Jacob certainly agreed with Mr. Bay. When going to a dinner where alcohol would be involved, having a designated driver would be most convenient.Still, Jacob had another plan in mind.Since he had a Cullinan and this was the perfect chance to show off, it would kill him not to drive."Actually, we should go on our own," Jacob told Mr. Bay right then. "We will take my car and get a designated driver to take us home. We can hang out in the backseat to chat—I mean, you'd be in a bad mood if you get a bad driver, bringing a car that stinks of tobacco. You know how bad it can get."Mr. Bay nodded cheerfully. "Alright! I'm counting on you!""Oh, it's only right!"Coming to an agreement, they hurried outside, with Jacob driving and Mr. Bay riding shotgun.They were having a pleasant conversation when Jacob suddenly got a call from Walker, who was his sub at Senior University.Answering with the in-car Bluetooth system, he said, "Hey, Walker. What's up?""Mr. Wilson! I'm done with cl
Jacob wasn't really concerned with the invitation. He wouldn't be going anyway, and he wouldn't tell Elaine about it.Right now, he had a question.After hanging up on Walker, he asked curiously, "A designated driver would be just a few dozen bucks at most. Why get Walker?"Mr. Bay sighed meaningfully. "Jacob, my boy—it's not just my job description you must handle when you succeed me. You must understand the unspoken rules of the workplace as well as interpersonal relationships."Raising his right index finger, he chuckled, "Earning the loyalty of subordinates is a science. But it has to be a carrot and stick—never just the carrot, while offering them chances to be of service.""Take Walker, for example. As his boss, buying him lunch is 5 points. Ask for a favor, but it's 50 points instead!""As a leader, you should also make sure to give requests that are reasonable. That way, they will consider you to be their ally, or soon enough.""People are strange that way—psychology sim
Mr. Bay's friend promptly asked, "Was it the manager, Mr. Carson?""Nope," Mr. Bay chuckled. "Guess again.""Oh, come on!" Mr. Bay's friend whined. "You're still telling me to guess now? Just so you know, those bigwigs were so pleased when I told them we'd have the Golden Room and said they'd be bringing their cards. I'd be laughed at if I didn't give them the details right now!"Mr. Bay laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll quit being mysterious—it's Jacob Wilson, my vice president. He contacted Don Albert of Heaven Springs personally, and the man promised you the Diamond Room and the finest wines of his cellar!""Holy shit!" Mr. Bay's friend gasped. "Mr. Wilson did? For real?! And the Diamond Room on top of that?!""Indeed," Mr. Bay nodded. "And you know me. Would I kid when it comes to such matters?"Mr. Bay's friend breathed a long sigh as if he had just cheated death. "Heavens… Thank you so much, my friend! You've really saved my skin there! You have no idea how much persuasion t
Don Albert was waiting at the front doors of Heaven Springs when Jacob's Cullinan arrived.He was absolutely enthusiastic in welcoming the man, even stroking his ego as much as possible as he knew Jacob and his vanity—which made that a must.Hence, as soon as Jacob stopped the Cullinan, Don Albert and the manager of Heaven Springs were immediately on hand to receive him.Mr. Bay was riding shotgun but recognized Albert right away, exclaiming, "Shit, he's coming personally to receive you too?"Jacob chuckled. "Well, he and my son-in-law have a lot of respect for each other, so I guess that respect is extended to us as well."As they spoke, Albert had reached the Cullinan and opened the door for Albert, nodding at him respectfully, "Greetings, Mr. Wilson. You can leave the keys with Mr. Carson while I escort you and your friend upstairs.""Thank you very much." Jacob grinned and turned to Mr. Bay. "Come on. Let's go.""Yes, yes, of course!" Mr. Bay smiled and nodded, a little nerv
Naturally, neither Mr. Bay nor Hal argued with this, thus following Albert and Jacob to the Diamond Room—the grandest room of Heaven Springs.After Albert led the trio there and smiled, "Gentlemen, if you would please take your seats, my people will be delivering Big Red Robe tea and our menu to your table shortly. I've spoken to the kitchen as well, and they will be preparing appetizers first. Please feel free to enjoy a game of poker until everyone arrives, and the main courses will be delivered right away."His arrangement was utterly detailed, and the trio were awash with gratitude.Hal and Mr. Bay especially were looking upon Jacob worshipfully, as if he was an unassuming bigwig on Charlie's level.Soon, as the invited guests arrived, Albert personally brought two bottles of 3-liter Moutai that cost an arm and leg to the Diamond Room.For politeness's sake, Hal ordered two more bottles of one-liter Moutai, meaning that it was one liter for the eight persons in attendance.Th
By the time Jacob was sent home, he was almost passed out drunk.As Charlie took him off Walker's hands, Jacob's eyelids were but narrow slits.With his rough facial features, his flushed cheeks, and that strange smile of his, he looked just like those sleazy middle-aged men often seen in animated cartoons.Still, seeing that Charlie had come out of the house to get him, he chuckled drunkenly, "D-Dear boy… Your dad… was so amazing!"Charlie shook his head in exasperation. "You're drunk, Dad—get some rest already. Otherwise, you might wake Mom up and get an earful for this.""Earful?" Jacob's eyes widened ferociously as he snorted, "S-She'd never dare!"Charlie chuckled as he said quietly, "Come on, keep it down—Elaine is plenty daring. And in your state, you stand no chance if she starts to beat you."Despite being drunk a second ago, Jacob suddenly shuddered from the shiver running down his spine, and he promptly corrected himself, "A gentleman… never lays a hand on a woman! T-
"Anyway, we have an issue," Helena continued. "Two days ago, Nvidia launched the B100 processor, their latest product, just two hours ago—a next-generation chip that will outperform our H100 considerably. I've instructed Harrison to pull some strings and preorder a batch from Nvidia before the B100 hits the market, at least ensuring that we can get our hands on 20,000 in the first quarter when the B100 circulates."Charlie asked, "What are Harrison's thoughts on the matter?" "Of course that old fox is going to be reluctant," Helena snorted. "But with the B100's processing strength outclassing the H100's, many AI institutions and multimedia giants are waiting with their wallets wide open. He's complaining that after pulling strings to get his hands on so many H100s, he is too embarrassed to do it again for the B100.""Bullshit," Charlie chuckled. "He's just not keen on us raising our prices after that previous agreement.""Exactly," Helena laughed as well. "He's about the shrewdest
Jacob slept in the next day while Elaine got out of bed past ten as well.However, in the case of the latter, she wasn't drunk and was simply watching livestreams and video clips on her phone—a hobby she had picked up recently.As for Charlie, he had initially planned to visit the Champs Elys hot spring villa and train Nanako in her Reiki control. However, since Claire would be arriving in the afternoon, he stayed home, planning to leave for the airport when it was time.Elaine appeared groggy as she emerged from the elevator, rubbing her eyes while holding her phone in the other hand.Seeing Charlie cleaning the living room, she asked in curiosity, "Not going out today, Charlie? Aren't you usually going out to meet clients?"Then, she became concerned in an instant, "Wait, don't tell me—the Feng Shui business is falling off? Are we going to be affected altogether?"Charlie laughed. "You're just getting paranoid now. Things are going fine—I'm just giving myself a day's leave.""