money player

1:20.

Sin Yiu-man sat on a bench in Central Park, holding a magazine called Ebony, a Black magazine that imitated Life magazine and was published by Johnson Publishing Company, whose owner was John Johnson, a Black man.

Ebony was launched in 1945 and currently has a stable circulation of 35 copies. It is very influential among black people. Johnson Publishing Company also has another magazine, Negro Digest, launched in 1942. Its circulation is less stable, fluctuating between 5 and 10 copies.

There aren't many successful Black businessmen in America, but John Johnson is one of them. He's interested in Johnson Publishing, which, if I remember correctly, will soon be launching another, even more successful magazine, Jet. Johnson Publishing is a perfect platform for him to market to Black people, and he's got his eye on the company.

Given the current racial segregation system in the United States, targeting a Black person is not too difficult; digging a hole and burying John Johnson is easy. But taking over Johnson Publishing Company is not so simple.

Just as white people reject black people, black people also reject other races. If you want to get close to black people or do business with them, it's best if black people are in the spotlight while the manipulator remains behind the scenes.

"Mr. Hepburn?"

I just finished reading an article when a black man appeared in front of Sin Yiu-man.

Sin Yiu-man looked up, then glanced at his watch face and said with a smile, "Mr. Garrett, you're five minutes early."

“I’ve been in New York for five days,” Garrett replied with a smile, then pointed to the empty seat next to Sin Yiu-man, “May I sit down?”

"of course."

Garrett took off his top hat, unbuttoned his suit jacket, sat down next to Sin Yiu-man, and asked the question that had been on his mind for days, "How did Mr. Hepburn know me?"

Sin Yiu-man waved the magazine in his hand. "There aren't many Black people worth writing about, but perhaps Mr. Garrett has a restless spirit. I read a lot and spend a lot of money on newspapers and magazines every month."

Garrett glanced at the cover of Ebony. "It would be foolish for my story to be in a magazine."

Sin Yiu-man put down the magazine. "Mr. Garrett, how do I know you're no longer important? Since you've been in New York for five days, I can assume you've conducted an investigation based on the information I left you?"

Garrett nodded. "Yes."

"Do you have any doubts about my abilities? Do you need me to demonstrate anything?"

“No need.” Garrett shook his head, took a piece of paper from his suit pocket, unfolded it, and showed it to Sin Yiu-man.

Xian Yaowen glanced at it; the paper contained his portrait, which was very lifelike, and even the suit he was wearing was a replica—the same suit he had worn at the flower shop that day.

He pointed to the suit. “With this information, I can quickly identify the informant. You might be able to give him some compensation, since he will be unemployed soon.”

Garrett asked in astonishment, "Just because of this portrait?"

"In 1942 and 1943, the U.S. government posted posters everywhere with the slogan 'Loose lips sink ships.'"

"He made a mistake, but it's not enough to make him lose his job."

“Mr. Garrett, if you have a strong desire to express yourself, you can become a stand-up comedian, where your job is to express yourself in all sorts of unexpected ways.”

You Black people have an advantage in this regard. Like the Black waitress I met at the restaurant at noon, she said to me: "I wish every customer who comes here had a wallet as big as yours, so I wouldn't have to worry about starving."

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "What a wonderful sentence, full of philosophy. Two questions: Why did your story appear in Ebony? And what benefits does doing so bring to your business?"

"Um……"

Garrett thought for a moment, unsure how to answer Sin Yiu-man. Should he say that he needed someone to acknowledge and share in his success?
Such an answer was clearly not accepted by Mr. Hepburn in front of him.

Seeing Garrett's hesitation, Sin Yiu-man already knew the answer: "Mr. Garrett, I understand your feelings. You are a black man and you desperately need to be recognized. However, when someone mocks you or looks down on you, you should not argue back, because arguing back means that you agree with the other party's rules of the game, which is equivalent to participating in a game of 'who is more white,' and you can never win."

“Mr. Hepburn, since this didn’t happen to you, you can certainly analyze it calmly,” Garrett said dismissively.

Sin Yiu-man glanced at Garrett and said with a faint smile, “Mr. Garrett, I have had worse experiences than the apartheid system. You will only be discriminated against and beaten by white people, while I may have my stomach ripped open with a bayonet at any time, or have a wooden stake inserted into my anus and out of my mouth, standing on the ground to be used by people to test their courage.”

Damn, what a terrible memory. Okay, I have an appointment soon, so I can't talk to you for long. Now, shall we get to the point?

“Mr. Hepburn, I’m listening.”

"Texas is not a good place for you to develop your career. If you want your career to grow, you should develop it in a big city, such as New York, where there are more black people and more black middle class who have a strong desire to integrate into white communities."

I have two real estate companies here, Pigsy and Monkey King, managed by an excellent Major Dick. He has extensive management experience and can handle internal management well, but he lacks business acumen.

I have the ability to find you funding and also to make up for your shortcomings. For example, there are many things that are inconvenient for you to do as a Black person. I can find a capable white person to be your front-line representative and let him realize your business ideas.

Most importantly, I will always maintain integrity, respect, and equality in treating my partners. I have a clear understanding of value, and if your equity demands are not met in the future, the first thing you should do is not suspect that I am going to discard you after using you, but rather reflect on whether your asking price was too high.

“Mr. Hepburn,” Garrett said, slightly excited, “are you inviting me to become a shareholder in both companies?”

"Yes, Pigsy and Monkey King own several plots of land and several buildings in Flushing. They should have more than $40 in their accounts. I just added $50 a few days ago. I haven't checked on them for a few days, so I don't know how many houses Dick has bought."

Sin Yiu-man shrugged and then pulled a check out of his pocket. “US$1500. If you don’t accept my invitation, this is compensation for your travel expenses. If you do accept the invitation, you will be automatically enrolled in a management share plan with a starting point of 1%.”

Yeah, believe your ears, you'll immediately receive 1% of the shares for free, along with a generous salary and the opportunity to purchase company shares at a lower price.

As he spoke, he pointed to Xie Zhanran and said, "I'll lend you my driver and my car. Wherever you want to go, he'll take you there."

Garrett suppressed his excitement. "Mr. Hepburn seems certain that I will agree?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, “No one can refuse Santa Claus. If you want to have a more in-depth chat, I’m probably free after 10 p.m., and we can have a drink at my house.”

"I am looking forward."

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man stood up and said, “Mr. Garrett, have a nice day.”

Garrett stood up and replied, "Mr. Hepburn, I wish you the same."

"Thank you." Xian Yaowen shook Garrett's hand. "See you tonight."

"See you tonight."

After bidding farewell to Garrett, Sin Yiu-man strolled toward the Song residence, unhurried and prepared to be late.

On the way, he continued to ponder Bernard Garrett, a somewhat radical and risky choice, since no background check had been conducted and he had decided to use him based solely on his memories from his previous life.

Garrett was a prominent Black man who at one point rivaled Martin Luther King Jr. in fame. He started his business in Texas with real estate, operating on a model similar to Charlie Munger's: raising funds to buy houses and then renting them out to profit from the rental income. However, Garrett primarily targeted Black clients.

If history hadn't changed, Garrett would have moved to Los Angeles in a few years, bought the Bankers Tower, the tallest building in Los Angeles, and then stepped into the banking industry, acquiring several banks in Texas and striding towards becoming a banking conglomerate.

However, Garrett's plan fell apart midway, and he and his partner were imprisoned before they could reach their goal of becoming a banking conglomerate. As for the reason for their imprisonment, the black man attributed it to racial discrimination, but the real reason was that Garrett simply did not have the ability to be a banker; he messed things up himself.

He needed Garrett's keen eye for real estate business, but had no intention of getting involved in the banker's dream. If he were to play the banker training game, he would look for trainees among the Jews. Jews have been forced to excel in the financial industry for thousands of years, and there are too many potential banker geniuses with financial genes. It is also easy to build industry connections.

Black bankers, in a few years they can go to Africa to play simulation games.

……

Zillemarkt.
A landmark pub in West Berlin, located in the Charlottenburg district, it was a favorite gathering place for West Berlin intellectuals, artists, journalists, and actors after the war.

This place, brimming with heated discussions and a free artistic atmosphere, is one of the symbols of West Berlin's cultural revival. People here talk about politics, literature, and art, a stark contrast to the repressive atmosphere in the East.

Earlier, Stevie, who had been sent to Berlin by Xian Yaowen, brought Zhou Yueyu to this tavern. The two did not rush to find a seat. Stevie pointed to a man for Zhou Yueyu, "He is Walter Heck."

"Are you sure it's this person?"

"It's definitely him."

"Okay, let's talk to him."

The two approached Walter Heck's table, and Zhou Yueyu greeted him directly, "Hello, Mr. Heck."

Stief acted as the translator on the side.

Heck was startled to hear a woman greeting him in English. He immediately said, "I'm not Heck, you've mistaken me for someone else."

After hearing Stie's translation, Zhou Yueyu smiled and said, "Mr. Heck, I am Fad Chow, the chief designer of Color-S, a clothing design company under Juliet Brand Management. I would like to invite you to join Color-S."

Walter Heck, a former member of the SS cultural creative group, was a graphic designer and costume designer. He designed the SS lightning bolt emblem and the SA rune insignia. He was the chief designer of the SS black uniform and participated in the design of most of the German military uniforms during World War II.

Heck was taken aback. He thought trouble was coming his way, but it turned out to be work. He quickly said, "Please sit down, please sit down."

Having been drawn into a struggle for interests, as a member of the losing side, he naturally had to pay the price. Heck, an unarmed SS member, escaped trial, but could not escape the implicit discrimination in finding a job. He could only find a hard job delivering coal at a coal station under an assumed name. His way of reminiscing about his artistic life was to splurge on a drink at Zillemarkt every month.

Zhou Yueyu and Stewart sat down, and Stewart ordered three pitchers of Berlin-style white beer and three servings of raspberry syrup to accompany the white beer. Then he began to translate for Zhou Yueyu.

“Mr. Heck, Color-S is preparing to establish a branch in West Berlin. I invite you to join Color-S and participate in the establishment of the branch. Once the branch is operating normally, you can choose to stay in the branch or go to work at the headquarters in Paris.”

"Zhou, my position is fashion designer?"

"Yes, your position is junior fashion designer, with a starting monthly salary of 600 marks. HR will tell you about other benefits after you join the company."

Upon hearing the figure of 600 marks, Heck instantly lost the desire to inquire about the specific job details. With such a high salary, he wouldn't mind designing clothes for ants.

Zhou Yueyu and he communicated very efficiently, quickly finalized the onboarding, and discussed and decided that the branch office would be located on Elector Boulevard in Charlottenburg.

The Electoral Boulevard can be considered Germany's Champs-Élysées. There are some German and Swiss luxury brand stores on the street, and for now, the only other brands are Guerlain perfume and Chanel No. 5.

Meanwhile, the estimated total price of a 5-6 story apartment/commercial mixed-use building with relatively minor damage on the street is extremely wide, ranging from approximately 30 to 120 million marks. Investing in some buildings in prime locations can lead to easy rental income and huge profits in the future.

In 1951, almost all luxury brands were facing severe financial and resource constraints. They lacked the capital to purchase or lease prime properties around the world to open their own stores. Wholesale products to existing, reputable retailers was the lowest-risk and most cost-effective approach.

The core objective of a brand is to resume production and sell its products as quickly as possible. Leveraging the existing sales networks, customer relationships, and market knowledge of local retailers is the fastest way to enter a market.

The brand focuses more on the manufacturing and craftsmanship of the product itself, rather than controlling the entire consumer experience. They believe that as long as the product is excellent enough, sales through reputable retailers are sufficient to maintain their premium image.

At this time, the mainstream model was franchising, where brands would partner with large department stores to set up a "shop-in-shop" within the department store. The department store provided the space and daily operations, while the brand provided merchandise and training, and had some control over its image.

The most important thing for luxury brands is to unify their global image, control the customer experience, and tell a good brand story to specific potential customer groups.

Although brands and retailers generally share similar interests, conflicts of interest arise during holiday marketing or cash-back marketing campaigns. Brands put pressure on retailers to stockpile inventory and expect retailers to help tell the brand story, while retailers are more eager to sell their products as quickly as possible. Discounts and storytelling-based discounts are inevitable.

Sin Yiu-man's development strategy for Juliet brand management is to focus on establishing directly operated stores, supplemented by developing authorized stores in airport duty-free shops or other special locations such as casino hotels. He aims to withstand enormous financial pressure, continuously tell the brand story, and use the tortoise and the hare strategy to gradually weaken the historical weight of other brands, catch up with them on the same starting line, and then surpass them.

Sin Yiu-man was mentally prepared for not seeing any return on his investment for twenty years, and he made a concerted effort to establish Juliet's dominant position in the luxury goods industry.

Exploring real estate on streets like Elector Boulevard is part of a planned strategy. It can increase revenue through rent and also lay the groundwork for other brands. When brands like Axiang, Agu, and Adidas realize they need to develop directly operated stores, it will be a good opportunity to let them experience the Eastern way of strangling them.

After discussing the office location, Zhou Yueyu got another name from Heck: Karl Dubich, a painter and graphic artist who not only participated in the design of German military uniforms, but also had his name associated with almost every aesthetic element of Nazi culture.

A luxury brand cannot simply focus on product design; everything must be designed. Based on the simple truth that values ​​follow physical appearance and that a dashing thug is more righteous than a monkey-faced villain, Juliet's brand must reveal its design ingenuity in every aspect, even in candid photos of scandals, which must contain the language of lens design.

Juliet desperately needs an expert with experience in party aesthetics image design to join her team. Beauty can cover up ugliness, and no one will care that beneath the glamorous performance are worms and maggots crawling.

After finishing her work conversation with Heck, Zhou Yueyu took her beer mug to the window, admired the street scene outside through the glass, and pondered her mission in West Berlin.

West Berlin was an isolated island. The Western camp could only enter by land through East Berlin, and by air, there were only three difficult-to-open air corridors. However, there was no wall between West Berlin and East Berlin.

As a window to counter East Germany, West Berlin received special treatment, with businesses and residents enjoying an "isolated island allowance," which helped it gain an edge over East Berlin, which had been subjected to several rounds of ugly exploitation by the Soviet Union.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Zhou Yueyu. It's just a deduction based on the Soviet style. Before long, East Germans will think that Moscow is the most developed city in the world, and West Berlin is a pseudo-developed city created by capitalism exploiting the world at any cost.

Whether it's genuine or not, it's a developed country. It's hard to say what ordinary people think, but officials from all over the world, from East Berlin to Moscow, would probably approve of the luxury brands on the Electoral Boulevard.

Without a deep understanding of the corruption of capitalism, without wearing a capitalist sugar-coated bullet on one's left hand, without wearing a capitalist stranglehold around one's neck, and without constantly feeling the corrosive pain of capitalism, how can one make a profound critique of capitalism, and how can one write a warning about the suffering of the American people?

Juliet intends to establish a corruption hub in West Berlin, supplying East Berlin and Moscow with sugar-coated bullets for officials to observe, criticize, and study in a targeted manner, thereby indirectly promoting her brand.

Sin Yiu-man called it an "official marketing case." When an official was brought down, a bunch of Juliet brands were confiscated from his home. As long as the news spread to the public, the brands were enough to be remembered by a generation.

Once ordinary citizens from the Soviet bloc are allowed to leave, or brands are allowed to enter, the magic of "King Chu's fondness for slender waists led to many starving deaths in the palace" will be activated.

Well, you can disregard some people's character, but you can't disregard their taste.

2:05.

Xian Yaowen arrived at the gate of the Song residence and rang the doorbell.

A moment later, the door was opened, and the person who opened it was either a servant, a housekeeper, or Song Ziwen himself.

With an undisguised smug smile on his face, Xian Yaowen said apologetically, "Mr. Song, my name is Xian Yaowen. I'm sorry, I encountered an unexpected situation and I'm late."

"Mr. Xian, there's no need for that. I'm just a free man, not particularly concerned with time. Please come in." Song Ziwen adjusted his glasses and led Xian Yaowen into the house, his mind analyzing Xian Yaowen's smile, guessing that something good had happened. (End of Chapter)