National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1299 Boarding

No one expected that this contact facilitated by business negotiations would last for four full days.

On the first day, the two sides met for negotiations. They first proposed a cooperation framework, and then, after reaching a consensus, explored more cooperation directions and possibilities.

The next day, Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko went to Yves Saint Laurent to complete the equity change and signed the contract according to the agreed terms.

Then he met with the board members and visited the company showroom and store.

On the third day, Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko visited the house where Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé lived together.

It was precisely because I had seen Yves Saint Laurent's apartment on Babylon Street in Paris.

Ning Weimin actually took the initiative to make an unreasonable request and wanted to stay for one more day.

If for no other reason, it is because the collection in Saint Laurent's mansion is so rich and of such high quality and artistic value.

These rare treasures deeply attracted Ning Weimin, and he couldn't help but want to feast his eyes on them and appreciate and learn about some European antiques.

How rich is Yves Saint Laurent’s collection?

Apart from anything else, there is a marble bust placed in the entrance porch.

There is also a marble sculpture of a human body with a bull's head in the courtyard garden.

It was only through the explanation of Yves Saint Laurent himself that Ning Weimin learned that these two works were ancient Roman sculptures from around the first century AD.

In addition, there are ancient Egyptian coffins, 15th-century Persian tapestries, 17th-century gilded bronze vases, 18th-century wood carvings, Brancusi's sculptures, Duchamp's perfume bottles...

There are also many objects from the East, such as Japanese tea cups, Ukiyo-e paintings, Chinese porcelain, furniture, kesi silk, Buddha statues, calligraphy and paintings...

That’s not all. Yves Saint Laurent’s mansion also houses a collection of paintings by many famous European artists.

From the Dutch painter Hals in the late 16th century to his contemporary Andy Warhol.

In addition, works of art by many art masters, including Goya, Ingres, Cézanne, Picasso, Georges Braque, Matisse, Brancusi, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio de Chirico, Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Andy Warhol, etc., can all be found in Yves Saint Laurent's home.

Even Yves Saint Laurent's decoration and daily furniture are designed by famous contemporary artists and designers.

For example, there is a fourteen-sided bronze mirror with lily lace designed by French sculptor Claude Lelan, a column lamp designed by designer Ernst, and a sofa designed by French female designer Irene Grey.

  As for why he has so many collections?

I'm afraid that in addition to the accumulation of several generations, it is also because Yves Saint Laurent's love for art seems to be instinctive and innate.

Born into an aristocratic family and possessing wealth, he never asked about the price of artworks, nor was he particular about the categories.

As long as it's something he likes or something that inspires him, he may quote a shockingly high price at any time.

After decades of accumulation, pieces of art that were discovered by chance gradually filled his home.

Among Yves Saint Laurent’s personal collection, some of the most valuable items include jewels from European royal families.

Like the jewel box of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and the jewelry box and snuff box used by the beheaded queen.

Even Ning Weimin, who already owned countless treasures, was amazed by these treasures.

In his eyes, Saint Laurent's home is simply King Solomon's treasure house, and it is indeed an artistic paradise that can inspire his creative inspiration.

It was as if he had entered a vivid and three-dimensional space-time exhibition hall, and once he entered, he didn't want to leave.

For this reason, Keiko Matsumoto had to change the tickets for the two of them.

Even the field trip to Saint-Tropezeau that Ning Weimin had originally promised Alain Delon to take had to be temporarily canceled.

In fact, they only had a cursory look at the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame de Paris. Even though they had seen the famous places of interest in Paris, such a tour could not be said to be hasty.

To be honest, if we look at the facts objectively, the quality of this trip is really poor if measured by honeymoon standards.

Whether in Cannes or Paris, Ning Weimin seems to always be busy.

It didn't seem like he was bringing his wife out for fun, but more like Matsumoto Keiko was accompanying him on a business trip. He completely failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband. How could anyone spend their honeymoon like this?

As a wife, Keiko is undoubtedly competent.

She did not interfere with Ning Weimin, but tried her best to accommodate him.

All matters, big or small, are handled, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, and daily life.

So, when we finally boarded the plane to Beijing, we sat in the comfortable first-class cabin.

Leaning on the sofa and thinking back on his experiences in France over the past twenty days, Ning Weimin finally felt embarrassed and took the initiative to apologize to his wife in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, Qingzi, I treated you so badly during this trip to France. I didn't have time to play with you. You must be feeling bored, right?"

Keiko Matsumoto was still so virtuous, "Don't worry, this is Paris after all, I'm happy to go shopping by myself. Besides, I have Ms. Takada Mei to accompany me all the time. To be honest, seeing you so happy, I think it's worth coming here. I'm just worried about your health. You've been too busy recently and it's very hard, you must take care of yourself."

Look, what is a model wife?

  What's wrong with being older?

Knowing how to care for others really makes men worry-free and warms their hearts.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. There are many people in this world who work harder than me. I have no right to complain."

Ning Weimin was not only moved, but he also successfully transformed his wife's care into encouragement and motivation.

Unexpectedly, Matsumoto Keiko was even more adept at trying to please others, as if she could see through Ning Weimin's thoughts.

She seemed to be showing off with her smile, but in fact she was praising her husband in disguise.

"In that case, as your wife, I should feel even happier. Although we didn't have a romantic honeymoon together, thanks to you, I met many big names in the French fashion and film industry during this trip to France. They were all so warm and friendly to me, especially the two design masters Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent, who gave me a lot of gifts. So much so that my original shopping plan was scrapped. There was no need to choose by myself, everything I wanted was delivered to my door. Many of them were only one-off pieces. Now I'm flying to Beijing, and I have seven or eight boxes of checked luggage. I'm really worried that Amin's family will think I'm too spendthrift. But if I tell others that I didn't do much shopping during my trip to France, and that I accepted so many brand-name clothes and jewelry for nothing because of Amin, I'm afraid others will think I'm showing off."

Ning Weimin was immediately amused by his wife and burst into laughter.

It has to be said that for a man, there is really nothing that can satisfy his self-esteem better than a wife's status due to her husband. That's right, it was because Ning Weimin spent 500 million US dollars in France without blinking an eye, and Matsumoto Keiko was Ning Weimin's wife.

So most of the time, they see smiling faces wherever they go.

Whether it was Pierre Cardin or Yves Saint Laurent, or even Alain Delon and Catherine Dephner, almost no one failed to treat them warmly and attentively.

Especially when it comes to his treatment of Keiko Matsumoto, everyone can see how much Ning Weimin cares about his wife and he is a model of loving his wife.

Naturally, everyone knows that making Ning Weimin's wife happy will make Ning Weimin happy.

Therefore, Keiko Matsumoto became the carrier of friendship between men.

She was almost spoiled like a princess and praised to the sky by people.

In fact, whether in Pierre Cardin stores or Yves Saint Laurent stores, Matsumoto Keiko was given the honor of choosing gifts for free.

And they really want to give it to you sincerely.

I knew she was embarrassed to ask for too much, so I sent someone to follow her.

Anything she had noticed or tried on was secretly recorded.

Once Keiko Matsumoto returns to the hotel, the surprise will come in no more than half an hour.

Everything she had her eye on in the store was delivered to her, even if she wanted to.

Otherwise, why do people who have more money spend less?

This is how the world works.

But among all the gifts, the one that flattered, surprised and delighted Keiko Matsumoto the most was a gift from Yves Saint Laurent himself.

Probably because I had a very good chat with Ning Weimin about antique collection, and I was very glad to have found a Chinese friend who shared the same cultural interests as me.

Yves Saint Laurent generously gave one of his precious collections to Keiko Matsumoto as a gift - a gold snuff box inlaid with diamonds.

This item is not only made of precious materials and exquisite craftsmanship, but also has an extraordinary origin.

Because it was a gift given to Sissi by her cousin, King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

In the past, European royal families expressed their friendship by giving snuff boxes as gifts, and kings would also reward their favorites with similar items.

Just this thing, even if we judge by its material and craftsmanship, without considering its historical value and cultural relic value, is worth at least 500,000 or 600,000 francs. It is indeed a treasure.

To be honest, when she first saw this precious and beautiful thing, Keiko Matsumoto didn't dare to accept it.

It was Ning Weimin who said that he would find something of equal value to repay the favor.

Only then did Matsumoto Keiko feel confident, and after thanking him, she put the money in her pocket.

At this time, Ning Weimin couldn't help but bring up the old matter again and talked about her timidity again.

"You have to learn to adapt to this kind of life and stop worrying about anything. This kind of situation will happen more and more in the future. Now that you have become a major shareholder of Yves Saint Laurent, you will naturally be able to own all Yves Saint Laurent products for free, just like Catherine. You don't even have to go to the store. Pierre will arrange for someone to mail it to Japan on time according to your size and preferences. And Yves Saint Laurent now has two muses. We can now let Japan release the news and hype up the popularity of Crazy Rich Asians. Do you know what the best thing is? We don't have to worry about anything now. Pierre will definitely make Yves Saint Laurent successfully listed. Even if the French stock market is not doing well, your shares will at least double in value by then!"

Ning Weimin became more and more excited as he spoke. Lately, he had too many things on his mind and actually had little time to chat with Matsumoto Keiko.

Now that I have left France, I feel relaxed and finally have the leisure time to spare.

"Twice? That would give me 1.5 billion francs! Two hundred million dollars?"

However, when she heard him talk about Saint Laurent's shares, Matsumoto Keiko thought for a moment and was far from as excited as he had expected. Instead, her voice suddenly calmed down and she tried to return the shares to him.

"Amin, I don't need that much money. I already have enough assets, far more than I expected. To be honest, I am now enjoying the business foundation you have laid for me. I am very grateful that you think so for me, but I still think you need funds more than me. You have too many things to do, and they are far more important than what I do. So the shares of Yves Saint Laurent should be yours..."

"Don't think too much." Before she finished speaking, Ning Weimin already understood what she meant.

He grasped his wife's hand and stared at her with a serious look.

"Qingzi, the shares of Yves Saint Laurent are yours. If I give you too little, you will feel wronged. If I give you too much, I am afraid it may not be a good thing. The current number is just right. Believe me, this is a company of very good quality, enough to ensure your financial well-being for the rest of your life. Just promise me that you will never sell it. If we have children in the future, their lives will be more secure. I beg you, only if you accept these shares can I really feel at ease to do what I want to do..."

Upon hearing this, Matsumoto Keiko couldn't help but laugh.

But after a moment, after thinking about it, I felt a little sad and my eyes were wet.

She understood what kind of person Ning Weimin was and how lofty his aspirations were.

There were some things she wanted to remind him of, but she couldn't say them directly.

She now understands some of the Chinese taboos and is afraid that if she speaks them out it might sound like she is cursing someone.

While he was hesitating, a tall flight attendant came over, bowed at a 45-degree angle, and interrupted him with a smile on her face.

"Sir, Madam, the plane won't take off for another ten minutes. Would you like a welcome drink? How about champagne?"

Hearing her ask this, Ning Weimin suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is your champagne Moët Chandon?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Well, give each of us a drink."

As he followed the flight attendant, he turned to Matsumoto Keiko and whispered, "We are now shareholders of LVMH. If you like, drink as much as you can. We must also fulfill our obligations as shareholders. Look, our future is so bright. Believe me, there will be more and more excellent companies to help us make money and let us live a life of ease."

This made Matsumoto Keiko burst out laughing.

The sad mood I had just felt suddenly disappeared, and I no longer wanted to say anything that might ruin my mood.