1928: The rise of giant merchants

"Consul General Knappe, a Rolls-Royce costs RMB 80,000 per car. I basically know everyone in Shanghai who can afford such a car."

Ye Luo shook his wine glass and looked at him with a smile.

"That's right, when you have a certain amount of wealth, whether 80,000 yuan or 8,000 yuan is actually just a number to us, the difference is not big. But having money does not mean that you are willing to pay for worthless goods."

"Without value? Do you think Rolls-Royce is a worthless car?" Knappe became increasingly confused.

His confusion is also everyone's confusion.

Since Ye Luo keeps saying that he is not optimistic about the sales of Rolls-Royce in Shanghai, why did he decide to buy this first Phantom Generation?

Ye Luo took a sip of foreign wine and said lightly: "I think Johnny must not have told the Consul General before importing Rolls-Royce. The global production of this kind of car is extremely low. Only the British headquarters has its own specially equipped car factory. If I bought it If there is a problem with the Rolls-Royce, I have to send it to the UK for repair. Even if some small parts are broken, there may not be any stock here."

"Can't our automobile factory in Shanghai solve its fault problem?" Knappe opened his eyes wide.

Johnny really didn't mention a word about the maintenance issues before urging him to take a stake. He just kept boasting about the beauty, power and speed of Rolls-Royce and other high-quality performance.

"In addition, every brand of car can open up sales in China because it already has a relatively mature comprador mechanism in China. Why do you foreigners choose Chinese as compradors? It's just that the Chinese understand the Chinese better and business is easier to do. Boss Johnny wants to monopolize the Rolls-Royce business, and the more this happens, the harder it will be to make money.”

Ye Luo drank the last sip of foreign wine and stood up with a smile on his face.

"My Chevrolet 490 was successful because I captured the market correctly. Obviously, Boss Johnny didn't work hard enough in this area. His Rolls-Royce is doomed to failure, just like Lu Yusheng's Paramount." . I would like to advise you, Consul General, never invest money in them, as the gain outweighs the loss."

"Wait a minute, Ye! Did you just say that Paramount is not allowed?" Knappe savored what Ye Luo said carefully and felt that it was indeed the case.

Johnny is so excited about success, but he actually doesn’t understand the market and management.

Rolls-Royce looks gorgeous and luxurious, but actually selling it is another problem.

And Ye Luo mentioned Paramount before leaving!

He also invested 500,000 yuan in it!

"You're not going to invest money in Paramount, are you?" Ye Luo chuckled, shook his head, said no more, and pulled Lu Xiaoman out.

At this time, outside the Richa Hotel, the Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 had been parked.

Ding Li looked excited at the new car, and Lu Xiaoman was secretly happy to be the first to get into this luxury car.

However, Ye Luo turned around and said to them: "Ali, you drove Xiaoman home in the Ford V8, then drove the car back to Ye Mansion and told Qingqing that this car was given to her."

"Ah? What about you, the second young master?" Ding Li asked quickly, "The assassination case at the Licha Hotel last time was so scary! I'm not with you, what if there is a killer?"

"What are you afraid of? I just don't walk around in the hotel, so I won't be shot in the street, right?" Ye Luo showed off the two guns on his waist. He was also actively practicing marksmanship, and asked Shi Jianqiao to teach him some punches and kicks. effort.

I dare not say that I can compete with a martial arts master like Huo Ting'en, but I can easily defeat three or five gangsters.

"Oh, by the way, I would like to inform Xiao Aqiao to come to Licha Hotel to find me. If you are really worried, just ask the staff of Ye's Security Company to follow me. This will be fine." Ye Luo added.

The adventurer’s paradise of Shanghai is indeed not peaceful.

However, in public concessions, especially in central and bustling areas like the Richa Hotel, vicious injuries rarely occur.

After all, there are mostly foreigners coming and going here, and if something happens to any foreigner, it can easily escalate into a political and diplomatic incident.

Once the consulate launches an attack, it will cause an uproar just like the last case of Galt's murder, and all Chinese will have a difficult time.

A rogue tycoon like Lu Yusheng didn't dare to send people to take action on the street. If the matter was leaked, it would be endless trouble.

You should pay attention to safety in the suburbs and county areas, where only police officers from the Songhu Police Department patrol, and the number is still small. Vicious fights and killings often occur.

Seeing that he had said so, Ding Li couldn't disobey him. Like an old father, he repeatedly told Ye Luo not to run around, then he sent Lu Xiaoman into the car and sped away.

He did not choose to send Lu Xiaoman home immediately, but discussed it with her: "Miss Lu, I want to go back to Ye Mansion to inform the eldest young master and the others. Do you think it's okay?"

Lu Xiaoman smiled and nodded: "Of course. But A'luo is very cautious, so you don't have to worry too much. I didn't expect you to care so much about him~"

"Oh, Miss Lu, you don't know. After the last shooting, Yongzhen blamed himself for a long time, saying that if something happened to the second young master, he would never be able to get out in this life. After hearing this, we all wanted to rush over. I'm helping the second young master to block the gun." Ding Li chuckled as he drove, "The second young master is now the backbone of all of us. In Shanghai, we can live without me, Ding Li, but we can't live without the second young master!"

"If A Luo knows that you are so loyal, he will be very happy." Lu Xiaoman sighed from the bottom of his heart, suddenly feeling envious of Xiao A Qiao and Lin Ruxian.

Although they are romantic women, they can get Ye Luo's love. Even if they have no status, they are better than many people who are married but unhappy.

She thought again of her first marriage.

Her ex-husband Wang Geng has been promoted to the chief of staff of the National Army in Jinling. He is good at everything except for his elm head. He is not as good at pleasing her as Xu Zhimo.

Because of Xu Zhimo's love poems, romance, and love for her, she decided to divorce and got together with Xu Zhimo, who also abandoned his wife.

But looking back now, it seems that being loved is not as happy as loving someone deeply.

Looking at Lu Xiaoman's lost expression in the rearview mirror, Ding Li secretly smiled and concentrated on driving, no longer thinking about teasing.

To prevent the second young master from directly transferring himself out of Shanghai next time!

At the entrance of Licha Hotel.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Generation is eye-catching enough, and with the tall and handsome Yello, it immediately attracted many onlookers, especially young women.

Ye Luo lit up a cigarette. He wanted to take advantage of buying a new car to take his little Aqiao, who loves him the most, for a ride, to reward her for her efforts during this period, and to let her relax and not worry about what will happen in a few days. Opening day worries and nerves.

What happened in the afternoon made him realize that others were not as confident as he was.

The Black Cat Dance Hall is related to the livelihood of a group of women in Fengming Tower after their transformation. Because of the invisible and huge pressure, they work so hard. Even Xue Leng, who can't hold a grain of sand in his eyes, will compromise for the sake of the dance hall business.

It can be seen how much pressure is on Xiao Aqing's shoulders.

No wonder she has become more and more tired these days. After working all night last night, she was exhausted both physically and mentally today and couldn't get up.

When he was bored, Ye Luo could only pass the time by smoking, but when he searched his arms, he found that the cigarette box was empty.

He looked around and saw a tobacco store on the corner, so he immediately ran over to buy cigarettes.

"Boss, here's a box of three forts." Ye Luo smiled at the Chinese comprador inside.

"Okay, boss, if you buy a box of Three Fortresses now, you will get a bottle of 'Tadpole Wax' for free." The Chinese comprador took out a pack of dark green cigarettes, then reached for a soda bottle and handed it to Ye Luo, "A total of One dollar, thank you for your patronage!”

San Paotai is a brand of cigarettes promoted by British American Tobacco Company when it set up branches in Fuzhou and Gulangyu in 1914. It is exclusively for foreigners and upper-class celebrities. It is a luxury cigarette that is loved by chaebols and warlords at the moment. It is priced at an ocean. It is far more expensive than Daqianmen and Hademen, which only cost 18 cents.

Ye Luo took the cigarette and drink and discovered that the "tadpole chewing wax" mentioned by the boss was Coca-Cola!

He smiled and said, "Boss, give me another bottle of this. How much does it cost?"

"Ah, this is free. If you want it, I'll give you a bottle." The Chinese comprador took another bottle and handed it to Ye Luo. He seemed to be very distressed by the pile of sodas on the shelf. "Oh, you said these names were given by foreigners. Why is it so weird, 'tadpole chewing wax'? When people heard the name, they didn't want to buy it. I drank it and thought it tasted good, so I imported thirty boxes. But you see, I couldn't sell even one bottle, so I had to buy it. Take the good cigarettes and give them away."

"Haha, the name is really ugly, but the soda tastes good." Ye Luo raised his eyebrows, then remembered that Coca-Cola first entered the SH market in 1927, but it was not until Ruan Lingyu endorsed it in 30 years that sales began to increase, and later it was published in newspapers Prizes were awarded for the translation of the name, and it really became popular after the name was changed to "Coca-Cola".

In the late 1940s, China became Coca-Cola's largest overseas market.

It can be seen that a poor brand name can even ruin a very good product.

Ye Luo walked back to the car with two bottles of Coca-Cola, and secretly made a mental note, planning to take the time to win the general agent rights of Coca-Cola in China, and then accelerate its development, let it take off as soon as possible, and make money for himself!

"Brother Luo~ People are sweating profusely looking for you!"

Little Ah Qiao is wearing a pink and white dress today, which is a change from the old Republican cheongsam style. With her wavy hair that seems to have been slightly permed, she has a unique style.

The heavy fruit on her chest was rising and falling, and there were beads of sweat on her cheeks and the tips of her nose. It seemed that she had been looking for her for a long time.

"Have a drink of soda and take a rest, shall I take you to the big world?" Ye Luo pried open a bottle of Coca-Cola and handed it to her.

"Hmm~" This was the first time for little A'Qiao to drink this kind of carbonated drink. The soothing feeling entered her throat, and she couldn't help but let out a shallow moan, "It tastes good, this drink~"

"Really? Come on, get in the car." Ye Luo held her waist and walked towards the Rolls-Royce Phantom One.

Hearing Ding Li say that Ye Luo bought a new car, little Aqing was very curious. Seeing the true appearance of the new car, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and exclaimed.

"What a beautiful car!"

Ye Luo, who had seen many luxury cars in later generations, didn't feel too much. He opened the door and got in the car with little A Qiao. Soon they arrived at the most famous Zenith Garden in Ye's world.

The Zenith Garden is located on the highest floor of a series of Shanghai-style buildings in the playground. Before the completion of the Sassoon Building next year, this will be the highest place on the beach.

Ye Luo held little A'Qiao in her arms and overlooked the panoramic view of the public concession. The evening breeze blew their hair and their hair danced in the wind.

"I didn't expect that the night view of Shanghai Beach from a height would be so beautiful." Xiao Aqiao couldn't help but sigh in a low voice as she snuggled into Ye Luo's arms.

The exhaustion caused by the opening of Black Cat Dance Hall in the past few days has also disappeared.

"It's very beautiful, but don't you think it's also dangerous?"

"Danger?"

"Yes. Shanghai Beach is adjacent to the sea and is the only international metropolis in the country. Countless people regard this place as a paradise for adventurers and want to come to this largest city in the Far East to make money. If there is a war one day, this place will definitely become an army One of the targets of the invasion. In addition, there is a line from Shanghai to Jinling, the capital of the Nationalist Government. If it suffers heavy losses, Shanghai will also suffer."

Looking at the gorgeous night scene, Ye Luo hugged little A Qiao, his eyes gradually became firm,

"This place is very beautiful, but it is only suitable for making money, not for long-term development. At noon, someone came to the Black Cat Dance Hall to cause trouble, but I drove them away. You have worked hard these days."

"It's not bitter." Xiao Aqiao looked up at him, her smile faded, and she stretched out her hand to hold his cheek seriously, "For me, the most bitter days are the six years since you left Shanghai."

"As long as you are by my side, even if I don't eat, drink or sleep, I won't be miserable and I will be happy."

As she said this, she couldn't help but stand on tiptoes and gently kissed Ye Luo's lips.

The two embraced each other passionately, and after a long moment of tenderness, they slowly let go of each other.

"Baby, before the end of October, I will make you the richest woman in Shanghai!"