National Tide 1980.

Ning Weimin objected again very persistently, "Apart from anything else, I have other businesses and other friends in France. What would they think if I started to meddle in the casino business instead of running a pure hotel? Would Mr. Pierre Cardin be disappointed in me? Would he still be willing to open his Maxim's restaurant in Saint-Tropez? If Mr. Lacamier knew that I used his gift for this kind of gray business, would he think that I had tarnished his family's reputation and failed to live up to his kindness? Yes, they may not express their dissatisfaction publicly or blame me, but they will definitely not be as friendly to me in their hearts as before. It is even possible that in order to protect their own reputation, they will gradually begin to alienate me. In the future, I will have a hard time in the French fashion industry and will no longer have the convenience I have now. I may even have to sell my shares in LVMH. If that happens, compared with the money I made from opening a casino, my loss will be immeasurable..."

Although Ning Weimin's tone was gentle, the meaning of his words was sharp and hurt the lawyer.

This made him suddenly realize that they were not on the same level.

Not only him, but even Alain Delon is the same, they are fundamentally different from Ning Weimin.

Ning Weimin has many industries, so his perspective on issues is naturally different from theirs.

"If you ask me, you may be a little worried. There are not many old-fashioned people like them in France. Besides, Lacamier likes pleasure so much, he may never go to the casino..."

The lawyer blushed and he forced a smile to defend himself.

However, this time Ning Weimin went straight to the core of the problem and did not give others a chance to interrupt him.

"Don't argue, don't be in a hurry to argue. Mr. Lawyer, I know that among you French people, and perhaps in the whole of Europe, most people think that gambling and prostitution are like alcoholism and smoking. They are bad, but they are your own business and are natural needs of human nature. Others have no right to blame you. Life is short, and there is nothing wrong with pursuing pleasure. But after all, some people don't think so. They mind the negativity these behaviors bring to society and think that gambling is an indecent business."

"Especially for those 'old money' people, even if, as you said, they themselves may gamble occasionally, they are not as noble as they appear to be, always following the rules and regulations. But hypocrisy is one thing, but they are absolutely unwilling to get involved in the gambling business. It is also true that they are afraid that the bad reputation of the gambling industry will affect their own reputation and the reputation of their company. Otherwise, if they want to open a casino, where will others have a chance?"

"And you may not know that gambling is 100% prohibited in my country. Anyone who participates in gambling is already breaking the law, and opening a casino is a felony. If a Chinese like me runs a casino in France, not to mention how much jealousy and malice I will encounter here, this itself violates the laws of my country. So even if I am overseas, my motherland can still hold me accountable. You don't want to see me unable to return home or be imprisoned, right?"

"So what I'm talking about now is not a moral issue, nor is it just about my personal interests, but whether I will face jail time for breaking the law. Please forgive me, from my point of view, opening this casino is almost entirely bad. Although I will definitely make money, I will lose more. I really can't agree with your idea."

Ning Weimin absolutely convinced people with reason. He analyzed the facts thoroughly, spoke very realistically, and explained the issues thoroughly enough. Neither Alain Delon nor lawyer Henry could deny that his thinking was correct.

Besides, Alain Delon and lawyer Henry are not stupid. They understood some of the subtexts hidden in Ning Weimin's words.

The truth is obvious: there must be something wrong with a business that even the “old money” people don’t get involved in.

This made the two of them look at each other, then they calmed down and started to think carefully again.

Indeed, in France, there are two large gambling companies that occupy the main gambling market.

It can be said that all famous casinos are state-owned.

Privately-run casinos are all in the form of clubs. Not only are they unable to compete with state-owned gambling giants in terms of management, but the owners of the clubs also seem to be afraid of being in the spotlight, and there are no big names who can get in.

Soon, Alain Delon was the first to figure it out and expressed his approval.

"My fault, little brother. I thought the problem was simple, so I had such an idea. You are right, running a casino is not as good as it seems, there will be endless troubles. I have to admit that I was confused and this idea was ridiculous."

Then he sighed and spread his hands like the "Black Tulip" on the screen with his unique style, "I hope you won't be angry because of the jokes I just made. To be honest, I have no bad intentions, but as an old man, I can't help but envy your age and vitality."

Ning Weimin was amused by the way Alain Delon apologized, and he responded generously.

"It's okay. You said it was just a joke. And your idea is not completely meaningless. I think your proposal to build a palace-level hotel that exceeds the five-star standard is very interesting and worth a try."

The lawyer's attitude also changed. He also knew that Ning Weimin had made the final decision and there was no longer any room for discussion on whether to open the casino or not.

But he was not as free and easy as Alain Delon. When he heard Ning Weimin say that he wanted to carry out luxurious decoration, he couldn't help but argue.

"Yes, you are right. We only saw the casino making money, but did not seriously think about the pros and cons. It was indeed a bit rash. However, what you said just now was also ill-considered. If you don't plan to open a casino, then why do you build such a luxurious hotel? Such a large investment is just taking a meaningless risk. Humph, if you want the best of everything, have you calculated how much it will cost? It must be much more than the money you have invested in Saint-Tropez now. One or two hundred million francs is not enough. In my opinion, it will take at least four or five hundred million francs, not counting the hiring of employees, just basic decoration and furniture. If you really want to operate well, you may have to spend another one or two hundred million francs. I have to remind you that a place like Saint-Tropez can only do business for three to four months a year. Even if there are indeed many rich people who don't care about spending money, you sell a room for 20,000 or 30,000 francs per night, and I don't know how long it will take to make back the cost..."

The lawyer's argument does make some sense. From the perspective of returns, the more you invest, the greater the risk. If the customer's spending limit does not increase, the return ratio will be reduced.

It seems that it is better to be thrifty, steady and cautious, and achieve a four-star or five-star hotel standard.

However, Ning Weimin's understanding of economic issues far exceeds that of the lawyer. "No, no, I don't think so. Mr. Lawyer, the thinking logic of rich people is not like this. People who are willing to pay tens of thousands of francs for a meal or a night in Saint-Tropez will not care about spending tens of thousands more francs. Even hundreds of thousands or two hundred thousand a night, the key is whether they think it is worth paying such a price. Believe me, the definition of luxury, in addition to excellent quality and even no cost, the most taboo is mediocrity. If we want to make money from the richest people, we must first learn to deny the ordinary and not adopt a popular way of thinking. Just like you said just now, we should treat them like gods and create a unique and comfortable environment for the rich, even if it is exaggerated. It doesn't matter. On the contrary, it will be more impressive and easy to remember. If the environment there is really that good as you said, then we are already halfway to success, and it is worth a try."

“Maybe. But can the Castle Hotel make a lot of money immediately by doing these things?” The lawyer shrugged. He just couldn’t be optimistic about a luxury hotel without a casino.

Ning Weimin also spoke the truth, "No, of course not. To achieve this, we need to wait for time to ferment and work hard for a long time. Just like these fine wines in the cellar. It takes time to slowly increase in value."

"Ha, long-term? That's back to the old problem. Such a huge investment is still a waste of practical significance. If we can't even see the money now, how can we still have expectations for the future?"

The lawyer actually laughed. "I'm sorry, don't count me in this deal. I'd better use my money to invest in stocks. I'm only responsible for the part that a lawyer should be responsible for in this matter."

Not only that, he turned to Alain Delon and said, "Old friend, isn't the purpose of opening a hotel to make money? Without a good return, can it be considered a good investment? I advise you to consider it carefully."

Alain Delon scratched his head, his expression began to show some trouble, and he seemed very hesitant.

After a moment, he chose to ask Ning Weimin in person, "Little brother, I have always admired your talent in business. I personally admire you very much and I wish I could have the opportunity to be your partner. When you arrive in Saint-Tropez, you will know that I am absolutely worthy of your trust. But you must also understand that I am old now. Even if I am still willing to act, my age makes it impossible for me to make as much money as I did ten years ago. So you have to tell me the truth. Do you really think you can make money by building such a luxurious hotel? How confident are you?"

Ning Weimin fully understood Alain Delon's mentality. He knew that his investment in business was the guarantee of his old age. What he feared most was taking risks and losing his money.

So I didn't mind his question at all, and I was even a little happy about it.

Alain Delon did not back down directly because of the lawyer's attitude. Knowing that the hotel required a huge investment, he still asked him this question, which proved his trust.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"Yes, I really think so. You don't have to worry about anything. Our hotel will definitely make money. This business has a future and is the trend of the future. You and I can make countless money from it. There is no doubt about that. But there is one thing you need to understand. This is unlikely to be an immediate result. It will take time."

"I know that people always want quick results and immediate returns. Things have to sell quickly, financial statements have to be exciting, and profits have to remain high. Most people in this world think this way when doing business, but this is exactly the opposite of luxury goods. This is the law of appearance. For too many people in this world, the decisive factor is the moment, so most people can only sell common goods, make mass products, and make money by sales. Competition is fierce and profits are low."

"If you hold this kind of logic, you will never be able to improve the level of our hotel. Look at LV, Hermès, Chanel and Gucci. Who has grown by pursuing turnover efficiency and sales speed? They are all able to concentrate on polishing and refining themselves. In the final analysis, their success is forged by history. The best luxury comes from the value given by time. If they pursued speed, there would be no such brands now..."

Alain Delon was fascinated by Ning Weimin's words, but the lawyer disagreed and chuckled.

"Do you mean to say that it will take a long time for your investment to pay off?"

"No, what I mean is that if you run this business this way, it will have unlimited prospects and many benefits. And the most rare thing is that this business is only difficult at the beginning and requires a relatively large investment. But once you gain the recognition of customers, it will become easier as time goes by."

Ning Weimin was neither humble nor arrogant. He bounced back the lawyer's interference and continued to say to Alain Delon, "How a person should make a living and what he relies on for a living is a question worth discussing. Many people work hard to support their families, but only a few people don't. Like you, you are lucky because you are a big star. When you were the most popular, you made the most money. What did you rely on? Fame. And I also know that as a star, the most important economic income is not the film pay, but taking advertisements and participating in commercial performances."

"So my friend, don't you think your profession is interesting? You work hard to make a movie, carefully study the role, and may even get injured and suffer a lot. It takes you several months to finish the film, but you only make a few hundred thousand. But you can easily make millions by shooting commercials and performing in commercials. Moreover, these jobs will further enhance your fame and increase your exposure. Does this make sense? Isn't this phenomenon worth our deep thought?"

"Let me just put it this way. In my opinion, the hotel we are going to open in the future is a big star with potential like you, or it should be said that we need to create a star. At the beginning, it requires a lot of money and effort to cultivate him, give him opportunities, let him shine, and let him be recognized and loved by the world. This process is indeed difficult. But as long as he becomes famous and known all over the world, it will be time for us to reap huge profits."

"Where does this profit come from? Of course it can't come from the daily operation of the hotel. That's too narrow and too limited. We can use the hotel to improve the style and level of our products. Let's take a close example. If the wine in your winery and mine is exclusively used in the hotel, will the price still be the same? The two bottles of wine we are drinking now can sell for at least 20,000 francs. For wine like Romanee-Conti, we can sell for at least 100,000 francs. And don't you like to design furniture? How about putting your favorite furniture in the hotel? If someone is interested, we will sell it at a high price. A sofa designed by you can sell for 50,000 francs. Isn't it worthy of your reputation?"

"Also, who says our hotel can only make money during the peak tourist season in St. Tropez? Who says there are no guests in the off-season? We can completely follow the example of Blackpool in the UK. It was originally an inconspicuous seaside town, far inferior to St. Tropez, but it can attract millions of tourists every year even when the weather is the worst by taking advantage of the Light Festival and the International Standard Dance Competition. We can also make use of the off-season and hold a 'French Wine Party', art exhibition, castle ball, masquerade, or chess competition in the hotel at our own expense. In short, we will hold any event that is elegant, stylish, luxurious and can interest the rich. If we want the rich to be happy to participate, we can also use the amount of prize money to attract public attention. The rich are the most vain, so naturally they will not worry about not making money."

"In addition, we can also cooperate with major fashion luxury brands and hold press conferences in our hotels. We have a natural advantage in this regard. LVMH, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin are no problem. We have ready-made partnerships. Once we buy enough L'Oréal shares, L'Oréal will also join in. In short, this model is too simple, just like the movies you make cannot be mass-produced, but the products you endorse can be mass-produced. And the secret of this business is this, complementing each other and forming a virtuous circle."

Ning Weimin's words had completely convinced the two listeners.

The lawyer was stunned. When he recovered, he clapped his hands involuntarily. "Amazing, amazing, young sir. I have to pay tribute to what you just said. I withdraw my objection. It seems that you are good at doing business. Your thinking is completely different. At least you have changed my mind a little. Now I finally have some confidence in the hotel."

Alain Delon was even more admiring, and looked at Ning Weimin without any hesitation.

At the same time, he did not forget to stab the lawyer in the back, "You, you are wavering again? Forget it, you don't even have the confidence of your partners. Besides, you are not a star, you don't know the tricks of this business. So you'd better not get involved, just buy stocks, and for the rest, just do your job well."

The lawyer, who had brought this upon himself, was really upset at this moment, and could only drink another glass of wine, which was destined to increase in price in the future, to relieve his melancholy. (End of this chapter)