"This place is truly beautiful, Your Highness. It has a quintessentially Chinese style, truly breathtaking."
Many dignitaries from various countries attended the opening ceremony of the Yanjing Olympics. Just before the event, Barron hosted Brown in his courtyard.
Brown had just arrived in Yanjing yesterday and, upon Barron's invitation, had come with his wife.
"Also, it's a pleasure to meet you, beautiful lady."
Barron brought Fan Bingbing with him to the banquet, marking the first time he had brought her to meet such important guests.
Brown knew Barron was married, but upon seeing Fan Bingbing at his side, his political skills were perfectly executed, and he showed no sign of surprise at all—what was there to be surprised about? For even ordinary nobles and wealthy individuals, having mistresses was perfectly normal, not just for Barron.
And this lady, "Bingbing," was so beautiful.
And the fact that he brought his Chinese mistress to see him showed that His Highness didn't consider him an outsider. It also, in a sense, demonstrated the closeness of their relationship.
It's worth noting that George W. Bush will also attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics and will arrive in Beijing tomorrow.
However, Brown wisely chose not to meet with him during this period—after all, he knew that under these circumstances, the topic of discussion would inevitably involve the subprime mortgage crisis.
When Barclays Bank was about to acquire Lehman Brothers, it was the British side that blocked the acquisition, demonstrating the British government's reluctance to compromise the British financial sector by becoming too deeply involved in American financial assets.
Furthermore, the British banking industry itself suffered significant losses during the subprime mortgage crisis, such as the previous Northern Rock Bank, which required a government bailout.
Besides Northern Rock, leading British banks like Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC Holdings also suffered significant losses from the subprime mortgage crisis.
"I've seen reports, Your Highness, that you've recently invested heavily in many American banks..."
Naturally, the topic of their meeting would inevitably revolve around the subprime mortgage crisis, which is currently attracting the most attention.
"Yes, Prime Minister, as those larger banks are facing bankruptcy due to the subprime mortgage crisis, it also marks that this crisis has reached its most dangerous moment, but it also contains opportunities..."
Barron smiled and talked freely:
"London was once the world's financial center, but after World War II, Wall Street capital gradually overshadowed us... Of course, we still have a deep foundation, but why not take advantage of now to absorb nutrients from Wall Street?" "
But London also needs funds to stabilize its finances. With all due respect, the funds in the BFT Fund originally came from... the government. I don't want to be criticized for this."
Barron understood Brown's concerns, but he didn't care at all:
"I admit that those were originally invested in the BFT Fund by relevant institutions, but since these funds are invested, then how to invest is our decision. As long as there is no violation in this process, there is no need to be too cautious."
He raised his glass and said to Brown:
"I hope you can trust, Prime Minister, that the government will reap the promised benefits, and I will continue to increase my investment in the UK. Can you imagine me acquiring a bank the size of Merrill Lynch in the UK? That would undoubtedly lead to an antitrust investigation by regulators. It's not that I don't want to invest in British banks, but I just need to consider the practicalities. By the way, these are all authentic Chinese delicacies prepared by a specially hired Chinese chef. I hope you and your wife enjoy them."
...
"This is..."
The next morning, Barron brought Fan Bingbing to the garage door.
As the door slowly opened, Fan Bingbing gazed at the flaming red SUV within, a look of surprise on his face. "Do you like it?"
Fan Bingbing nodded.
"Yeah, it's beautiful..."
She looked at the car logo.
"Aston Martin? Does this brand have an SUV?"
"This is their first SUV. This one is a luxury custom version, just shipped from England."
Recognizing the Aston Martin logo, resembling an eagle with outstretched wings, was already a rare sight. She wasn't particularly knowledgeable about cars herself. She'd previously remembered Aston Martin as a sports car brand because it was owned by the British Motor Group, whose owner was the man next to her.
Naturally, she was delighted to receive Barron's thoughtful gift.
In fact, ever since Barron acquired the Aston Martin brand, he'd directed them to develop an SUV. As we all know, SUVs are incredibly popular worldwide.
Luxury car brands often sell far more SUVs than their sports cars.
At the North American International Auto Show in January of this year, Aston Martin unveiled a model of its first SUV, the DBX.
Aston Martin only officially began selling this SUV last month.
Next, the British Motor Group will begin aggressively promoting this SUV in Asia, particularly in China. The price of this car in China ranges from 1.5 to 3 million Chinese yuan, depending on the configuration. The red DBX Baron gifted to Fan Bingbing is a luxury custom model, not available to the public but only for specific customers. It costs over 300,000 pounds, making it not accessible to everyone.
If one were to rank the most popular luxury SUV in China, the Porsche Cayenne would undoubtedly be on the list.
Porsche's sales in China have skyrocketed over the past few years thanks to the Cayenne.
The Cayenne's popularity stems from its impressive appearance, refined interior, excellent handling, and powerful performance.
Ultimately, the most important reason is that it's a Porsche, a status symbol.
A Porsche SUV priced around one million yuan, provided it also possesses the aforementioned advantages, will naturally be popular.
Aston Martin's DBX is the British Motor Group's global counterpart to the Cayenne, and is even positioned as a slightly stronger model.
In terms of brand heritage, Aston Martin is also a luxury sports car brand with a glorious history in international competitions.
In terms of performance, it's not an exaggeration to call the DBX the most powerful SUV on the planet...
The only difference is that Aston Martin's popularity in China may be slightly lower than Porsche's—but Aston Martin is the car of 007, and this year's "Skyfall" will also be released in China, so Aston Martin will use this opportunity to increase its marketing efforts in China.
Well, giving this car to Fan Bingbing today can also serve as a way to increase Aston Martin's popularity.
As China's most famous actress, Fan Bingbing's new car will probably soon make the headlines in the entertainment sections of many newspapers.