Volume 4: The World of Great Conflict Chapter 0400 Bolin Castle
Nan Yi shook his head again and continued talking about work.
"I am not very interested in Rolls-Royce. It costs too much to get it. I am very interested in Bentley."
"But President, Rolls-Royce may not be willing to sell Bentley. If we want to get Bentley, don't we have to take action against Rolls-Royce?"
"That may not be the case. In fact, Bentley is just a piece of cake compared to Rolls-Royce. Look at the cars of the two brands, there is no difference at all except the brand. Bentley just copied the model of Rolls-Royce."
“President, that can’t be said. Bentley’s sales have surpassed Rolls-Royce’s and it is the highest-selling high-end car brand. It is also one of Rolls-Royce’s main sources of profit. Rolls-Royce may not be willing to let go.
Moreover, if Bentley is acquired by someone else, it will become a competitor of Rolls-Royce. I think this is something Rolls-Royce does not want to see.
Rolls-Royce would rather hide this brand than sell it to others. After all, Rolls-Royce has hidden Bentley before.”
"Yeah." Nan Yi nodded and said, "You make sense. Rolls-Royce will definitely not let go of Bentley easily unless we are willing to pay a sky-high price. So, if we want to get Bentley, we need to take a roundabout way and we also need allies. Which companies do you think are interested in Rolls-Royce?"
Masami Ueto thought for a moment and said, "BMW and Volkswagen will definitely be interested in Rolls-Royce, and maybe Fiat as well."
"Forget about Fiat. BMW and Volkswagen are more suitable to be our allies. Especially BMW. They have always been very interested in Rolls-Royce. If there is a chance to acquire this brand, they will definitely be willing to do so. So tell me, how can we win this ally?"
"President, do you want to test me?"
Nan Yi shrugged and said, "Just treat it as a game."
Ueto Masami smiled and said, “This problem is not difficult at all, as long as we take control of the controlling stake in Rolls-Royce Aero Engines.
In the 1960s, Boeing discovered that the investment required for the research and development of passenger aircraft engines was too great, so they closed their own engine research and development department and outsourced this business. The engine research and development department of Rolls-Royce took over this job.
Who knew, this was a trap.
Rolls-Royce took over this job and continued to invest for more than ten years, and was heavily in debt and almost went bankrupt.
Later in 1971, the cabinet intervened and Rolls-Royce was reorganized, and the company was split into two, automobile and aviation engine companies.
After this, Rolls-Royce Aero Engines became independent.
The brand names of Rolls-Royce and Rolls-Royce are both Rolls Royce, and the Rolls-Royce brand is actually in the hands of Rolls-Royce.
As long as we can control Rolls-Royce, that is, control the Rolls-Royce brand, we can discuss cooperation with BMW. They take Rolls-Royce and we take Bentley. "
Nan Yi snapped his fingers and said, "The idea is good, it can be said to be great, but there are still many troubles in the actual implementation. First we have to capture Katherine Boleyn, and then we have to establish contact with Thatcher and Bobby Wesley."
"Isn't this what we came here for?" Ueto Masami shrugged.
"You're right. Take it step by step. You're destined to be a hard worker." Nan Yi leaned back in his chair, swayed left and right a few times, and said, "Call Rachel and my grandmother tomorrow and ask the richest man Wei Ye and Ikon Computer to contact them to see if they want to invest. If necessary, let Fang Group follow up with the investment."
"President, do you think highly of their core processor business?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Apart from the processor business, I can't think of anything else in Ikon that's worth your attention. As for the PC business, Ikon is not as good as Dell, which was founded not long ago."
"Haha, I guess so. I'm a little interested in Ikon's reduced instruction set. Anyway, the investment won't be too big, so let's just take a gamble."
Ikon is not a very impressive company, but it has an amazing processor division, which will become an independent company in the future.
This company is the famous Arm Holdings, or ARM.
Nan Yi has decided that the Nan Group will still wade into the muddy waters of semiconductor chips, half out of public interest and half out of personal gain.
Nan Yi and the other person continued their discussion on work until nearly eleven o'clock, when they each returned to their respective rooms.
The next day came again. Nan Yi stayed at Downton Abbey until about ten in the morning. He went out before he saw Wu Zaisheng coming.
I thought, this grandson probably won’t come today.
It was drizzling in London today. When Nan Yi's car arrived at the Thames River, the rain just stopped the crying.
The Thames was a little gray and gloomy after the rain. Nan Yi walked past the big wheel with an umbrella. His feet splashed ripples on the ground. There were not many pedestrians on the road. Some people were holding umbrellas, while others had already put them away.
Nan Yi seemed to be walking aimlessly, but his eyes kept looking at the river and the Tower Bridge of London not far away.
Strolling slowly, I soon reached the Tower Bridge of London and walked to the center of the bridge.
In the middle of the bridge, standing next to the guardrail, was a woman.
She has a 6:4 figure and a classical face that is full of sophistication. When you look at her from the side, she seems to have a toughness amid her youthfulness. When you look up, the woman has just turned her face around, and her pair of watery pupils and pink eye makeup make her look as gentle as a fairy, and her long golden hair is sweet and charming.
When she saw Nan Yi, the woman showed surprise on her face, then she smiled, stepped forward, took two steps, and when she was about to take the third step, she retracted her legs, stood still, and looked at Nan Yi who was walking towards her.
"Mr. Adam, why are you in London?"
Nan Yi folded up his umbrella, which was held high up, and handed it to the side, and the school beauty took the umbrella.
Leaning to the side, Nan Yi turned around and held the railing with both hands, looking at the river, then turned to look at Catherine Boleyn, "We met here, don't you think it's a coincidence? "
Catherine nodded, "Yes, I think it's a coincidence."
"But I don't think so. In fact, I know you'll come here and stand for a while these few days. I came here today just to try if we can meet by chance." Nan Yi shrugged and said, "It seems that there is still some fate between us. Look, we met."
Nan Yi knew that Catherine would come to the Thames River to stay for a while these few days, but she stayed in a different place every time, and even a little far away. Nan Yi went straight to the Tower Bridge in London today, and he really didn't expect to run into Catherine at once.
"You've been keeping an eye on me?"
"Yes, I have had someone keep an eye on you since the last time we met in Xiangkeng."
"I see. The person who rescued me from the car and sent me to the hospital last time I had a car accident was your man, right?" Catherine did not take it as an offense when she heard that Nan Yi had sent someone to stare at her. Instead, she asked calmly.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"What if I say it's because I like you?" Nan Yi said with a smile.
"I don't believe it. Your expression isn't serious enough, and I can't sense any sign of liking me from you."
"Then your sense is really not sharp enough. At least, I still like your appearance."
Nan Yi's words did not touch Catherine. She just asked calmly: "Adam, since you asked someone to follow me, you should be very clear about the situation of the Bolin family, right?"
"What do you mean? Are you selling antiques secretly and not daring to sell them to people in London or even to people in your country?"
Nan Yi's words made Catherine's face turn gloomy. Her outward strength and her noble status that she was proud of, all seemed to have become nothing.
Looking at Catherine's changed expression, Nan Yi comforted her: "A person's life cannot always be smooth sailing. It is normal to encounter some twists and turns. Since I am paying attention to you, it means that you have what I need. In order to get this thing, I will definitely pay a certain price.
You need a sum of money, a considerable sum of money, to restore the former glory of the Boleyn family, and I can provide it."
Catherine stared at Nan Yi's face and asked, "What do you want from me? Do you want me to be your wife or your lover?"
"Wife? Not likely. I already have a legal wife. Lover? Maybe. Maybe one day we will have feelings for each other and get together naturally."
"So, we are just a transaction?"
"For now, yeah." Nan Yi took off his coat and put it on Catherine. "It's windy, shall we find a cafe to sit in?"
"Is there a car?" Catherine lifted the corner of her clothes and changed into a more comfortable position.
"certainly."
"Then there is no need to go to the café. I invite you to visit Boleyn Castle. Do you know where it is?"
"Know."
Nan Yi opened the umbrella and tilted it forward to block the wind coming from the front.
…
Greenwich, near the Royal Naval College, the starting point of the earth's longitude, close to the zero meridian, Boleyn Castle stands here.
The convoy crossed a small river and entered the outskirts of Boleyn Castle.
Following Catherine's guidance, we crossed a stone bridge over the moat and entered the inner area of Boleyn Castle, where a majestic building came into view.
However, Nan Yi's attention was on the small buildings and bushes beside the majestic building.
Whether it was the buildings or the bushes, they all gave Nan Yi a feeling of being old and messy. It was obvious that they had not been repaired or tidied up for a long time.
Crossing the stone bridge, on the other side of the bridge, there is a sentry post, which is also in a state of disrepair and no one is inside.
Catherine turned her head and looked in the direction where Nan Yi was looking, and said faintly: "The Boleyn family is now just an empty shell. The castle has not been repaired for two years. I really can't raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for repairs."
Nan Yi retracted his gaze, turned his head to look at Catherine, reached out his hand and patted the back of her hand, and comforted her: "Don't worry, no matter whether our cooperation can be achieved or not, I can support you with a sum of repair money so that you can renovate Boleyn Castle inside and out."
In Eagle Country, there are many families like the Boleyn family. The family property left by their ancestors has been almost squandered, and they have nothing but the title of nobility and a castle.
In recent years, many nobles have moved out of their castles, leaving them ownerless. It is impossible to sell them. Except for a few castles that have left their names in history, the others are simply not easy to sell.
In fact, you can already see castles on the market that are being sold for just one pound. These are not scams but real castles. However, buying a castle requires a large amount of money to be spent on repairs every year.
Any building that is worthy of being called a castle would cost no less than fifty thousand pounds a year to repair. This expense would have to be paid year after year, and would increase year by year.
Living in a castle occasionally is a novelty, but after living there for a long time you will realize its various inconveniences.
When you get tired of waiting and want to sell it, you will see if there is another sucker to fill this hole. If you can't sell it, you will continue to pay for the repairs.
If you dare not move out, Downing Street will send someone to have a good talk with the landlord.
When the car drove to the gate of the main building, a man and a woman hurriedly walked out of the building, then stood there respectfully, looking at the convoy.
The car stopped, Nan Yi and Catherine got out, and Catherine took Nan Yi towards a man and a woman.
"count."
Among the man and woman, the man spoke respectfully to Catherine.
"Adam, let me introduce you. This is Matthew Barrow, the butler of Boleyn Castle. I call him Uncle Matthew. This one is my maid, Anna Robinson." Catherine introduced Nan Yi to the only two subordinates in Boleyn Castle.
"Uncle Matthew, this is Mr. Adam."
"Hello Mr. Adam, welcome to Boleyn Castle."
"Hello, Mr. Matthew." Nan Yi nodded to Matthew.
"Adam, let's go in and talk." Catherine said, leading Nan Yi into the castle.
The school beauty followed Nan Yi inside, and the others stayed outside.
Matthew looked at Nan Yi's bodyguards, thought highly of his ability, and felt a little fortunate.
Boleyn Castle hasn't had such a powerful guest for a long time. In the past two years, all that came were various annoying flies and vampires.
Catherine led Nan Yi to the reception room of the castle. Nan Yi turned around and looked around. If it was placed more than a hundred years ago, the decoration of the castle could be said to be very exquisite, but in the present, it could be called antique at a nice level, and old and rotten at a bad level.
When Nan Yi sat down, the sofa creaked.
"Tea or coffee?" asked Catherine.
"Tea."
"Uncle Matthew, bring me a pot of tea," Catherine said calmly.
Matthew nodded and went to get ready.
"The castle is very nice, Countess Catherine." Nan Yi said to ease the embarrassment.
Catherine smiled bitterly and said, "The title of Earl is just a blessing from my ancestors. Apart from this vain title, I have nothing. In order to maintain this vanity, the Boleyn family has exhausted their wealth, otherwise I would not think of selling antiques."
"This is only temporary. Everything will be fine. I believe that under your leadership, the Boleyn family will be able to restore its former glory."
"Thank you. I also hope that day will come." After hearing Nan Yi's words, Catherine's expression improved a lot.
At this time, Matthew came over with tea and poured a cup for Nan Yi and Catherine respectively.
"Adam, you can try it. Uncle Matthew is very good at making tea." Catherine said, holding up the teacup.
Nan Yi picked up the cup and took a sip. It was not bad. The tea was very ordinary. The taste was entirely due to the skill of making tea. Matthew brought out the flavor of the tea to the extreme.
"It tastes really good. Sir Matthew is a person who understands tea."
Nan Yi put down the teacup and complimented Matthew who was standing aside; a slight smile appeared on Matthew's face, but his calm and arrogant temperament did not diminish at all.
"A pretty good housekeeper." Nan Yi said to himself.
There was no rush to talk about business. Nan Yi and the others sat there drinking tea. After a cup of tea, Catherine said to Matthew: "Uncle Matthew, please leave for a while. Mr. Adam and I have something to say."
"Okay, Earl." Matthew nodded and left.
"Adam, tell me, how do you want to cooperate?"
