hollywood billionaire

Chapter 270 You are the origin of history
“A canvas for a vision of freedom.”

Hearing this, Han Yi sneered with contempt.

He rarely showed ill feelings toward strangers he had never met, but François-Marie Barnier was an exception.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Barnier, who has received 30 billion euros in gifts from Mrs. Bettencourt over the past 12 years, is an out-and-out parasite.

A cannibal who uses every possible means to break bones and suck out marrow.

"For a man who longs for wealth to teach a man who is born with wealth, about the meaning of wealth? Of course Barnier would feel that wealth is a canvas for depicting a vision of freedom, because that is how he adds color to his greedy life. raw materials. Maybe I am biased in saying this, but I firmly believe that if a person gifts me a property worth 12 billion euros, and I still accept it calmly, then no matter how high-sounding the reasons I convince myself, I am also a A bastard whose eyes, heart, and soul only flowed with gold.”

"If it is a partner, child or parent, there is nothing wrong with such a gift, but if it is true as Mrs. Bettencourt said, there is no love between them, it is just a tool she used to torture Andre. As a friend who has given her a few nods, it’s really hard for me to give Barnier’s behavior an aura of justice.”

"Her daughter is right. Barnier obviously took advantage of Mrs. Bettencourt's weakness of living at the top of the tower and being ignorant of the world, and plundered a lot from her."

"My mental activities at that time were exactly the same as yours." Barbara agreed.

"But it's different now?" Han Yi asked.

"It's actually the same now, just like you said. I think 100 million is a thank you gift, 1000 million is a gift, and 12 million may be Mrs. Bettencourt's payment for Barnier's inspiring words, but 16 billion... …It’s really too much. Barnier must have been premeditated to approach and influence Mrs. Bettencourt. He has been doing the same thing to different people since he was [-] years old.”

"Oh, really? Mrs. Bettencourt was not the first victim?"

"Yes. François-Marie Barnier was an important topic that I couldn't avoid when I later studied Mrs. Bettencourt. He was born in a middle-class family in the 16th arrondissement. He was not living in poverty, but he was different from Bettencourt. There is still an insurmountable gap among wealthy Parisians like Madame de Cou who have lost the concept of money."

"So he did everything he could to get into the upper echelon."

"Being among the best? Pleasant may be more appropriate." Barbara's wording can well reflect her own attitude towards Barnier. "When he was 16 years old, Barnier met Salvador Dali, who A car would often be sent to pick him up at the Morris Hotel to discuss art together.”

"Discussing art." Han Yi grinned, "This is an excuse that Dali can use."

"Three years later, through Dali's connections, he met and became a good friend of the wealthy heiress and art patron Marie-Laure de Noaille, who was already 64 years old at the time. ”

"So this is Barnier's profession." Han Yi smiled, "The rich man's close friend."

"Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, François Mitterrand, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, and Princess Caroline of Monaco... He is owned by the upper class in Paris. The friend of a social star who, by the end of the day, himself becomes one of the most eye-catching stars in the social circle.”

"First gather connections. As long as you do this for long enough and build a wide enough network, one day he will become the target of people's pursuit. Because people can't find the real rich people hiding in secluded places, but they can You can see him dancing under the neon lights." Han Yi is a smart man, and Barnier's so-called "career plan" was fully understood by his words, "No matter what a person sees, as long as it is shining, I just want to rub elbows with the broker."

“I really don’t like such roles. Novelists, playwrights, artists, actors and photographers… put all kinds of labels on themselves. In the end, they can’t do anything except flattering and pleasing people. "Barbara's disgusted expression was extremely obvious.

"But in many cases, such a character is the winner...or follows the winner." Han Yi said with emotion.

"So, I think this is also the key reason why Barnier can inspire Mrs. Betancourt. Although he was not born with money, he lived with money. Wealth is his desire, and it is what he spends his life It’s a mystery that takes time to explore. Since I have seen so many vivid examples at close range, then from the perspective of an outsider like him who has one foot in the circle, maybe he can really appreciate something different.”

"What you said makes sense." Han Yi thought for a moment and agreed, "What did Barnier share with Mrs. Bettencourt that made her feel like... she has understood the true meaning of life?"

"Madame told me that Barnier first met her when he was filming "Egoism" for Liliane Bettencourt and Federico Fellini in a private residence filled with art in Neuilly-sur-Seine. "The cover of the magazine. My wife rarely accepts interviews from the media, and it is unheard of to take photos for magazines. But that is the famous "Egoism", which is published irregularly. Once published, there are two hundred pages of black and white photography and life. Sharing style has had a profound influence on modern French pop culture and the global fashion circle."

"Moreover, 1987 was a year when Mrs. Bettencourt was forced to step into the spotlight. That year, Forbes magazine released their first "World's Billionaires" list, and only three groups of French billionaires were on the list. , Mrs. Bettencourt is one of them.”

"Who are the other two?"

"I can't remember clearly, but one of them seems to build private jets..."

"Dassault Group." Han Yi blurted out, "Sergey Dassault."

"Ah, yes, that's the name...how do you know?" Barbara was a little surprised.

"I told you, I like to read some irrelevant information." Han Yi touched the back of his head and hesitated for a moment before speaking the second half of the sentence, "And when I bought an airplane before, I studied the Dassault Group. Falcon Series.”

"It seems I need to buy more private jets." Barbara pressed her lower lip with her index finger and raised her eyes seriously and muttered.

"Stop teasing me, Barbie."

"I'll stop if you can guess the second group of rich people... They are the largest oilfield services company in the world."

"...The Schlumberger family. Look, they are also French from Alsace. What a coincidence."

"Cut out the screen and search Google."

"You didn't say anything."

"You're such a slick." Barbara did not continue to quarrel with Han Yi, "Anyway, in the 80s, there were dozens of billionaires next door, while France only had three. This made Bei When Mrs. Gu became a famous public figure, Barnier also got the opportunity to get close to her..."

……

"After Barnier set up the tripod, the first thing he said to me was: Madam, are you okay? Why do you look so pale?"

Wandering in the corridor of the Negresco Hotel, Mrs. Betancourt narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she had traveled back to that afternoon 23 years ago.

"I was shocked and felt a little embarrassed. This is the first time in a long time that I have taken official photos that will be published in a magazine. It is impossible to say that I am not nervous."

"'Is it foundation?' I asked him, 'Maybe the makeup artist just put the foundation on me too thickly.'"

"But he said: No, ma'am, I don't think it's the makeup."

"Barnier walked up to me and looked at it carefully for a while before letting out a long sigh. It felt like his soul floated out with that breath."

"He told me: Your paleness oozes from the bottom of your eyes. I can't see even a little bit of passion for life... lifeless, it looks terrible. When he said this, Fellini, I My favorite director is sitting on the other chair to my right."

"What a manipulative and malicious way of talking." Barbara felt angry for Mrs. Bettencourt. "He just wants to use this way to make you unhappy and attract your attention so that he can carry out his plan... Whatever that plan is.”

"The anger and humiliation I felt that afternoon were more intense than what you are feeling now. I tried hard to resist the urge to kick him out of the house and asked him politely: Why do you think that, Mr. Barnier? ?”

"'Because I can see that you are a very poor person,' Barnier answered me. 'You have never really owned anything. I can understand that if it were me, I would also lose my sense of beauty just like you. The pursuit of life’.”

"I gave him a space to relax, but he slapped me in the face with his backhand."

"I don't remember anyone being so rude to me. Even when my father scolded me, it was never so ruthless. My anger grew stronger and I no longer wanted to maintain my elegant disguise. I turned cold and told him: This The manor, everything living, dead, about to be born, and dying within a radius of ten kilometers is my property. To broaden the scope, at least 10 people in the world depend on me, and tens of millions of people live on me every day. All products must be made under my brand.”

"If I have nothing, you, M. Barnier, have nothing."

"'But you never really owned them'."

"Barnier heard my attack, smiled freely, put the camera back on the tripod, pointed at them, and said to me:

Mrs. Bettencourt, I own both of those things you see.I know them so well that I can use them to capture life and death, togetherness and separation, joy and sorrow.

What about you, in your life, what is the thing that you have the same profound understanding and experience as I do with my camera?
Can you name any average consumer around the world who uses your product?
Aside from the fat faces you see every day in the boardroom, do you know anyone who works in a L'Oréal factory and gets paid from you?

You said that you own all the living and dead creatures within a ten-kilometer radius of this manor, so the last time you stopped to admire it...I won't talk about the dense forest on the edge of the village.When was the last time you opened the door and sunbathed on the lawn outside? "

"I'm speechless."

"I realized that I had inherited this estate from my father and my name had been on the property register for 30 years, but I hadn't thought for a moment how I was going to use it."

"Observing my silence, Barnier pursued his victory. 'Madam', he said, 'I heard that you also have a private island in East Africa'..."

"'That's too far, I'm holding on to a lifeline,' I said, 'You can't expect me to visit an isolated island on the edge of the African continent that often.'"

"But he obviously had no intention of letting this topic go easily. He walked over, stared at me with a smile, and said: Can the distance of time and space really stop you, Mrs. Bettencourt?"

"You have four private jets, one for the family and three for the group. Three yachts registered in Bermuda, each waiting for you in the port of Nice. The group's board of directors only meets once a quarter, each time lasting three days... ...Even if the time is extended to a week, so what? Madam, you actually know very well why you don’t go to that island in the Seychelles for vacation. You know better than anyone else.”

……

"Even the Betancourt family and L'Oréal know how many private jets they have, and the location of the private island can be reported accurately...Barnier is well prepared." Han Yi took out Barni's hand Yay for the weird behavior.In 1987, before the Internet, it was not easy to investigate the property distribution of a top rich man.

"A person who was kept captive by Dali in the Morris Hotel at the age of 16 has already received art donations from countless rich people. Why must he travel so hard to take a magazine photo for his wife in the western suburbs of Paris? How about earning a small amount of pocket money? Of course it was planned in advance."

"Mrs. Bettencourt has been studied for a long time."

"no doubt."

"I am now very interested in his psychological evaluation report... I really want to hear how he explained Mrs. Bettencourt's so-called 'eccentric behavior' of not going to the Seychelles for a holiday." "He said..."

……

"He said: This can only prove one thing."

Mrs. Bettencourt turned around and looked at Barbara, who was following her step by step, and was fascinated by the story.

"It just proves that you don't really own your properties. Yes, ma'am, you bought them, but you're just keeping them for someone else."

"For whom?"

"I asked: My husband? My daughter? If that's the case, I'd be more than happy to do it... I'm asking for nothing but sharing."

"I clearly remember that after saying this, Barnier looked at me and then at Fellini, who was sitting on pins and needles and didn't want to be involved in the topic at all, and laughed very loudly."

"'It seems you really don't know what you're doing, ma'am. Share? The word share means you, have to taste it before everyone else does.'"

"After that, Barnier walked behind Fellini's sofa, propped up the backrest, and said: 'Madam, sitting in front of you is one of the greatest directors in the world, a great existentialist. As I said, you will only exist in the things you have done. Ask yourself, madam, what have you done that is completely yours? Don’t mention L’Oreal, don’t mention this manor, this is a gift left to you by others. .Can you think of even one thing, just one thing, that you have done that left a mark on this world, especially on your own heart?"

"I did not rush to answer Barnier's question, but turned my questioning eyes to Fellini first. Fellini is still the... classic him. His brows are deeply furrowed, his hands are spread out, his eyebrows are raised, and his throat is filled with laughter. Mumbling words of unknown meaning and moving his head back and forth to indicate that these were indeed words he had spoken."

"'Then you, Mr. Barnier...what do you think can leave a mark on my heart'?"

"'Anything to make your presence felt,' he said."

"'You didn't answer my question,' I retorted."

"'I've answered all your questions,'" he shrugged, then took a deep breath and hurried back to the tripod.

"'Have you created anything before?' he asked."

"I paused and asked him: 'How do you define...'"

"As soon as this sentence came out, he impatiently stretched out his hand to interrupt me and said: 'Creation does not need to be defined. Anything you contribute to this world that we can hear and see is your creation. '."

"I thought about it for a long time, sweat dripping from my vest. I wanted to end this topic right away. God, the god of movies is sitting next to me. What can I say that I have created? I am absolutely useless!"

"It took a long time before I responded to him in a clever way."

"I said: 'In this way...my daughter is the work I am most proud of'."

"As soon as I said it, I regretted it, because Barnier's playful gaze simply burned me clean. His eyes only contained a simple phrase: 'I knew it.'"

"Without further embarrassment for me, Barnier began to perform his duties. He stood in front of the camera, took a few test photos, and then suddenly said to me: 'Madam, I may need your help.'"

"'It's great to have two great figures in the picture, but I need something to decorate the background. I don't know what you have in your estate that would be suitable for the photo...so, could you please help me with that? A set?'"

"'If you have any doubts about my intentions... then, yes, I do want you to leave a little bit of your ideas, your mark, your art on this world'."

"'please'."

"I could have scoffed at his request and asked him seriously to do his job and stop wasting my time and Mr. Fellini's. But that day I held back my energy and wanted to ask him and Fellini. Ni, I also proved to myself that I am not just a gatekeeper of wealth. As a living person, I have the ability to rely on my own strength and leave a legacy of my own. No matter how small this legacy is."

"I began to seriously examine the living room where we were, and I quickly went through the collection left by my father in my mind. Then, according to the picture I had sketched in my mind, I moved a few sculptures over and rearranged them. Check the position of the furniture. The desk that was originally placed against the wall was moved to the window, and then I asked Mr. Fellini to sit there, and I sat opposite him."

"'François, do me a favor and put the tripod between me and Mr. Fellini,' I directed Barnier."

"'Yes, ma'am.' And he did."

"'Is the composition much better now?'"

"'The composition doesn't need to be better'... To my surprise, Barnier answered me, 'As long as it comes from you, it has meaning.'"

"It was at that moment that I was attracted by his spiritual world. His spiritual world was not perfect, on the contrary, it was the antonym of perfection. He was beaten by his father and ignored by his mother. From his orientation to his hobbies, he was so deviant. . I think he must invent some successful methods and re-establish some satisfactory standards so that his life will not live in pain forever..."

"It just so happens that what I need is this kind of standard. I was placed on the temple of wealth and power, together with the twisted demons, and was worshiped for decades, and this kind of worship will soon follow the Forbes magazine list The announcement of the order magnified it geometrically... I think this may be the reason why God asked me to meet Barnier at that time. Let me escape from the shrine and let me truly examine the wealth in my hands. What can it give me? Bring whatever you want."

"Dear Barbara, I know what the media out there say about me. I know they think I am an old... well, an old man with declining intelligence and lost charm, easily deceived by a playboy who is not picky about food. But that’s not true.”

"I know very well what kind of person Barnier is. He observes people's behavior, observes their psychology. He saw something in me that aroused his sympathy and aroused his interest. I was very dissatisfied: I was very rich. , but very unhappy. Barnier saw in me a woman who wanted more, even though I already had 400 billion euros."

"He personally opened the door to a new world for me. I acquiesced in his actions."

"Through Barnier's unremitting efforts, he turned that Forbes magazine shoot into an all-night conversation between the three of us. Not only did he get into my heart, but he also made L'Oreal, who was originally a little wary of me and me, , the distanced Fellini relieved himself of his burden and became friends with me. I attended the premiere of his "Interview" at the Cannes Film Festival, and I was also present at the Italian premiere. Three years later, he produced " "Moon Song", I was fully involved - I am not a screenwriter, nor a consultant with a formal title, but this is a dystopian story full of TV commercials, beauty pageants, modern pop aesthetics, Catholicism, fascism and Pagan rituals. Fellini felt that my life was quite similar to his childhood, because at least these elements in the movie were the main theme of our growth. So he would deliberately seek my opinions and added a lot of I find the plot and design interesting.”

“With Barnier’s encouragement, I began to build a resort estate on a small island in the Seychelles, trying to turn it into an earthly paradise according to my aesthetic concepts. He introduced me to Salvador Dali, E. husband Saint Laurent and Samuel Beckett. At first, these big figures in the fashion and art world greeted me with an almost fearful attitude, thinking that I was there to buy them or their works. . But soon they became my most loyal friends, friends with whom I could create together. For 62 years, I rarely spent a night in the center of Paris, and no lady would linger under the bright lights of the Eiffel Tower. The tranquility of Neuilly-sur-Seine is the secluded sanctuary where wealthy families like us should live for a long time.”

"But since I met Barnier at the age of 62, I no longer go back to Neuilly very often. I spend the night at the Ritz, receive my friends there, and talk to them about history, literature and art. More than half a century ago This is the first time in a century that I have received such attention, and it is also the first time that I have chatted and laughed with celebrities in a broad sense. I was so interested that even if I were sitting in the living room chatting, I would not I can do this for a week without getting tired of it. In return, I will take out some so-called 'treasures' from my L'Oréal vault that are no longer valuable to me and share them with them."

"What treasure? For example, the Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics you can see in every department store. That is a brand owned by L'Oreal, and I helped Yves establish the beauty line. That is 196...I I remember that it was 1962, when he started to operate his own brand independently, and he wanted to expand into the industry most. Making cosmetics requires money, and factories, assembly lines, and sales channels are astronomical in every link. When I met him, he was struggling with lack of successors. Brands are worried.”

"I asked him, how much do you need? He leaned into my ear and whispered a number. I deliberately curled my lips, looked at Barnier standing aside, and said: If the amount is particularly huge, maybe I It’s also very tight. But fortunately, the money our friends need is still within my ability.”

"I will never forget the expression on Yves's face at that time, just like... Van Gogh's ecstasy when he knew that he did not have to die alone in poverty. At that moment, I truly felt the huge power of money, and this The happiness behind the power. A figure who is praised by thousands of people outside and is destined to be recorded in the history of the fashion industry and even the history of France. Because of my words, he was so happy that he forgot himself."

"That day, he, who had always been addicted to alcohol and drugs, was sober for the first time all night. I know that's because the full sense of satisfaction I brought to him was more satisfying than any hallucinogenic thing. He was elated."

"I drank a few more drinks myself, and I was very happy. When I was drunk, Barnier pulled me aside and pointed to Yi who was sitting on the balcony of the suite, hugging his knees, looking up at the moon, silently dazed. Husband Saint Laurent said: Madam, you see, this is the experience I told you."

“The meaning of wealth lies in experience.”

……

"Is this what Barnier means?"

Hearing this, Han Yi couldn't help but feel a little depressed, and couldn't help but interrupt Barbara's narration.

"Only with experience can there be feedback, and only with feedback can it be meaningful. This principle... cannot be said to be wrong, but I feel it is very common. Few people work hard to make money for the sake of wealth itself. Wealth is originally a medium for us to obtain other happiness. It's just a way... Maybe only someone like Mrs. Bettencourt, who was born with wealth, and the wealth is so much that it is not in her hands at all, would need such a reminder."

No matter what others think, at least Han Yi, after his rebirth, is extremely familiar with the relationship between wealth, experience and feedback.

His second life unfolded with this theme.

There is no 'their' Mrs. Bettencourt, and it is understandable that Barnier is needed to play a similar role.

But if this is all the wisdom and inspiration Barnier has to offer...

That's quite disappointing.

"This is his great principle, but it is not his only great principle, nor is it the reason why his wife gave him 12 billion euros."

Barbara narrated softly while observing and figuring out the subtle changes in Han Yi's expression.

"He said to Mrs. Bettencourt..."

"Madam, the experience I'm talking about is not only the happiness you get when you spend money, nor the happiness other people get when you spend money. This happiness is too shallow."

"The experience I'm talking about is playing God."

"With absolute wealth, you have absolute freedom in this world."

"And by consuming your absolute wealth, you pour this absolute freedom into the world like water."

"Whether you are aware of this or not, the future history of French fashion, the world's consumer market, girls' youthful memories, the first gift given by boys... your words tonight will change this history. All branches, big or small.”

"you……"

"He is the scriptwriter of life."

"It's also the origin of history."

(End of this chapter)