Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 80 Silicon Valley in the Dust

San Jose, California.

The landing gear tires of the Gulfstream G4 rubbed against the scorching concrete runway with a soft "squeak," followed by a very slight vibration.

The plane was still taxiing, and the scenery outside was already streaming in through the oval windows.

The sunlight here is white, with an almost violent directness, making everything on the ground shine.

The hatch opened.

A dry, scorching heat wave, mixed with the smell of aviation kerosene and dust, hit me.

"This is... Silicon Valley?"

Amy stood at the top of the gangway, blinking somewhat blankly.

In her imagination, Silicon Valley should be as neon-lit as Ginza, or like a futuristic city from a science fiction comic, with towering skyscrapers everywhere, flying cars shuttling through the sky, and sophisticated machinery on the ground that one dares not touch.

But all that lay before them was a desolate wasteland so flat it was almost hopeless.

The Santa Cruz Mountains in the distance appeared a withered yellowish-brown, like burnt bread crust. Large swathes of low-rise houses surrounded the airport, and there were even several orchards. Aside from the glaring sunlight, it looked no different from the countryside of Saitama Prefecture, perhaps even more desolate.

"Did...the pilot land in the wrong place?"

Amy gripped the handrail tightly and turned to look behind her.

Satsuki was putting on a pair of large sunglasses that covered half of her face. She had changed into a light silk printed shirt, tucked into high-waisted wide-leg pants, and was holding a wide-brimmed straw hat.

"You didn't go to the wrong place."

Satsuki stepped down the gangway, her high heels clicking crisply on the scorching metal steps.

"Welcome to San Jose, Amy. This is the center of the world."

"But..." Amy followed behind, muttering softly, "There isn't even a decent department store to be seen here."

There were no rows of black minivans at the exit of the tarmac.

Instead, there was a bright red Cadillac Eldorado convertible parked in the middle of the road.

The massive body resembled a land-based yacht, its chrome bumper gleaming in the sunlight. Fujita was already seated in the driver's seat, but his formal dark gray suit clashed sharply with the ostentatious American style of the sports car.

"Get in the car."

Satsuki opened the back door without asking Fujita for help.

"Let's throw our luggage to the car behind us. Since we're here on vacation, we should act like it's a vacation."

Amy carefully sat down in the back seat. The leather seats were quite hot from the sun, and she couldn't help but shrink back slightly.

"Hold on tight."

Satsuki put the straw hat on her head and then took out a Hermes scarf from her bag.

"Also, wrap up your messy hair."

"Why?"

Before Amy could react, Satsuki had already leaned over and skillfully wrapped the silk scarf around Amy's head, then tied a knot at her chin.

"This is California. If you don't wrap yourself up properly, you'll turn into a madwoman in five minutes."

"Buzz—"

The V8 engine emitted a deep roar.

The red Cadillac sped off, drove away from the airport, and plunged into the boundless California sunshine.

……

Highway 101.

The wind was strong. Dry, hot wind howled into the open-top carriage, making the hems of their clothes flutter loudly.

Amy pressed the scarf on her head tightly, looking through her sunglasses at the scenery rushing past on both sides.

There are indeed no tall buildings.

The road was lined with two- or three-story box-like buildings, their exteriors painted pale yellow or grayish-white. Occasionally, you could see a few companies with signs—Intel, Apple, HP. Those signs were inconspicuous, even somewhat dilapidated, completely lacking the grandeur of Tokyo's large corporations.

Most of the vehicles on the road are pickup trucks or old sedans, with people sitting in them wearing loose T-shirts and jeans, and some even wearing slippers while buying hot dogs on the roadside.

"Saionji-kun..."

Amy had to raise her voice to drown out the wind.

"Are those people... really engineers? They look like... like they just woke up."

Every engineer she met in Tokyo was dressed in neat work clothes, with three pens in their pockets, and discussing yield rates with a serious expression.

"This is Silicon Valley."

Satsuki held down the brim of her hat with one hand, a smile playing on her lips.

"Here, nobody cares what you wear. They only care what's in your head."

"See that garage over there?"

Satsuki stretched out her slender fingers and pointed to a row of inconspicuous houses by the roadside.

"Perhaps right now, behind that roller shutter door, a few young people who look like beggars are typing away at their code. And what they write might cause IBM's stock price to halve next year."

"Don't be fooled by appearances, Amy."

"Every grain of dust here contains gold. The air here is not filled with the scent of fruit, but with greed and ambition."

The car drove into Palo Alto.

The environment here is slightly better. Stanford University's red-tiled roofs are partially hidden by the green trees. Tall palm and oak trees line both sides of the street.

The atmosphere on University Road became somewhat languid.

The outdoor café was packed with young people. They had thick books or those bulky portable laptops in front of them and were having heated debates.

"parking."

Satsuki patted the back of the driver's seat.

The car slowly came to a stop on the side of the road.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

I'm thirsty.

Satsuki pushed open the car door and walked straight to an ice cream stand by the roadside.

She didn't have bodyguards with her, and like an ordinary tourist, she stood in line behind several students wearing Stanford hoodies. (She had covert protection, and was armed according to American custom.)

Amy quickly followed.

"I want two balls. Vanilla and strawberry," Satsuki said in fluent English.

After receiving the ice cream, she handed one to Amy.

"Eat."

Amy took a lick, and the cool, sweet taste melted on her tongue.

"Is it tasty?"

"Mmm! It's sweeter than the ones in Ginza!"

"Because there's an excess of sugar here."

Satsuki leaned against the door of the Cadillac, watching the pedestrians coming and going.

"Amy, what do you think is the difference between the people here and those in Tokyo?"

"Difference? What difference? Are they all white? Oh, and they smell really bad."

Satsuki paused for a moment. Oh, right, it's normal that Amy doesn't understand since she's not Shuichi.

She pointed to a group of young people across from her who were arguing heatedly; one of them was wearing slippers, and the other had his hair dyed green.

"In Tokyo, everything is well-organized. Everyone is on track. But you rarely see that kind of wild vitality there."

"Chaos is the breeding ground for innovation."

"We're not here to buy shares in those established, large companies. Those are too expensive and too boring."

Satsuki took a bite of the ice cream cone, making a crisp sound.

"What we're looking for are those wild beasts still struggling in the chaos, those who haven't yet learned to wear suits."

……

It was evening.

The red Cadillac pulled up in front of a hotel called Garden Court Hotel.

Located in the heart of Palo Alto, this hotel is a white Spanish-style building with a courtyard filled with flowers and fountains. While it lacks the grandeur of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, it exudes a relaxed and sophisticated charm unique to California.

"Miss, the suite on the top floor has been arranged."

Fujita handed the car keys to the valet and walked ahead with his luggage.

Enter the room.

This is a suite with a huge terrace. The decor is warm Mediterranean style, with beige walls, terracotta floor tiles, and a huge bathtub that can fit three people lying down.

As soon as Amy entered the room, she was drawn to the black box on the TV cabinet.

"This is... a cable TV decoder?"

She leaned over the TV, fiddling with the remote control.

"Wow! There are a hundred channels! And HBO, which shows movies! And that... MTV? It's all music videos!"

For Japan, which only has a few television stations, this kind of information bombardment is simply unimaginable.

"Stop watching TV."

Satsuki took off her shoes and stepped barefoot on the floor tiles.

"Fujita, order room service."

"Yes. Do you need to make a reservation for French cuisine?"

"No."

Satsuki shook her head, walked onto the terrace, and looked at the lights that had come on in the street below.

"Give me a burger. The biggest one, with the most patty and oozing cheese. And a large portion of fries. And an iced Coke."

"Uh..." Fujita paused for a moment, but immediately nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Twenty minutes later.

A huge silver platter was brought into the room.

Lifting the lid revealed a mountain of American junk food.

The brown beef patties exuded an enticing aroma of fat, the golden fries were sprinkled with coarse salt, and the bubbles of iced cola burst at the rim of the glass.

"Eat."

Satsuki picked up a hamburger and took a big bite without any regard for her image.

Amy was starving. She imitated Satsuki, grabbing a hamburger and wolfing it down.

"It smells so good..." Amy mumbled, her mouth full of meat. "It's a little oily, but it smells really good."

"This is the taste of America."

Satsuki wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

"Rough, greasy, but filling and full of energy."

She took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, placed it on the greasy table, and pushed it in front of Amy.

"Are you full?"

"Mmm! I'm full!" Amy burped.

"Eat your fill, then get to work."

Satsuki pointed to the note.

"This is tomorrow's schedule."

Amy picked up the note and looked at it by the light.

There was only a handwritten address on it, the handwriting was messy:

【2400 Charleston Road, Mountain View.】

There was also a strange symbol drawn next to it, which looked like a bridge or a wave.

"Where is this?" Amy asked. "Is it the headquarters of some big company?"

"No."

Satsuki took a sip of cola, a playful glint in her eyes.

"That was a couple's home. Or rather, their garage."

"couple?"

"Yes. Sandy Lerner and Ryan Bosack."

Satsuki looked out the window at the night scene.

"I heard they're going through a divorce, or they're being pressured to divorce by investors. Anyway, they're having a huge fight at home."

"Should we try to break up the fight?" Amy asked, looking bewildered.

"No."

Satsuki shook her head.

"We're going to deliver money."

She stood up and walked to the edge of the terrace. The evening breeze ruffled her long hair.

"Amy, haven't you always wanted to know how to connect all the computers in the world?"

"Tomorrow, in that messy garage, you will see the answer."

"The answer is Cisco."

Amy looked at the note in her hand, then at Satsuki's back.

Although she didn't know what "Cisco" was, she vaguely felt that the piece of paper stained with fries seemed heavier than her thick technical manual.

Go to bed early.

Satsuki turned around and smiled at Amy.

"Remember to wear that Chanel outfit tomorrow."

"We're going to wear our most expensive clothes and go into the dirtiest garage."