In the western suburbs of Greenwich, Connecticut, at a sprawling estate, two Black Hawk helicopters landed one after another on the open lawn. As the helicopter stairs were lowered, a group of people waiting nearby quickly approached.
Simon stepped down from one of the helicopters and, upon seeing Lin Lan and others approaching, gave a slight nod before asking, "How is it going?"
"She's still in the delivery room," Lin Lan replied. Seeing Simon already heading toward the villa, she hurriedly followed with her husband and younger brother, Lin Dong.
Inside the villa, at the entrance of the makeshift delivery room, Lin Su's mother and the housekeeper, Angie, were waiting. They greeted Simon briefly before turning their attention back to the delivery room.
The housekeeper quietly updated Simon on the situation. "Mrs. Lin's water broke after lunch during her walk. She was immediately taken to the delivery room. Dr. Becken and the team are inside, and everything is proceeding normally."
Simon nodded slightly.
Lin Su's mother, who had been anxiously waiting outside the delivery room for her daughter, saw her son-in-law standing beside her. After some gentle persuasion from her second daughter, she finally agreed to wait in the adjacent living room.
Once everyone was seated in the living room, Lin Lan affectionately held her mother's arm but turned to Simon. "Brother-in-law, can I take a ride on the helicopter later? I've never been on one before."
Her mother tapped her on the head. "Your sister is still in the delivery room, and all you can think about is having fun. I've spoiled you too much."
Lin Lan rubbed her forehead and retorted, "Mom, you've seen it all before. The best equipment, the best doctors, and all of Sister's prenatal checkups were healthy. What's there to worry about? I even want to come here to have my own baby someday."
Simon, holding a cup of coffee handed to him by the housekeeper, looked at Lin Lan, who was deliberately acting like a playful little girl in front of him. He smiled and said in Chinese, "If you want to ride, go ahead. They can take you for a spin. By the time you're back, you'll get to meet your nephew."
Lin Lan pretended to get up but was pulled back by her mother, sitting down with a hint of reluctance. She was only a few months younger than Simon and worked in a government position, so she wasn't actually this immature. She was just playing the role of a lively younger sister in front of her sister's husband. She quickly changed the subject. "Brother-in-law, where did you come from?"
"Toronto," Simon replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Yesterday was the opening of the Toronto Film Festival."
Lin Lan tilted her head. "I didn't know that. But isn't the Venice Film Festival going on right now?"
"Yes, the Venice Film Festival ends tomorrow. These two festivals often overlap, but they cater to different types of films."
Lin Lan, unfamiliar with these details, wisely changed the topic. "Speaking of films, Brother-in-law, the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon produced by your company has been making waves in China recently. We saw the news this morning—it's already made 39 million at the box office. Tickets are sold out in many places, and it's sure to break 100 million, just like in the U.S."
Today was September 12th, a Friday.
In China, as of yesterday, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had been in theaters for exactly one week, grossing 39 million yuan in seven days. Its opening performance far surpassed expectations.
In the original timeline, because China had released the film before the U.S. and the movie's artistic tone didn't resonate with mainstream audiences, it only earned 15 million yuan domestically.
This time, however, was different.
The film's record-breaking success in North America as a martial arts epic gave it a halo similar to that of Farewell My Concubine and In the Heat of the Sun. Both of those films were also art-house movies that gained international acclaim after winning awards overseas, which led to their popularity in China. They earned over 40 million and 50 million yuan, respectively. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's halo was, frankly, even stronger.
Coupled with the Chinese government's official endorsement, it was almost impossible for the film not to break 100 million yuan.
Lin Lan's husband, Qin Yusong, finally found an opportunity to chime in. "Actually, breaking 100 million in China isn't that impressive. The real success is in North America. The total box office there could be around 1 billion yuan, almost equivalent to the total box office of all Chinese films in a year."
Lin's mother, who had also been following the news, was astonished. "That much?"
Lin Lan smiled. "That's just how amazing Brother-in-law is."
Simon simply smiled and turned to Qin Yusong. "How's work been lately?"
"Not bad," Qin Yusong replied modestly.
Having climbed onto the towering tree of the Westeros system, "not bad" was an understatement.
Over the past year, after discussing with Simon, Lin Su had invested the $500 million she had cashed out from Scopely, along with an additional sum from Simon, into Zhejiang. What had once been a vague plan for her was now a preparation for her unborn child, a way to give back to her hometown, and a means to support her family.
With this funding, Lin Lan and Qin Yusong, who had been entrusted with high hopes by both families, had gained significant political capital. This year, both had been promoted and transferred to key departments with greater potential for advancement.
As they chatted about recent developments, two hours later, good news finally came from the delivery room.
The eleventh child of the Westeros family had arrived safely in the world.
A chubby boy weighing nine pounds.
After a round of joyous celebration, everyone soon left the room to Simon and Lin Su, along with the little bundle of joy.
Simon sat by the bed in the newly arranged bedroom, watching Lin Su, still pale, try to breastfeed the baby. He smiled and asked, "How does it feel to give birth?"
Lin Su, without taking her eyes off the baby, glanced at him and softly said, "You try it."
"That's a bit difficult," Simon replied with a chuckle.
Lin Su ignored him.
Simon then remembered something and asked, "Everyone else came. Why didn't your father?"
"He said he's busy," Lin Su replied. After a pause, she smiled and added, "In China, we have a tradition of holding a banquet for the baby when they're one month old. My father didn't come because he wants me to bring the baby back to Hangzhou for the banquet. If everyone came here and saw the baby, I might not go back."
Simon, seeing Lin Su openly expose her father's little scheme, laughed and said, "Since it's a tradition, let's do it."
Lin Su glanced at him. "You're pretending not to understand. Of course, my father wants to see his grandson, but more than that, he wants you to come along."
Simon thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go with you. Coincidentally, things will get more interesting in Asia in October. I'll go take a look."
"Oh?"
"The financial crisis."
Lin Su lost interest and looked back at the still-ugly little baby in her arms. She then looked up at Simon again. "By the way, about the name. My mom thinks calling the baby 'Little Simon' is a bit strange. Plus, sharing your name, she's worried he might not live up to it. Should we change it?"
Simon looked at Lin Su, whose eyes were flickering with uncertainty. "Do you want to change it?"
Lin Su hesitated, then shook her head. "No."
"Then we won't change it," Simon said. "Besides, it's already registered. Changing it wouldn't be easy."
Lin Su hesitated again. "What about Janet? Will she be okay with it?"
"She will," Simon said with a smile. Seeing Lin Su's concern, he added, "Don't worry. She won't come here and eat you."
Lin Su, reassured by Simon's tone, nodded. "Actually, I want to give the baby a Chinese name too."
"What should it be?"
"Your Chinese is better than most Chinese people. Why don't you choose one?"
"I read somewhere that in China, there's a saying that a humble name helps a child thrive. How about 'Dog Egg'?"
Even though she knew he was joking, Lin Su glared at him. "You're the one who should be called Dog Egg."
"Then how about 'Shuan Zhu'? It means 'to tie down,' which has a good connotation."
Lin Su turned her body away, holding the baby. "If you keep joking, I won't talk to you."
Simon stopped joking and said, "How about 'Qianshu'?"
Lin Su looked at him, puzzled.
Simon explained, "'Qianshu' is a common imagery in Tang and Song poetry. There's 'A thousand trees bloom under the night's east wind,' symbolizing prosperity; 'A thousand trees, ten thousand trees, pear blossoms bloom,' depicting a farewell at the frontier; 'A thousand peach trees, faces as red as blossoms,' representing spring; and 'A thousand plum trees, longing for the empty sky,' symbolizing winter. Naming him Qianshu hopes that our child's life will be as colorful as these poetic images."
After hearing Simon's explanation, Lin Su's earlier annoyance dissipated, replaced by a touch of emotion. She realized that Simon had likely researched and pondered over the name before she even brought it up. Clearly, he had been thoughtful about the baby's Chinese name. She quickly nodded. "Okay, let's call him Qianshu. Qianshu Westeros."
"Following Chinese naming conventions, it should be Westeros Qianshu. It sounds better that way."
"Okay."
Simon noticed Lin Su silently repeating the name and smiled. "In China, using 'Westeros' would be too conspicuous. He can go by Lin Qianshu."
Lin Su, her thoughts seen through, blushed slightly and nodded again. "Okay."
As they chatted, the door behind them suddenly knocked twice. They turned to see Chen Qing standing at the door, pouting with a hint of jealousy, as if she had been there for a while.
Noticing they had finally seen her, Chen Qing walked in, first peeking at the baby in Lin Su's arms, then retreating into Simon's embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Boss, you're so biased. I don't even have a baby, and this little one already has such a great name."
Simon simply smiled and held Chen Qing's slender waist. "When did you get here?"
"I arrived when you were discussing whether 'Dog Egg' or 'Shuan Zhu' was better," Chen Qing said, looking at Lin Su. "I think 'Dog Egg' is a good name. Why don't you save 'Qianshu' for my child?"
Lin Su shot back, "If you like 'Dog Egg' so much, why don't you name your own child that?"
Chen Qing, seeing Lin Su wasn't budging, immediately put on a pitiful expression and clung to Simon. "Boss, she's bullying me."
This was a fight Simon couldn't mediate.
After patiently letting Chen Qing whine for a while, he gently pushed her away. "Get up. It's not good if others see you like this."
Chen Qing, knowing the Lin family was around, obediently got up and sat on the edge of the bed. She tried to play with the baby, but Lin Su swatted her hand away, forcing her to give up.
After some casual conversation, once Lin Su finished feeding the baby, Simon and Chen Qing left the room to let mother and child rest.
It was already evening.
Lin's mother and the maids were busy preparing dinner, while Simon, Chen Qing, and Lin Lan's husband gathered to discuss some business matters.
"Brother-in-law, with all the additional funds you've poured into Green City for land acquisition, are you sure there won't be any issues? Manager Song has talked to us a few times. He's a bold man, but even he's getting nervous."
Green City referred to the Green City in Hangzhou.
Over the past two years, the Westeros system's real estate investments in China had extended far beyond Evergrande and Country Garden. Simon had invested in almost all the major domestic real estate developers he could remember, though most were done through shell companies to avoid direct association with the Westeros system.
For example, the recent deal with Vanke.
Although Chairman Wang knew the major investor was the Westeros system, the specific transactions were handled discreetly. A Swiss investment fund acquired 12% of Vanke's shares from its former largest shareholder, Teff. A Hong Kong company publicly accepted a 10% stake through a private placement. Another 10% of Vanke's circulating shares were quietly absorbed by a U.S.-based investment fund, which could only be traced back to the Cayman Islands.
In total, the Westeros system had invested approximately 1.7 billion yuan to acquire 32% of Vanke's shares.
Simon intended to remain a passive investor, so aside from necessary oversight, he wouldn't interfere much. However, if the need arose, these shares could be fully disclosed, giving him control of the company.
As for potential returns, in Simon's memory, Vanke's market value had once exceeded 300 billion yuan. The 32% stake acquired now for 1.7 billion yuan could be worth over 100 billion in a decade or two—a nearly 60-fold return.
This wasn't turning 170,000 into 10 million; it was turning 1.7 billion into 100 billion. At this scale, a 60-fold return was nothing short of astounding.
And this was just Vanke.
Simon didn't directly answer Lin Lan's question but instead explained more deeply, "If you study the modern economic history of other countries, you'll find that the prosperity, even the bubbles, of the real estate industry are inevitable trends as many modern economies reach a certain stage of development. Since 1978, China's economic accumulation has been ongoing for nearly 20 years. It's time to enter a new phase, and the Asian financial crisis will act as a catalyst for this transformation. Therefore, starting to acquire land now, at worst, means we only lose some interest if land prices don't rise. Given China's current demand, a drop in land prices is impossible. So, if you still can't understand, consider this a capital-preservation investment by the Westeros system."
Capital-preservation investment?
Lin Lan and her husband exchanged glances, quickly understanding but also sighing in awe.
In recent years, the thirst for capital across various industries in China had never eased. In the real estate sector, which was still in a downturn, some struggling developers were willing to pay monthly interest rates as high as 30% for emergency funds. Yet here was her brother-in-law, pouring billions of yuan into land acquisition, aiming only for capital preservation.
This only showed that Simon's cash reserves had grown to an almost unspendable level.
The wealth was indeed overwhelming.
The financial review of the entire Westeros system, which Veronica had conducted over the past six months at Simon's request, had concluded. Thanks to the continuous profits generated by companies like Daenerys, Melisandre, Cersei Capital, Nokia, and Cisco, the Westeros system's cash reserves, which were already over $60 billion in the first half of the year, had now grown to more than $70 billion.
Even without looking further ahead, by next year, as the global economy inevitably slowed, the Westeros system's cash reserves would increase by at least another $10 billion.
Combined with Simon's increasing preference for control over outright ownership and his leveraged investment strategy, the $70 billion in cash reserves could conservatively be amplified tenfold to $700 billion. Thus, the Westeros system's cash reserves had indeed reached a level where they were almost impossible to spend.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.