Chapter 36 Exclusive Release: Prince, Castle, Billions...
Prior to this, there was no indication that Ms. Martha von Wright had collaborated with any commercial brand.
Want to see frustration on Yuan Ning's face? Unfortunately, it's hard to.
If it were the Yuan Ning of the past, perhaps her proud self-esteem would have been hurt, perhaps she would have felt lost because her pretense had failed, or perhaps she would have been afraid of being ostracized because she was not recognized by someone.
But what about now?
Thanks to Meng Qingyuan, she no longer needed to pretend; thanks to the cold and cruel Elias, she understood the truth of how the world works.
She stepped forward: "Yes, Ms. von Wright. I am not currently in the level you serve; I am here to seek cooperation."
Marta leaned back in the velvet sofa, stroking the Persian cat on her lap.
"Cooperation? Madam, I think you haven't figured it out yet. I never cooperate with any commercial brands. I don't even know where you got the courage to choose me. But it's normal for a young girl to be a little bold. I believe that society will teach you a lesson soon enough."
Yuan Ning smiled and replied, "It is precisely because you never collaborate with any commercial brands that we value you."
“Value? My value lies in my non-cooperation. Once I agree, that value disappears. Little girl, don’t you think that’s a paradox?”
Before coming here, Yuan Ning had been trying to figure out how to convince Marta to become Casanova's first member, a veritable spokesperson. Therefore, her focus was entirely on how to introduce the brand to her.
She is confident that Casanova is a rare example of leather art today, but she is currently convinced that this will not convince Marta.
She was no different from anyone else who had tried to persuade Marta to cooperate. Did she think she could get cooperation with just enthusiasm and all-nighters? Who did she think she was?
Yuan Ning suddenly realized that her efforts might have gone astray.
“For Mrs. van der Berg’s sake, little girl, have some biscuits and hot tea here, and then go home.”
What a sweet dismissal!
Christmas was approaching, and Marta brought her a stack of gingerbread men and a cup of steaming black tea.
Smelling the sweet aroma of the cookies, she couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if she were still a carefree little girl, visiting her elders' homes just to receive a stack of cookies.
Her gaze fell on the faces of the gingerbread men, who were grinning and lined up hand in hand.
Marta's Persian cat came up to her, and Yuan Ning reached out to pet it. Seeing that it was well-behaved and affectionate, she picked it up and placed it on her lap to stroke it. The cat comfortably rolled over and covered its belly. She then picked up her black tea and took a sip.
“Yes, Ms. von Wright.”
On the way home, Yuan Ning drove the Ferrari while pondering how to proceed with the matter.
She brought her products and solutions, thinking that as long as they were good enough, she could convince the other party.
But she made a mistake. True cooperation is never based on one party persuading the other, but on shared, irreplaceable needs.
In this respect, it must be said that Elias misled her to some extent.
Before she joined Percival Capital's Casanova scheme, she only used the tactic of "persuading the other party." It seemed that she offered them higher benefits, but in reality, Elias did not agree to her joining for the sake of profit at all.
People like Marta and Elias don't care about that little bit of profit.
Yuan Ning had to admit Elias's favoritism towards her, but Marta clearly wouldn't have the same favoritism towards her.
If Yuan Ning wants to seek cooperation, she has to find a way to make the other party "favor" her.
It sounds easy, but how could someone who doesn't know her at all and sees through her at first glance favor her?
Three days later, Eleanor and Justin told her about an event that she might be interested in.
“It’s a tech industry gala, and Justin’s company is the main sponsor.” Eleanor’s voice came through the phone, as cheerful and excited as ever. “Wynne, haven’t you been expanding your network all this time? Trust me, you absolutely have to come this time.”
Yuan Ning held her phone, looking at the final review that Professor Miller had sent back on her computer screen.
Casanova's 12-man club needs seed customers, and Eleanor brings good news.
After a brief moment of regret, Yuan Ning was incredibly grateful for that pizza day date with Elias, which had earned her access to such a valuable connection as Justin.
Long live pizza!
“Sounds good, Eleanor. Time and place?” Yuan Ning asked, her voice no longer carrying its usual composure.
Her gaze remained fixed on the few lines of concise yet weighty text on the screen.
Parsons School of Design | Fashion Management Department | Final Project Evaluation
Student: Wynne Meng
Project: Casanova Workshop Revitalization Strategy and Membership Model Construction
Advisor: Miller
Score: A+
Yuan Ning closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
“Accurately identifying and persuading the initial, defining ‘twelve’ people.” This is precisely the biggest bottleneck she faces right now.
*
Yuan Ning chose a black one-shoulder crepe dress by Jason Wu, with extremely simple lines and no superfluous embellishments.
Her long hair was loosely tied up, revealing the clean lines of her neck.
She wore a pair of Tiffany diamond earrings she had just bought that afternoon on Fifth Avenue. She could afford it now.
The party was held in a two-story high-rise apartment next to Central Park, creating a fusion of technology and style.
Justin told her, "We recently got a new Italian nobleman into our circle, oh, another young billionaire, and supposedly he also has a prince title. Now the title is just an empty title, but come on, he's a prince!"
Yuan Ning was somewhat alarmed by what she heard. Holding her wine glass, she quietly looked around, for she had never seen a prince before.
“Aside from having an empty prince title and a castle that requires huge annual maintenance fees, Esposito himself became a billionaire before the age of thirty through his own tech media company founded in Silicon Valley,” Eleanor said in an admiring tone.
Prince, castle, billionaire. Each word is enough to inspire longing.
Yuan Ning couldn't help but think that this Prince Esposito was really perfect to be one of her twelve choices.
He not only possesses the aristocratic titles favored by the old money, but also holds a place among the tech elite.
Justin and Eleanor were surrounded by a group of familiar investors, discussing their latest high-profile funding round.
Prince Esposito's appearance was not particularly grand; it's not the old society anymore.
He stood there, greeted people, and leaned against the bar counter alone, with his laptop in front of him, seemingly working on code in the noisy environment.
He wore a well-tailored dark blue velvet smoking suit, had dark brown slightly curly hair, olive skin, and deep-set features.
When Yuan Ning was interning at V magazine, she wrote an article about fashion identity.
There is an underlying sense of identification between customers and brand designers. For example, men who buy Tom Ford products are probably just as narcissistic as Tom Ford himself, otherwise they wouldn't buy his greasy suits.
Esposito's suit is from Saint Laurent.
A man dressed in a YSL smoking suit attending a tech industry dinner has a personality that is not one-dimensional, but rather a subtle blend of many contradictory traits.
One article described YSL's designs as follows: "Those who choose it inherently despise conventions and possess a strong sense of modernity and rebellion."
Yuan Ning was certain that this was a person completely opposite to Elias, or rather, another side of Elias.
Perhaps if you met Esposito in a different setting, he would appear wearing a hoodie, while Elias would never.
She held a cocktail, tossed her freshly styled, voluminous black curly hair, and approached Esposito.
"Hi."
Esposito looked up from the computer screen and saw a very attractive Eastern face; a beautiful girl was smiling at him.
"Hi," he replied, his gaze shifting between the code on his laptop and the girl. "Well, before you came, I was struggling with these few lines of code, but obviously, now's not the time to do this." Everyone was socializing.
Yuan Ning put down her wine glass: "No, no. Compared to those pointless social interactions, I find studying code much more interesting. How about I take a look for you?"
Upon hearing this, Esposito raised an eyebrow, leaned back slightly, and made a somewhat incredulous expression.
He exclaimed in surprise, "You know about this?"
Yuan Ning leaned closer to his computer screen, and the two of them became closer. Esposito saw her staring at his computer screen for a long time, then he laughed and shook his head: "Haha, I don't know how. I studied fashion management in college."
Esposito was taken aback at first, then laughed, and the distance between the two obviously closed a lot.
"You scared me. I thought I could just meet any lady tonight and she could figure out the code I've been working on for three days and three nights. That would be too discouraging. To be honest, this is my first time attending a party like this. Maybe there really are some hidden talents here."
“I’ve never heard of you before. Have you only been in New York City for a short time?” Yuan Ning asked.
Esposito then extended his hand: "I really moved to New York City from Italy a month ago. My name is Federico Esposito."
Yuan Ning shook hands with him: "My name is Wynne."
Esposito always had a certain nonchalant air about him: “When I first arrived, my mother forced me to attend no fewer than five so-called welcome receptions and weekend dinners. Can you imagine? In mansions that were as quiet as museums, with portraits of ancestors hanging on them, some of which were at least three hundred years old, a group of people with their hair neatly combed were talking in the most perfect Oxford accent about topics that my great-great-grandfather might have been interested in: the number of grouse in a certain hunting ground in England, or the amount of rainfall this year at a certain winery in France.”
He picked up his whiskey and took a big gulp, which made Yuan Ning laugh.
However, she quickly remembered that Elias had not been seen at the Van der Berg mansion for some time, and Dolotta had told her that he had been busy attending some welcome dinners.
So the person Esposito was referring to as being like his great-great-grandfather was likely Elias.
Thinking of this, Yuan Ning held her stomach and laughed nonstop.
My God, I can't believe it. That kind of person used to hug and kiss her nonstop.
Seeing her laughing so happily, Esposito told her many more interesting stories. It was clear that he had a lot of opinions about the old habits in his family.
The girl's smile was pure and infectious, her dark eyes curved into crescents, shimmering with an unguarded and vibrant light.
Esposito looked at her, the amber liquid of his whiskey shimmering in the light, reflecting the undisguised admiration that suddenly shone in his eyes.
"You've been listening to me complain about those old things all night long. I'll definitely take you to see them for yourself next time. I can't be the only one suffering."
Yuan Ning stopped laughing and suddenly noticed a change in the expression in Esposito's eyes.
"Okay then."
After this incident, almost everyone in New York knew that Prince Esposito had begun a passionate pursuit of an Eastern girl.
For the next two weeks, tabloid columns and private conversations in New York City's high society were filled with talk of Prince Esposito and the oriental beauty Wynne.
Meng Qingyuan had just been brought out of the detention center by her brother Meng Qingxing.
Meng Qingxing was specially dispatched by Meng Qianyue to New York to handle the case of his youngest daughter being sued.
Previously, Elias's legal team, representing Yuan Ning, spent nearly a month collecting evidence and submitting it to the court, accusing Meng Qingyuan of defamation and intentionally causing mental harm, and filed a lawsuit.
There were numerous eyewitnesses at the dinner, plus a recording provided by Justin, making the evidence conclusive.
Meng Qianyue and Wang Xiulin immediately hired top Chinese civil lawyers in New York City, but it still took several weeks of intense negotiations before they finally reached a settlement.
The Meng family spent exorbitant legal fees to reach the following settlement terms:
The massive $2 million in damages includes $1 million in nominal compensation (for emotional distress and reputational damage); $800,000 in punitive damages; and $200,000 in attorney fees for the plaintiff.
Public written apology: Meng Qingyuan must sign an apology letter in the presence of a lawyer, acknowledging that her remarks were "seriously untrue and irresponsible, causing significant damage to Ms. Meng Yuanning's reputation."
A restraining order has been issued prohibiting Meng Qingyuan from mentioning, defaming, or interfering with Meng Yuanning and her mother in any public or private setting, in any form (verbal, written, or implied). Violators will face immediate enforcement of the compensation clauses and may be subject to criminal charges. The compensation will escalate accordingly as Meng Yuanning's commercial value increases.
The full $1.8 million actually reached Yuan Ning's bank account; Elias did not pay her legal fees.
This sum of money might not be crippling for Meng Qianyue, who runs a medium-sized private enterprise with net assets of hundreds of millions of RMB, but it would still be enough to give him a headache and make him lose face.
As Meng Qingyuan stepped out of the building, the afternoon sun in New York City was so bright that she could barely open her eyes.
"Get in the car." Meng Qingxing opened the car door for her, but he wasn't very friendly.
“Two million six hundred thousand US dollars,” he stated, “including compensation and our lawyers’ fees. This amount will be deducted from the portion you can withdraw from the family trust in the future, as well as the shares that Mom intends to give you.”
Meng Qingyuan suddenly raised her head, her face deathly pale: "Brother! That's..."
"That's the trouble you brought on yourself." Meng Qingxing interrupted her, his voice still flat. "Mom is very disappointed, and Dad got so angry that he fell ill. To get you out of here, we used the strongest connections we could find, but we still had to admit defeat. The other party is determined to teach you a lesson. If your parents don't help you pay the price, you'll be going to jail, Meng Qingyuan."
Meng Qingyuan covered her face and cried, "Brother, you don't know what they're forcing me to do! I've already suffered so much humiliation. She's the one who's an illegitimate child, and I still have to apologize to her. Brother, you're all so cruel to me."
How could Meng Qingxing not hate his younger sister when she cried?
“She is the common enemy of the three of us siblings. Qingyuan, you were too impulsive this time. Mom has said before that she will take our things back from them little by little. We will handle everything, so why are you worrying about it?”
Meng Qingyuan was still sobbing: "Brother, you're not by her side, so how could you understand? Ever since I came here, seeing her in her luxurious clothes and mansion, going in and out of high-class places every day, I can't help but think of those things. How can I not hate her?"
"She's an illegitimate child, why do you care about her? Did she bully you?" Meng Qingxing's voice lowered.
Meng Qingyuan paused in her sobs, opened her mouth, but remained silent.
Meng Qingxing paused, picked up a document from the passenger seat, and handed it to her: "Take a look at this."
This is a document from a private intelligence agency that details all of Meng Yuanning's recent social activities and potential associates.
The file contained several names and blurry photos.
Besides Prince Esposito's recent frequent invitations to her, there is another name highlighted in red: Elias van der Berg.
Attached is a candid photo: In the darkness of night, outside a luxury apartment building in Manhattan, Yuan Ning is getting out of the passenger seat of a silver-gray Aston Martin. The silhouette of a blond man in a dark suit with a cold and aloof appearance is blurred in the driver's seat, but his imposing aura almost penetrates the photo.
"Did you see clearly?" Meng Qingxing's voice came from ahead, carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue and a deeper chill. "Your sister and her mother are no longer the women they were back in China, who could be appeased by your father's whims and a little money."
Meng Qingyuan felt bewildered, her hand holding the photo trembling slightly: "Brother, why does fate always favor her like this?"
The three siblings inherited their mother's simple appearance, and their looks were far inferior to those of the mistress's daughter. However, in terms of their quality of life from childhood to adulthood, the four of them were no different.
Meng Qingxing calmly analyzed: "If her father hadn't given her everything in the first place, do you think she would have been able to climb up here?"
Meng Qingyuan didn't understand where the hatred in her heart came from. It was probably a mixture of jealousy, resentment, and an innate sense of superiority that made her unable to help but hate.
“If her father hadn’t given her everything in the first place, she wouldn’t have gotten these internships and resources, and she wouldn’t have been able to connect with these people.”
"So in the end, she's still taking my things, isn't she, brother?"
“Be more mature, Qingyuan,” Meng Qingxing interrupted her, his voice revealing the cold reality of a family heir. “What you did today, besides causing our family to lose two million six hundred thousand dollars, making Mom and Dad lose face, and letting our opponents see our recklessness and weaknesses, what practical significance did it have? Did it make her return the money she spent? Did it make her disappear from New York City? Or did it make Dad change his mind?”
Meng Qingyuan was speechless.
“Listen,” his voice softened, with an almost cruel honesty, “It’s okay to hate her. But don’t let hatred cloud your mind. Remember, she’s capable of making a living here on her own.”
He paused, pointed his finger at the ground, and said, word by word:
"You can't possibly be her match."
On a sunny afternoon, Yuan Ning, wearing her newly bought woolen coat, visited Martha von Wright's home once again.
A day earlier, Esposito had agreed to become one of her twelve members, and she believed she had more leverage and might be able to persuade Marta to become a member.
She carried a discreet black leather briefcase containing not only more detailed information about the Casanova workshop and a letter of intent for exploration membership signed by Federico Esposito (though not a formal contract, it was still substantial), but also a personalized membership plan tailored to Marta von Wright's personal taste and collecting preferences, which she had revised several times overnight.
A day earlier, the prince readily agreed on the phone: "Why not? Wynne, your idea is very interesting. Becoming one of the 'Top Twelve' sounds more interesting than buying a startup."
"Show the document to the person who sent it to me. If there are no legal pitfalls, I'd be happy to sign it."
He added, "Of course, this is entirely because I believe in your vision and the value of this project itself, and it is absolutely, completely, a separate matter from my desire to pursue you."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ning shrugged. Only a fool would actually believe that statement and reject the other party's advances before the contract was finalized.
Besides, if she were pursued by a prince, she might as well accept and experience it.
The door opened, and Marta stood in the doorway, looking her up and down for a few moments before remarking, "Madam, there's been quite a bit of gossip about you and that prince in high society these past few days."
“Thanks to you, madam, I wasn’t in this social class last week, but I am this week.” Yuan Ning placed the file bag at her feet, her voice clear and her smile sweet.
"Come in." Marta made way for Yuan Ning to enter.
The room was unusually quiet, except for a blue-eyed Siamese cat that silently slid down the stairs, gave her a scrutinizing look, and then disappeared behind the heavy curtain.
Martha von Wright was sitting in the same velvet sofa from last time.
Yuan Ning smiled and said, "Madam, if you are considering joining now, your name is still ranked in the top three of the brand, which is very attractive."
Marta glanced at her: "Little girl, I heard you got a perfect score in your fabric science class."
Yuan Ning nodded: "Yes, not just in fabric science, I got full marks in many courses."
She paused, then spoke with remarkable insight, "What do you need me to do?"
She knew perfectly well that if Marta made a request, it meant she was giving in; of course, if the request was something that was impossible to fulfill, then it was a veiled rejection.
"My most important client, socialite Mrs. Olivia, had a gown of great historical significance that was severely stained. The main body of the gown was made of French silk crepe from 1940, a fabric that is no longer produced. Its dyeing process and fiber strength are completely different from modern fabrics, and conventional chemical cleaning would directly cause the fabric to dissolve or fade severely."
Mrs. Olivia had previously consulted all the top restoration workshops in Europe, and the responses were remarkably consistent: 'It is impossible to completely remove the stain without damaging the fabric and the original hand-painted details; we recommend leaving it as is.'
After Marta finished speaking, she picked up her black tea and turned the conversation to the other person.
If Yuan Ning can't even solve this, then there's no point in mentioning cooperation anymore.
Yuan Ning wanted to win Marta over as much as possible, but if the other party was a tough nut to crack, there was nothing she could do. However, she was used to doing things to the best of her ability.
She assumed that the other person was not politely rejecting her, but genuinely asking for her help.
Yuan Ning smiled and replied, "Please send me the specific information about that dress, and I will try my best to find a solution."
Marta returned the same smile: "Of course, if you can really solve this problem that has stumped the top workshops all over Europe, then I believe you will be my best partner, madam. In fact, we have many more interesting things to discuss than just cooperation."
As Yuan Ning left Marta's house, her phone received a new message.
From His Highness: [I promised you, I'd show you a real "living fossil." It's tomorrow night at a salon hosted by the old nobility. Dress code: Don't wear a black dress, wear something colorful. Hey girl, you wouldn't leave me out in the cold, would you...?]
At the same time, Yuan Ning received another message on her phone.
From Richard: [The boss is attending a family dinner tomorrow evening. Dress code: classic black or navy blue, formal and dignified, with minimal embellishment. Please have your outfit (including a spare) finalized and ironed by 7 PM tonight.]
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