Simon arrived in Beijing a little after six in the evening. After a brief rest at the courtyard house in Mao'er Hutong, he headed to the Huangchenggen area for a private dinner starting at 7:30 PM.
This time, there were no public appearances planned, so the dinner was kept low-key, with only five or six people in attendance.
After expressing gratitude for the gifts received for the baby's full moon celebration, the conversation flowed casually yet purposefully. They discussed China's film industry, the ongoing Asian financial crisis, the internet, and even Simon's plans to advance humanity into the next stage of civilization.
The discussion was lively.
The dinner, originally planned for two hours, lasted until past ten.
On the way back to Mao'er Hutong, Simon noticed Chen Qing staring at him like a cat. He smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Qing tilted her head. "I think you said too much, boss."
Simon just smiled without explaining.
Chen Qing didn't press further. After a moment, she added, "Boss, since you mentioned that a key to the rise of the internet industry is building a robust online payment system, and China's internet user base is expected to surpass 10 million this year, don't you think Ypay should try entering the Chinese market now?"
Simon thought for a moment, then nodded. "Take some time to discuss this with the relevant parties and draft a proposal."
Due to the strong demand for foreign investment, it was actually easier for overseas financial institutions to enter China in the 1990s than in later years. Early on, there were even joint venture banks with foreign majority ownership.
On the other hand, China's internet industry was still in its infancy, so the importance of online payment tools wasn't as pronounced. With the high-level connections of the Westeros system, as long as Ypay didn't seek absolute control and instead partnered with Chinese state-owned banks, introducing an online payment tool would be less challenging than establishing a bank.
Seeing Simon agree, Chen Qing immediately pulled out her memo pad and jotted it down. Then, as if remembering something, she smiled and said, "Boss, I think the document about theater networking and cinema reform that's been discussed for a while will definitely be released soon."
Simon also smiled. "That's not a favor. Reforming will only benefit China's film industry. Even if it were delayed for another decade, it wouldn't matter to me."
From September 5th to now, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had grossed 120 million yuan at the Chinese box office, eight times the 15 million yuan of its original timeline. It was still showing and was expected to reach 140 million yuan. This outstanding performance was not only due to its success in North America and the excellent promotional efforts of the local team but also the theater networking and cinema reform that had been underway since last year.
Once the benefits of these changes were confirmed, many things naturally fell into place.
Compared to the futile attempts to change film ratings and censorship, Simon had been pragmatically pushing for these more achievable reforms since last year. Now, it was finally bearing fruit.
However, these changes wouldn't bring Simon much direct benefit.
Nor had he ever intended to seek any.
Returning to the courtyard house in Mao'er Hutong, Simon entered through the easternmost courtyard and made his way to the underground swimming pool.
A relaxing bath before bed.
Chen Qing pulled in Jiang Shanwu and Jiang Yuanchi to help Simon change and then led him to the small hot spring pool by the main pool. After stepping out to make some arrangements, she returned in a swimsuit, shooing away the sisters who were clinging to Simon and taking their place herself. She smiled and said, "They've been fasting all day and can't come to keep you company."
Simon pulled Chen Qing in front of him and called the sisters back to continue scrubbing him. "Isn't that too long?"
Chen Qing rolled her eyes slightly. "It's all your fault, boss. Last time... hmph. This time, fasting for 24 hours ensures everything's clean."
Simon remembered the incident with Princess Xu and simply gave Chen Qing a light tap.
Princess Xu wasn't in the country at the moment. After her last trip to the U.S., she had stayed there, seemingly enjoying her time.
Chen Qing was referring to the My Fair Princess trio currently in a bedroom upstairs.
This had been arranged in advance.
Originally, Simon had only wanted the little maid. The other two, whom he had sampled briefly during the Taihu Lake trip, no longer interested him. However, certain... lubrications were necessary. Simon, being a naturalist, disliked using industrial products of unknown composition, so he casually included the other two.
Seeing Simon's lack of objection, Chen Qing eagerly added, "Boss, when are you going to meet the girls in the courtyard by Houhai?"
Simon, arms around the sisters, replied, "They're too big. They might look good, but that's about it."
When Simon had initially asked for "bigger," he had been thinking of something like a large apple or, at most, a melon. Instead, Chen Qing had brought in a group of watermelons. Dealing with gravity would be a challenge.
Chen Qing disagreed. "Boss, you should see for yourself. They're really beautiful. I picked them carefully."
Picked them?
Simon suddenly thought of Hua Qiang's famous line: "Are they ripe?"
Well.
Chen Qing wouldn't get the reference, so he simply nodded. "Tomorrow night, then."
"Okay."
"And also..."
Before Simon could continue, Chen Qing slid into the water, so he let her focus on her diving practice.
The next morning, Simon woke up late.
He disentangled himself from Jiang Shanwu and Jiang Yuanchi, who had somehow ended up beside him, and climbed out of bed, accidentally stepping on one. Looking down, he saw a battered crape myrtle, looking quite pitiful. In the bathroom, he found another one in the bathtub, sleeping soundly, her eyes smaller when closed.
Simon kindly didn't disturb her and left the bedroom, changing rooms to have other maids help him dress and freshen up.
Chen Qing, self-proclaimed as the "big enchantress," no longer joined the "little enchantresses" in their antics. When Simon arrived at the garden on the west side of the eastern courtyard, she was already there with breakfast prepared.
Sitting across from each other, they discussed the day's schedule. Simon remembered what he had wanted to say the previous night and told Chen Qing, "Two years ago, Taiwan released a very popular single-player game called Chinese Paladin. Take some time to acquire the TV adaptation rights."
Chen Qing, who clearly didn't follow such things, didn't ask how Simon knew but instead inquired, "Boss, what's it about?"
"You can look into that yourself," Simon said, pointing to the eastern courtyard. "The female lead should go to that little maid. I think she's perfect for it."
The 2005 TV adaptation of Chinese Paladin was a memorable part of many people's lives, and its two leads later became major stars.
This time, however, Simon wasn't concerned about whether his little fairy would debut. He was more inclined to keep her sheltered. As for the little maid from My Fair Princess, she seemed perfect for the role of Zhao Ling'er. The maid hadn't stood out in My Fair Princess because she was overshadowed by the two leads. In terms of appearance, her role as Bai Xiaodie in the Ma Yongzhen series was stunning, and she could easily carry the role of Zhao Ling'er.
As for the male lead, the original actor was too young, so they would have to find someone else. Fortunately, China's art schools were full of handsome young talents.
Chen Qing agreed, then probed, "Boss, judging by the name, this series will require a lot of special effects, right?"
"Yes, it'll be a good opportunity for Dany Effects to practice. It can also serve as a period drama project for Jin Shu Film Studio. By the way, the peach blossoms in Taohuawu will be in full bloom next year, and the series will involve scenes there. Make sure they schedule accordingly."
Chen Qing noted this down, then asked, "Boss, should this series be directly handed over to Jin Shu for production?"
Simon hadn't considered this earlier but now thought about it. "Give it to Jingxi. She did a great job with My Fair Princess."
Chen Qing immediately pouted. "Boss, I think she only did so well because you gave her so many resources. With that much support, only an idiot could fail."
Simon listened with a smile, then shook his head. "Do you know what I admire most about Jingxi?"
"I don't want to know."
"..."
"Fine, tell me."
"What I admire most is that she didn't chase perfection. While ensuring quality, she didn't spend the entire 6 million yuan budget I gave her. In the film industry, this is a rare quality. Whether in the East or West, most filmmakers tend to go to the other extreme—spending more money for better results."
"Isn't that the right approach?"
"The attitude itself isn't the problem. The issue lies with the people. Many spend more money but still produce mediocre results. Of course, that's not what I'm saying. My point is that nothing can be perfect. We have to make trade-offs, and Jingxi has done that very well."
As Simon spoke, he thought of some people.
James Cameron and, most of the time, Michael Bay, who could complete projects within budget.
And then there were the opposites.
Like Director Chen, whom he had met yesterday.
Chen Qing couldn't refute this and nodded slightly. "But I still think the 6 million you gave her was too much. Plus, she's been acting like a vampire these past few months. I don't even dare to be around her, afraid she'll bite my neck. As for saving money, I think she's just afraid of failure, so she saves wherever she can."
"It seems you have a lot of issues with Jingxi."
"Yeah."
"It's fine to have issues, but no sabotaging."
"..."
"Understood?"
"Understood, boss."
Chen Qing said this with a pitiful expression, but it had no effect on Simon.
After breakfast, it was almost nine.
The day was packed with work.
In the morning, Simon visited the construction site of the Levison International Center and had a one-hour meeting with the senior executives of Levison Group China. Then he headed to the Zhongguancun headquarters of Ygroup China to discuss Ygroup's strategies for the Chinese internet industry amid the bursting of the tech bubble.
At noon, there was a lunch meeting at the Renjianhui Club with executives from companies like Vanke, with whom cooperation had recently been finalized.
In the afternoon, Simon went to the Jin Shu headquarters.
After listening to work reports, he discussed an important development strategy with Jin Shu's senior executives.
With the implementation of the "divide and conquer" plan, Jin Shu would significantly scale back its production efforts. Therefore, Simon hoped the team would focus some energy on building an overseas distribution network.
Not for films, but for TV series.
And not targeting Europe and America, but rather Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other regions deeply influenced by Chinese culture.
For instance, Simon clearly remembered the viewing frenzy My Fair Princess had caused across Asia, especially in South Korea, where its high ratings led to a ban on Chinese dramas by the country's three major TV networks. Similarly, Kangxi Incognito Travel, which had aired during the summer, had once topped the ratings in Hong Kong.
Historically, the export of Chinese TV dramas had often been more about cultural dissemination than commercial gain. As a result, copyright holders often didn't care much about the money, feeling honored just to have their work aired overseas. This mindset persisted for decades.
Simon couldn't control others, but Jin Shu would never adopt such a strategy.
Even setting aside profits, selling or giving away valuable content for cheap would only lead others to treat it as worthless. Things that come too easily are rarely cherished.
Compared to its neighbors, China possessed the most advantageous conditions for producing TV dramas. Coupled with Simon's foresight, Jin Shu could produce a significant number of high-quality dramas annually, rivaling those from Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. If Japanese and Korean dramas could dominate the Chinese market, there was no reason why Chinese dramas couldn't do the same, as long as their quality matched or surpassed the competition.
As for political obstacles, like those South Korea had imposed, this time, with the backing of the entire Westeros system, Simon wouldn't allow such things to happen easily.
Otherwise, reciprocal sanctions would suffice.
Both Japanese and Korean dramas were heavily export-oriented, especially Korean ones. If South Korea banned popular Chinese dramas like My Fair Princess, Simon could push for China to ban Korean dramas in return.
Given the disparity in market size, the losses from such sanctions would be obvious.
In short, if Jin Shu could build a robust overseas distribution network and push out the dramas produced by its associated companies, this network, like Jin Shu's talent agency, could become a powerful tool for controlling China's domestic film and TV industry.
The meeting with Jin Shu's executives started at 1 PM and lasted until 4 PM.
Next was an internal screening of Love Call Transfer.
This comedy, planned as Jin Shu Media's second New Year film, wasn't fully completed yet. A 150-minute rough cut had been prepared to accommodate Simon's schedule.
Feng Xiaogang and Liu Zhenyun had poured their hearts into this project, and the quality was far superior to Simon's memory of the original.
After watching the rough cut, Simon's only suggestion was to create a rap-style opening sequence, similar to the original.
The original Love Call Transfer not only had a popular theme song but also an impressive opening track, Watch Me 2007, which unfortunately didn't gain much traction. This time, it would be simple: Watch Me 1997, with new lyrics.
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