Chapter 1589
Taking an Inch and a Mile
"What what?"
"He Chaoying".
"What do you mean by 'super win'?"
"He Chaoying".
"What wins?"
Zhang Yuan was having a long conversation with Yang Tianbao, and his mind was almost completely muddled.
They all have the same word, how am I supposed to know who's who?
"Let's put that aside for now, is this person your friend?"
"Yes."
"Are you trying to climb the social ladder?" Zhang Yuan asked bluntly.
"Yes..." the man replied somewhat dejectedly.
"So when someone asks you to do something, you have no choice but to do it because you want to curry favor with them and try to leverage their family's influence."
"Hmm." Miss Yang's inner world was being peeled back layer by layer.
"So the other party wants you to secretly contact me and make it an accident."
"Or should you just say you want to see me?"
"She said she wanted to see you and asked me to arrange a party to bring you here."
"Didn't you say it was a secret?"
"No."
Zhang Yuan thought about it and realized that the approach wasn't right.
At least he's different from the previous one.
"Okay, I see."
"I will go. Just tell me the time and address."
What I fear least is the Feast at Hongmen.
You'd better fast forward to the honey trap part; I want to test my weaknesses.
"That's great." The baby breathed a sigh of relief.
If she fails to get things done, she will be looked down upon, and people might stop paying attention to her in the future.
Her current situation is somewhat similar to when Kim Kardashian was dating Paris Hilton in her early years.
Find a young lady from a prominent family to be your follower to expand your resources and network.
After all, no matter how capable Huang Xiaoming is, he's still a level below Hua Yi, and no matter how capable Hua Yi is, she's still a level below the He family.
It's normal for a former model to be thinking about climbing the social ladder.
He put down his phone, took out his laptop, and began collecting information.
I also asked my agent and Zhuo Wei to help me investigate.
After summarizing the information, he took another look at this other Miss He.
"So it was the fourth branch..."
No wonder her style is different from that of the third wife.
Moreover, Zhang Yuan thought about it and realized that the fourth branch of the family was indeed the one most closely connected to the entertainment industry.
Yang Tianbao debuted in Hong Kong, so it's normal for him to get to know the other party through connections.
This Ho Chiu-ying is only a few months older than Ho Chiu-lin and is the eldest daughter of the fourth wife.
In theory, her status is higher than that of Ho Chiu-lin, the second daughter of the third wife.
only……
After looking at her information, Zhang Yuan grimaced.
"Okay, that's settled for now."
"We still have to go."
He strolled around downtown Paris and bought some souvenirs to give back to China.
He also prepared a Bulgari bracelet as a birthday gift for his "legendary female investigator," Ms. Yang.
This brand was also acquired by LVMH, and Zhang Yuan felt he lost out when he bought it.
Just as I was preparing to return to China, I received a call from Kering.
Manager Pierre told him that the head of the household, Henry, was interested in his proposal and was willing to meet with him.
It's right in the Kering headquarters office building.
Soon after, he met the current head of the Pinault family, a prominent French family.
The Arnault family of LVMH started by running a construction company, while the Pinault family started by trading timber.
These two families used to cooperate, but now they are rivals.
In terms of wealth, the Arnault family is more than ten times that of Pinault.
But just like the Ho and Ho families, paper wealth is useful, but not that useful.
This Frenchman, who looks somewhat like the current 007 Daniel Craig, has a hooked nose, blond hair, and a burly build.
Just by looking at his appearance, he seems more imposing than the Arnaud family.
It was this current head of the family who devised the plan to return the beast heads.
And it's not over yet.
The animal heads are just the first wave; negotiations for the second wave are currently underway.
In the 1990s, the Qin Duke's Tomb, located in Dabaozi Mountain, Li County, Gansu Province, was robbed.
Among them were several gold ornaments in the shape of birds of prey, which were of extremely high artistic and historical value and ended up in the hands of the Fran XZ family.
The Frenchman wanted to donate it to the Guimet Museum of Asian Art, but the Pinault family discovered it.
After contacting Chinese experts for authentication, it was confirmed that the item was lost from that year.
After the Pinault family intervened, the collector relinquished the donation and sold the items to them.
The Pinault family then returned more than fifty artifacts, including these gold ornaments, free of charge, in their own names.
Moreover, this matter is different from the return of the animal heads.
The Pinault family, in cooperation with domestic authorities, achieved this by having China actively pursue the return of cultural relics and obtain compensation.
This marks the first time that China has successfully recovered cultural relics that had been lost to the West.
If you succeed once, you'll have a legal and operational basis to do the same thing again in the future.
Otherwise, every time we try to recover the money, the white people deny it, refuse, and make excuses, saying, "Why don't you go and ask the British Museum and the French Museum for the money?"
This demonstrates the vision and ability of the current head of the family, Henry.
It was precisely because he knew that the other party had in-depth cooperation with the top leadership of China that he dared to approach them to propose cooperation.
The other party had someone pour him a glass of sparkling water from one of the group's brands. Zhang Yuan took a sip and expressed his gratitude.
“I like your outfit.” This person, like the manager, noticed his suit.
"I really like your clothes too."
"If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect," he replied very politely.
After only a brief chat, the seemingly polite Pinault family leader revealed his assertive side as a manager.
“I know, Mr. Bernard just invited you to his estate.”
Zhang Yuan never brought up this matter from beginning to end, but the other party found out about it in a short period of time.
"Mr. Bernard is very shrewd and capable."
"But he should pay more attention to the European and American markets, especially the North American market."
"But I am different; I am very optimistic about the Chinese market."
The Pinault family actually arrived relatively late; LVMH had already begun its expansion into China several years earlier.
In North America, LVMH dominates the market, from bags to beverages, and has been operating there for many years.
The world's largest markets for luxury goods and alcoholic beverages are North America and China, and none of them are.
LVMH primarily promotes brandy and champagne, while Kering acquired Château Latour, one of the five first growths in Bordeaux.
These drinks sell very well in North America and are also very popular in Hong Kong.
Therefore, the major companies are well aware that the future growth point for their groups lies in mainland China.
How did Lafite become popular in mainland China?
Thanks to Hong Kong films, Hong Kong people talk about it all the time.
Hennessy and Moët & Chandon are also sponsors of major sporting events in North America and favorites of various sports and entertainment stars, using this approach to capture market share.
Alcohol and luxury goods are inseparable from celebrities.
But the other party's ambitions still exceeded Zhang Yuan's expectations.
"I have considered your proposal for comprehensive cooperation."
"Product placement in film and television works, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, online shopping, and sports event sponsorship."
“Our group has budgets for all of these.”
"And the budget share allocated to the mainland is increasing year by year."
“That’s great, it seems we both have the intention to cooperate,” Zhang Yuan replied steadily.
I knew in my heart that if they came to see me in person, it certainly wouldn't be that simple.
This is a matter that a general manager can handle; the head of the family doesn't need to get involved.
What's making him a little anxious right now is that the other party mentioned Bernard Old Den and even met with me in person.
Could it be that they also want to buy shares in my racing team?
Unfortunately, he was wrong. The other party didn't want to buy the racing team.
"However, I think our cooperation can go even further."
“I am very interested in your film company. I did some research and the results were very good.”
“Tens of millions of viewers watch your company’s productions every year.”
"Therefore, I am interested in investing in your film company."
Zhang Yuan: ...
As expected of someone with a grand vision, he also has a big appetite!
Anyway, these white guys are definitely after my principal, I'm almost used to it.
That makes sense. That's why I asked why you had to see me in person.
He didn't answer immediately, and remained silent for a while.
The other party wants to develop the mainland market, but my company is not publicly listed.
Investing in this stock will not only benefit you in terms of publicity, but you'll also reap the rewards of a successful IPO.
It seems the other party has conducted a very thorough investigation into me.
They only make such a request if they are certain that the company has the potential to go public.
To run such a large company, one must be very shrewd.
In business, cooperation is the key to mutual benefit.
Zhang Yuan didn't dislike this approach; it was better than another old man trying to force a sale.
And the situations are different too.
The film company is not owned by me alone, but the racing team shares are mine.
Public and private are different.
The problem is that the other party has a big appetite, but just how big is it?
"Did you know that my company has a very complex shareholder structure?"
“Especially since the shareholders include semi-official companies in the Chinese film industry, they cannot sit idly by and watch this company become a business dominated by foreign teams.”
It's absolutely impossible for you to take control, and you won't be given the chance to seize control. Let me make that clear from the outset.
"Of course, we don't know much about the Chinese film and television industry, and Kering Group itself doesn't have a film business."
“We are not interested in managing a film company.”
"Moreover, I personally respect the local customs of China." The other party stated that they had no intention of devouring the world.
“Okay, then I will work with the shareholders as soon as possible to come up with a suitable investment plan.” Zhang Yuan stood up and shook hands with the other party.
I can accept the idea that all I want is to make money.
The other person smiled and shook hands with him, saying many polite things about appreciating Chinese culture.
After leaving the office, Zhang Yuan pondered.
The ideal outcome doesn't exist in reality, so the current situation is already very good.
Kering also has a wealth of fashion resources, so even if it comes at a cost, it's worthwhile in the long run.
He will fly back to China to discuss this matter.
Meanwhile, the company's major project this year, "Lost in Thailand," has entered the second phase of its promotion and distribution.
This Siamese woman, Hoone, has become a sensation on the Chinese internet as a "ladyboy".
She was dubbed the "most beautiful transgender woman," and at that time, many comments emerged.
"It's a pity she's a transvestite, she's so beautiful."
"Siam is truly a treasure land."
"So beautiful, I can accept a ladyboy too."
"If they're ladyboys, wouldn't that be even more exciting?"
Some people have a strong palate.
With this promotional campaign, Siam Girl has already received numerous invitations to events before and after the Lunar New Year.
This is an era where even a car model can become an internet celebrity. With his deliberate arrangement and promotion, there's no reason why he wouldn't become famous.
The trailer for "Lost in Thailand" also sparked a lot of discussion.
Huang Bo and Bao Qiang were already very popular, and Xu Zheng also had a following, plus the trailer was featured prominently on Youku and Bilibili.
And they spent tens of millions of yuan buying traffic on Weibo and Baidu!
Publicity and promotion can be very expensive.
It has already reached third-tier cities and above, where at least two out of ten people have heard of the movie "Lost in Thailand".
Because of the successful promotion and distribution, the number of screenings in theaters has also increased steadily.
Especially recently, theatrical releases suffered a major setback with "1942".
I just learned my lesson about heavy themes.
Now that it's confirmed that the play has a lighthearted comedic theme, we're naturally willing to stage it more often.
During the Lunar New Year, everyone just wants to have some fun.
The best Spring Festival movies are those that the whole family can watch together for several hours without needing to be educated or think, and that are easy to finish without any effort, leaving everyone happy to go out for dinner.
The company organized an internal screening for theater representatives and media reporters, and the response was quite positive.
We're all looking forward to making money together before the New Year so we can have a prosperous year.
When Zhang Yuan returned to Hong Kong and met with the bosses for a meeting, the group was in high spirits.
Meanwhile, Hua Yi, who was preparing for the annual meeting, booked the venue at a hotel auditorium that could accommodate 4,500 people.
They're planning a big celebration to boost the stock price.
Not only were shareholders, artists, executives, and grassroots managers invited, but even the cleaning lady was invited.
There were also personnel from tourism and cultural authorities in several places, as well as some construction company owners.
These days, a bunch of film company owners, big or small, all want to build film studios.
Many local governments in counties dare to take out full loans to build scenic areas.
This is an era in which both real estate and local government debt are soaring.
Moreover, the region that first devised this local debt conversion strategy was none other than your great Shanghai.
When it comes to making money, people in the Jiangnan region are indeed the elite.
They invented urban investment companies, which used a semi-official form for lending and construction.
This system was promoted nationwide.
But what level is Shanghai?
In places where every inch of land is precious, land is indeed valuable, and most of the shopping malls and office buildings built on it are positive assets.
Can a small place do this?
Anyway, everyone's doing this to ride the wave of national tourism.
Provide low-interest loans to film and television companies, with both parties holding shares in the development.
Even low interest rates still accrue interest; they're not free.
These businesses will eventually become liabilities.
But this was during a time of revelry, and no one saw this.
They only know that they can make money by manufacturing it.
Furthermore, the debt belongs to the company; what does it have to do with me personally?
But the stock price increase due to the construction of the scenic area can be converted into my personal assets.
"Come on, a little to the left."
"Go up a little higher," Xiao Wang was directing the decorations on site.
A large, custom-made banner was hung directly above the stage.
The words "China's No. 1 Film Company in Annual Box Office" in large yellow letters stood out prominently against the bright red silk cloth.
Just looking at it makes this person feel extremely happy!
Xiao Wang thought that the attendees would definitely feel the same way after seeing this.
In this way, the company can gather more partners, no, more companions.
The stock market is a testament to the power of belief.
As long as we believe that the United States will become great again because of AI, Nasdaq can break through the $20 trillion mark.
Just as this person was looking at his "work" with great satisfaction...
Fei Lin, a close friend, shareholder, and head of the artist department, rushed to the scene.
He came to confirm the seating arrangement.
But after seeing the banner and hesitating for a while, I went to the boss's side.
"Oh, you've arrived."
"Check if this banner is stable."
“Uh…” Fei Lin did not answer.
"what happened?"
"Have you seen the promotional materials for that Lunar New Year film from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait recently?" the older man asked.
"What do you mean?"
This person shuddered upon hearing the words "Cross-Strait Film Industry".
Fei Lin lowered his voice and spoke in a stern tone.
"Boss, this tastes wrong!" (End of Chapter)