Jing Gao, Dong Youwei, Ouyang Wan, Gu Xixi, and Chen Qingshuang moved to a cocktail party hosted by Petit Pinault, France's third luxury goods group. As soon as he entered the door, many guests looked over.
To be honest, it is not common for Chinese faces to host cocktail receptions and parties for luxury goods tycoons. It is generally impossible for Chinese people to get involved in these fields.
"who is this?"
"Oh, that's Mr. Denton-Glaser, CEO of Publicis Groupe."
"What happened?"
"That thin Chinese man is probably the rumored Mr. Jing."
It was still the same as when Igao had just entered Denton Glaser's reception, and there were many surprised looks. One of Pino's confidants took over the position of the party butler and led Denton Glaser, Igao and his party towards the second floor of the villa.
For parties, no amount of space on the first floor of the villa is enough. More private meetings need to be placed on the second floor.
A beautiful woman in the crowd looked at Jing Gao and his party who were going upstairs, and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Ah!" She couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes.
Pino Jr. is 57 years old and well-dressed. He had blond hair, like most Italian and French men, and his forehead was bald.
He has the same name as his father, François Pinault, with only Henry added in the middle. His full name is François-Henri Pinault. Usually people call him Pinot Pinot.
At this time, he was standing and waiting in a room on the second floor. After being introduced by Denton Glaser, he smiled and shook hands with Jing Gao, "Mr. Jing, nice to meet you."
Whether the Pino family is sincere or disguised, in short they care about the huge Chinese market, and their attitude towards Jing Gao is very good at this time. It's like a spring breeze.
Dong Youwei, Chen Aiyang, Gu Xixi, Chen Qingshuang and others who were accompanying Jinggao all stayed outside the room on the second floor, and others entertained them. Teacher Zheng was still socializing at Denton-Glaser’s cocktail party. He has contacts with the French media circle and is familiar with many reporters and hosts.
Jing Gao came in with only his translator Ouyang Wan, smiled and shook hands with Pinault, "Hello, Mr. Pinault," and sat down at his greeting.
The sofa arrangement in the room is very elegant, a bit like a diplomatic meeting. Two comfortable single sofas are placed slightly diagonally across a wooden coffee table. The distance is moderate.
"You two, let's talk!" Denton Glaser said a few words of greeting before saying goodbye and leaving.
There were only four people left in the room. Little Pino brought a Chinese translator. A middle-aged man, black, looking about thirty or forty years old.
Little Pino picked up the cigar box on the coffee table and gestured: "Mr. Jing, do you want to smoke a cigar? The best Cuban products."
Jing Gao did not refuse Pinot's kindness and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll try it." He took out a cigar from the cigar box.
Ouyang Wan, who was standing aside, took it considerately, cut off the round end of the round-head and flat-tail cigar with the cigar cutter on the coffee table, handed it to Jing Gao, then picked up the match, squatted down and lit the fire for Jing Gao. She has always understood this matter of men's taste.
Igao took a puff of the cigar gently, exhaled the smoke, and felt the taste of the cigar in his mouth.
Little Pino looked at this scene with a smile, and half-jokingly said in an envious tone: "Mr. Jing, you have a good translator." The beautiful woman squatted down to light a cigar with a fire in hand, which is a common behavior in any country. Something that makes a man want and feel happy.
Jing Gao smiled, held the cigar, did not circle around, and said calmly: "Mr. Pinault, I just broke down with Bernard Arnault. I heard Mr. Denton Glaser said that only the Pinault family can fight against in France." Emperor Napoleon, the Zhaoshi Group is currently in trouble, and I hope to get your help."
Pinot didn't agree straight away, but he didn't refuse or evade either. Instead, he smoked a cigar and talked about the grievances between the two families, "In the late 1990s, Arnault's lvmh group wanted to join us, which was still called PPR at the time. Group, engaged in a fierce battle for control of 'Gucci'.
This business war, from the stock market to the courts, to the games behind the scenes, has made both of us hate each other.
Therefore, there is an unwritten rule in France that the Pinault family will not stay with the Arnault family in public. "
Jing Gao nodded and took a long puff of cigar.
Little Pino smiled and lit the cigarette ashes sideways, and said: "So, Mr. Jing, you want me to help you, first of all, what benefits can you give? I'm sorry, please forgive me for being too direct.
Secondly, what is your plan? Kering Group's sales this year will definitely surpass L'Oreal Group. L'Oreal was not very stable internally after the death of Ms. Liliane Bettencourt. But when it comes to confronting Arnault and the Lagardère consortium, there are some things that our Kering Group cannot do. "
This makes sense, or there may be some kind of trap hidden there. After all, who would bring up a plan for counterattack in their first meeting?
But now, no matter how Pinault speaks or packages it, or how he deduce it logically, the core thing is this: How are you going to deal with Arnault?
Bring it up first, and then decide whether to agree.
Jing Gao pondered slightly, but he remembered the call he received from Guo Lingyu in Frankfurt when he left the villa in District 16, and said decisively: "Mr. Pinault, I need some bad news about lvmh Group, and I plan to stop lvmh in the stock market." Group and the Lagardère Consortium.
I am willing to spend money to buy this information. Alternatively, we could operate jointly on Euronext. "
Little Pinault started laughing, took a comfortable sip from his cigar, and said with a smile: "Mr. Jing, if I say that there is no bad news about Arnault, you probably won't believe it. But to be honest, I am not optimistic about you in the stock market." Teach those two old guys a lesson."
As he spoke, he sat up straight and raised a finger, "First, those two old guys left a lot of cash on their books. It may not be their business accounts registered in France, but they definitely have it.
Cash flow is the guarantee for a company's survival. Arnault and Lagardère, two old guys who have been in business for a lifetime, will not make mistakes on this.
Second, those two old guys can borrow a lot of money from the bank. This is determined by their business reputation and the assets they hold. I estimate that Arnault alone can lend at least 1 billion euros in major French banks in one day. least!
You can tell how much the lvmh Group shares he holds are worth by looking at today's market estimates.
Third, there are politicians behind them. If the stocks of these two companies fall sharply in a short period of time, they can use political resources to suspend trading for a long time and lock your funds inside.
Of course, doing so will cause great damage to them, the French government, and Euronext. "
Little Pino waved three fingers in front of Jing Gao's eyes and concluded: "So, although I have some dirty information about this old guy Arnault, I have no intention of sneaking up on him in the stock market. The effect is not big, and I don't I don’t want to start another war with him. Therefore, I will not use my funds to operate in the stock market.
I am willing to sell you a piece of real negative material for 100 million euros. "
Ouyang Wan, who acted as translator, was shocked, 100 million euros! Her current total net worth is not that much. Then, I listened to Little Pino’s translator explain this condition in slightly weird Mandarin,
Igao smiled slightly, held a cigar between his fingers, and stared at Pinault Jr. with sharp eyes: "Mr. Pinault, if the bad material I bought for 100 million euros has no actual effect, then I will become France, and even The laughingstock of China’s business community!”
Little Pino smiled and shook his hand, saying: "No, no. Mr. Jing, believe me, this bad material will definitely give you value for money, enough to allow you to reap a wave of lvmh Group in the stock market. On the day of the drop, It’s a piece of cake to reach the lower limit. As long as you do it properly, your profit will never be less than 1 billion euros.”
Jing Gao smiled, his smile was very light, and he spit out the cigar in his mouth, which made his face a little cryptic, and said in a deep voice: "Deal!" In Ouyang Wan's ear, he said: "Xiao Wan, inform Qingshuang Transfer money." Then he said to Little Pino: "Mr. Little Pino, you need to provide me with an account number."
Little Pino asked the translator beside him to follow Ouyang Wan out, and said happily: "Mr. Jing, you will not regret it."
...
...
Inter-bank transfers and cross-border transfers involve issues such as exchange rates and bank transaction settlement. At the same time, this also involves tax issues.
Even though the Pinault family is very powerful in France, it still took about two hours for the funds to be transferred from the Xihe Alpha Fund registered in the Cayman Islands to the account of a company of the Pinault family in the tax-free paradise of Andorra.
The Principality of Andorra is located on the border between France and Spain. It is a pocket country with a total population of 85,000. Use Catalan. The population consists of Spanish, Portuguese, and French. The maximum tax rate is 10%. And it was not until 2015 that income tax was introduced due to pressure from the European Union.
So, who are those high taxes in Europe taxing? The answer is probably self-evident. The truly rich will not pay more taxes, or even pay no taxes at all.
Jing Gao's funds were transferred into Little Pino's designated account. How to legally avoid taxes was a matter for his financial advisor. At the same time, he also received negative information from Pinot Noir. A thick document bag.
Dong Youwei's lawyers and accountants who are proficient in French law came in and jointly reviewed these documents.
"Mr. Jing, happy cooperation!" Little Pino stood up and shook hands with the confirmed Jing Gao.
Jing Gao nodded and said with a smile: "Mr. Pino, I hope we can have a happy cooperation!" He led his small team and walked out of the room on the second floor with Pino seeing him off, and met Gu Xixi and Gu Xixi who were waiting outside. Junzi and others gathered.
Junzi had already followed Jing Gao's instructions and used a new card to send a text message to the bodyguard next to Guo Lingyu in Little Pino's villa. It was also a new card: I want to eat bread for breakfast tomorrow. .
This is the code that has been agreed upon long ago.
Jinggao doesn't care how this document is sent to Frankfurt. This is what the military has to worry about. There is no doubt that he bought this news at a premium.
But it’s the lesser of two evils. The most important thing for him now is to "save" the Zhaoshi Group with a valuation of 40 billion euros, rather than quarreling with Deutsche Bank's investment banking department and Pinault Jr. They are here with him, including Publicis Groupe and Lenny Clive How much money did he make here?
This is a necessary loss.
No businessman, no traitor. Businessmen all want to make profits.
"..." The cheerful and sweet violin music sounded in the hall on the first floor. At 11 o'clock in the evening, it was the time for the party.
As soon as Little Pinot appeared, he looked like a king, attracting the attention of the guests at the reception. And Jing Gao, who is next to little Pino, is the king's most important guest.
He also attracts people's attention.
As soon as they reached the stairs on the first floor, a beautiful girl walked over lightly wearing an elegant and cool dark purple evening dress. Her black hair fell on her shoulders, and her big eyes were the deep blue of the Mediterranean. The face has the charm of a Latin girl, and the figure is tall and perfect. A sexy and wild and enchanting young girl. It makes people wonder, is she Spanish?
She came over with a glass of champagne and greeted little Pino, "Godfather, this is..."
