"I have a few conditions for purchasing the Tuileries Garden! If you can agree to them, sir, I can sign the contract and pay immediately!" Huang He said.
"Please, state them!" The President frowned slightly, worried that Huang He might present unacceptable terms. Nevertheless, he was very eager to sell the Tuileries Garden.
"First, $1.6 billion is too expensive. I can accept a maximum of $1 billion!" Huang He stated.
"We can renegotiate the price..." Before the President could finish speaking, Huang He continued, "Mr. President, I don't want to waste time negotiating. $1 billion is my bottom line. If you're willing to accept, we can continue our discussion. If not, I'll leave; it makes no difference!"
"..." The President was speechless. He had never encountered such a negotiator before. However, he had to admit that the $1.6 billion price was an impossible figure, meant for a fallback in a negotiation.
In reality, the government's bottom line was around $800 million, making $1 billion an acceptable offer. Some might find it unfathomable that such a grand former French royal palace would be sold for $800 million.
However, the palace came with many restrictions. Commercial development was virtually impossible, and it was destined to be a money-loser with no profit to be made. It was essentially an unsellable property.
Initially, the government had priced it at $5 billion. As no one was willing to take it, the price was gradually lowered, eventually reaching $1.6 billion, with a floor of just $800 million, purely to offload the burden.
Thus, the President did not hesitate for too long before nodding, "Alright. It still needs to be discussed by the cabinet, but I can agree to this price!"
"Good. Second, the payment should be in installments, with a 50% down payment, meaning $500 million. The remaining amount will be paid over 20 years, with interest calculated at the normal rate!" Huang He continued.
"That's no problem!" the President readily agreed. Installment payments would allow him to collect more money, which was a good thing. If absolutely necessary, the bank could act as a lender to pay it off directly. This condition presented no issues.
"Third, relevant agencies can conduct regular inspections of the Tuileries Palace's maintenance and upkeep, but they will have no right to interfere with our daily management or activities. If we violate any regulations, we accept fines or even confiscation. However, we will not accept any direct management." Huang He said.
"Agreed!"
"Finally, there's one small, personal condition!" Huang He added.
"Oh? What condition?" The President looked curious.
"I hope that after signing the contract and making the payment, the Tuileries Garden will be immediately and completely closed off for us to carry out certain rule-compliant renovations. Once the renovations are successful, no activities will be permitted during the renovation period!" Huang He said.
"That's no problem!" The President smiled. He thought it was a trivial matter, something that should naturally be expected.
"You just need to make the payment after the Paris Fashion Week concludes!" the President added.
"That won't do!" Huang He shook his head and smiled slightly. "If the agreement isn't signed and payment isn't made before the Paris Fashion Week begins, then this deal is no longer necessary!"
"Why?" The President looked at Huang He, perplexed. "Why must you rush before the Paris Fashion Week?"
"Because I'm buying the Tuileries Palace specifically to prevent their fashion week from happening. I'm doing it to annoy them!" Huang He stated frankly.
He had just revealed his true intentions!
"..." The room fell silent. The President was stunned by Huang He's words.
"Are you mad?" the President couldn't help but ask.
"No, I'm just a petty person who can't stand being wronged!" Huang He smiled. "If the Paris Fashion Association doesn't allow me to participate in Paris Fashion Week, then I'll simply prevent the entire fashion week from happening!"
"You're spending $1 billion just for revenge because the Fashion Association didn't let you participate in their fashion week?" The President was once again speechless. He had never met anyone so arrogant in his life.
And it wasn't just about the $1 billion. Huang He would continue to lose millions of euros annually. All of this was to spite the Fashion Association. The President realized he needed to update his understanding of the Chinese.
However, the President didn't feel much anger. He actually disliked the Paris Fashion Association himself. During his election campaign, the association had rallied its members to vote for his opponent, though he had still won.
The President remembered this, and he wouldn't forget it.
Therefore, the President found himself somewhat admiring Huang He. He liked people with such a personality.
This was also why Huang He dared to openly declare his intention to retaliate against the Paris Fashion Association in front of the President. Huang He had thoroughly investigated these matters beforehand; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to speak so boldly. He had gathered considerable intelligence.
"Perhaps it's time to teach those damn people a lesson!" the President mused. Since Huang He was taking the initiative to annoy the Paris Fashion Association, why shouldn't he go along with it?
After all, he would be doing it for the country's interests, and no one could fault him. Anyone who dared to complain would be responsible for filling the financial deficit of the Tuileries Garden.
As for whether this would damage Paris's status as a fashion capital, that was unlikely.
Paris's position as a fashion capital had been built over a century and could not be destroyed by a minor setback. At most, the Paris Fashion Association would become a laughingstock, a situation the President very much desired.
Therefore, the President quickly smiled and said, "I will have the relevant agencies sign the contract with you as soon as possible. Once you make the payment, the Tuileries Garden will be yours. You can close it for renovations whenever you wish; that is your right."
"However, during your renovation period, I will send a team of experts to be present. They will not interfere with your normal operations but will constantly remind you of what cannot be moved, to prevent irreparable damage to our cultural heritage!"
"Understood!" Huang He nodded.
[PS: There's a significant point of contention in this plot: the French government would never complete the transfer of such a key cultural building so quickly. However, this is a different France, and thus they have this level of operational efficiency!]
"Alright, I will convene a cabinet meeting tomorrow to discuss it. If all goes smoothly, you can prepare to sign the contract the day after tomorrow! But your funds must be ready, as you can only begin the closure and renovation work once your funds are in place!" the President emphasized. So, the money still had to come first.
---
"You really bought the Tuileries Garden?" on the way back, Vivian repeatedly asked Huang He this question. This was the fourth time she had asked.
Meanwhile, the butler, Keel, who was driving, couldn't help but glance back at the rear seat, disregarding the professional driver's rule of not looking backward and focusing on the road ahead for safety.
But he couldn't help looking back. The fact that a Chinese man had purchased the Tuileries Garden was too sensational. Once this news was released, it would likely cause an explosive impact. The entire European media would likely erupt, and Huang He and his Jiangnan Group would instantly become the center of global attention and focus.
Even he, despite hearing Huang He confirm the news for the fourth time, still found it hard to believe and thought Huang He was deceiving his princess.
"At the earliest tomorrow, at the latest the day after, you'll see it in the news!" Huang He said nonchalantly.
However, they wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow or the day after; the news exploded that very evening.
The first news that broke was about an auction. A first-edition handwritten Bible by the First Lady was sold for a staggering $1 million. As soon as this news was announced, some people questioned whether it was a scheme for money laundering or quid pro quo.
However, upon learning that it was a charity auction and all funds were immediately transferred to a charitable organization, people became curious about the identity of the wealthy individual who purchased the handwritten Bible for $1 million.
Then, they were surprised to discover that this person was a Chinese national, and the news went viral again.
However, the news was mostly positive, with no negative reports.
Firstly, despite the popularity of criticizing France in China, France was arguably the most friendly European nation towards China.
France was the first major world power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to establish diplomatic relations with China, not only in Europe but worldwide, aside from the Soviet Union.
In fact, France had the most extensive economic and trade cooperation with China. Starting in the 1990s, France regularly hosted Chinese Cultural Festivals, a unique occurrence in Europe. Even after relations became somewhat strained in 2010, this festival continued.
And 2003 was arguably the peak of Sino-French relations. Both countries agreed to hold a "Year of China" in France from October 2003 to July 2004, followed by a "Year of France" in China from October 2004 to July 2005. These were large-scale cultural and economic exchange activities spanning a full year.
Not to mention that the $1 million spent by the Chinese was for charity, to aid the few pitiful, deceased young birds, which made it even more commendable.
Even the French church later praised this as a sign of Chinese respect for God and invited Huang He to be baptized, but Huang He remained unresponsive, as if he hadn't heard.
As for the handwritten Bible, Huang He immediately donated it to the French National Museum. Whether they chose to exhibit it was their own affair.
However, the fervor surrounding this news was far outmatched by the sensational news that broke the next day: France's decision to sell the Tuileries Garden for $1 billion.