CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 332: ARTIFICIAL IDIOT

After a few seconds of waiting.

The AI, Lucy, gave an answer.

times (3+2) equals 17.

?

This isn’t right.

Chen Yiyang looked at the answer Lucy gave, utterly confused about how this was calculated.

So he re-entered, "Recalculate this problem, and provide the calculation process."

5(3+2) equals 5*(3+2) equals 5*5 equals 5*10 equals 50.

?

Both calculations are wrong, and the wrong answers are different!

Schaefer, who was nearby, saw this and shrugged, teasing, "You know, French people are very good at math, so the AI they create might use mathematical formulas we don’t know."

No matter the formula, a simple math problem shouldn’t be wrong like this.

The AI, Lucy.

Chen Yiyang then tried asking the AI some common-sense questions.

But the answers from this AI named Lucy were completely nonsensical.

Either the logic didn’t match, or the data was made up.

It even said things like cows lay cow eggs.

Chen Yiyang was sure that if this level of artificial stupidity were released to the public, it would be berated by the French so badly.

"What conditions can they offer?" Chen Yiyang asked Schaefer.

While the team at deekseep could help troubleshoot.

But Chen Yiyang always respected their work and wouldn’t command them randomly.

If the benefits from the French side weren’t enough, Chen Yiyang absolutely wouldn’t ask for it.

"Such a deal, just talking about money isn’t very meaningful," Schaefer said, "The condition they’ve offered is to sell you a classic fashion house."

"Name?"

"It’s called Carven, quite a famous women’s fashion brand, influential in France."

"Alright, let me investigate first." Chen Yiyang didn’t trust Schaefer easily.

Although he and Schaefer were on very good terms, this kind of deal involving a company in an unfamiliar field, Chen Yiyang felt it was better to be cautious.

After sending off Schaefer, Chen Yiyang glanced at the time.

According to the time difference, it was morning back in China.

So Chen Yiyang sent his matter to the domestic team, asking them to help investigate this fashion house.

Thanks to Chen Yiyang being willing to spend on talents and the management by the accountant being quite good.

Chen Yiyang had just woken up in the morning, and the domestic team sent the information over.

"CARVEN started out on Champs Elysees, founded by Madame Carven in 1945, renowned for women’s fashion."

"So what level is this brand at? How does it compare to Dior and LV?" Chen Yiyang continued to ask.

"Carven certainly can’t compare to those two, but it still has some global reputation, and many physical stores, including in Shanghai and Peng City in Huaxia."

"Does this brand have acquisition value?" Chen Yiyang asked.

"Honestly, no." The think tank on the video call gave their advice.

"Now is the global era, which means that in global segmentation, only top enterprises can survive.

Although Carven is quite historic in France, it’s clearly unable to compete on a global scale with other luxury brands.

And the concept of affordable luxury is awkward now. It has neither the brand prestige of big names nor the cost-effectiveness of local brands, but it’s expensive.

We’ve heard that CARVEN has been seeking buyers over the past two years, especially hoping the LV group would purchase it. But LV seemingly doesn’t think Carven has acquisition value."

After communicating with the think tank, Chen Yiyang immediately found Schaefer.

As soon as they met, he rudely said, "Are those French folks taking me for a fool? My team investigated. This clothing brand has no acquisition value."

"How could that be?" Schaefer was eager to promote this business deal.

So he hurriedly said, "Before introducing it to you, I did some digging myself. This clothing brand has a long history and is influential worldwide."

"If it truly had influence, this brand wouldn’t want to sell itself to LV only to be rejected." Chen Yiyang countered Schaefer with one sentence.

The LV group isn’t just a luxury brand; it’s a large investment group owning many famous luxury brands.

A bit like Tengxu.

And unlike Tengxu, although it owns many luxury brands, LV’s cash flow isn’t very abundant; it needs to continuously acquire other luxury brands to maintain its high stock price.

So Chen Yiyang’s question was sharp.

If the CARVEN brand was worthwhile to acquire, LV would have acted on it sooner. How could it end up for others?

Even LV, which has countless luxury resources, doesn’t want to buy this clothing brand, so Chen Yiyang, an outsider, buying it would be utterly foolish.

"Have that group of French guys prepare a new condition, preferably with sincerity; otherwise, when I go back in a few days, this matter will be dead."

After finishing the talk with Schaefer, Chen Yiyang didn’t stay in Germany.

He had to return to France to prepare for going back to China.

Before returning to China, he needed to meet the caviar partners he’d negotiated with earlier to strengthen relationships.

Also, he needed to communicate more with figures from the French culinary world; who knows, there might be more collaboration projects.

His newly acquainted friend, Bocuse’s son, young Bocuse, brought a surprise for Chen Yiyang.

In Bocuse’s restaurant, young Bocuse instructed the waiter to serve Chen Yiyang a classic French noble dish: foie gras with truffles.

"Honestly, I can’t eat this." Chen Yiyang said frankly.

Foie gras is an important ingredient in French cuisine.

But the production process of this ingredient is extremely cruel.

French people usually send geese, reared for 14 weeks, to specialized factories for force-feeding.

These geese are confined in small spaces, a tube inserted into their mouths, and a corn-and-fat-based feed is pumped through a long pipe into the goose’s esophagus until reaching the stomach.

Under this method, these geese experience severe overnutrition, causing their liver to swell tenfold.

But coming from a gastronomic nation, Chen Yiyang wasn’t trying to accuse this as unethical.

He was merely expressing that, due to such confinement, the foie gras in French cuisine is overly rich.

Chen Yiyang himself couldn’t eat it.

"You mustn’t say such things in front of others, after all, foie gras is the pride of French cuisine." Young Bocuse didn’t mind Chen Yiyang’s comments at all.

He kindly said, "But the point of serving you this dish is actually the other ingredient."