hollywood billionaire

Chapter 574 A Grand Tour of the New Century's Nobles (Part 1)
Meeting in Paris before Christmas for some alone time was a travel plan Han Yi and Barbara made after their last meeting in Los Angeles.

Actually, this wasn't Barbara's first choice. Her initial plan was to take Han Yi to her hometown, Budapest, Hungary, to let her boyfriend see the landscape that nurtured her, and to tell him about the mischievous and playful Barbara's childhood stories before she transformed into a Victoria's Secret Angel—stories that were sometimes heartwarming and sometimes humorous.

But in the end, after much deliberation, Barbie gave up on this idea that had captured her heart.

There is only one reason—her identity.

Barbara Pavin is currently the Hungarian celebrity with the most fans worldwide, bar none.

She is the only world-class supermodel produced in this Central European country with an extremely underdeveloped fashion industry in over half a century. She is the pride of all Hungary and an ambassador for the Magyars to spread their culture on the European and global stage.

It's easy to imagine how well-known and recognizable her face is in China.

This means that Barbara Pavin had no way of keeping a low profile and avoiding exposing their relationship while bringing Han Yi to the streets of Budapest.

Whether they go to Castle Hill for a view, stroll on the Chain Bridge, or have afternoon tea at a café on the banks of the Danube, their every move is closely watched by countless eyes, and countless cameras will pop up from unexpected corners to secretly photograph them.

This is undoubtedly contrary to her original intention of protecting the relationship from outside interference.

Therefore, for Barbara, there is only one possible reason for taking Han Yi back to Hungary: she is ready to make their relationship public and take it to the next level by taking him home to meet her parents.

At that time, Barbara would first take him back to the family estate outside Budapest to formally introduce him to her parents and sister. After gaining their approval and blessings, they could then openly and legitimately travel around Budapest as a couple.

Only in this way can you avoid unnecessary public relations troubles and malicious speculations from tabloids.

Therefore, Paris is indeed a much more suitable destination than Budapest.

This fashion capital offers not only endless romantic options—from intimate dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants to winter strolls along the Seine, from niche art galleries in Montmartre to antique shops in the Marais district—but more importantly, it provides anonymity that Budapest lacks.

Admittedly, many people recognize Barbara Pavin in Paris. After all, it's the world's fashion capital and one of the cities where she was most active as a supermodel. Her face is currently displayed on giant billboards along the Champs-Élysées, and not just one. There are ads for L'Oréal's new facial cleanser, and advertisements for Armani's new fragrance line.

But the best thing about Paris is that it's never short of celebrities.

Politicians, movie stars, singers, artists, royalty… countless well-known faces appear in every corner of the city every day. Parisians are already used to it, and media attention is highly dispersed. As long as Han Yi and Barbara choose sufficiently discreet and low-key modes of transportation, such as booking hotel suites with VIP access, avoiding tourist hotspots, using executive chauffeured services, and refraining from wandering the streets unnecessarily, they can largely avoid unnecessary attention.

What's even more ingenious is that they chose the special time of Christmas Eve.

Most of the French paparazzi and tabloid reporters who have been working non-stop all year are now taking a break and going home.

The media firepower in Paris will drop to its lowest point of the year.

The right time, the right place, the right people.

All these factors convinced Barbara that they could enjoy a sweet time together undisturbed in this city of lights, savoring the sweetness of love.

As her boyfriend, Han Yi naturally had no objection to his girlfriend's thoughtful consideration. Moreover, having never set foot in Paris before, he was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Will I fall hopelessly in love with this eternal city that has witnessed an entire golden age, or will I, like those disillusioned Japanese tourists, suffer from "Paris syndrome" in utter disappointment?
Isn't the beauty of life precisely that there are always one unknown after another, waiting for you to uncover the mystery?
Moreover, what's even more wonderful for Han Yi is that each new experience brings him the most tangible feedback.

That's the cash rebate mentioned in the memo.

Even the smallest mosquito is still meat, and besides, there are different types of mosquitoes, such as the Raouli mosquito, which is only 2.5 millimeters long, and the Australian weevil mosquito, which can reach 18 millimeters in length. This trip to Europe undoubtedly leaned more towards the latter. In Europe, the region with the most developed modern tourism industry, on this continent where the tradition of aristocratic grand tours has existed for nearly four hundred years, there is absolutely no ceiling to the scale of luxury travel.

Four hundred years ago, young lords from all over Europe studied French and etiquette in Paris, commissioned portraits of themselves in Florence, acquired marble sculptures and fragments of ancient ruins in Rome, and indulged in operas and casinos in Venice. The money they spent on a single grand tour was often equivalent to the cost of purchasing a mansion in London, or even a medium-sized estate.

Four hundred years later, this tradition has not only not disappeared, but has evolved to its fullest extent with the support of modern capital.

From booking a Michelin three-star restaurant on the Champs-Élysées to reserving a private yacht on the French Riviera for an entire week; from temporarily opening a champagne bar atop a Swiss mountain to renting a castle in Scotland just for a round of golf—in Europe, as long as you can afford it, every imaginable aspect of romance and luxury has a clearly priced path to fulfillment.

Therefore, for Han Yi and his memorandum, this trip to Paris, and even his future European journey, is far more than just a small gain. This continent is essentially a treasure map tailor-made for his cashback system, filled with enormous consumer opportunities. He is about to embark on not only a romantic journey, but also a grand tour of the new century with astonishing returns.

London, where they are now, and Paris, which they are about to visit, are two world-class metropolises where countless glories converge, but they are merely appetizers in this grand feast.

In order to maximize the budget, provide the best experience, and offer the biggest cashback, Han Yi left no room for compromise from the very beginning, upgrading everything that could be upgraded.

The straight-line distance between London and Paris is only 342.76 kilometers. To put that in perspective, Los Angeles is 426.15 kilometers from Las Vegas. A commercial flight from London Heathrow Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport takes at most one hour and twenty minutes.

Because the distance is so short, this route has almost become like a bus service. There are 13 commercial flights daily between Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle alone. If you include all flights departing from Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, and London City Airport, the number skyrockets to an astonishing 76 flights per day.

If they prefer the convenience and comfort of land transport, Eurostar trains also offer 14 to 19 daily services, departing from St. Pancras Station in central London, passing through the Channel Tunnel, and arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris.

Convenient, efficient, safe, with a wide selection, and inexpensive.

Interestingly, it is precisely on this route, which is completely covered by public transportation, that the private jet business is booming.

Many people, especially those who want to be perceived as wealthy, choose to fly from London to Paris on a private jet.

The reason for this, besides the privacy and convenience of private travel, is that this route is practically tailor-made for social media. It perfectly hits all the elements of "showing off": traveling between two world-renowned international metropolises, from takeoff to landing, there are countless iconic landmarks to capture in photos and videos.

Whether it's taking off from London Luton Airport and soaring over The Shard in the City of London, or gazing at the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower as you land at Paris Le Bourget Airport, any location tag or post can garner a massive amount of likes and envy. What's even more appealing is that the barrier to achieving all of this is incredibly low.

If it's just an ultralight turboprop aircraft, the price for a single flight could be as low as around £4000. Even for more mainstream light jets, such as the Cessna Citation, the charter price is only between £5500 and £9500.

For those internet celebrities and minor stars who desperately want to squeeze into high society or need to use photos and location tracking to maintain their wealthy persona, this amount of money is undoubtedly a very cost-effective investment.

But for Han Yi, this kind of beginner-level experience was clearly not within his consideration.

His goal is to reach the top.

How could a light jet that can only seat 6-8 people be worthy of being the appetizer for his new century aristocratic grand tour?

This time, Han Yi didn't choose Jet Linx, the airline service provider he was most familiar with. Instead, he contacted NetJets through Corey McIntosh, a company he had previously regrettably missed out on. This global operator from Columbus, Ohio, also holds an important position in the UK market.

If we only consider the scale of operations within the UK, Luxaviation UK might be the largest local operator. But Han Yi's vision is not limited to this narrow English Channel.

What he needs is a global partner.

The reason is simple—NetJets' global fleet size is far beyond what regional giants like Luxaviation can match.

Han Yi was well aware that as his business empire expanded globally, he would need to charter private jets more and more frequently. Perhaps his own G650ER was undergoing routine maintenance, perhaps the plane was carrying his team on a mission on the other side of the world, or perhaps he himself needed to make a low-key departure from an unexpected city.

In these circumstances, the value of a multinational corporation that can cover the globe and readily deploy suitable aircraft from its vast fleet is immeasurable.

Instead of searching for the best local operator in each country or region and starting from scratch, it's better to choose a long-term, stable partner from the beginning who can provide top-tier VIP services all over the world.

NetJets, as the Goliath of the business jet industry, is undoubtedly the best actor to play this role.

With the strong recommendation of NetJets' London area manager, Han Yi ultimately chose the Dassault Falcon 7X for his trip. While it might not sound as luxurious and high-end as a Gulfstream G650ER or a Bombardier Global Express 6000, for the London-Paris route, the Falcon 7X was the choice that best reflected his status as a wealthy man.

For ordinary consumers who have never flown on a private jet before, or who are just starting out, they don't care whether the flight from London to Paris takes fifty minutes, an hour, or an hour and twenty minutes. They might even prefer to spend more time in the air so they have enough time to enjoy champagne, food, and take photos.

But the old money class in continental Europe is different.

For them, traveling by private jet is a daily routine, as natural as breathing. Taking a private jet from London to New York is perhaps as commonplace for them as waking up in the morning, ordering an Uber Black, and taking a ride from the Upper East Side to the Financial District.

When something becomes merely a commuting tool, the user experience becomes secondary. All they pursue is the ultimate speed and efficiency.

The Falcon 7X can provide just that.

The fundamental reason is that on this short-haul cross-strait route, the cruising speed of a private plane is almost meaningless; the plane must begin to descend as soon as it reaches cruising altitude.

Therefore, true "speed" depends on which airport you use.

The only answer for Paris is Paris-Le Bourget Airport. It is the busiest business jet airport in Europe, bar none, and is known as the "Teterboro of Europe," offering comprehensive travel support for its business jet clients.

The ultimate answer for London is London City Airport. Most people haven't heard of this airport because commercial flights in London are either at Heathrow or Gatwick. But for ultra-high-net-worth clients, London City Airport is the best option, unmatched by either of those, as it's located in the city center, just a 10-minute drive from Canary Wharf.

And that's where the Falcon 7X comes out on top.

Located in the Royal Dock area of ​​Newham, London City Airport, with only one runway, boasts some of the world's most stringent takeoff and landing standards. Not only is the runway only 1508 meters long, but the glide slope is also exceptionally steep. London City Airport requires all aircraft to descend at a steep angle of 5.5 degrees to avoid urban structures. In standard 4F-class international airports, this angle is typically 3 degrees.

This means that 90% of the world's business jets, including Gulfstream G650s and Global Express 6000s, cannot take off or land here.

The Dassault Falcon series is one of the very few large intercontinental business jets that can achieve this.

While other wealthy travelers are still stuck in traffic on the M4 motorway to Heathrow, you've already leisurely arrived at the airport, stepped through the cabin door, and disappeared into the thick clouds of London. Thanks to the powerful performance of the Falcon 7X, a journey that typically takes one hour and twenty minutes on a commercial flight is completed in fifty or even forty-five minutes. Arriving in Le Bourget, the distance between you and the center of Paris is almost half that of Charles de Gaulle Airport. There's no need to wait at the baggage carousel, because your luggage is already in a limousine before you even step off the plane. Even during rush hour, the drive from here to the Louvre takes only about half an hour.

Time is the ultimate luxury.

The only problem with this seemingly perfect arrangement is that Barbara Pavin needs to help Kenzo get some brand exposure at Heathrow Airport.

But this wasn't a particularly big problem—at Barbara's request, IMG Models, the agency responsible for her global business affairs, contacted the street photographer they had hired in advance with a single phone call and changed the shooting location from the departure hall of Heathrow Airport to the entrance of the Ritz Hotel in London where they were currently staying.

It doesn't take up any time at all.

Han Yi waited quietly in the hotel lobby. After Barbara took a series of seemingly casual and fashionable street photos at the entrance with a big smile, and signed autographs and took photos with a few tourists who happened to be passing by, they got into the Rolls-Royce Phantom that Aiden had prepared and embarked on their journey to London City Airport.

Two hours later, they arrived at the heart of another cosmopolitan metropolis – 31 George V Avenue.

This time, Han Yi booked a hotel for the two of them in Paris that was his girlfriend's favorite in the city, and one of the most famous and long-established luxury hotels in Europe.

Four Seasons Hotel George V.

(End of this chapter)