Zhou Liwen glanced at it, continued to walk forward, and couldn't help but stop after just a few steps. He hesitated to turn back to the study, then turned and walked over

"Mr. Earl"

At the door of the half-open study, Zhou Liwen first knocked lightly on the door a few times, and seeing that Count Herbert didn't seem to hear it, he couldn't help but shout twice.

Slowly turned his head and saw that it was Zhou Liwen, Count Herbert was slightly stunned at first, and then asked Zhou Liwen what was the matter with his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Liwen took a few steps into the study and asked softly, "What about Mr. Hans?" Why isn't he there? ”

Looking around, he had the impression that if Count Herbert was in the castle, old Hans was usually by his side, which was why he felt strange when he saw old Hans but not Count Herbert yesterday and asked. And now, Count Herbert's state is clearly somewhat abnormal, where has old Hans, who is the old butler and friend, gone?

"Sir...." At this moment, the voice of old Hans suddenly appeared at the door, and when I looked up, the person standing outside the study was not old Hans?

But the strange thing is that the old Hans is not empty-handed, nor is he carrying the tea tray with his white-gloved hand as usual, in his hand, there is a delicate wooden box, which looks very old, although the distance is a little far, but Zhou Liwen can still clearly see that the carved pattern on it is a general riding a horse to fight

"Give me something." Count Herbert said in a hoarse voice.

Old Hans walked into the study, but first looked at Zhou Liwen, Zhou Liwen understood what the other party meant, knew that it was not suitable to appear here, what did they have to talk about, and hurriedly said goodbye and left quickly.

Out of the study and into the hall, Zhou Liwen didn't have the idea of going out for a walk for a while. He found a chair and sat down, picked up the book that was put aside and flipped through it at will, but after flipping through it for a long time, he didn't read a word, and his mind was still thinking about Count Herbert's abnormal demeanor just now, and the antique wooden box.

In fact, this is just curiosity, everyone has curiosity, although Zhou Liwen will not directly ask the other party's **, but the curiosity in his heart cannot be concealed, and even secretly guess what happened.

Thinking wildly, I don't know how long it took, Old Hans's voice suddenly sounded in his ears, and when he looked back, he didn't know when Old Hans was standing beside him.

"Mr. Zhou, the earl wants to invite you to sit in the study, I don't know if it is convenient for you." Old Hans said to Zhou Liwen apologetically.

"The Count invited me to the study?" This sentence sounded in Zhou Liwen's heart, and Zhou Liwen didn't know for a while why Count Herbert suddenly invited him to the study? However, the host has an invitation, and the etiquette due as a guest is a must. Zhou Liwen nodded slightly, and asked politely, don't bother? After waiting for a definite reply, he gladly accepted the invitation.

From the hall to the study again, Count Herbert was still sitting in the chair in front of him, and the antique wooden box was placed on the table not far from him.

"Mr. Zhou......." Seeing Zhou Liwen's arrival, Count Herbert got up slightly and made a gesture of greeting, for this old man, of course Zhou Liwen would not wait for the other party to stand up, and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, greeted Count Herbert, and then sat down on the empty chair beside him.

"Or black coffee?"

"Black Coffee"

Count Herbert smiled and nodded slightly to old Hans beside him, who turned and walked out of the study, and came in with two cups of black coffee not long after.

After putting down the black coffee, old Hans withdrew from the study and closed the door of the study with his hand. After old Hans left, Count Herbert first picked up the coffee and took a sip, then put down the coffee in his hand and looked at Zhou Liwen with his eyes.

"Mr. Zhou, you are a world-famous rich man, this is the honor of the Schiller family to stay in my castle in Europe for a vacation, if there is any inhospitable place, please forgive Mr. Zhou."

"Earl is gracious, I have had a great time here, and your family's castle has given me an unprecedented sense of history, and living in this place, I can feel the glorious history of the Schiller family for hundreds of years, and you and your ancestors are very remarkable people." Zhou Liwen smiled modestly and replied very sincerely.

"Thank you for the compliment, I am very honored for your compliment." A smile appeared on Count Herbert's face, a traditional and stubborn old man like him attached great importance to the glory of the family, and Zhou Liwen's words simply spoke to his heart.

Talking about the history of the family, Count Herbert also told Zhou Liwen a little bit about the construction of this ancient castle in those years. During the Second World War, the castle almost had a reputation for war, but thanks to the protection of his grandfather, the old earl, the castle has survived to this day.

These topics were chatted for nearly half an hour, and although Zhou Liwen listened with a smile, he was a little puzzled in his heart. Could it be that Count Herbert invited himself to tell him about the past?

However, Zhou Liwen didn't wait long, and the final answer was soon revealed.

"It seems that Mr. Zhou likes this place very much?" Count Herbert asked tentatively.

"Yes, I like it very much, in fact, I've always liked things that have history. You know, I am Chinese, China is an ancient country with a history of 5,000 years, and we should approach history with a sense of awe and feeling. Zhou Liwen did not hide his preference for this ancient castle, not to mention that he did as he said, although Zhou Liwen did not collect antiques much, but he preferred old houses with historical value. This is true in Shanghai, it is also true in France, and even in the United States, the village he bought is some years old.

Count Herbert smiled and nodded, and then said something that surprised Zhou Liwen.

"Mr. Zhou, if I plan to sell it, do you have any intention of buying it?"

"Sell it?" Zhou Liwen was stunned for a moment, and after reacting, he looked at Count Herbert in amazement, and asked for a while: "Earl, I heard you right, right?" You said you were going to sell the castle? ”

"That's right." Count Herbert nodded in affirmation, looked around with sad eyes, and exclaimed, "I was born here, I grew up here, went through my childhood, my adolescence and my youth, and then grew old here. Before, I always thought that I would die here like my grandfather, maybe one sunny afternoon, sitting in the rocking chair in my room, and just sleeping forever...... But I was wrong, and I didn't realize until today that I was wrong, and that this wish could no longer be fulfilled....... ”

Speaking of this, Count Herbert's green eyes were sparkling, he shook his head slowly, and then showed a resolute expression: "Mr. Zhou, you are a world-renowned rich man, and money should not be a problem for you. The castle is valued at 4.36 million euros, including the land surrounding it. If you are willing to buy, I can sell it to you for 41 million euros and give you the furniture in the castle as a thank you, and I only have one condition, that is, the funds must arrive within a month, I wonder if you accept it? ”

Zhou Liwen was speechless for a while, he never thought that Count Herbert would sell the castle. Although they did not get along for a long time, he was very aware of Count Herbert's affection for this castle, not so much that this castle was his own, but that it was the history and testimony of the Schiller family, and it was also the place of his faith and spiritual sustenance in this life.

Selling such an item, this is very strange, unless Count Herbert is in trouble that cannot be solved, thinking of what old Hans said to him yesterday, Zhou Liwen was silent for a moment. After a long time, he began to say to Count Herbert: "Earl, I do not deny my love for this castle, and the price you offer is also very sincere, not to mention 41 million euros, such a castle with a long history and culture, and such a perfect preservation, if you meet someone who likes it, even if it is 660,000 euros." ”

"Hehe, the person who can afford the money is not necessarily the best owner of it, and the right thing must be owned by the right person. Arab tycoons, and Russian oil tycoons, do you think people like them who don't take money seriously deserve to live in my castle? Mr. Zhou, 41 million euros, if you promise, this place is yours"

Count Herbert said word by word, it seems that he has indeed encountered a problem, but the pride of the nobles made him choose Zhou Liwen at the same time as making this painful decision, which may be Zhou Liwen's luck.

"If you really want to sell, I certainly won't say no." Zhou Liwen replied like this, and Count Herbert's expression was instantly happy, but Zhou Liwen continued: "However, I also have one condition. ”

"Speak, please."

"Before I buy it, I want to ask you a question, and that's why you made the decision you did. As a member of an old family with a proud tradition, Earl, I respect your choice, but I also hope that you will be honest with me, is it that you are in trouble? ”

Count Herbert did not answer immediately, but looked at Zhou Liwen, who was looking at him, as if he wanted to find something in the other party's expression. After a while, he nodded slightly, and said calmly: "You guessed it right, I, or the Schiller family, are in trouble, so I have to sell it." ”

"Is it money?"

Count Herbert hesitated, but finally nodded.

"Maybe I'm presumptuous, but I still want to ask what's going on?" Zhou Liwen asked with concern.

"Mr. Zhou, this has nothing to do with you." Count Herbert didn't seem to want to mention it, and his tone became a little stiff.

Zhou Liwen smiled and said: "Earl, there is a proverb in China, which is called a gentleman does not take the favor of others. The meaning of this sentence is that a person with high morals will never take something from someone else's hands. Although I can't be called a gentleman, I have always thought that I am not a person without a moral bottom line. As I said, I love your castle and that 41 million euros is not a big deal for my wealth, but as a former guest or a friend I have known for a long time, whether or not I own it in the future, I still want to find out what is going on. Otherwise, even if I had acquired it, I wouldn't have actually owned it. ”

The last sentence of Zhou Liwen sounded a little contradictory, but Count Herbert understood the meaning. Zhou Liwen told him that if he didn't figure it out, it would be a knot, and Zhou Liwen, as the next generation master, would still not be able to own the castle spiritually.

"You're a gentleman." Count Herbert said that the word "gentleman" is spoken in Chinese, and although the pronunciation is strange, it is still standard.

For Zhou Liwen's request, Count Herbert couldn't refuse, not to mention that this matter couldn't be hidden for long, even if he didn't say it today, it would be very easy to investigate as Zhou Liwen. Thinking of this, Count Herbert sighed and finally said what was going on.

It turned out that Count Herbert was already facing bankruptcy, and just yesterday morning he received news that an insurance company he owned had incurred a huge loss, and this loss was enough to put the Schiller family in danger.

This insurance company has a history of 100 years, and has a great reputation in Germany and even Europe, this property is still his grandfather's father, that is, his great-grandfather's legacy, after so many years of operation, the Schiller family is in charge of the operation as the majority shareholder of it, and its chairman is the eldest son of Count Herbert.

The insurance company has been in operation for so many years, although the scale is not very large, but because of its good reputation and fame, it is considered good in the world insurance industry. Every year also brings a good financial return to the Schiller family. But there is a problem, that is, the nature of this insurance company is different from today's companies, in Europe a hundred years ago, many companies did not exist as limited liability companies, and some ancient companies and enterprises, in order to reflect its strength and the identity of the operator, often exist as unlimited liability companies. This is also a special place for some old companies in Europe, there are still many such unlimited liability companies in Europe, most of them are companies that have experienced hundreds of years, have a long history and good business status, and most of these companies are related to the banking and insurance industry, and Earl Herbert's insurance company belongs to this category.

There is only one word difference between a limited liability company and an unlimited liability company, but the nature of the company is completely different. Except for some differences in terms, the biggest difference is in the words limited liability and unlimited liability. If a company is not operating well and resulting in huge losses, if it is a limited liability company, then at most it is the result of the bankruptcy of the company, and its operators or shareholders lose nothing more than all the investments in the company, and there is no involvement in other personal property.

In this case, since the liability is unlimited, that is, how much the company loses, the operator or the owner of the shares must not only lose all the losses in the company, but also pay all the assets in their names to make up for these losses, until all the losses are paid.

Count Herbert's insurance company, as an unlimited liability company, had to pay unlimited liability in the event of a huge loss of business, and the unlimited liability paid by it would have to be extended to all the property of the Schiller family. Like this time, because there was a problem with just a huge amount of insurance, the insurance company had to pay the customer a huge amount of insurance money, and according to the current situation of the insurance company, it was impossible to come up with so much money, and in desperation, Count Herbert could only sell the castle as a means of raising funds in order to save the insurance company.

"Is there no other way?" Zhou Liwen didn't expect that there would be such a company in Europe, although as a businessman, he knew that there was such a thing as an unlimited liability company, but it was one thing to know that it was one thing, and it was another thing to register such a company, at least Zhou Liwen would not do so. But who would have thought that the insurance company under Count Herbert's name is actually an unlimited liability company, and since it is an insurance company, it is natural to pay insurance after an accident, but this time the amount is too big, and Count Herbert can't take out the money.

Count Herbert shook his head slowly, stretched out his hand and pointed to the antique wooden box on the side: "In order to maintain this castle, the Schiller family has not had much savings over the years, and there are documents for the castle here, and in the current situation, only selling it can solve the problem." ”

"How much did you lose in total?" Zhou Liwen asked.

"- 260 million euros." Count Herbert smiled bitterly, and then explained, of course, it is impossible for their family to pay so much money, and according to the regulations of an unlimited liability company, it is shared among the shareholders according to the proportion of shares. Although the Schiller family is the operator and the majority shareholder, according to the apportionment results, in addition to the 100.86 million euros that the company can pay, Count Herbert also shared 4.56 million euros, and the rest is the responsibility of other shareholders.

The sale of the castle is 41 million euros, plus some cobbled together from elsewhere, and 4.56 million euros is barely enough. But in this way, the Schiller family will definitely collapse, and it is even possible to decline from the European aristocratic family to an ordinary family.

Hearing the amount of Count Herbert's words, Zhou Liwen was also taken aback - 260 million euros, which is close to 400 million US dollars according to the current exchange rate, he didn't expect Count Herbert's insurance company to be able to take over such a large insurance business.

After asking, Earl Herbert looked at Zhou Liwen with some strange eyes, and then told him that in fact, this insurance policy was related to Zhou Liwen's motherland, that is, China. In fact, the reason why their insurance company took this order was because the insurance was for China's satellite launch, but unfortunately, the satellite launch failed. And what is even more depressing is that this insurance is not directly insured from the Chinese government, but transferred through the Chinese insurance company, that is, the other party transferred all the responsibility to Count Herbert's insurance company, no problem, no accident except them, everyone has no loss.

(I went out today, and the big chapter was sent, and I asked for a ticket and a recommendation!)

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