National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1286 Meeting

Although he wore a pair of white glasses and his hair was mostly white, Saint Brice was actually less than 40 years old.

The trademark agency department under his charge plays an important role in Pierre Cardin's company.

Almost hundreds of contracts have to go through his hands.

Often, just by signing his name, he could earn tens or even millions of francs for Pierre Cardin.

Moreover, he is also the master's loyal "running dog" and has never moved since he came to Pierre Catton.

It is particularly worth mentioning that this person has never studied clothing and did not understand business at the beginning, but he was able to rise from an ordinary employee to such a figure.

From this we can see that Pierre Catton has unique principles and methods in selecting talents.

To put it bluntly, the master is a person who attaches great importance to feelings and cherishes old friendships.

As long as those who have worked for him do not make big mistakes, the master will always trust them and provide them with opportunities to develop their careers.

Until finally you can rely on them completely and make them your right-hand men.

To be honest, for the employees of Pierre Catton.

The master's characteristic of treating employees and managing the company like a patriarch, as well as his habit of actively cultivating new people, are actually more respectable than his unique design talent and ability to make money.

Therefore, Pierre Catton's employees are never lacking in loyalty, and almost everyone respects their boss sincerely.

Even Ning Weimin is no exception. He will always remember that it was this amiable and fashionable French old man who brought him into the fashion industry and gave him the opportunity to work in the "first foreign company".

He will also not forget that over the years, thanks to the protection of the Pierre Cardin golden signboard and the convenience of the brand's foreign-related attributes, he was able to complete the original accumulation as quickly as possible in such a harsh and closed environment in the country and finally go abroad.

For this reason, after Ning Weimin came here, he had completely tucked his tail between his legs. He had no arrogance at all, but was full of gratitude.

Even though he knew that he had suggested to the master to gradually take back the franchise rights and go the self-operated path, he was afraid that Mr. Saint Brice, who held the power to approve franchises, would not like him.

There is even a high possibility that they will have greater conflicts in the future due to their different ideas on the general direction of Pierre Caton's future development.

But at the moment, out of love for the master and his admiration for the master, Ning Weimin still did his best to save face and expressed his friendly goodwill to Mr. Saint Bris.

So, in an atmosphere of harmony that both sides tried their best to create, Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko were brought by Saint Brice to a quiet reception room on the second floor.

With this, they drank the coffee and snacks brought by the staff, while quietly waiting for the master who was in a meeting to finish his work and come to meet them.

Both Ms. Takada Mei, who brought them here, and St. Brice, who received them, soon left.

After all, although Pierre Catton's headquarters is not large, it has a lot of things to deal with.

Especially since Paris fashion is released in two seasons each year, spring and summer, and autumn and winter. Now that July is not far away, it will soon be the next season for new product releases. People here are destined to be busier than usual.

Fortunately, this room is not big, but it has a sofa and a coffee table, which is very comfortable.

There are also large windows that allow you to see the street view outside, including the Elysee Palace, so the waiting process won't be too boring.

And in fact, they didn't wait long, probably less than half an hour.

The man who had summoned them from Cannes, the man who wanted to see them, had opened the door of this room himself.

But the old French man's face looked very haggard.

Although Pierre Cardin tried his best not to show any negative emotions when facing Ning Weimin, Matsumoto Keiko and others, his face soon became gentle, and he stretched out his arms to welcome them with a cordial attitude.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

However, as someone who is more familiar with him, Ning Weimin is different from Matsumoto Keiko, who is just excited and looking forward to meeting the master himself for the first time.

He could tell at a glance that the master was not in a good mood, as if he had encountered some difficult problem.

So he hugged the master affectionately and said with concern, "Nothing bad happened, right? If you need me to do anything, I'm always at your service."

After receiving this kindness, the master's mood improved significantly and he showed a very relieved smile.

"Thank you, young man, thank you for worrying about me. There was indeed an unexpected situation. However, strictly speaking, it is not very relevant to our company. Besides, we still have to talk about you first. Once I find out everything about you, I will know whether I should talk to you and whether you can help me."

"My business? You mean..." Ning Weimin was a little confused.

"Have you guys settled everything in Cannes? To be honest, I was really shocked when I heard that you were in Cannes. I originally thought that you were going there to sell movies and take your newlywed wife to the seaside for some fun. I never expected that you would become the biggest buyer of this year's Cannes Film Festival! And in just a few days, you completed two large transactions! Five hundred million francs! When I was your age, I didn't even have five million francs! Can you tell me how you got such a large sum of money? And why did you have to buy these copies?"

Upon hearing this, and even calling out the approximate transaction figures, Ning Weimin knew that the old man was well-informed.

Even though he didn't bring Takada Mei to discuss these things, everything he did in Cannes still didn't escape the old man's eyes.

This also means that it is very likely that his boss has other spies in Cannes, and it is even possible that the master has friends in those two production companies.

"This matter... I don't know how to explain it. In fact, the situation is a bit complicated and involves many things. And the situation I faced at the time was also quite delicate, and I didn't have much time to think about it. So I didn't think too much and acted decisively."

Ning Weimin spoke a little embarrassedly at first, and then vouched for his own character.

"However, please believe me that the source of this money is clean. I earned it through personal investment in stocks and real estate in Japan. I can confirm this at any time. I have not done anything to let down Pierre Caton or betray your trust." "Haha, young man, don't get me wrong, I don't have any intention of doubting you. I discovered your uniqueness from the first day I met you. Everything you do for the company, every suggestion you make, I can feel your loyalty and extraordinary excellence. No matter how incredible you do, I believe you will have a very reasonable explanation. In fact, to me, you are far more than just my employee, you are more like a friend who can inspire me. How about it? Are you willing to satisfy my curiosity? Can you tell me, an old antique who can't keep up with the times, these seemingly magical things in detail..."

Pierre Cardin's eyes sparkled and his tone was full of self-deprecating humor.

Especially the tone in which he said this showed absolutely no intention to blame, but rather appreciation and exploration.

More than that, perhaps there is a bit of care similar to that between family members or between master and apprentice.

Ning Weimin had no doubt about the master's motives. The old French man was always honest.

Besides, there is nothing to criticize about what he did in Japan, so he is naturally not afraid.

"Okay, if you want to know, I'll tell you everything. I'm just afraid that the matter is too trivial and I can't explain it clearly at the moment, which will delay your precious time."

"Haha, my friend, don't think too little of yourself. In fact, your willingness to accept my invitation and come to Paris to see me right away is more important than anything else. I don't have anything more important to do today, and we have time to discuss it slowly. To be honest, I am a little ashamed that I was a little impatient to invite you to Paris. This undoubtedly took up your private time during your honeymoon, ruined your itinerary, and affected your interest. I hope you can forgive me for this."

Having said that, Pierre Cardin turned to Keiko Matsumoto, and kindly and humbly continued to ask for her forgiveness for his absence from the wedding.

"Especially you. Today is our first official meeting, but I know that you are one of the image spokespersons for my brand in Asia, right? I have to say, you are really beautiful! Even among movie stars, you are the most charming one. Ning is indeed discerning. Not only did he choose a perfect advertising image for the company, he also chose an enviable wife for himself."

"I am really happy to receive your wedding invitation. It is my honor. But unfortunately, I was too busy some time ago and really couldn't leave. Finally, I had no choice but to cancel my plan to go to Tokyo. So to express my apology, all your travel expenses in France will be paid by me, okay? Please don't refuse, please give me a chance to make up for my mistake."

"Besides that, as long as I have something in my store, whether it's clothing or accessories, you can take it away for free as long as you like it. Honey, are you willing to go shopping in my store? If you are interested now, I will let Takada accompany you to visit downstairs..."

Pierre Cardin's way of dealing with people is really brilliant.

The gentlemanly manner he displayed not only cleverly expressed his importance to the upcoming conversation, but also naturally created a more private environment for his conversation with Ning Weimin.

He also won the favor of Keiko Matsumoto with his polite conversation, generous demeanor, and considerate attitude.

Originally, Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko had not expected the master to come to Tokyo to attend their wedding. They just sent out an invitation as a courtesy.

But the master actually apologized for this, which naturally made Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko feel proud. At least it showed that the master attached great importance to this matter.

And there is no doubt that how could Keiko Matsumoto be willing to stay here and listen to their business discussions?

Compared with such boring things, due to woman's nature, she would naturally prefer to look at clothes and appreciate the latest designs of masters.

After expressing her gratitude, Matsumoto Keiko happily left with Takada Mei who was summoned by the master.

In this way, Ning Weimin and the master were the only two people left in the reception room.

Ning Weimin, who had already found his backbone, was no longer nervous or anxious.

He only pondered it in his mind for a moment, and then he slowly and frankly described to the master his personal speculative arbitrage behavior using the "Matryoshka" loan model since he arrived in Japan in 1985.

He was frank and said that he came to France just to spend money.

He used the money to buy copies of the movie not only to compensate his wife, but also to balance asset allocation and prevent risks.

However, he did not deny that he wanted to purchase the film library on a whim.

But he did not admit that the transaction was completed on impulse, but rather that it was made after careful consideration and serious thought.

In his opinion, due to the Japanese people's preference for pink movies and their admiration for Western culture, there is actually a huge market demand and consumption potential in Japan for those "ethical action movies" shot in Europe that are subtle but not without plot.

In particular, the top five cities in Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama, and Nagoya - have many independent cinemas that specialize in showing niche films in pursuit of individuality and style. The source of these films is often film copies brought back from foreign countries by enthusiasts.

In addition, Japan has a particularly strange review system, local cavalry, and foreign infantry.

As a result, many Japanese local film producers can not only play the trick of "exporting to domestic sales" and secretly sell these "uncensored films" domestically, but also use this as a gimmick to increase prices, killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore, as long as the right medicine can be prescribed, those movies that meet the needs of Japanese men can be picked out from the film library, and then screened in independent theaters, followed by videotapes, and finally sold to TV stations to fill the midnight broadcast content.

Then, through this standardized "one-click three-click" operation, the cost of purchasing the film should be recovered quickly, and maybe even a big business can be developed.

Especially those movies starring famous European movie stars will not only easily pass the review of the Japanese Ethics Association, but are also destined to become the most eye-catching products. They may even be able to directly land in Japan's major theaters to fill the gap in film supply.

Finally, considering that all the film copies brought back from France were purchased by Ning Weimin at a package price.

If we look at the production and distribution costs of these films from a commercial perspective, I'm afraid that, including the translation and re-recording costs, on average each film would cost no more than 300,000 francs.

Converted into US dollars, it is only 37,000 yuan, and if converted into Japanese yen, it is equivalent to about 4.5 million yen.

  By movie production standards, this is simply too cheap!

In other words, in the future, Ning Weimin only needs to sell 500 videotapes of a movie he has, or accumulate 5,000 Japanese people to buy tickets to watch the movie when it is released in theaters, or sell it to ten TV stations for broadcast.

So for the single film he bought, the cost he paid was recovered.

After this, all further income generated will be completely wasted!

Wouldn't this be an endless source of income, almost equivalent to no capital required?