Chapter 499 - 300: Player, Placing Pieces Globally

Chapter 499: Chapter 300: Player, Placing Pieces Globally

Lu Ming, on the other hand, was having a blast at the party. He’d hooked up with a Western bombshell, and with how fiery and uninhibited they were being, it was practically a live show.

...

Finally, after about another hour, Rashid came over, leading a man in a white robe. He hadn’t been drinking, only dancing, so he still seemed perfectly clear-headed.

"Chu, this is my brother, Sayed."

The two of them looked quite similar, and both were very handsome.

Lin Chu smiled and shook his hand, then sat down next to them. Talking business in this kind of setting felt a little strange.

Lin Chu wasn’t sure what to make of him.

’He had a nagging feeling that this might not be reliable.’

’But I’m already here, so I might as well give it a shot.’

"I’ve already spoken with Rashid. My current goal is to acquire the LV Group, and as an intermediate step, I need to acquire a European Bank."

"I hear the sovereign wealth fund holds shares in Louis Vuitton?"

Lin Chu asked bluntly.

Rashid translated Lin Chu’s words for Sayed.

As he listened, his eyes narrowed, and he rattled off a long response.

Lin Chu leaned in, waiting for Rashid to translate.

’A prince for my personal interpreter.’

"My brother says the sovereign wealth fund does indeed hold 4.8% of Louis Vuitton’s shares on the secondary market. Based on the current valuation, they’re worth about 24 billion US Dollars."

"But he can’t sell them to you, because it would be useless."

"The founding family’s group holds 48.8% of the shares, making their position as the majority shareholder nearly impossible to shake. Add in other banks and investment firms, and their combined stake is over 60%. Even if you bought up every single share on the secondary market, it wouldn’t be enough. It’s a pipe dream."

"The founding family of the LV Group once tried a similar move themselves. They acquired over 20% of Hermes’s shares through various channels in an attempt to swallow up that luxury giant, but the Hermes founding family successfully fended them off."

"Acquiring a bank, however, is a good idea. The sovereign wealth fund can provide a strategic investment of up to 3 billion US Dollars, but you would have to undergo the fund’s financial audit and evaluation. This is a collective decision; he can only make a recommendation."

Rashid said, his words coming out in a rush.

After listening, Lin Chu nodded, his expression calm.

’Of course, I already knew about the shareholding situation. That’s what makes this so difficult. I’ll just have to take it slow.’

’Still, it wasn’t a total loss.’

’A strategic investment of 3 billion US Dollars is a good first step toward a partnership.’

’This Sayed seems like a sharp guy. He sees things clearly and has a methodical approach.’

"Regarding your company, we’re actually also interested in investing. Have you considered selling any shares?"

Sayed said to Rashid, who immediately translated it.

Lin Chu was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh.

’These oil tycoons really know how to throw their money around.’

’It seems they’ve done their homework on me.’

’Of course, this was all just preliminary. Even if I agreed, there would undoubtedly be extensive due diligence and reviews.’

’Bringing in other investors... The thought had never even crossed my mind before.’

’I’m not short on cash, so why bother?’

But now, Lin Chu had a different perspective on the matter. The money wasn’t the main thing; what was truly important was gaining strategic partners—choosing who to make your allies.

’The royal family’s money was take-it-or-leave-it for me.’

’But their name... if I could leverage the royal family’s name, the benefits would be substantial.’

"I’m currently planning overseas branches for my retail group. I can accept investment in those, but I must maintain a controlling stake."

Lin Chu didn’t turn them down completely, instead proposing a compromise.

’Going international is a step I have to take anyway. Tying the royal family to this venture would be a win-win.’

’Although this royal family’s status couldn’t compare to, say, the British, they were still royalty, after all.’

’And...’

’Once the overseas branches have partnered with them, I can use that prestige back home.’

’To be honest, domestic consumers—especially the mega-rich ones—really eat this stuff up.’

’"Worn by Royalty!"’

’How could you not be tempted?’

"Yes, of course you can."

"Forget the sovereign wealth fund, I can invest in that myself!"

"Chu, would you be willing?"

Rashid didn’t rush to translate. Instead, he had a quick private word with Lin Chu. After all, who wouldn’t want to earn a little extra spending money?

He had also seen Lin Chu’s business development portfolio. The man was a commercial genius, having built a group with a market cap in the tens of billions in just a few short years.

"Of course," Lin Chu said with a smile and a nod. "We’re friends. Let’s make some money together."

After Rashid exchanged a few words with his brother, Sayed also nodded readily.

For the sovereign wealth fund, this amount of money wasn’t even a drop in the bucket.

With trillions in cash reserves, they were players on a completely different level.

It was just a casual move for them.

After they finished with business, they made some small talk. As the party moved into its next high point, Sayed stood up and left.

Lin Chu also politely excused himself.

For a first meeting, reaching this point was actually quite good. They had made some solid progress.

...

When the party ended and it was time to leave, Lu Ming got into the car with his Western bombshell. They were acting all lovey-dovey, forcing Lin Chu to endure their public display of affection the whole ride.

’That guy... was really gloating.’

It was one of the rare times he’d managed to pick up a girl when Lin Chu hadn’t.

And at the Prince of Dubai’s party, no less.

This made Lu Ming incredibly smug, as if he’d finally won a round against him.

Lin Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this.

He was tempted to make a crack about a toothpick stirring a big vat, but he held his tongue.

’Ah, forget it.’

’Just let him have this one.’

’Best to hold my tongue.’

...

Back at the hotel, Lin Chu took a shower, set an alarm for 4 AM, and took a short nap.

He woke up right on time at four o’clock.

Waking up at this hour was a nightmare, but they were flying overnight, and picking them up at the airport in the wee hours was the least he could do for his friends.

He knocked on Lu Ming’s door, hauled him out of bed, and dragged the constantly yawning man to the airport.

On the way to the airport, Lu Ming finally seemed to recover and wake up a bit after two cigarettes. "What happened to the welcoming ceremony I asked you to arrange?" Lin Chu asked casually.

SMACK!

Hearing this, Lu Ming slapped his forehead. "Fuck, I forgot! I was having too much fun last night and it totally slipped my mind!"

Glaring at him, Lin Chu again found himself not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

It wasn’t a big deal.

But it showed how unreliable he could be.

But Lu Ming had always been like that. Life had been smooth sailing for him since he was a kid, so he was always carefree and nonchalant.

The upside was that he had no baggage and never wasted energy on introspection, so he was as happy as a goofball every day.

The downside... well, this was a perfect example.

"Alright, alright, forget it," Lin Chu said, unconcerned. "We’ll see if we can buy something when we get to the airport."

"Okay," Lu Ming said with a shameless grin. "Breakfast is on me. The guys are here, and they might not be used to the local food for their first meal, so I’ll treat them to KFC."

Lin Chu was left speechless.

’You’re fucking incredible.’

’I’m impressed.’

A sudden thought popped into his head, and Lin Chu asked with a smile, "Do you like Dubai?"

"Like it? What’s not to like?" Lu Ming said excitedly. "Fuck, it’s amazing. So much freedom and indulgence."

"I’m thinking of buying some land here, investing some money, and building it up into a major base of operations for food, drink, and entertainment. Why don’t you come here and run it? I’m honestly swamped; I can’t split myself in two."

"I have to go to Paris in a couple of days, and there’s a pile of things waiting for me in Europe."

’He was one of my closest brothers, so of course I could trust him. With Lu Ming here in Dubai, I’d feel much more at ease about the investment.’

’As for his actual competence... that wasn’t nearly as important.’

’I can just hire people to handle the specifics.’

’The person in charge has to be the one you trust the most.’

’It was just like Hu Ping’an. He’d never worked in retail before, let alone luxury retail, but after I threw him into the Capital City for a few months, didn’t he get the hang of it quickly?’

Listening to Lin Chu, Lu Ming felt a stir of excitement, and his eyes began to light up.

"Fuck!"

"Hell yeah! No problem!"

"Hahaha, the Middle East Protectorate... and I’m the Grand Governor!"

...

...