Chapter 432: Borrowed Money Interest, Settled Dust

Those who have enjoyed an electric vibrator naturally know that the combination of tactile, psychological, and visual sensations is truly difficult to describe in words. If you really want to understand, you can only go look at a GIF.

Especially the Theron-brand electric vibrator. High horsepower, fast vibration, smooth finish, slick as oil, sliding all the way through without a single stutter—it can be called the best of the best among vibrators, and the vibrator among the best.

It almost made Chen Nuo lose his soul under Theron's tight pressure; he wished he could pour out everything he had in his stomach.

But every time the conversation went deep, just as it reached the point of pouring out his grievances, this South African diamond would always anticipate the enemy and quickly shut her mouth.

In short, from heaven to hell, and from hell back to heaven, he didn't know how many round trips he had made... In the end, it was actually a phone call from Zuckerberg that saved him, which was something he truly hadn't expected.

One can only say that this must be the only good thing the Jews have done since crossing the Red Sea.

Amen.

Chen Nuo finally poured out his bellyful of grievances, and afterward, his head felt as if it had been punched hard by a strong man; he fell into a deep, dark sleep.

When he woke up, he didn't know what time it was. Guli Nazha didn't come to call him for some reason; perhaps they were becoming increasingly tacit.

He wasn't alone on the bed; the vibrator was also fast asleep, sprawled out with half her body hanging off the edge.

Clearly, the vibrator was exhausted from a busy night; after all, a machine is not a human, and it also needs rest.

He checked his phone and saw several missed calls, all from the same number, a landline.

After calling back, it was an automated answering machine. Upon hearing it was Sheryl Sandberg's office landline at Facebook headquarters, he felt a bit excited and expectant.

He turned off his phone's silent mode, stared at the ceiling, and thought about a lot of messy things in his mind, eventually drifting back to sleep without realizing it.

It seemed as if he had just closed his eyes when he heard the phone ring.

He pressed answer immediately, held the phone to his ear, and kept his voice calm: "Hello."

"Hi, Chen, this is Sheryl Sandberg. Sorry, I had something come up just now."

"Is there something up? Sheryl."

"Oh, it's like this. I was entrusted by Mark to formally notify you on behalf of Facebook..."

Chen Nuo listened quietly as Sheryl Sandberg spoke on the phone. Mark Zuckerberg had finally fulfilled his promise. Next, Facebook would formally initiate the transfer process for that 2% founder's stake in accordance with the agreement terms previously signed by both parties.

"According to the terms of our agreement from two years ago," Sheryl's voice on the phone was clear and capable, carrying that matter-of-fact, emotionless tone common to foreigners, "you will exercise your option to exchange 200 million USD for Facebook's 2% original founder's shares. The shares will be transferred from Mark's personal name, and the ratio is linked to the company's articles of association, without dilution or thinning."

"Your side will receive a formal notice issued jointly by our company's legal department, an independent third-party auditing firm, and a San Francisco law firm. All documents will be delivered to your legal team in Silicon Valley within 48 hours. At the same time, I will arrange for a dedicated financial advisor to contact your side."

She paused, her voice softening slightly, "Congratulations, Chen. You are about to become Facebook's fifth-largest individual shareholder."

Chen Nuo said: "Thank you. Anything else?"

"Uh, no."

"Then I have some things to attend to here, let's leave it at that. We'll see each other in a few days."

"OK, then I won't disturb you. Bye."

"Bye."

The call ended, and Chen Nuo let out a deep breath, calming his pounding heart.

Before the moment arrived, he had fantasized about it countless times, but now that the matter was truly settled, he still felt a bit unpromisingly nervous and excited; even when he spoke just now, he couldn't quite control his emotions.

However, he recalled the conversation just now and confirmed that his acting skills had helped him; the person on the other end shouldn't have noticed anything.

With things having reached this point, he couldn't afford to be careless.

After all, this could absolutely be called the most important step in his life so far. A two-year layout—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that everything he had done in these two years was for this contract.

Now it seemed the dawn had broken; he just had to wait to stand on it.

"Hoo—"

He put his hands behind his head and let out a breath.

Theron was lying motionless, pretending to be asleep. Although the cold air from the AC was blowing on her bare chest, making her feel cold, her heart felt as if magma was flowing, making her limbs feel incredibly hot.

Combining the words from the speakerphone last night with the fragments that leaked from the iPhone 4 earpiece just now, a certain guess in her heart gradually became clear.

Facebook could be said to be the hottest tech company in the United States today. What was the value of its 2% stake? Was it enough to create a top-tier billionaire?

Theron didn't dare say she was certain, but she dared to be sure that once this secret got out, it would surely cause a huge stir in Hollywood and even the entire United States.

And last night, when this person heard "one hundred million dollars," his expression was completely dismissive. From this, it could be seen that his estimated salary revealed in the media was likely just the tip of the iceberg of his wealth.

Thinking about the debts she was currently carrying, which should be a small problem that could be solved by him just by blowing a breath, Theron felt incredibly conflicted.

But to ask for help from a young man a full ten years younger than her, she really couldn't lower her self-esteem.

Just as she was thinking back and forth, she suddenly felt the bed lighten; the person beside her had already gotten out of bed.

It wasn't early, and Chen Nuo was starving, so he put on his clothes and wanted to find something to eat.

As a result, as soon as he went downstairs, he bumped into Guli Nazha, who was preparing to go upstairs.

Seeing the girl's slightly uncomfortable look, he immediately realized that Guli Nazha definitely knew there was someone else spending the night with him in his room, which was why she hadn't come to wake him up today.

This wasn't the first time; in Japan, in Korea, in Cannes, in Los Angeles... she could be considered a witness or even an accomplice to many of his romantic affairs. Although the two had never talked about this topic, and he hadn't given any special instructions, Guli Nazha had undoubtedly fulfilled her duties very well.

Coupled with the party last night, which this 20-something-year-old girl had handled single-handedly—and very successfully at that—as well as her performance at the film market in Cannes earlier.

Chen Nuo had to admit that he was finding her more and more useful.

But conversely, at this critical moment when he was about to step up, he should also consider things for her.

"Is there food?" Chen Nuo asked.

"Ah, I'll call right now..."

"No need, is there anything ready-made?"

"Brother Linghu went to buy some KFC just now."

"Fine."

American KFC was different from China's, with a heavier flavor. Chen Nuo didn't usually care; after all, when hungry, anything would do. However, he had decided to start dieting from today to prepare for Quentin's movie, so during this critical weight-loss stage, he just held a corn cob and gnawed on it slowly.

"Sit down, let's talk." Chen Nuo pointed to the sofa opposite.

"Ah? Oh, okay." Guli Nazha looked at Chen Nuo's expression and sat down a bit nervously.

"How long have you been by my side?" Chen Nuo asked.

The girl sat upright and answered honestly: "It's... been 6 months, Chen Zong."

"6 months, not short. How do you feel? Are you used to it?" Chen Nuo chewed the corn in his mouth and asked with slight curiosity.

"Quite used to it."

"Do you like this job?"

"I like it."

"Do you want to change jobs?"

Upon hearing this, Guli Nazha's heart skipped a beat, and she panicked a little.

Last night she was exhausted and didn't do anything; she just listened for a while and went back to her room to sleep.

Why?

Could it be that the previous matters were dug up?

She said a bit flusteredly: "No, I don't."

Chen Nuo laughed: "Really? I heard that you came to the company to be a star, didn't you?"

Guli Nazha blinked and hesitated: "Yes, but that was before."

"And now? You don't want to anymore?"

"I..."

Guli Nazha was a bit dazed; only at this moment did she realize that this conversation didn't seem to be what she had expected.

And this question from Chen Nuo hit the depths of her heart.

She was stunned for a few seconds before shaking her head: "I don't want to anymore."

Chen Nuo immediately saw the girl's insincerity and laughed: "Don't answer me so quickly. Let me talk about my view. I think your conditions are good. If you want to be a star, it's no problem. Staying by my side all the time is a bit of a waste of talent. Look at you, right? Look in the mirror, how many female stars are as good-looking as you now?"

Guli Nazha's face flushed a bit.

She had been praised for being beautiful countless times in her life, but it seemed like none of them had made her feel this happy and proud.

"No, Chen Zong. There are many like me in Xinjiang. Just like Dilireba in the company, she is better looking than me."

"Hehe, her?"

Chen Nuo compared them in his heart.

Honestly, this could be considered a century-old difficult problem. The question of who is better looking between the two beauties of the Western Regions—once raised, the fans on both sides could fight all the way to the Tathagata Buddha. He didn't dare to make a rash comment.

He skipped this topic and said: "No need to compare. What I want to say is, you stay by my side, earning twenty-something thousand a month, do you feel wronged?"

"No." Guli Nazha answered immediately without hesitation.

She wasn't lying.

Wronged or whatever—neither she nor the two hundred thousand fans on her Weibo would think so.

Why did her fan count go from over one hundred thousand to over two hundred thousand now?

It was because she walked beside Chen Nuo at the airport before, and her identity was dug out, leading to her Weibo account. These days, her fan count had skyrocketed because of this. Under her latest photo on Weibo overlooking Ginza in a Japanese hotel, the comment count broke 5,000, and the number of people sending her private messages was countless, every one of them begging her to confirm whether the person next to Chen Nuo was her.

If it was true, could she post some private photos of Nuonuo? Many people claiming to be from some media outlet offered at least six figures, or even seven figures, for a single photo.

The old fans who discussed her identity before were all stunned. Those who called her a mistress or a third party all changed their faces, scaring her so much that she didn't dare to post on Weibo anymore.

So, to say she was traveling around the world with Chen Nuo, eating, drinking, and living exactly the same as Chen Nuo every day, and at any time coming into contact with, hearing, and seeing big stars that ordinary people couldn't reach—not just in China, not just in the US, but globally!

The place she lived every day felt like a vanity fair. She could even earn over 20,000 RMB a month, and if things were handled well, she could even get bonuses.

Could this be called wronged?

Her family's phone calls and WeChat messages were all telling her to work hard by Chen Zong's side.

Chen Nuo looked at the changes in her expression and felt that her acting skills hadn't reached that level yet, so he smiled: "Alright, then I'll say one more thing. Regarding how you want to develop in the future, do you want to hear my advice?"

"Ah? Oh, okay, thank you Chen Zong!" Guli Nazha was a little excited.

Chen Nuo said seriously, without blushing at all: "Whether you want to be an actor in the future or go in other directions, first of all, you must read more and study more. Don't waste your time on eating, drinking, and playing. If you want to act, watch more scripts and practice acting. If you want to move up, you have to earn yourself a diploma; getting an MBA is fine too. In short, you must have long-term goals. Don't waste your days, you know?"

Guli Nazha said loudly: "Yes, I understand!"

Chen Nuo nodded with satisfaction. In this way, it could be considered Kongming capturing Meng Huo seven times, winning the heart of a general; he should be able to use her boldly in the future. "Go upstairs and help me see if that woman is up. If not, call her up, then ask her if there's anything else. If not, let her go."

Guli Nazha was stunned: "Ah?"

Nervousness, embarrassment, and anxiety—none of these were enough to describe Guli Nazha's mood when she went upstairs to knock on the door.

Although she had seen a lot and heard even more, this was her first time "cleaning up" for a man in such matters, and the first time facing that kind of "woman" alone. It was truly both stimulating and absurd.

However, she couldn't help but be curious—who was it last night? This question made her toss and turn in bed, running through all possible candidates in her mind.

Finally, when the door opened and she saw Charlize Theron, she felt relieved.

Not surprising at all. When filming "Dorp" back then, she had been on set the whole time.

In the play, the two had long since slept together; if sparks really flew off-screen, it was just a matter of course.

Speaking of which, she had seen that "True Love" perfume commercial on TV countless times. When she was a model back then, she even deliberately imitated Theron's gait and gaze from the commercial.

Hey, really didn't expect that in the end, it would be the same... bowing down and submitting under the boss's jeans.

Guli Nazha felt a subtle sense of pride arise in her heart.

But she quickly suppressed this emotion and said politely: "Miss Theron, hello, the boss asked me to call you to get up... Also, may I ask if you need me to call a car for you?"

Charlize Theron hesitated and said: "No need, uh, where is he? I want to see him."

To hell with self-esteem. She finally figured it out; at least she needed a sum of money to hold on until Facebook went public, otherwise, she would go bankrupt before then!

At this moment, she had no other choice!

"You want to borrow money?"

Chen Nuo had already arrived at the gym to run, starting his first step toward healthy weight loss.

He didn't expect Theron to stay and even want to see him.

This was a bit beyond his expectations. Logically speaking, Hollywood people shouldn't fail to understand the principle of a one-night stand and going their separate ways, right? Why see him?

As a result, after meeting, he suddenly realized that she was looking to borrow money from him.

Theron saw him not speaking and bit her lip: "I didn't plan to exchange a night with you for five million. I'm not that kind of person. I swear, I will definitely pay you back."

Chen Nuo didn't doubt this point. It was just a few million dollars, not a large sum of money. For the other party, it was nothing more than an advertisement or a movie. He just didn't expect that she had actually speculated in stocks to this extent.

Theron was still wearing the dress from last night, her slender figure looming, outlining her perfect curves. Her wavy blonde hair hung down beside her face like a waterfall, shining in the sunset. It had to be said that the four words "sexy bombshell" were truly well-deserved on her.

Thinking about the first time they met, how proud and strong she was in front of him, and then looking at this woman standing at the gym door, low-voiced and humble yet pretending to be calm.

This made Chen Nuo think of a lecture he had accidentally heard in New York in his previous life. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this lecture changed his life.

At that time, he was in the most impetuous stage of his life, with all kinds of temptations coming at him, but he relied on those words to stabilize his footing, endure his temper, not chase those "short-term opportunities" that seemed to make people rich overnight, and finally landed safely.

And those words came from that Chinese investor on stage—the disciple of Buffett, the close friend of Munger, and the important promoter who later facilitated Buffett's investment in BYD, and could even be said to have indirectly changed the entire trajectory of China's new energy development.

He said:

"Only compound interest can make you rich steadily, while speculation will only make you excited first, then anxious, and finally bankrupt."

There is no better wisdom than this.

"How much did you lose?" he asked.

Theron bit her lip: "Including leverage... twenty million. But I don't need that much. I only need 5 million to let me get through this period. I have advertisements and dividends coming in next month... Just wait until our movie is released, and CAA will help me get new plays. By then, I will pay you back."

Chen Nuo nodded: "3 million, 8% interest, to be paid off in two years. I won't give it to you all at once; I'll lend you 500,000 every month."

His idea was simple; he was just afraid that this woman would take the money to speculate in stocks again, so he went with installments.

But Theron didn't know where her thoughts went. Hearing 500,000 a month, her face showed a struggling, complex, and humiliated expression. But in the end, the woman gritted her teeth and nodded.

"OK, I understand. I'll give you this month's..." As she spoke, she walked toward him.

Guli Nazha covered her mouth in surprise, barely avoiding a scream.

She turned around and pressed herself against the wall.

But immediately, she couldn't help but peek quickly again.

Inside the glass-walled gym, the man was facing her sideways, eyes closed.

And in front of him, a blonde woman was squatting. She couldn't see her face, nor did she know what she was doing, only the snow-white thighs exposed through the slit of the dress and a pair of round buttocks.

Guli Nazha's legs went soft.

Although she couldn't see anything, her whole body felt as if ants were crawling on it.

My God, didn't they say they were borrowing money?

Could it be that this was the price that needed to be paid to borrow money from the boss?

September 29, 2011. On this day, Tiangong-1 was launched into space, marking China's aerospace industry entering a new historical stage.

Also on this day in Menlo Park, California, at 3:13 PM, Chen Nuo signed his name on an agreement in a conference room at Facebook headquarters.

Undoubtedly, this also marked his life entering a new stage.

One of the signatories of this agreement was him, and the other was Mark Zuckerberg. Both sides reached an agreement on his purchase of 2% of Facebook's founder shares at a valuation of 200 million USD.

The signing scene was not overly extravagant. No reporters, let alone an audience, just one photographer responsible for taking photos for the record.

Those present from the FB side included Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, as well as an internal legal representative from Facebook and a senior lawyer.

And on his side, there were Qi Yuntian, Guli Nazha, Allison Graham, and lawyer Ethan Brookson.

The whole process took less than half an hour.

Sunlight from outside the window spilled into the conference room through the clear California summer sky. The moment Chen Nuo signed his name on the last page of the contract, the tip of his pen trembled slightly.

But in the end, it was firm and powerful, written in one go.

After the signing was completed, he and Mark Zuckerberg shook hands and faced the camera together, showing smiles.

Of course, this wasn't a photo for the media, but merely a memento sealed internally by FB.

"Click," the flash went off.

Freezing this scene worthy of great description.

"Welcome to Facebook, Chen. From today on, we are formal partners. I hope we can achieve greater success together. Happy cooperation." Regardless of what Zuckerberg was thinking, at this moment, his politeness was still very much in place.

And Chen Nuo looked at his hypocritical smiling face, and finally, the joy he had held back for so long blossomed at this moment, making him unable to hold back, completely relaxing his mood, and laughing out loud.

This was absolutely a rare display of true feelings from him.

The laughter echoed in the conference room, causing everyone to look at each other, and the applause was also very enthusiastic.

"Happy cooperation."

After Chen Nuo finished laughing, he shook hands with Zuckerberg solemnly.

Only he in the whole world understood the true meaning of this moment.

This major event, planned for two or three years, was thus settled.

After it was done, Chen Nuo really didn't want to care about anything for a while.

Call him lazy, call him unambitious. It's all fine. Whatever.

In short, thinking that even if he lay down for ten years, ten years later he could still generously buy his precious daughter earrings worth 2.5 million a pair, he just wanted to ignore everything and rest well. Throwing company matters, movie matters, all aside. Except for losing weight, he didn't want to think about anything else.

Qi Yuntian couldn't understand his mindset and instead felt his mood was very complicated. After he signed the contract, he went to a law firm in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and held the first formal meeting regarding the profit-sharing of "Inception" with representatives from Warner Bros., Nolan, and Hengdian's finance department.

And he, taking his assistant and bodyguard, sat on a rented private jet and secretly arrived in Palm Beach, preparing to enjoy the blue sea and sky here.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 433 =====