"Simon, thank you again for taking the time to visit the set despite your busy schedule. I was wondering if I could have the honor of hosting you for dinner tonight?"
"Unfortunately, Chen, I have to fly to Beijing this afternoon. My schedule is quite tight."
"Oh, that's alright. Next time, there will always be opportunities."
"Yes, so, goodbye for now."
At the Qin Palace at the foot of Taiyang Mountain in the western suburbs of Suzhou.
After a brief stay at the set of The Assassination of the King of Qin, Simon bid a reluctant farewell to Director Chen and set off with his entourage for the next stop.
It was October 13th, a Monday.
Simon had flown in from Hangzhou that morning, and by now, it was already afternoon. Unlike his previous visit, where he had indulged in revelry on a boat in Taihu Lake, this time he was busy attending to various engagements without pause.
As the convoy started moving, Simon turned to Chen Qing beside him and asked, "When do you think this project will wrap up?"
Chen Qing looked up from a document on the planning of Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport and thought for a moment. "After the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Director Chen secured additional funding, which extended the shooting schedule by at least a month. It should wrap up by December." Knowing what Simon was concerned about, she added, "It won't affect Hero. Director Zhang has planned his shooting schedule to run until January next year, with the Qin Palace scenes scheduled for last. Even if The Assassination of the King of Qin gets delayed again, the sets won't overlap."
Simon nodded, glanced at the documents on Chen Qing's lap, and changed the subject. "The plans for Xiaoshan Airport are quite thorough. You should pay more attention to the Suzhou-Hangzhou Expressway. For this project, my requirement is to bring in some state-owned capital. In the future, we'll package it as a Sino-foreign joint venture, attempt an IPO in five years, and fully cash out within ten years."
Chen Qing was surprised. "Boss, the toll collection period for operational expressways is 30 years. Given your optimism about China's economy, wouldn't holding onto it longer be more beneficial? Cashing out within ten years would mean taking a loss."
Simon replied, "Exactly, we need to take a loss. If it weren't for you all conspiring against your boss, I wouldn't have touched these projects. The sooner we exit, the better. Sometimes, taking a loss is a blessing."
Though he said that, how could they possibly lose?
Starting now, ten years later would be 2007. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the global economy would be at another peak, and China's economy would also reach a high point, including its stock market. Cashing out during a bull market would make it nearly impossible to lose.
Chen Qing felt a bit embarrassed. She had indeed provided some input when these two projects, Xiaoshan Airport and the Suzhou-Hangzhou Expressway, were brought to Simon through George Soros. She believed that, especially with the expressway, given Simon's expectations for China's economy, it would be highly profitable.
So why not make a profit?
Now that Simon had made his stance clear, and recalling their recent discussion about "distance," Chen Qing reflected a bit and decided it would be best to follow Simon's lead in the future.
As they chatted, the convoy soon arrived at the Jiangnan Fenghua project site, specifically at the border between Jiangnan Fenghua and Taohuawu (Peach Blossom Valley).
They were essentially reviewing both projects at once.
Compared to the 1,000-acre Qin Palace and the 1,500-acre Ming-Qing Palace, the final planned area for Jiangnan Fenghua was 3,000 acres—larger than the combined area of the two palaces. It was essentially a small town, two kilometers long from east to west and one kilometer wide from north to south, not including future supporting facilities like parking lots.
The areas of the Qin Palace and Ming-Qing Palace included their supporting facilities.
The reason for the distinction this time was mainly for approval purposes.
3,000 acres was the upper limit, skirting the edge of what was permissible.
Additionally, the adjacent Taohuawu, with a final area of 500 acres, was already filled with ornamental peach trees, though no buildings had been constructed yet. Unlike the dense, orderly planting of a typical peach orchard, the trees were arranged in a picturesque, landscape-like manner, following the natural contours of the surrounding hills and water.
By an artificial lake in Taohuawu, a massive stone, about ten feet high and twenty feet wide, had already been placed. Once Taohuawu was completed, the eight characters Simon loved would be carved into it.
Given the high level of the reception, Zhu Momo's mother, Mo Yiling, could only follow on the periphery of the group, barely able to exchange a few words with Simon.
Not that she particularly wanted to.
Mainly, thinking about her daughter's situation made Mo Yiling uneasy. Although her younger sister had been keeping it from her, how could Mo Yiling not notice the clues?
But her work had been so busy over the past year that she simply hadn't had the time to deal with it. Moreover, as the saying goes, "When a daughter grows up, she no longer listens to her mother." She couldn't very well drag her daughter back and keep her by her side.
And, to be honest, despite her strong personality, Mo Yiling understood that this wasn't a world where you could always do as you pleased. The current situation was that the entire Mo family had been gradually relocated from Yunnan to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. While this meant they had finally broken free from their constraints and could now soar to new heights, it also meant that, unknowingly, Simon had become the Mo family's greatest backer.
Thus, she had to tread carefully.
Mo Yiling had always been an ambitious woman. Occasionally, though she was reluctant to admit it, she knew deep down that she had made a decision: to sacrifice her daughter for the sake of the entire family's future.
The group followed the planned route for the inspection, eventually arriving at a gentle slope at the border between Jiangnan Fenghua and Taohuawu. From here, they could overlook the entire Jiangnan Fenghua site. Further south, they could see the entirety of Taohuawu, marking the boundary.
Having visited this area countless times before, Mo Yiling now felt a different sense of anticipation as she looked at the two massive projects, still in their early stages but already hinting at their future grandeur. When she was called to the center of the group to explain the plans to Simon and the officials, she quickly refocused.
After giving an overview of the various plans surrounding the entire Jin Shu Film Studio project, Mo Yiling seized the opportunity to address Simon directly. "Mr. Westeros, while all the projects are starting to take shape, I've noticed that Jin Shu's promised film projects aren't progressing fast enough."
This was something the officials around them had wanted to say but felt too awkward to bring up. Mo Yiling, with her straightforward and assertive personality, was the perfect person to voice it.
Over the past year, this woman had been in the spotlight. Having taken on the responsibility, she was expected to do what needed to be done.
Simon studied the face of the woman, who bore some resemblance to Zhu Momo, and smiled. "What do you think is lacking?"
Mo Yiling pretended not to notice Simon's scrutiny and maintained a formal tone. "Jin Shu's collaboration with CCTV and Hong Kong's TVB on Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils—I think it should be filmed here. But from what I understand, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is currently scouting locations nationwide, and Suzhou isn't a priority."
Simon patiently explained, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is still in the preparation stage. Moreover, the project is too large. It's not that I don't want to give it to Suzhou, but Suzhou simply can't handle it at the moment."
"In that case, setting up the project headquarters for Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils in Suzhou shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Given that she was, after all, a mother-in-law of sorts, and with her aggressive tone, Simon acquiesced. "Alright," he said, turning to Chen Qing. "Make it happen."
Chen Qing nodded with a smile, seemingly enjoying seeing her boss in a tight spot.
Mo Yiling frowned slightly, feeling a sense of déjà vu. The first time she had a video call with Simon to discuss her daughter, she had been equally aggressive, only to feel like she was hitting a soft wall. Now, it was the same feeling again, leaving her with no sense of victory after the struggle.
But since that was the case, she decided to push further. "Additionally, I hope Jin Shu will invest in more period drama projects."
Simon nodded again. "Sure."
Mo Yiling decided to go all out. "Excluding Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, I think there should be at least five projects filmed at Jin Shu Film Studio next year."
"No problem."
The government officials listening in were overjoyed.
Just Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils alone was said to have an investment of over 100 million yuan. Adding five more projects, and with Jin Shu's repeated emphasis that film investments were another form of investment attraction, everyone understood that this would translate into tangible political achievements.
In truth, they hadn't expected this at all.
At present, apart from the Qin Palace, which was still being perfected and not fully completed, the other projects were still in their infancy. Even if Simon had insisted on delaying the film projects for another year, it would have been perfectly reasonable.
Now, with Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and at least five other projects, plus the potential to attract other film crews, the area would quickly flourish. This would also help silence some of the criticism about the Jin Shu Film Studio project being too extravagant.
Noticing that Mo Yiling was quite bold in front of Simon, and that Simon seemed to be very accommodating, the officials regretted initially keeping Mo Yiling on the periphery. They quickly made sure she stayed close for the rest of the tour.
After inspecting Jiangnan Fenghua and Taohuawu, the group headed to the Ming-Qing Palace, with the final stop being the Jin Shu Suzhou headquarters at the foot of Taiyang Mountain.
This visit was mainly to check on the preparations for Jin Shu's special effects company.
Initially, Suzhou had thought Jin Shu's special effects company was just a small subsidiary of the Jin Shu group. However, when the company's employee count exceeded 500 in the first half of the year and showed no signs of stopping, they started asking questions. They soon learned that Jin Shu Special Effects planned to hire a total of 2,000 people.
A high-tech company with 2,000 employees!
If it really took off, it would bring immense prestige to Suzhou, not to mention tax revenue and other benefits.
Thus, it quickly became a key project supported by the municipal government.
When Jin Shu wanted to build dormitories for its employees, the government immediately approved 50 acres of land at a nearly giveaway price, as developing the tech industry was a national priority. Similarly, the planned large-scale rendering center by Taihu Lake, though no one quite understood its purpose, was also approved without hesitation.
As long as it succeeded.
Entering the glass-and-steel office building that Simon loved, he warmly interacted with the over 1,000 employees. Finally, Mo Yiling stepped forward to inquire about Simon's specific plans for Jin Shu Special Effects.
If it were just for the domestic film industry, a special effects company with 2,000 employees would be unsustainable at this stage.
Simon didn't hold back.
Jin Shu Special Effects would primarily serve Hollywood in the future. In essence, it was a slightly more advanced form of outsourcing.
Simon had been planning this for a long time.
Even though China lacked the foundational expertise, training recent graduates to become skilled CG artists would take about six months to a year. However, the annual salary of a special effects artist in China was less than a month's salary for their American counterparts, and even significantly lower than those in Australia.
Thus, even if they had to support a rookie for a year, once trained, it would be well worth it.
Moreover, the six-to-twelve-month training period was relative to Hollywood standards.
For the simple glowing effects often seen in domestic films, many talented graduates could start working within two to three months.
Additionally, Dany Effects would soon collaborate directly with universities to provide targeted training, nurturing students while they were still in school. This would further shorten the training period.
Simon's straightforward explanation energized everyone present.
This was about earning foreign exchange!
After spending the entire day at Jin Shu's Suzhou headquarters at the foot of Taiyang Mountain, Simon departed at 5 PM, flying to Beijing under the reluctant gazes of those seeing him off.
Inside the cabin of the Boeing 767.
As the plane began taxiing down the runway, Chen Qing checked her seatbelt and turned to Simon. "Boss, aren't you worried that teaching your apprentices too well might leave you with nothing?"
Simon, who was casually sketching in a notebook with a pencil, didn't look up but smiled. "I'm a capitalist, after all."
The answer seemed off-topic.
But Chen Qing blinked and quickly understood. Indeed, given China's salary levels, if all of Hollywood's special effects orders were transferred to China, a blockbuster film relying heavily on special effects could save tens of millions of dollars.
From Simon's perspective, this would be highly beneficial for Dany Entertainment.
As for the potential unemployment of special effects artists in the U.S. or Australia, as Simon had said, he was a capitalist.
Feeling the vibrations as the plane ascended, Chen Qing leaned back slightly in her seat and asked, "But, boss, even so, what if, say, Chinese special effects films develop to the point where they compete with Hollywood films here? What then?"
Simon didn't dampen her spirits, simply saying, "I'm already working on that."
Chen Qing paused, then realized she had asked another foolish question.
Of course, if Chinese films rose to prominence, investing directly in them would be the better option, just like with Hero. And there were Jin Shu, Hairun, Huayi, Enlight, Rongxinda, and Huanzhu Film and Television, among others.
Huanzhu Film and Television—what a dissonant name.
So she tattled.
She rambled on about how Ren Jingxi's naming sense was so boring.
Simon simply listened with a smile.
Speaking of which, My Fair Princess had wrapped up successfully the previous week, three weeks ahead of schedule. As a newcomer, Simon could imagine how much effort Ren Jingxi had put into it. The initial budget of 6 million yuan, even including post-production, was expected to only cost around 4.5 million for the planned 26 episodes, saving 25% of the budget.
Having seen the previews, the quality was just as good as he remembered.
Under these circumstances, Simon couldn't be more satisfied with the woman he had casually recruited back then.
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