Chapter 60

Fourth update, seeking support.

"Dear Isabelle, it's so nice to see you. By the way, this must be the famous Dr. Jason, right?"

Just as Zhu Jishi finished speaking, a clear and pleasant female voice came from behind him, speaking in French, which he barely understood. He turned around to see a charming and alluring woman walking over. She was wearing a light yellow silk dress, holding a delicately carved ivory fan, and her graceful figure exuded a charm that reminded him of the Mona Lisa in a Leonardo da Vinci painting. She smiled at Zhu Jishi, as if the Mona Lisa had gracefully appeared before him.

"Maria, you look even more beautiful than two years ago." Isabelle stood up and hugged the woman, then introduced Zhu Jishi to her: "This is Baron Zhu Jishi, my good friend—this is Maria Clementina de Neveu de Segur, the Duchess, who is my late husband's cousin and my best friend."

"It's an honor to meet you, Sir Jason." Maria's beautiful eyes swept over Zhu Jishi, and she smiled, speaking in German: "I am Maria Clementina." She then extended her slender, white wrist to Zhu Jishi.

"It's an honor to meet you, Duchess." Zhu Jishi took her hand and gently kissed it, then straightened up and looked at the beautiful woman before him. Her eyes were enchantingly seductive, and he couldn't help but recall what Countess Isabelle had said. Was this woman trying to seduce him?

"Don't be so formal, please call me Maria." Maria Clementina's German had an Austrian accent, which anyone familiar with European aristocratic circles would recognize. French nobles, Catholic Austrian nobles, Italian nobles, and Spanish nobles all belonged to the same circle, so they spoke German with an Austrian accent. British nobles, on the other hand, belonged to a different circle with the Protestant nobles of northern Germany, and they spoke German with a northern German accent.

"Maria, may I ask where the Duke of Segur is?" Zhu Jishi looked around but saw no one who looked like a duke, so he asked uncertainly.

"Louis is very ill and is recuperating at Château Duhart." Maria Clementina smiled faintly, without a trace of sadness. "Sir Jason, would you like to dance with me later?"

"It would be my pleasure, Maria. You can call me Jason." Zhu Jishi took another look at the Duchess, noting that she was only in her mid-twenties, a few years younger than Madame Durand. Her figure was even more voluptuous, with a well-defined figure. She seemed to be wearing nothing under her thin silk dress, and her large, full breasts were tantalizingly visible. Although bras had not been invented yet, Zhu Jishi had never seen such a bold woman in this time and place.

"Isabelle, you said Maria is your relative?" Zhu Jishi watched the beautiful woman leave and smiled at Isabelle.

"Yes," Isabelle smiled. "My late father, the Count de Neveu, was a colonel under Napoleon. One of his cousins, Maria's father, was an officer in Napoleon's Old Guard and now serves the Orleans dynasty as a marquis, holding the position of Deputy Minister of the French Army, with significant influence over military procurement." She glanced at Zhu Jishi and said coyly, "But Maria's influence is no less than her father's. She is a well-known 'bedroom politician' among the Bonapartists."

"Bedroom politician..." Zhu Jishi smirked. The women in the British aristocratic circles were already quite bold, but the French women were probably even more promiscuous. Still, Maria was quite a catch.

"Jason, her purpose for coming from France is probably to meet you." Isabelle suddenly said, surprising Zhu Jishi. "Me? To meet me? Why?"

Isabelle shrugged. "How should I know? I'm just a peripheral member of the Bonapartists, while Maria is at the core. I think she will talk to you in detail tonight, in bed."

"In bed?" Zhu Jishi licked his lips. "She's a core member of the Bonapartists. Won't that be a problem?"

Isabelle smiled and glanced at Zhu Jishi. "Refusing her would be a bigger problem. The Duchess of Segur is not someone you can easily turn down!"

Uh, another unreasonable woman, Zhu Jishi thought, using his professional medical judgment.

...

Amidst the soft music, the Omarque Club's ball began again.

"Jason, on behalf of the Segur family and the French wine industry, I thank you for your invention and generosity. Your Zhu's sterilization method has been a great help to us." Maria Clementina was dancing with Zhu Jishi, her face flushed, making her look even more beautiful, like a rose about to bloom. "Of course, there's also cocaine. It's a truly brilliant invention that gives wine a magical quality, making every sip of cocaine-infused wine unforgettable. Jason... I don't think you would refuse the Segur family's exclusive right to produce cocaine wine, would you?"

As she spoke, Maria Clementina's seductive eyes fixed on Zhu Jishi, and her body pressed closer to him.

"Uh, exclusive production..." Zhu Jishi's face relaxed slightly. He thought to himself, "So, they're interested in the market potential of cocaine wine. No wonder this seductress came all the way to England to seduce me. But exclusive production... she really knows how to drive a hard bargain!"

"What? Is that a problem?" Maria Clementina's soft body pressed against Zhu Jishi, her breasts gently brushing against his arm, and her face was flushed with desire.

Zhu Jishi inwardly cursed, "Do these capitalist country women have any sense of chastity? They seduce so openly upon first meeting. Why didn't I encounter such good fortune in the future?"

"Maria, do you really want to add cocaine to all the wines produced by the Segur family's vineyards?" Zhu Jishi gently pushed Maria away and said carefully, "Cocaine is indeed a good thing, but not everyone might like a wine with a stimulating effect, right?"

Maria Clementina leaned closer to Zhu Jishi and said with a smile, "It's wonderful. Drinking cocaine wine feels amazing, doesn't it?"

Zhu Jishi shook his head slowly. "Maria, do you want to hear my thoughts on cocaine wine?" Maria Clementina smiled and nodded. Zhu Jishi continued, "I originally planned to buy a poorly managed winery in France that produces mid-to-low-end wines and then add cocaine to create an invigorating wine."

Maria Clementina looked at Zhu Jishi with a slightly odd smile. "There are no such wineries now. Before you invented the 'Zhu's sterilization method,' a few mid-to-low-end wineries would go bankrupt each year due to wine spoilage. But now... wine always sells, doesn't it?"

This was like shooting oneself in the foot, Zhu Jishi thought with a bitter smile. It seemed that buying a winery at a low price would be difficult. Jishi Holdings didn't have much capital, and buying a winery at a high price might not be worth it. After all, winemaking wasn't Jishi Holdings' main business, and it was a highly competitive industry. Building a reputable brand for fine wine would take more than just a few years. Perhaps it would be better to collaborate with the Duchess of Segur?

As he hesitated, the Duchess of Segur's sweet voice sounded in his ear again, "Jason, if you don't want to spend decades building a winery, collaborating with the Segur family is definitely the best choice. We are the most powerful and influential family in the European wine industry, owning dozens of vineyards that produce wines of all qualities, with a total annual production of millions of liters. I don't think you'll find a better partner than the Segur family."

"Then... what are the terms of the collaboration?" Zhu Jishi asked, somewhat reluctantly.

Maria Clementina giggled and gave Zhu Jishi a seductive look. "Isn't it a bit early to discuss terms? I have a villa in Harrow. Why don't we go there and talk more?"

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