National Tide 1980

Ning Weimin expressed his objection again very persistently, "If nothing else, I have other businesses in France, other friends, what would they think if I started to get involved in the casino business instead of running a pure hotel? Pilka Would Mr. Don be disappointed in me? Would he still be willing to bring his Maxim restaurant to Saint-Tropez? What would Mr. Lacamier do if he knew that I was using his gift for such a gray business? He won't think that I have tarnished his family's reputation. Yes, they may not express their dissatisfaction publicly or blame me, but they will definitely not be as friendly to me as they used to be. They may even gradually start to distance themselves from me in order to preserve their own reputation. . In the future, I will have a difficult time in the French fashion industry, and I may no longer have the convenience I have now. In that case, my losses will be nothing compared to the money I can make from opening a casino. Estimate..."

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

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

Not only him, but also Alain Delon. 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, I'm afraid you are a bit over-exaggerated. There are not many old-school people like them in France, not to mention that Lacamier likes to have fun, so he may not never enter casinos..."

The lawyer's face turned red, and he forced a smile to argue.

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

"Don't refute, don't rush to refute. Mr. Lawyer, I know that most of you French people, and maybe the whole of Europe, think that gambling and soliciting prostitutes are like drinking and smoking, bad or bad, but this is It is your own business that is a natural need in human nature, and others have no right to blame. Life is short, and there is nothing wrong with pursuing pleasure. But after all, some people don’t think so. They will mind the negative effects these behaviors bring to society, and think that gambling is a negative thing. Disgraceful business."

"Especially for those 'old money' people, even as you said, they themselves may occasionally gamble, they are not as noble as they appear to be, and they always follow the rules and precepts. But they are hypocritical, but they are never willing to do it. It is related to the gambling business. It is true that they are afraid that the bad reputation of the gambling industry will affect their own reputation and that of the company. Otherwise, if they want to open a casino, how will they get the 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 even more of a felony. If a Chinese like me runs a casino in France, I won't say that I will be here. How much jealousy and malice have been caused, this in itself violates the laws of our country. So even if I am overseas, my motherland can still hold me legally responsible. You don’t want to see me having trouble returning home, or being in jail, right? "

"So what I am telling you now is not about moral issues, nor is it just about my immediate interests, but about whether I will face jail time for breaking the law. Please forgive me, from my standpoint Basically, opening this casino is almost entirely disadvantageous. Although it will definitely make money, I will lose more. I really can’t agree with your idea.”

Ning Weimin was absolutely convincing with his reasoning. He analyzed the truth thoroughly, spoke truthfully, and explained the issues thoroughly enough. Neither Alain Delon nor lawyer Henry could deny that his thinking was correct.

What's more, Alain Delon and Lawyer Henry were not idiots. Even they understood some of the subtext hidden in Ning Weimin's words.

The truth is obvious, there must be something wrong with a business that the "old money" doesn't even try to do.

This made the two of them look at each other, calm down, and start thinking carefully about the problem 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 can they not compete with the state-owned gambling giants in terms of operation, but the owners of the clubs seem to be very afraid to see the light of day, and there are no big names in the casinos.

So soon, Alain Delon figured it out first and expressed his approval.

"My fault, little brother. I simplified the problem and took such an idea. You are right, running a casino is not as beautiful as it seems, and there will be endless troubles. I have to admit that I I’m dizzy, this idea is so ridiculous.”

Then he sighed sadly, spreading his hands like the "Black Tulip" on the screen in his unique style, "I hope you won't be angry because of the jokes I just made. To be honest, I don't mean any harm, just as an old man People who go can’t help but be jealous of your age and youthfulness.”

Ning Weimin was amused by Alain Delon's way of apologizing, and he responded generously.

"It doesn't matter. You also 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 five-star standards is very interesting and worth a try."

The lawyer's attitude has also changed. He also knows in his heart that Ning Weimin has made the final decision and there is no possibility of discussion on whether to open the casino or not.

It's just that he is not as free and easy as Alain Delon. When he heard Ning Weimin say that he wanted to engage in 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 is indeed a bit rash. However, what you just said was not considered. If you don't plan to open it, As for the casino, why do you want to make the hotel so luxurious? It is a useless risk to invest such a large amount of money. If everything is the best, have you calculated how much it will cost? How much money are you investing in Saint-Tropez now? Much more. One or two hundred million francs is not enough. I think it will cost at least four to five billion francs. This does not include hiring employees, it is just basic decoration and furniture. If you really want the business to fail, you will 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 many rich people, they don’t care about spending money. You can sell a room for 20,000 to 30,000 francs a night. The room fee, I don’t know how long it will take to earn back the cost..."

The lawyer's arguments are somewhat reasonable. From a profit perspective, the greater the investment, the greater the risk. If the customer's consumption limit cannot be increased, the profit ratio will decrease.

It seems that it is indeed more reliable to plan carefully, play it safe, and build a four-star or five-star hotel.

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's stay in Saint-Tropez don't care about any more. Spending tens of thousands of francs, or 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 is not only excellent quality, but also exquisiteness regardless of cost. It's mediocre, if If we want to make money from the richest people, we must first learn to deny the ordinary and not adopt popular ideas. As you just said, we must treat them like gods and create unique and comfortable products only for the rich. It doesn’t matter if you enjoy the environment. It will be more impressive and easier to remember. If the environment there is really that good, then we are already halfway there and it is worth a try.”

"Perhaps. But, will the Castle Hotel make a lot of money right away by doing these things?" The lawyer shrugged. He just couldn't be optimistic about luxury hotels without casinos.

Ning Weimin also told the truth, "No, of course not. To achieve this, we have to wait for time to ferment, and we need better long-term cultivation. Just like these cellared wines. It takes time to slowly increase in value."

"Ha, long term? Then we are back to the old problem. Such a large investment is still a waste of no practical significance. If we can't even see the money now, can we still have expectations for the future?"

The lawyer really laughed at this time and said, "Sorry, don't count me out of this transaction. My money should be used to invest in stocks. I am only responsible for the part that the lawyer should be responsible for in this matter."

That's not all. He turned to Alain Delon and said, "Old friend, isn't opening a hotel just 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 a certain amount of trouble, and he seemed to be very hesitant.

After a while, he chose to ask Ning Weimin personally, "Brother, I have always admired your talent in business. I personally admire you very much and I hope I can have the opportunity to partner with you. When you get to Sainte Luo Pei, you will know that I definitely deserve 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 give me a solid foundation. Do you really think that such a luxurious creation is possible? Can a hotel make money? How sure are you?”

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

So I didn't mind his question at all, but was actually a little happy.

Alain Delon did not immediately shrink from the lawyer's attitude. He knew that the hotel's investment was huge, but he still asked him this, which proved a kind of trust.

"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 both make countless money from it. . There is no doubt about that. But one thing you need to understand is that it is unlikely to be an immediate result and it will take time.”

"I know that people always want quick results, immediate returns, things to sell quickly, financial statements to be exciting, and profits to be high. That's how most people in the world think about doing business, but that's exactly what they want. This is contrary to the law of appearance. For too many people in this world, the decisive factor is instantaneity, so most people can only sell mass merchandise and make money by sales. Competition is fierce and profits are high. Also low.”

"If we adopt this logic, we will never be able to improve the level of our hotel. Look at whether it is LV, Hermès, Chanel or Gucci, who has grown by pursuing turnover efficiency and sales speed? They can all do it. Focus on polishing and refining yourself. In the final analysis, their success is forged by history, and the best luxury comes from the value given by time. If they were quick, there would be no such brand now..."

Alain Delon was fascinated by Ning Weimin's words, but the lawyer did not agree and chuckled.

"Are you saying that it will take a long time for your investment to recoup its cost?"

"No, what I mean is that if this business is done in this way, the prospects are unlimited and the benefits are numerous. And the most rare thing is that this business is only difficult at the beginning, and the investment is relatively large, but once it is recognized by customers, it will become more and more difficult. It will get easier in the future.”

Ning Weimin was neither humble nor arrogant. He resisted the lawyer's interference and continued to say to Alain Delon, "How a person should make a living and what he does for a living is a question worthy of discussion. Many people have to work hard to support their families. Only by A few people are not, like you, you are the lucky one because you are a big star. When you are most popular, you make the most money. What do you rely on? And I also know that as a star, your main financial income is. It’s not about salary, it’s about accepting GG and participating in commercial performances.”

"So my friend, don't you think your career is very interesting? You work hard to make a movie, carefully figure out the role, you may have to be injured and suffer a lot, and it takes several months to finish the film with exhaustion. But you only earn a few hundred thousand, but if you film GG or go to commercial shows, you can easily earn millions, and these jobs will further increase your reputation and exposure. Is it reasonable? Isn’t this phenomenon worth pondering?”

"Let me just say this. In fact, in my opinion, the hotels we want to build in the future are big stars with potential like you, or should I say, stars that we need to work hard to create. It requires a lot of money investment at the beginning. , it takes a lot of effort to cultivate him, give him a chance to shine, and make him recognized and loved by the world. This process is indeed difficult, but as long as his fame becomes big, he will be famous all over the world. It’s time for us to reap the benefits.”

"Where does this benefit come from? Of course it cannot just come from the daily operations of the hotel. That is too narrow and too limited. We can completely use the hotel to enhance the style and level of our products. Take a recent example. , just like the wine in your and my winery is exclusively for hotel use, will the price still be the same as the two bottles of wine we are drinking now? , we can sell at least 20,000 francs. For wines like Romani Conti, we can sell at least 100,000 francs. And don’t you usually like to design furniture? How about putting your favorite furniture in the hotel? If anyone is interested, we will sell it at a high price. A sofa designed by you costs 50,000 francs. Is it worthy of your reputation?"

"Also, who said that our hotel can only make money during the peak tourist season in Saint-Tropez? Who said that there are no guests in the off-season? We can definitely imitate Blackpool in the UK. There was originally an inconspicuous seaside resort. The town is far behind Saint-Tropez, but with the Festival of Lights and the International Ballroom Dance Competition, we can attract millions of tourists every year even when the weather is the worst. We can definitely make the most of the off-season. Use it, invest your own money, and hold a 'French wine party' in a hotel, an art exhibition, a castle dance, a masquerade, or a chess competition. In short, what kind of elegance, style, luxury and enjoyment can make rich people feel... If you are interested, we will organize any activities. If you want to make rich people happy to participate, you can also use the size of the prize to attract public attention. Rich people have the strongest vanity, so they will naturally not worry about 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 all no problem. Ready-made partnerships. When we buy enough L'Oreal stock, L'Oreal will 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. The secret of business is these, complementing each other and creating a virtuous cycle.”

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

The lawyer was dumbfounded. When he came to his senses, he couldn't help but clapped his hands. "It's amazing. It's amazing. Young gentleman, I have to pay my respect to what you just said. I withdraw my objection. Look, You are very good at doing business, and your ideas are completely different. At least it has changed my mind a little, and I finally have some confidence in the hotel. "

Alain Delon was full of appreciation and looked at Ning Weimin without any hesitation.

At the same time, he did not forget to stab the lawyer in the back, "You guy, are you going to swing back and forth again? Forget it, you don't even have the minimum confidence of your partners. Besides, you are not a star, you don't understand this business. It’s a secret. So you’d better not get involved, just go buy stocks, and for the rest, just do your job that you’re good at.”

The self-inflicted lawyer was really angry at this time, and he could only drink another glass of wine, which was destined to increase in price in the future, to relieve his melancholy.