hollywood billionaire

Chapter 269 The Meaning of Wealth

"understood."

Han Yi nodded slightly with a serious expression and joked seriously.

"Mrs. Bettencourt also wants to be a Victoria's Secret Angel."

"I've said it a thousand times, I'm not an angel...at least not technically."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Literally." Barbara smacked her lips and blinked, then gestured and fired at the screen.

"Does Mrs. Bettencourt know what you are like?"

"She must know, I don't even act." Barbara giggled, "And the more I show my true self, the more she likes it."

"Perhaps she will never be as free as you in this life. To laugh freely, to cry freely, to express the emotions you want to express freely." Han Yi speculated on Mrs. Betancourt's psychology, "So, you... and I am actually quite lucky."

"Me...and you?" Barbara repeated, but this time, with strong doubts, she emphasized the second half of the sentence.

"What's wrong?" Han Yi didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, "Am I still free?"

"You... forget it, don't worry about it for now." Barbara waved her hand, "Mrs. Bettencourt has indeed never enjoyed true freedom. She told me that her last name is the biggest and heaviest thing around her neck. shackles."

"Betancourt, or her father's last name?"

"All right."

"What's her father's last name?"

"Schuler. Eugene Schuller, founder of L'Oréal Group."

"L'Oreal is the largest in the fashion industry...oh no, the largest luxury goods group is LVMH. L'Oreal should be the largest beauty group in the entire industry, right?"

"It's far ahead, at least twice the size of Estee Lauder."

"Estee Lauder is considered second?"

"Yes."

"That's really amazing." Han Yi praised, "Anyone who can start from scratch and become an industry leader is a great entrepreneur."

"Uh……"

"You don't agree?"

"You may not know much about Eugene Schuler's background, Yi... His achievements are indeed amazing, but I would not use great to describe him."

"Ah..." Barbara didn't need to point it out, Han Yi looked up at the sky and suddenly realized, "He is a Nazi sympathizer, right?"

Calculate Mrs. Bettencourt's age and then work backwards, and the answer is readily apparent.

"The Nazi violent group Lacagoule that Andre Bettencourt participated in was founded and financially supported by Schuler... They all held meetings at the L'Oréal headquarters. You don't know about the fashion industry because you don't care about it, but this It’s a well-known secret in our industry. Some people who are dissatisfied with L’Oreal even secretly call it The Reich behind their backs.”

"I've never heard of it, and I didn't expect L'Oréal to have such a history." Han Yi raised his eyebrows, "So during the occupation of France, Eugene Schuller was a collaborator with the Nazi regime?"

"It's the whole Lacagule. In fact, after the war, Schuler protected many former members of Lacagule, providing them with shelter, jobs, and opportunities for advancement." Barbara pursed her lips. , "Believe me, I was searching for Mrs. Bettencourt on the Internet, and when I accidentally saw these historical materials... I was much more shocked than you."

"One of its senior members, Jacques Correz, was also appointed president of L'Oreal America. A radically anti-Semitic fascist who worked in postwar America for decades before being investigated in 1991, Forced to resign."

"I'm not particularly surprised about this, Barbie." Han Yi glanced around, then lowered his voice, "After all...the big players we see now control the financial world, the fashion world, and so on. The big players in the music industry only really gained the right to speak in the late 70s.”

"I'm not surprised by this... but if I were you, I would still open my mouth in disbelief when faced with the fact that he gave all his daughters to members of the organization."

"It turned out to be an arranged marriage."

"Did the French upper class at that time still have the luxury of free love?"

"But Lillian is at least devoted to Andre. Growing up in such an environment, she should..."

"This is the source of all Madam's pain, my dear." Barbara sneered, "Madam's beliefs are completely opposite to those of her father and husband."

"You know, her husband, when he was younger, even wrote these words, and I can memorize them. He said that...that group of people were hypocritical Pharisees, and their race would always be condemned by the righteous Stained with blood, they are a cursed people.”

Han Yi knew that André Bettencourt's original words could never be "those people", but a set of malicious words, a set of words that, as a public figure in the current wave of political correctness, Words that Bara would not dare to say even if she were alone in the apartment.

“How did a group ruled by such a person survive in postwar France?”

"Are you talking about L'Oreal?"

"uh-huh."

"Because you can't expel all Nazi collaborators... Proportionally speaking, more than 90% of the companies that continue to operate in France are Nazi collaborators to some extent. Moreover, Lacagoule is a double-headed Speculative groups placed bets, some supporting the Vichy government and the right-wing groups associated with it, while others joined de Gaulle's Free France."

"Fascists...join Free France?"

"Many people in Laca Guleri, although they are fascists, are also French nationalists. They are also very disgusted with German aggression. Moreover, Free France at that time was originally a government in exile and needed to unite all resistance forces. These resistance forces The purpose of resistance was not a question that de Gaulle needed to consider at the time. This is the reason why Mrs. Bettencourt's father was able to be safe after the war and even led L'Oréal to expand rapidly. Because he not only funded The collaborators also financed the rebels.”

"It's really a... confusing and fascinating history. In the real world, black and white are just two poles of the spectrum, and most of the middle is a ball of gray whose true identity cannot be seen."

"I have to admit that I am still very clichéd and short-sighted." After hearing Barbara's insightful analysis, Han Yi touched his nose and sighed, "When you just said that you could read a book in a day, , I actually don’t particularly believe it in my heart.”

"Do you believe it now?"

"Not only reading, but also thinking." Han Yi nodded, "I admire you very much."

"It's not just a pretty face." Barbara drew a circle in front of her eyes and smiled, "And again... I am really interested in Mrs. Bettencourt's life. This is the first time I have Meeting in real life...meeting an important person who will definitely go into the history books. This curiosity has always driven me to understand all the details related to her life in a serious manner, as if I were treating a serious subject. .”

"Character research is an important part of history." Han Yi responded in a soft tone. The longer they chatted, the more surprises the Hungarian supermodel brought him, "So, when you mentioned Mrs. When you're the complete opposite of her father, are you saying that she's actually... far left?"

"After afternoon tea, Madam was in high spirits and showed no signs of fatigue. It was already three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and a thunderstorm was sweeping across the Côte d'Azur. We couldn't go out, so Madam invited me to visit Negresco hotel museum." Barbara did not answer Han Yi's question directly, but continued to tell according to the timeline of the story.

"Hotel Museum?"

“The Negresco has a collection of more than 6000 art pieces. After Ms. Jeanne Ogier took over in the 50s, she decorated the hotel with great luxury and collected art paintings spanning five centuries, including Picasso, Dali, Summer Gal, I remember that when we walked out of their old-fashioned elevator that had been in operation in the 20s, they were all sculptures and oil paintings. Mrs. Bettencourt had a very good relationship with Ms. Ogier, so there were more than a dozen works in the hotel. Personally donated by Madam.”

"This hotel is so interesting." Han Yi looked to the right, "I'll finish chatting with you later and I'll go in and take a look."

"How about I hang up now?"

"Don't." Han Yi stretched out his hand to stop him, "It's very uncomfortable to have the story stop abruptly in the middle of the story."

"I thought you thought I'd been nagging you for too long."

"Where did you hear that?"

"You said you were going to die now."

"I really..."

Han Yi discovered that no matter which country a woman is from, there is this reality-distorting force field surrounding her.

"If you could finish this story, I would be the happiest man in the world, Barbara."

"Your threshold for happiness is really low."

Barbara snorted softly and rolled her eyes.

“Our visit to Negresco started from the honor display cabinet specially set up for Ms. Jeanne Ogier in the lobby on the first floor…”

……

"My good friend Mrs. Ogier...she's really my best friend and I look up to her so much."

Barbara took her arm and supported Mrs. Bettencourt who was standing in front of Ms. Ogier's showcase. She carefully browsed every photo of Jeanne Ogier with celebrities from all walks of life in the showcase, as well as the many hotel industry awards she had won.

"She was an extremely free and brave soul. She bought this hotel with her husband in 1957 and spent more than half a century turning it into the best independent hotel in France. I love it here, Every time I come to the Côte d'Azur, I have to stay here for a while. Sometimes Madame Ogier is here, and we will meet for tea. If she is no longer here, I will stick to a tradition - write her a letter and leave a message. In the room I stayed in. This tradition has continued for more than 50 years.”

"Wow." Barbara praised in a low voice, "We have been best friends for more than 50 years. The relationship between you two is really enviable." "The relationship between us is nothing extraordinary. Mrs. Ogier's career achievements That's what's truly worth remembering." Mrs. Bettencourt shook her head, borrowed Alan's mouth, and responded with a smile, "She knew what she wanted, and was allowed to do what she wanted... She gave this room The hotel, the city and France as a whole have left an indelible mark on the French art de vivre.”

"Allowed?" Barbara frowned slightly and glanced at Alan behind her.

"Oh, my dear - as my lady calls you - I'm sure you know enough about the world, do you really think that half a century ago a woman could have done anything in any field without a man's permission? ?”

"Your husband won't allow you to do this?"

"Miss Parvin." Alan couldn't help but remind Barbara to pay attention to the conversation between her and Mrs. Bettencourt.

"If you think Madam will be offended, you don't have to translate." Barbara raised her chin slightly, with a hint of youthful stubbornness in her expression.

Hearing Barbara's statement, Alan pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and finally translated Barbara's words to Mrs. Bettencourt according to the original meaning.

"Non seulement mon mari, mais aussi mon père." Mrs. Bettencourt folded her hands in front of her, took a deep breath, and replied.

"Madame." This time Alan reminded him of his employer.

"Elle n'est qu'une petite fille, elle ne diraà personne." Madam lowered her eyes slightly, looked at Alan calmly, and said in a hoarse voice.It seems that only in front of Barbara, she will show a little vitality and vitality.And her followers could only glimpse her armored cold shell.

"votre guise, madame." Although her expression was as usual and her tone was steady, Barbara seemed to be able to hear Alan sighing deep in his heart.

"Not just my husband, but my father too. They see me as an object, not a person."

"If my husband, or my father, did this to me, do you know what I would do, ma'am?"

"What would you do, honey?"

"I'll give each of them a kick in the balls."

Mrs. Bettencourt first covered her mouth and let out a chuckle, which then turned into a loud laugh without any image of a lady.

"I want to do this and have been thinking about it for 80 years." Alan wiped the non-existent sweat on his forehead and followed the two of them to continue translating, "I have lived for 88 years, and the thing I desire most is to break free from the prison... Even if she is like Madame Ogier, she can put her head and half of her body out of the iron cage and take a breath."

"If you could 'break free', what would you most want to do?" Barbara asked.

"I want to be a pianist."

"pianist?"

“My mother was a pianist and as a child she would put me on her lap and play Debussy, Chausson and Faure over and over again. As the daughter of a distiller, she had a desire to become a musical The dream of home. Until I got married, I always hoped to help my mother see the world. Take a cruise, travel around the world, and play their favorite music for tourists from different countries and cultures."

"But... that's your mother's dream, not yours."

"Then I have no dreams."

Barbara's words caused Mrs. Bettencourt to fall into a long silence. She stood in front of the portrait of Marie-Josephine in the crystal chandelier hall of the Negresco Hotel, and thought for a long time before speaking again.

"No one taught me how to dream."

This sentence not only made Barbara look sideways, but also moved Alan, who was acting as the translator.

He had never heard his employer say such a thing.

Liliane Bettencourt, with a net worth of US$443 billion, has no dreams?
Is it because she already got everything she wanted?

"Ever since I can remember, what everyone around me kept repeating to me was how lucky I was to be born into such a family and have such a hard-working and intelligent father. Most of my teenage years Time also believes in this. I am so dependent on my father and obey him so wholeheartedly...How could I not listen to him? He is already a widower, a poor man who lost his beloved wife very early."

"Dad wants to marry my English teacher? Yes, you have it, Dad. He wants me to be an apprentice in his company, learning how to mix makeup and label shampoo? I'll do it, Dad. He wants to Ask me to cheer for the Germans, because we have Alsatian blood flowing in our bodies... Although I can only speak French and not German, I will try to convince myself, dad."

"On the surface, I was a sensible and obedient girl, but in reality, I was constantly sabotaging his plans... in ways that I thought were effective. He married my English teacher, and from then on I Never learn English again. He wanted me to serve as an apprentice in the company, and in three months I made a mess of the labels. He wanted me to support the Germans, and I deliberately avoided any drinking party where a German officer was present."

"During the five years of occupation, I made several escape plans. I wanted to sneak from France to Switzerland and then to the United States. But I am not a very smart person, nor a very bold person. Every time I arrive, When it came time to really make a decision, I chose to be a coward. I told myself in my heart that I didn't leave because I didn't want my father to be alone in this world. But I knew very well in my heart that that was not what I thought. .”

"It's me. I'm afraid of losing my father after losing my mother. Even a father who I don't always agree with and support."

"So, on the day when the Allied forces entered Paris, I happily drank several glasses of champagne. After drinking the alcohol, I couldn't help but feel worried. I was happy that someone finally came to force my father to correct his crazy beliefs. Worrying Yes, will those people put him in a desperate situation?"

"But reality is always full of hope and disappointment at the same time. This is an experience I have learned repeatedly in the past 88 years. No one captured him and shot him, but no one corrected his beliefs. He was sad and depressed about Germany's failure, but I still keep my spirits up and want to continue 'their' career in another way."

"I became part of his grand plan. For five years after the war, he worked non-stop to select a future husband for me. My father did not make his intentions clear, and even acted very democratically. I met those young talents for the first time and asked for my opinion. But I know that I actually have no choice at all, because the young people he brought are the next generation of political elites cultivated by Lakagul."

"As always, I defy him in my own way. Doesn't he want me to be his political pawn? You have your way, Dad, but I'll choose the one who causes you the most pain."

"Mr. Bettencourt, can you make your father suffer?" Barbara asked curiously.

"I said that the way I retaliate against him is just my wishful thinking. Now I understand that I can't make my father suffer by doing this, because he doesn't care about my feelings at all." Mrs. Bettencourt kept smiling. , "My original plan was to find someone who could make me suffer the most, so that my father would become equally miserable when he saw my misfortune."

"So, I chose Andre Bettencourt. His dull hairstyle and eyebrows, his unsmiling every move, and even the way he chewed made me... Madam said a lot, but please forgive me, Miss Parvin, I can’t tell you any more, for privacy reasons.”

Alan tried his best to keep his expression and speech speed normal, and said to Barbara.

"I understand." Barbara nodded in agreement, "But please help me ask Madam, knowing that she will not be happy and will not let her father be punished, why don't she and Andre... What about Bettencourt’s divorce?”

"I can't do this. If I get divorced, I will have to give Andre half of the property. I am not willing to give L'Oreal half to Andre. Even if it was born in disgrace, I am not willing for it to go away for the second time. Into the darkness. It is me."

"Moreover, my daughter was only four years old when my father died. I must raise her well and make her a person with integrity and morality, keeping her away from the orbit of her father and her grandfather. When she grows up When she is old enough, I will pass all my property to her."

"In the next 30 years, I devoted all my energy and enthusiasm to François, and she became the person I wanted her to be. I tried my best to make Jean-Pierre Mai Meyers introduced her to her. Meyers is a Jew. His grandfather was a rabbi who was massacred in Auschwitz, and his great-grandfather was the president of the Jewish Theological Seminary in France."

"Of course, I did this not entirely to retaliate against the two most important men in my life. I hope that in this way, the L'Oréal Group and my daughter can escape the increasingly severe criminal reckoning. In the 80s, I was able to I have seen many similar signs. This is also the core reason why I can convince Andre - in order to save his political career, to save L'Oreal, and to save our daughter, he must agree to Francois marrying a Jew. "

"Picture in your mind that a fascist has to watch her daughter kiss a Jew at her wedding. It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

Talking about that day in 1984, Lillian Bettencourt showed a moment of elation and radiance.But it was only for a moment. Soon, her voice returned to the chaotic ambiguity.

"But even such an unforgettable revenge couldn't make me happy. After my daughter got married, I realized that I was 62 years old. My life had not really lived a day for me, and it had entered a countdown. .”

"During that time, I was very scared and panicked, and even suffered from depression. I often saw and heard things and sounds that didn't exist in this world at all."

"I am very rich. My father has recruited many capable people for L'Oreal. I only need to attend the board of directors regularly every quarter and sign and seal every resolution they propose. L'Oreal's scale has been expanding and its profits have been increasing. Especially after it went public in 1963. No one could challenge my group. For a long time, I was the richest woman in the world. After exchanging half of my L’Oreal shares for Nestle’s shares, I continued to The group itself doesn’t have to worry – even if L’Oreal Group goes bankrupt, my descendants will have enough money to enjoy prosperity and wealth for hundreds of years.”

"But success and wealth come too easily, and to be honest, they have nothing to do with me. This kind of unearned luck makes me more miserable and emptier. Those crazy increasing numbers, beyond a certain level, have no impact on me. It’s completely meaningless to say it, because I have no way to really manage them, and it’s even difficult to understand their existence.”

"I realized that my existence was completely irrelevant. My father could have a son or a daughter. He could have a brilliant genius or a stupid and vulgar coward. No matter what kind of person I was, there was nothing I could do about it. Influenced Eugene Schuller's 'Empire'."

"This was the loudest slap my father ever slapped me in the face."

"No matter how rebellious and resistant you are, I can't erase the mark he left on this world."

"He could be an evil person, but he was destined for greatness. I could be a kind person, but I was born mediocre."

"I lived in such an extremely depressed mood for three years, and then I met Francois-Marie Barnier."

Looking at Barbara Pavin, who became nervous and solemn at the same time, and her personal assistant Alan, Lillian Betancourt rarely showed a naughty smile.

"You don't really think that there is a relationship between a man and a woman between me and him, do you?"

"In the beginning, the reason why I allowed Barnier to enter my life and Andre's life was purely because of the strong contrast between him, Andre, and my father. Barnier is tall and straight, and my father is short and rickety. Barnier, at least in his youth, was an Adonis. My father, even in his youth, looked more like Charlie Chaplin than a Greek god."

"Barnier was an artist, writer and romantic. My father was a scientist, inventor and businessman. Barnier was gay and half-Jewish. My father was heterosexual and staunchly Catholic. only."

"His appearance is simply comical, because he is so able to touch Andre's conservative and sensitive nerves. Keeping him by my side can bring a small but indispensable little joy to my life. , a little fun that makes my life meaningful.”

"But Barnier soon showed me a depth of insight into the world that I had never expected. He saw the source of my depression and pain, and in an extremely effective way, completely eradicated it. it."

“He succeeded in showing me that those assets that I had were an immeasurable positive addition to the world.”

"It also made me finally understand..."

"I no longer need to pursue the so-called freedom. Because, from the beginning, I have been free."

“Wealth is the canvas on which I paint a vision of freedom for myself and the world.”

　It is also very important to know and understand other billionaires in the world in different ways, so that Han Yi can understand what it really means to be a billionaire, and thus understand the relationship between him, wealth and the outside world. Theme of

　　
　
(End of this chapter)