As the next richest man in the world recognized by the capital circle, Li Mu has always been the least active in the capital circle.
Since starting the business, we have only raised three rounds of financing in total. Even the first two rounds were invested by friends and acquaintances. Only the recent third round of financing took money from the capital circle. In the eyes of the capital circle, such a big boss is simply like a god. exist.
Li Mu was originally not interested in the upcoming party in the UK, but Steve Johnson's point of view touched him. Capital cooperation aside, it was necessary for Li Mu to get in touch with the world's top social circles and get to know those new people like himself. The daily social interactions between rich people and those Old-Moeny who have been rich for decades or hundreds of years. If this is a club of top players, then as the top of the top, it is necessary for me to integrate into this club.
This is just like the hierarchical division of domestic rich people. Chen Ze once told him that there are many "clubs" among domestic rich people. Some of them appear in the form of clubs, and some appear in the form of chambers of commerce and business alliances, but , even so, the hierarchy and boundaries between each club are very strict.
For example, if it is a club with a net worth of 100 million yuan, then only those with a net worth of 100 million yuan can enter, and they can be accepted by others after entering. Those who do not meet the standards will not be able to get in even if they try hard to get in.
However, a club worth 100 million yuan has an upper limit. This upper limit is not set by itself, but by a club higher than it.
There are 100 million yuan clubs, and there are also 1 billion clubs. People worth more than 1 billion will definitely lower their worth to hang out in the 100 million club. Therefore, for the 100 million club, the maximum value it can carry will not exceed One billion yuan.
In addition to clubs based on wealth, there are also clubs based on region, such as the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, the Beijing Chamber of Commerce, and the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. Such clubs are also only open to those who meet their requirements.
In the world capital circle, such hierarchical divisions also exist, and the level requirements are stricter, much stricter than domestic clubs. For example, this party that Steve Johnson invited Li Mu to participate in is the top "club" in the international capital circle. ” is only open to individuals, business leaders, and royal families in developed countries with a net worth of more than five billion U.S. dollars.
Therefore, Li Mu also wanted to see what the social circle of this group of people was like.
As the only one of the world's top richest men who does not own a private jet, Li Mu still adopted the chartered flight method this time. Air China's business jet leasing and operating company provided Li Mu with a brand new Bombardier BD-700 Global Express. Direct flights from Yanjing to London are possible without any stops.
This aircraft is the most luxurious business jet owned by Air China. The interior space of the aircraft is very large. It could originally carry up to 19 people comfortably, but after the transformation, it can only carry 10 people. More space was separated and decorated into a Luxurious sky bedroom.
When setting off, the Makino Technology convoy picked up Li Mu from Ziyun Villa and went straight to the airport. Li Ziwei had already packed her luggage and followed the convoy to pick up Li Mu in advance.
The tentative departure time of the plane was 12:30 noon, and the time when Li Mu boarded the fleet's commercial vehicle and prepared to go to the airport was exactly 10 a.m.
As soon as the motorcade left Ziyun Villa, Li Ziwei said to Li Mu: "Mr. Li, Mr. Lin called me in the morning and asked about your trip to the UK today."
Li Mu asked her: "What's wrong with Qingya?"
Li Ziwei shook her head and smiled: "Lin always wanted me to convey a request to you from her and other company executives."
"Request?" Li Mu smiled and said, "What request? It's so mysterious."
Li Ziwei smiled brightly and said: "The company's senior executives feel that now that Makino Technology has grown to its current scale, it is time for the company to consider purchasing a business jet."
"Business jet?" Li Mu frowned and said, "Isn't it good to rent it? Spend money when you use it, and you don't have to spend a penny when you don't use it. If you buy a business jet by yourself, you have to pay every minute. It costs money, requires maintenance, has a dedicated hangar, has dedicated crews and maintenance, and can’t fly many times throughout the year, so most of the time is wasted.”
Li Ziwei said: "The company's senior executives have privately discussed that business jets are, after all, one of the company's faces. Now many large groups have their own business jets, and many top wealthy people also have their own private jets. Every time you travel, They all represent Makino Technology and have a very high exposure. There should be an aircraft belonging to Makino Technology or your own."
After saying that, Li Ziwei added: "Moreover, Google will have an IPO at the end of this year, Baidu will have an IPO next year, and we will even prepare for an IPO next year, so you should go to the United States a lot in the future, for your safety and for your own safety." For travel convenience, it is still very necessary to have your own business jet.”
Li Mu nodded lightly. What Li Ziwei said made sense. In the future, with the accelerated development of overseas business and the launch of IPO, he should often fly around the world. Now he travels in advance every time. Make an appointment with a business jet company, but it is inevitable that there will also be impromptu travel. Due to the sudden demand for this kind of travel, sometimes there will be embarrassing situations where there is no aircraft to fly.
Moreover, charter flights are short-term rentals after all, so the aircraft type will be different every time, and the crew members will be different every time. It is quite embarrassing to meet a strange crew every time. All of your habits The other party doesn't know anything about it, so they have to communicate again. If it's a fixed unit, it will save a lot of worry.
As for the price of business jets, the current price of better small and medium-sized business jets is generally US$30 to 40 million, which is indeed not a big expense for Makino Technology.
However, according to Li Mu's understanding, the purchase of business jets is very cumbersome. Generally, you have to place an order and pay a deposit in advance, and then the manufacturer schedules production according to the order. This time period can be as short as one year or as long as two or three years. Even now After placing the order, I don’t know how long it will take to actually wait for the aircraft to be delivered.
After thinking about it, Li Mu said: "You can first understand the market conditions and choose one with a longer cruising range. This will save time on stops during future transoceanic flights. If you want to buy it, find a way to buy it early. It is best if you can Take an order that is about to be delivered, otherwise it will take two or three years and by the time the aircraft is delivered, we will have already put it on the market.”
Li Ziwei nodded and said, "Okay, I will discuss these issues with Mr. Lin."
After saying that, Li Ziwei added: "By the way, Mr. Li, Miss Anne's assistant just talked to me on the phone. They arrived in Yanjing last night and live in the Hilton next to the airport. After we arrive at the airport, they will be there on official business." Meet us at the airport."
…
Half an hour later, Li Mu met Anne Hathaway in the business terminal.
Today, Anne Hathaway is wearing a black wrap dress and a pair of silver shiny high heels. The whole person looks simple and elegant, with a dignified temperament.
In contrast, Li Mu was dressed much more casually, with a basic GAP T-shirt on his upper body and a pair of black Adidas sports shorts on his lower body.
The reason why Li Mu dressed so casually was mainly because he had to take a long-distance flight, so he deliberately dressed more comfortably. However, the cost of being comfortable was that he did not look like a gentleman in front of ladies.
But Anne Hathaway didn't seem to care at all. After hugging Li Mu cordially and kissing her cheeks, she happily said to Li Mu: "Mr. Li, thank you for letting me take your flight to London."
Li Mu smiled and said: "Don't be so polite, we are all friends."
After saying that, Li Mu asked her: "Have the recent affairs on the crew come to an end?"
"Yes." Anne Hathaway said with a smile: "The key shooting tasks in the next stage are Leonardo and Du Wei. Senior Tom and I can take a break for half a month."
Li Mu asked her: "Where has Mr. Hanks gone?"
Anne Hathaway said: "He transferred back to the United States from Shanghai yesterday."
Li Mu nodded and asked her: "What are your plans when the party in London is over?"
Anne Hathaway smiled sweetly and said: "I haven't thought about it yet. I may go back to the United States to stay for a few days, or I may go back to China directly."
Li Mu then said: "If we go back to China directly, we can still be together."
Anne Hathaway nodded excitedly and smiled: "That's great, thank you Mr. Li."
Taking a business jet is not as troublesome as taking an ordinary flight. After completing the security check in the business aircraft building, a few people rested in the VIP room. While the few people were resting, the staff had already put their luggage on the plane in advance.
Half an hour before takeoff, an airline Toyota Coaster sent Li Mu and his group of seven people to the hangar. The crew members were already waiting outside the aircraft door.
After greeting the crew members, everyone boarded the plane one after another. As soon as they got on the plane, the flight attendants began to introduce the internal facilities of the plane, including individual first-class seats for each person, as well as a bar, small conference table, bathroom, etc. In addition to hardware, the flight attendants highlighted the luxurious bedrooms on this aircraft.
The bedroom on this aircraft is more than ten square meters, with a standard-sized double bed, sofa, TV and separate bathroom.
After listening to the flight attendant's introduction, Li Mu said to Anne Hathaway: "Miss Anne, this bedroom is reserved for you to rest at night."
When Anne Hathaway heard this, she hurriedly waved her hands and refused: "How can this be done? Mr. Li, we can just rest outside. I'll leave the bedroom to you."
Li Mu smiled slightly and said calmly: "Of course, ladies come first. With Miss Anne here, how can I sleep in the bedroom by myself?"
Anne Hathaway was not interested in sleeping in the bedroom. She looked at Li Mu and smiled and said, "Why don't you let Miss Li go to bed? The two of us can chat and rest outside. If someone talks, the time will pass." Very quickly!"
(End of chapter)