Waking up early in winter is no easy feat, but the next morning, before 7 a.m., both Simon and Chen Qing were already up.
Simon went to exercise, with Chen Qing accompanying him.
Having had her worldview slightly shaken the night before, Lin Su went off to prepare breakfast, resigned to her fate.
Aside from the absurdity of one person who often made her feel utterly powerless, she had no complaints about her current life, which had once been something she dreamed of.
In the gym, as Simon ran, Chen Qing accompanied him, eagerly picking Simon's brain for ideas like a diligent little squirrel.
Simon's memory stored vast amounts of information, much of which needed a bit of prodding to surface.
Yesterday, after agreeing to let Chen Qing poach the management team from Little Tyrant and giving the two women a share of the company's equity, Simon considered that although the team would likely continue focusing on what they knew best—educational electronic products—Chen Qing was not content with just that. Based on her recent understanding of the Westeros system, she believed they were well-positioned to enter more profitable and widespread industries.
For example, personal computers.
Unlike the already booming Western PC market, China's domestic PC industry was still in its infancy. It was estimated that by the end of 1994, annual PC sales in China would only reach around 700,000 units. With over a billion people, this massive market accounted for less than 2% of global sales, appearing to be a vast blue ocean of opportunity.
Simon, however, was not optimistic.
China's domestic PC industry was limited by the country's overall economic development, and although the market was small, many domestic and foreign brands had already staked their claims for years. Not to mention overseas brands like IBM, HP, and Toshiba, even domestic companies like Lenovo, Founder, and Tongfang had deep roots in terms of technology and market presence, having been established in the 1980s.
If that were all, it would be fine to give it a try now.
The most crucial point, however, was that key software and hardware technologies like CPUs, hard drives, and operating systems were all controlled by foreign manufacturers. Starting a PC brand in China would ultimately be nothing more than a low-end assembly operation. In contrast, the Westeros system, which held substantial shares in Microsoft and Intel, was more interested in quietly enjoying the most profitable slice of the PC industry.
No one can make all the money.
Having already secured the most profitable part of the industry, it would be counterproductive to fuss over the leftovers.
Though Simon didn't support Chen Qing starting a PC company, their conversation brought another industry to mind.
VCD.
This was a uniquely popular electronic product in the Greater China region during the 1990s. At its peak, the overall market size for VCD hardware alone reached hundreds of billions of yuan.
Moreover, in 1994, as China's VCD market was just emerging, the Westeros system was well-positioned to maximize profits by monopolizing the core components of VCDs.
Given the discussion yesterday, if the Little Tyrant team, after leaving their old employer, continued to produce similar products, they were likely to face commercial suppression. The initial plan was to have the team relocate to another province to establish a new company. Now, if they could bypass the gaming console sector and directly enter the emerging VCD market, it could help avoid some potential conflicts.
After their in-depth discussion in the morning and breakfast, Chen Qing and Lin Su quickly left to gather information on VCDs.
Simon stayed on the East Coast for another day.
At noon, he received a call from the White House. Simon had a rather vague conversation with the President, during which he learned that Clinton had already spoken with the Republicans, and the trouble stirred up by former Pennsylvania Congressman Kevin Mulhouse would be put to rest.
Simon wasn't entirely convinced.
However, he was reasonably satisfied with Washington's response.
Before leaving in the afternoon, Simon met with Joseph Schlaap again, learning that the situation was still connected to the conservative Southern Republicans. Simon, no longer being polite, instructed Paul Speitz to proceed with their 'deep cultivation' plan for Florida.
This time, there was plenty of time.
There was no need to worry about the 1996 election, and with six years until the 2000 election, the Westeros system's resources were more than enough to methodically penetrate every district and voter demographic in Florida.
"He who wins Florida wins the nation."
Having recently read the Book of Lord Shang, some of Simon's views had subtly changed.
He used to dislike the Bush family intensely.
But now, his perspective was different.
Allowing George W. Bush to take office and create chaos for eight years seemed to align with the Book of Lord Shang's policy of "weakening the people." A population weakened to the point of struggling daily for basic survival would be easier to control. People who are either too well-fed or starving are prone to causing trouble.
Of course, this was on the condition that the Bush family did not threaten the Westeros system.
Otherwise, Simon wouldn't hesitate to change history entirely.
After handling matters on the East Coast, Simon departed for the West Coast that afternoon.
The next day was December 1st.
The final month of 1992.
The second phase of the "Information Age" marketing campaign, spearheaded by the Westeros system, was in full swing.
The midterm elections had quietly passed more than half a month ago.
Many measures to divert public attention were still in full swing. Aside from a few restless media outlets in certain states and counties, discussion of the midterm elections had dropped to a minimum. With just a month to go, the chances of any issues arising would be greatly reduced.
Thus, upon returning to Los Angeles, Simon shifted much of his focus to a series of key film projects at Daenerys Entertainment.
First was The Man from Earth.
The idea for a new version of The Man from Earth had come to Simon during a private chat with Grace. The script, with Simon's direct involvement and the addition of several invited university professors to refine the technical details, was now complete.
The original The Man from Earth had become a classic in low-budget sci-fi, despite many rough edges when viewed closely.
This time, although the production budget remained modest, since it was Simon's personal project, every aspect of the film's production was of the highest standard.
As for casting, countless actors were eager to participate in a project personally written by Simon Westeros. Their salaries were the least of their concerns. Thus, even with only the minimum union wage for actors, many well-known Hollywood actors were still eager to make an appearance in this film.
Hollywood is, after all, a place where connections matter, and with everyone around him lobbying and vying for roles, Simon's initial idea of casting complete newcomers became impractical.
However, the actors selected were all undoubtedly skilled.
The next issue was the script.
The concept of the main character John being a representation of Jesus had to be removed.
Unlike in the later 2000s, in the early 1990s, the proportion of religious believers in Western society was still very high, and touching on such a topic was highly sensitive. Especially for a public figure like Simon, doing so would be akin to kicking a hornet's nest.
Simon didn't intend to provoke any controversy with the new version of The Man from Earth; he just wanted it to be a very entertaining, alternative sci-fi film. If there was any goal, it was to inspire Hollywood filmmakers.
So, he had no intention of stirring up any disputes.
Moreover, during the scriptwriting process, Simon also discarded the original idea, discussed with Grace, of making the main character a series of historical figures. The final script depicted John as a relatively pure time traveler, who, while not leaving his name in history, had crossed paths with many famous figures and, in some ways, had subtly influenced the course of history.
One key plot point was the relationship between John and the psychology professor Will. In the new script, this father-son relationship was no longer as abrupt as in the original; instead, it was hinted at from the start. The final reveal would also be less jarring, not revealed through Will's death but subtly uncovered by the female lead, who guesses the truth when she's alone with John at the end.
John neither confirms nor denies it.
It leaves a sense of mystery.
Overall, the new story would be a tightly woven, play-like narrative about an immortal being, meticulously crafted from beginning to end, leaving no room for doubt yet challenging to prove as fact.
With the script complete, the casting process, based on the list Simon had initially drawn up, was also nearing completion.
They didn't choose anyone too famous.
However, those shortlisted were all familiar faces to the public.
Even Cris Gough, who had no previous acting experience, had, following her third appearance in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and a meteoric rise in popularity over the past six months, made it to seventh place on the Egregious Door Model Popularity Chart, earning the title of "Supermodel."
But what Simon valued most was the male lead.
Who could portray an immortal who had lived for over ten thousand years? Simon was uniquely qualified to answer that question.
Having witnessed so much, the key trait was a "bystander" demeanor of calm indifference.
After experiencing so much, nothing around them would significantly impact their state of mind, making them inherently aloof. However, as someone who could no longer remember their age and had lived among people for so long, they would naturally be skilled in dealing with others, instinctively adopting a protective and tolerant attitude towards others, much like an adult towards a child, easily fostering a sense of closeness.
Calm and composed, indifferent
at heart, yet charmingly elegant.
Well.
After seeing the script in advance, Janet thought someone was clearly better suited for this role.
But Simon certainly wasn't going to take on the role himself.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Simon personally participated in the final round of auditions, and the male lead was ultimately decided, much to Simon's satisfaction: George Clooney, who had recently risen to fame with ER.
George Clooney, 33 years old this year, had finally emerged after years of struggling, making him a late bloomer in the acting world.
For now, he was still mainly a television actor.
Though he wasn't yet the silver-haired, suave bachelor of his later years, Clooney's current personality and demeanor perfectly matched Simon's vision for John.
The female lead, Sandy, needed to be between 30 and 40 years old.
Simon initially thought of Kathryn Bigelow.
Kathryn had been busy this past year with her film Detroit, about the Detroit riots. The project was in the final stages of post-production. During a lunch at Daenerys Studios a while ago, Simon brought it up, but Kathryn declined, saying she wasn't an actress. Simon, ever helpful, offered to teach her one-on-one, as he was great at coaching actresses, but she turned him down even more flatly.
In the end, they chose Elizabeth Perkins.
This 34-year-old actress perfectly matched Simon's taste in terms of style.
After co-starring with Tom Hanks in the box office hit Big in 1988, Elizabeth Perkins should have had a promising career. Unfortunately, things didn't go her way, and in recent years, the films she starred in had only lukewarm commercial success. She hadn't been able to secure a spot among the A-listers and was even at risk of slipping to the third tier.
To save her career, Perkins switched from CAA to WMA last year. This time, she was strongly recommended by Jonathan. Since her acting and the role fit well, Simon agreed.
The rest of the supporting cast was mostly seasoned Hollywood actors.
As for the director, Simon handed the reins to Brett Ratner, who had just completed the third Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
This filmmaker, who got his start directing music videos, had poured his heart and soul into the third Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. After the live show, Ratner had worked tirelessly to edit the TV broadcast version, sleeping less than three hours a day for a week. The final cut had exceeded Simon's expectations.
This movie was Ratner's ticket into Hollywood.
The planned shooting schedule was only two weeks, aiming to wrap up before Christmas.
While assembling the crew, Simon had quietly arranged for the set to be built in the outskirts of Toronto, Canada.
The shooting location was chosen in Toronto, rather than near Los Angeles, primarily for the sake of secrecy.
Many filmmakers in Hollywood go to great lengths to keep their projects under wraps, with the more famous ones having the hardest time. Given the high level of interest in Simon's new script, many entertainment media outlets had been trying to dig up information. If they filmed near Los Angeles, it would be impossible to maintain any peace and quiet, and the content might even be leaked by the ever-resourceful paparazzi.
Though he didn't take it lightly, The Man from Earth was ultimately just a passion project for Simon.
His main focus remained on the series of blockbuster projects under Daenerys Entertainment.
These included Jurassic Park 2 and Apollo 13, set for release next summer, the next installment in the DC Movie Universe, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Darkness, James Cameron's newly greenlit Titanic, the rebooted 007 series at MGM, the next phase of the Conjuring Universe, and recently confirmed collaborations on Charlie's Angels, The Bourne Identity, Jumanji, The Mummy, and so on.
These were the true priorities of Daenerys Entertainment Group.
Amidst the nonstop busy schedule, the third week of the Thanksgiving release window officially ended.
In the box office week from November 25 to December 1, Daenerys Entertainment's 3D animated film Toy Story 2 continued to dominate.
Since no major new releases hit theaters on November 25, Toy Story 2 saw only a 29% drop in its second week, grossing $61.99 million. For a film released on over 3,000 screens, maintaining a second-week drop of under 30% was quite rare.
In just two weeks, Toy Story 2 had already grossed $149.3 million.
The original Toy Story 2 had a domestic box office total of $240 million.
This time, after grossing $150 million in two weeks and with the film set to carry over into the Christmas season, long-term success was all but guaranteed. The industry and media widely projected the 3D animated film's box office gross to reach between $300 million and $350 million. Toy Story 2 had a total production and marketing cost of $130 million. Initially, Simon hadn't expected much profit from domestic box office sales. But now, it looked like the profits from domestic box office sales alone would be enough to make Hollywood's other studios green with envy.
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