New York 2006

Chapter 223 The dream finally comes true
(Large chapter 6071 words.)
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Luo Ji was lying on the bed with random thoughts in his mind and couldn't sleep.

He put on his clothes, closed the door and walked outside to the seaside pavilion where he would stay this afternoon.

The moonlight shines on the sea, making the sea look deeper, quieter and more dreamy than during the day.

The sea breeze blew by, calming his complicated thoughts.

"what."

Luo Ji noticed a dark shadow moving on the coastline not far away. He immediately stood up and took a closer look.

The black shadow seemed to have noticed him, waving his hand and walking towards him.When he got a little closer, through the moonlight, Luo Ji recognized the black figure as Musk.

Luo Ji took the initiative and walked up: "What's wrong? Can't you sleep?"

"you too?"

"Yeah. It's really a bit uncomfortable to suddenly come from a bustling city to this quiet place."

Two people who couldn't sleep were walking on the beach. Luo Ji looked at his face. This man who used to be confident in front of him showed rare worry on his face.

Luo Ji asked, "Are you worried about the rocket launch tomorrow?"

"Ha, you saw it." Musk smiled bitterly.

"It's all written on your face."

Luo Ji said seriously: "However, you have always been so confident in the past, whether in the media or when you were getting along with me in private. I thought you were the kind of man with an iron will, but I didn't expect you to be the same. There will be moments of vulnerability.”

"I'm not a superman. I also have the seven emotions and six desires that humans have. I can also be anxious and worried. It's just that I usually don't show it, let alone at such an important moment."

"This is not a good signal for investors," Luo Ji said solemnly.

"You won't tell it, right?" Musk smiled slightly.

"Anyway, the results will be available tomorrow."

Luo Ji said very rationally: "If you succeed, you will make history. If you fail, even if I don't say it, the media will say that about you."

The two fell into silence and took a walk on the beach.

"When I was a child, I loved reading science fiction novels, such as "Foundation" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I have always felt that exploring space is an extremely interesting and meaningful thing."

At this fragile moment, Musk began to speak his mind, and Luo Ji listened without interrupting.

"Later, during the Internet boom of the last century, I started my own business and established Zip2 and Paypal. After selling these two companies, I had [-] million yuan, which was enough wealth for me to squander in my lifetime. I could have been like those other entrepreneurs at that time Or, retire, or venture capital investment in various start-up companies. But I remembered my childhood dream."

"SpaceX is a company built by an idealist to realize his dreams."

Musk looked at Luo Ji: "Logic, do you have a childhood dream?"

Luo Ji was touched by this atmosphere, and he revealed his inner thoughts.

"My childhood was actually very boring. When my father was still alive, he wanted me to become a musician, scientist, doctor, engineer or lawyer. When I was a child, I was inundated with countless cram schools. My dream at that time was to be able to work with Friends, go out and play more. When I grew up, I no longer had a good living environment, and I was trapped in a bad life. At that time, all I could think about was getting rid of that annoying living environment. I never carefully Thinking about dreams and stuff like that.”

"What about you now?" Musk asked.

"Become the best in the world." Luo Ji said.

"Uh..." Musk was stunned.

Luo Ji smiled: "Yes, this is indeed too utilitarian. In fact, that's the kind of person I am. Except for music, which I may be more passionate about, I consider other things from a utilitarian perspective."

Musk was silent for a moment: "This may be why you are so successful."

"Yes." Luo Ji smiled and continued, "Of course, this is apart from the fact that you and I are exchanging words in the media."

"Uh...have you not forgotten this? I have already apologized to you. I thought our relationship was already very good now."

"Just kidding, I'm not so narrow-minded."

Luo Ji looked at him and said seriously: "When you took the initiative to apologize to me, I have already forgiven you. Just like what I said to Mr. Buffett, we have no core conflicts of interest. On the contrary, the two of us cooperate, regardless of Is it SpaceX, or is it SolarCity.”

Musk nodded in agreement.

Luo Ji said sincerely: "I also apologize to you. I really shouldn't have bought your Tesla without notifying you."

"I forgive you."

"Thank you."

Musk suddenly said: "You and Mr. Buffett talked about Tesla today, right? Is he interested in Tesla?"

"He was definitely interested."

Musk had a look of joy on his face.

Luo Ji continued: "But after I described Tesla's situation to him in detail, he lost interest. You should also know that Tesla is not within the scope of his investment philosophy, and Tesla's financial situation It’s too bad, I still don’t know how much money I need to invest in order to make a profit.”

"Ok."

Musk nodded in disappointment, but was quickly relieved that this was expected after all.

Americans know that Mr. Buffett does not like risks.

He likes to invest in companies that are undervalued by the market and can bring dividends to shareholders over the long term.

He would never invest in technology companies like Apple, Google, and Yahoo that kept profits within the company and were unwilling to pay dividends to shareholders.

The night sky is dotted with stars, like countless pearls sprinkled on the sea.

Musk said, "I hope one day I can retire on Mars."

"You have told the media many times," Luo Ji said.

Musk looked at Luo Ji with a serious look on his face: "The media think I am just trying to create hype, and think this idea is a bit ridiculous. But I am serious."

"really?"

Musk smiled bitterly: "To tell you the truth, I have invested all my wealth and left no way out for myself. I am now on the verge of bankruptcy."

Although there was a wry smile on his face, there was light in his eyes.

At this moment, Luo Ji was touched by the light in Musk's eyes, and it was as if a song from a dream came into Luo Ji's mind.

Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep
Lately I've been tossing and turning and can't sleep

Dreaming 'bout the things that we could be
The dream I once had emerges
Said no more counting dollars
Pray that you won’t get lost in the pursuit of money
We'll be counting stars
We can count the stars in the sky
Take that money And watch it burn
Everything outside the body can be thrown away

"What are you thinking about?" Musk asked, looking at the stunned Luo Ji.

"Haha, it's nothing." Luo Ji thought for a moment and then said, "After listening to your words just now, I suddenly got the inspiration to write a song."

Musk had seen Luo Ji's songwriting experience in the media, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Then why don't we go back and record the inspiration now?"

"Need not."

Luo Ji pointed to his head: "My memory is very good."

"That's fine,"

Luo Ji suddenly patted Musk's shoulder with his hand: "Actually, I admire people like you who risk all your wealth for your ideals."

"Really?" Musk felt a sense of recognition in his heart.

Luo Ji looked at the stars in the sky: "Do you know why I invested in your SpaceX?"

"why?"

"Because you moved me by describing the future." Luo Ji looked at him and said sincerely.

"Thank you."

Luo Ji looked into his eyes and continued: "So, you don't have to worry. If the launch fails tomorrow, I will continue to support you."

"This……"

"Just think of it as a dream."

…………

The next day, a small Falcon 500 rocket stood on the launch pad on the small island of Omelek, about 1 meters away from Kwajalein Atoll.Even if it is a small rocket, humans are really small standing under this industrial crystal.

"You guys go a little to the left."

The photographer shouted loudly, and Luo Ji and Musk, who were standing in front of the rocket, moved slightly.

"OK!"

Click, click, click. The photographer pressed the shutter several times in succession. He flipped through the photos one by one, and then shouted to the two of them: "Perfect, come and take a look."

Luo Ji and Musk walked up and took a look. They were standing not far from the rocket, smiling happily, with the Falcon 1 in the background.

Musk smiled and said: "Very well, Logic, if the rocket launch is successful, provide this photo to the newspaper."

Luo Ji was a little surprised: "That's not good, after all, this is your honor."

Musk said grandly: "It's okay. Without your support of 2600 million meters, there would be no rocket. This is the honor you deserve. Moreover, this can also use your fame to expand the popularity of SpaceX."

Luo Ji smiled and said, "Well, this is a win-win situation. Just like when you and I quarreled in the media, it expanded Tesla's reputation."

"Haha." Musk smiled casually to hide his embarrassment.

…………

"Five, four, three..."

Everyone stood in the main control room of the rocket launch, watching the real-time broadcast of the rocket on the big screen, and the female announcer's voice rang out.

"Light it up, fire it up."

Boom boom boom.

The rocket engine ignited, liquid oxygen and kerosene quickly mixed, and burned violently in an instant.The hot air spurted backwards at high speed, and the huge reaction force caused the industrial behemoth of more than 30 tons to slowly leave the ground.

The process went smoothly, but no one in the control room cheered.

Because when the Falcon rocket was launched for the second time, the first stage had been successfully launched, but it ultimately failed to reach orbit.

Everyone was waiting anxiously. More than 100 seconds later, the rocket reached an altitude of about 70 kilometers, and the first-stage rocket engine was shut down and separated successfully.The second stage ignited successfully and continued to accelerate. The rocket reached the escape velocity of the earth.

At 9 minutes and 31 seconds, the rocket reached the predetermined speed, the second-stage engine was successfully shut down, and the rocket's flight was then left to inertia.

"Oh oh oh oh." Everyone in the venue cheered and clapped their hands.

At this point, it is basically stable.However, after everyone cheered, they continued to work professionally.The voice of the female announcer sounded from time to time.

"Initial orbit successfully reached."

"The second stage engine restarted and combustion went smoothly."

"The rocket successfully reached the predetermined speed and the engine was shut down."

"Final orbit arrived."

"Non-functional prototype spacecraft operates smoothly."

Musk leaned down and spoke into the microphone: "I declare that the fourth launch of Falcon 1 was a perfect success."

"Oh oh oh oh oh ah ah ah."

The crowd burst into earth-shattering cheers again, and everyone applauded excitedly.

Countless people hugged him warmly, and Luo Ji saw tears streaming down his face from several SpaceX employees.

He was also infected by such enthusiasm and hugged and celebrated with the people around him.The hugs couldn't stop after they started, and there was an endless stream of people coming to him for hugs.

Luo Ji, of course, accepted everyone who came.

"Hey." Luo Ji called.

The white woman in her 30s wearing glasses hugged him and kissed him on the face.This is a bit inconsistent with social etiquette.

The white woman continued to whisper in his ear: "Logic, there is a party tonight. Let's get together."

Luo Ji said politely, "Okay."

The white woman winked at Luo Ji, and before leaving, she patted his butt gently with her hand: "See you in the evening."

Uh, am I being teased by my aunt?

Luo Ji looked at her back, walking unsteadily.When she reached her seat and sat down, Luo Ji observed her carefully.

An intellectual white woman wearing glasses, wearing a female workplace suit and a hip-hugging skirt. She seemed to be someone sent by NASA.

Luo Ji touched his chin and fell into deep thought. She seemed a bit like his former English teacher.Luo Ji remembered that he liked that English teacher very much at that time.

…………

At night, people in various clothes came and went at the party.Undoubtedly, the most numerous people were those in military uniforms.This is a military testing site after all.

Luo Ji drank the beer in his hand while recalling the exchange he had just had with the white woman from NASA in the room.

This exchange was really pleasant, and the two discussed a lot of techniques on how to launch rockets.

The person in charge of Boeing came over with a glass of wine: "Logic, what did you do just now? I didn't see you at the party."

"I just went outside to breathe for a while." Luo Ji smiled.

The person in charge of Boeing did not pay attention: "The news should have come out by now."

"I don't know, but Musk has already sent the photos to major media groups."

"I guess we'll see it soon."

"Ah."

The person in charge of Boeing suddenly said: "Logic, you often travel around the world. Are you interested in ordering a private jet?"

Luo Ji suddenly realized that this was the purpose of following him shamelessly.

Ever since Luo Ji became famous, recommendations for various cruise ships, luxury homes, private islands, and private jets have never stopped.

However, Luo Ji had never been interested in this aspect. Such calls or invitations never came to him. They were all rejected by Braun or Fiona.

This guy was not bad. Luo Ji decided to listen to what he had to say. He said, "I don't know much about this area. Please give me a brief introduction."

The person in charge of Boeing Company began to introduce: "We have Boeing, Gulfstream, Airbus, Bombardier..."

"Stop, stop."

Luo Ji asked, "You're from Boeing, why are you introducing me to private jets from other companies?"

"Private jets are generally not readily available. They will be bought by some companies for second-hand sales as soon as they leave the factory. If you want to book one, you have to queue for at least a year or two."

Luo Ji nodded and said, "Then continue the introduction."

"Private jets range from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars. Celebrities like Gulfstream and Bombardier private jets with more luxurious interior decorations. Business people prefer Boeing, Airbus and the like. Although this kind of decoration is not luxurious, it has more download customers for the same price, but the speed is slower..."

Luo Ji listened to him talk for a long time and probably understood the basic situation.

He said: "Private jets are indeed more convenient, but I don't seem to have such an urgent need."

The person in charge of Boeing Company hurriedly said: "Who has a distinguished person like you who doesn't have a private jet? Even Musk has one."

"What are you talking about? I just heard you mention my name." Musk came over with a smile and a glass of wine.

The person in charge of Boeing said: "We are talking about private jets."

Musk smiled and sat next to Luo Ji: "Logic, you really should buy one. Compared with business jets, private jets can save a lot of time when traveling."

"How to say?"

"There are so many airports in the United States, and there are several in one city. Private jets can go to airports closer to your final destination, reducing the time spent at the airport. Private jets can fly at higher altitudes and faster. I I usually travel by my own private jet.”

Luo Ji asked curiously: "How much money do you have?"

"1000 meters knife."

Luo Ji said to the person in charge of Boeing: "Let me think about it again. As you know, my recent investment has been relatively large and I don't have any money at the moment. Let's talk about it when we get back to New York."

"Ok."

Musk suddenly said: "Logic, let's talk alone."

"Row."

The two of them came outside with wine glasses and the sea breeze blew. At this time, many people were chatting outside in twos and threes.

From a distance, Luo Ji saw Blake walking and chatting and laughing with a woman. What a good boy, you have learned my true story.

Musk said with a smile on his face: "Logic, I believe you had your own plan when you acquired Tesla before. Can you tell me how you plan to deal with the company's financial difficulties after acquiring Tesla?"

Luo Ji said unhappily: "What do you want? I haven't received Tesla's financial briefing yet. Do you think I will tell you this?"

"I'll deal with it when I get back."

It was okay not to mention this, but Luo Ji got angry when he mentioned it, and said rudely: "It cost a lot of money for me to entrust McKinsey to consult. Do you think I would leave it to you so easily?"

"We're friends."

"Business is business, don't do this with me."

Musk changed the topic: "Logic, are you still interested in investing in Tesla now?"

Luo Ji's heart skipped a beat. He pretended not to care and said, "Is Tesla going to raise funds again? It won't be a month yet. Is it possible that we have no money again?"

"No, it's still the financing you know."

Luo Ji was confused: "I heard someone say before that Tesla's financing is at the end, isn't it? The valuation is US$5.5 million."

Musk took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "There are so many investors, but I still like you."

Luo Ji couldn't believe that the exchange last night made their relationship so good.

"Don't do this with me. I don't want to listen to other people's lies."

Musk said angrily: "Why don't you believe it?"

Luo Ji looked at him directly: "Don't lie to me, I will investigate."

Musk's angry expression immediately disappeared. He paused for a moment before speaking: "Because of the financial crisis, cash is king. Those investors have all run away. You know, Tesla's financial situation is too bad. They are not willing to bear it." Such a big risk. But don’t worry..."

Luo Ji suddenly understood and interrupted Musk directly: "So this is the reason why you are trying to please me during this period. I'm telling you why you took the initiative to entrust others to find me, and also asked me to be on the SpaceX news together."

"It's nothing." Musk quickly explained: "After Bill Lee persuaded me, I regretted it. I was ready to tell you..."

Luo Ji stared into Musk's eyes, and his voice became softer and softer.

Luo Ji asked sternly: "So, you came to me because there were no other investors. They were unwilling to invest, so you think I am willing to invest?"

Sensing Luo Ji's attitude, Musk quickly tried to fight for it: "I can give you the best terms this time, with a valuation of 5.2 million yuan, and admit you to the board of directors..."

"I agreed!"

Luo Ji's mind was racing. Investing in Tesla was full of twists and turns, and it would be a long night with many dreams, so Luo Ji decisively agreed.

What self-esteem, respect, status.Can it compare to real money?Tesla has been on his mind for a long time.If acquisition doesn't work, investment will work.

"I can still..."

Musk stopped talking. He was a little confused by Luo Ji's sudden change. He looked like he couldn't agree just now, but now he agreed without negotiation.

He couldn't believe his ears for a moment, and asked tentatively: "Have you agreed to invest in Tesla? 10% of the shares, 5200 million US dollars."

Although he was very willing in his heart, he still had to act pretentious.

Luo Ji said calmly: "Yes."

"Don't you want to negotiate?"

Needless to say, Musk's bottom line must be Luo Ji's previous offer of US$5 million. US$200 million does not mean much to him.He really didn't want to continue arguing over the 200 million-meter knife.

Luo Ji turned his eyes and looked at him: "Are you tired of having too much money?"

Musk said with emotion: "No, I just didn't expect you to agree without even talking about it."

"What do you think of the scenery in front of you?" Luo Ji pointed at the sea.

"It's beautiful."

Luo Ji put on his best acting skills and looked at the sea calmly: "After all, I don't want to see such a beautiful island disappear before my eyes. Besides, we are friends, aren't we?"

Musk wanted to learn what Luo Ji said before, but business is business, but in the end he didn't say it and just nodded.

　OneRepublic - Counting Stars
　　
　
(End of this chapter)