The rain fell harder as the black sedan drove away from the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Isabella sat on the left side of the back seat, her hands on her knees, her gaze fixed outside the window.
Jiang Lin sat beside her.
"Have you been to Montlais Winery?"
"I have."
"When?"
"Many years later."
"Mr. Jiang, I am not in the mood for jokes right now."
"If you sign, you will definitely default. Pierre is cooperating with the restructuring as the family representative. You will lose the winery, and they will get rich off your winery."
"What exactly do you want to take from me?"
"Thirty percent of the equity and the operating rights for the Asian market."
"So greedy?"
"One must covet either beauty or wealth."
"You are certainly honest."
"The cost of lying to a beautiful woman is very high."
Two and a half hours later, Montlais Winery.
The car stopped in front of the main building.
The old butler came out with an umbrella to welcome them.
"Madam."
Isabella got out of the car.
"Martin, open Cellar No. 3."
The butler's expression shifted slightly.
"Now?"
"Now."
He glanced at Jiang Lin and suppressed his confusion.
"Please, follow me."
The group walked through the main building and headed underground along the stone steps.
The air grew cooler as they went deeper.
Copper lamps lit up, and the damp stone walls shimmered with a dim light.
The cellar smelled of a mixture of wooden barrels, soil, and red wine.
He had walked this path in his past life.
Back then, Montlais Winery had been acquired by Lemaire Wine.
As a temporary translator, he had accompanied Asian buyers to tour the cellar.
Standing at the back of the crowd, he hadn't even been qualified to taste the wine.
The tour guide stood in front of the door to Cellar No. 3.
"Back then, there was a batch of undervalued stock here that helped the new owner open up the Asian market."
Jiang Lin had remembered that batch of wine.
He remembered the serial numbers.
And he remembered the price.
At this moment, he was standing in front of this door again.
The butler opened the heavy iron door.
Cellar No. 3 slept in darkness.
The lights turned on one by one.
Rows of wine racks appeared before them.
The bottles were covered in dust, the labels had yellowed, and many unregistered wooden crates were piled in the depths.
Jiang Lin walked straight toward the third row on the left.
This was exactly the area for the 2005 vintage grand vin.
He stopped in front of a wooden crate and wiped away the dust.
The box number was M-2005-R-17.
He opened it, took out a bottle of wine, and handed it to Isabella.
"This bottle is valued at sixty-two euros in the bank's report."
Isabella took the bottle.
"The 2005 Bordeaux vintage will be sought after by the market again, rising to over four hundred euros."
The butler couldn't help but speak up.
"Mr. Jiang, ratings, distribution channels, storage, and reputation—every single item requires time."
"Start the inventory count tonight: take photos, seal the batches, and establish independent sales contracts. List all of the 2005, 2001, and 2008 vintages before ten o'clock tomorrow morning, and count out twenty cases for backup today."
"That is too rushed."
"The bank will take action within forty-eight hours. Do you want to wait until the accounts are frozen before acting?"
Jiang Lin walked toward the depths of the cellar and stopped in front of a row of wooden crates covered by a tarp.
"Here."
He lifted the tarp, revealing a batch of unregistered older vintage wines.
Isabella walked over, saw the serial numbers on the crates, and her breath hitched.
"These wines... I thought they were disposed of at a charity auction years ago. My husband said before he passed that we shouldn't touch them for the time being, and to wait until the Asian market matured before dealing with them."
Jiang Lin looked at that batch of wine.
"This is your first lifeline."
"First?"
"Montlais Winery has at least four more lifelines. The stock, the Asian channels, evidence of the bank's malicious undervaluation to delay the debt collection process. And finally, yourself."
Isabella was slightly stunned.
Jiang Lin looked at her.
"The identity of Mrs. Montclair still holds value in the French wine industry, charity circles, and high-society dinners."
The cellar fell silent.
The old butler's gaze toward Jiang Lin lost some of its suspicion.
Isabella asked: "What should I do?"
"Call a lawyer you trust."
"And then?"
"Have him bring a notary and an inventory auditor here."
Isabella glanced at her watch.
"It is one o'clock in the morning."
"If you want to save the winery, don't worry about what time it is."
He turned his head to look at the butler.
"Mr. Butler, wake up the employees who are willing to work for Mrs. Montclair, and double their wages. Those who don't show up won't need to appear ever again."
The old butler looked at Isabella.
Isabella was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Do as he says."
The butler turned and left.
Isabella took out her phone and called her lawyer.
Jiang Lin also took out his phone.
There were over a dozen missed calls on the screen.
Zhao Hong.
A Chinese middleman.
In his past life, he was a villain who tricked him into the Parisian black market labor circle and pawned his passport to a loan shark at a casino.
Jiang Lin ignored it, found the Asian buyer's number directly, and sent a photo of the wine bottle.
【2005 vintage grand vin, first batch of 10,000 bottles. Sign the letter of intent tonight, one million euros down payment, to be received before nine o'clock tomorrow morning.】
The other party replied quickly.
【I need to confirm the winery's authorization.】
Jiang Lin handed the phone to Isabella.
"Record a video."
Isabella frowned.
"What kind of video?"
"An authorization video."
"Now?"
"Now. Buyers fear unclean sources most of all. You need to appear on camera yourself to vouch for it."
Isabella looked at him for two seconds, then hung up the lawyer's call that hadn't connected yet.
"What should I say?"
Jiang Lin briefly coached her on a few lines.
Isabella stood in front of the wine rack and tidied her appearance.
"I am Isabella de Montclair, the current owner of Montlais Winery. The first batch of 10,000 bottles of 2005 grand vin is supplied directly by the winery."
She looked into the camera.
"Mr. Jiang acts as the authorized representative to conduct follow-up communication with the buyer."
The video ended.
Jiang Lin immediately sent it to President Lin.
Less than three minutes later, the phone rang.
"Mr. Jiang, I have seen the video. I can take this batch, and the price will be as you stated, but I want the right of first refusal for future orders."
"Agreed."
"The down payment will be transferred via bank tonight; I want to see it before nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Mr. Jiang, you are in quite a rush to do business."
"Good goods don't wait for anyone."
"How much more do you have in your hands?"
"Enough to keep you full."
"Then I will fly to Paris tomorrow."
"No need to go to Paris, come to Bordeaux."
"Are you at the winery?"
"Yes."
"It seems you really are in a hurry."
"After tomorrow, there will be many people wanting to snatch up this batch of wine. There is no harm in entering the market early."
"Understood."
The call ended.
Isabella looked at him.
"Will he really pay?"
"He will."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he understands the hunger of buyers better than you do."
At this moment, the butler arrived with two cellar managers.
Behind them followed several employees who had been woken up.
"Do three things tonight."
Jiang Lin gave orders directly.
"Inventory all 2001, 2005, and 2008 vintage stock in Cellar No. 3; take photos, assign numbers, and seal the boxes."
"Organize the original storage records and identify any discrepancies with the bank's valuation report."
"Before eight o'clock tomorrow morning, produce an inventory list that can be shown to the lawyer and the buyer."
A middle-aged man frowned.
"Sir, who are you?"
"Jiang Lin."
"I am asking, in what capacity are you ordering us around?"
Jiang Lin turned to look at Isabella.
Isabella stepped forward.
"Mr. Jiang's orders are my orders."
Isabella continued.
"Those who participate in the inventory will have their wages doubled this month; those who are unwilling can leave now."
The old butler was the first to speak.
"I will stay, Madam."
The two cellar managers also nodded.
"We will stay."
The rest of the employees expressed their agreement one after another.
Isabella looked at them, and her expression finally changed slightly.
After her husband died, she hadn't just lost money and a winery.
She had also lost control over the people around her.
Now, that control had returned.
Jiang Lin said: "Begin."
Cellar No. 3 quickly sprang into action.
Three-twenty in the morning.
The first version of the inventory list was out.
2005 vintage grand vin: 19,600 bottles.
Second label wine: 4,300 bottles.
2001 vintage stock: 3,700 bottles.
The quantity of the 2008 vintage was even larger, but it needed to wait for the market to explode.
The bank's valuation put the total value at less than one million euros.
And now, the first batch of the 2005 vintage alone was worth over four million euros.
Isabella looked at the list, remaining silent for a long time.
Over the past few months, the bank had told her that the winery had no value.
Her relatives told her that she couldn't keep these assets.
The lawyer told her that signing would preserve her final shred of dignity.
Now, this inventory list clearly told her:
They were all lying.
Jiang Lin sat on a wooden crate and wrote down a series of arrangements.
"At six o'clock tomorrow morning, the lawyer and notary will arrive."
"At seven o'clock, the inventory list will be signed and sealed."
"At eight o'clock, send the bank's valuation report and the comparison table of the actual inventory to the lawyer."
"At nine o'clock, the Asian buyer's down payment will be received."
"At ten o'clock, apply to the court for a temporary injunction to stop the bank's forced debt collection."
"At eleven o'clock, contact the financial media."
Isabella looked up.
"The media?"
"You need to let the bank know that you have the courage to flip the table."
"If this blows up, the reputation of Montlais Winery will also be affected."
"Their reputation has been sold off for a pittance. Tell everyone, Montlais Winery is not dead yet."
Isabella was silent.
Jiang Lin handed her the paper.
"You need to adapt as soon as possible."
"Adapt to what?"
"That you are at war."
Isabella took the paper.
"Jiang Lin, what have you done before?"
"Many things."
"For example?"
"Translator, auction house handyman, wine merchant assistant, football agent assistant, private driver."
Isabella frowned.
At 4:30 AM, the lawyer arrived.
Alan, in his forties, with messy hair.
Isabella recounted what happened in the conference room and told him about Jiang Lin's plan.
After listening, Alan's first reaction was skepticism.
"The advance payment hasn't arrived yet, and inventory valuation requires a professional agency. Just based on this, it might not stop the bank."
Jiang Lin handed over a copy of the contract.
"Look at Article 12, Article 21, and Article 34, then look at the attached valuation table."
Alan took the document.
"They intentionally undervalued the inventory."
"Once Mrs. Montclair signs, they can take over the core assets."
Alan muttered a curse under his breath.
"Prepare three documents now: preliminary evidence of malicious undervaluation of inventory assets, a legal letter stating the debt restructuring agreement is significantly misleading, and an application for a temporary injunction."
Alan looked up.
"Are you telling me how to do my job?"
"I am helping you save time."
Isabella spoke up.
"Alan, do as he says."
"Mrs. Montclair, are you sure you want to trust him?"
"I have no better choice."
"I need an office, a fax machine, loan documents, and the bank's valuation reports from the past two years."
"Martin will give them to you."
"I also need a record of associated funds between Pierre and Lemaire Wine. We don't have such things."
"There will be."
Jiang Lin picked up his phone.
Zhao Hong's missed calls were still increasing.
This time, he called back.
"Jiang Lin! Where the hell did you run off to? I've been looking for you all night! Do you still want your passport or not?"
A familiar threat.
In his past life, when Jiang Lin heard this voice, he would be nervous, would explain himself, and would lower his head.
This time, he only found it noisy.
"Zhao Hong."
"So you finally know how to answer the phone? Get back here immediately, otherwise..."
"Do you know anyone who can look up company accounts?"
"What?"
"Look up a payment from an associated account of Lemaire Wine. The recipient is a shell consulting company under Pierre's name. The time is within the last ten days, and the amount is about 200,000 euros."
"Are you out of your mind? You..."
"Find it, and I'll give you 20,000 euros."
"20,000?"
"Tonight."
"Where did you get the money?"
"Don't ask."
Zhao Hong was clearly tempted.
"What do you want this for?"
"Don't ask."
Zhao Hong chuckled twice.
"Jiang Lin, you have a big mouth now. 20,000 euros, can you actually come up with that?"
"Zhao Hong, that basement where you hide other people's passports is under the laundry shop on the back street of Belleville. Four Vietnamese, two Chinese, one Serbian girl."
His tone paused.
"Do you want me to continue?"
"How do you know?"
"Two hours. I want to see that transfer record."
He hung up the phone.
Isabella and Alan were both looking at him.
Jiang Lin put away his phone.
"Gray channels, barely usable."
Alan frowned.
"This kind of evidence might not be directly admissible in court."
"It's enough to make Pierre shut up."
Jiang Lin looked at Isabella.
"Evidence doesn't necessarily have to be presented to a judge."
As dawn approached, the rain stopped.
Isabella stood in the study of the main building, looking out the window.
Three things were on the table.
Inventory list.
Lawyer's first draft.
Confirmation letter for the Asian buyer's advance payment.
9:05 AM.
The bank notification of the deposit arrived.
One million euros in advance payment entered the designated escrow account of Montlais Winery.
Alan looked at the transaction record and took a deep breath.
"This money can prove to the court that the winery has short-term solvency."
Isabella looked at Jiang Lin.
He was sitting by the window, holding a cup of black coffee.
"Don't be happy too soon."
He glanced at the time.
"The bank people are almost here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of cars came from downstairs.
Several black sedans drove into the winery gate.
The old butler walked to the window, his face darkening.
"Mrs. Montclair, it's the bank people."
Alan frowned.
"They came so quickly?"
Jiang Lin stood up.
"They are getting anxious."
The car doors opened.
The bank representative from last night got out of the car.
Followed by two lawyers and several asset appraisers.
From another car, Pierre also got out.
Isabella looked at them, her fingers pressing on the windowsill.
Jiang Lin's voice sounded from the side.
"Mrs. Montclair."
"Yes?"
"Don't talk much."
Isabella turned to look at him.
"Why?"
"Watch me."
Downstairs in the lobby.
When the bank representative walked in, his face still wore a professional smile.
"Mrs. Montclair, it seems you didn't rest well last night."
Isabella came down the stairs.
She had changed into a beige suit, her hair was coiled up again, and her pearl earrings glowed with a gentle luster.
She didn't answer.
Jiang Lin walked down behind her.
The bank representative was displeased to see him.
"Mr. Jiang, I didn't expect you to still be here."
"I didn't expect you to come so early either. The contract wasn't signed, so are you in a hurry?"
Pierre shouted angrily: "This is Montlais Winery, it's not your place to speak!"
"Mr. Pierre, did you sleep well last night?"
Pierre's expression changed.
Jiang Lin smiled.
"Seems you slept so-so."
The bank representative said coldly:
"Mrs. Montclair, the bank is officially initiating pre-execution procedures. We are here to verify the winery's assets."
Jiang Lin nodded.
"Sure. But before you all enter the wine cellar, please look at a few documents."
Alan stepped forward and handed over the legal letter.
"This is a formal objection to your bank's debt restructuring agreement from yesterday. The agreement's undervaluation of the inventory wine, brand rights, and sales channels seriously infringes on Mrs. Montclair's legal rights."
The bank representative took the document and flipped through it quickly.
Jiang Lin placed the inventory list on the table.
"This is the preliminary inventory list of Wine Cellar No. 3, witnessed by a lawyer, signed by employees, and some batches have been photographed and sealed."
The bank representative flipped to the numbers.
"The list hasn't been approved by the bank. A valuation of 3.8 million euros hasn't been recognized by the market."
Jiang Lin took out the third document.
"Purchase intent, confirmation of the receipt of a one-million-euro advance payment."
Jiang Lin pushed the document onto the table.
"Do you still want to enforce it?"
The smile on the bank representative's face could no longer be maintained.
The representative stared at Jiang Lin.
"Mr. Jiang, do you know what you are doing?"
"I do."
"You are going against a French bank."
"To be precise, you are going against the new partner of Montlais Winery."
"New partner?"
Jiang Lin turned to look at Isabella.
Isabella took an authorization letter from the butler and placed it on the table.
"Mr. Jiang Lin is officially appointed as the Special Consultant for the Asian Market of Montlais Winery."
Her tone paused.
"At the same time, I will initiate negotiations with Mr. Jiang Lin for equity investment."
Pierre was completely frantic.
"Isabella! You're crazy! You want to give the Montclair family's equity to an outsider?"
Isabella looked at him.
"This outsider at least helped me save the winery."
Pierre's face was livid.
Jiang Lin's phone vibrated.
An anonymous email popped up.
The attachment was a screenshot of a bank transfer record.
Payer: Lemaire Wine associated company.
Payee: A consulting company under Pierre's name.
Amount: 200,000 euros.
Time: Six days ago.
Jiang Lin looked up at Pierre.
"Mr. Pierre, you had better be quiet now."
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Lin turned the phone screen toward him.
"Do you need me to explain this 200,000 euros for you in front of the bank and the lawyers?"
Pierre lost his nerve.
The bank representative looked at him sharply.
Pierre's forehead was breaking out in cold sweat.
"This... this is a normal consulting fee."
"Then you surely won't mind submitting to the court that the Montclair family representative received a 200,000-euro consulting fee from a potential buyer before the bank pressed for debt."
Pierre was completely speechless.
Jiang Lin put away his phone.
"Everyone, do you still want to see the wine cellar now?"
No one answered.
Isabella stood in the center of the lobby, looking at the people who were so high and mighty last night.
The bank representative was silent.
Pierre was speechless.
The asset appraisers looked down at their documents.
The stone that had been pressing on her heart for half a year had been forcibly lifted by a corner.
The air came back in.
Jiang Lin walked to her side.
"Mrs. Montclair."
"From today on, no one can take this winery away."
He looked at the bank representative, Pierre, and the several appraisers.
"Her winery, I will protect it."