Sulzberger's voice sounded as if he were in his own office, the background quiet, "I saw our company's shareholder register a few days ago, and you've increased your stake through stock purchases. I was thinking I should give you a call to confirm."

This was a very polite statement. As a publisher, Forrest Capital should have made this call, whether for financial or strategic reasons, regarding their increased shareholding.

"I did increase my holdings by a small amount. The New York Times is a media outlet that I have always respected." Li Fu was not the one who made the decision to increase his holdings; in fact, that was Cole's decision.

Cole believes that the main investment focus is currently on New York, and it is necessary to increase investment in the media in order to protect public opinion.

This will also reduce Sulzberger's cash flow pressure, creating a foundation for more mutual assistance in the future.

"To be honest," Sulzberg chuckled, his voice unusually reserved for a journalist, "I'm not calling just for this. I heard from a friend that you're currently preparing a macro fund."

Ivanka lowered her head, barely able to suppress a smile.

"Yes, that's true," Li Fu replied truthfully.

Sulzberg continued, "I don't know if the spots are still open, but I'm personally interested in participating. The amount won't be large, and you know my financial situation."

He had made his point so clear that there was no room for negotiation. Making this call meant he wanted the spot, and he used Li Fu's status as a shareholder of the New York Times as a stepping stone.

We have to give them face no matter what.

"Mr. Sulzberger, the number of places in the fund has indeed been basically finalized, but there is one thing that can certainly be discussed. I will have my partner coordinate the specific details with you." Li Fu also gave the other party plenty of face.

The New York Times helped him last year during his prosecution, and the two sides also share common interests.

"That's great, I'll wait for your call," Sulzberger said, clearly excited.

The New York Times' current financial situation has not fundamentally improved, and it needs to find ways to alleviate the pressure elsewhere.

Li Fu added Sulzberger's name to the last line of the list, bringing the final list to ten people.

There are three people in the CP network, three old acquaintances of the Forrest family, and three high-quality clients of Jackson.

Finally, there's Sulzberger, who took the initiative to contact us.

Sulzberger's involvement is also beneficial to the fund's operations, as it can further expand the media moat.

Murdoch represents conservative media, while Sulzberger is a flagship liberal media outlet. The fact that both The New York Times and News Corporation are in the same fund means that future attacks could come from any direction…

Li Fudu has a media outlet that can help alleviate or counteract the situation.

"The list is now finalized; these are the people we have for now," Li Fu said, gathering the three folders together. "We'll contact them as soon as possible to confirm, and then coordinate with our legal department."

"OK," Ivanka stood up, "I'll have someone take care of it."

After finishing their work, the two stood side by side in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Fifth Avenue below. They were collaborators, comrades-in-arms, and lovers.

Ivanka has never felt this way before, nor has she ever been so close to a man.

"Now that we've finished our work, shouldn't we have some time to ourselves?" She wrapped her arms around Li Fu's neck and leaned forward against him.

"Huh? This is the company headquarters," Li Fu said, putting his arm around her waist and feigning surprise. "Isn't it inappropriate to be here?"

"What are you thinking about?" Ivanka scoffed. "I just want... some time alone."

"It's hard for me to control myself when you're like this!" Li Fu gently kissed her earlobe.

A stunningly beautiful blonde with a perfect figure and unique charm is so close to me, her warm and soft body is wrapped in my arms, and the soft and warm touch is so clear. Isn't this temptation?

Which man could resist such temptation?

Ivanka blushed as she thought about the madness of last night.

The man before me possesses a handsomeness comparable to Keanu Reeves, yet he is younger and radiates an aura of charisma. Under the deep filter, his charm is irresistible.

Most importantly, his physique... how can it be so... amazing?

She was completely captivated.

"Don't worry, I've already informed Thompson that no one will bother us," Li Fu said, kissing Ivanka's forehead.

He originally just wanted to avoid being disturbed during the meeting.

At this point, it's actually saved us the trouble.

"But..." Ivanka was still worried about what would happen if her father came.

However, before she could finish speaking, Li Fu covered her red lips and gave her an extremely long and deep kiss.

As their breaths lingered and their bodies drew closer, she quickly became lost in passion, oblivious to everything around her...