Chapter 142: Two-in-One (Part 1)
The front row of the fashion show.
Gu Wanrongâs exquisite features caused the wealthy ladies, socialites, and celebrities nearby to steal frequent glances at her. The cameras of the show even drifted toward her repeatedly.
Sitting to Gu Wanrongâs left was Karl Arnault, the head of the LVMH Group. On the surface, he seemed to be admiring the fashions on the models passing by, but in reality, his attention was mostly focused on Gu Wanrong.
It was clear that Karl recognized the two people sitting to his right at a glance: one was a shareholder of a mysterious Eastern group, and the other was Tong Shenyi, with whom he had been dealing for several months.
Over the past few months, not only had he failed to recover the shares, but he had recently begun to be restricted by Tong Shenyi and Gu Wanrong.
He needed to think carefully about how to turn swords into plowshares with Gu Wanrong after the fashion show. After all, this Ms. Gu had too many cards up her sleeve.
Gu Wanrong, on the other hand, was focused on the show. The glances from Karl and others weren’t worth her distraction. In business, there was Tong Shenyi; in life, there was Butler Liu. She just needed to keep things clear in her mind.
As one of the “Big Three” in the luxury world, the LVMH Groupâs show featured models who were tall and perfectly proportioned.
“Look at them; every single one has amazing legs. Their proportions are truly perfect.”
As someone whose beauty was already maxed out, Gu Wanrongâs own proportions were, of course, perfect, but that didn’t stop her from praising and admiring the supermodels on the runway.
Karl didn’t understand Chinese, but he had specifically hired an interpreter to follow him.
“Gu, you are the most beautiful lady I have ever seen,” Karl turned, looking at Gu Wanrong with a serious gaze as he praised her. “Your perfect features and figure could pull off any clothing in the world.”
“Of course,” the confident reply was spoken fluently in French by Gu Wanrong.
The lights of the show were focused on the runway, and the lights below were dim, but it didn’t prevent Gu Wanrong from seeing the interpreter Karl had brought.
Gu Wanrong had learned French long ago and didn’t bother to let her words go through the interpreter.
Surprise flashed in Karlâs eyes. “Gu, if your features weren’t entirely Eastern, I would think you were from our country.” He wasn’t surprised that Gu Wanrong knew French, but that her speaking was as authentic as a native.
“Your French is too good. Did you grow up in our country?”
“Of course not,” Gu Wanrong shook her head.
She muttered in her heart: If living in the system doesn’t count, then no.
When learning French in the system, the introductory, primary, and intermediate courses were like attending classes in reality.
For the advanced course, the system simulated an extremely realistic French-speaking world. Gu Wanrong would be immersed in it from infancy, living there until the system determined the advanced French course was complete. One simulation lasted many years, making her French as good as her mother tongue.
“The interpreter I specifically hired today was an unnecessary move on my part.”
Although Karlâs words were self-deprecating, Gu Wanrong keenly captured a hint of strangeness in his words and stared fixedly at Karl.
Then, she repeated the four words “Duo Ci Yi Ju” (an unnecessary move) in Chinese, one by one.
Then she continued, “It seems that in the past few months of communication with our CEO Tong Shenyi, Mr. Arnault has learned a lot about Chinese. It truly was an unnecessary move.”
“Speaking of which, if it weren’t for Director Gu, I would never have been involved in the luxury industry. I must thank Mr. Karl Arnault for his guidance over the past few months,” Tong Shenyi, who had been paying attention to the conversation between Gu Wanrong and Karl, said politely in Chinese with a smile.
Karl was stunned for a moment when he heard them speaking Chinese but quickly regained his composure. After listening to the interpreter, he nodded to Tong Shenyi and smiled again, wanting to move past this and diffuse the slightly awkward atmosphere.
“Chinese is the most difficult language in the world. Iâm afraid the interpreter I hired this time will have to stay by my side. Gu, don’t make things difficult for me.”
However, Gu Wanrong didn’t buy Karlâs seemingly joking words. She raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips, and watched the runway with an air of composure.
She slowly said, “Difficult? Itâs because Chinese isn’t hardworking enough.”
After saying this bluntly, she didn’t even look at Karl again. Her gaze stayed on the runway, as if there were something more important attracting her there than talking to Karl.
It wasn’t that Gu Wanrong was too sensitive; it was that beneath Karlâs seemingly warm and friendly face, he couldn’t completely hide his actual arrogance and prejudice. Clearly, he was the one asking for a favor, yet in this situation, he still maintained a high and mighty, invincible posture.
He specifically hired an interpreter for cooperation, yet after knowing her French was fluent, he said something meaningful about it being “an unnecessary move.” No matter how she heard it, it sounded like he was proud that even though she held 9% of his shares and so many gemstone mine resources, with a deep and confident background, in the end, didn’t she still have to accommodate him by communicating in French?
She had communicated in French just to avoid trouble, but he had misinterpreted it as her deliberately trying to cater to him. Truly a self-righteous guy.
Some people have been put on a pedestal for so long they can’t tell whoâs the boss anymore.
The interpreter Karl hired was clearly “surfing in the same sea” as Gu Wanrongâhighly capable and at ease, accurately translating her words to Karl. After hearing them, the wrinkles at the corners of Karlâs eyes couldn’t stop trembling.
After the show ended, Gu Wanrong straightened her clothes and prepared to leave. Sitting for so long while maintaining her posture and putting on airs was exhausting.
“It’s all because Karl was sitting next to me! The camera kept moving over.” Gu Wanrong felt the discomfort in her shoulders, waist, and hips, and internally blamed Karl.
Speak of the devil, Karl arrived. He blocked her again.
He said gentlemanly and politely, “Gu, I will be hosting a grand banquet tonight. I hope you can attend.”
As Karl spoke, his daughter Delphine took several invitation cards from her exquisite handbag, which emitted a faint fragrance, and gently handed them to Butler Liu.
“If it’s just to show off your Arnault family, do you think I would come?” Gu Wanrongâs gaze swept over the invitation in Butler Liuâs hand and looked directly at Karl as she asked.
Gu Wanrong knew that Karlâs purpose in inviting her to this banquet hosted by LVMH was nothing more than two things:
First, to demonstrate LVMH Group’s status as the world’s largest luxury group. As the actual controllers behind the scenes, the Arnault family would naturally take this opportunity to show their faces and strength in front of her.
Second, because celebrities and business tycoons from all walks of life would be invited to tonight’s banquet. As a newcomer from a mysterious Eastern family, could Gu Wanrong handle them? Regardless of whether she could fit in, Karl would benefit from her.
As for the first purpose, after detecting Karlâs underlying and irrepressible arrogance, Gu Wanrong naturally didn’t have the patience or good temper to admire the Arnault familyâs “peacocking” display of strength, or what was essentially an ill-intentioned show of dominance.
Karl seemed to understand from Gu Wanrongâs counter-question and denied it, saying, “Dear Gu, you are my close friend and vital partner. How could I possibly show off like that in front of you? Itâs just that I indeed have many good friends who are very interested in those gemstone mines in your hands.”
These words revealed the second purpose. Karl had his eyes on the gemstones in her mines and wanted to talk about cooperation. Of course, the others attending the banquet were also eyeing them greedily.
But why did Karl think she would give them whatever he wanted? Based on his “local advantage”?
This Karl was truly arrogant.
He had even underestimated her.
In response, Gu Wanrongâs face, as beautiful as March peach blossoms, wore a smile that felt like frost. She said, “Even a rat has skin; if a person has no dignity… since you want to discuss cooperation, you must show enough sincerity and discuss it properly.”
Instead of using influence to coerce and being insatiable.
While harboring a huge appetite and eyeing her various gemstone resources with greedy intent, he couldn’t even manage to treat her as an equal, looking at her with eyes of arrogance and prejudice. He even wanted to use his influence to pressure her, attempting to get something for nothing.
Greed will be your downfall!
“Let’s go.”
Don’t look at how tense and stiff the atmosphere was; in reality, the volume of their conversation wasn’t loud. Curious gazes in the noisy scene were blocked, and no one knew what had happened.
At first glance, it looked like they were parting ways amicably after a pleasant conversation.
It must be said, everyone was a person of standing. While they clashed verbally, they remained pleasant on the surface.
Karl and his group watched as Gu Wanrong led her team away without looking back. Their ears were filled with the interpreterâs word-for-word translation of what Gu Wanrong had just said.
“Father, she called us ‘damned rats’!” The youngest-looking man had a hint of indignation in his eyes and complained.
“The mouse in The Lion and the Mouse is very cute, isn’t it? Besides, we are not rats, nor are we lions that need help from rats,” Delphine said with an ambiguous tone as she put away the invitation Butler Liu had left.
“Alright, put away your childish temper,” Karl patted his son’s shoulder. “Sheâs just an Easterner with a few mines. The fields of fashion and luxury have always been firmly in the hands of us Westerners.”
He turned to the others, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, showing full arrogance. In an instant, it vanished without a trace, and he returned to his usual gentle and gentlemanly demeanor, as if the person who couldn’t hide his arrogance just now hadn’t been him at all.
The people surrounding Karl dispersed. Brand ambassadors came forward to talk to him, and reporters raised their cameras, continuously pressing the shutter buttons.
For a time, flashes of light followed one after another, and the whole scene was extremely noisy and lively.
As if the dissatisfaction and smoke from just now didn’t exist.
But in reality, an invisible storm aimed at Gu Wanrong was quietly brewing and about to break.
As for Gu Wanrong, she had already anticipated all of this when she left the show.
“It’s just coveting shares and resources and looking down on me. I’ll make you take a big tumble in the next second,” Gu Wanrong thought to herself.
In terms of true strength and financial background, there were probably few people in the world who could be as confident as her.
After all, as long as she was willing, she could easily dig a deep pit for her opponents and even pile up a high grave for them just by waving her hand and throwing out heaps of cash!
Not to mention the existence of a system that surpassed this world. She didn’t have to do it herself; she had professional people like Tong Shenyi to take action.
Sitting in the spacious and comfortable car, Gu Wanrong turned slightly and ordered Tong Shenyi, “Acquire as many scattered shares of the Qifeng Group and Keyun Group as possible. Also, don’t let the LVMH shares go. No matter how much money it costs, it’s not a problem.”
“I understand,” Tong Shenyi nodded seriously. “However, to acquire so many shares, it may take some time and capital.”
Gu Wanrong nodded slightly, indicating her agreement. “I believe in you.”
She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she had confidence in Tong Shenyi. It wasn’t impossible; it just took time.
System-producedâmust be high quality!
After saying this, Gu Wanrong closed her eyes slightly, seemingly resting, but her mind was actually racing, thinking about the idea that had suddenly emerged.
Fashion.
She had to admit that for a long time, in the global fashion field, almost all the design concepts and aesthetic standards that were widely recognized and followed were Western.
Moreover, the “Big Three” in the industryâLVMH, Qifeng, and Keyunâwere all controlled by Westerners without exception.
The Eastern country of Xia had been famous for its exquisite silk and masterful porcelain since ancient times. Since this was the case, how could they be content to just be onlookers in this fashion feast?
If she could successfully create a brand with unique Eastern characteristics that shone brightly under the heavy siege of these Western giants, that slap in the face would be much more satisfying than snatching the shares from their hands.
Thinking this, Gu Wanrong set to work. It just so happened that it didn’t conflict at all with Tong Shenqiâs profession.
So, let’s start with jewelry.
Gu Wanrong opened her eyes. Her originally lazy sitting posture suddenly became upright and tall. She turned and looked at Tong Shenyi with a determined gaze.
“Tong Shenyi, you and Tong Shenqi plan it out. I want to build an Eastern luxury brand. With the five thousand years of history in Xia, we have an endless supply of heritage to draw from!” she announced solemnly.
“Regarding the idea of creating an Eastern brand, we still need to conduct in-depth research on the market and consumer needs,” Tong Shenyi continued. “After all, itâs not simple to carve out a niche in a fashion world dominated by the West.”
Gu Wanrong smiled, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
“I believe that as long as we have unique design concepts and high-quality products, we will definitely attract the attention of consumers. Moreover, we can use the power of social media and the internet to expand brand influence. Tong Shenwu can help you.”
Beauty is subjective, but beauty taken to the extreme is objective.
Imperial Green jade bracelets and beadsâwho would dare to say they are ugly?
Translator’s Note: “Duo Ci Yi Ju” (ĺ¤ć¤ä¸ä¸ž) means “carrying coals to Newcastle” or “gilding the lily”âdoing something completely unnecessary. Gu Wanrong’s quote “ç¸éź ćçŽďźäşşčć 䝪” is from the Classic of Poetry (Shijing), meaning even a rat has skin, so a person without dignity is worse than a rat. The “Big Three” mentioned (LVMH, Qifeng, Keyun) are fictionalized versions of LVMH, Kering, and Richemont. “Xia” (ĺ¤) is the poetic/ancient name for China used in this novel. Gu Wanrong is officially moving from just “spending” to “conquering” industries!
Recommended Reads
