American Gossip King

Chapter 40 Hitchhiking

The following morning, Ian went to the newspaper office first.

After finishing his official business, Ian checked the time and, seeing he was not leaving, stepped out of his office and called out, "Ron!"

Lloyd, who was busy processing manuscripts, looked up: "What is it, boss?"

"I have to go to Auckland for some business, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'll be in charge of the newspaper's social news for the next few days. Remember, as I said before, try to find as many valuable news stories as possible, don't worry about spending money. What I need now is to increase the influence of the newspaper."

"Okay, boss." Lloyd looked at Ian with a puzzled expression: "What are you going to Oakland for?"

"I'll be doing an exclusive interview with a very important person," Ian said with a slight smile.

"Then you'd better be careful, this is going through Chaos Street."

The so-called Chaos District is not the name of a street, but refers to areas where gangs are concentrated.

"Don't worry, I won't stay. And I've prepared this." Ian gently pulled open his suit jacket, revealing a gun at his waist.

Lloyd was speechless: "Why are you carrying a gun?"

"Because I have the right to shoot," Ian smiled.

Lloyd: "..."

After explaining the remaining tasks to Lloyd, Ian drove off.

It's about 600 kilometers from Los Angeles to Oakland, and it takes about four or five hours to drive there.

Driving along the highway, with a gentle breeze blowing, Ian leisurely watched the scenery outside the window.

Along the way, there were vast fields everywhere, and the sky was clear and cloudless.

I was humming a song on the road when suddenly the car sputtered and slowed down abruptly.

"Damn it!"

Ian cursed and quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

After getting out of the car, he opened the hood and saw a plume of white smoke coming from the engine.

"Fuck!" Ian cursed.

Maybe I shouldn't have sold the Porsche; used cars are just unreliable!

Ian could only call a towing company first, and then he took a large black box and stood by the roadside to flag down a car.

Unfortunately, as cars passed by, none of them were willing to stop and give him a ride—it was a bit too close to MS13's territory, and stopping would have meant a huge risk.

This left Ian somewhat helpless.

Finally, a black Rolls-Royce drove up from afar.

Ian thought for a moment, then simply walked to the middle of the road, pulled out his gun, and fired a shot into the sky.

Squeak!

The car stopped.

Ian strolled over slowly and approached the car window.

The couple sitting in the car were an old man, dressed in a suit and tie, with neatly combed hair and an elegant demeanor, clearly a wealthy person. The woman was dressed in a gorgeous fur coat, young and beautiful, revealing her ample bosom.

She had a head of red curly hair that accentuated her delicate features, especially her bright, large eyes and her small, exquisite, and vibrant red lips, giving her a Marilyn Monroe-like appearance.

Both of them were clearly terrified. Ian smiled and pointed to his driveway: "My car broke down. Can I hitch a ride?"

The old man looked at Ian in astonishment: "Just to hitch a ride?"

Ian nodded: "Yes, you can pay."

The old man was speechless: "Then you don't need to shoot."

"Would you stop the car if I didn't shoot?" Ian retorted.

The old man thought about it seriously for a moment, then laughed: "No, no. So you didn't do anything wrong."

The car started moving again, and Ian sat in the back seat next to the beautiful lady.

It's not about taking advantage, but sitting in the back gives you more control: if you're in the passenger seat, what if the beautiful woman in the back suddenly pulls out a rope and strangles you?

You really can't be careless when you're doing well in America!

Once inside the car, he apologized to the old man again: "No one else wanted to give me a ride, I had no choice. I'm so sorry to have startled you, sir."

The old man chuckled and said, "I understand, and I accept your apology. Oh, by the way, my name is Gaskell Bent, and this is my wife, Lena Bent. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ian Carl, it's a pleasure to meet you all," Ian replied politely.

An older man with a younger wife, plus a Rolls-Royce—the old man is definitely rich. Ian was after the Rolls-Royce. You have to know how to choose your friends, even if they're begged with guns.

Perhaps seeing that Ian didn't seem like a vicious person, the three of them started chatting casually.

Ian then realized that Gaskell was actually a banker, and that he worked at Linuo Bank in Los Angeles.

The latest novel is first published here!

Bankers in the United States are quite influential and powerful. Even though Gaskell only owned a regional bank, he was still considered a big shot.

But it's clearly not to the point where they have bodyguards everywhere they go.

At that moment, Lena, sitting next to him, asked, "By the way, what are you going to Auckland for?"

Ian replied, "I'm going to interview a friend."

"An interview?" Lena blinked her beautiful eyes at Ian. "You're a reporter?"

Ian smiled. "Yes. Well, to be precise, I'm also the head of a newspaper... the Los Angeles Herald."

Lena murmured, "The Los Angeles Herald? Ian Carl... Oh my god, you're that cold-blooded reporter!"

She looked at Ian in surprise.

The guy who handed the microphone to the person burning in the flames?

The guy who saved the Pearl Harbor actress and conducted interviews during a gangster shootout?

The guy who blew up Lily Martha?

The guy who saved an innocent girl?

Is he really such a young and handsome guy? Or is he the newspaper owner?

But she quickly added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything bad about you, it's just..."

"It's alright, Mrs. Bent," Ian said hastily. "That's what people are saying about me, it's normal. Don't worry, even if you insult me ​​or hit me, I won't shoot you. I mean, I'm not a gangster, I was just forced to do it earlier, you don't need to be so afraid of me."

Lena patted her chest lightly, her vision blurring with waves: "It's okay, I'm just not used to it... I saw the report, it was very exciting, a gangster set himself on fire, I heard it was because of you."

"Journalists need to be eloquent," Ian smiled.

Once the conversation was out in the open, everyone lowered their guard and chatted casually.

Looking out the window leisurely at the scenery, Ian casually remarked, "So you guys are also going to Auckland? To discuss a business deal?"

Gaskell chuckled as he drove, "No, I'm going to see an old friend. He's not in good health, but I don't know how bad it is... You know, sometimes if the head of a company has health problems, it can have a huge impact on the entire company. And as a bank, we're most worried about this kind of thing."

Ian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh, that's true. I hope you didn't invest in that company."

"Both. Investments and loans," Gaskell replied.

"So you have to be prepared beforehand?"

"That's right."

(End of this chapter)