How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?

Song Qian listened to the conversation of the group and blinked enviously...

Everyone says celebrities earn a lot but in reality, it’s only a small handful who do, like Zhou Jielun. Why was he able to earn more than two billion in four years, becoming the top earner in Hua Country’s entertainment industry?

It’s not just because of his fame, but more so because he had stepped beyond the category of a mere star and had become a master of his domain, turning into a capital mogul in the entertainment industry.

Including Huang Xiaoming and Yang Mi, they all followed a similar path.

There are millions of people working in Hua Country’s entertainment industry, but how many earn over a hundred million?

Although Song Qian could be considered a top celebrity, what about her actual income? According to Celebrity Net Worth Magazine in 2022, her total assets were 12 million US dollars, which, compared to the income of ordinary people, was astronomically high.

But compared to real tycoons, it was not considered a lot of money...

Not to mention the distant examples, just take Gu Heng in front of her, whose simple expenditure of over two billion RMB was already three times that of Song Qian’s total assets...

This was also why, despite high exposure, celebrities were always at the bottom of the disdain chain in the real upper society...

.....

"I heard that wineries in France are famous. I’m thinking of acquiring one, would it be troublesome?"

Unaware of Song Qian’s thoughts, Gu Heng changed the subject, asking Douglas Pignol a question.

Most of the internationally renowned wineries are in France, and Gu Heng had planned to buy one for his personal winemaking before he even arrived in France. Now that he was here, he naturally wanted to put his plans into action.

Initially, he had intended to have American Express Company utilize its influence to find him a winery to take over, but now that he had Douglas Pignol, a substantial landowner, he didn’t need to bother any further.

Upon hearing Gu Heng’s words, Douglas Pignol was initially stunned, then burst into laughter...

This was business coming to his door, wasn’t it?

Before he could respond, Frederick Arnault spoke first, "Gu Heng, you’ve asked the right person. Almost half of the wineries in France are owned by the Pignol Family, including the world-famous Lafite Winery, where their family also holds significant shares."

Douglas Pignol nodded and said, "If you’re looking to acquire a winery that already has its own brand, it might be difficult, like the Lafite Winery Frederick just mentioned. Its valuation is 3.7 billion Euros; a full acquisition might cost you up to 5 billion Euros.

But I heard you’re looking to buy a private winery for your personal winemaking, which would be very simple.

My family owns 27 wineries under our name in France, 15 of which are in the Bordeaux region. The wine produced there is no different from the Lafite Winery because they use the same grape variety."

"How much would a winery cost roughly?"

When it came to matters of profit, Douglas Pignol resumed the shrewdness of a Western capitalist and straightened up.

"I can’t give you an exact figure because various factors like the size of the winery or the value of the brand can affect price fluctuations. For instance, among the 15 Bordeaux wineries I just mentioned, the lowest price you could buy one for is just over 30 million Euros.

On the highest end, even spending a billion Euros might hardly sway the old folks in my family."

Gu Heng nodded upon hearing this... @@novelbin@@

Wineries do hold strong industrial value, so it makes sense if pricing them can be a bit complicated. Then he slowly said, "Since the winery aspect might be a bit complicated, what about a manor?

I’d like to purchase a manor in France, so I don’t have to stay in a hotel when I travel here in the future."

"Manors are much simpler. I have full authority to decide."

You can open a map of France on your phone right now. There are 13 regions and 96 departments you can choose from. Wherever you pick, I can find you the most luxurious manor in the shortest time. If it’s not available, I can also help you buy the land and build a brand-new manor in no time!"

In the past half hour, Douglas Pignol had kept a low profile...

But at this moment, when it came to his domain, he became utterly fervent...

He even let Gu Heng choose directly from the map...

Making it seem like the medieval practice of enclosing land...

However, Frederick Arnault and Nicolas Meyer remained unfazed, showing no change in expression, seemingly in full agreement with Douglas Pignol’s words...

Is this what being a French landowner is like...

This time Gu Heng was truly envious...

This is what being truly wealthy is like, right...

Unlike in Hua Country, where no matter how rich you are, public opinion still controls you, and having a lot of money doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want...

Now look at France...

The Pignol family owns so much private land, and they can freely sell it to foreigners without anyone daring to criticize, and this is the West, shaped by centuries of capitalism...

A true paradise for the rich...

As for the lower-class citizens, what right do they have to speak?

Thinking this way, Gu Heng realized that being an ordinary person born in Hua Country was quite good, but if you became wealthy, the West was more appealing...

Shaking his head, Gu Heng stopped thinking about it and directly said, "I’m not very interested in manors elsewhere, but I heard from Fred that this manor hosting the wine party belongs to your family? Could you sell it to me?"

He had no interest in buying some manor in a remote area of France...

This Kurson Manor was only 35 kilometers from Paris. If you compare Paris to the capital city, this location would be between the second and third ring roads, definitely the city center, owning a huge manor in the city center and running off to a remote mountain area would be madness, wouldn’t it?

Hearing Gu Heng’s words, Douglas Pignol responded, "Of course it can be sold, to be precise, this manor isn’t my family’s property but my personal asset, not only this manor, I also own four other manors in the Greater Paris area.

However, this one is in the best location, so the price might be a bit high."

"How much?"

Gu Heng was direct.

"12.5 million Euros."

"That little?!"

Gu Heng’s eyes widened as he stared at Douglas Pignol.

Taken aback by Gu Heng’s reaction, Douglas Pignol quickly said, "I admit that the price might be high, but believe me, Gu Heng, it’s totally worth it!

The history of Kurson Manor can be traced back to the 16th century, and it was even listed as a historical monument of France in 1944.

The castle covers more than 1200 square meters, has over 20 rooms, and beside it is a small chateau with over 1000 square meters of outbuildings, a total building area of over 3000 square meters. The property title also includes a 45-hectare garden and an artificial lake more than 1 hectare in size.

This is my favorite among the manors I own. If it weren’t for you, Gu Heng, wanting to buy it, I probably wouldn’t sell it even for 15 million Euros."

Gu Heng completely ignored Douglas Pignol’s boastful talk...

What nonsense about buying it for his sake—hadn’t they just met half an hour ago?

Gu Heng was shocked not because the manor was too expensive, but because it was too cheap...

A quick calculation: 45 hectares is 675 acres. Calculating this way, without counting the cost of the buildings or the green areas, just the land itself would only be 190 RMB per square meter.

If this price were in Hua Country, it would sell in a flash...

And where is this manor located?

Paris.

The capital of France.

If there was such a large manor in the capital city, wouldn’t it sell for tens or even hundreds of billions?

Considering he had spent over 3 billion RMB, which is more than 30 million Euros, for a 1300 square meter apartment in the capital city... That could buy three of these manors...

Perhaps this price is normal in France, but to Gu Heng, it was an absolute steal...

Thinking this, Gu Heng didn’t hesitate and immediately said, "Then it’s a deal at that price, we can sign the contract now."

As Gu Heng finished speaking, the people sitting next to him couldn’t help but be stunned...

Not bargaining at all...

Why did it seem to them that Gu Heng felt like he had snagged such a great bargain?

As for Gu Heng, he didn’t care about their strange looks...

He had never bought a property so cheap in his life; if he didn’t act quickly, he was afraid someone else might beat him to it...