Era: Starting from divorce from female college student

September 22, 1985, Plaza Hotel, New York.

Here today, Takeshita Noboru, a senior executive at Kimura, looked at James Baker and spoke first:

"Please let the yen appreciate; we are already prepared."

James Baker was instantly dumbfounded: No, lately I've been racking my brains every day, trying to figure out how to persuade Kimura to cooperate with us to devalue the dollar and appreciate the yen.

The meeting had barely begun when Takeshita Noboru, you actually took the initiative?

Goodness, this peculiar thought process completely baffled James.

What's going on?

Compared to Takeshita Noboru, Gerhardt on the European side was much calmer.

Actually, James Baker initiated this meeting by calling everyone together.

To be honest, Gerhardt didn't want to participate at all, but did he dare not participate?
He had no choice, just as Takeshita Noboru did not, and neither did the other party.

If there were any other options, no one would willingly allow their currency to appreciate.

This is simply blatant bullying.

It's important to understand that once the yen and the mark appreciate, the cost of exported products will rise sharply.

Take Toyota Motor Corporation as an example. The initial cost for their exports to Sam might only be 100,000 yen.

However, with the appreciation of the yen and the depreciation of the dollar, the cost may still be only 100,000 yen. But with the fluctuation of exchange rates, Toyota will lose at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands of yen, for every car it exports.

For automakers, no one can withstand such a surge in costs.

The depreciation of the US dollar also means that the cost of products exported from the US, such as General Motors, has decreased.

This would greatly enhance General Motors' international competitiveness.

What can we do?

There's nothing we can do but obediently do as instructed.

The Plaza Accord was signed in just a few hours.

At the press conference, Takeshita Noboru was beaming; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he'd made hundreds of millions from James Baker.

Zhao Mancang, who was far away in Yunlan City, saw the live news broadcast and immediately sneered.

Just as Takeshita Noboru, Gerhardt, Nigel Lawson and the others were heading to New York, Zhao Mancang left Hong Kong Island.

Because this matter is already a done deal, there's no need for him to keep an eye on it anymore.

After the Plaza Accord, Kimura and Germany will begin selling off dollar assets.

At this point, those who went long on the Japanese yen and the German mark will start to make a killing.

However, this long position on the Japanese yen and the German mark is for a relatively long period, starting in October and ending at the end of this year, which will be a period of yen appreciation.

The current USD/JPY exchange rate is 258. After the Plaza Accord, the yen immediately rose to 250.

The price fluctuations can be quite rapid.

In fact, the entire foreign exchange market is currently in turmoil, and exchange rates will continue to fluctuate.

Zhao Mancang stayed in Yunlan City and showed no intention of returning to Hong Kong Island.

He will be staying in Yunlan City for the next two weeks, because the Yunlan City Supermodel Competition is about to start.

Beautiful women are a rare resource, but in Yunlan City, they are not considered a rare resource.

Top beauties from all over the world have gathered in Yunlan City.

The selection criteria for the annual model competition are extremely stringent.

Now, the selection process even begins as early as junior high school.

It's not just about having a beautiful appearance and good temperament; one's inner qualities also need to be acceptable.

The champion will receive a prize of ten million US dollars, which is no small sum.

Because of this prize money, a large number of top beauties sign up for this supermodel competition every year.

Even if you only manage to get a top 20 ranking, the prize money is at least several hundred thousand US dollars.

Think about those supermodels who stayed in Yunlan City; they don't earn much money each month.

A few hundred thousand dollars is enough for them to live quite well in many parts of the world.

Moreover, once they actually make it into the top twenty, it's practically a sure path to success.

As long as you don't do anything reckless, the future is bright.

"You're still going to watch this competition? Isn't it enough with us? Are you going to bring back even more sisters for us?"

"I'm a little jealous," said Ryuzawa Nanako.

Zhao Mancang stroked the other person's delicate face and said:

"A man is a boy until he dies. Look at me, I'm so young, don't you think I look like a boy?"

"Besides, every time we do fill-in-the-blank questions together, you always say I'm trying too hard."

"Oh dear, stop talking, it's so embarrassing!" Ryuzawa Nanako blushed instantly and quickly covered Zhao Mancang's mouth.

Is this something that can be said to outsiders?

"Okay, I won't say," Zhao Mancang said cheerfully.

"There's a saying that everyone loves beauty. I don't believe you don't have a love for beautiful women. I just wanted to go and see those models. How did I end up bringing my girlfriends along?"

"Don't think too much, just stay home and take good care of the kids."

After saying that, he turned and left, driving to the model competition venue.

This year's model competition was held indoors in a huge venue, with the theme "Eastern Prelude".

It's a competition themed around Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), so you can say that you won't be showing skin; on the contrary, you'll be wearing a lot of clothes.

This resulted in very low indoor temperatures, reaching over 10 degrees Celsius.

The temperature is very low, almost like winter.

If you are in a high latitude area, then it doesn't matter whether you are indoors or outdoors.

However, Yunlan City is located in the equatorial region, where the temperature usually exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, making it extremely hot.

Under such circumstances, it can only be carried out indoors.

For this reason, the Oriental Prologue Model Contest will be exceptionally different.

There are several extra-large refrigeration units near the venue, along with backup power supplies and refrigeration equipment, to ensure the smooth completion of this competition.

When Zhao Mancang arrived at the venue, it was already packed with people.

Previously, after news of the Oriental Prologue Model Contest spread, old perverts all over the world were stunned.

The model competitions of the past few years can be summed up in one word: revealing!

Even model competitions around the world are the same: it's all about showing skin, simple and brutal.

However, this year's model competition, thanks to the Dongfang Xuzhang Hanfu, was the kind of stunning beauty that "appears after much anticipation, still half-concealed like a pipa player."

Such attire is extremely attractive to older, more lecherous men.

However, Zhao Mancang saw many women at the scene. Princesses from small countries, heiresses from wealthy families, top female tycoons, and so on—they were all there.

It's clear that the Eastern Prelude Hanfu series is quite attractive to these women.

Otherwise, it wouldn't attract these people.

All I can say is that this planning was absolutely perfect.

Upon arriving at the venue, Zhao Mancang did not try to steal the spotlight. Instead, he sat down in his seat and leisurely waited for the fashion show to begin.

The person in charge knew Zhao Mancang, but unfortunately he had changed his appearance and was therefore not recognized.

As time passed, it was time for the models to walk the runway.

The opening guest was a world-renowned star, and as a high-energy song began, the audience was filled with excited fans.

Zhao Mancang watched with interest, but he was simply enjoying the music and not completely swept up in the music.

After the warm-up music, it was time for the official fashion show.

The models who followed were all dressed in the most beautiful Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing) and took to the stage.

When traditional Han and Tang dynasty clothing meets fashion, the beauty of tradition subverts modern aesthetics.

The first female model to appear was a stunning beauty from Hong Kong Island.

Wearing a sky-blue Hanfu, the patterns on her body are eye-catching.

Overall, it is absolutely stunning.

This Hanfu incorporates intangible cultural heritage techniques, such as brocade weaving, Miao embroidery, and Suzhou embroidery.

These techniques represent the pinnacle of clothing craftsmanship in the feudal era, a culmination of five thousand years of traditional craftsmanship.

Not only were the audience members captivated by the stunning beauty before them, but even Zhao Mancang couldn't help but hold his breath in awe.

He's seen countless beautiful women; what top-tier beauties haven't he seen?
However, the stunningly beautiful woman in modern Hanfu before him truly resembled an ancient beauty appearing before him.

Our ancestors' foresight was indeed accurate.

The Hanfu design in front of us, or the Hanfu designs of today, are all based on the concept of 'moderate wrapping'.

It emphasizes the restraint and grandeur of Eastern aesthetics, breaking the global fashion industry's notion that 'revealing is high-class'.

Soon, the second stunning beauty to appear was a supermodel wearing a horse-face skirt.

According to media reports, this beautiful woman is the biggest favorite to win this year's supermodel competition, and her name is Zheng Ruoyan.

She comes from mainland China and is a great beauty from Hangzhou.

The horse-face skirt she was wearing at that moment was made of 24K gold thread woven into silk and embroidered with the "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" painting. It took half a year and twenty craftsmen working non-stop to complete.

The sampling alone used more than fifty bolts of fabric, costing over half a million US dollars.

So when Zheng Ruoyan wore this horse-face skirt, the unique charm of this combination of tradition and modernity left everyone speechless.

Because it's just so incredibly beautiful.

The foreign princesses, heiresses, and top female tycoons in the audience all had their eyes shining.

They were already planning to buy a few of these outfits after the model competition ended.

Simply because it's so beautiful.

However, the shock that Zheng Ruoyan and her group brought to everyone was only the beginning.

The beauty of those foreign supermodels when they wore Hanfu was even more stunning.

For example, there is a beautiful woman from Xinjiang Province who looks like a foreigner, but she is not actually a foreigner.

However, her appearance matched the Hanfu perfectly, creating a harmonious look without any sense of incongruity.

Many wealthy foreigners were amazed by this scene, and their desire to buy Hanfu clothing intensified.

"God, coming to this model competition was definitely the right decision, she looks absolutely stunning!"

"Now I finally understand why traditional Chinese aesthetics are so amazing—it really does have a five-thousand-year history!"

"Damn it, this kind of Hanfu is clearly clothing from the past, it should be outdated and decadent, but how come it looks so beautiful now?"

The understated yet dignified Hanfu evokes a sense of reverence, as if one were meeting a goddess from heaven.

Now I finally understand why this model competition is called "Eastern Prologue"—it truly takes Eastern aesthetics to the extreme.

Even many film directors are wide-eyed with excitement, eager to make a movie about this topic.

Beautiful!

Zhao Mancang, who was watching the Hanfu fashion show from the audience, also clapped along with the other audience members.

Every single one of the beauties participating in the model competition is a top-tier beauty.

Whether it's her looks, facial features, figure, or anything else, she's a beauty from every angle.

Zhao Mancang has already identified one of them, namely Zheng Ruoyan.

Of course, this also depends on whether the other party is willing; otherwise, it would be considered robbery.

The supermodel competition is still ongoing, but Zhao Mancang has already withdrawn.

After the supermodel competition ended, a top-tier Hanfu store in the city center of Yunlan City was packed with people.

This store is called Oriental Prelude.

There are many styles of Hanfu inside, most of which have appeared in today's supermodel competition.

Yunlan City went to great lengths to host such a model competition, naturally not just to attract tourists, but also hoping that they would make purchases.

"What? This horse-face skirt is priced at one million silver dollars? That's too expensive!"

When Aria Carlisle, a top female billionaire from New York, saw the price of the horse-face skirt, she instantly lost her composure.

She had seen more expensive clothing before, but in her opinion, Hanfu shouldn't need to be that pricey.

After all, these are products from a major Eastern country, where human resources are very cheap.

The exchange rate between the Treasury Note and the US dollar was 1, meaning that one million Treasury Notes was actually equivalent to one million US dollars.

No wonder this wealthy woman named Aria Carlisle lost her composure; it's just too expensive.

"Yes, madam, this is the price for our horse-face skirt. Do you see these threads? They are all 24K gold threads, very fine."

The salesperson inwardly scorned him, but outwardly maintained a perfect facade, revealing not a trace of it.

He patiently explained:

“Each of these horse-face skirts is not made using modern techniques; machines simply cannot produce such products.”

"If it's a custom-made horse-face skirt, then it will take at least two years to process because we don't have enough staff right now, and there's a waiting list. We currently have eight customers on the waiting list."

"Therefore, in addition to this non-sale display item currently available in our store, you would like to order it."

After the saleswoman finished explaining, Aliya Carlisle was stunned.

It's just a Hanfu, why do I need to order it?
And there's a waiting list that's more than two years long?
Two years later, this style of clothing was no longer fashionable.

Aliya, who had originally wanted to buy a Hanfu to try it out, suddenly had no other ideas.

So she looked at other styles, but she was disappointed again, because she still had to wait in line. (End of Chapter)