Chapter 546: The Snake Swallowing an Elephant Plan (2)

Zhou Jiecheng wouldn’t dare hope for Qi Sheng to walk the runway in a model’s place.

Even just taking a curtain call in his stead would be enough to make these foreigners’ jaws drop.

“That’s your iconic moment. I wouldn’t steal your thunder.”

Qi Sheng smiled and waved dismissively, rejecting Zhou Jiecheng’s suggestion.

Standing before a full-length mirror, Zhou Jiecheng straightened the creases on Qi Sheng’s suit.

His eyes held a look of utter fascination, as if he were admiring a work of art.

Zhou Jiecheng suddenly rushed to his workstation, grabbed a sketch, and began drawing with wild, inspired strokes.

As the creative director of Prada, Zhou Jiecheng was responsible for designing multiple product lines, including menswear, womenswear, and luggage.

The moment he’d spent adjusting Qi Sheng’s suit had sparked a new idea for several upcoming menswear designs.

“Boss, I just had a flash of inspiration. Are you satisfied with the suit I designed?”

Zhou Jiecheng walked over apologetically, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“I understand. I’m very satisfied. Go ahead and have twenty sets of each of these styles you designed made in this size.”

Of course, Qi Sheng didn’t hold it against him. On the contrary, he greatly admired his passion for design.

“Understood. Once the garments are ready, I’ll arrange to have them shipped back to you in China.”

A brilliant smile spread across Zhou Jiecheng’s face.

To him, earning Qi Sheng’s approval was far more important than any praise from the foreign media.

“You keep busy. I’m going upstairs to chat with President Shen. We’ll have dinner together tonight.”

Wearing the new custom-made suit, Qi Sheng planned to talk with Shen Wan about the group’s next move.

“No problem.”

Zhou Jiecheng gave an understanding nod, walking him to the door before stopping.

…

President’s Office.

Shen Wan brewed a cup of tea for Qi Sheng.

Even abroad, he hadn’t picked up the foreign habit of drinking coffee.

“Regarding Misha’s next acquisition, have you found any suitable targets?”

Qi Sheng blew gently on his tea, looking over at Shen Wan, who sat perfectly upright and attentive.

“There are a few suitable targets at the moment, but I’m worried the LVMH Group will cause trouble.”

“After all, we snatched Tiffany right out from under them. The Arnault family must still be furious.”

Shen Wan let out a slightly uncharitable chuckle.

It had become a topic the fashion world never tired of discussing.

The always-dominant LVMH Group had stumbled against the fledgling Misha.

The Pinot family, who ran Kering, and the Rupert family of the Richemont Group had mocked the Arnault family over the incident more than once.

In the luxury world, the LVMH Group had once been the undisputed leader.

Kering and the Richemont Group were second and third, respectively.

Old Arnault’s last disastrous defeat had been over Gucci.

The Pinot family, at the helm of the Kering Group, had swooped in and reaped the rewards, successfully acquiring Gucci—a top-tier luxury brand on par with LV.

This time, Old Arnault had suffered the bitter loss of Tiffany, a brand comparable to Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels!

The LVMH Group’s weakness lay in the hard luxury sector.

In the jewelry sector, in particular, they were being crushed by the Richemont Group.

Old Arnault had originally hoped that acquiring Tiffany, combined with their existing Bvlgari brand, would finally allow them to build a powerful jewelry division for the LVMH Group.

But in the end, it was snatched away from them yet again.

“You don’t need to worry about the LVMH Group. How much capital can we raise?”

Qi Sheng possessed the power of compulsory acquisition, so he wasn’t afraid of the LVMH Group trying to interfere.

“If we pledge our equity, we can raise 20 billion US dollars at most.”

Shen Wan didn’t understand the source of the big boss’s confidence, but he gave a precise answer nonetheless.

‘Twenty billion US dollars… That’s a little on the low side!’

Qi Sheng’s brow furrowed. ‘It feels like I’m not actually that rich after all.’

Even with a monthly income in the tens of billions, it didn’t mean much in the face of acquisitions that cost tens of billions of euros.

The effect it could have wasn’t very significant.

“Uh, Boss… you aren’t considering a move on Kering or Richemont, are you?”

Shen Wan suddenly felt his mouth go dry, and he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He never expected his boss to have such a huge appetite—this was a case of a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

The Kering Group had a market cap of 88 billion US dollars.

The Richemont Group’s was 50.8 billion US dollars.

Even with Misha owning both Prada and Tiffany, its market cap was only 31 billion US dollars.

The gap between them and those two giants was still considerable.

Even a behemoth like the LVMH Group could only look on with envy, unable to afford an acquisition of either.

“Mm, I’m very interested in them. Kering’s market cap is too high.”

“Richemont, on the other hand… we can consider it.”

Qi Sheng hadn’t considered raising funds from domestic sources.

The capital to acquire Richemont would have to come from foreign financial groups.

It wasn’t that he was above it; rather, China’s regulations on capital outflow were extremely strict.

Besides, mergers between luxury groups were always fueled by these same financial groups pulling strings behind the scenes.

With Misha’s market capitalization, securing 20 billion US dollars from these financial groups wouldn’t be an issue.

But even with 20 billion US dollars, they would still be 30 billion short of the Richemont Group’s market cap.

In Renminbi, that was 210 billion yuan.

That was roughly the entire net worth of someone like Old Ma.

‘I’ve got it!’

Qi Sheng’s eyes lit up as he thought of the sovereign wealth funds, which were never short on cash.

If he pledged his shares in Spicy King as collateral, he might just be able to raise the money.

No sooner said than done.

Wasting no time, Qi Sheng called Jin Ying, the woman from Temasek who had handled their investment in Spicy King.

“Chairman Qi?”

Jin Ying’s voice held a hint of surprise; she hadn’t expected a call from Qi Sheng.

“Apologies for waking you so early, President Jin. I’d like to discuss a major deal with you, if you’re interested.”

“Of course. How big of a deal are we talking about, Chairman Qi?”

“Tens of billions of US dollars. Think you can handle that, President Jin?”