Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 638 I won

Besides George Charles Morgan, there were five other people in the private room.

One of them was Mr. Will, Charles's personal butler, a middle-aged man with a serious face and an extremely imposing demeanor, dressed in an impeccable suit. Although he was only an assistant, Mr. Will put the most pressure on them throughout the entire negotiation process.

The other four people were all senior executives from CJ Group. In addition to Han Su-young, there was another board representative and... two vice presidents.

If it weren't for the fact that the chairman of CJ Group went to the Blue House for an important meeting today, Han So-young believed that even the chairman wouldn't have been absent.

Yes, even with Han Suying's position, she was only at the very end of the banquet today... Another board member had more shares and a higher ranking on the board.

Such a high level of hospitality demonstrates how much CJ Group values ​​this young man who is only thirty years old.

To understand Charles Morgan's status and position, we must first start with the Morgan financial group behind him.

Or rather, all his glory and prominence actually came from the surname "Morgan".

There are many large corporations in the world, but to reach the level of a "conglomerate," let alone ordinary wealthy families, even behemoths like Beijing Capital, Tencent, and Ali are still a bit lacking.

It is not only lacking in historical heritage, but also in its influence on the world.

The Morgan family is no longer a single, unified company, but a complex, long-standing, and far-reaching network of financial empires, whose origins can be traced back to the mid-19th century.

It is no exaggeration to say that the rise of the Morgan family was almost entirely tied to the development of American industry.

The Morgan family started as a private bank. As the United States grew stronger, it gradually formed a transnational financial alliance with J.P. Morgan at its core, along with its allies in London and Paris. At the height of the Morgan family's influence, it was not only a provider of funds, but also an integrator of industry and a maintainer of financial order.

At that time, there were very few forces in the world that could rival the Morgan family.

If you've ever read a book called "Currency Wars"... although it contains some exaggerations, it truly reveals to ordinary people the shadowy figures of ancient capitalist families behind the nation.

The Morgan family is one of them.

Although later, under the manipulation and suppression of the US Congress, the government directly enacted a law that led to the split of the Morgan Group into two major groups, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, and its influence was no longer what it used to be, the name "Morgan" is still an insurmountable obstacle in the minds of many people in the financial world.

Even today, as the Morgan family has gradually faded from the limelight, many still suspect that the Morgan family's split and decline were merely a staged performance to dispel the doubts of certain strong-willed political figures and to quell public panic.

Han Su-ying actually had a certain answer to this question in her heart.

Why is the CJ Group so respectful to the Morgan family, and what was Charles's purpose in visiting the CJ Group?
To outsiders, the reason why CJ Group split from its parent company Samsung Group was due to internal strife within the Lee family. After the founder passed away, the two brothers divided the family business, resulting in the later CJ Group and Samsung Group.

However, Han So-young, who knew some of the inside story, was very clear that it was just a smokescreen. The real reason that led to the split between CJ Group and Samsung Group was... the infighting within the American conglomerate.

South Korea's economic boom is largely due to the backing of the United States, and the complex shareholding structure of the Samsung Group is also heavily influenced by major American conglomerates.

Although unwilling to admit it, Han Suying knew:

"The family that heads the largest conglomerate in South Korea is very likely just a puppet put out by capitalist conglomerates."

In a sense, the casual remarks made by ordinary people online are actually the truth.

The initial conflict between the Mellon Group and the Morgan Group, both from the United States, stemmed from a clash of interests. Ultimately, with the coordination of other conglomerates, the CJ Group and Samsung Group split up.

In other words, the largest shareholder behind CJ Group today is the Morgan financial group.

The only thing that puzzled Han Suying was that even though the person who came this time was the third son of the Morgan Group, Charles was still just a junior, but the board of directors showed an attitude that was too important.

She had just received a call from the president, inquiring about the reception, but given the president's status, there was no need for him to be so attentive to a junior.

It would be more likely if it were one of the Morgan family's most powerful figures who came...

Just as Han Su-ying was thinking this, she heard Ding Jun-xian, the top-ranked vice chairman of CJ Group, raise his glass with a slightly probing tone and ask:
"Mr. Charles, I heard that you attended the financial summit in Europe last month as Mr. Smith's representative. Is that true?"

Han Suying was taken aback when she heard this, but quickly realized who the "Mr. Smith" that Vice President Ding was talking about was.

That is the current chairman of the Morgan Group, who is also the current head of the Morgan family's spokesperson.

Immediately, Han Suying quickly racked her brains to analyze what Vice President Ding Junxian's purpose was in asking Charles that question.

At this moment, Charles glanced at Ding Junxian with a half-smile, then picked up his wine glass and clinked it against his, nodding slightly, "Yes, I did go to Europe last month."

Upon hearing Charles's reply, Han Suying immediately sensed that Vice President Ding Junxian's breathing had become heavier, and his expression instantly became more respectful and attentive.

Not only Vice President Ding, but another vice president standing nearby also hurriedly raised his glass, seemingly to congratulate Charles.

While Han Suying was still confused, she saw another CJ Group director sitting next to her suddenly realize something after a brief moment of thought, and then his expression became excited.

Han Suying finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked in a low voice, "Director Zhao, what does Chairman Ding mean...? Why do you all seem to be getting so agitated?"

Director Zhao glanced at Charles, who was enjoying drinks with Chairman Ding, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, he lowered his voice and quickly said:
"Don't you understand? Do you remember what the Chairman said before? These past few years have been very important for the Morgan family because... because it involves a generational transition..."

Director Zhao quickly shut his mouth after saying this, but Han Suying's body trembled, and she completely understood. Her gaze towards Charles turned to shock, mixed with a hint of disbelief and a hint of eagerness.

A generational shift!
Yes, she almost forgot about something so important...

The current head of the Morgan family had considered retiring a few years ago due to health reasons, thus the entire Morgan family has entered the inevitable cycle of all aristocratic families...

The struggle for succession.

Although such a large conglomerate has a long history and well-established systems in all aspects, preventing even the head of the family from doing whatever he wants, the head of the family's power still far exceeds the imagination of ordinary people.

The implication from Vice President Ding's question was quite obvious.

As a member of the younger generation, what qualifications does Charles have to represent the chairman of the Morgan financial group at the financial summit?

Unless… he has already been designated as the next successor of the family, or at least there is already this inclination within the Morgan Group, it's impossible for him to make such a "misleading" move. The reason Han Suying didn't connect the dots earlier wasn't just because she lacked the sensitivity to such matters, but also because she had met Charles once a few years ago…

But the Charles she remembered, though also quite spirited, seemed more humble and never expressed any desire to compete for the family heir.

After all, although Charles was outstanding, he was only ranked third in the family's succession order... There were two other people tied with him.

His older brothers and sisters were all exceptionally outstanding individuals; otherwise, they would not have been qualified to compete for the right of succession.

How come Charles suddenly became the first in line to inherit the throne after only two or three years?

Moreover, he seemed to have victory in his grasp, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a high-profile visit to CJ Group... It turned out that all of this was traceable, and Han Suying suddenly connected all the clues.

Because Han Su-ying was the one who received Charles when he came to Korea a few years ago, she believes that she and Charles are more familiar with each other. Now that she knows this inside story, is there any room for maneuver?
If she can further deepen her relationship with Charles, perhaps she can naturally advance further once Charles truly takes power.

Although she is now the director representative of CJ Group, she has very little real power. Most of the time, she is just a mascot relying on the family's legacy. But now, it seems that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has been presented to her...

Various excited thoughts flashed through her mind, but that didn't stop Han Suying from quickly picking up her glass and toasting after Director Zhao.

As they toasted, Han Suying smiled and said, "Mr. Charles, when I first met you, I thought you were a true genius. Now that you've achieved your goal, it proves my judgment. So I'm really happy..."

"No, compared to my older brother and sister, I am far inferior. They are the real geniuses."

To everyone's surprise, Charles seriously refuted Han Suying's words, and then said with a hint of emotion, "I might just be... lucky."

Han Suying was at a loss for words, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing that the crowd who had just been praising him seemed a little embarrassed, Charles smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to make that face. I'm just telling the truth."

“Mr. Charles, I still don’t understand.”

Seeing that Charles didn't seem unhappy, Han Suying couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by 'good luck'?"

"This is a bet, no, this is gambling, and a high-stakes gamble where everything is at stake."

Slightly intoxicated, Charles, probably because he usually couldn't find the right person to share these things with, made an exception and said a few more words.

"Can you believe it? A man entered Wall Street with only $10 in his pocket, and in just one year, he not only turned that $10 into a hundred million times his initial investment, but also became a guest of honor of major financial groups and families..."

Charles held up a finger, and as he spoke of these past events, a look of utter disbelief still lingered in his eyes.

"And a fool, after just having a cup of coffee with him, chose to believe this penniless Chinese man and booked him a presidential suite at the best hotel on Wall Street for a whole month."

Vice President Ding, Han Suying, and the others exchanged glances, all seeing the bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Is Charles sure he's talking about something that actually happened, or is it just a synopsis of the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street"?
$10 multiplied by 1 million?
a year?
Even the protagonist of "The Wolf of Wall Street" took more than a decade to rise to fame...

In the ensuing silence, perhaps to break the awkward atmosphere, Director Zhao chuckled and spoke:

"Trading a cup of coffee for a month's stay in a presidential suite, this guy is really stupid..."

Before Director Zhao could finish speaking, Charles said quietly:
"That fool is me."

"..."

Director Zhao's smile froze instantly, and he hurriedly stood up, "I'm sorry, Mr. Charles, I didn't..."

“It’s okay, I know how unbelievable this sounds.”

Charles waved his hand dismissively, took another sip of wine, squinted his eyes, and said with a mixture of smugness and sigh:

“When everyone in the Morgan family scorned him, I was the only one who chose to believe him. It was a bet, no, it was a gamble, and a high-stakes gamble with everything at stake, but luckily… I won.”

……

The water ripples, luxury yachts sail on the Han River, and the lights on both banks are dim.

The second-floor lobby of the yacht, with a dining table by the window.

Zhou Wang, who had just convinced Kim Ji-soo to drink with him, raised his glass and clinked it with hers. He was about to tell her a few dirty jokes to tease her when the phone rang.

Zhou Wang picked it up and took a look, and was somewhat surprised.

This person... almost never contacts him on his own initiative. Zhou Wang once suspected that there might be some kind of invisible restriction imposed by the system, but he didn't have a suitable way to verify it.

"Hey, Lao Wang?"

"Mr. Zhou, it's me."

On the other end of the phone, Wang Ruxi's calm voice came through, getting straight to the point without any preamble:

"Here's the thing, I just received news that George Charles Morgan is currently on a business trip to South Korea. I heard from Old Chen of Tyrant Security that you also went to South Korea, because Charles Morgan has asked me about your recent situation many times before... If the opportunity arises, could you meet with him?"

George Charles Morgan?
Who is it...?

Zhou Wang was stunned for a moment, then felt that the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He thought carefully for a moment and finally remembered.

Isn't this the American youth who greeted him at Hawaii International Airport when he first read the memory fragments in the [Time Gear]?
Oh, the other party seems to be the third son of the Morgan family...

(End of this chapter)