Chapter 11: Forest Gump Published

William White couldn't understand how these idiots found the time to ponder such things at this critical moment. They were holding the king of hearts; they should just blow everything up. What was the point of playing single cards? Small and medium shareholders were also conflicted. William White's offer was obviously better, but everyone knew the risks were enormous. The Hunter family was even worse. Everyone was already miserable, yet they wanted to suppress the stock price further. Exploiting others' weaknesses and trying to seize everything by force was truly shameless. Being shameless was one thing, but being so stingy? Wanted to have it all to yourself? There's no such easy thing; since the White family also made an offer, let's take time to discuss. Your shares were only 15%; you're far from controlling it. Even if you succeeded in gaining control, you'd still face regulatory scrutiny. That wouldn't be easy either. ... While they were entangled, William White's new book hit the shelves. As a newcomer, it was impossible to become an overnight sensation. That only happened in those made-up online novels. Selling a few hundred copies a day was considered good. Only major writers sold in the thousands. Launching a new book and selling tens of thousands of copies immediately was something only a handful of people managed. Although it didn't become an overnight sensation, its reputation was excellent. Those who read it wondered who this big shot was. Why hadn't they heard of him before? Who was William White? Was this his first book? Absolutely not. Without decades of life experience, how could he write like this? It had to be an alias for some big shot. Americans had pretty good reading habits. Picking up a book to read was normal. Since people's tastes varied, few would actively recommend books to friends. Forrest Gump was different. Those who read it couldn't help but recommend it to friends. Because they found they couldn't calm their minds without discussing it with their friends. Thus, a book by an unknown author became popular through word-of-mouth. Southwest Review Press didn't worry about sales. They hadn't even put much effort into marketing. Not because they didn't want to, but because the author asked them not to. The current marketing plan was planned by the author. They didn't know why, but they stuck to it firmly. In the end, a publishing house was a service industry. Satisfying the client's needs was their goal. In a way, that's the true essence of a publishing house. This novel was engaging in viral marketing. Through readers' recommendations, it started to get popular. Compared to big writers, its sales were just about average. But don't forget, viral marketing could be really powerful. As time went on, this book would get hotter and hotter. Some people had the mentality of discovering a good book that no one seemed to notice. The author wasn't famous either. Such people would soon become advocates for the author. At this time, the publishing house was puzzled. They knew the book would sell well given its quality. But selling well with such low-profile marketing was really odd. Moreover, they kept getting complaints from readers. "This book is so good, and you didn't promote it. I seriously doubt your professionalism." Faced with such doubts, the publishing house felt helpless. They couldn't explain that this was the plan of the wealthy author, and they couldn't change it. Of course, this dilemma might just be pretentiousness. As long as the book sold, it didn't matter how. Being scolded a bit wouldn't hurt. ... William White stayed in New York. Being a financial center, the chances of finding a suitable bank here were much higher than in Texas. Despite constant rejections, William White was not discouraged. Every day, he visited various banks with his butler. The Hunter family was naturally very attentive to this. To them, it seemed like a futile effort. They couldn't understand why their opponent didn't just give up. Banks were like this. They wouldn't help you in a pinch. They preferred to offer assistance after you were already successful. Of course, they wouldn't refuse to kick you when you were down either. After a busy week, they contacted over 20 banks without any support. It was clear that the banks didn't believe in them, or someone was causing trouble. Everyone seemed to favor the rising Hunter family. William White's actions looked like desperate struggling to them. "Boss, that White kid keeps running to the banks. He doesn't seem to stop." A balding fat man scratched his head, looking indifferent. "What a fool. Which bank would offend the Hunter family? Though I do admire his persistence." "Boss, what do we do?" "Sigh, this is really hard to decide. Schedule a meeting with them!" "Alright, boss." Their only concern was governmental intervention. William White's actions were indeed irking them. ... "A meeting with us?" "Sure, agree to it." "Young master, what do you have to discuss with them?" "Nothing really." "Are you still going?" "Nope! Just standing them up. As for the reason, tell them I'm in a bad mood, so it's inconvenient." Fulton was at a loss for words. Such blatant disrespect was truly humiliating. Although the other side wasn't good people either, this was really excessive. The arrogant old man being stood up would certainly be furious. Despite both sides being unsavory, Americans were quite particular about etiquette. William White's actions declared their absolute break. William White's goal was simple, to provoke the old man. When he had enough shares, he'd apply for government trusteeship. ... William White was leisurely in the mansion. The old man from the Hunter family was fuming. Being insulted by a young brat made him very embarrassed. Clearly, they weren't going to cooperate. The old man was deeply troubled. Sometimes, anger could make one lose reason. William White paid no attention to the capital market's turmoil. Visiting two banks daily seemed to have become a habit. "Fulton, apply to halt stock trading and sue them for securities fraud." "Young master, where's the evidence?" "They don't only have these shares. This misleads small shareholders. Also, sue the Wall Street Journal for spreading false information." "Young master, we may not win. Our evidence is insufficient." "Don't worry, my goal is to delay. As long as the court accepts the case, that's enough." ... The Hunter family was enjoying their game when things suddenly changed. Their opponent chose to sue and applied to halt stock trading and for government trusteeship. In just seven days, they had acquired 25% of the shares. According to their plan, in no more than two weeks, they would become the largest shareholder. The old man wasn't satisfied with this. He didn't want any surprises in the board meeting. He needed 50% of the shares. What he didn't expect was that their opponent was even more direct. They simply didn't want it anymore, with no sign of struggling. A company could apply for a halt in trading upon a change in controlling interest. Securities fraud was a joke; acquiring shares via different accounts was common practice. The key was that while William White couldn't deal with them, the government could do a lot. Different accounts? Haha, let's see if the taxes were paid. And check the source of the funds. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.