Chapter 167 Overexertion

"Hey, Paul~ How have you been lately? Ha~"

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, an hour later, Carter dialed the number of Microsoft. Then, he couldn't help but yawn.

"Is this Carter? We're hanging in there, thanks to your twenty grand. At least we managed to keep this little company afloat. Brother, you sound a bit off. Everything okay?"

"Not too bad, just had a short nap, just woke up. Been really busy lately, juggling work and school. Sleep's been a bit lacking at night, but nothing to worry about, I'm fine now!"

As Microsoft was Carter's biggest concern at the moment, and the founder happened to be around his age, Carter always indulged in some small talk when contacting Microsoft.

"What about Bill? He doing alright lately?"

"He's still the same old Bill, we're all the same old. Not starving yet, but not getting rich either. It's all thanks to your twenty grand; we might not be able to pay it back this year. Since January, our sales have been dismal; compared to the same period last year, it's dropped by over thirty percent!"

"Haha, no worries. I'm not in a hurry for the money now. If you guys are still struggling, I can invest some more from my bank. Have you heard about the new Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act released these days?"

"We can't even pay back the twenty grand?"

This isn't just exhausting, it's ridiculous!

With a premonition that an opportunity might be just around the corner, Carter tried to maintain a calm tone, speaking as if he were genuinely happy to help out a buddy:

"This new act has been a big help for me. You know I run a savings bank; we've been unable to engage in commercial lending and investment. So, even if I wanted to help and support you, I could only use funds from my own account to lend to you, but that's limited."

"But now, with this act in effect, our savings bank can engage in limited commercial lending and investment. However, there are geographical restrictions on commercial lending; I can't lend to companies more than 75 miles away from where my bank is located. So, investing in you guys is the only option I have."

"I'm not aware of this, but I'm really grateful, thank you, brother! You've always supported us unconditionally, and I don't know what to say!"

Paul's voice was filled with overflowing gratitude. If last year, faced with Carter's support and Bill's skepticism, Paul Allen might have had some doubts, he was now firmly convinced of Carter's sincerity. Amidst the plummeting performance of Microsoft this year, Carter's attitude remained unchanged.

To be honest, Paul didn't understand where Carter's confidence came from. This little brother, who was over two thousand kilometers away and ten years younger, seemed more confident in the future of Microsoft than Paul and even Bill did.

"Sorry, I can't accept your investment. Brother, our future is really uncertain now, and I don't even know which way to go next."

"Investing is not lending; if we fail or go bankrupt, you won't get a penny back! Carter, you've already done a lot for us. As a friend and brother whom I've only met once, I'm sorry, I'm not questioning our relationship. But...you know, in this situation, if I take your money, it would be taking advantage of you, it would damage our relationship."

Paul's words were somewhat hesitant, but the meaning was clear. Understanding Paul's intentions, Carter's expression at the moment was quite peculiar.

Seems like playing the emotional card, showing gratitude, went a bit overboard??

Meow, meow, meow??

In the damn capitalist America, how could there still be such people?! Your company is on the brink of collapse; shouldn't you be eager to exploit any opportunity available?

Is he really a conscientious capitalist? Harmony between you and me?

"Alright, alright. Don't overthink it, Paul. I still have high hopes for your future. Since you put it that way, I can only say, if you need anything, just call me directly, okay?"

Just a moment ago, feeling like he was being too pushy, Carter didn't dare to insist on providing investment anymore. After sighing helplessly, Carter began to talk about business:

"Oh, by the way, do you know why I'm optimistic about your future?"

"I actually wanted to ask you that. I don't know if it's just my perception, but I always feel like you have more information about the future of Microsoft than I do, even more than Bill! This..."

Paul wanted to say it was unreasonable, but after thinking about it, he withdrew the statement.

"Haha, maybe it's because I'm a small banker. My profession and work dictate that I understand the market better than you guys. Like in the communications market, from wired to wireless, from telegraph to telephone, and then maybe even wireless phones."

Carter's words were a bit vague; after all, he couldn't remember exactly when mobile communication devices like phones or even pagers appeared. But this didn't affect the overall expression of his thoughts.

"Just like I'm talking to you on the phone right now, do you think computers in the future will be able to communicate with each other? With their powerful computing capabilities, if they can be connected through communication means, the power they can unleash is unimaginable!"

"Of course, it might be a bit early to talk about the future now. But just looking at what's happening around us, many places need computers. Apart from those high-end laboratories, ordinary folks and small businesses are beginning to need them too! Take my bank as an example; I now need one, maybe even several computers to help my tellers with some tasks."

"At the same time, I need them to help me access the Federal Reserve's payment system more quickly and conveniently. Banks like before didn't need these, did they?"

"With the increasing number of computers, I believe companies providing software support for computers will have a very large development space. So, have a little more confidence in yourself, Paul!"

After pouring some chicken soup into Paul's stomach, Carter got back to business:

"Also, the reason I called this time is actually to ask for your help. I need at least two people who can operate computers to work for my bank. When I realized this, you were the first one I thought of. I suppose you must know quite a few computer experts? So, any recommendations for me?"