Volume 7 I've Been Here Chapter 1044 The Proud Hen
"Godfather, I'm talking about us."
"What's wrong with us? Since the word 'socialite' is a neutral term, whether it is positive or negative is up to the individual. It cannot be said to be a despicable act to set up a ladder for someone to become a socialite. Let me tell you a story. Zhang San worked on a construction site in the city and earned a good income. When he went home for the Spring Festival, his brother-in-law Ding San and cousin Huang San heard the news and begged Zhang San to take them to the city to make a lot of money.
Out of consideration for their relationship, Zhang San brought the two of them to the city after the first month of the lunar year. After much pleading, he finally managed to get Huang San to work as a waitress in a restaurant. Huang San was a very quiet girl, obedient and hardworking, and the restaurant owner liked her very much. As time went by, the two of them fell in love, and Huang San became the restaurant owner's wife.
Ding San was taken by Zhang San and found a bricklayer master for him on the construction site. At the beginning, everything was fine. Ding San was smart and had a good eye, so the master liked him very much and taught him everything he knew.
But as time went on, Ding San integrated into the glamorous world of the city. He changed. He wanted to eat and drink well, and to receive salary several times a month. While others had hundreds or thousands of dollars in their accounts, his account was in the negative. As he received too much, the contractor refused to pay him.
Life was boring without money in pocket. How could Ding San, who was used to spending, bear it? He thought about it and came up with some crooked ideas.
However, Ding San was a coward at heart. He didn't dare to mess with outsiders, and he only dared to attack those around him. He first borrowed money from his coworkers, but never paid it back. Gradually, no one was willing to lend him money, and if they didn't lend him money, he would steal. After Zhang San was caught red-handed, he came forward to beg others, and everyone was willing to let the matter go. However, there was one request: Ding San must get out of the construction site."
Fan Hongdou laughed, "Godfather, according to your usual style, Ding San will set his sights on Huang San next, either kidnapping her child, or being caught stealing money, he will make up his mind and kill Huang San's family of three."
Nan Yi smacked his lips. "You, like Ruoyin, become less lovable as you grow older. You guessed it right. This is how the story goes. At first glance, the tragedy started when Zhang San brought Ding San and Huang San into the city. But what is the truth? Yao and Shun couldn't figure it out, but Yu and Tang figured it out. Can you figure it out?"
Fan Hongdou smiled and said, "I can't figure it out."
"If you can't figure it out, think hard." Nan Yi cheerfully asked the waiter to bring another glass of beer, poured half of the beer into his own glass, and handed the remaining half to Fan Hongdou, "Girls should drink in moderation. If you get fat, you won't be pretty anymore."
"Godfather, I exercise every day, so the calories in beer are nothing."
Nan Yi's neck stiffened and his eyes widened, "You've grown strong now, and your godfather can't say anything to you?"
Fan Hongdou stuck out her tongue and said, "I won't talk back next time."
"snort."
"whee."
After drinking beer, the grandfather and daughter went to Fan Hongdou's house in New York and had dinner together with laughter. After the dinner, Nan Yi returned to Scarlett Manor early.
Scarlett was not there. She flew to Las Vegas in the afternoon. Her mother Miranda gave some shares of the hotel group to Nan Youqiong, and Scarlett held them on her behalf. She would occasionally fly over for a meeting.
It is called a hotel group, but in fact its main business is the casino. Nan Yi really doesn't think highly of that little bit of shares. If it wasn't a gift from the grandmother to her grandson and an excuse for the mother and daughter to meet more often, he really wanted to decline the kindness on behalf of Nan Youqiong.
Nan Youqiong is here. Not long after coming back, the little guy has become a busy little man. He has to go to school, get familiar with Nan's business, and also has a small business outside.
In front of the South Office, there was a small South Office named Nan Ruoyin, and later an Adler think tank was split out again. Decisions were made by following Scarlett and Nan Yixue. The think tanks taught them the specific matters, and they could use their own small businesses to practice what they had learned.
From zero to one, from one to ninety-nine, from nothing to something, from something to many, every link should be covered. The pace does not need to be too fast, take it slow, leave enough time for play, and gradually, by the time he reaches the age to pursue a career, he will have naturally mastered most of what he needs to know.
The father and son had not been reunited for a long time, so they put aside their current tasks and filled their schedules with shooting, archery, horseback riding, sailing, camping, etc. In the mountains of Cold Spring Town, the two also found a place and planned to spend two or three years to build a jungle cabin by themselves.
In mid-September, when the weather in the UK was noticeably cooler, Nan Yi came to London.
In the early morning, a thin mist filled the grass and woods, and the morning light poured down and mixed with the mist to form a light golden glow.
The weekend holiday started with such a dreamy view and a breakfast consisting of soft-boiled eggs, fried bacon, fried sausages, fried button mushrooms, and pig blood sausage, which was full of burnt smell but lacked the smell of fireworks.
"What are your plans?" Catherine tore off a small piece of bread and used a fork to pick up the scattered vegetable salad on the plate. Her movements were smooth, elegant and natural.
Nan Yi controlled the knife in his hand and cut the sausages on the plate in a somewhat awkward way so as not to make any scratching noises. "Listen to Ruojin, my little princess, what are your plans?"
Nan Ruojin put down the knife, picked up the napkin to wipe his lips, and straightened his back. "Sir, I have to go to the farm to inspect it this morning. The hens laid 12 fewer eggs yesterday than the day before. The reason behind this needs to be investigated. In the afternoon, I have to meet with my personal accountant to audit my pocket money for August."
"What happened to your pocket money?"
Nan Ruojin glanced at Catherine and continued in the tone of a noble lady, "There is a discrepancy between the account records and the actual amount. Fifteen pounds are missing."
"Oh my God, such a serious corruption incident has actually occurred. We must investigate it thoroughly."
"Adam, don't go crazy with her." Catherine interrupted the father and daughter's singing in unison coldly, "Kate, watch your words."
Nan Yi and Nan Ruojin looked at each other, ignored Catherine, and continued to eat breakfast .
Catherine has begun to teach Nan Ruojin the decadent aristocratic etiquette. Nan Yi scoffs at this. If the rules of British aristocracy can help men improve their gentlemanly tone, they can mostly be regarded as constraints for women. It is enough to learn the dining etiquette that can improve one's taste, and forget about the rest.
After finally finishing breakfast, Nan Yi took the eager Nan Ruojin out of the castle with ladylike steps, got in the car, and drove away.
When the car left the castle, Nan Ruojin threw herself into Nan Yi's arms and said aggrievedly, "Dad, why didn't you come and rescue me earlier?"
"Daddy thought my brave little princess could save herself." Nan Yi stroked Nan Ruojin's hair.
"Mommy is a monster. I can't beat her."
"Hahaha, okay, just give in to your mom. She has shouldered too many responsibilities that she shouldn't have to shoulder. It's just that her thinking has reached a dead end. The British aristocracy has long been corrupt. If they abide by the old system, they can only make friends with parasites who rely on selling their property to maintain their dignity. Those who are still strong have already changed."
Nan Ruojin poked her head out from Nan Yi's chest and said, "Dad, I don't understand."
"It's okay if you don't understand now. As you gain more knowledge, you will understand naturally. Let's not discuss this now. Think about what you want to play. Daddy will take you to play to your heart's content today."
Nan Ruojin thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I want to go horseback riding and shooting."
"OK, Daddy will take you there."
Most of the land around Downton Abbey in Oxford was bought by Boleyn Investment Holdings in the past few years. After transformation, it was turned into a comprehensive small farm. Most of the food for Boleyn Castle is supplied from here, and the rest is delivered by Shennong Southern Grain.
Downton Abbey is Nan Ruojin's little world. She proudly showed Nan Yi her collections here, including specimens of various insects and plants, as well as her foxes, chickens, ducks, geese, cows, horses and sheep, all of which have names. Different from Nan Yi's celebrity names, Nan Ruojin follows the astronomical style of naming, and the names of constellations and stars can be found on animals.
Downton Abbey is also a paradise for red foxes. The Wu family has long since grown old, but their descendants still live here. From Nan Yi to Xu Li, then to Catherine, and to today's Nan Ruojin, they have all treated the red fox family well. Fortunately, red foxes are not as easy to reproduce as cats, so the population has not become overpopulated.
After Nan Ruojin finished presenting the treasures, she pulled Nan Yi to the stable. The two of them rode together, with Nan Yi carrying a Weatherby Pioneer shotgun, and they chased the pheasants at a speed of ten yards.
"Dad, ride faster, the pheasant is about to run away."
"It's okay. There are a lot of pheasants here. If you can't catch this one, just try another one."
"Dad, you ride so slowly, even if we change one, we won't be able to catch up." Nan Ruojin said with disdain.
"Horses can easily sprain their ankles if they run too fast, so we must take good care of them."
"Mommy rode much faster than Daddy, and the horse didn't sprain its ankle."
Nan Yi's face drooped. "Okay, Daddy will tell you the truth. Daddy can only ride this fast. If he goes any faster, he will easily fall."
"Dad doesn't know horse riding?"
"Won't."
"Dad, I always thought you were Superman." Nan Ruojin was a little frustrated.
"Dad is not Superman, but Dad has a treasure bowl. Whenever Ruojin needs pounds, he just needs to reach out and grab them from it."
"real?"
"Every parent's pocket is a treasure chest for their children, and so is Dad's pocket."
"Dad, can I catch it now?"
"certainly."
Nan Ruojin turned around and reached into Nan Yi's pocket in an awkward position. After searching for a while, she finally pulled out a few US dollars. She pursed her lips and said, "Dad, you are lying. We don't have British pounds."
"Ha ha."
Nan Yi laughed loudly, loosened the reins with his right hand, pulled the bolt and held the rifle, feeling the ups and downs of the horse's back. When he found the rhythm, he pulled the trigger with his left index finger. A bullet flew out of the barrel and rotated into the chest cavity of a pheasant.
Pull back the reins with your right hand and continue to the next target.
Behind him, a horseman galloped to the dead pheasant, scooped the scoop net in his hand to the ground, and then threw it into the sky. The pheasant somersaulted several times and landed steadily in the basket hanging on the horse's back.
Nan Yi turned around and saw this scene and couldn't help but complain: "What a show, who are you trying to slap in the face? Find a reason to deduct half of this month's salary."
The showman is called Brandon, Brandon Boleyn, Nan Ruojin's equestrian coach. His grandfather used to work for the Boleyn family. After the decline of the Boleyn family, those who had previously served the Boleyn family left one by one. In the past two years, perhaps because Catherine felt that the glory of the Boleyn family had been restored, she found several descendants of the old people in the family to come back, and Brandon was one of them.
Turning back, Nan Yi focused on accompanying his daughter and showed off his marksmanship by the way.
The father and daughter spent the whole day at Downton Abbey. They returned to Boleyn Castle at dinner time. Nan Ruojin put on her ladylike face again, and the father and daughter had a slightly dull dinner with Catherine.
"Adam, I will be holding a party at the castle next Tuesday. Will you attend?"
"What kind of party?"
"A gathering among the nobles."
"What kind of aristocracy? Those who still have influence in the Middle East, or have iron ore shares in Australia?"
"None of that. There's only the castle and the farm passed down from our ancestors. Maybe there's some investment outside, but not much."
Nan Yi took a sip from the red wine glass, then said expressionlessly, "Sorry, I'm not interested in chatting with a bunch of poor idiots about everything from the weather to antiques, arguing about whether a clock is from the Victorian or early Georgian era, and reminiscing about the glory of the British Empire, and dreaming about how great it would be to go back to the past."
Catherine looked at Nan Yi in disbelief. "I didn't expect the word 'pauper' to come out of your mouth, Adam. This is not like your style."
Nan Yi wiped his lips with a napkin and said slowly: "I have no objection to you making friends with other nobles, but you must be selective. You can join forces with those who are powerful, and you can get close to those who are not powerful but have character.
The essence of the story was missed, and a bunch of scum who are ready to go out to beg on the streets at any time were invited back, and you, Catherine Boleyn, performed like a proud hen, saying that the glory of the Boleyn family remains. May I ask, does this have any practical significance?
Oh, there are some. I can use you as a negative example to tell Ruojin not to learn your mother's vanity and spend hundreds of thousands of pounds just to hear a few compliments from people who want to bite you to death.
Maybe it can also inspire a certain young man or young lady to work hard, reverse the fate of the family, return to a high position, and take revenge on the Boleyn family that made me feel inferior in the past, so that the proud hen will kneel at my feet and cluck, sticking up her butt to lick the soles of my shoes. "
“Puff!”
Nan Yi's words made Nan Ruojin couldn't help laughing.
Swish!
Nan Yi's words made Catherine's face turn dark in an instant, and her blood boiled. When she was about to burst into cursing, the words were blocked by Nan Yi's disgusting words.
"Please maintain your noble manners and behave like a lady. Ruojin, I'm talking to you. Don't make any noise with the plates."
"Okay, Dad."
Nan Ruojin controlled the knife lightly and cut her steak carefully. The tears in her eyes were stubbornly blocked by her eyelashes, and she vowed not to take a step back.
The dull dinner became lively. Nan Yi and Nan Ruojin were in a very happy mood. Only Catherine was feeling upset.
Happy times always pass quickly. Dinner ended a quarter of an hour later. Nan Ruojin walked out of the dining room with ladylike steps. Then, she ran away quickly in the invisible corridor, with laughter that she had deliberately left behind floating in the air along the way.
When the new laughter could no longer be heard, Nan Yi waved his hand to let everyone else leave. He then raised his hand and swept across the table, and the plate was thrown aside with a clang. He came behind Catherine, grabbed her hand, lifted her up and pressed her onto the table...
Usually, when a woman is fed, she will forget her troubles and her anger will be calmed down. Nan Yi didn't want to argue with Catherine, so he had to use his trump card.
Very useful!
Quiet night, peaceful garden, time slipped away for two hours, Nan Yi and Catherine sat on the swing to digest their food, talking to each other, one in a soft voice, the other gentle and lovely.
"I'm giving you a task, or rather a series of tasks."
Catherine sat up from Nan Yi's arms and said seriously, "You say."
“Invest in independent TV stations and gain the right to speak on variety shows and TV dramas.”
"What's the plan?"
"There is a gun company in Los Angeles that has held the copyrights of many variety show scripts and film and television scripts for many years. It is time for them to shine."
“Why not start in the United States?”
"Because of music-themed variety shows, we can quickly spread the reputation of the variety show through the many influential British bands in the world, so that TV stations in other countries will buy the copyright."
"What about the TV series?"
"Nanshi is seeking to acquire shares in several major daily chemical and food brands in the world. In addition, it is also working on establishing a world-class marketing company. We need a media that can widely guide consumption and subtly change the consumption mindset of a group of people."
Catherine said excitedly: "Will the shares of the TV station be handed over to the marketing company?"
"Don't be so excited. The management of the marketing company will not be handed over to you."
"Why?"
"You are not capable enough to build tacit understanding with many brands, nor are you capable enough to deal with other competitors. We are not the only ones doing this. Have you seen the minutes of the San Francisco meeting?"
"I've seen it. The social classes are going to solidify again. Adam, do you think there will be a chance to move from the bottom to the top in the future?"
"I think that at any time, the class structure is relatively solidified, but only relatively, not absolutely. Competition is everywhere. There will be competition among the upper classes, and the losers will naturally be kicked out.
With the popularization of the Internet, it will become relatively easy to obtain knowledge and information. A considerable number of people at the bottom of society will awaken, and they will begin to think, doubt, and hate. Emotions of hatred towards the world will begin to accumulate. If they are not channeled and negative emotions are allowed to accumulate, big problems will arise sooner or later.
Therefore, the upward channel must not be closed. We must give the best people at the bottom the opportunity to climb up. In addition, it is also a good idea to divert their attention and let them care about the gossip of entertainment stars. "
“Will the entertainment industry experience explosive growth?”
Nan Yi nodded, "I think so. The good times for entertainment and celebrities have come."
"Do you think I should invest some money in the entertainment industry?"
"You don't need to go through so much trouble. You just need to pay attention to the stock market and financing channels. You can move forward and backward freely without leaving any trace."
"Well, Adam, it's late, let's go back to the room."
"Go back to your room if you want and keep your dirty hands away."
"Ahaha, no."
…
The next day, Nan Yi brought Nan Ruojin to Bond Street.
Nan Ruojin has a bad habit that most women have. She has little resistance to beautiful, shiny jewelry. Nan Yi, who thinks she is a rational spender, has no choice but to take out her wallet because her weak spot is being pinched.
It was another jewelry store. Nan Ruojin raised her hand, showing the bracelet in her hand and put it in front of the half-crouching Nan Yi, "Daddy, does it look good?"
"nice."
Nan Ruojin stared at Nan Yi with her big watery eyes, looking expectantly, "Dad, is it okay?"
"sure."
Nan Yi doesn't feel bad about spending money on his daughter. Although the bracelet costs as much as 1,720 pounds and is made of Brazilian tourmaline, and its selling point is its unique design, in his eyes it is definitely a cheap product, but he still happily took out his wallet.
No one’s child is a hostage. If his weak spot is pinched, he would not dare to refuse to pay even if he has eighteen guts.
After spending a lot of money on Bond Street, Nan Yi took Nan Ruojin to British Capital, which had become independent from Bolin Investment Holdings.
When a tree grows big and branches out, and develops to a certain extent, independent operation is inevitable.
Huang Yingzi was lying on her back in her office when Nan Yi and Nan Ruojin entered. A loudspeaker on the desk was blaring, "Cut off the bloated store system and hand over production to Chinese OEM factories to reduce costs. Focus on high-end neutral and simple styles, cater to the trend of women's fashion clothing, create popular items, and generate profits..."
“Very pleasant.”
Huang Yingzi jumped up from the back of the chair, sat up straight, and said resentfully: "It's not pleasant at all, big boss. Today is the weekend, but I'm working overtime here."
Nan Yi did not respond. He arranged Nan Ruojin to sit on the sofa, and then returned to the big chair, sat on the reception chair, and pointed at the loudspeaker, "Clothing brand?"
"Yes, it's Margaret Howell, a brand with a very strong personal style. The brand is named after the designer and owner."
“I’ve seen this brand. What do you think?”
“The prospects in the UK should be good, but it’s hard to go abroad.”
"Oh, who's talking?"
"Benjamin Graham, the namesake."
"Haha, this name is quite important, not much lighter than Adam Smith. Let's hear how good this person is." Nan Yi leaned back in his chair and listened attentively to the voice in the loudspeaker.
"Mr. Graham, please return to the focus of our negotiation. What you are talking about is what happened after British Sun Capital invested in Margaret. Now we want to talk about the investment itself."
Nan Yi thought that this person should be Margaret Howell.
"No, Ms. Howell, this is a prerequisite for us at SunBright to invest in Margaret. If Margaret's business strategy is not changed, we will not invest in a company that is already in trouble and refuses to repent."
This should be Graham.
Margaret: "You are right. Margaret is in trouble. After receiving the investment, my first priority is to change the business strategy, but I will not give up the control of the company. We have already agreed that British Capital will not interfere in the operation of the company."
Graham: "Yes, the British Empire will not interfere with Margaret's specific operations, but we must have the hope of seeing profits. If Margaret does not make the above changes, it will be garbage. I can't take the current investment plan to the boss for signature."
"5 million pounds, 25% equity, and a board seat. That's my bottom line," Margaret said firmly.
"Ms. Howell, I must remind you that you who are sitting here should be an entrepreneur, not a designer. Entrepreneur, do you understand what I mean?"
"Haha, are you using too much force?" Nan Yi said to Huang Yingzi with a smile.
"Benjamin is always aggressive in negotiations. This is his strategy and it has worked well so far."
"Is that so?" Nan Yi stroked his chin and said, "I heard that we were treated as fools?"
Huang Yingzi heard this and said sarcastically, "Yes, there is an extremely smart entrepreneur who took our money away, bought a holiday villa in the Caribbean, and found a beautiful lover. I have asked someone to collect evidence."
"The Caribbean Sea is beautiful. You should choose a good place. We should take it step by step. If we can pay off the money, we should follow the routine. If not, please... let's discuss it later." Nan Yi suddenly changed the subject. "Ruojin is six years old. It's time for her to get in touch with business. Margaret, give Ruojin a copy of the negotiation recording and correspondence documents."
"OK."
Then, Nan Yi pointed at Nan Ruojin, and after attracting the other party's attention, he pointed at his own ears. In an instant, the office fell into silence, and the three of them listened attentively to the two people arguing back and forth on the loudspeaker.
When the negotiations were temporarily suspended, Nan Yi and Huang Yingzi talked about investment strategies.
“Yingzi, it’s time to fine-tune the investment model of Neverland’s previous wide-ranging network. Before Neverland was not well-known, we had to chase and beg others to accept our funds, so we had to focus on some emerging entrepreneurs.
Times are different now, and the situation is different too. Starting a business will become increasingly difficult. If we continue to invest in the form of casting a wide net, the success rate will certainly be reduced a lot. Therefore, we need to add a screening step to narrow the net.
On this basis, we will add a model of key support, provide money and resources, and if entrepreneurs subjectively request, we can also provide management support. "
"We have never interfered in the business operations of our investment targets before, which is one of the reasons why British Sun Capital is popular among entrepreneurs," said Huang Yingzi.
"I said the premise is the subjective requirement of the other party." Nan Yi tapped on the table. "Let me put it this way roughly first. The Situation and Planning Committee will hold a meeting in a few days, and we will talk about the details at the meeting. How is the situation of the pension fund this year?"
“Very good, the funding pool is steadily expanding.”
Nan Yi smacked his lips and said, "That's great. If there's a chance, I'll suggest investing some of the funds in China."
Huang Yingzi laughed, "You don't need my proposal. The pension fund has already formulated an investment policy. The next investment direction is China, with a budget of 700 million US dollars."
Since Huang Yingzi said so, Nan Yi didn't say anything more.
After all, the staff committee is independent of the Nan family. It was agreed at the beginning that the Nan family would not interfere in the specific operations of the funds under the staff committee. The funds only need to submit a few reports every year. The Nan family will only intervene in one situation, that is, when someone engages in corruption.
He sat in Huang Yingzi's office for another half an hour, flipping through the list of external investments of British Capital. As it was almost time for lunch, Nan Yi called Huang Yingzi to have lunch together.
After staying in London for four days, Nan Yi returned to the capital.
Wu Kun and his companions have already found out the details of the owner of the Volvo 850, Dong Qianqian. Her mother Tang Wei is the owner of Qianqian Real Estate. Her father is unknown and came from a border city in Guangxi Province. It is said that there is a very powerful man sleeping with Tang Wei, but the exact person has not been found out.
Nan Yi looked at Tang Wei's photo for a while, then at Dong Qianqian's. The mother and daughter don't look much alike, but one has to admit that they are both beauties. The older one still has charm, while the younger one is petite and lovely. They have different styles, and their strengths complement each other. If they join forces, I believe few men can resist such temptation.
After thinking for a while, Nan Yi clicked on Dong Qianqian's photo and said, "Continue to investigate and find out the man behind this. By the way, find out whether this man is the goddaughter or the concubine."
