Chapter 893 French Rich Family (only one chapter today)
The Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris stands on the banks of the Seine and has been famous for its luxury since its construction.
It survived the Second World War and did not restore its former prosperity until Charles de Gaulle held a celebration banquet here.
Not only does it have amazing murals, world-class spas and swimming pools, but it is also an ideal place to view the Eiffel Tower.
There are also three restaurants here that have won the reputation of Michelin six stars, making it a food paradise with a variety of French delicacies.
This prestigious hotel was booked tonight.
Just after six o'clock in the evening, luxury cars gathered from all over the city.
The car door opened.
An old man in a neat black suit, with gray hair and vigorous spirit got out of the black Rolls-Royce.
The middle-aged man who got off early hurried forward to support him.
The old man glanced at the brightly lit hotel, and there was a touch of memory in his eyes.
"I haven't been here for a long time."
"Dad, Mom said that's where you got married?"
The old man smiled and nodded.
"That was the happiest day of my life."
"Mom will be very happy to hear this." The middle-aged man smiled.
"Bernard."
The old voice from the side attracted the attention of the father and son.
Turning around, a tall, slightly bloated old man appeared in front of them.
"Barthélemy."
Bernard Arnault smiled and opened his arms to greet him.
"Old man, how long have we not seen each other?"
After a simple hug, Barthélemy Mouriez smiled.
"It should be two years. The last time was at the New Year's Eve dinner at the Elysee Palace." Bernard smiled.
"Yes. Time flies so fast. We are all old in a blink of an eye." His eyes turned, "Is this Antoine?"
Antoine Arnault hurried forward to greet him.
"Uncle Mouriez."
Patting his shoulder, "Old man, you have trained these children very well, especially Antoine, who is the leader of the younger generation. The Arnault family has successors."
Antoine Arnault couldn't help but smile when he was praised.
"Antoine still needs to continue studying." Seeing his old friend alone, Bernard couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't I see Margaret and the others?"
"They are all traveling abroad, so I had to come alone."
Bernard's face showed a look of realization.
Among the top wealthy families in France, the Mouriez family is definitely an outlier.
Other wealthy families only have five or six people, or a dozen people.
But they are not. This wealthy family was founded in the 19th century. The core family members include not only the men of the Mouriez family, but also their spouses.
In other words, they are not based on blood ties.
To some extent, the Mouriez family is more like a clan mixed with blood ties and marriages.
A "company" that gathers together for profit.
This system has rapidly expanded the number of members of the Mouriez family, and now there are more than 1,400 of them.
It's simply exaggerated.
This system also makes the Mouriez family's basis and probability of selecting talents higher.
With the support of talents, the family can develop better.
Now they control about 130 brands or stores including Decathlon, Auchan Group, and Leroy Merlin Group through the Mouriez Family Association (AFM), with about 700,000 employees worldwide and an annual turnover of nearly 100 billion euros.
They are the top dignitaries in Europe and the world.
In order to maintain harmony within the family, AFM has group building activities such as dinners, theme parties, performances, and travel throughout the year, and members also set up various charity organizations and entrepreneur clubs from time to time to help each other.
Of course, with so many members, personal conflicts are inevitable.
AFM has set up an arbitration committee for individual conflicts to resolve conflicts internally.
This system is like the ancient Chinese clan, which is no longer the concept of "one family".
In contrast, Arnault is a real family.
As the founder and CEO of the world's luxury giant LV, Bernard Arnault and his five children make up the entire Arnault family.
The old man not only pushes his children hard, but also supervises them doing their homework after work at 6 o'clock every night. He is also a loyal supporter of the theory of bloodline.
He believes that the spouse of his children is always an outsider, no matter if the spouse is a billionaire like his daughter Delphine's boyfriend Xavier Neal.
Or a model like Natalia Vodianova, the wife of his eldest son Antoine;
Or a rich girl like Geraldine Guyot, the wife of his third son Alexander, are all objects that he needs to be wary of.
This guy not only manages his own family, but also other people's families.
He convened a shareholders' meeting and amended the group's articles of association, stipulating that the transfer of shares between shareholders and spouses must be approved by the shareholders' meeting in advance.
There is no one else.
"The Muriez family has so many talented people, it's really enviable."
"Haha, if you are willing to change, the Arnault family can also have talents from all over the world."
Bernard smiled. He built the LV Group with his own hands, how could he let an outsider inherit it?
Barthelmy obviously also understood the habits of his old friend, and after a brief mention, he changed the subject.
"Let's go in, don't keep the host waiting for too long."
Bernard nodded, and the two walked into the hotel lobby together.
As soon as they entered the banquet hall, Xu Liang, who had received the news in advance, had already brought Christina to greet them.
"Mr. Arnault, Mr. Mouriez, I didn't expect you two to arrive together."
After the two parties briefly shook hands, Bernard smiled.
"We happened to meet each other, so we came together."
His eyes turned.
"Is this beautiful lady Miss Yerry?"
"Hello, Mr. Arnault."
"Miss Yeri is not only beautiful, but also has unparalleled business talent. She has successfully founded the Internet company Twitter at such a young age. It is really amazing."
"You're very grateful. In the future, I will need a lot of help from business seniors like you and Mr. Mouriez to develop in the French business world."
Bartholomew smiled and said: "With the help of a world-class business genius like Mr. Xu, Miss Yeri's future will definitely be bright. Forget about us two old men who are about to be eliminated by the times."
Bernard nodded in agreement.
"The two gentlemen are humbled." Christina smiled.
After a brief chat, Xu Liang took Christina to greet the new guests.
Watch the two of them go away.
"Old man, do you feel strange?" Bartholomew smiled.
"Of course. We at Golden Caesar talk very little, and Miss Yeli was the one doing the talking the whole time."
"It seems that Golden Caesar intends to push his lover to the top." Bartholomew continued.
“Speeches, interviews, creating public opinion, coupled with the success of Twitter, Golden Caesar successfully molded her into a dazzling and successful woman.
Plus angelic looks and a perfect body.
Throughout France, and even across Europe, more and more people are talking about her.
Today, Christina Yeri is more famous and popular than any popular star. "Bernard smiled.
Barthelemy echoed: "It is indeed much easier for a successful French female entrepreneur to acquire Vivendi than for a Chinese consortium to acquire Vivendi."
There was a pause.
"However, no one is a fool. If the introduced Miss Yeri is just a cover in name, I'm afraid it will not be so easy for Golden Caesar to acquire Vidywang."
Bernard nodded slightly, "It depends on what kind of conditions he can offer at today's reception? If there are enough benefits and the benefits are attractive enough."
The two looked at each other and smiled, each seeing the anticipation in their eyes.
If it weren't for profit, given their status, they wouldn't have come to attend today's reception.
In addition to French business tycoons, there are also many politicians who came here today.
It not only includes the heads of government departments such as the French Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Privatization, but of course the highest-ranking person is the newly appointed French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Xu Liang originally invited the current French President, but Sarkozy was on a state visit and was not in France.
"Mr. de Villepin, I'm glad you can come to today's banquet."
Xu Liang smiled.
"Mr. Xu is a world-class entrepreneur and financial investor. It is an honor for me to receive your invitation."
"Thank you."
"Is Mr. Xu making a special trip to France to invest?" De Villepin asked.
"Of course. But the protagonist of this investment is Christina, and I'm just providing a little financial help."
"Oh?" De Villepin turned his head, "Is this beautiful lady Ms. Yerry, who has gained a good reputation recently?"
Christina smiled and held out her hand.
"Hello, Mr. de Villepin, I am Christine."
After a brief handshake.
"Ms. Yeri is the pride of French women and a role model for all women."
"Thank you. I am just an ordinary French citizen."
"Ms. Yeri plans to develop in France in the future?"
After Christina nodded, "I am French and have my family and friends here. It was also my dream to start a business back in France when I was a student."
De Villepin praised: "All French people should learn from you."
"Thank you."
"What industries does Ms. Yeri intend to invest in? The government and I are willing to help if needed."
Christina glanced at Xu Liang next to her and received the other party's confirmation.
"We are negotiating with Vivendi to acquire it."
De Villepin's scrutinizing eyes glanced over Xu Liang, who was holding a wine glass and seemed relatively quiet, and smiled.
"Vivendi's market value is close to 20 billion euros. If you want to acquire it, you will need a lot of money."
"Christina Investment Company will acquire Vivendi Group through a leveraged buyout. After the acquisition is successful, we will also sell some non-core assets to repay debts."
Christina briefly talked about her acquisition strategy.
De Villepin smiled and nodded, "Mr. Xu provided financial help to Ms. Yeri?"
"No, to be precise, I am only responsible for providing guarantees, and Hanhua and Standard Chartered are responsible for providing funds." Xu Liang said meaningfully, "The controlling stake of Christina Investment Company is in the hands of this beautiful and intelligent lady."
De Villepin understood instantly.
"The government and I support all legitimate business activities by good French people."
The two of them smiled mischievously, understanding each other's subtext.
Seeing Vincent Bolore coming in from the door, Xu Liang said quickly.
"Mr. de Villepin, I have other guests to entertain, so I'll leave now. I'll visit Matignon Palace (Prime Minister's Office) after this busy period."
"Mr. Xu, please be busy first. I'll be waiting for you at Matignon Palace at any time."
After smiling and nodding, Xu Liang turned and left.
"Christina, you go greet the others first."
Nodding obediently, he glanced at Vincent Borore who was walking over and turned and left.
Xu Liang took a deep breath and smiled.
He stepped forward to greet him.
"Mr. Borore, welcome."
"Xu, welcome to France."
The two of them gave each other a warm hug at the same time, and when their eyes met, they all laughed.
If you don't know, you might think they are close friends.
"Who is this...?"
Xu Liang turned his eyes to the young man who came with Vincent.
The latter quickly stretched out his right hand.
"Hello, Mr. Xu. I am Deresi Borore. I am currently working at the Borore Group."
"Hello."
After shaking hands, Xu Liang continued with a smile: "I heard that Mr. Borore has three outstanding sons, all of whom are young talents in the business world. Today, when I saw Deresi, I realized that the rumors were true, but I was just envious."
"Mr. Xu is too kind. I am still far behind you." Deresi said modestly.
After Xu Liang smiled, he looked at Vincent.
"Mr. Borore, there have been some strange voices in the Vivendi board of directors recently..."
"Mr. Xu, don't worry. I promised you that I will do my best. Some objections will not threaten the overall situation of Christina Investment Company's acquisition of Vivendi."
"I feel relieved when Mr. Borore said that."
After taking a deep look at the man in front of him, Xu Liang smiled and said, "I still have to receive other guests, so I won't accompany you two for now. After today, we will sit down and talk in detail."
"I am waiting for Mr. Xu's call."
After the two of them made eye contact, Xu Liang turned and left.
"Father, there are so many big names here today." De Reisi looked at the crowd around him and whispered in surprise.
Vincent Borrole turned his eyes back from Xu Liang and glanced at them.
His heart sank slightly.
Almost all the big families with names in France have arrived.
Let's not talk about Arnault and Mourierz.
There is also François Pinault, the representative of the Pinault family, who controls the world's third largest luxury group Kering Group and investment company Artemis Group.
Martin Bouygues, the controller of the Bouygues Group, which is involved in construction engineering, real estate development, media, telecommunications and other fields, has a market value of nearly 14 billion euros and has about 130,000 employees worldwide.
There are also representatives of the Hermès Group, representatives of the Madrigal Group, the third largest publishing group in France, and so on.
There are also many big names in the political world.
In addition to the president who is visiting abroad, including the prime minister, most of the ministerial officials, including the speakers of the two houses, have arrived.
Xu Liang's appeal surprised him who was originally prepared.
He took a slight breath.
"Let's go, I'll take you to meet these big shots."
Dressy's face was a little nervous, but more of it was expectation.
As the heir of the Borore family, good connections are a must for him to become the head of the family.
"Boss."
Michel Copa came over.
"How much money did you raise?"
The latter showed a bitter smile on his face.
"No results yet."
He didn't know most of the big shots here today, how could they invest in his fund?
Xu Liang smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be discouraged, you will come on stage with me later."
"Okay."
Michel's face was full of expectation.
Looking at the crowd present today, you can see how much influence the big boss has.
With his personal recommendation, these people will invest some for Hanhua's sake even if they don't trust him.
With these people who are famous in the French political and business circles, he can take this list to contact the wealthy people in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and other areas under the jurisdiction of the French office to raise funds from them.
A little bit adds up to a lot.
The final number must be an extremely glorious number.