Today is Tuesday, March 25th.
The day after the 69th Oscars, however, the focus of the media was no longer on the Oscar results in previous years, but on the Nasdaq index that collapsed yesterday.
When Simon boarded the plane, it was less than 9 o'clock on the West Coast, and it was already noon on the East Coast.
The U.S. stock market opened today, but no miracle occurred. After yesterday's 7.9% drop triggered the first circuit breaker in Nasdaq's history, the Nasdaq fell by more than 5% during the two and a half hours of trading in the morning, reaching a low of 6,079 points. .
It dropped nearly 1,000 points in two days, with a cumulative drop of more than 14%, which can be considered a record drop for the Nasdaq.
Except for a few technology stock short sellers who have survived until now, the stock market crash has harmed the interests of almost everyone. Therefore, neither Wall Street nor Silicon Valley, nor Washington, sit idly by and do nothing. Instead, they have taken various measures to stabilize the market as much as possible.
This morning, Microsoft, which triggered the stock market crash, announced its first-quarter growth forecast for its data center business in advance, hoping to reverse some of the decline.
After all, everything suffers, and Microsoft's press release was also recommended on the front page of the Ygrit portal.
Big names in the new technology industry such as Tim Berners-Lee, Jeff Bezos, John Chambers, and Steve Case have also accepted media interviews to promote the booming development of the Internet industry from various angles. It emphasizes the changes that this field has brought to all aspects of human society in recent years, and attempts to reverse the public opinion attacks on new technology bubbles by traditional paper media that have been suppressed for many years due to the public push.
In Washington, the Federal Reserve also reiterated that it has no plans to raise interest rates in the short term in order to stabilize the confidence of the capital market.
However, under the general trend, these efforts were ultimately in vain.
Not long after Simon boarded the plane, the White House even called. Clinton tested whether he could personally endorse the Internet industry, but Simon chose to refuse.
Because it's useless.
This time the Nasdaq is higher than it was at its peak in 2000, which means the decline is destined to be even more violent when it collapses.
Simon's endorsement will not change the outcome, it will only make himself embarrassed.
After hanging up the phone, Simon thought for a moment and sent another email to the people in charge of each company to reassure people. He asked everyone to just do their jobs conscientiously and not to worry too much about the short-term rise and fall of stock prices. .
After more than an hour of dealing with various matters, Simon asked Girl A to call Ren Jingxi in.
After entering the door, he motioned Ren Jingxi to sit down on the sofa opposite the desk. Simon did not deliberately look at the other person, although his face was swollen, but his eyes were red. He lowered his head and continued to read a copy of the Rivni Free Trade Zone Agreement from Ukraine. Draft? He asked: "Have you seen Qiong Yao's works?"
Seeing that the man was not looking at her, Ren Jingxi relaxed a little, nodded and said, "I've seen it."
"how do you feel?"
"I like some of my early works very much? For example, "Outside the Window"."
Simon was noncommittal and said: "The thing is like this. I have launched some media business in China. I originally hoped to cooperate with Qiong Yao. Unfortunately, I don't like several projects submitted there. I happen to have an idea. I am planning to find someone. Come and do it yourself.”
When the man talked about business, Ren Jingxi gradually became more relaxed, looked up at Simon behind the desk, and listened carefully.
The real situation can be summed up in one sentence: the famous "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" was also dropped by the butterfly.
After searching through his memories, Simon roughly recalled that "Huan Zhuge Ge" was an idea that came to Aunt Qiong Yao by chance when she was visiting Beijing and passing by the Princess's Tomb, and it immediately spawned a ratings miracle.
This time, there was obviously no flash of inspiration.
Simon wasn't interested in Qiong Yao's other works? He had been thinking about finding a gunman to remake "Huanzhugege" during this period. But he happened to meet Ren Jingxi? It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
After collecting his thoughts for a moment, Simon continued: "There is a princess tomb in Beijing, did you know?"
Ren Jingxi shook his head.
She is from Shandong and went to university in Tianjin. After her mother's incident last year, she spent the New Year with her family before officially joining her job. Then she went abroad to participate in the four major fashion weeks, and she had not spent much time in Beijing. Today, the activity area is limited to the area around the courtyard in Nanluogu Lane.
The Princess Tomb is located in the western suburbs of Beijing. Due to urban reconstruction, it can only be regarded as a road sign and is no longer considered an attraction.
"There are several theories about the princess's tomb. I will only choose one of them, which is that it is the tomb of an adopted daughter of Qianlong." Simon explained simply and went straight to the point: "The story starts from here. According to the template of Qiong Yao's romance, romantic Qianlong went on a patrol incognito many years ago and met a talented woman by the Daming Lake in Jinan. Well, the girl's surname was Xia, Xia Yuhe. The two fell in love with each other and taught each other for life. Qianlong returned to the capital urgently because of the border war, and promised to pick up the girl before leaving. Enter the palace. However, due to busy state affairs, this matter was forgotten. Xia Yuhe, who gave birth to a daughter to Qianlong after being happy, did not wait for Qianlong until his death. Many years later, his daughter, Ziwei, Xia Ziwei, came to Beijing to recognize her relatives... "
"... Just like that, Xiao Yanzi was mistakenly recognized as his daughter by Qianlong and was named Princess Huanzhu..."
Inside the cabin study.
When Simon said this, he looked up and saw Ren Jingxi with a strange look on his face, and asked, "Is there any problem?"
Ren Jingxi hesitated for a moment and whispered: "The emperor's daughter in the Qing Dynasty was still titled princess, not princess. Gege is the general name for the daughters of princes, counties and princes, and it has a fixed prefix."
Seeing that Ren Jingxi was cautious but couldn't help but correct his mistakes, Simon deliberately used a domineering tone and stared at her pretending to be displeased: "Are you teaching me?"
Ren Jingxi quickly shook his head, became even more worried, lowered his head and said, "No, I'm not."
I still feel a little regretful.
The expression on her face just now was because she was surprised to find that a man who clearly looked like a foreigner could smoothly brainstorm a Chinese costume romance story.
Then, because of some instinctive pride, I subconsciously picked the thorn.
I really want to swallow my words back.
For a foreigner to master Chinese culture to such an extent, he can only be described as a genius. Some of his mistakes and omissions are excusable. How does she have the right to comment at will
Simon looked at the girl opposite who was almost shrinking into the sofa. He didn't expect that he was really frightened when he made a joke. After thinking about it, he tapped the table twice and said, "Come here."
Ren Jingxi stood up obediently, and saw the man motioning to her side, and walked over nervously.
"Take off your coat and shoes."
Ren Jingxi paused and followed the instructions with a blushing face.
Then he was held in the man's arms.
With his arms around the girl's slender waist, body fragrance lingering around him, Simon picked up the pen with his other hand, looked back at the thick draft of the free trade agreement on the table, and asked with a raised corner of his mouth: "Is your brain not so bright now? "
Ren Jingxi realized that he was just joking with himself.
However, how could she possibly know his actual personality.
It's really scary.
What's more, at this time... However, when the man asked, she quickly hummed like a mosquito.
I will definitely not pick on him again.
Because my brain is really a bit exhausted and buzzing.
Simon continued, spent a few minutes going through the story, and finally asked, "How was it?"
Ren Jingxi still had a faint blush on his face, but he calmed down and said, "What a great story."
"It should be very Qiong Yao's story."
"Um."
"Alas, you are a thoughtless Earthling."
“…”
"Did you hear something just now?"
"Um."
"If you don't want me to silence you, just forget about it."
"Um."
"Okay, let's get down to business. You said you want to do something, and you seem to be quite good at writing articles. This thing is more suitable for you. However, it is difficult to meet some of your expectations just as a screenwriter, so , you can go one step further, I will give you 6 million yuan, don’t think about US dollars, to make this "Huan Zhuge Ge". Just like Qiong Yao, she personally serves as the screenwriter and producer, forms her own team, supervises the filming, and Future releases. After completing this set of processes, you will successfully enter the media industry. In the future, becoming a gold medal producer will be enough to earn you everything you want, and you no longer need to be my vase."
Ren Jingxi listened to Simon's words, feeling both longing and entangled: "I can only roughly write out the story, but I don't know how to write, let alone produce."
"You know what I admire most?"
"What?"
"It's hard work," Simon said: "With the development of the Westeros system, I don't understand many areas, but I can let other knowledgeable people do it. For this project, all you need to do yourself is to write the story Come out, as for the script, you can hire professional screenwriters, and subsequent directors, actors, etc. If you have 6 million in your hand but don’t know how to spend it, then just be obedient and make vases by my side.”
Ren Jingxi wanted to nod, but hesitated and said, "But, shouldn't it be so simple?"
"Oh, in the film and television industry, the easiest job is to be a producer, and the hardest job is also to be a producer. It's easy because as long as you have money, anyone can be a producer. Make the film and television programs you want. The difficulty is that even if a person puts in 120% of his energy, he may not be able to make a good work that is recognized by the market or awards. As for you, if you want to do it and want to go A little further, because you lack the foundation, you have to learn a lot while doing it, and if you want to do it well, you need to spend double or even triple the time and energy than professionals, and you may not necessarily get good results."
Ren Jingxi subconsciously shrank his neck and retreated.
Mainly the fear of messing up.
6 million, even in RMB, but even a few months ago, this was a huge amount of money that she might not be able to earn in her lifetime. Moreover, what was more important was the project itself. This was a story conceived by the Hollywood tycoon himself. If it messed up, she wasn't sure she would have the courage to continue to stay by his side.
Simon waited for a moment, but received no response. He turned his head slightly to look at the expression of the woman in his arms: "Are you scared?"
Ren Jingxi nodded honestly: "I don't understand anything, I will definitely mess it up."
"It seems you haven't understood your situation, or advantages."
"Um?"
"It's not that I will give you a sum of money and nothing else to let you go to China to produce a TV series. This project must be under the banner of Jinshu Media. Since you have been with Momo before, you should know this company company?"
"Know."
The film "Let's Talk Well" directed by Zhang Guoshi and with Zhu Momo as the heroine, which was also released in China, was produced by this company.
"So, after you take over, no matter what you need, Jinshu Media's team can help you complete it. If you don't understand, you can also find professionals to give you guidance. Even if you want to be lazy, you only need to be responsible for paying for it. For money, Jinshu Media can help you with the whole process.”
"Then... why are you still looking for me?"
Ren Jingxi blurted out this and immediately regretted it.
Isn't this nonsense
Simon pinched somewhere on the woman's body and said with a smile: "Because you are my woman and you are willing to do things, I let you take charge of this project. Others may not have such an opportunity in their lifetime. So, think about it carefully How lucky are you to have met me? Remember to be grateful every night before going to bed."
"Um."
"Okay, let's continue with the topic. The platform of Jinshu Media is second. The most important point is that I just said that you are my woman. Therefore, not only Hollywood, but also those in the Chinese film and television industry must give me face. , to provide you with all kinds of help and convenience. This is the most abundant resource you can use, the kind that is as big as the sky. Because as long as you know that you are my woman, even if you are an idiot, many people want to catch up with me. Lines will also help you complete the project."
Ren Jingxi was speechless for a moment.
Simon wrote some comments on the draft of the Rivni Free Trade Zone Agreement that he had read. He waited for the girl in his arms to digest it for a moment, and then asked again: "How do you feel now?"
Ren Jingxi made up his mind: "I want to take this job."
"very good."
Ren Jingxi entered the situation directly and asked cautiously: "Well, 6 million, is it really enough?"
I didn’t know that beforehand, but now I think about it, movies and TV series should be very expensive.
"China CCTV's "Water Margin" has an average of 1 million per episode, which is a national drama. This "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" has about 20 episodes, with an average of 300,000 per episode. What do you think?"
Ren Jingxi raised his face and looked over: "I don't understand, please teach me."
"What I can teach you is that as a producer, cost control is a crucial ability. In terms of the most intuitive movie, with the same box office of US$100 million, one movie costs US$10 million, and another movie costs US$10 million. The production cost is US$100 million. The former is a big success, while the latter is a box office failure. How to control costs is a great test of the producer's comprehensive quality. For example, under your coordination, a scene that takes three days to complete will be completed in two days. The filming can be completed, which saves a day's funds. When the crew is running, the day's cost may be tens of thousands. Taken together, the money saved is very considerable. And actors, you need to choose based on how much budget you have. Actors of the right level. For this "Huan Zhu Ge Ge", with a budget of 6 million, we can only choose newcomers as much as possible, or some famous actors who are famous but at a low period and therefore have low wages. There are also things like venue rental, prop production, etc. , you need to know the price in advance in order to get the most affordable price during the negotiation. Otherwise, if you don’t understand anything, you will definitely be treated as a fat sheep and then double or triple the price, or even several times. Ten times, it’s nothing if you don’t kill it.”
Ren Jingxi's eyes widened slightly: "Dozens of times, how is that possible?"
"Why is it impossible?" Simon gestured around: "Let's just talk about this Boeing 767. If you want to rent one for filming, how much do you think it will cost?"
Ren Jingxi shook his head.
Simon said: "That's the problem. There are clear quotations for aircraft leasing in Europe and the United States. Let's not talk about this. In short, if it is other things and you don't know the price, and others quote dozens of times, you will probably think it is reasonable."
"How should I know this?"
"Of course, ask people who know," Simon said: "This again involves the importance of human resources, and you will definitely not be short of these by then. The key depends on how you use them, and even whether you are willing to use them."
Ren Jingxi solemnly said: "I will make good use of it."
Simon raised his hand and slid his fingertips across the woman's delicate chin: "But, I want to remind you one more thing. There is no free lunch in this world. One of the principles of life I believe in is that you get what you pay for. The truth is A slight change also applies. When you seek help from others, you must remember the kindness of others and return the favor at the right time in the future. There will be comings and goings, borrowing and repaying, so that it can last long. If you only take advantage, one day you will be You find you have no friends. Of course, you can’t always suffer losses, because this will make you surrounded by speculators who want to take advantage.”
Ren Jingxi only felt that there were many twists and turns, but he did not complain and agreed seriously again.
The ivory tower life she once had has been gone since the family accident last year. In order to have a dream of security, she completely let go of her former pride and reserve and even tried to seduce men. In this case, there are probably There aren’t many harder things either.
The more they chatted, the more they realized how rare it was to have the opportunity to ask a man for advice. Ren Jingxi continued to ask various questions until Simon received a call that was not suitable for her to listen to and temporarily avoided it, only to realize that he was already there. I sat in my arms for more than an hour.
After digesting the previous conversation in the outer living room, and probably confirming that he had finished the phone call, he knocked on the door again.
Simon was typing something in front of the computer screen. He glanced at her and saw that she was about to step forward. He smiled and said, "No, just stop here. You don't give me consulting fees. What else do you don't understand?" Ask someone else.”
So he stopped.
After a moment of hesitation, he mustered up the courage and said, "Aren't you going to take a break?"
"Not tired."
Ren Jingxi wrung his fingers in front of him and lowered his head slightly: "I mean, there should be a bedroom in the plane?"
"Um."
"That… "
It had just been negotiated. She arrived in New York, had a night's rest, and would fly back to China tomorrow. She planned to complete the story in two months, and at the same time, she was making preliminary preparations while learning by doing.
And tonight, he has made it clear that he will not accompany him.
Simon looked up at her, shook his head and said, "Forget it this time, there is only more than an hour left before New York."
“…”
Ren Jingxi's cheeks felt a little hot again, and he couldn't help but curse: More than an hour is not enough, do you think you are a god
From the corner of his eye, Simon saw the girl wringing her fingers and said half-seriously: "I am a person who values the quality of certain things, so more than an hour is really not enough."
Still unwilling to give in, she asked in a low voice: "In that case, are you really not free tonight? I mean, I can wait, it doesn't matter if it's later?"
"It really doesn't work."
Suddenly he realized something and asked tentatively: "Are you going to accompany other women?"
"yes."
"I understand." After saying this, she stood for a moment, but the man never spoke again. She felt more and more that something was wrong with her. It was obvious that she had asked a question that she shouldn't have asked, so she said softly: "I'll help you." Prepare some food or drink?"
"Make a fruit plate and send it over."
"OK."
Hearing his response, she relaxed and quickly agreed, not daring to hold on any longer, and turned around obediently to go out.