hollywood billionaire

Chapter 525 A Man with Many Hobbies

“I’m delighted to find someone even more passionate about Per Se than I am, Mr. Barnett.”

Han Yi put a piece of Island Creek oyster mixed with caviar roe into his mouth, squinted his eyes slightly, and enjoyed the delicious whirlwind on his tongue for a moment. Then, he raised his left hand, pointed with a silver spoon at Gary Barnett's almost empty plate, and smiled.

“I don’t think the word ‘fanatical’ even begins to describe me, Mr. Han.” Gary Barnett adjusted his rimless glasses perched on his nose, his laughter sounding quite loud. “Sandra knows I try to go there at least once a month, sometimes even once a week.”

“Yes,” Sandra Poulsen replied with a smile. “Mr. Barnett is a loyal regular, and Mr. Keller even joked that he should have his own table at the restaurant.”

“I should definitely have one,” Gary said, pointing at Sandra with a smile.

"But this is your first time enjoying Per Se outside of a restaurant, isn't it?" Han Yi said casually, fiddling with the remaining ingredients on his plate and stirring them into a thick soup that truly made them one of a kind.

“Yes.” Gary took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping around the apartment before finally settling on Central Park outside the window. “I have to admit, it’s amazing to be able to eat my favorite food in my favorite place. So, thank you, Mr. Han, for making this all possible. When my assistant told me that our dinner was being served by the Per Se team, I thought you had dug up some files about me from somewhere on the internet, studied them carefully, and arranged it all for me.”

“It must be destiny,” Han Yi smiled. “Or perhaps it’s because of the excellent location of this magnificent building. The Time Warner Center is only two blocks away, which certainly makes things much easier. So I think I should thank you for that, Mr. Barnett. Thank you for building such a wonderful apartment; my family and I are very happy living here.”

“It’s my honor.” Gary Barnett pressed his right hand to his chest and bowed slightly. “It’s a pity that you’ve spent most of your time in Los Angeles and haven’t been able to settle here for long enough to truly enjoy this emerging neighborhood known as ‘Billionaire Street,’ where everything is rapidly becoming a reality. You won’t believe how fast things are changing here—I know you’re from China, where things are changing even faster—but for New York, this pace is unprecedented.”

“Yes, that’s a pity. But to be honest, I can’t stay in Los Angeles for very long, especially since the beginning of this year.” Han Yi took a sip of soup and continued, “This time in New York, I’ll probably stay for about half a month, and then I’ll be flying all over the world. I’m flying to London because I’ll be starting a music copyright fund with Lionel Richie and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Next, I’ll go to Paris, where my family office is doing some asset acquisition negotiations. Then, I’ll spend a week in Italy before returning to Los Angeles to resume my normal work.”

“That sounds impressive.” Gary pursed his lips, his face full of admiration. He knew the wealthy man before him was casually flaunting his immense fortune, but he didn’t mind. “Where in Italy are you going?”

Lake Como.

“Oh, on vacation?” Gary raised an eyebrow. The weather at Lake Como in winter wasn’t exactly pleasant. In fact, most of the hotels and restaurants along the shores of Lake Como chose to close during the winter and reopen when spring arrived.

“No.” Han Yi was well aware of the confusion behind Gary’s question. “I bought a property there and am now converting it into a luxury estate hotel.”

“Really?” Gary’s voice lowered, but his tone suddenly rose a few octaves. “This is… a huge leap, from the music industry to the hotel industry, Mr. Han.”

“Music will always be the cornerstone of my career, Mr. Barnett, without a doubt.” Han Yi slowly steered the conversation in the direction he wanted to go. “If you follow entertainment news, you will have seen a series of major news about Han Music since the beginning of 2017. We have planned a lot of big things and invested a huge amount of money in various projects to reshape the industry.”

"I would be happy to read those news articles."

“But…” Han Yi raised his index finger, maintaining a slightly mysterious smile, “on the other hand, I’m also someone with many hobbies. Fine dining is one, travel is another…”

"uh-huh."

While pretending to listen attentively, Gary Barnett was mentally reviewing the information the Extell team had gathered about the homeowner.

For $7000 million, they purchased the world's first Gulfstream G650ER from JPMorgan Chase's North American headquarters.

It's twice as expensive as the penthouse on the 79th floor of One57.

Investing $3450 million to buy an irreplaceable penthouse in a prime location in the world’s largest metropolis is one thing.

However, investing $7000 million in a private jet market that has just fallen from its peak is a different story.

The man in front of me, who "has many hobbies," is undoubtedly willing to pay a high price for them.

"The hotel industry is one, and... real estate is another."

Gary Barnett's thoughts were pulled back by Han Yi's second half of the sentence, and because of this second half, he gradually became excited.

"Are the hotel industry and real estate also among your interests?"

“Yes. Oh, I’m really embarrassed to talk about this in front of such a legendary figure in the industry.” Han Yi waved his hand, his performance of feigned modesty and reluctance was superb. “I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but this upcoming trip to Paris is actually for the acquisition of Maranatha, the fourth largest hotel group in France, which owns about 58 hotels.” “And when I return to Los Angeles, I will sign an agreement to purchase real estate in a prime location in West Hollywood, Jefferson at Hollywood, Mr. Barnett. Have you heard of this property?”

"In...that apartment building next to Hollywood Boulevard, right?"

"Yes."

“That…that’s definitely prime real estate.” Gary frowned. “Has the deal been finalized?”

“My team is still working with them to sort out some details, but the amount is fine, and both sides agree on the big picture… so we shouldn’t be looking at a world where this deal didn’t happen.”

“Congratulations, this is indeed a very valuable… and upgradable asset.”

“Indeed.” Han Yi smiled and glanced at Gary, then scooped a spoonful of soup from his plate and put it in his mouth. He knew very well why Gary wasn’t very enthusiastic about his deal.

It wasn't because he didn't think highly of the Jefferson at Hollywood apartment complex on the West Coast, nor because the complex was in direct competition with him.

In his view, this transaction, along with the acquisition of the French hotel group, should have used up at least the vast majority of Han Yi's current idle cash, if not all of it.

The idle cash that Han Yi had at his disposal was precisely his ultimate goal for attending the banquet today.

"Oh, yes."

After letting the frustration fester in Gary's heart for a while, Han Yi casually wiped his mouth and continued:

"In addition, we are also in talks with AmericInn to see if we can complete the acquisition of them."

“AmericInn?” Gary Barnett, whose emotions had been on a rollercoaster, couldn’t help but widen his eyes slightly. “You mean that hotel chain? The one that makes motels?”

“Yes, that chain brand with 223 mid-sized hotels.” Han Yi smiled and nodded. “I want to buy them all.”

“Wow, that’s…” Gary swallowed hard. “That’s a lot of money.”

“1.7 million US dollars.” Han Yi slowed his speech, giving Gary ample time to think. “Cash.”

“You are really serious about the hotel and real estate industries…”

Gary's initial frustration began to surge again.

Because they understood the subtext that Han Yi had conveyed through the three acquisition deals.

He is not an ordinary billionaire.

He is a super-rich man who can simultaneously handle three nine-figure transactions, yet still has the leisure and resources to sit in the penthouse of One57, listening to the building's builder describe his next ambitious real estate project, and even providing the funds to support it.

"They're really serious." Han Yi repeated Gary's words, expressing his approval.

“That’s why, Mr. Barnett, I’ve read all the news about Extell Development and all the latest updates on the real estate project we call ‘Central Park Tower’.”

“Mr. Barnett…”

"Are you short of money?"

(End of this chapter)