393 Careers

They stared at the small yacht that had the same independent style as its owner. A man would have to get up all his courage to drive it.

The yacht drifting on the water surface looked like a feather. Lan Jin hadn’t refitted it. He had only decorated it with paint.

A golden flying dragon with fierce claws was twisting its body around the boat with an awe-inspiring vibe.

It was a post-modern style decoration. Among the other clean yachts, theirs looked like the black sheep among the white ones.

For the sake of their friendship, Qin Guan decided not to make any comments. He just turned around silently, pretending not to see anything.

In fact, he was interested in their invitation. They sat around the table, talking about business. This was what Chinese people did.

"Qin Guan?"

"What's the matter?"

"Lan Jin and I started a small commercial company. Will you help us run the business?"

Qin Guan took a sip of his Bud Light. "I do not engage in commerce. Why me?"

"We need an accounting firm to take care of the accounts and the dutiable goods. We consulted with some firms. Some of them charge too much, while others are unreliable."

"You are studying finance at Columbia. We can't seek for help far and ignore what lies close at hand."

Qin Guan put his beer bottle down with shining eyes. "Really? What would I have to do to open an accounting firm?"

"Get your CPA," He Ming answered leisurely. "Then you won't need to care about anything else."

"Oh, I nearly forgot." He pointed to Lan Jin. "Lan could invest in you for free. Just pay him in profit when you start making money. The boy is interested in personal investment. He likes counting bills on his couch."

Qin Guan was relieved. It was much simpler to start a firm there than in China. America was really the land of the free.

He swallowed a mouthful of beer. "I don't have much at hand. Just 1.6 million..."

He Jing and Lan Jin were a little surprised. "That's enough. If your business goes well, you won't need to worry about the high New York prices. You will even get a house."

They were pointing in the direction of Long Island, where lights could be seen among the trees. This was their dream for the future.

"Well... I meant dollars," Qin Guan finished his words calmly, as if he was greeting some guy on the street.

His three friends spit their beer out.

"What... What did you say? 1.6 million dollars?"

He was a multimillionaire! The calmest boy among them was the richest one. They showed off everywhere with their luxury cars, while the real rich man had been hiding.

Qin Guan nodded. "You know about my part-time jobs... I just signed a contract recently..."

His friends didn't want to continue that conversation. We hate handsome guys...

Suddenly, Qin Guan remembered something. "He Ming, would you accept small import orders?"

"Of course. I can carry them out myself to save on service charges and customs duties."

"That's great. My store on Chelsea Street is ready, and we will be needing some goods... Tell them, Weizi."

They all forgot about the time as they talked under the night sky. All their careers had started from that club and headed in different, unknown directions.

When one realized that their goal, the very thing they were earnestly longing for, was close at hand, they were naturally full of energy.

Qin Guan had promised George Clooney that he would finish shooting his scenes before Christmas, so he had to take the CPA exams afterwards.

Despite Prof. Martin's complaints, Qin Guan packed his travelling bag, asked Cong Nianwei to take care of the store and went off again.

In fact, Qin Guan had been hesitant about the script at the beginning. Compared to "Elephant" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", with their black humour and absurd plot, this one was much more uplifting.

Qin Guan had not mentally stressed about "Elephant", as in China’s point of view, it was a failure of American education.

His role in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" though put more pressure on him. He would be playing a Jew, both in the physical and emotional sense.

It was an interesting story, based on Chuck's autobiography, which had been published back in 1984. In the book, he was a killer working undercover for the CIA as a TV host.

In fact, George had seen plenty of candidates. The agencies had sent numerous actors. Eventually though, Chuck had pointed at Qin Guan’s photo.

"When I was young, women were obsessed with me. I used to be a handsome guy like him. Besides, he looks just as cold and tough as the people working in the secret services. This feeling is kind of hard to describe."