American Gossip King

Chapter 39 The Banquet

Elections are heavily reliant on the media, so whoever gains media support has a greater chance of winning—that's an indisputable fact. However, with so many media outlets, it's uncertain what each one can accomplish—even national media outlets can't play much of a role in regional elections, since people from other regions can't come to vote.

Ian's statement now certainly isn't due to the Los Angeles Herald's pitiful and insignificant influence, so it only means one thing...

Brand looked at Ian and said, "You have something on him?"

Ian nodded slightly.

"To what extent?"

"He's a drug addict."

Congressman Brand's eyes immediately lit up: "Are you sure?"

For a candidate, drug use is a deadly scandal.

Ian smiled: "We have all the evidence. I've been holding back specifically for you, and I'll use it again in two years."

Brand was instantly excited, but he remained calm: "What do you need from me?"

Ian sipped his drink and said softly, "Just like I said last time, we're friends. Friends help each other; there's no need to be so formal."

Brand chuckled.

A successful business owner must understand how to invest in politics.

Although Ian's company is still small, he is very shrewd, and more importantly, he has an exceptional ability to obtain big information, representing unlimited potential.

In two years, who can say how far Ian will go?

After thinking for a moment, Representative Brand said, "I heard the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating you?"

Ian nodded: "The Danny Koskerry case, they don't think it was a gangland killing. Oh, and the Garrick self-immolation case. The police found gasoline on Garrick's body when he died, and they believe his death was not an electrical accident, and suspect the possibility of self-immolation."

Thanks to Catherine, her angry accusations actually helped Ian understand the issues behind these things... A girl with a strong sense of justice but lacking experience!

Ian came here hoping Brand would help him clean up this mess.

As expected, Representative Brand scoffed, "Those guys always waste their energy on unnecessary cases. I'll talk to Chief Baton; there's no need to keep harping on you just because you reported this. Closing the case the way it is is better for everyone."

Ian smiled and raised his glass: "You're a good friend, thank you!"

Congressman Brand was also very happy.

I can finally do something for Ian.

Only by proving their own worth can the friendship between them be extended and a deeper alliance established.

Those bad experiences can also be turned into good opportunities!

A despicable and shameless deal was thus struck amidst the clinking of lights.

With Ian's worries resolved, Senator Brand also gained an important media ally.

The two of them chatted and laughed like that.

After drinking for a while, Senator Brand put his arm around Ian's shoulder and said, "Come on, let me introduce you to some new friends."

As he spoke, he raised his glass and said loudly, "Hey everyone, quiet down for a moment. Let me introduce you to an outstanding young man. Ian Carr, I think some of you have heard of him."

As these words were spoken, everyone turned to look at Ian.

Those who work in media should try to get to know as many important people as possible, not only because it can provide more information, but also because it can broaden their sources of information.

Many people were quite surprised when they learned that Ian was the owner of the recently rising Los Angeles Herald.

"Ian Carr? You're the guy who did the live interview over the burning torch?"

A middle-aged lady looked at Ian excitedly. He really was a handsome young man. If he didn't have a hobby of peeping, perhaps she could consider taking him into her room...

Ian smiled: "It was me. I was lucky back then."

Someone else said, "Damn it, you're so young, yet your blood is already cold? You watched him burn, and you didn't save him!"

Ian smiled: "That means I'm not as cold as you think, otherwise he would have automatically calmed down when he was standing next to me."

"Oh my god, you really are a genius!" someone laughed.

Ian's cold-bloodedness was condemned by the lower classes, but in the eyes of the higher-ups, he was ruthless and had a bright future.

Even if you don't like this kind of person, you shouldn't offend him.

After all, you don't know what he might do to you later.

So many people wore sunny smiles, and Ian met them one by one, getting to know them individually.

The latest novel is first published here!

A banquet introduced Ian to many important figures in the city, and their casual conversations revealed countless business plans.

Although we've only just met today and haven't discussed any deeper collaborations yet, no one knows which casual conversation might reveal important secrets.

At this moment, everyone is sitting together, drinking and chatting casually.

A business owner, raising his glass, chuckled, "I just saw Iverson last month. That old guy's lost over 40 pounds. He's like a completely different person. He's usually so talkative, but this time he was unusually quiet. I said to him, 'Hey buddy, where's that blonde beauty next to you?' Guess what he said? He said, 'No, I only worship God now, not beautiful women.' Good heavens, everyone knows how much he used to like those big-breasted girls with great figures, and now this old guy's started believing in God."

The others chuckled softly.

The lady from before said, "I've heard that Iverson's health isn't very good; there are rumors that he has cancer?"

The business owner shook his head: "I don't know. He said he's in good health and that he's thin because he successfully lost weight."

"Even he wouldn't admit it, that would cause Auckland Paint's stock price to plummet," everyone laughed.

Ian's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "The Iverson you're talking about, is it the Iverson from the Oakland paint company?"

The others laughed, "That's right. Hey kid, tempted? If you can find evidence that Iverson has cancer, you can release it and short their stock, that'll be a fortune."

The impact of a company chairman dying is hard to predict. It's generally not fatal, but a decline is certain. For businessmen skilled in financial means, a confirmed decline means huge profit potential.

This kind of thing has always been done; the difficulty lies in obtaining evidence.

Among them, Muddy Waters is quite famous. They are very good at shorting Chinese concept stocks. Their most famous battle was shorting Luckin Coffee. In order to obtain evidence that Luckin Coffee's financial statements were fraudulent, Muddy Waters sent a large number of people to stake out Luckin stores and investigate its actual sales. The investigation cost alone was hundreds of millions. Subsequently, the report on Luckin was released, Luckin's stock price plummeted, and Muddy Waters made hundreds of millions.

Compared to Muddy Waters' time-consuming and costly approach, Ian's time and labor costs for obtaining evidence are significantly lower!

At that moment, Ian smiled and raised his glass: "That's true, but it's not easy."

"There's no such thing as easy money; it's all about seizing opportunities." People raised their glasses: "Wishing you good health!"

"Wishing you good health!" Ian also raised his glass.

(End of this chapter)