"Boss, you need to start thinking about investing. Money in the bank won't beat inflation," Zhou Haisheng advised.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Linton already had a plan in mind, but he asked Zhou Haisheng first.
"Currently, the US economy is booming, especially the high-tech industry, which has unleashed enormous market energy and has absolute influence globally, conquering markets worldwide. I suggest focusing investments on the computer industry. Oil and energy, and Coca-Cola, can also be considered. For physical assets, real estate is an option."
Linton couldn't help but look at Zhou Haisheng with new respect. He himself was a Transmigration from a later era. He didn't dabble in stocks in his previous life and knew even less about US stocks, but he was very clear about the general trend of the world economy and had some understanding of companies with significant global influence.
The computer industry goes without saying. In the early 90s, personal computers were developing rapidly, and Microsoft was dominating worldwide, with Bill Gates becoming the richest man globally. It would be hard not to know about him. American personal computers were also popular globally, with Dell and Compaq being well-known.
The subsequent internet wave also started in the US, giving birth to several familiar global giants like Cisco, Yahoo, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook. It would be nearly impossible not to have some understanding of these companies' general situations, and it also spawned Silicon Valley, a hub for global high-tech enterprises.
Although the increases for Coca-Cola and oil and energy weren't as exaggerated, this era also saw them advance rapidly, seizing markets all over the world. US real estate, as he recalled, had been consistently rising until the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008.
From this perspective, Zhou Haisheng's investment vision wasn't bad.
"Alright, you help me contact a reliable stockbroker. This time, I'm investing 16 million US dollars into the stock market, all to buy shares in four companies: Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, and Compaq. Specifically, 6 million US dollars for Microsoft, 4 million US dollars for Cisco, and 3 million US dollars each for Dell and Compaq."
Zhou Haisheng felt that Linton was taking too much risk and suggested that he not buy only in the computer sector, but consider buying other stocks to balance the risk.
But Linton had clear memories. The 90s were a period of rapid development for the computer industry, and these stocks were among the leaders. Investing in them might not yield the most profit, but it would definitely far exceed the broader market, and there was no risk.
He told Zhou Haisheng not to change it, stating that he was very optimistic about the rapid development of the US computer industry.
"Also, you help me contact a real estate agent to see if there are any suitable office buildings for sale in Silicon Valley? The larger the area, the better."
Linton felt that he was living quite well now, and he had signed a one-year lease, so he had no plans to move for the time being. Besides, the appreciation rate of residences, especially high-end villas, was only so-so.
But Silicon Valley was different. Its future development was unimaginable, with immense appreciation potential. Buying buildings and land there now was the best choice.
"And, you need to start helping me design a reasonable tax avoidance plan now. I don't want to pay a huge amount of taxes next April."
"Okay, I will implement these tasks one by one as quickly as possible."
Having earned so much money, such great news couldn't be kept to himself. First, he transferred 30,000 US dollars to his Aunt. Aunt Kelly quickly called back:
"Linton, why on earth are you sending me money?"
Linton explained, "My song royalties have been settled, so I sent you a little bit."
Kelly refused, "No need, our family is doing very well, you don't need to send money."
"Aunt, don't be so quick to refuse. Even if you don't need it, Judy does."
Linton persuaded, "I want to sponsor her to attend a good school. Aunt, you can choose a private school for her in San Francisco. Judy will then be able to get into a good university, and her future will be better."
When her daughter was mentioned, Kelly no longer resisted: "Alright then, thank you, Linton."
"You're welcome, we are family."
Having earned so much money, he had to celebrate with someone. Linton also had Mira buy the latest model of a women's bag from Chanel. Cameron and Naomi were both filming, so he contacted Winona. Learning she was in Los Angeles, they arranged to have dinner together at a private restaurant that evening.
That evening, Winona wore a knee-length blue Chanel sheath dress, black high heels, and black stockings. Simple yet elegant and full of charm, Linton presented her with the bag.
"My dear, you look truly beautiful today!"
"Really? You're quite handsome too."
The two shared a deep kiss, then briefly shared their work achievements. After their candlelight dinner, he had originally intended to take her back to his small villa, but Winona suggested going to her apartment, saying she had prepared something fun.
The two arrived at Winona's apartment, a standalone small two-story apartment in very good condition. As soon as they entered, they were already clinging to each other.
"My dear, do you want to play something exciting?"
"Of course," Linton was wondering what fun things she had.
Winona got up and went to the walk-in closet, then silently emerged a moment later.
"Hey, baby, let's play a fun game, shall we?" She purred in a soft, seductive voice, a small hand, exceptionally fair against the black outfit, reaching out to the man.
Linton's eyes widened, staring at the black cat-woman before him, clad in a custom-made full-body black leather catsuit with a collar around her neck. He stood up, breathing heavily, feeling a beast unleashed within his heart.
"You little temptress, you're so captivating!"
He gently pulled the rope attached to her collar and whispered in her ear.
When Linton left the next day, Winona couldn't even open her eyes, only murmuring groggily to come back again tonight.
Thinking it was already the 27th, he still had to quickly go home and write the remaining three songs.
The first song, "Reality."
The second song, "That's The Way Love Goes."
The third song, "Want To Want Me."
That evening, he naturally obliged, especially since it could also improve his Qi cultivation. Carefully avoiding reporters—he didn't mind himself, but he had to consider Winona's situation—he had Nick drive him to Winona's apartment building, then sent Nick home in the car, arranging for him to pick him up the next morning.
The details of the night's battle need no elaboration. Winona had many tricks, and Linton was incredibly brave. Thirty thousand words describing the battle scene are omitted here.
The next day, he called Mira to BMI to complete the copyright registration for the three songs. He then handed them to Daniel at Universal. With this, all 13 songs for the first album were complete. Daniel was overjoyed and immediately called Lisa, asking her to finish the arrangements as soon as possible and prepare for recording.
On the 29th, Mira brought more good news: the three brand endorsement partners had paid their endorsement fees, totaling 10% of Company A's share, bringing Linton 8.64 million US dollars.
Such a large sum of money couldn't just sit in the account. He called Zhou Haisheng again, asking him to contact the stockbroker and invest another 6 million US dollars, continuing to buy stocks in the combination of 2 million for Microsoft, 2 million for Cisco, and 1 million each for Dell and Compaq.