Bernard Erno refused without hesitation: “I have made a promise in front of the whole world. As a responsible man, I will never break my promise.”
The other party said in a slightly annoyed tone: “Elno, you’re a businessman, and so am I. No one understands business better than I do. The essence and true meaning of business lies in how you can maximize your profits. What others think of you is irrelevant.”
As he spoke, the other party immediately threw out a bait: “If we can reach an agreement on this, I can ask the Ministry of Commerce to grant your group a substantial tax break for the next three years. Trust me, Erno, this could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars. You just need to put the White Horse Island incident behind you and forget about it.”
“No!” Bernard Erno stated firmly. “Mr. President, I cannot change my schedule or my decision. Our group will also pay taxes as usual in the United States, in accordance with American law. Our profit margins are already large enough, so we don’t need tax relief.”
The other party didn’t expect him to be so ungrateful. His tone immediately became harsher, and he warned, “Elno, you know, sometimes tax rates can not only be lowered, but they can also be raised very high, very high!”
As far as I know, none of your luxury goods are manufactured in the United States. We could impose exorbitant tariffs on you, so high that your products would lose their competitiveness in the United States. However, all of this could be avoided entirely by simply turning the plane around. Would you like to make this deal?
Bernard Erno was so excited he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Mr. President… you… are you telling the truth?”
The commander-in-chief thought he was afraid. After all, businessmen are driven by profit. Those wealthy individuals may appear indifferent and smile faintly if they gain an extra 100 million, but the moment they lose 10,000, they immediately cry out for help.
The Commander-in-Chief naturally felt that he had Bernard Elno’s life in mind, so he smiled and said in a friendly tone: “Bernard, Bernard, Bernard, we’ve been friends for a long time. I know you, and you know me. As long as we can work together well, of course I won’t treat you like this. You know, I never shoot my friends, but the principle is that you are still my friends.”
Bernard Erno couldn’t help but exclaim, “Shoot me! Mr. President! Please shoot me! Please! If you could raise the rates for my group by 100% or even 200%, that would be great. I would be very grateful!”
Bernard Erno asked himself out loud, “Is there a better way to gain experience than this?”
“Damn, it’s gone!”
“If I were to accumulate 50 billion experience points normally, every single cent would require Mr. Wade’s approval. If Mr. Wade doesn’t approve, I won’t be able to spend a single cent or earn a single experience point.”
“But, Mr. Wade said it too!”
“Any business loss incurred as a result of this incident can be counted as experience points!”
“How can there be any loss?”
“I can’t just stab myself in the back, can I? If I announce my group’s withdrawal from the American market, I’ll indeed lose billions of dollars that year, but if Mr. Wade doesn’t admit it, it’ll all be for nothing, right?”
“But if America sanctions me, that will be different!”
“All sanctions are losses I bear from the United States, and those losses I will definitely inflict on Mr. Wade!”
At this time, the commander-in-chief could not guess Bernard Elno’s psychological activities.
He heard Bernard Elno begging him to raise the tariffs over the phone, and thought Old Man Deng was deliberately speaking in a sarcastic tone to oppose him, so he immediately threatened: “Elno, don’t think I’m joking. I can expedite this matter and it will become official immediately!”
Bernard Arnault asked him, “Not long, how long exactly?”
The commander-in-chief said coldly: “Two months, not even two months yet.”
Bernard Elno said anxiously, “Hurry up! Can the plane land in a week?”
The commander-in-chief was completely stunned.
What does it mean?
Are you looking for trouble, or are you truly not afraid of death?
He felt insulted and immediately warned, “Elno, you must understand your current situation. If this policy is truly implemented, it will be useless for you to cry and beg me. In fact, you won’t even be qualified to call me.”
Bernard Erno grew impatient and repeatedly said, “I’ve found the solution, Mr. President. I hope you can push for this policy to be implemented immediately. The sooner and more decisively, the better!”
“What’s wrong with your brain?” The commander-in-chief was very confused.
Which rich person isn’t Grandet, which rich person isn’t Zhou Paopi? Why does Bernard Arno seem so indifferent to money? Could it be that he’s so focused on gaining a little fame that he’s neglected his billion-dollar business?
This is embarrassing!
The best way to control a rich man is to take his money, and this trick always works for him.
But if rich people don’t care about money, then it will be very difficult to deal with money.
He could only hold back his anger and ask doubtfully: “Elno, is it worth giving up billions of dollars just for a little fame?”
“It’s worth it, it’s worth it!” Bernard Erno exclaimed without hesitation. “You may not understand, but I still have to say that money is now a burden for me! I really don’t like money anymore. If America could give me more punishments and restrictions, I would be very grateful! I hope the US sanctions will be implemented soon! Thank you very much!”
The Commander-in-Chief sneered, “I see. You’re just bluffing. You think I don’t dare to promote relevant policies, right?”
For the first time, Bernard Elno showed his nervousness: “What a misunderstanding, Commander! I’m not bluffing. I just want you to implement this policy as soon as possible! As I said before, the sooner the better!”
The commander in chief felt dizzy.
Seeing that his threats had no effect, he could only say firmly, “Erno, I don’t care what your mindset is, but I can tell you that you will regret your decision today! Not only will I insist on implementing the policy as soon as possible, but I will also have the IRS conduct a thorough investigation of your company. I hope we don’t find any problems with your company!”
Bernard Erno muttered: “If only there was a problem…”
“What did you say?!” The commander-in-chief heard his muttering and asked angrily.
Bernard Elno risked his life and said seriously, “I tell you, if you can find any problems, that would be great! It would be even better if you could find some serious problems and give me the heaviest fine in history, a fine of 50 billion US dollars!”