National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1294: Going Your Own Way

"I didn't expect this would be a meeting like this. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Because they returned empty-handed, Pierre Catton said this sincerely to Ning Weimin on the way back in the car.

“I didn’t waste my time.”

Ning Weimin responded sympathetically, "You allowed me to see the life of the wealthy in Europe and learn about the style of 'old money'. You also took me to visit the heirs of the Louis Vuitton family, which were all rare experiences for me. If I hadn't been with you, how could I have had such a good opportunity to broaden my horizons? Moreover, I don't know if Mr. Lacamier really paid a good price for our trolley case patent out of your consideration. So whether it is for sightseeing or for business purposes, it is worth it for me to accompany you on this trip, and it is not unfair at all."

Yes, Ning Weimin is right.

Although their original purpose of coming here today was not achieved.

Since Henri Lacamier could no longer bear the pressure of internal strife and was eager to end it all quickly, he was even willing to adopt an appeasement policy of cutting off the tail to survive. The capital counterattack plan that both sides had prepared together had essentially failed.

But it must be said that their trip was not in vain.

After all, Henry, the "old money", knows very well who his true friends are.

He was also well aware of how troublesome it would be for the master to mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars for his sake, which would definitely cause invisible economic losses.

Moreover, LV is an international brand specializing in leather goods and suitcases. The value of the trolley suitcase invented by Ning Weimin is obvious to professionals.

This makes cooperation between the two parties on trolley suitcases inevitable.

So this time, Henri Racamier directly tore up the patent licensing quotation that the two parties had almost agreed on, and very generously changed the original figure of 60 million francs, deciding to use 90 million francs to purchase a five-year patent license for the trolley suitcase.

Then according to the equity distribution of Yilade Company, the patent fee that belongs to Ning Weimin personally is 30 million francs. What is there for him to be unhappy about?

To put it bluntly, he earned an extra 10 million francs from this trip, so it was worth it.

Therefore, his words were well-founded and not outright flattery, and they just resolved Pierre Cardon's embarrassment and made the master smile with relief.

But soon, the master sighed and apologized again.

"Ah, life is like a box of grenades. You never know which one will blow you up. Ning, I never dreamed that Henry would make such a choice and treat you so coldly. He did lose his manners today. I am very sorry and ashamed of him."

And this time, it was the master who apologized on behalf of his friend.

As the person who brought Ning Weimin here, he witnessed Ning Weimin being treated with contempt by Henri Lacamier throughout the whole process, and even his ideas were deliberately belittled. He felt that he also had to give an explanation.

Ning Weimin could naturally tell the good guys from the bad guys, and he still acted very magnanimously.

"Don't say that. I came here for you. I have no problem with you. You don't have to apologize for others. As for Mr. Henri Lacamier, he made such a choice, and in the end it was himself who was delayed. As long as you are not sad, I don't care."

But perhaps because he was not optimistic about Henri Lacamier's choice, his last few words still caused the master to misunderstand a little, and he thought that he was just saying harsh words because he was angry.

"Ah," the master couldn't help but sigh, "I have to say that Henry's current state is pathological. His emotions are simply a mess, and right now he's like a patient with anxiety disorder. That's why he's so stubborn, rude, and impulsive. Of course, the root cause may be that his life was too smooth in the past. Henry has never really experienced setbacks, which is why he behaves so badly. After all, he is different from the rest of us. He was born into wealth and has had a smooth life almost all his life."

"But I still have to say that Henry is actually a very kind person. Although he is proud, he is very upright. He often does charity work, likes to support artists, and doesn't care much about money. He should be considered a true traditional gentleman with high moral standards. If there is any flaw, it is probably just that he is a little sensitive and a little selfish. So I hope, young man, that you don't hate him or even look down on him because of what happened today."

"On the contrary, I want to tell you that he is very good at running a company. He personally raised the style of the Louis Vuitton brand to its current high level. Before this, the European upper class had never been so fond of this brand. His business operation is simply a stylish art. Whether it is photography, movies, exhibitions, concerts, street art, all kinds of methods that seem to have nothing to do with clothing can be used in his hands to promote the brand and create style. I am ashamed of myself in this regard. If you have time, you should even go to Louis Vuitton's company to see it with your own eyes. When you go there, you will understand how amazing his creativity is."

Ning Weimin is not Henri Lacamier, so he naturally understands the master's good intentions.

So he immediately expressed his approval humbly.

"Of course I believe what you say. Thank you very much for your advice. You are such a good teacher to me. I am willing to follow your advice and learn from Mr. Lacamier what he is good at."

Just with a serious and responsible attitude, he then pointed out the serious problems that this guy had.

"But as you said, Mr. Lacamier may have had a smooth life. When facing a real crisis, he often cannot realize how dangerous his situation is. Moreover, people are used to judging others by themselves. If he also uses his own character to judge the traitor who stabbed him in the back, and wants to solve the problem in a decent way, then it would be a bit too naive. I am afraid it will become his fatal flaw. To be honest, I am not optimistic about his decision. In my opinion, if he gives up resistance and only thinks about compromise, he will not be far from losing his business and brand."

Ning Weimin was certainly not exaggerating. The basis for his inference was actually the facts that happened in his previous life.

However, these words sounded so unbelievable to Pierre Cardon that he immediately made a sound of surprise.

"What! You are so pessimistic about his decision. But...but since MH is willing to make peace, it shouldn't be that serious, right?"

"Mr. Pierre Cardon, have you ever seen a wolf bite a sheep's neck, is it possible to let go at the last moment? Have you ever seen peace established without war? Only when each can intimidate the other's kind can negotiations be carried out. Carnivores and herbivores are completely two different species. If the deer gives up the last resistance with its horns, it will be the best opportunity for the lion to kill it."

"This...this...are you accusing MH of lacking sincerity...so Henry is courting his own destruction? The former president of MH, Alain Chevalier, is also a public figure who is often reported in the newspapers and has a very good reputation. I always feel that they would not deceive him about such a thing. Do you think they would really do this?"

The master was still a little confused, just like his good friend, and had not yet discovered the biggest loophole in the appeasement policy.

However, after eight years of fierce resistance, the Chinese people would no longer make such misjudgment. "No, no, Mr. Pierre Cardon, I have to say that you and your friend may have overlooked one thing. Originally, LV and MH were just fighting for arrogance. Although the two sides had conflicts, they still recognized that coexistence would bring more benefits than disadvantages. They attacked each other for the purpose of defense, but later it changed. This kind of behavior of wanting to do everything to the extreme and put the other party to death is definitely not their style. So I have reason to believe that the leader of this matter is no longer MH or Guinness, but the person who seems a little inconspicuous and betrayed Mr. Lacamier. You should know that the reason why evil people are evil people is that they will not make money with others. In the concept of evil people, there is no meaning of making money for everyone, only making money for themselves, and others are lucky if they don't starve to death. This guy's moral values ​​are absolutely unreliable, and he is not allowed to be soft-hearted. This is determined by values."

With Pierre Cardon's knowledge, he would certainly understand what Ning Weimin said.

He was just momentarily preoccupied with his friend's terrible transformation and hadn't come to his senses yet.

Now Ning Weimin reminded him of the things he had neglected before, and he immediately saw a bad future.

That's right, when a person with no moral bottom line and who is only interested in profit faces a decent gentleman who is ready to surrender.

Then he will never be able to learn to stop and will definitely choose to swallow it all.

Maybe it's cannibalization, maybe it's a fatal blow, it won't affect the final result.

"Oh, no, you're right. We may have misjudged the leader of the other camp from the beginning, and underestimated the traitor. MH's shares are in the name of the company jointly owned by the three parties. God, if Bernard Arnault is the one who can truly control the company. That means it will be useless even if Henry extends an olive branch to MH on behalf of LV. As long as he doesn't want this to happen and is trying to hinder it, this matter will definitely not be negotiated? Henry is destined to be disappointed. And that person may ask for a higher price. It is a price that Henry cannot accept."

Pierre Cardon thought he had seen the cruel reality, but Ning Weimin thought the situation was more tragic than he had imagined.

"I'm afraid it's more than that. You're too kind. In my opinion, if the leader has been replaced by Mr. Arnault, I think his goal will be to swallow up LVMH as a whole. And not only will Mr. Lacamier of LV have to bear the disaster, I'm afraid MH will also suffer the consequences. If things go wrong, the former president of MH, Mr. Alain Chevalier, may end up worse than your friend..."

Ning Weimin's conclusion was so pessimistic and dark that the master was really at a loss.

A deep worry appeared on his face and he fell silent. He must have been cursing in his heart. He didn't speak again until two or three minutes later.

"Ning, what do you think we should do? Should we go back and talk to Henry?"

Pierre Cardon asked bluntly.

On the surface, this question seems to be an urgent expression of worry and concern for a friend.

But to Ning Weimin, it was a compliment.

Because it proves that the master has fully recognized his judgment, has regarded him as someone he can rely on, and believes that he is an expert who is better at handling this problem than himself.

"No, that's a waste of effort." Ning Weimin enjoyed this trust, so he said bluntly, "Even if you go back, your friend won't listen to your advice. You know his character. At this time, the more you talk, the more stubborn he will be. We can only wait for him to come to us. But I don't think it will take long. Maybe in a few days you will hear the frustrated voice of this gentleman on the phone. He will beg you to help him again, even at any cost."

"Yes, you are right." The master was stunned for a while, and finally he probably considered Henry Lacamier's current paranoia and realized that he could not convince him. He sighed in frustration, "It seems that all we can do now is to wait."

However, Ning Weimin showed a positive attitude of being ready to go.

"No, that would be the end of us. If we want to gain the most advantage, we should act decisively and immediately."

The master couldn't help but be stunned again, "Take action immediately? You mean... we should act according to the original plan? But... Henry..."

"No, we won't consider your friend. Let's do what we want and get started first. Your friend will be forced to take this step sooner or later anyway. The only difference from the plan now is that you can urge your friend to sign a patent licensing contract with us as soon as possible and transfer the money to us. This way, at least we will have more funds in our hands."

The master didn't say anything, but his furrowed brow showed that he was making the most critical considerations.

Now that Ning Weimin has said this, he has already thought of everything.

This time, he didn't give the master any more chance to hesitate.

He seemed to be well aware of the master's concerns and directly gave the correct answer in his mind.

"Don't think too much. Even if something goes wrong, your friend finally succeeds in the negotiation with the other party, that's fine. It won't affect making money. At that time, we can just regard our investment as a normal equity investment. I don't think your friend would object to us taking advantage of it and making some money from it. As for Mr. Zeng in Hongcheng, I'll talk to him. He won't mind us making some extra money by speculating in stocks with inside information while collecting royalties. If I have to say I'm worried, I'm just worried about whether you will doubt my loyalty to you and the company because I have more shares in other fashion companies than in Pierre Cardin?"

Looking at Ning Weimin's confident face and listening to his last joke, the master finally felt relieved.

He also expressed his trust and reliance on him through self-deprecating means.

"Okay, Ning, I support you unconditionally. Just do everything as you planned. It seems that I am really old. I hope my indecision does not make you impatient."

And then he just emphasized one point.

"But please remember that any speculative behavior is risky. There is no such thing as 100% certainty in this world. So don't think too much about things, don't set yourself a so-called victory goal, and promise me that you will always be cautious. Don't be in a hurry to share. Everything will be done after we catch the rabbit first. This is the good thing about people of my age. We have enough patience. I don't have any requirements for you at all. Do you understand what I mean, young man?"

"I understand." Ning Weimin nodded with relief.

Pierre Catton is expressing his greatest favor to him through practical actions.

From this time on, although their pressure increased because of the new goal, they were in a very happy mood.