That evening, Lin BaoCheng brought his bodyguards and Isabella to Phil Smith's villa.
Phil Smith was hosting a private party and had invited Lin BaoCheng, who decided to bring Isabella along. As for the bodyguards, naturally they could only wait outside — such occasions didn't allow them inside.
Phil Smith's villa wasn't in Beverly Hills, and though slightly smaller than Lin BaoCheng's, the difference wasn't great.
Lin BaoCheng and Isabella arrived neither early nor late; the party was already underway.
"Hey, Lin, long time no see. Welcome to the party tonight." Phil Smith opened his arms and hugged Lin BaoCheng.
"Long time no see, Smith," Lin BaoCheng replied, then turned to a man approaching with a wine glass. "Good evening, Mr. Thomas!"
"Good evening, Mr. Lin!" Wade Thomas, an executive from Goldman Sachs, greeted him. Thomas had originally been introduced to Lin BaoCheng by Phil Smith, so his presence at the party was expected.
"Lin, let me introduce you," Phil Smith said, presenting other guests. Among them was Tony Brown, whom Lin BaoCheng had met once before, along with several of Smith's business partners.
"This is Lin from Hong Kong. He runs a gaming company. The hit games Hong Kong Blocks and Pac-Man were developed by his company," Smith explained to the others.
"You can also call me by my English name, Allen. Pleased to meet you all," Lin BaoCheng said, nodding. To make dealings with Westerners easier, he had adopted "Allen" as his English name, purely for convenience.
Wade Thomas smiled: "'Allen' symbolizes wisdom — very fitting for you. In just one year you've built such wealth. Clearly, you're exceptionally wise."
"Not really. Wisdom is the main factor, but luck plays a part too," Lin BaoCheng replied with a smile. He wasn't being modest — Isabella had advised him that when dealing with Westerners, humility wasn't necessary. Showing strength was important.
"Allen, is your company developing new games? If so, don't forget to notify me first," Phil Smith said, taking two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and handing one to Lin BaoCheng.
"We're currently developing two new games. In a few months they'll be ready. I'll definitely inform you first, Smith," Lin BaoCheng answered with a smile. For arcade distribution outside Hong Kong and Macau, he planned to rely entirely on agents. Though this meant less profit, it avoided complications and ensured immediate payment — a situation he was content to maintain.
"Then I'll await your good news, Allen," Phil Smith said, his eyes lighting up. Distributing Galaxy Games' two titles had already earned him considerable profits, so he eagerly anticipated the new releases.
Of course, success wasn't guaranteed. But with two proven hits already, the chances of Galaxy Games' next titles succeeding were high.
After some conversation, Phil Smith signaled that he had something to discuss privately. He, Lin BaoCheng, Isabella, Tony Brown, and Wade Thomas sat aside, while the others tactfully moved elsewhere.
"Smith, what's the matter?" Lin BaoCheng asked, sipping his wine.
"It's like this," Smith began. "Allen, you've been going long on gold futures, right? At first I didn't, but since you were investing, I started watching gold prices. Two months ago, when prices adjusted, I invested 10 million USD with three‑times leverage. My entry price was 183 USD per ounce."
"Congratulations, Smith. You must have made quite a profit," Lin BaoCheng said, raising his glass. Indeed, he had been lucky — not long after his own purchases, gold prices began rising. That morning Isabella had told him the price was around 195 USD per ounce.
With three‑times leverage, Smith had earned nearly 20% profit on his principal — about 2 million USD. Not bad at all.
"What I earned is nothing compared to you," Smith said, shaking his head. "I remember you bought when gold was under 165 USD. Let's say 165 as your cost. That's an 18% rise. With five‑times leverage, that's over 90% profit!"
Smith was truly envious. Lin BaoCheng had entered around November. Now, in early March, less than four months later, he had gained over 90% on his principal. Even after fees, interest, and taxes, the returns were enormous.
"If only the profits were really that high," Lin BaoCheng said, waving his hand. He turned to Wade Thomas: "Goldman Sachs is the one truly making money. No risk at all — just collecting financing interest. They've already earned 30 million USD from me. More importantly, my 100 million USD principal was borrowed from Goldman. Annual interest is 9%. Over three years, that's 27%. Meaning I'll pay Goldman 57 million USD in interest — and that's assuming I don't borrow more later."
That's how finance worked — hugely profitable. No wonder Western capitalists flocked to the industry.
"Allen, you can't put it that way," Wade Thomas interjected. "Think about it: you didn't put in a cent of your own money, yet you've already earned massive profits. Even covering three years of interest, you're ahead. After that, the money you make is essentially free of interest. Where else can you find such a deal?"
"Mr. Thomas is right," Lin BaoCheng said with a smile. He didn't argue further. He knew exactly how much he was making.
"When the six‑month term ends, Allen, if you need more financing, come to me anytime," Wade Thomas added. For Goldman Sachs, someone like Lin BaoCheng — who could generate tens of millions in profit for them — was a valued friend. Maintaining good relations was essential.
For those who couldn't make Goldman money, even if wealthy, they were irrelevant. Compared to Lin BaoCheng, they simply didn't matter. One person brought profit, another didn't — the difference was obvious.