In a private residence on East 78th Street in Manhattan's Upper East Side, Lin Su and Chen Qing arrived at 7 p.m. for a cocktail party at the home of Leon Black, CEO of Apollo Management, a subsidiary of Cersei Capital.
As night fell, the party was already in full swing.
Led by A-girl, the two women made their way through the crowded living room to find Simon, who was in conversation with Laurence Fink.
Alerted by Allison, Simon turned to look at the two women, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Chen Qing was dressed in a sharp black business suit with modest heels, looking more ready for overtime work than a party. In contrast, Lin Su wore a light blue sleeveless dress that accentuated her figure and matched her personal style.
Despite being more appropriately dressed, Lin Su felt self-conscious under Simon's gaze, wondering if Chen Qing had set her up again.
Before leaving, Lin Su had chosen her outfit carefully from the clothes Simon had provided. However, upon seeing Chen Qing's attire, she realized it wasn't quite right for the occasion. There wasn't enough time to change back into something similar to Chen Qing's style.
Simon quickly understood Chen Qing's choice of attire, recognizing that she wanted to be seen as more than just a pretty face, hence the more 'professional' look.
Smiling, Simon introduced the two women to Laurence Fink. "Laurence, this is Chen Qing and Lin Su. They're both from China. Chen, Lin, this is Laurence Fink, the CEO of BlackRock."
Sensing a slight pause from Chen Qing, Lin Su instinctively stepped forward, extending her hand. "Hello, Mr. Fink, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Laurence Fink, guessing the dual roles these two beautiful Eastern women might play, lightly shook Lin Su's hand, smiling, "Hello, Miss Lin."
After greeting him, Lin Su retreated to Simon's side.
Only then did Chen Qing step forward and shake Laurence Fink's hand. "Hello, Mr. Fink, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Following the introductions, Chen Qing did not step back like Lin Su. Instead, she continued to engage Laurence Fink. "Mr. Fink, I recently read some materials about BlackRock. I must say, managing over $200 billion in assets in just five years is nothing short of a business miracle."
"Oh, thank you," Laurence Fink glanced at Simon, then back at Chen Qing, smiling as he asked, "Miss Chen, your English is excellent. Are you planning to work on Wall Street?"
Chen Qing looked at Simon, her eyes softening. "That depends on Simon's arrangements."
Simon allowed Chen Qing to continue chatting with Laurence Fink for a bit before saying, "Okay, Chen, you'll have plenty of opportunities to learn from Laurence in the future. Let me introduce you to Leon now—you'll be working under him."
With that, Simon nodded at Laurence Fink and led the two women to another part of the party.
The Westeros system has many investment channels in China.
These include Westeros Company, managed by James Rebold, Cersei Capital, various subsidiary investment departments, and the Johnston family's team in Australia. There are also numerous shell companies or sub-funds registered in offshore markets to conceal their origins.
Simon planned to place Chen Qing within Apollo Management, a private equity-focused subsidiary of Cersei Capital.
In the past few years, Apollo Management had already begun small-scale investments in China. As China entered its market economy era, Simon had recently instructed Leon Black to assemble a dedicated China investment team, personally approving an initial fund of $100 million.
This sum was just the investment budget for the next year.
Depending on the results, Simon would decide whether to increase the amount.
Aside from the team under Apollo Management, the entire Westeros system would significantly increase its investment in China starting next year.
Over the past few years, Simon had invested a total of $700 million in China.
In the near future, the Westeros system might invest that much in China within just one year.
To other capitalists, this aggressive investment strategy might seem too risky. In the past, there had been instances where foreign investments in Latin America were wiped out due to political instability. However, Simon was confident in the enormous growth potential of China's economy.
Getting in early would yield greater returns.
After introducing Leon Black, Simon also introduced Chen Qing to Jared Buckley, the manager of Apollo Management's China division. At 36 years old, Jared Buckley was even more physically imposing than his athlete-turned-boss, standing over 6'3" with the characteristic aggressiveness of Wall Street professionals.
Simon had arranged for Chen Qing to be Jared Buckley's deputy. Buckley hesitated and, in front of Simon, bluntly asked Chen Qing, "Miss Chen, do you have any investment experience?"
Chen Qing calmly shook her head. "No."
Jared Buckley responded, "Then why do you think you can be my deputy?"
Chen Qing met Buckley's gaze without flinching. "Because I'm from China. There's no one here tonight who understands China better than I do."
"That's irrelevant. I need an investor, not a China expert."
"Mr. Buckley, do you consider yourself an investor?"
"Of course."
"Then why do you need a second investor?"
"Because I believe in collaboration. Two heads are better than one."
"What is the purpose of collaboration?"
"To better accomplish our goals."
"That's the objective. In my view, collaboration is about complementing each other's strengths. While I may not understand investing, my knowledge of China far surpasses yours. That's what makes us complementary. China is a country with a very complex political and business environment. If you're unaware of the unwritten rules, then, unfortunately, no matter how skilled you are as an investor, you'll find it very difficult to conduct business in China."
Jared Buckley considered her words, his tone softening, but he continued to question her. "Miss Chen, could you give me an example of one of these unwritten rules?"
"Our department will focus on long-term investments in China, rather than cashing out within three to five years. This requires us to pay close attention to the growth potential of companies. To achieve this, a Chinese company must be acutely aware of one thing: local protectionism. Mr. Buckley, have you considered this issue?"
Jared Buckley nodded. "Protectionism is something we face in any foreign market we enter. It's nothing special."
"I'm not talking about national protectionism. I'm referring to local protectionism in China."
"What's the difference?"
"National protectionism usually comes with clear regulations that we can follow. Local protectionism is different because there are no explicit rules. In China, every region is very focused on economic growth indicators. To protect local businesses, they will find ways to exclude foreign companies from doing business in their area. If we want our investments in China to yield high returns, we must constantly expand, which will inevitably conflict with local protectionism."
Jared Buckley thought for a moment and said, "I believe this is something that the professional managers of our invested companies should handle."
"Mr. Buckley, are you shirking your responsibility?"
"Alright, then. How would you suggest we address this issue?"
"The root of local protectionism is economic indicators. We can set up branch offices in the regions where we need to expand, allowing the economic indicators to stay local."
"Is it that simple?"
"This is just an immature idea I had after reading some materials recently. It certainly won't be that simple in practice. However, I believe my approach is correct. Mr. Buckley, I recommend you read a book called *On Contradiction* by the founding leader of our country. If you read it, you'll understand that the simplest way to solve a problem is to identify the principal contradiction."
Jared Buckley held Chen Qing's gaze for a moment longer before finally nodding slightly and extending his hand again. "Chen, I hope we'll work well together."
"Of course."
Leon Black, who had been observing the exchange, chuckled. "Miss Chen, perhaps you could get me a copy of *On Contradiction* as well."
"No problem, Mr. Black."
Lin Su, who had been standing next to Simon, watched the exchange with a hint of envy in her eyes. She knew she couldn't do what Chen Qing had just done. It wasn't that she lacked the knowledge or the eloquence, but she had been raised as a proper lady, lacking the confrontational spirit that Chen Qing displayed.
As she was lost in thought, she heard the man beside her say, "It looks like you two will work well together. Jared, I'll leave it to you to introduce Chen to some of the other guests and discuss your future collaboration."
The two nodded. Before leaving, Chen Qing naturally leaned in and kissed Simon on the cheek, whispering, "Simon, don't forget me when you leave."
Simon smiled and patted her on the waist. "Of course not."
Those around them, witnessing the scene, smiled knowingly.
Leon Black, standing closest, couldn't help but think that Chen Qing really knew how to address the 'principal contradiction.' Publicly displaying her relationship with Simon Westeros might invite some skepticism, but with Westeros as her powerful backing, the benefits far outweighed the risks.
In fact, because the women who had emerged from Simon's circle in recent years were all remarkably successful, Leon Black had never underestimated Chen Qing from the start. The exchange with Jared Buckley had dispelled any concerns he might have had about Simon recommending a mere pretty face.
Pretty faces don't survive on Wall Street.
After Chen Qing and Buckley left, Simon continued to discuss Apollo Management with Leon Black
.
The conversation lasted until 9 p.m.
Simon then bid farewell to everyone and left the mansion on East 78th Street.
Lin Su and Chen Qing followed Simon outside, both wearing coats that still couldn't hide their graceful figures. However, instead of taking them back to his Fifth Avenue apartment, Simon parted ways with the two women outside the Black mansion.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that A-girl was throwing a minor fit. From the moment Simon said goodbye to Black, she had been clinging to his arm, as if worried he might sneak off to fool around with other women.
Simon was already used to A-girl's occasional bouts of possessiveness; they happened once or twice a month.
Of course, there would be a punishment.
Even before they reached the Fifth Avenue apartment, A-girl had already begun excitedly tugging at Simon's belt.
The next morning, Simon woke up promptly at 6 a.m.
It was November 8th.
Tuesday.
Election Day for the midterms.
Simon was registered to vote in California and, as usual, had no plans to participate.
After his regular morning workout, he sat down for breakfast at 7 a.m. Zoe and Isabel served the meal before leaving, and A-girl handed Simon a marked-up copy of *The New York Times* as she sat down beside him.
Today's headline in *The New York Times* wasn't about the midterm elections but rather the upcoming launch of the Egret outsourcing platform, set to go live next week.
There's no harm in exaggerating.
The article claimed that the soon-to-be-launched Egret outsourcing platform would provide millions of job opportunities for internet users around the world each year.
Moreover, as remote work continued to spread, this new work model in the information age would bring tremendous convenience to society. With less need for commuting, significant transportation resources would be freed up, operating costs for businesses would be greatly reduced by cutting down on office space, easing traffic congestion in major cities, saving energy, reducing carbon emissions, and so on.
In summary, it was a win-win for the present and future.
Not only *The New York Times* but also many mainstream North American newspapers were discussing the Egret outsourcing platform on Tuesday.
Egret's website provided even more detailed explanations.
With the talent shortage in Silicon Valley growing, the Egret outsourcing platform would not only allow Egret itself to post paid tasks to the entire internet user base, but any tech company worldwide with internet access could also publish tasks on the Egret platform.
Meanwhile, anyone with a computer at home and basic PC skills could find suitable work on the Egret outsourcing platform.
Compared to the chaotic midterm elections of the past few months, this news, seemingly relevant to everyone, quickly became a popular topic of conversation at workplaces on Tuesday.
This was exactly the result Simon wanted to see.
After breakfast, Simon headed to Lexington Avenue Armory, not far from Gramercy Park in Midtown Manhattan. This historic site, once used as a weapons depot during wartime, was now a favored venue for large events like exhibitions and concerts.
The third annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was to be held here.
As the show date approached, today was the full dress rehearsal before the official event.
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