Chapter 150: Caroline's Crowdfunding
An hour later, Ron received a photo of Heinrich taken by the camera on his new iPhone. It wasn't that Paige wasn't helpful, but the internet speed was so slow in this era that it was hard enough for the phone to receive a photo.
That murderous look on his face—it was obvious that he was here to seek revenge, right?
Ron looked at the man in the photo with a face full of hatred and bitterness, and suddenly felt that there was no need to rush to kill him. Anyway, sooner or later he would go after those two agents and get himself killed. Although Ron and Hobbs had been complaining about the two partners being too weak, this weakness was relative, mainly depending on who they were compared with.
Compared to Ron and Hobbs, who were operators capable of perfect infiltration into enemy units, there were few who weren't considered weak.
(Perfect infiltration: Eliminating every hostile target, leaving no one alive to even know you've infiltrated. Hence the name.)
Ron gripped the steering wheel, executing a stunning drift in the middle of the road while switching lanes. This drew a wave of curses from other drivers, and Ron changed direction, heading for Murphy's Diner.
...
Murphy's Diner kept hours from 12:00 PM to 2:00 AM—perfectly reasonable timing for a restaurant located near the projects.
The junkies would only wake up around noon, shambling like zombies in search of food, then crash in the early morning hours, high on whatever they'd managed to score or buy with their begging money.
This cycle continued day after day, until one day someone forgot to roll over and choked on their own vomit, or got shot by another addict trying to steal their stash, ending their pathetic existence.
In the diner, Earl placed a large cardboard box on the table. "Good afternoon, everyone. Time to dig for treasure in the lost and found box again."
"If my dignity counted for anything, I'd say hello properly."
"This is the most exciting day of the month!" Caroline said enthusiastically, then immediately looked dejected. "God, I've really hit rock bottom fast."
"Or maybe I could take you shopping on Rodeo Drive and let you experience your life as a princess again," Ron said as he pushed the door open.
"Ron!" Caroline was delighted and rushed over for a passionate kiss. Then, despite being tempted, she refused. "No, Ron, I'd feel terrible if I spent your money carelessly."
"It would make me feel no different from those girls working the streets. I know you mean well, but please let me keep my last shred of self-respect as a formerly rich girl. Thank you, Ron."
Caroline's response earned her applause, and even Ron couldn't help but admire her resolve.
It's easy to go from poverty to wealth, but hard to go back to being poor. For a wealthy girl who had truly experienced high society and been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, maintaining such dignity after a series of devastating setbacks was truly admirable.
Max, in her own words, felt completely spoiled after just one night in Caroline's former bathtub.
For a wealthy girl like Caroline, wanting to return to her previous lifestyle would actually be quite simple—she'd just have to be willing to sell herself out.
There were plenty of wealthy, twisted men who would pay handsomely for a poor woman they'd once admired but couldn't have, now homeless like a stray dog, and take her home as their new plaything.
As far as Ron knew, after the Channing family's downfall, Caroline had received numerous marriage proposals from such men, but she'd rejected them all.
"No, no, no, you're overthinking this," Ron said, shaking his head firmly. "I'm talking about spending your own money."
"My own money? You're not going to make me dip into our cupcake fund, are you?" Caroline shook her head even more firmly. "Absolutely not! That's Max and my shop startup money. We're both counting on it for our future."
"Of course not," Ron said with a mischievous smile. He placed his laptop on the table and opened a webpage. "Remember that crowdfunding video I had you make last time for your dream? I used it to create a crowdfunding campaign.
Congratulations! In just one month, you've raised almost $10,000."
Ron turned the screen toward the stunned blonde, and Caroline was actually trembling with excitement.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Max stared at the crowdfunding page, practically wanting to stick her face into the computer to see what crowdfunded money looked like.
"Forgive me for saying 'OMG' three times in a row! This phrase was made for this moment! Are these people insane? A blonde girl who didn't even show skin, and people are willing to pay her this much?! Strippers can make two hundred bucks in tips on a good night!"
"Oh, Max." Caroline was too excited to care about the inappropriate comparison and hugged Max tightly.
"This is so unfair," Oleg said, bitter as if he'd bitten into a lemon. "Last time I crowdfunded fifty bucks for new pants and nobody gave me a dime. Look at this crazy person named Morrison—he actually donated $500 to her in one shot!"
Oleg pointed to a name on the crowdfunding donor list and read it out indignantly. And this person wasn't even the biggest donor for Caroline!
"Nobody wants to pay for someone else's pants when they can't wear them," Ron rolled his eyes. "Caroline's different."
"Look, it clearly states here that the crowdfunding is for opening a cupcake shop, and she's promising returns to each investor. If the shop actually opens and becomes profitable, everyone can come get a free cupcake on their birthday."
"But this is still crazy!" Earl still couldn't believe such a ridiculous thing could exist in the world, completely baffled.
"It's normal. Just look at fans of celebrities or influencers. They have no personal connection, but they're willing to support their idols' dreams and buy all kinds of merchandise.
I've heard some even skip meals just to buy concert tickets or limited edition items for their favorites. Maybe these people are just as moved by Caroline's dream."
Ron's explanation made him sweat internally. Fortunately, Earl accepted his reasoning, otherwise he wouldn't know how to continue.
"Ron, you didn't secretly fund this yourself, did you?" Caroline whispered, pulling Ron aside.
"How could I?" Ron laughed heartily. "If I'd done it myself, how could it have been so affordable? And where would I have found so many accounts from around the world?"
"Look, this Italian guy named Amedeo left a message wishing you luck with your shop. He said he'd definitely visit your bakery to try some cupcakes when he's in Los Angeles."
Speaking of which, in the previous chapters, I planted a clue linking this story to another movie. Can anyone guess what it was?
How about adding more chapters if you guess correctly?
(End of chapter)
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