Chapter 1654
Danger
These charity competitions aren't too intense and are finished quickly.
Americans really know how to create a lively atmosphere and they really enjoy these kinds of outdoor activities.
He ultimately came in third place and donated $8.
"Did you see how I performed at the last bend?"
Wuhu!
"Just a hair's breadth away, just a hair's breadth away!" Paul excitedly made a gesture that Koreans hate the most, to show off his amazing driving skills in almost scraping the wall but managing to save the car.
Zhang Yuan thought it was pure luck, but he still praised it anyway.
The more they praised him, the more enthusiastic he became; he even talked about it during meals.
However, Zhang Yuan didn't have time to play the straight man, because the Olsen sisters were sitting next to him.
"Are you a Bordeaux or Burgundy type?" the older woman asked, swirling her wine glass.
These are France's two major production regions.
"I'm more of an indifferent type. French, Italian, California, Australian wines are all the same to me."
"It's just fermented grape juice."
"You're very honest, I like that." The second sister took a sip of wine.
He wasn't trying to put on an act; he was just telling the truth.
Because daring to express one's attitude boldly, especially to refuse or oppose, is a sign of self-confidence.
The tactful approach often used by Chinese people is seen by white people as a lack of confidence and pretense.
“I’m sorry, my second sister recently found a French boyfriend, so they’ve both become obsessed with wine,” Elizabeth apologized softly.
The younger sister is getting a little annoyed.
"By the way, her boyfriend's name is Olivier Sarkozy."
“Okay… um?” Zhang Yuan paused for a moment when he heard the Frenchman’s surname.
"Sarkozy?" He checked again to make sure he wasn't mishearing because of his accent.
"Yes, that's Sarkozy's brother."
The second sister's husband's older brother is the former President of France.
Sarkozy, whom everyone called "Big Fool Chun".
The Sarkozy family was originally a Hungarian noble family, but they fell into decline during World War II and moved to France to live.
They have quite a background.
The eldest brother is the president, the second brother is a banker who served as co-chairman of UBS and is now a managing director of The Carlyle Group in North America.
In short, he is a man with considerable influence in the financial world and connections in France and Europe.
The Olsen family's businesses have relied heavily on him for financing during their rapid growth in recent years.
The eldest and second eldest sisters are no ordinary people; they were able to build their businesses from scratch.
He has an affair with the family of his own president on one hand, and with the family of the French president on the other.
Therefore, he is very successful in the fashion industry.
So, like other film and television companies, they turned their attention to the rapidly growing Chinese market.
Victoria's Secret, CK, GAP, Levi's—brands from both North America and Europe, regardless of their price range or brand, are flooding into the Chinese market.
The sisters' minimalist fashion brand, The Row, also had this idea.
This brand is positioned as a high-end ready-to-wear brand, but it is actually a mid-range price point brand.
The fabrics are quite sophisticated, leaning towards a Chanel-like style.
“I heard from Elizabeth that besides acting, you also run your own business in China.”
"What do you usually do?" The older sister asked him with a gentle smile.
"Film investment, TV series, music."
The sisters nodded.
"Sports charity, airline catering, film and television special effects."
Hearing this, the group looked up. "You have quite a wide range of knowledge."
"And the internet, games, communication devices, cosmetics..." That's about it.
"Phew..." After listening, the group looked at each other.
"Why didn't you tell me you did so much?" Elizabeth looked at him with some surprise.
"You didn't even ask me."
The two older sisters glanced at him with interest, then looked at their little sister with disdain and a sense of inadequacy.
I've known you for so long and I still don't understand you...
Because of their own success, the two sisters didn't have the obligation to serve the family in their younger sister's love life, and they didn't interfere much.
"And the cosmetics industry?"
"Women's cosmetics, mid-to-low end, leaning towards the mid-range, I collaborate with several well-known Chinese actresses."
"We mainly attract female consumers through the fan effect."
"Wow, you have a great business sense." After praising her, the older woman started talking about her brand and clearly expressed her interest in the Chinese market.
"Ashley," Zhang Yuan addressed his eldest sister by her first name.
“In North America, everyone knows the surname Olson.”
"That's why your business is mainly concentrated in North America."
The two sisters established their own children's and teen clothing brand when they were teenagers, and they used their own names as the brand name.
Because they were both child stars, they sold extremely well.
Walmart sells this brand of clothing in all of its more than 5000 stores across the United States; they're making a killing.
"Although it's harsh, I want to tell you two that not many people in China know about the Olsen Sisters brand."
“We have not introduced your works, and the Chinese people do not know you. Therefore, your name cannot form a brand effect in the Chinese region.”
“This is where it differs from the North American market, and it’s also the most difficult part for you to enter China.”
"And if you want to go high-end, there are already high-end European brands like Burberry, Chanel, and Balenciaga."
“You should know that when wealthy people choose high-end goods, they tend to prefer European brands, and North American brands do not have much of an advantage.”
"Like I just said, I like your honesty." The second sister's expression turned a little unpleasant after hearing this.
"Then do you, Romeo, have a solution to these problems?"
"It's not gentlemanly to just ask questions," the second sister said, her temper already short-tempered, glancing at her younger sister with some dissatisfaction.
"Of course." Zhang Yuan snapped his fingers.
"That means we won't use your twin sisters' names as a brand."
"Use hers," Zhang Yuan said, pointing only to Xiaobai beside him.
Elizabeth pointed to herself, "Me?"
"She's already part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will appear in future films, right?"
"of course."
Zhang Yuan spread his hands: "That's very simple."
“Marvel movies are also very influential in the Chinese market, so Elizabeth will soon become one of the most familiar Hollywood artists to Chinese audiences.”
“Using her name and her image for publicity is far more effective than using either of you.”
"Furthermore, my suggestion is to abandon the high-end market and focus on the mid-range market." "Combined with the booming online e-commerce system in China today, we should abandon the traditional retail model."
"We will only open flagship stores in the best locations in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai."
"Our main sales rely on online channels."
"This will reduce costs and improve efficiency."
"If we spend enough on online promotion, we might be able to achieve the desired effect."
Zhang Yuan spoke very seriously.
"The future belongs to the era of internet consumption, but those big brands are still using traditional thinking to operate the offline market in China, treating online sales only as an additional service."
"If you want to surpass these brands, a more aggressive strategy is your only way."
"Moreover, I can provide resources from China's largest e-commerce brand, and my cosmetics company is also cooperating with them."
"Also, if you need local Chinese celebrities to wear the promotional materials, I can provide candidates."
"Wow!" The twin sisters exclaimed in unison, as if on cue.
"We will consider what you have said."
"Thank you so much for your advice." The older woman raised her arm and gently patted his shoulder.
"No need, we're friends, I'll provide everything I can."
He thought to himself, "I hope you can help me when I need it."
After all, these two sisters are not simple; they have extensive connections in Europe and America.
“You have a better business sense than we imagined,” the second sister said, raising her glass to him.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone your age receive such respect from my sisters when discussing business.” Little Bai leaned over from the side.
"I hope my performance meets your expectations."
“I’ve never worried,” she said, grinning and resting her chin on her hand.
After dinner, the girls originally planned to take him to a bar or something similar to continue chatting.
They are extremely interested in anything that can make money.
Paul Walker's excitement from the game hadn't subsided yet.
I insisted on taking him for a spin in his modified 911 through the night in Los Angeles, to experience the thrill of speed and passion.
He has a bit of a tomboyish, boyish voice.
This car has enormous horsepower; it weighs 1300 kilograms but is equipped with an engine that produces over 700 horsepower. Paul also modified it himself, making the throttle very powerful.
Zhang Yuan didn't dare to drive it because the modified engine was prone to failure.
"Wuhu!" It took off and launched from the street near the hotel.
"Dude, you'd better be careful."
"It's alright, I'm an expert. Do you remember how I performed in the match just now?"
Zhang Yuan wanted to say a few more words of praise, but before he could speak, he saw Paul step on the gas, and the rear of the car began to sway.
Even though the two rear tires are very wide, they cannot withstand the damage from such high horsepower.
Motorcycles fear the deadly swaying motion, and so do cars.
Once you lose traction, even the best drivers can only save the car by chance.
The grip of highways and racetracks is different. Los Angeles roads are notoriously bad, slippery, and full of potholes.
In the blink of an eye, the vehicle began to sway back and forth.
And the more Paul tried to save the car and swerved the steering wheel, the less obedient the car became.
In this situation, the average person's reaction would be to slam on the brakes and frantically swerve the steering wheel.
However, the correct operation is very counterintuitive. You need to apply a little throttle, downshift at the same time, keep the steering wheel steady and don't move it randomly, rely on engine braking to slow down, and let the car regain traction on its own.
But when people panic, they don't care about these things.
The car slid sideways and drifted toward a palm tree in a flower bed that served as a median strip in the middle of the road.
This palm tree is thicker than a person's waist.
Zhang Yuan watched as the tree drew closer and closer, about to crash into the front of his car door.
Cars aren't afraid of head-on collisions because they have crash beams.
The biggest fear is a side impact, and the same applies to racing cars.
The front is always the hardest.
He sensed something was wrong and quickly reached out to push the steering wheel.
Counter-attack to straighten the car slightly.
boom!
After a loud bang, Zhang Yuan's head slammed into a white airbag, and the car was filled with a faint smell of gunpowder.
With all the airbags deployed, it became a slightly damaged, boutique used car belonging to a woman.
This car is designed entirely for track use; in order to reduce weight to the extreme, it doesn't even have side curtain airbags.
His head hit the car window, and it hurt terribly.
Fortunately, he managed to push the car open, and after climbing out, he found himself in the front of the car, in front of the passenger side.
If I had really hit the side, I would have had a hard time getting up right now.
"SHIT!" Paul was also unharmed. After getting out of the car, he cursed as he looked at the damage.
"We even made a car chase movie, isn't that embarrassing?" Zhang Yuan complained, rubbing his head.
"Phew, that was just in time. If you hadn't done that, the right front wheel might have fallen off by now."
"Looks like I'll have to fix it properly."
Zhang Yuan was speechless. "Why don't you even look at me?"
All I did was look at the cars.
Wait for the police, call insurance and a tow truck.
The police arrived quickly, along with an ambulance, and gave each of them a blanket and an ice pack.
The two sat on the curb, watching the tow truck driver lift the car up little by little.
“Dude, I have a suggestion.” Zhang Yuan said to Paul seriously, rubbing his head, “I think the Porsche brand might not be right for you.”
"It's nothing, just a minor accident. We're all fine." The guy didn't take it seriously at all: "I'll treat you to a beer another day."
He even patted him on the shoulder as an apology.
"I'll let you test drive it after I fix it."
After saying this, Paul looked up and found that the other person was looking at him with a compassionate gaze.
His eyes were filled with helplessness and despair.
"Trust me, you'd better not get a Porsche."
"Sincerely." He raised his hand and patted the other person's shoulder.
These few shots were just very heavy.
What can I say?
Although the world will lose a hit song, I still hope you can live.
I took a disaster for you today...
He stopped speaking and looked up at the Los Angeles night sky.
Interfering in the cause and effect of others is a very dangerous thing. (End of Chapter)