Chapter 25: Arriving in New York

After taking a brief spin in the second-generation Gulfstream private jet, even though Paulson instructed the pilot to fly longer if Carter wished, Carter didn't overindulge.

Just half an hour later, much to Melissa's displeasure, Carter informed the cockpit that they could land.

"Carter! What are you doing? Allen uncle said we could stay longer, why are you in such a hurry to land?!"

"Just a gesture, isn't it? Allen uncle is pretty nice, right? We shouldn't take advantage of him too much, right?"

After listening to Allen Paulson's words, Carter had been pondering over the issue of investors. Many people simplified the concept of investment, thinking that buying stocks in a target company in the stock market was straightforward, as long as you had money.

But to directly invest in a company, to acquire shares from its founders or original shareholders, it wasn't just about your money. People also looked into your connections, technology, capabilities, and more to decide if you were worthy of being absorbed into the core. Having lived through this once before, Carter didn't want to settle for just buying random stocks. As a group of foresighted transmigrators, it didn't feel right to swoop in before they had even started to develop.

But what did he have to impress them with?

Thinking about his future, Carter unwittingly brought in the thought patterns of a Chinese person from a future era. Allen and his generosity, taking a thousand dollars from them and letting them fly as long as they wished, even burning through a tank of fuel if they wanted, but a Chinese person wouldn't really do that. In Chinese etiquette culture, truly taking advantage of someone's kindness would be considered disrespectful.

Saying the plane didn't need a rental fee wasn't really true, right? Even brand new planes experienced depreciation based on how long they flew. Especially aircraft, the higher-end it was, the higher the depreciation cost. Paying a thousand dollars to fly on a private jet for half an hour, Carter was already quite satisfied. After all, a private jet was just that, even if the sofa was comfortable, Carter couldn't sit still. But it was the first time for Melissa to fly on a plane, and she was excited. When she saw her brother wanted to land, she immediately protested. Americans didn't have much of a polite mindset, especially someone like Melissa, a child.

"What do you mean, take advantage! We paid money for this, a thousand dollars! We only flew for such a short time. Can't we stay a little longer? Otherwise, it's a waste!"

"Alright, we'll have many opportunities to fly in the future. I have something to attend to later, let's go down. When we get to New York, I'll buy you a dress as compensation. The kind that pretty girls wear in big cities!"

Carter reached out and ruffled Melissa's blonde hair, offering her something a girl couldn't refuse to shift her attention. Indeed, when she heard about a pretty dress, Melissa stopped protesting.

As for the plane and such, they were fascinating, but ultimately such big toys were easier to capture the hearts of boys. After the plane landed, Carter bid farewell to Paulson, following the two pilots to say goodbye.

Everything was normal, except for the awkward moment when exchanging business cards.

"Sorry, Allen uncle, I don't have a business card yet. I've been living in a small town for too long and don't usually need one. Shall I write down my address and phone number for you?"

"Haha, no problem, I understand. Just remember it in this notebook of mine, it records all the potential clients of our Gulfstream. I have a feeling that you will definitely become one of our clients in the future."

Carter just smiled lightly at those words, not taking them too seriously. But he also admitted that hearing praise repeatedly did make him feel somewhat happy, and there was a unique joy in being recognized as a young person. After experiencing failure in his past life, what Carter lacked the most was recognition. With such an experience, when the day came when Carter needed a private jet, he would probably choose Gulfstream with a high probability, as long as the company's planes weren't too shabby.

Sure enough, these wealthy people were not simple. In dealing with people and matters, their grasp of human nature was too strong.

After bidding farewell to Paulson, Carter set off again. After experiencing the Gulfstream incident, Carter felt a sense of urgency. Just half a month ago, he felt he transmigrated a bit too early, with no Microsoft or Amazon in sight, but now he suddenly felt fortunate to have transmigrated early. He still had time to accumulate capital, connections, resources, and more before the future trend arrived.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Microsoft had already been established. Putting aside this issue for now, whether it was capital or network resources, Carter was well aware that they were all in New York!

Driven by this sense of urgency, Carter gave up his original plan of leisurely driving along the East Coast. After entering South Carolina from Georgia, he directly headed towards the American Midwest. From North Carolina to Virginia, and then from Pennsylvania into New York. There was almost no rest in between, and nothing particularly special happened.

One thing Carter paid attention to on the road was a restaurant they encountered. A restaurant that would be familiar to future Chinese people, KFC! It's worth mentioning that they encountered it not in KFC's birthplace, Kentucky, but in Virginia. Although these two states border each other, it also indicated that KFC had already appeared as a chain in the United States. As for how developed it had become and whether there was an opportunity to get involved, Carter would only find out when he got to New York.

So, they hurried along the way. On the afternoon of June 20th, driving their blue sports car, Carter and Melissa entered the state of New York. After such a journey, Carter also understood why sports cars were rarely seen on highways.

It must be said that sports cars were cool, but driving them long distances was truly painful. With a slightly aching waist, Carter brought Melissa into the hotel before nightfall.

As the famous real-life Gotham, even if Carter had ten times his courage, he wouldn't dare wander around New York at night. After formulating a plan to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq tomorrow, and then go to a securities firm to open an account, Carter went to bed early.