My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The black Lincoln Navigator drove smoothly on the private road, with the driver, old Jack, holding the steering wheel with both hands and looking straight ahead.

He knew this road very well; he could drive it with his eyes closed.

If you include this year, he has worked for the Forrest family for twenty-three years, initially as the driver for Cole's father, Thomas Forrest.

The location of every tree in the manor and the direction of every fork in the road are etched in his mind.

Cole sat on the left side of the back seat, with Li Fu's report spread out on his lap, a pen drawing marks on the edge of the paper.

Lucy sat on the right, looking out the window.

The oak branches swept across the car roof, and the shadows and sunlight alternated on her face, like a flowing print.

"Are you sure you want to talk to your father about this at this time?" Her voice was very soft.

To be honest, she was somewhat afraid of her father.

Thomas was very strict with her upbringing from a young age.

Drinking, smoking, tattoos, and staying out all night are all prohibited.

Even classmates and friends were investigated and screened.

During her adolescence, she often felt suffocated by oppression.

Of course, now that she's older, she understands somewhat why her father acted that way.

But now Li Fu has come to Nashville.

She didn't know her father's specific attitude.

If she's not mistaken, she'll most likely object.

Therefore, she didn't really want to see her father at this time.

"The sooner the better," Cole said without looking up. "You've seen Lee's report. If the data he presented is true..."

“Of course these data are true,” Lucy interrupted him. “The key issue now isn’t whether you believe these data or not, but what Dad will think.”

Cole's finger paused on the pen for a moment.

He looked up at Lucy.

From this angle, his gold-rimmed glasses were somewhat reflective, making it difficult to see his eyes.

"That's why I brought you along. You know Li better than I do, and you'll be more persuasive when you talk to Dad."

Lucy didn't reply, but instead sighed.

That's not all she's worried about.

That's not even it.

As the car rounded the last bend, the cast-iron gates of Forrest Manor came into view.

The heavy rain had stopped long ago.

The limestone on the gateposts glowed with a warm yellow light in the setting sun, and the oak tree on the family crest was gilded with a dark gold.

Upon seeing the license plate, the security guard in the booth immediately pressed the door opening button, and the iron gate slid open silently.

The Lincoln sedan drove into the estate.

The lawn in the manor had just been mowed, and the scent of fresh grass mixed with the freshness after the rain made one want to take a deep breath.

At the end of the lawn, the white mansion resembled a frozen palace in the twilight, with the Forrest family motto faintly visible in the setting sun on the gable supported by six Ionic columns.

The car stopped in front of the fountain at the main entrance.

The driver, Old Jack, turned off the engine, got out of the car, walked around to the back seat, and opened the car door in one smooth motion.

Cole got down first and straightened the hem of his suit jacket.

Lucy followed behind.

The brother and sister walked up the stone steps and through the heavy walnut wood gate.

The manor's corridors are long, and the oil paintings on both sides appear particularly solemn in the twilight; each one is priceless.

The sound of Cole and Lucy's footsteps was mostly absorbed by the heavy Persian carpet, leaving only a faint rustling sound.

Howard, the butler, stood at the study door and bowed slightly to the two men.

"The master is waiting for you in his study."

Then he opened the door for the young master and young lady.

Thomas Forrest was not sitting behind his desk at that moment, but standing by the window with his back to the door, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a glass of whiskey.

The oak forest outside the window looked like a deep green sea in the twilight, its canopies swaying gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound.

This is a truly important person.

One of the top-ranked ones in the US.

"It's rare for you two to take the initiative to contact me," Thomas said, turning around and gesturing for them to sit down.

Cole and Lucy sat down in the leather chairs opposite the desk.

Several documents were spread out on the desk in front of them, and a brass lamp was placed in one corner of the desk, which had just been turned on.

In the center is a silver frame containing a black and white photograph of Lucy's grandmother when she was young.

Thomas turned around, walked behind the desk, sat down, placed the whiskey on the table, took off his reading glasses, and slowly wiped them with a cleaning cloth.

His movements were slow and meticulous, as if he were doing something that required concentration.

The family leader is fifty-nine years old this year. His hair is gray, but it is combed very neatly. The wrinkles on his forehead are deep, as if they were carved by a knife.

His face shape is somewhat similar to that of an older Cole, but his forehead is wider and his cheekbones are higher.

He wore a white shirt with silver buttons on the cuffs, engraved with the Forrest family's oak coat of arms.

Cole and Lucy were both somewhat reserved in front of their stern father.

"I just got back from New York, and you're already in such a hurry to see me? Is there something you need?" Thomas put his glasses cloth back in the drawer and leaned back in his chair.

Cole pulled the report out of his briefcase and handed it to Thomas with both hands.

"Dad, this is a risk analysis report on the real estate market. We believe that the subprime market may face systemic risks in the next one to two years, and we need to adjust our investments in the commercial real estate sector in advance."

Thomas's gaze fell on the line on the report's cover: "Real Estate Market Risk Warning and Asset Allocation Recommendations."

"Who wrote this?" He looked at Cole and Lucy.

"Li Fu, Lucy's friend in Los Angeles, is now a partner in the venture capital department," Cole answered truthfully.

Of course, not all of it is true.

Thomas's gaze moved from the cover to Cole, then to Lucy, and finally back to the report.

He picked up the report and turned to the first page.

He reads slowly, carefully examining each page, and when he encounters numbers, he runs his index finger across the paper to make sure he hasn't misread them.

The study was so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of papers turning.

Lucy sat in the chair with her back ramrod straight.

She never dared to look directly at her father, but instead her gaze remained fixed on the old oak tree outside the window.

The tree was older than her father, its trunk so thick that it would take two people to encircle it, and its canopy blocked out half the sky.

She used to swing under the tree when she was a child. The swing was hung for her by her grandfather, and the rope has been replaced countless times.

About ten minutes later, Thomas closed the report.

He put the report on the table, took off his reading glasses, and leaned back in his chair.

"Some of the content is somewhat alarmist."

He gave his own assessment.

"Dad, we..."

"Do you think the Federal Reserve would stand idly by if there were such a huge risk? And those people on Wall Street, they're more shrewd than anyone else," Thomas interrupted Cole, tapping his finger on the report's cover. "Did the person who wrote this report ever work on Wall Street?"

"No," Cole shook his head.

"Did you have an outstanding track record in investment banking?" Thomas asked again.

Cole could only shake his head again.

Thomas glanced at Cole, his deep brown eyes holding no reproach, but rather a scrutinizing look that said, "Are you kidding me?" "Then what makes him so confident in predicting things that even Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase wouldn't dare to predict?"

Cole leaned forward slightly, trying his best to explain.

"Dad, Li isn't making predictions; he's analyzing data. Every number in the report has a traceable source, and every chart is made using publicly available data. We don't need to trust his judgment; the numbers themselves speak for themselves..."

Thomas stared at Cole for a few seconds, then turned to Lucy. "You think so too?"

Lucy could only meet her father's gaze, her voice trembling slightly, "Dad, there's an old Chinese saying that a wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. We don't need to gamble on whether this crisis will happen; what we should do is try to avoid this risk as much as possible."

Thomas, hearing this for the first time, gestured for Lucy to continue.

"Real estate accounts for a very small percentage of our family's total assets. However, this is not a question of whether we can withstand the risks, but rather that there is no need for us to. We can now avoid these uncertain risks directly at the source. Avoiding potential risks is the first priority for business success..."

This was the first time Lucy had given a long speech to her father.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from Lucy's face to the old oak tree outside the window.

However, there was a hint of a relieved smile on his lips.

It felt as if my daughter had finally grown up.

"You just said that a wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall, which makes a lot of sense," he said, his gaze still fixed on the window. "Did he say that too?"

Cole and Lucy exchanged a glance.

"Yes, he comes from the East."

Thomas picked up his whiskey and took a sip.

A thin film of amber liquid clung to the glass, gleaming a dark reddish light under the lamp.

He put down his cup, put his reading glasses back on, and read the report again.

This time he saw it even faster.

Finally, the focus shifted to "recommending the sale of non-core commercial real estate projects as soon as possible."

"What are your suggestions?" Thomas's voice returned to its usual businesslike, emotionless tone.

"Sell most of the existing commercial real estate projects as soon as possible, but don't let our partners take them over; they should be put up for public bidding," Cole had already figured out how to do it on the way here.

Thomas tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice. "Why?"

Logically, priority should be given to partners.

"Open bidding doesn't mean we don't trust our partners. It's just that we ourselves are unsure about the risks of these projects. If a housing crisis hits, they might not be able to withstand the risks and go bankrupt, which would damage our family's reputation."

Cole gave his reasons.

Thomas looked at his son, something flashed in his deep brown eyes, and then a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

His efforts in raising his son finally paid off.

The Forrest family are not nouveau riche; short-term windfall profits are not what they pursue.

Long-term profits and prosperity are what truly matter.

"Is the person who wrote the report your boyfriend in Los Angeles?" Thomas suddenly looked at Lucy.

His question came very abruptly.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat, her fingers tightened instantly on her knee, and then... she nodded.

She knew her father knew everything.

There's no point in making excuses.

"Did you send him to Nashville?" Thomas asked again.

"He saved Lucy from the kidnapping, and later he killed and persecuted her..." Cole tried to help his sister out of the predicament.

"I didn't ask you about his revenge for Lucy... You should know it in your heart, but don't bring it up again in any situation," Thomas interrupted Cole.

How could he not know these things?

If Li Fu hadn't killed Winthrop and Goldstein, how could he have allowed them to appear in Nashville?

The fact that the Forrest family sheltered the "murderer," or rather, that Li Fu was the murderer, should be treated as if it never happened.

You must not mention it in front of anyone.

Most leaks are made by people who are "trustworthy".

Cole realized he had misspoke and had no choice but to shut up.

Thomas paused for a moment, picked up the whiskey on the table, took another sip, and said, "Lucy, you handle the public bidding. Give me the detailed proposal next week."

"Yes, Dad."

Lucy was more nervous than ever at this moment.

She was genuinely afraid that her father would get angry and drive Li Fu away.

If they really did that, even the mayor of Nashville and the governor of Tennessee wouldn't be able to keep him.

Today's events seem to have come to a temporary end.

Cole and Lucy exchanged a glance and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute," Thomas's voice came from behind.

The two had just gotten up when they had to turn back.

Thomas's gaze fell on Lucy's face. "What's your attitude towards him now?"

No father would like a "ghostly teenager" who wants to seduce his daughter. He had investigated Li Fu and found that the man had too many secrets. For several years of his early life, he couldn't find anything about him.

The air in the study became tense again.

Lucy stood there, her fingers clutching the fabric of her skirt, her knuckles turning white. Her gaze fell on her grandmother's smile in the silver-framed photograph on the desk.

He seemed to be trying to draw courage from his grandmother.

Cole then stepped forward.

"Dad, their relationship is over. Li Fu is very capable in all aspects. I have carefully examined him, and he is indeed a rare talent, which is why I kept him on..."

He wanted to say that this was his own decision.

"It's best to move on," Thomas glanced at Cole. "You're quite naive, trying to bribe a model to test the other party. What did you find out?"

He even knew exactly what his son had done.

Cole glanced at Lucy, unsure how to respond; it was indeed a bit awkward to discuss this openly.

Thomas did not pursue the matter further. He was lenient towards those who could bring benefits to the family, as long as they did not cross the line.

On the other hand, he is currently quite satisfied with the education of his children.

With the rise of feminism and the rampant spread of liberalism in the Democratic Party in recent years, the United States can be said to be declining in moral standards, and most of the "princes and nobles" have long since become spoiled brats.

Countless people indulge in pleasure and become addicted to pornography, gambling, and drugs.

Some, like the Hilton sisters, are so open that they even use private videos for public hype.

In comparison, Lucy is such a good girl.

"Everything should be done in moderation," Thomas reminded his daughter, though he didn't want to go too far.

This wasn't a question, nor was it a warning; it was simply meant to keep her in mind the appropriate boundaries.

She is one of the heirs of the Forrest family.

There is no future for them.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and nodded obediently.

She could accept this result completely.

In fact, it was much better than she had expected.

"Then we'll get back to work, Dad," Cole winked at Lucy.

The situation has eased; it's time to make a run for it.

"It's rare for the whole family to be together tonight. Your mother hosted a dinner party. She talked about you every day during her time in New York," Thomas said calmly, giving a perfectly legitimate reason.

It was as if it were really just his wife missing their children, and he himself didn't care.

……

Dozens of kilometers away, Li Fu escorted Mei Mei and her mother Andrea back to their residence.

At that moment, he had no idea whether he could stay in Nashville for long; it all depended on his own decision.

They had no idea that he had already come into the sights of such a big man as Thomas Forrest.

Beneath the surface of the subprime crisis, a new landscape of wealth and power is quietly brewing.

And those shady dealings are also getting closer to him.