*Chapter 225: I Don't Want to Be Too High-Profile*

"Hey, Richard, I heard you became a billionaire?"

That morning, Richard was playing tennis with Bündchen when he received a call from Keanu Reeves.

"How did you find out?" Richard asked, puzzled.

"Is it true? Man, that's insane! The newspapers say you became a millionaire in '98, a multimillionaire in '99, and now a billionaire in 2000. While everyone else is making money by addition, you’re doing multiplication," Reeves exclaimed in admiration.

"Which paper? I haven't seen it."

"The Wall Street Journal, plus a few smaller ones. Come on, tell me, how are you making all this money? Do you have some sort of sixth sense? Can you help me get rich too?" Reeves joked.

"Don't get carried away. Let me check the papers first," Richard replied, hanging up the phone.

He found that day’s Wall Street Journal and skimmed through it. Sure enough, the article detailed how he had made a significant fortune in tech stocks last year. It highlighted not just his prowess in the boxing ring but also his sharp business acumen, noting how he seized the opportunity in the booming internet stock market, making him a billionaire in record time. The article emphasized his self-made success and his young age.

In Fortune magazine, Richard was mentioned among the highest-earning sports stars of the year, ranking fourth with $42 million. Combined with his stock market gains, his net worth was estimated at around $200 million, placing him 24th on the list of young billionaires under 30.

"Richard, is your net worth really $200 million?" Bündchen asked in surprise.

"I told you before, didn’t I? I made over $100 million in the stock market," Richard said, holding her close with a smile.

"I thought you were joking! How do you make money so easily? I’ve been working hard in the fashion industry for three or four years and have only made less than $20 million. How am I ever going to catch up with you?" Bündchen said with a frown.

"Why are you comparing yourself to me? I’m a man. If I couldn’t make more money than you, where would my pride be?" Richard teased, pulling her in for a kiss.

"But you’re making it hard for the rest of us," she pouted.

"Hard? You should be proud that your boyfriend is such a good earner," Richard said with a laugh.

"Hmph, no way. I need to work harder too," Bündchen declared, dropping her racket and heading home to dive into her books.

Richard chuckled and continued reading the paper.

A short while later, he received several more calls—Charlize Theron, Reese, Jessica Alba, Angela, Paris, Ivanka, Gwyneth, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Sandra, Neal Moritz—all congratulating him on joining the billionaire club.

Richard sighed. He had hoped to quietly amass his wealth, but now that it was public knowledge, he wasn’t thrilled about it. He called his CFO, Ellie.

"Richard, it was my side that let the news slip. Our performance last year was so outstanding that our account capital multiplied several times over. The company made us a case study and praised us in an internal meeting. I got a promotion to senior manager because of it. Somehow, a Wall Street Journal reporter caught wind of it, and the news leaked. Sorry about that. We’ll be more careful about confidentiality going forward."

"It’s okay. Is there any way to keep this private? I don’t want too much attention," Richard asked after a moment’s thought.

"There are several options. The easiest is to register an investment company in a tax haven. You can then make investments under the company’s name. Without knowing the company’s share structure, outsiders will find it difficult to trace how much money you’re making. Of course, I’m talking about investment income. Your earnings from boxing and acting will still be easy to track."

"That sounds good. Let’s discuss setting up the investment company when I get back to New York."

After a few more words, Richard hung up the phone.

*Translation:*

"Ring ring~"

After a short while, Anthony called again, “Richard, Fortune magazine wants to do an interview with you. Should we agree?”

“They already broke the news. What’s left to interview?” Richard said, displeased.

“They say you represent the American Dream, a young wealth icon. Your story is popular among young people, and they want to dig deeper into what’s behind your success,” Anthony replied with a smile.

Richard thought about it and agreed. Compared to rumors, a proper interview seemed more reliable and could prevent further gossip from the source.

On the third day, in his hillside villa, he accepted an interview with a Fortune magazine journalist. Since they wanted to delve into the story behind the billionaire, Richard started talking about his life from when he was a teenager. He recalled the tough times, working three part-time jobs every day just to barely fill his stomach. Life was confusing, and he didn’t know if he would spend his whole life in despair.

During those lost years, boxing was the only ladder that could help him rise, so he trained hard. Finally, in 1998, he won his first championship belt and earned his first million dollars, followed by his first ten million, and then a hundred million.

“Mr. Brad, as we understand, besides boxing performances, you’ve also been involved in movie production and have made significant achievements in the stock market. What will your focus be in the coming phase?”

“Boxing! Making money is not my career; doing what I love is my career. Boxing is where my career started. Until I’ve reached the top, I will continue to fight in the ring,” Richard said.

“What do you mean by reaching the top?” the journalist asked.

“The heavyweight division is an unfamiliar and very attractive field to me. There are many powerful boxers there, and I want to defeat them,” Richard said, clenching his fists.

The interview lasted for two hours. By the afternoon, after the journalist left, Anthony came to see him again. Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, CBS Tonight Show, and other news and entertainment magazines and TV shows also wanted exclusive interviews with him.

Richard selected a few influential media outlets for interviews and even pulled Bündchen along to appear on the covers of fashion magazines like i-D, Rolling Stone, and W.

While he was incredibly busy, Andy also came to join the fun.

“Richard, Nike is preparing to invite you to endorse their new sportswear.”

“How much is the endorsement fee?”

“Twenty million for three years!”

“That’s too low. Jordan’s endorsement fee was $110 million, and Kobe’s was $15 million for two years. My fame isn’t much less than Kobe’s, is it?” Richard shook his head.

“It’s different. Basketball stars are on TV playing games every day. How many matches do you fight a year? And you don’t even have to wear branded clothing when you do. Twenty million is about right,” Andy replied with a smile.

Richard thought for a moment, “What if I wanted to create my own sportswear brand? Just like Nike’s subsidiary Brand Jordan, I want to create a sportswear brand that belongs to me.”

Andy pondered, “Your idea is good, but it’s beyond my expertise. This needs to be discussed with professionals.”

“Alright, let’s take it slow,” Richard said, wiping sweat from his face. Then he remembered something, “Has anyone challenged me?”

“Yes, Anthony Tarver, Richard Hall, Joe Calzaghe, and over a dozen others from around the world have sent challenge invitations, but their offers are too low. The highest is only three million, which isn’t worth your time,” Andy replied.

“Three million is too low. If it’s less than five million, don’t bother negotiating,” Richard said with a smile. Among those challengers, there must be someone hoping to get lucky. If they accidentally beat him, the super champion, they would win four championship belts, which would be a huge win for them.

After sitting for a while, Andy got up to leave. Richard put on his gloves and continued his boxing practice.

By mid-January, he gradually found some free time and went on a trip with Bündchen.

After a few days of fun, the Lord of the Rings crew called, asking him to return quickly. Richard had no choice but to say goodbye to his leisurely life and fly to New Zealand.

“Hey, Richard, you’ve been in the news a lot lately: super champion, action star, young billionaire. Mr. Brad, what’s the secret to your success?” Liv Tyler asked as they sat together in the plane's business class.

Richard raised an eyebrow, “Use your time wisely, spend more time reading, learning, and training, rather than on women. Remember, beautiful women are tests on the road to success. The prettier the girl, the bigger the test.”

“Haha, am I a test?” Liv Tyler laughed.

“Yes, you’re the biggest test. Anyone who sees you would stumble.”

“Even you?” Liv Tyler teased him with a smile.

“Of course!”

— (End of Chapter)