Happy life in the world of film and television

Chapter 1655 Ning Meng's Speculation Regarding Zhou Jingwen's Invitation

"Who are you?" Zhou Jingwen looked up at Jiang Chen after hearing his words.

"My name is Jiang Chen, from the mainland," Jiang Chen introduced himself.

"Do you know me?" Zhou Jingwen asked.

"You must be Zhou Jingwen, a student at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin?" Jiang Chen asked.

Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin is one of the largest university-affiliated teaching hospitals in Europe. As a comprehensive hospital, it serves all areas of modern medicine and can provide appropriate treatment for virtually any diagnosis.

The Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin has four different campuses in Berlin, comprising 17 medical centers with approximately 100 clinics and research institutes. The institution boasts about 3,700 scientists and 220 professors. Its Mitte campus has expertise in neuroscience, otolaryngology, immunology, and infectious diseases, while orthopedic and neurosurgical specialists collaborate at its spine center.

In the drama, Zhou Jingwen came to Germany to study, but it was not explicitly stated which university. However, in the First World, Jiang Chen immediately thought of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

"Are you also a student at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin?" Zhou Jingwen asked.

“No, I’m the president of Xingchen Group.” Jiang Chen shook his head and said, “The reason I know about Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin is because I own a private hospital.”

"Star Group?" Zhou Jingwen seemed to have heard of Star Group, but she wasn't familiar with it.

"Correct."

Jiang Chen nodded: "Ms. Zhou, judging from your age, you're about to finish your studies, right? If you're interested, you can come to my company. If you want to start your own business, I also have an investment company that can invest in you."

“Invest in me?” Zhou Jingwen was somewhat surprised.

After all, she and Jiang Chen didn't know each other.

This is the first time we've met.

What does it mean?
"This is my business card. You can investigate the Star Group when you return to Shanghai." Jiang Chen handed a business card to Zhou Jingwen.

Zhou Jingwen hesitated for a moment before accepting the business card.

Jiang Chen smiled at Zhou Jingwen and then walked into the restaurant.

In the world of film and television, there are many female protagonists born into families that favor sons over daughters.

Fan Shengmei, Zhu Zhe...

It's not surprising that Zhang Jingwen has joined the fray.

However, Zhou Jingwen is much better than Fan Shengmei and the others.

In the drama, Zhou Jingwen is a dazzling "plastic surgery queen" in public, but her childhood was like a nightmare. When she was little, her mother's temper was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. Zhou Jingwen carefully cared for her younger brother, but he got burned, and her mother slapped her without a word. One night, when she was coughing painfully, her mother, afraid of waking her brother, covered her mouth with her hand to stop her from coughing.

Although Zhou Jingwen achieved great success in her career after growing up, she remained cautious in her relationships. She dared not easily trust others, much less give her heart away. After all, her mother had treated her so badly when she was young, causing her to lose trust in family ties, let alone romantic love. Afraid of being hurt again, she always kept herself tightly wrapped up, preventing anyone from getting close to her.

Zhou Jingwen's independence and assertiveness were also forced upon her. As a child, her mother neglected her, leaving her to rely on herself. She learned to take care of herself and her younger brother. Later, she took this independence to the extreme. At work, she is decisive and efficient, listening only to herself and no one else.

Despite Zhou Jingwen's usual "strong woman" demeanor, she secretly longs for a home. Growing up, her mother treated her poorly, and she always yearned for a warm and loving home. Even after achieving success in her career, she always felt a void in her heart. Her marriage to Qin Gui was also driven by the hope of having a home, but ultimately, the trauma of her childhood led to the end of their marriage.

As an adult, Zhou Jingwen climbed to the top of her career through hard work. She became a "plastic surgery queen," owned her own hospital, and seemed to be living a wonderful life. But she knew in her heart that the wounds of her childhood were like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. Sure enough, her mother reappeared. All these years later, her mother was still the same, trying to extract benefits from Zhou Jingwen. Zhou Jingwen panicked. She didn't want to be hurt again, nor did she want her life to be ruined once more. So, she gritted her teeth, took out 100,000 yuan, and decided to sever ties with her mother.

"Given the situation in the drama, Zhou Jingwen's decisiveness towards her family of origin is also rare."

"However, it was precisely this decisiveness that enabled her to succeed."

Jiang Chen actually admires people like Zhou Jingwen.

After all, there are very few people like Zhou Jingwen who can emerge from impoverished families.

Jiang Chen wasn't lonely eating alone in the restaurant.

After all, enjoying good food is Jiang Chen's hobby.

Although for Jiang Chen, eating these ordinary things now only increases impurities in his body, he still has to enjoy what he deserves.

However, Jiang Chen was alone and ate very quickly.

Just half an hour later, Jiang Chen left the restaurant.

As Jiang Chen was leaving, he saw Zhou Jingwen.

Zhou Jingwen also lives alone, but she eats very simply.

"We'll send someone to contact Zhou Jingwen after she returns to China."

Jiang Chen walked out of the restaurant.

Today, Jiang Chen did not fly to the mainland to cultivate the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Technique with his woman, but instead came to Bart Manor.

"Today's practice."

Jiang Chen went to the master bedroom, then took out a mid-grade spirit stone and began cultivating the Nine Heavens Clan Suppressing Technique.

As the Nine Heavens Clan Suppression Technique was activated, the spiritual energy in the mid-grade spirit stones was absorbed like seawater.

The Nine Heavens Clan Suppressing Technique incorporates the Northern Darkness Divine Art, so its speed of absorbing spiritual energy is several times greater than that of the previous techniques.

The next day, Jiang Chen opened his eyes.

"Mid-grade spirit stones are too few."

"Fortunately, there are still two weeks until we can go to the Fourth World."

Jiang Chen put away the mid-grade spirit stones he hadn't fully absorbed and then went to France.

"Mr. Jiang."

Fang Zhiheng and Ning Meng have arrived in Paris, France.

"Let's go," Jiang Chen said.

The purpose of this trip to France is to acquire the French Dessini Group.

Dessini Group is a renowned French construction group with three main business segments: offshore operations, onshore and site operations, and other industrial divisions. Its offshore operations segment encompasses offshore site development, underwater production, underwater pipeline construction and maintenance, floating and fixed platforms, berthing services, and drilling services. The onshore and site operations segment includes onshore site development, natural gas processing and liquefaction, oil refining, hydrides, sulfur, onshore pipelines, petrochemicals, and systems engineering. The industrial and other divisions include fertilizers, fireworks, chemicals and life sciences, agriculture, metals, power generation, cement, manufacturing, and construction.

Jiang Chen decided to acquire the French Dessini Group in London, England in July of this year.

However, acquiring the French Dessini Group will not be easy.

Jiang Chen was also unsure whether he could successfully acquire the French Dessini Group this time.

In a short while, Jiang Chen and his team arrived at the headquarters of the French Dessini Group.

At the headquarters of the French Des Nippon Group, Jiang Chen and his team held negotiations with the shareholders of the French Des Nippon Group.

Negotiations with the French company Dessinibo Group have been ongoing for three consecutive days, with some progress but little progress.

Lambert House.

"We haven't made much progress in three days. Fang Zhiheng, Ning Meng, do you have any opinions?" Jiang Chen asked.

Fang Zhiheng and Ning Meng exchanged a glance.

Ning Meng hesitated for a moment before saying, "President Jiang, judging from the negotiations over the past three days, the shareholders of the French Dessini Group are not enthusiastic about selling their shares."

Actually, Ning Meng wanted to say that acquiring the French Dessini Group was basically impossible, but she didn't dare to say it outright in front of Jiang Chen.

Fang Zhiheng also shared her opinion.

“You’re right, the shareholders of the French Dessini Group aren’t very keen on selling their shares. Ning Meng, call the president of the French Dessini Group later and tell him we can discuss the acquisition later,” Jiang Chen said after thinking for a moment.

“Okay, Mr. Jiang,” Ning Meng replied.

"Thank you all for your hard work on this trip to Europe. Ning Meng, I'll personally contribute 200,000 euros. You can take everyone on a trip for a few days before returning home," Jiang Chen continued.

"Two hundred thousand? Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Chen would always reward Ning Meng for accompanying him on business trips; it was an unwritten rule of the company, so Ning Meng wasn't too surprised.

"And what about you, Mr. Jiang?" Fang Zhiheng asked.

"I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving tomorrow," Jiang Chen said.

"Ah... President Jiang is going back to China tomorrow?" Fang Zhiheng asked.

Ning Meng also looked at Jiang Chen.

“No, I have some businesses in Africa, and I’d like to go take a look tomorrow,” Jiang Chen said. “You have businesses in Africa?” Ning Meng asked, her eyes filled with doubt.

“No, it’s my private property,” Jiang Chen replied.

Private property?

Ning Meng and Fang Zhiheng stopped talking after hearing this.

They are employees of the Star Group and only care about matters concerning the Star Group.

“You can stay at the Lambert residence for the next few days,” Jiang Chen said with a smile. “Just tell the butler when you leave.”

Jiang Chen currently owns numerous properties around the world, and these properties require a large number of people to purchase them. Therefore, Jiang Chen contacted HK Real-Need International Housekeeping Group Limited.

HK Real-Need International Housekeeping Group Limited is a professional high-end family service multinational organization registered in Hong Kong. Its business covers British butler services, maternal and infant care, early childhood education, and household product distribution. The group has branches worldwide, covering the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, and has established strategic partnerships with international family service brands. Its flagship brand, "Real Need," primarily targets the mid-to-high-end family market, advocating a standardized butler service concept. Butler services originated in 19th-century British manor houses, declined after World War II, and are now experiencing a revival due to growing demand for high-end services. Butler functions include household management, etiquette execution, and emergency handling, with services covering private homes, hotels, and properties.

Jiang Chen found a team of butlers in mainland China through HK Real-Need International Housekeeping Group Limited. With these butlers, Jiang Chen can enjoy the highest level of service wherever he goes, as long as he owns a property.

However, although these stewards were professional, Jiang Chen felt they were still somewhat inferior to the maids of the Daming Palace. The service provided to Jiang Chen by the maids of the Daming Palace was truly an imperial experience.

Actually, Jiang Chen brought Fang Zhiheng and Ning Meng along this time hoping to further develop their relationship. Unfortunately, their feelings for each other hadn't yet reached the point where things would naturally progress.

Therefore, Jiang Chen did not express his meaning directly.

"Okay."

Ning Meng and Fang Zhiheng naturally had no objections.

This is just how they are treated.

Everyone else stayed in hotels.

"Then it's settled. Shall we have a drink together tonight?" Jiang Chen called the housekeeper to prepare the meal.

An hour later, Jiang Chen, Fang Zhiheng, and Ning Meng arrived at the restaurant.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, I was still shocked to see the delicious food on the table.

"Please sit down," Jiang Chen said.

Fang Zhiheng and Ning Meng sat on either side of Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen glanced at the two women and chuckled softly.

"Mr. Jiang, what are you laughing at?" Ning Meng asked.

Fang Zhiheng also looked at Jiang Chen.

“I feel like I’m a scumbag who’s having affairs with two women right now,” Jiang Chen said.

"Pfft!"

Ning Meng and Fang Zhiheng laughed.

They never expected Jiang Chen to say that.

"Is it that funny?" Jiang Chen looked at the two women with a helpless expression.

"President Jiang, there are quite a few rumors circulating in the company about the boss's wife. Can you tell me about them?" Ning Meng asked with curiosity and a gossip-loving expression.

Fang Zhiheng also looked at Jiang Chen.

"I have a girlfriend."

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "And there are more than a hundred of them."

"More than a hundred, girlfriends?" Ning Meng and Fang Zhiheng blinked, as if they thought they had misheard.

“Yes, I’m a man of achievement. Having three palaces and six courtyards is normal, isn’t it?” Jiang Chen said.

"..." Fang Zhiheng.

"..." Ning Meng.

"Haven't you ever thought that one day you'd have power and influence, and command three or four servants?" Jiang Chen asked.

"No," Ning Meng answered without hesitation.

"How could you have such a thought?" Fang Zhiheng was shocked when she heard Jiang Chen's words.

"Do we men have these thoughts? Don't you women have them too?" Jiang Chen asked while pouring wine for the two women.

“How could anyone have such a thought? Only men like you would have such a thought?” Ning Meng said.

“This is perfectly normal,” Jiang Chen said.

"..." Ning Meng.

normal?

Is it still normal?

“That’s why I said I have over a hundred girlfriends,” Jiang Chen said.

"President Jiang, how many exactly are your hundred-plus?" Fang Zhiheng asked.

“More than a hundred is naturally better than at least two hundred,” Jiang Chen said.

"More than a hundred? Is that possible? As far as I know, Mr. Jiang, you started investing in 14 and started your business in 15. It's only been a few years. How could you possibly have more than a hundred girlfriends?" Ning Meng is Jiang Chen's secretary and is very familiar with the history of Xingchen Group.

"Why is it impossible?" Jiang Chen retorted.

"Mr. Jiang, before you started your business, you were just an ordinary person. Even if you had a girlfriend, would you dare to have two relationships at the same time?" Ning Meng said.

"..." Jiang Chen.

The original owner couldn't even win over Wang Manni, so how could he possibly be two-timing?
"It seems Mr. Jiang wants to keep it a secret." Ning Meng felt that Jiang Chen was getting on in years and it was impossible for him not to have a girlfriend, so the only possibility was that he was keeping it a secret.

Jiang Chen smiled and changed the subject, chatting with the two women.

As they chatted, the three of them started talking about movies and TV shows.

"Ning Meng, Fang Zhiheng, do you know anything about EuropaCorp?" Jiang Chen asked.

EuropaCorp was co-founded in September 2000 by French directors Luc Besson and Pierre-Ange LePogam, and is headquartered in Saint-Denis, a film city-state in the northern suburbs of Paris. As a benchmark company in European commercial cinema, its representative works include action films such as *Lucy* and the *Taken* series, and it is known as the only European film company comparable to Hollywood. The company expands its business through pre-sale rights and international collaborations, and in 2016, it introduced Shanghai-based Kimi Pictures as its second-largest shareholder.

In 2017, EuropaCorp's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" was a box office flop (US$2.25 million worldwide), which exacerbated the company's losses.

姜辰记得在前世，欧罗巴电影公司截至2018年债务规模达2.85亿美金。而2022年财务数据显示债务增至1.59亿欧元，员工人数从160人缩减至42人。公司曾尝试通过资产出售缓解危机，包括向高蒙公司转让300余部电影版权。

In 2018, it began acquisition negotiations with Netflix, aiming to restructure its debt through the acquisition.

Now that Jiang Chen has mentioned EuropaCorp, he naturally wants to acquire and restructure EuropaCorp.

EuropaCorp possesses directors who have directed a series of blockbuster films such as "Taken" and "The Transporter," as well as independent distribution teams in Europe and the United States, which can make up for the lack of film production experience of Star Group's subsidiaries.

Currently, EuropaCorp's largest shareholder is Luc Besson, holding 31.6% of the shares, while the second largest shareholder is Kimi Pictures, a Chinese film company that invested in 2016.

For Jiang Chen, acquiring EuropaCorp would bring many benefits.

EuropaCorp?

Ning Meng and Fang Zhiheng shook their heads.

Ning Meng said, "President Jiang, if you ask us what movies we watch, we might be able to tell you something. But this is the first time we've ever heard of EuropaCorp."

"President Jiang, what is this Europa Film Company?" Fang Zhiheng asked.

“This EuropaCorp…” Jiang Chen recounted what he knew.

"President Jiang, you want to acquire EuropaCorp?" Ning Meng suddenly realized.

Acquiring EuropaCorp?
Fang Zhiheng was stunned when she heard Ning Meng's words.

Why bring up acquiring a company out of the blue?
Is this her boss?

“Yes, I want to acquire EuropaCorp next year.” Jiang Chen did not deny it and said, “We failed to acquire the French Dessini Group this time, but we will definitely come back next year. However, at that time, we will not only acquire the French Dessini Group, but also EuropaCorp.”

(End of this chapter)