National Tide 1980.

"...I owe you something about this..."

Henry Lacamier said as he opened a bottle of Macallan single malt whisky produced decades ago and poured two glasses of wine.

It was the eve of the official start of the banquet. This was the manager's office of Maxim's Restaurant. Besides the cheerful sounds of the guests in the front hall, there were also two security staff members guarding the door.

Ning Weimin was sitting opposite the new chairman of LVMH. His vanity was quite satisfied when he saw this man, who, although he had just ascended the throne, was arguably the most powerful person in the French fashion industry, pouring wine for him.

Yes, the treatment he received now was completely different from the first time he met Henri Lacamier.

At that time, he was a nobody who was despised and almost ignored, but today, because of his "merit in following the dragon", he has become the new king's guest of honor who needs to be treated with smiles and enthusiasm.

For this reason, his brain can't stop secreting dopamine.

This bottle of wine in particular is one of the few treasures in the wine cellar of Maxim's restaurant.

It was taken out by a special person from a double-locked wine cabinet in the wine cellar.

Although he didn't know the exact price of the wine, Ning Weimin knew it must be expensive because it was quite old and had to be quite expensive, just by seeing Henri Lacamier blow off the thick layer of dust on the bottle of wine.

So it was such a great pleasure to be treated so well. What else could he say at this moment?

Everyone carries a fancy sedan, and the Chinese way of communication prompts him to habitually speak polite words.

"Please don't say that, you're too kind. I was just doing what I had to do."

However, the French way of talking was indeed a bit hard to get used to. Ning Weimin did not expect that Henri Lacamier was not polite at all. Instead, he refuted him and showed his straightforwardness and persistence.

"No, I'm telling the truth. I'm very grateful to Pierre and you for your help, especially to you. You came up with the idea, and you got most of the money. The key is that Pierre and I are friends, but you are not. I don't care whether we win the prize in the end or have great luck. Anyway, without you, I can't win this time. This makes me feel even more ashamed, not only because I did underestimate you at the beginning, but also because you saved me. But I failed to keep my promise to you. I failed you."

Henri Lacamier took ice cubes from the ice bucket and put them into two glasses of wine, one of which he handed to Ning Weimin.

What he meant by this was that the Dior clothing had not been taken down and had to be returned to Bernard Arnault.

Originally, this was a condition for everyone to "divide the spoils", because Pierre Cardin had been Dior's assistant and had also worked as a designer for Dior clothing.

Henry meant to leave the company to him and Ning Weimin and not to get involved himself.

Later, due to the situation, he was worried that Bernardo would really bring in Vivendi, so he discussed it with Pierre Cardin and Ning Weimin, and finally decided to swap shares.

Ning Weimin currently holds 10 percent of LVMH's personal shares and 9 percent of Pierre Cardin's shares.

Considering the current market value of LVMHS of 4.1 billion, it is not a big loss.

But the problem is that LVMH is a listed company and must retain a certain number of public shares.

They also have to sell some more according to the shareholders' shareholding ratio, or issue new shares to the public with the approval of the board of directors.

In other words, the duck you catch cannot be completely eaten.

Then this deal is quite unprofitable for them.

Ning Weimin took the crystal wine glass handed to him, imitated Henri Lacamier, took a sip with a smile, and savored it slowly.

As for his mood, it was just like the taste of this glass of wine that he tasted for the first time. He couldn't tell whether it was sweet or sour, spicy or astringent.

Just as he couldn't tell the difference between good and bad wine, he also didn't quite understand why Henri Lacamier had called him here alone and brought up this matter.

It sounds like the chairman is blaming himself and offering compensation, but is it really that simple?

Based on Ning Weimin's understanding of Henri Lacamier, he is actually a rather arrogant person.

To this kind of person, face is more important than anything else. Even if they do something wrong, they usually won't admit their mistakes.

Besides, if he really wanted to compensate, wouldn't it be difficult for him to say it in front of Pierre Cardin, unless he...

"...You should understand that I am not the kind of person who breaks my promise. This is not my intention. Now that things have turned out like this, I did not expect it, so of course, you have the right to ask for additional compensation. So I would like to have a good talk with you about this matter. Do you still want a seat on the board of directors? If you have this idea, maybe we can think of a way, but it will take more time, and we have to make a new agreement with each other..."

Here it comes! Here it comes! So that’s how it is…

Although Henri Lacamier pretended to be relaxed and tried his best to be friendly, Ning Weimin still discovered some subtle emotions in his flickering eyes.

There is dodging and retreating, but it is more like a kind of fear and defense.

As a Chinese, he immediately understood what the other party was planning.

Don't forget that it has a 5,000-year history as its foundation. The emperors of every dynasty in China all followed almost the same path when founding their countries.

Moreover, in terms of means, "playing hard to get" is not a profound science.

In addition, Ning Weimin has always known the hypocrisy of European "old money" and American wealthy families. Even if these people are ruthless, they always like to pretend to be "I am doing this for your own good".

At this time, of course, he understood his current situation.

This is a good analogy. What Henri Lacamier thought and did when he was at the peak of his life can actually be completely understood as Song Taizu's "releasing military power over a cup of wine".

Speaking of this, Ning Weimin was actually a little glad that he was not a founding general living in the feudal era, and his life, death, honor and disgrace all depended on the emperor. He was destined to be controlled and manipulated at will.

He did not have Nian Gengyao's ambition and unruly temper. His core interests and the means by which he rose to power were fundamentally different from those of European and American interest groups. So he shook his head without even a second thought.

"No, no, there is absolutely no need for us to discuss this matter any further. I have no intention of joining the board of directors. You should know that my career focus is not in France, but in Asia. My holding of LVMH shares is a pure financial investment. I am optimistic about the historical heritage and brand culture of LV and MH. I also believe that LVMH, which has resolved its internal conflicts, will surely get better and better in your hands in the future. It is enough for me to get substantial dividends every year in the future. Why should I join the board of directors?"

However, even though he flattered people so much and had the right attitude, he still failed to win people's complete trust.

In order to test the truth, Henri Lacamier not only continued to persuade her, but also threw out a bigger bait.

"What do you want to do on the board? Of course, you can participate in LVMH's decision-making. Don't you want a bigger platform to display your talents? Ning, your excellence surprises me. Young people like you are destined to achieve great things. You know what I think. I have seriously considered it recently. I need help to take charge of the group company again. Pierre is a good friend, but he is old and has his own company. He can't help me too much. You are different. You are young and energetic, so I really hope you can join LVMH. Of course, your wife is a big star in Japan, and you definitely don't want to be separated from her, but we can make some adjustments. I will arrange for you to join the board of directors and then give you the responsibility for LV's Asian business. How about it? You only need to come back a few times a year to participate in the voting of major matters. How about it? Are you interested?"

Henri Lacamier's tone was very sincere, and he seemed to be eager to find talented people.

Moreover, the pie he painted was indeed delicious. It was a lucrative job as a provincial governor, running a government office.

Even Ning Weimin's heart was moved.

A board member is also the head of the entire Asia region. This is LVMH, a real old money business, and the company that can take money out of the pockets of wealthy people all over the world.

The style is good enough, and it will be very prestigious if you tell others about it. Not only will your status be improved, but you will also get a lot of money.

The annual salary must be at least several million dollars, right?

If one is a little greedy, this position can bring more benefits than being a magistrate for ten years.

But then again, is it so easy to get such a benefit?

He was the one who killed Bernard Arnault. Henri Lacamier knew this best. How could he trust him?
If he really agreed, Henri Lacamier would not be able to sleep well.

What's more, this kind of job-hopping can ruin one's character. He is from Pierre Cardin and can transfer for profit, which is inconsistent with his personality.

How will the other party view him?
They will certainly think that he is hypocritical and will forget his principles when he sees profit, and they will have to be more cautious about him from now on.

If he doesn't even have the other party's trust, how can he really have a future in LVMH?

Moreover, the entire company is now controlled by others, so shouldn’t they be the ones to decide the rules of the game?
People give you some benefits temporarily to appease you, and then turn around and find some reasons to kick you out. What can you do?
If things go wrong, it will be a problem for him to get dividends safely based on his equity. Others will definitely find ways to dilute his equity or even squeeze him out.

Not to mention, he has been doing business in Japan for so long and has invested a lot.

His expected return there was actually far greater than what Henri Lacamier had promised.

Most people would think this is a can’t-miss opportunity, but it’s actually quite useless to him. Wouldn’t it be better for him to just sit back and collect the dividends?
You can also enjoy the privileges that come with being a major shareholder and the profits from stock price appreciation.

Why would you want to get into trouble and do something that is so shameful and thankless?

He still has a clear understanding of this matter.

So he pretended to be surprised and embarrassed, and this time he pretended to think about it, hesitating for a long time before he finally expressed his refusal.

"No, I still can't. I thank you for your respect and appreciation for me, Mr. Lacamier. But I still have to regretfully decline your invitation. I am already very satisfied with my current situation. From now on, I will just be a shareholder of LVMH."

"Satisfied?" Henri Lacamier first showed an incredible expression, "LVMH is much better than Pierre Cardin in every aspect."

Then, he seemed to realize that his tone might be a little hurtful, so he wiped his ass immediately.

"Oh, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Pierre Cardon's business. But if you're worried that Pierre will be unhappy or object to hindering you, there's no need to worry. In fact, I've already asked him in advance what he thinks, and he doesn't want to hinder your future, so I invited you..."

Ning Weimin was stunned again after hearing this.

Henri Lacamier didn't look like he was lying, and it seemed that he had really communicated with Master Carton.

But even so, nothing would change. Neither this temptation nor the master's attitude could make Ning Weimin blinded by greed and make the wrong choice.

His backbone was firm, so he reiterated his decision.

"Mr. Lacamier, thank you again. But I still want to stick to my decision. Because to be honest, the master's feelings are only one of the reasons for my concern. I have many other reasons. Even if the master allows me to leave Pierre Cardon, I personally don't want to do it."

Seeing Henry Lacamier's puzzled look, Ning Weimin couldn't help but smile, "I'm serious. First of all, I'm very happy working under Mr. Pierre Caton. Mr. Caton not only made me successful, but he also gave me freedom and trust, gave me shelter, gave me shares, and allowed me to play freely and do the work I like. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I'm used to working for him. I don't want to work for anyone else except him. So if he doesn't ask me to leave personally, I won't leave him. And after leaving Pierre Caton, I'm more inclined to start my own business."

"Secondly, I am actually a layman in the French high-end fashion industry, because Pierre Cardin not only deals in mass-market clothing, but I have never been really familiar with the clothing industry. You should know that I run a restaurant in Japan. If you let me be responsible for the management of LV in Asia, then you really think too highly of me. To be honest, even I want to vote against it. I don't want the company's profits to be reduced because of me."

“Also, my wife owns a considerable number of Yves Saint Laurent shares. When we reached this investment agreement, we also agreed with the other party that we would not interfere in the management. If I now hold shares in LVMH but join the board of directors, it will inevitably cause misunderstandings on the part of Yves Saint Laurent, who will think that we are untrustworthy, which will definitely shake the foundation of trust in our cooperation.”

"On the other hand, how will the LVMH board of directors view me? A Chinese person serves as a director of a French brand with a long history and intervenes in the actual operation? Will this affect the brand's style? Will it affect customers' trust? Will my wife's investment affect my decision-making? When there is a conflict of interest between LVMH and the Yves Saint Laurent brand, can I be impartial and put the interests of LVMH first? These are all questions."

"So I can only keep your kindness in mind. I cannot join LVMH, I hope you don't mind. This is good for you, LVMH, and myself. I can't, and don't want to, become a new destabilizing factor for LVMH. But what I can promise is that when I leave France, my shares will be handed over to Mr. Carton to help hold them on my behalf. So you will no longer experience the crisis of power loss in LVMH in the future, and you will be able to shape the glory of this company according to your wishes without hindrance."

These words are absolutely reasonable and logical.

Looking at Ning Weimin's sincere expression, although Henri Lacamier immediately expressed regret, the relief in his eyes and the intimacy from the heart could not deceive anyone.

He finally believed it and was very satisfied. To him, Ning Weimin did not become arrogant and unsure of his own position just because he became a major shareholder, which made him feel infinitely relieved.

"Okay, okay, but even so, I can't let you suffer too much. I still have to find a way to make up for it." (End of this chapter)