My absurd experiences in North America over the years

In late November, the sea breeze in Malibu had lost the last trace of early autumn's warmth, carrying the unique chill of the deep Pacific Ocean, relentlessly crashing against the rocks below the cliffs day and night.

The fireplace in the villa's living room was still burning, its orange flames casting flickering shadows on the polished marble floor.

However, this warmth could not dispel the invisible, suffocating tension in the air.

Li Fu sat quietly at his desk, the screen's pale blue light illuminating his expressionless face.

An email from Rubin, a LP of the United Fund, lay quietly in my inbox. It was sent at 3 a.m.

The email contained no small talk, no greetings, and no body text; it simply included two links.

After Li Fu opened the link, he found two old reports on mergers and acquisitions, one from The Wall Street Journal and the other from Bloomberg Businessweek.

One article discusses how Blackstone Capital, in its 2006 acquisition of a long-established manufacturing company, used a complex leverage structure to drain the company's cash flow within just two years.

This ultimately led to the company's bankruptcy and liquidation, resulting in the unemployment of thousands of workers—a "classic case."

Another article details how Goldman Sachs used clandestine financial derivatives to short-sell the bonds it underwrote in the lead-up to the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, ruthlessly pushing countless small and medium-sized investors into the abyss.

In today's information-saturated age, these old news stories are like withered bones sunk to the bottom of the sea, forgotten by all.

Strictly speaking, the email did not come directly from former Treasury Secretary Rubin, but from Jackson, president of JPMorgan Chase's private banking division.

Jackson told Li Fu that this was Rubin's idea.

Rubin's sending these two documents at this time in such a secretive manner was certainly not out of any interest in discussing financial cases.

Li Fu leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

He knew all too well what the email meant.

This is not sharing, it's a warning.

Rubin is using these two bloody historical slices to tell him that Goldman Sachs and Blackstone Capital may have reached some kind of tacit understanding.

The enemy did not intend to engage in a fair competition with Li Fu in the business world, but instead prepared to use their most proficient and most clandestine "meat grinder" tactics.

This email may only convey six words: Beware of Goldman Sachs and Blackstone.

If Rubin's email was a hidden arrow from the capital markets, then Huntsman's message through Thomas was a heavy hammer from the center of a political vortex.

Just an hour ago, Thomas called Li Fu himself.

"Lee, the situation in Congress is worse than we expected. The Democrats somehow managed to persuade Rale Isa, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee."

Currently, the Republicans do indeed control the House of Representatives.

However, like the Democrats, the Republican Party is not monolithic. Rael Issa has always been known for his hardline and conservative stance, and since he has agreed to the Democrats' scrutiny, it is highly likely that this congressional inquiry will be difficult to avoid.

"The reasons they gave were all very plausible," Thomas said with a hint of helplessness. "Luckily, you changed your nationality a long time ago."

The Government Oversight and Reform Committee believes that Li Fu's current logistics network in the Rust Belt, which extends into the national infrastructure of the United States, poses a systemic risk of foreign capital involvement.

The Democratic Party elevated this to the level of national security and political correctness.

If nothing unexpected happens, the summons should be sent to Li Fu early next month.

This source is Jon Huntsman, one of the Republican presidential candidates, former governor of Utah, and former ambassador to a major Eastern power.

In other words, the accuracy rate is almost 100%.

"Li, perhaps you should consider going back to Nashville first. I'll try to find someone to persuade Issa to change his mind, or at least narrow the scope of the investigation."

Thomas has deep roots within the Republican Party, so this is theoretically possible.

But Li Fu looked out at the dark night and took a deep breath. "Uncle, we don't need to waste too much political resources. This kind of thing is unavoidable. It might be better to be investigated now than in the future."

In his view, you can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth.

Rather than passively taking a beating, it's better to take the initiative.

The current political environment presents him with a rare window of opportunity.

The Democratic Party is the ruling party, but it does not control the House of Representatives. In the Republican-controlled House, Issa is a problem, but he also needs to consider the political balance within the party.

If Li Fu were to return to Nashville now, he would be labeled as guilty and evading scrutiny, falling completely into the media trap set by the other side.

He shared his thoughts with Thomas, who eventually agreed to let him deal with the censorship.

"I'm planning to go to Illinois soon," Li Fu said, adding that there was one more thing he had to do before the congressional review.

"Illinois?" Thomas paused, taken aback. "You're going to see Quinn?"

"Yes," Li Fu's gaze pierced through the glass window, as if he could see the vast land of Illinois shrouded in cold winds. "Quinn has been inviting me to come and investigate, and I think it's time to keep that invitation."

Of the six states in the Great Lakes Rust Belt, only Illinois had not been visited, and Illinois' finances were even tighter than Ohio's.

Or rather, the worst in the entire United States, without exception.

In order to expedite the construction of Li Fu's logistics network in Illinois, Quinn went so far as to ask someone to find Thomas.

However, Thomas declined, citing a policy of non-interference in Forrest Capital's operations.

Thomas, as the head of a political and business family, certainly understood why Li Fu wanted to meet Quinn; it was an attempt to sow discord among the enemy from within.

In Illinois, the longer Congressional review lasts, the harder it is for projects to be implemented, and the harder it is for projects to be implemented, the more strained the unemployment rate and finances become.

At that point, Quinn may launch a state rights challenge against the government's oversight and review committee.

The political landscape in North America is such that each state is destined to prioritize its own interests over the federal government. Quinn was first and foremost the governor of Illinois, and only secondly a Democrat.

He needs to consider his own situation and the votes he can get.

Thomas realized at that moment that the young man who seemed somewhat naive five years ago, and who would suddenly become violent and kill people when he acted impulsively, had grown far beyond his expectations.

This might be a good thing, it should be a good thing, right?

After all, the Forrest family is already deeply tied to this young man, who has created more than 10 billion in wealth for the Forrest family in just a few years, and this wealth will only increase in the future.

"Anyway, go back to Nashville before you go to Illinois!" Thomas looked out the study window at the old oak tree in the yard. "Lucy is a little worried about you."

When he thought of his daughter, he recalled that his first meeting with Li Fu was in this very study.

Before the meeting, he received a message from Cole in this study, saying that Lucy was actually dating her bodyguard, who was of Chinese descent.

He was furious and wished he could sink Li Fu to the bottom of the sea and make him disappear from the world.

However, Li Fu has now become Forrest's most trusted partner.

The world changes so unpredictably!