The meeting between Simon and Zheng Shoudong only lasted 15 minutes. He sent a director of the Bank of New York Mellon as a sweet date and directly began to arrange work for the other party to investigate the debt status of South Korea's top chaebols. Therefore, Zheng Shoudong can only stay in North America for three days. After completing some job handovers, he needs to return to Asia again. For the time being, he will be stationed in Hong Kong to form his own team.
There will be people on the Asian side who will cooperate with each other.
After Zheng Shoudong left, Simon successively met with three other people at other times during the day, named Cui Yanxu, Zheng Xiangyuan, and Zong Zhenghao.
Cui Yanxu, like Zheng Shoudong, is 37 years old, Korean-American, first-generation immigrant, graduated from Columbia University Business School, and previously worked at Lehman Brothers.
Zheng Sang-won and Zong Zhenghao are from South Korea. The similarity is that they both come from the Hanbao Consortium that just collapsed.
Zheng Xiangyuan is 41 years old this year. He still has a background of studying abroad and graduated from New York University. Before losing his job due to the Hanbao collapse, he was an executive in the human resources department of this consortium.
Zong Zhenghao is the only Korean native without a background of studying abroad. He only went to Seoul National University. He is 37 years old this year. He previously worked in the financial department of Hanbao Steel and is an upper-middle-level executive. He was also implicated in the bankruptcy case of Hanbao Steel. The Westeros system has taken some tricks to pick out the other side these days.
The four people can be said to have been selected quite specifically by Simon.
First of all, the previous work of the four people involved legal affairs, administration, human resources, and finance. While they complement each other, their excellent foundation and many years of work experience do not lack the potential to be independent.
Secondly, they are all over 35 years old, raising a family, and have not been successful before. They are basically smoothed by society. Coupled with their nationality or study abroad background, even the last Zong Zhenghao has a dirty foundation. All are easy to control. On the other hand, compared to young people who have some national spirit and suddenly get an opportunity to develop, these people will not have much resistance to helping the Westeros system harvest their own country.
Finally, the four Korean faces will be active among some Korean corporate giants in the future. As long as they pay a little attention, they will not arouse the disgust and vigilance of the Korean people.
Simon didn't bring the four of them together for an appointment at the same time, just in case. The four of them will work alone for a long time, until the Westeros system confirms that they can be trusted, and then they will be screwed together. If you fail to pass the test, whether in terms of ability or loyalty, you will be abandoned.
And this is only the first batch of puppets selected by Simon.
There's more to come.
The last job on Monday is Titanic.
After more than a year of work, this movie is basically certain to burn 200 million US dollars, and it has not been completely completed until now.
This time it’s about the soundtrack.
After Simon intervened a little, the original James Horner was chosen for the film's soundtrack. However, because of Simon's big butterfly, it was unlikely that Horner would write the song for "Titanic" even if it was the original soundtrack. An eye-catching classic.
Simon still had no choice but to end the game in person.
For four hours, from three o'clock in the afternoon to nearly seven o'clock, I accompanied him to pull out a sample and gave some suggestions for modification based on memory. In terms of the soundtrack, Simon's main suggestions were Scottish bagpipes and on-site 'brainstorming' "My Heart Will Go On".
Frankly speaking, although it failed to change Cameron's history of cheating and burning 200 million US dollars, it changed the heroine from Fei Wen to Rachel Weisz, and the new combination of male and female protagonists was really pleasing to the eye.
During this period, I also discussed the distribution issues with Amy who came to watch the film at the same time.
This time it is finalized and will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the second half of the year.
In the past, "Titanic" premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival, mainly because the Tokyo Film Festival in October is closer to the end of the year. However, Japanese audiences did not seem to buy it, and of course they skipped it this time. Even if the Venice Film Festival in September is a little early, if the feedback from the premiere is still not good enough, it will give Daenerys Entertainment time to make up for it.
Returning to Dumejiao Manor in the dusk, Simon had just stepped into the lobby of Shell Villa when he saw several people sitting and chatting on the other side of the curtain wall.
Walking over, Janet stood up first, followed by Veronica and Melbourne who just stayed by her side.
"Honey, how are you today?" Janet stepped forward and hugged Simon, said hello, took the man's arm and turned around, explaining: "Auntie came back in the afternoon, and there was some problem with AOL."
Simon nodded slightly and glanced at his son, whose little hand was still being held by Veronica.
Melbourne was swept by his father's gaze, and he subconsciously let go of NaNa's hand and greeted obediently: "Good evening, Dad."
Simon said slightly coldly: "Yeah."
The little guy quickly added: "Aunt Jenny and the others are preparing dinner, I'm going to help."
After that, he ran quickly.
Janet almost laughed out loud as she watched the 'interaction' between father and son. When Simon and Veronica greeted him again and pulled him to sit down, she still couldn't help but smile and said: "Always treat Mel Being so fierce, haven't you noticed that he is getting less and less close to you?"
"Why do father and son want to be so close?"
“…”
Janet almost wanted to roll her eyes, but when she thought about it, it seemed...it made sense.
She also knows about intergenerational kisses.
Just like her father, he has always been very strict with her brothers. Now he can't be said to be close to her, but he cherishes his grandson Moer.
Um.
And Auntie and Merle.
This probably...can be considered a family inheritance.
Simon was pulled by Janet to sit down, but he was still in a bad mood. He glanced at Janet, who was smiling next to him: "You two have a rest here and let Janet prepare dinner alone?"
Counting from the beginning of October last year, Jennifer has been pregnant for more than 7 months.
When Janet heard this, she curled her lips and said, "No, Sophie came here this morning too and is in the kitchen."
There is also a little bit of slander.
Even if Sofia Feisi didn't come, there was no need for Jennifer to prepare dinner herself in this villa.
Some guy is just jealous and looking for trouble.
snort.
When Simon saw Janet saying this, he didn't continue. He looked at Veronica opposite, who was holding a cup of coffee and sipping gently: "What's wrong with AOL?"
Among the three core giants of the Westeros system in the Internet industry, the review of Ygritte, whom Simon valued most, has ended. America Online was ranked second by Simon.
Seeing Simon's question, Veronica raised her head slightly and said, "I found that America Online's network rollout budget in many areas has been abnormally overrun in the past few years. Steve Case believes that given the current stock market conditions, we should not delve into it. , so as not to trigger a continued decline in the stock price. If Case does not cooperate, it will be difficult for my team to continue."
Although Simon has spent most of his time overseas for more than a month, he has never relaxed his focus on the Nasdaq.
As of the closing of the stock market on the East Coast today, the Nasdaq index, which has been plummeting for more than a month, has fallen back to a low of 4,353 points. Compared with the peak of 7,045 points on the day of the Nasdaq crash on March 24, the cumulative decline has reached 38%.
The Nasdaq crash after 2000 was a relatively slow process, with several rebounds during the period. This time, it was in line with Simon’s original prediction that the higher it rises, the harder it falls. The 38% drop was not surprising. Even if it is cut in half, it has reached its chest and abdomen. The Nasdaq sector, which once had a market value of US$9.3 trillion, now only has US$5.6 trillion left. In just over a month, $3.7 trillion in stock wealth evaporated.
The three giants of the Westeros system, Ygritte, Cisco, and America Online, as the leading stocks that once dominated the Nasdaq, have also borne the brunt of this decline and their vitality has been severely damaged.
If you consider the stock price, Simon really shouldn't make a big move now.
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However, what Simon values more is the long-term development of the Westeros system.
After thinking about it for a while, Simon quickly said to Veronica: "I'll talk to Steve after dinner." After saying this, Simon turned to Janet: "Next, arrange two more teams of female guards for her to ensure that she is surrounded by There’s at least one group of people at all times.”
Before Janet could speak, Veronica had already said: "I don't want so many people following me."
Just as Sofia Fesi came over, Simon stood up directly and said, "That's it."
After speaking, he faced Sophia.
Janet looked at the back of the man after he stood up, made a face at Veronica, then simply stood up and went to her aunt: "Okay, that's it, aunt, you must have encountered more things than us, and you know Some people are so driven that they can do anything."
Veronica said: "Actually, the problem is not that serious. With the popularity of the new technology bubble in the past few years, the budget overrun of AOL's network construction is basically expected."
"I know, I know," Janet still smiled: "Just in case."
Next to them, Simon and Sophia hugged and exchanged greetings, sat down on the sofa again, and turned to other topics.
As for AOL, Simon had expected the problems there. He had even been aware of this problem in the past few years. However, after confirming that AOL's network rollout in various regions had been completed with quality and quantity, he had to deal with some overspending. Just turn a blind eye.
This time, to put it bluntly, Simon wanted to "make use of the situation", tighten finances and clean up a group of people at the same time, and carry out a purge of various companies in the Westeros system.
After continuing to chat for a while, Jennifer came over holding her belly and informed everyone that dinner was ready, and everyone walked to the restaurant together.
After dinner, Simon connected to Steve Case's video connection and unceremoniously scolded the head of AOL. Steve Case saw that the big boss was angry and argued a little. , Seeing that it was ineffective, I had to give in.
Simon was not reassured by Case's verbal promise and had to wait and see what the other party would do next.
If Steve Case continues to work against him, Simon will not mind taking him down. As for the internal turmoil within the company and the drop in stock prices, Simon does not care. If a company in the Westeros system cannot continue to operate because it loses a certain executive, it is okay not to let such a company go.
As for the stock price, it is even more false.
Completing this purge will only allow AOL to develop better in the future, as will the long-term stock price trend.
The next day is Tuesday, May 20th.
Simon still arrived at the company early. The time before nine o'clock today was reserved for Danny Morris, the head of New World Pictures, to discuss the promotion of upcoming films such as "American Pie" and "Rush Hour 2" Production of other projects.
Danny Morris also mentioned the increasingly obvious craze for Hong Kong films.
Hong Kong films have experienced a major collapse in the past two years. Unexpectedly, it will turn around again so quickly. At least, for Hong Kong filmmakers, it is truly a turnaround.
In addition to Bai Ge Wu and Fa Ge, who are currently looking for that highly sought-after project, Simon also heard that some other familiar names will enter Hollywood, such as Xu Laoguai. With Bai Ge Wu's help, several major Hollywood producers are currently All studios are in contact with each other, and New World Pictures and MGM are no exception.
Simon happened to remember that in the past timeline, Xu had indeed tried his hand at Hollywood during this time, and collaborated with action star Jean-Claude Van Damme on the film "Thunderbolt."
Then there is no more.
In Simon's opinion, Mr. Xu's talent is greater than that of Baige Wu. The failure in Hollywood can only be said to be bad luck and not encountering a suitable project.
Speaking of Mr. Xu, Simon also recalled the idea of filming the "Legend of Shushan" trilogy that he had when he was in China a few days ago.
In the past, "The Legend of Shushan" could be said to be an obsession of Mr. Xu. Unfortunately, the filmmaker tried this IP twice in the 1980s and early 2000s, but both ended in failure. , so much so that the Shushan series has become a restricted area that other filmmakers dare not touch.
As for the reason for the failure, it is quite complex.
From Simon's perspective, one of the most important items is budget.
Although both times were generous, they were not big enough. After all, the production specifications of such a bizarre and sword-filled Xianxia series in the 1980s should be compared with the 2001 version of "ET" from about the same period. There should also be a "Heroes" level of investment. It's a pity that the budget Mr. Xu received both times was not generous.
Therefore, it can be said that the two films before and after can only be regarded as semi-finished products.
On the other hand, Mr. Xu’s talent is undoubted, but sometimes he is too wild and unrestrained. While having a sufficient budget, there must be restrictions to avoid going astray.
Like a script.
Simon believed that both projects would have a good story at the beginning of production. However, during the actual execution process, because there were too many ideas to realize, most of the money was spent early. In the end, it was inevitable that they were stretched and had to rush the work. As a result, It is conceivable.
After thinking about it like this, Simon basically made up his mind.
This project can be handed over to Old Monster Xu again, but he must also keep a close eye on the other party and not get too carried away.
Inside the office of Daenerys Studios.
Slightly distracted by thinking about "The Legend of Shushan", Simon said to Danny Morris: "Since everyone is grabbing it, you can also pay more attention here. However, we are not grabbing it, we are just looking to see if there is a suitable one." project."
Danny Morris nodded and added: "Actually, there happened to be one recently, from Jiahe, called "Phantom Agent". I have read the script. The idea is based on cultivating top agents through subconscious training. It's a very good idea. Story The plot is similar to last year's "Black Man", and by the way, Golden Harvest also sent an invitation to Ms. Jiang in China, and she has agreed to star."
Simon was not impressed by the movie. He was about to say that he should take a look at the script and team first when he heard Danny Morris mention Miss Jiang. He was stunned for a moment before he remembered that it was Angel Jiang.