The next day was September 28th, a Sunday.
The groundbreaking release of the iPad-10, coupled with the overwhelming media coverage, ran parallel to the even more sensational Paranormal Activity. It was no exaggeration to say that the two major hotspots generated by the Westeros system had completely dominated the attention of the North American public, with their influence rapidly spreading overseas as well.
The iPad-10 aside, as its official release was still two weeks away, Paranormal Activity had already achieved another box office milestone on its second day of release.
In fact, ever since reports surfaced of rare daytime queues for Paranormal Activity, the outcome had been predictable.
The special promotion of Paranormal Activity at Tingke Bell's fall product launch not only boosted sales of their iRec but also added more fuel to the already blazing fire of the film's success.
Ultimately, on September 27th, its second day of release, Paranormal Activity grossed $15.98 million across 2,045 screens in North America.
Many people's first reaction upon seeing this number was disbelief.
Are we sure this is a single day, not a week?
However, the facts were undeniable. In just one day, Paranormal Activity had earned another $15.98 million, a staggering 68% increase from its Friday opening.
In the North American film market, the weekend typically sees Saturday as the highest-grossing day, followed by Friday, with Sunday, leading into the workweek, being the lowest. The box office curve usually follows a parabolic trend. Normally, the increase in box office from Friday to Saturday ranges from 10% to 20%.
But Paranormal Activity had surged by 68% from its Friday opening to Saturday, a figure that defied logic.
The impact of Paranormal Activity was evident. The Peacemaker, which had opened alongside it, grossed $3.05 million on its first day. However, on Saturday, when its box office should have risen, it instead dropped to a low of $2.39 million.
DreamWorks had placed this mediocre film in late September to avoid competition. However, with the sharp drop in box office on the second day, it was clear that this $50 million blockbuster would struggle to meet even the initial $40 million domestic expectation. With domestic performance faltering, its overseas prospects would also be affected, making losses inevitable.
With Saturday's box office results out, the initial $150 million domestic projection for Paranormal Activity was clearly outdated. Industry media were now hesitant to even predict the film's final domestic gross.
$200 million?
Or even higher?
This was terrifying for a film with a publicly stated budget of $300,000, which in reality had likely cost no more than a few tens of thousands of dollars!
Long Island.
Simon had moved his base today to Glen Cove, located west of Sands Point. The two areas were separated by a narrow north-south bay, less than five kilometers apart.
Another seaside estate, spanning 25 acres.
However, the main villa here was no longer the modern white structure of Sands Point but a classic American country-style three-story villa with white walls and a blue roof.
Compared to the lively scene at Sands Point, today's gathering only included six women.
If you didn't count Mo Wuling, who had come with Zhu Momo.
Mo Wuling was furious today.
Unable to resist following along, she became even angrier upon seeing her niece curled up like a kitten in the man's arms by the pool, basking in the sun. She wandered off alone into the villa, meandering through the maze-like mansion until she reached a sitting room on the third floor. Through the glass window, she could see the large pool on the west side of the villa, surrounded by lush hedges.
And the people by the pool.
This only made her angrier.
How could Momo be so degenerate?
And that man, how many women would it take to satisfy him?
This wretched world.
By the pool.
Zhu Momo, wearing a swimsuit and curled up in the man's arms, was fiddling with a black iPad-10. She glanced toward the villa and then back, puzzled, "I feel like someone's watching us from over there."
Simon also casually looked over but saw nothing. "Probably a maid."
"Doesn't feel like it," Zhu Momo giggled. "If my sixth sense is right, there's a lot of resentment."
"Then it must be a ghost. How about we stay up tonight and catch it, see how Western ghosts differ from yours?"
Zhu Momo immediately felt competitive. "They definitely can't be as scary as Chinese ghosts."
"If they can come out during the day, isn't that scary?"
"Hmm..."
Zhu Momo frowned, momentarily at a loss for a rebuttal, and turned her attention back to the built-in game on the iPad. It was a simple racing game designed by Tingke Bell, lacking the advanced gyroscopic controls of later models, requiring a stylus for input. Zhu Momo, eager for speed, kept tapping the acceleration button and soon crashed.
"Again, again."
Simon watched with a smile. Compared to the tablets he remembered from the future, this ancient device held little interest for him. It lacked color screens, internet, cameras, and had very few apps. The touchscreen also required a stylus, making it awkward to use.
However, for people of this era, it was cutting-edge.
That said, even though it was a significant leap from the last-generation NewtonPad, Tingke Bell could have done better. Prototypes with color screens, internet, and cameras were already available at the Mountain View lab. But if they released everything at once, there would be no room for future upgrades, which would harm Tingke Bell's long-term interests.
In short, incremental updates were the way to go.
As Zhu Momo became engrossed in the game, splashing sounds came from the pool. Three women emerged, dried themselves with towels, and walked over to Simon.
These were the three Chinese models signed by Elite this year.
Shen Gui, 19, 181 cm tall. Despite her name suggesting a demure lady, she had a short, practical bob. Fortunately, her almond-shaped eyes and oval face added a touch of femininity.
Simon wasn't interested in androgynous beauty.
Jiang Mi, 22, with a seemingly cute name but standing at 187 cm, a centimeter taller than Simon. This height exceeded the industry's standard for female models, but Elite had signed her because she fit Simon's aesthetic—a perfect oval face, thin lips, and phoenix eyes, exuding a unique feminine strength that sparked a desire to conquer.
If not for her height, she would have been perfect for action roles.
The last girl had a peculiar name that was hard to forget.
Qin Buzui, 18, 179 cm, the shortest of the three, though only relatively. She had a petite face, large eyes, and naturally smiling lips, resembling a cat.
The three women, slightly nervous, approached the lounge chairs similar to those at the Sands Point estate. Seeing that Zhu Momo showed no intention of moving, they gathered on Simon's other side.
Qin Buzui, seemingly the most harmless, subtly secured the spot closest to Simon. She curled up on the lounge chair, her upper body slightly raised, forcing the other two to sit up higher to see Simon.
Qin Buzui didn't dare to be as intimate as Zhu Momo but still brushed against the man, finding a topic: "Simon, this place is amazing, like a paradise."
Simon, unbothered, casually wrapped an arm around the girl's slender waist, feeling the smooth warmth under his palm, and gently stroked it. "Who gave you this name?"
Qin Buzui stiffened slightly at the man's touch but quickly relaxed, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder, looking up at him. "My grandmother."
"Oh?"
Qin Buzui explained, "When I was little, my mother was always drunk. No matter how much my grandparents tried to control her, they couldn't. So, my grandmother gave me the name Buzui, hoping I wouldn't grow up to be like my mother."
Simon smiled. "Sounds like there's a long story behind it."
"Yes," Qin Buzui was about to continue but glanced at the man's expression, unsure if it was to confirm or to tease. "Simon, do you want to hear it?"
Simon gave an answer that disappointed the girl. "No, I prefer happy endings."
Qin Buzui, unfazed, widened her eyes in surprise. "Simon, your Chinese is so good. I didn't expect you to know the idiom 'happy endings.'"
Zhu Momo, seemingly engrossed in the iPad, let out a soft snort, showing her disdain for the girl's lack of knowledge.
Her man knew even more obscure phrases, let alone something as common as "happy endings."
Seeing Zhu Momo's reaction, Qin Buzui put on a slightly aggrieved expression, her eyes pleading with Simon as if asking if she had said something wrong.
Simon continued to smile, his hand sliding further down the girl's back, teasing, "Let me feel how many tails you have."
"N-none."
With the man so casually exposing her, Qin Buzui's eyes flickered. She had caught the reference to the nine-tailed fox, and now she looked somewhat lost.
But her body remained still, allowing the man to explore.
When she had signed the contract, it had been made clear to her. From the end of the Elite Model Contest in July to now, over two months of waiting. If she couldn't satisfy this man today, her future would be uncertain.
Qin Buzui couldn't control Shen Gui and Jiang Mi, but she was determined to gain the man's approval and settle in America.
And perhaps, climb even higher.
To achieve this, Qin Buzui had initially been very proactive in getting close to Jane Xin and Tao Yueli, who had already made a name for themselves in America. She dutifully played the role of a junior, but when she realized that these two seniors were far more shrewd than she had imagined and clearly had no intention of helping her, she stopped being so eager, though she wasn't foolish enough to burn bridges.
During the recent fashion week, Jane Xin, Tao Yueli, and Zhu Momo, who had returned to America, could walk in various major shows and even go to Europe. The three of them, just a year behind, could only start with smaller shows, which made her feel complicated.
Until today.
Initially, they were vaguely told to accompany a big shot, but they hadn't expected it to be someone as significant as Simon Westeros.
Thus, they finally understood why Jane Xin and the others had managed to thrive in the Western fashion industry, which was notoriously unwelcoming to people of color, in just a year. Their backing was simply colossal.
No matter what, she had to seize this opportunity.
However, she wasn't sure how to do it.
Qin Buzui felt that with a man like Simon Westeros, just offering her body wouldn't be enough.
As they spoke, Jane Xin and Tao Yueli also left the pool and gathered on the other side of Zhu Momo, not showing any distance from her and even competing with her for the iPad.
Seeing the three girls so relaxed, the other three women on the other side couldn't help but feel envious.
And hopeful.
From these details, they could roughly infer that since Jane Xin and the others were so bold around the man, it likely meant that Simon Westeros was an easygoing person.
Zhu Momo, having secured the iPad first, successfully held onto it. To prevent the other two from snatching it again, she stopped playing the game and turned to Simon, handing him the stylus. "Simon, why don't you write something?"
Simon released Qin Buzui and took the pen. "What should I write?"
Zhu Momo was stumped.
This was the worst kind of challenge for an academic underachiever.
She looked to the side for help.
Jane Xin, seeing this, deliberately leaned over Zhu Momo toward Simon and suggested, "Write a poem. I remember Simon's Chinese characters are very beautiful."
Writing wasn't usually considered entertainment.
But with this new toy that allowed touchscreen writing, it was quite exciting.
"Sure."
Simon agreed with a smile. Since the device didn't support Chinese yet, he opened a blank drawing document and began writing.
In elegant, standard regular script:
Desiring the gaze of Zhou Lang, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court.
"…"
The three girls didn't understand at first.
What was this?
Simon continued with a smile.
Spring sleep, unaware of dawn, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court.
"…"
And he carried on.
The emperor and the general remove their armor, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court.
Unreasonably marrying a wealthy husband, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court.
Gently stroking, slowly twisting, rubbing, and plucking, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court.
When they saw the last line, Jane Xin was the first to catch on. She pressed her lips together, then covered her mouth as she huffed and puffed, until even Zhu Momo, who was usually slow to catch academic references, understood. The three girls burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, 'Gently stroking, slowly twisting, rubbing, and plucking'—Simon, you're really something, wow…"
"'The emperor and the general remove their armor'—Simon, you're a genius."
Simon let the girls laugh for a while before explaining, "This is actually a song called Hanging Myself on the Southeast Branch. I'll compose it for you later so you can sing it."
Zhu Momo, finally calming down a bit, asked curiously, "What's this about the southeast branch?"
Tao Yueli, the most educated of the three, leaned over and, along with Jane Xin, pinned Zhu Momo down to explain. "It's from The Peacock Flies Southeast. The line goes, 'The official heard of this matter, knowing it was a long farewell. He paced under the courtyard tree, hanging himself on the southeast branch.' That's roughly it."
Zhu Momo exaggeratedly praised, "Wow, Yueli, you're amazing. You even know such obscure poems."
Tao Yueli rolled her eyes. "That didn't sound like a compliment at all."
Jane Xin chimed in, "Actually, Simon is the most impressive. Out of those lines, the only one I recognized was Spring sleep, unaware of dawn."
Zhu Momo raised her hand. "I know from now on the emperor will not hold morning court. It's about Yang Guifei, from, um…"
Tao Yueli kindly reminded her, "Bai Juyi's Song of the Pipa Player."
Zhu Momo immediately latched on. "Yes! Bai Juyi's Song of the Pipa Player."
Simon couldn't bear to look anymore.
On the other side, the three women who had been enviously observing the lively scene finally found an opportunity to interject. Qin Buzui cautiously corrected, "Momo, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court isn't from Song of the Pipa Player. It's from Song of Everlasting Sorrow."
"…"
"Haha, Song of the Pipa Player, from now on the emperor will not hold morning court, haha."
"Tao Yueli, you did that on purpose. Watch out for my Nine Yin White Bone Claw!"
And so, chaos erupted again.
Amidst the commotion, A came over to inform Simon of an important call. He disentangled himself from the girls' antics and stood up. As he walked away, the atmosphere by the pool shifted like the weather in June—changing in an instant. The previously joyful mood dissipated, and the six girls split into two distinct groups.
Although.
Zhu Momo didn't really want to be grouped with the other two. After all, they had abandoned her before. But now wasn't the time to go it alone. They needed to unite against a common enemy.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.