His Excellency the Count of Grandet

Fifteen minutes later, Grandet's house, study.

Guillaume goes to Eperna to buy champagne every year, and usually stays for a month or two, so he specially bought a property.The house is not big, only one floor.The main building is not in Rococo or Baroque style, it is just an ordinary house in the countryside, at best it is very diligent.However, it has a small garden carefully cared for by the gardener, with dense vines covering the walls, boxwood and bodhi swaying, and ferns and unknown flowers all over the corners, with the unique flourishing greenness of summer.

This kind of idyllic small and fresh house is definitely not popular in Paris, but it is quite comfortable to live in.

"...things are on track. I have them build with rock from the north, which is much stronger than limestone in the east. In the future, if time permits, the limestone will be calcined and mixed with clay to make bricks; this will also It is very strong and more cost-effective." Charles leaned halfway on the table, flipping through the documents one by one.

"Hmm." Victor, who was sitting across from him, replied, his gaze stayed on a bush of bitter chrysanthemums outside the window.Tsk, it's not time to bloom yet...

"The speed at which the workers learn French is not bad. As long as they can learn daily conversations, they can teach new recruits how to operate the machine. Although our machine has been improved in some places, it will only be easier to operate. Anyone can easily learn it. I have already asked people to apply for patents, and work can start after approval." Charles picked out some that he thought were important, and took them one by one.

"Hmm." Victor continued, but this time his gaze shifted from the oak window lattice to the peach wood filing cabinet on the side of the room.

The cabinets are also locally produced, with a square shape.The drawer handles are carved into symmetrical grape leaf patterns, which is very simple.Because of its age, it has settled into a deep orange-red color, with the unique moistness of polishing, oiling and careful maintenance.

It can be used, but it is too economical... Victor thought to himself, feeling a little disgusted.

Charles is still stating: "The Marne River goes all the way to the east, and flows southerly when it is in Chalon; the drop at the bend is higher, and the momentum is very strong. I think it is time to invest in building a dam. If possible, Eperna It should also be tried. But building a dam is a major event, which will affect all downstream areas, and I am afraid that the approval of the higher authorities is required."

"Hmm..." Victor nodded casually, still thinking about the previous question.

Even if Guillaume bought it casually before, but now they have started to build a weaving factory nearby; they will definitely come here every now and then, so is such a small house suitable?There is no place for him to live!

"I said, are you listening to me?" Seeing Victor's absent-minded appearance, Charles couldn't help but put the documents in his hand on the table. "What the hell are you looking at?" Just haven't seen each other for a few months, and they have communication barriers again?

"Nothing." Victor replied decisively.Because he feels that if Shire knows what he's thinking, 100% throw him into a hotel.

Charles felt that this was an absolute lie. "What I just said," he raised an eyebrow, "you heard it too. What do you think?"

"What do you want me to say?" Victor asked back, spreading his hands slightly to express his helplessness. "You have thought of what you should have thought of, and you have thought of what you shouldn't have thought of. I think I just need to wait for the money to be collected now-although in fact I didn't expect it to be like this before."

This is right to complain, but it is also a kind of affirmation, affirming his ability.The arch of Charles' eyebrows flattened a little, but he didn't completely calm down. "What did you expect?"

"No matter what it is, it's worthless now." Victor replied tactfully, "So there's no need to say it or not, it's a waste of time anyway."

Charles almost raised his eyebrows again.But he didn't dwell on the question, but turned back: "You have no opinion? I can do whatever I think?"

Victor leaned back and nodded lazily.

Shire can easily solve any patents for mud, brick and stone workers; as for the dam, he probably needs to take care of it, so it will be smoother...

But having said that, Shire has become so professional and comprehensive after only a trip to the UK?Not to mention those new ideas that others may take a long time to come up with.The strength is too amazing... How did you do it?Even if Shire got along well with a bunch of Royal Society Fellows in London, did he learn too quickly?Or, did Ciel already know...?

Charles tilted his head slightly, staring at Victor's movements, without speaking for a moment.

He is very confident in his plan, but that's because he knows the future development trend very well; logically speaking, Victor's acceptance should not be so great!Even if he agrees to take the risk, at least he should ask the details first to determine the risk, right?If Victor's investment has been so casual and credulous all the time, it will definitely go bankrupt every minute!

"Are you really okay?" Charles asked again.

"Didn't you tell me everything you need to say?" Victor asked back with a relaxed tone. "Didn't you write those two reports I received earlier? And the plan—very detailed, I must say."

"So you have fully understood?" Charles asked emphatically, "From textiles to railways, from labor to machines...anything?"

"All, except the machine." Victor affirmed. "But you just need to understand that - after all, the patent right is in your hands, isn't it?"

Charles narrowed his eyes slightly.

All the funds that the Grandet family can use have been invested in the recent projects, but the truth is, Victor's funds are the biggest ones, much larger.In this case, he earns a fixed percentage of the profit value in it as compensation.This also means that if Victor decides to divest, the bigger his stake, the bigger the loss.

Normally this should be the case, but not now.Because of Victor's unconventional way of borrowing money, the initiative was in his hands, Charles.That is to say, even if there is no such thing as a patent, Victor must cooperate with him; in addition, if something goes wrong with him, Victor will pay the most, not him.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this approach is really stupid-no one will easily hand over his life to others.After all, no one can really trust an agent, right?

Any other person, the risk that Victor needs to face will be higher.Because Charles thinks that he is a capable and reputable person.He can succeed without resorting to controversy, let alone deceitful deceit——

That was a double insult to his IQ and personality!

It was this kind of self-confidence, or pride, that made Charles accept Victor's money order.He secretly vowed that if he wants to succeed, he will succeed; for this goal, he will do his best; as long as he can think of it, he must do it!

It was precisely because of this emotion that Charles dutifully reported the progress of the matter to Victor.Even if there is only a verbal agreement between them, this is by no means a reason for him to relax.

But now, for the first time, Victor has clearly mentioned this-they are on the same boat, and the funds are completely locked in Shire's hands.

what does he mean?Charles thought.Victor couldn't change his mind halfway - and he couldn't - so what did he want?Something else?Something beyond entitlement?

Seeing that Charles was silent, Victor smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I'm not so volatile. Since I can give you the money order that I carry with me, it means that I will never regret it."

Charles stared at that smile for a few seconds, then suddenly thought of something else. "You did it on purpose?" He asked in a deep voice.If Victor had understood his pride, he would have known that frank prodding would be more useful to him than devious talk; and the greater the challenge he faced, the stronger his competitive spirit would be, the easier it would be for him to say yes, and it would be easier for him to agree. Do it with more passion.

"How could it be?" Victor continued to laugh, "No matter what you think, we are very happy to cooperate now, aren't we?"

Charles wanted to knock the smile off that face right now.He must have been hit by the aggressive method!Victor definitely did it on purpose!

"From the look in your eyes, I think you must be thinking in the wrong direction." Victor spread his hands with an innocent expression: "You have to believe, I just admire you and trust you."

"Really?" Charles almost laughed angrily, "If what you said is true, how do you explain that you are not in Paris, but here?" Subtext, if it is true trust, Victor should not be here .

"Don't you want enough venture capital?" Victor didn't answer Ciel's question directly, he chose another very clever angle - Ciel himself also wanted to do a big business, which made him His intentions in it weakened. "I'm just going with the flow, not for any of the bad reasons you might think. And, of course I'm here for something, but it's not about the factory."

Charles' pause this time was shorter than last time. "What?"

He has always had good self-control, and his gaffe was only temporary; and when he thought about it again, he found that Victor's reason was very beautiful-not admitting or denying, but implying that they have the same purpose, so don't care about anything else- He really can't care too much, because he really needs a lot of money to realize his many plans, and he really took advantage of it——

Hmph, this guy's ability to steer the topic in a wrong direction is really not to be underestimated!

Victor put down his long overlapping legs and stood up.Charles was standing between the armchair and the desk, so when he stood up he faced Charles directly, the distance between them was no more than two or three steps. "It may be a small thing for you, but it's a big thing for me."

For an instant Charles could only think of his own birthday from these words.But he immediately spurned his first reaction - he must have been reminded by Guillaume too many times, so he thought of this aspect; Victor came here specially, how could it be for his birthday?Birthday is a small matter for him, but it is definitely not a big matter for Victor!But nothing else seems to be...

"You'd better make it clear." Charles replied coldly, actually even more angry with himself.

Victor took two steps forward, shortening the distance between them, and propped one hand on the desk.He was almost half a head taller than Charles, so it was almost a hugging position.

Facing a handsome face that suddenly enlarged, Charles remained motionless. "My ears are very good, don't bother you to talk so close." Flirting with him?Let's go as soon as possible!

Victor smiled, his voice lowered a bit.He wanted to say, do you know that I like you like this, I like you so much that I am going crazy, but in the end I managed to control myself. "Happy birthday, dear Charles."

Charles was shocked.Although Victor does know when his birthday is, but actually remembers...?He froze for a second because of this, but a sudden lightness on his waist brought him back to his senses——

Someone took the pistol from his pocket as quickly as possible!

After Victor got the gun in his hand, he threw it lightly, and threw it directly onto a soft armchair a little far away.The movement was quick, just in time for Charles to raise his hand—Charre reflexively wanted to attack him, and he grabbed the wrist. "Don't get too excited, there are people outside." He said softly, "And I have no bad intentions."

What the hell is this cheeky!Charles was outraged.As soon as he pulled his hand back, he caught a glimpse of the reddish skin on it, and immediately felt that he should put exercise on his agenda, and it was right for Guillaume to let him rest more. "No bad intentions? Do you need to take the pistol away just to say happy birthday?" No one would believe it!

"I'm worried that if you take it out to my heart again, then I'll probably..." Victor paused, but didn't continue.

Charles heard an inexplicable danger from this unfinished meaning.Likely what?Probably can't help it...?He couldn't think anymore, and tried to change the subject: "So what else do you want to say?"

Victor watched Ciel's face closely; from his point of view, he just felt that even if Ciel looked tired and slightly angry, it could not reduce the attractiveness of this person to him in the slightest.In addition, the light cigar aroma from Charles, which was similar to his, also made him unable to bear the distraction——

Want to kiss him, want to overwhelm him, want to possess him!

But now is not the time... Victor had to keep reminding himself in his heart.He took a deep breath slowly to calm himself down, but he was still greedy for such time together. "London," he said at last, "I hear you met a Michael there?"