America's Road to Wealth

California is a long and narrow area with a total area of ​​more than 150,000 square kilometers.

Traditionally, Americans refer to the Bay Area with San Francisco as the core as Northern California, and the area with the Los Angeles metropolitan area as the mainstay as Southern California.

California Pacific Electric, the substation where the accident occurred is located in Yorba Linda, Southern California.

It is located in northern Orange County, California, and its biggest celebrity is Richard Nicholson.

This name may be unfamiliar to some people, but I believe many Chinese people have seen that famous historical photo.

Although it has a small population, Yorba Linda is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, with an average annual household income of more than $120,000.

This data can be said to be the highest among American cities.

It is precisely because most of the people who live here are relatively wealthy.

After the California Pacific Electric accident, it was difficult to suppress the news related to it.

When Abel was in his Cadillac Monster, the motorcade set off back to downtown Los Angeles.

Yorba Linda, at the local police station.

Shoups, CEO of California Pacific Electric, was talking to the chief of the Yorba Linda Police Department.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Shoups." Mr. Secretary said to Shoups, who looked tired and had obviously not rested well:

"It's as simple as that. It was your workers who were tired at work and ultimately caused this accident. It could have been avoided, but it's too late to say anything now."

Shoups was silent for a moment and did not respond to Mr. Director's words, as if he was waiting for something.

Mr. Director was not angry either. He was fat and sat in his seat, playing with a pen.

He knew what Shoups was waiting for. In fact, even the director himself was waiting for it.

About ten minutes passed.

Mr. Director was a little bored waiting and wanted to go out and have a look.

His office door was opened.

Several elite agents in suits and ties walked in from outside.

Shoups and Mr. Director both looked at each other.

Among the elite FBL agents, the middle-aged captain Tan Ji, who was the leader, came in and directly stood up and said to Shoups:

"The results have come out. I'm sorry...Mr. Shopes, the result is an accident caused by operational errors by your company's employees."

"Unfortunately, the employees who made the mistake have been burned into charcoal in the explosion. We can only find their remains turned into carbon. The DNA data tells us that they are indeed those from your company. staff."

Hearing the news, Shoups couldn't help but close his eyes.

Mr. Director behind the desk shrugged in the direction of Shopes.

He indicated that even FBl's investigation results were the same as theirs.

Shoups opened his eyes and said to the local police station and FBl detectives:

"Thank you very much for the sleuthing. But I think I need to make a call now."

FBl and Mr. Director both made a gesture of please.

Shopes went straight out.

In the police station, he found an empty house, took out his mobile phone and started making calls.

"Hello, is it Mr. Brown?"

"Well, how's it going, Shoops."

"The results of FBl and the local police department are somewhat unfavorable to California Pacific Electric."

"The stock situation is terrible. Shopes, it's down 28.9%."

"I know. But Mr. Brown, California Pacific Electric, is clearly being targeted."

"What does Smith say? He is the chairman. If the stock falls, he will suffer the biggest loss."

Shopes replied softly: "I called him. He promised to help. Mr. Brown, I have always had a guess, could it be..."

"Don't say it. Shupus, don't say it. Because even if it is true, you can't say it. This is the rule of the game, understand? We can deal with it. But we can't say it, at least not by us. "

Shoups was silent for a moment and responded softly:

"I understand, Mr. Brown. But what should I do in this situation?"

"You are the CEO, Mr. Shopes. What you do is your business, do you understand?"

"But..." Shoups said anxiously.

"I know you are anxious. But Shoups, the situation is not at its worst yet. It was just an accident, an accident that no one wanted to happen. So don't worry too much, maybe everything will be fine?"

Shoups was silent again. On the other side of the phone, the other party's voice continued to ring:

"That's it for now. I'll go find Davis to discuss it. But... sometimes people need to rely on themselves, do you understand what I mean? Shoups?"

There was only one person in the room at the Yorba Linda Police Department.

Shoups had a wry smile on his face: "Understood, sir."

"Okay. Goodbye then, Shopus."

"Goodbye. Mr. Brown."

Shopes held the cell phone, which kept buzzing with busy beeps after being hung up on, and fell into deep thought.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that his cell phone rang.

"Hello……"

"Mr. Shoups, the guys' lawyers are here. And the Yorba Linda prosecutor."

"I understand. Let our lawyers talk to them. I'll go back now."

"OK."

Shopes hung up the phone, but did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he looked out the window in the small room.

There is a cloudless sky outside, and the vast blue reaches straight into space, as if you can see the deep universe.

"I'm not going to be Kenneth..." Shoups muttered to himself.

Things quickly took a turn for the worse for California Pacific Electric.

January 10th.

The Yorba Linda local police department, together with FBl detectives, attended the press conference of California Pacific Electric.

at a press conference.

California Pacific Electric CEO Thomas Shoups apologized to the public and announced that he would compensate the victims.

That afternoon.

Daliso Corso, director of the California AFL-CIO, launched an inquiry against California Pacific Electric on behalf of 13 energy workers unions in California.

The AFL-CIO questioned why California Pacific Electric only provided additional compensation to victims of substation explosions and fires.

However, they did not say anything at the press conference about the seven workers who were working in the substation and died.

Neil Bush, Cal Pacific's deputy public relations manager, didn't wait for a reaction.

Many members of California's 13 energy workers unions walked in front of Pacific Electric's headquarters.

At night, energy workers were seen walking on the streets even in front of the Yorba Linda City Hall and near the California Governor's Mansion.

That night, the news spread throughout the United States through various television stations and newspapers.

All of a sudden, most Americans knew that a power supply company in California had an accident.

The accident killed workers and burned the homes and properties of many nearby residents.

Originally, this kind of news had a greater impact.

But most Americans, except for relevant stakeholders, have just seen it.

Not many people will pay attention.

But this power supply company is actually Abe Smith's company.

Abel Smith is its largest shareholder and chairman of the company.

This news turned into the news that the power supply company of the world's richest man exploded, killing people and causing a huge fire.

The number of people paying attention to this social news suddenly increased dozens of times.

News that would not be very eye-catching in the first place is also fueled by certain promoters.

It has become one of the news that many Americans pay close attention to recently.

The more people pay attention, the greater the pressure on California Pacific Electric.

Shoups called Mr. Brown again.

"...I already know the situation. Shoups, there is no need to guess. Holmes once said that the biggest beneficiary is the biggest suspect."

Shoups sneered on his face, but said in a very gentle tone:

"But Mr. Brown. People outside are scolding him now. From this point of view, he is not the biggest beneficiary, right?"

"This is just an appearance. Shoups, I know you are in a hurry. But don't worry, we...oh, someone is looking for me. Let's just say this first, and I will talk to you later."

Hang up the phone with Shopes again.

Mr. Brown from the CEO of California Pacific Electric.

Former California Governor and current California Attorney General Mr. Jerry Brown.

This older white man, smiling, looked at Wells Fargo Chairman John Stumpf.

And Miss Kayla Wilson came to her with a handsome young man.

Don't wait for Kayla Wilson or John Stumpf to speak.

Jerry Brown was already laughing. He picked up the red wine glass in his hand and raised it towards the young man between them:

"Oh! God! Apollo walking on earth, I want to pay tribute to you, sir. Dear Mr. Smith, it is so good to see you!!"

Yes, the young man who showed up to Jerry Brown.

It is today's richest man in the world, the chairman of Smith Capital, the chairman of Pacific Commercial Bank, the chairman of Smith Media, and the chairman and director of more than 300 other companies - Mr. Abel Smith.

These commercial titles must be listed carefully.

This handsome young man in front of you is also the current chairman of the National Rifle Association, the permanent honorary director of 69 charitable foundations and associations in the United States, the honorary director of the New York Cultural Heritage Preservation Association, the Manhattan Marine Animal Conservation Association and other organizations. , even the permanent honorary chairman.

If you print on A4 paper, even use small font size.

A piece of A4 paper cannot print out the various positions and titles of the young man in front of me.

"Hello. Mr. Brown, I'm Abe Smith."

Abel smiled and shook hands with this extremely enthusiastic old man, "Dear son of California, it's nice to meet you."

"Haha..." Jerry Brown smiled happily, "Me too. Jerry Brown, I am very happy to meet you, dear Mr. Smith."

The two's hands quickly held each other's hands and did not separate for a long time.

If Shopus were here and saw this scene.

The CEO of California Pacific Electric must have very interesting psychological activities.

This is South Pasadena. It is located in the northeastern suburbs of Los Angeles. It has a long history and beautiful scenery. It is an old white community in the United States and has very good social security.

It is considered a suburb of Los Angeles and very close to Los Angeles. If you drive, you can reach downtown Los Angeles in half an hour.

Many people think that the elite of Los Angeles live in Beverly Hills.

That's actually wrong.

The real elite of Los Angeles, even the real elite of California.

The top rich, as well as the California local gangster families like Jerry Brown.

Many of their estates and villas are here in South Pasadena.

Beverly Hills looks more like a nouveau riche residence than South Pasadena.

Just like New York, several places on Long Island are actually the home bases of the rich.

Manhattan, the economic center of the European and American world, is actually a place where the new rich like to live.

South Pasadena is one of the "Long Islands" of Los Angeles.

The villa where Jerry Brown and Abel are at this moment is Keira Wilson's home.

Tonight's reception was hosted by Kayla's father, Slade Wilson, one of the biggest gangsters in California, after he returned from a successful surgery in Houston and recuperated.

At this cocktail party, there were the really big shots in California.

Including current California Governor Davis, current Attorney General Jerry Brown, current President of the Senate and House of Representatives of the State Assembly, etc., all attended.

Slade Wilson's influence in California can be seen from the identities of these guests.

In addition, from Abel's perspective, this cocktail party can also be regarded as a gathering of senior executives of the California consortium.

And as Abel's "acquaintance" here.

Slade Wilson's daughter Kayla, and Wells Fargo Chairman John Stumpf.

These two people acted as Abel's welcome guests at this cocktail party.

These two people will take Abel with them, or help him introduce the California consortium and the local gangsters in California.

This actually shows that Slade Wilson attaches great importance to Abel.

Two "welcoming guests", one is his daughter, and the other is his most capable subordinate.

There are no real fools among the guests. Of course they can see this, including Jerry Brown.

This is one of the reasons why Jerry Brown smiled so brightly at this time and acted so sincerely when he met Abel.

The two men shook hands for more than 20 seconds.

People who don't know will definitely think that the relationship between the two is very good.

But in fact, this is one of the local snakes in California.

He had already had a small battle with the powerful dragons from Texas and New York with Pacific Electric.

In the front, the strong dragon is at a disadvantage.

I spent a lot of money to acquire a company, but as the largest shareholder and chairman, I can't even get the management rights of the company...

What's next... Whoever wins, the winner has not been decided yet.

After fighting, on the surface, of course everyone was smiling, shaking hands, chatting and talking like good friends.

Looking at the two people who seem to "get along" very well.

Keira and Stumpf act as lubricants. Keira may not be mature enough in this regard because she is young.

But Stumpf, who has been able to hold the position of chairman of Wells Fargo for so many years, certainly cannot be a parallel import.

Stumpf immediately smiled and said after the two shook hands and separated:

"Jerry, good evening. You've always said you wanted to meet Mr. Smith. Now you finally get your wish."

"Yes." Jerry Brown said with a smile, "When I went out this morning, I picked up a penny. Such good luck has indeed come true now."

In many parts of the United States, there is a superstition that if you pick up a penny when you go out in the morning, you will have good luck for the whole day.

Yes, Americans are just as superstitious. In terms of superstitious and taboo customs, it is by no means much less than that of the ancient Eastern countries.

Do you think it’s possible for a country where even its commander-in-chief must swear an oath according to the Bible when taking office, to say that it is not superstitious?

"Me too." Abel responded with a smile, "When I went out today, the wind was blowing from the south."

In Texas, farmers and ranchers believe that if they go out in the morning and a southerly breeze blows, they will have good luck throughout the day.

This is a little Texas custom, similar to picking up a penny.

However, the latter is a custom throughout the United States and is found in most areas.

Both of them were very polite, greeted, chatted, and talked a lot.

The time we spent together was at least more than ten minutes.

Later, it was Keira Wilson who took the initiative and took Abel to meet other guests.

As soon as Abel and others left Jerry Brown.

Two old ladies in their 60s, a handsome young man in his thirties, and an old white man also in his 60s surrounded Jerry Brown.

"Hey...Jerry."

One of the two old ladies chuckled and said:

"It looks like you had a really pleasant chat just now. It doesn't look like there's any conflict."

"Ha... who can say it's not the case?" Another old woman also said with a smile.

On the other hand, the young man and an old white man just smiled and said nothing.

Jerry Brown looked at the two old ladies who had similar odors and shook his head helplessly:

"Nancy, Diane. I have to correct you on one thing, and that is that I have nothing against anyone. Peace, kindness, and tolerance. This has always been my motto."

The two old ladies laughed, but didn't say anything.

The old white man among the four spoke.

"Jerry. It seems that Mr. Wilson attaches great importance to him." The old white man's voice was very soft.

Jerry Brown nodded slightly.

Slade Wilson's only daughter, Kayla Wilson, and Slade's most trusted Stumpf could accompany him.

There is no doubt that the boy from Texas must be of great importance to Slade Wilson.

At this time, the old woman named Nancy, who was the first to speak, suddenly said to the handsome man who had been smiling and saying nothing:

"Gavin, maybe you can go over and have a chat with him. You are both young people. You are both equally handsome and young and promising. Maybe you will have something in common. It's not necessarily true."

The handsome Gavin Newsom smiled helplessly, "Compared to him, I am not young at all. He is less than 22 years old, and I am almost 40 years old."

"22 years old... God. If no one reminded me, who would have thought he would be so young. Oh, my bastard little son, he happens to be 22 years old. But that bastard only knows how to fly. Ye. Zi, at night Go to the strip-dancing club!"

Another old woman, Diane said through gritted teeth.

Ignore the concerns of the two women.

Old white man Gordon Getty whispered to Jerry Brown:

"Jerry, there has to be a result. Isn't it? Maybe we can compromise."

Jerry Brown did not respond, but looked deeply at not far away, accompanied by Kayla and Stumpf.

A handsome young man who is constantly chatting and laughing with important members of the California Foundation.

Compromise?

Maybe, but there is a precondition.

For someone like Jerry Brown.

Even if it is a compromise, it needs to have benefits. Or if you don't compromise, there will be unacceptable disadvantages.

Otherwise, why would Pat Brown's son compromise with an outsider in California?