Chelsea is not only the name of the iron-blooded Blues football team, but also one of the top wealthy areas in London.

It is different from the rich district of Kensington next door, which attracts the rich from all over the world, and the smell of money wafts in the air. The former belongs to the private land of the local wealthy in England, and has the introverted and low-key temperament of British culture.

The property he bought was in Chelsea, a classic Victorian red-brick house facing the River Thames.

The villa has five floors, the basement floor is a wine cellar and storage room, and the four floors above ground have seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and two kitchens. It has a sizeable backyard with an outdoor pool, garden, sunroom, and even a stable......

The transaction price of this villa, plus the stamp duty on the property, cost more than £2.3 million in total.

Because it is the ancestral home of the previous owner, the interior of the villa still retains its Victorian decoration, and the two shotguns hanging on the wall of the living room on the second floor are antique.

Hall felt that it was a pity to renovate it all, and he didn't plan to use it as a permanent residence, so he simply saved a lot of renovation costs by making minor repairs, and now it can be used directly as a venue for a cocktail party.

Early on the weekend morning, Hall returns from Windsor Township to his villa on King's Road in the Chelsea district, where a professional party service company is busy setting up the venue.

"Someone swims in this weather?" Hall complained as he looked at the staff who were filling the pool with water.

The weather in England is very damn, it's already the end of November and it's raining at every turn, and the key is that the wind is blowing.

People say that the British are used to rainy days so they don't bring umbrellas, which is complete nonsense, the real reason is that the wind is too strong to bring umbrellas.

Brandon instructed the men to place light strips around the pool: "Well, for aesthetic reasons, this is professional advice from the service company, and I consulted with Ms. Carolyn, and she said the same. ”

"Well, it's nicely furnished." Hall nodded, "How's the guest going, will my mom come?" ”

Brandon took out a notebook: "We have sent out a total of 31 invitations, and it is expected that the guests will be in the range of 60-80, including 18 of your classmates, 2 teachers, and friends......

Lady Helena won't be there, she says it's your party and you're the only host. ”

Hall looked at him: "Brandon, I don't think you did anything wrong about inviting Isabella, on the contrary, you improvised to maintain the decency of the Hall family, which is good."

I don't want you to be cautious, you have to get used to making judgments to help me better, and don't do nothing even if you make mistakes. ”

"Okay." Brandon lowered his head.

"Grow up as soon as possible, I am optimistic about you and am willing to pay the bill for cultivating you." Hall patted him on the shoulder in an old-fashioned manner. This is an investment, the same as venture capital, but the investment target is different.

Thinking of this, Hall asked, "By the way, how is the investment in the Margaret clothing brand discussed?" ”

Brandon briefly introduced the situation: "It has entered the due diligence stage, and Margaret's financial situation is in a mess, it has previously obtained a large amount of cash flow through financial means such as pledges, and has laid out 13 directly operated stores in Europe.

The rapid expansion led to indigestion, and the directly operated stores were not operating well and became insolvent, and a financial crisis broke out at the beginning of this year. The two partners of the company, Ms. Howell and her husband, divorced. As a result, Margaret's equity and debts have not been clearly divided, and it has encountered financial risks.

Monte went on a business trip yesterday to investigate the finances of the directly operated store in Milan and will have to return next Tuesday. ”

Hall pondered for a moment and asked, "How much does it cost?" ”

"£700,000, based on what the AEC has so far, at least £700,000 to get it back in good shape." Brandon flipped through his notebook and answered.

Hall was noncommittal: "First get the due diligence report as soon as possible, and then you write a clothing industry research report." ”

Venture capital is a complex job, and while he knows that Margaret has survived the crisis and is doing well, it is not a no-brainer calculator that will work with a "how much to invest now, how much equity to get, and how much to value in 30 years".

For example, Kuaishou, a domestic short video giant in later generations, did not make short videos at all.

After Zhang Fei of Wuyuan Capital invested in Kuaishou, he suggested that Kuaishou adjust its direction and turn to the community, and then helped Cheng Yixiao bring Su Hua to him, and personally managed the finances, so there was the short video giant Kuaishou.

Assuming that there is no Zhang Fei, no one knows whether Kuaishou will be able to develop and grow.

The same is true for the Margaret clothing brand, and Hall doesn't know how the company survived the crisis according to its original trajectory.

If he enters the market now and causes a butterfly effect, then he has to think about how to develop in the future before making a decision.

Brandon took out a note of his work: "Okay. ”

Hall asked again, "What happened to my personal investment?" The two walked back indoors, found a study and sat down to talk about work.

"At present, individual stocks [General Dynamics] have risen by more than 15%, and the TRS products you hold have a floating profit of 3.2 million pounds...... AEC Securities Investment Division's book floating profit of 7%...... And your bodyguard, Ms. Caroline, has sent you a list of candidates to choose ...... personally."

3.2 million pounds, which is much more than he expected, no wonder a physical clothing brand has played with financial leverage, this thing is too profitable.

I don't know how much I can make in the end, and how will I spend this money...... Chelsea, the Premier League, the Champions League, phrases flashed through my head.

Hall took out Brandon's notebook and wrote down the words "Sports and Entertainment." Then I spent the whole day in the study, and the night soon fell, and after dinner, I changed into formal clothes and stood at the door to play the role of a doorman.

"Hey, White, you're finally here. Uncle, long time no see......"

"Wow, Abdullah, you're so handsome in this special costume, come inside, I'll come to you for a drink later."

"Mrs. Monte, I'm sorry for arranging Monte on a business trip to let you come to the reception alone......"

Since it is a cold dinner reception, guests will not arrive on time according to the opening time on the invitation, and will basically deliberately be late for a short time in case the host is not ready.

The reception is scheduled to start at 8 o'clock, and around 8:20 a.m., the guests will arrive one after another.

Hall managed to use all his might to invite Shukla, the big-mouthed Ah San, into the room, and turned his head to see Brandon guiding the Gloucester family.

"Hello Viscount Gloucester, welcome to my party." Hall smiled brightly and took the initiative to reach out.

Then he had a veneer ceremony with Mrs. Gloucester and Isabella.

Mrs. Gloucester handed over a small gift box wrapped in silk: "Mr. Hall, thank you for your invitation. ”

"You're welcome, Isabella and I are good friends, just call me Hugo." Hall glanced at the shiny gemstone ring on her little finger and handed the box to Brandon.

Mrs. Gloucester smiled and replied, "To be honest, I was frightened by the invitation you sent me before, it was really too grand.

The last time I received such an invitation was when I attended a dinner at the Palace of Versailles the year before. Isabella came home from vacation today, and I learned that the story of you dancing at the sorority event sounded wonderful. ”

"Yes, that's why I asked Isabella to be my dance partner tonight." Hall said and looked at Isabella, "She's excellent. ”

Isabella pursed her lips and smiled gracefully, "Thank you, I'll see you later." Today, she wears a bright yellow tuft in the style of a classic gown, outlining the perfect curves of her slender waist.

This dress has high requirements for the body and posture, and you must always be dignified and ladylike, otherwise you will be overwhelmed.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries, and the family moved out of the way and went inside.

Hall looked at Isabella's graceful back with a playful expression. This dress and the neutral style of that day are simply two people, and their brains are indeed not stupid, but they are a little tender.

It was nine o'clock, and the guests were almost there.

Hall returned to the room, picked up a glass of red wine, and found the White family, who had been serving as half of the hosts to help entertain the guests: "Uncle Flosen, thank you so much tonight. ”

White's father was full of red light, and laughed heartily and blamed: "Hugo, what are you talking about, I would not have come to help if I knew that you were so polite." ”

For the nouveau riche, being able to help entertain guests at a reception organized by the traditional aristocracy is a good thing that is worth bidding on at auctions.

There are really down-and-out aristocrats who exchange their fame for money, but they are more tactful, and they generally find excuses such as "sponsorship" and "charity".

With a smile on his lips, Hall raised his glass in apology: "Don't, without you, I'll be busy." ”

"Haha, how can you not be able to hold up a drinking party." White's father changed his words and lowered his voice: "Theofrey has also helped a lot, he has entertained your classmates with White. ”

Hall followed the other's gaze to the second floor, Theofrey, the earl's grandson who had been whipped by him at the fox hunt: "Okay, I'll go talk to him." ”

"Go ahead, leave me alone, I'll talk to Viscount Gloucester, who also has a winery in Scotland." White's father straightened his tie, a little strangled, and knew to wear a fake bow tie.

"Are these two double-barreled shotguns treasures, they look ancient."

"Yes, the one on the left should be Boletta's SO series shotgun, which is at least 200 years old. The one on the right is rare and too far away to be seen. ”

"Cool, how much does this thing cost, I want to buy one, hunting with "two hundred years", it must feel great. Shukla looked up at the shotgun hanging on the wall and exclaimed.

Theofrey stayed by the side, not knowing how to answer: "...... Uh, not clear, there is no market for antique shotguns. ”

"You like firearms?" Hall leaned in and said.

Theofrey shrugged his shoulders: "Yes, all sorts of firearms. My storeroom was almost filled with a small arms arsenal, and my father blamed me for that. ”

Hall smiled knowingly and thanked him politely: "Speaking of which, I touched a police version of the AW sniper rifle a few days ago, do you have a collection, I would love to visit your arsenal." ”

"Welcome at any time, I really didn't expect you to like guns too, I have a gun club license in my manor, you can play casually." Theofrey replied enthusiastically.

Nowadays, there is no ban on guns in England, and it is convenient to play with guns.