The evening sun shone through the steel forest of Manhattan into the bedroom. Grace Spurr opened her eyes and saw that the man was no longer around. After getting up, she searched and found a certain little man on the rooftop terrace.
Walking behind the other person, she leaned over his shoulder and rubbed her cheek affectionately. She looked at the book in the man's hand and asked, "What is this?"
Simon stretched out his hand to pull the woman over, held her in his arms, and showed her the book in his hand: "One Hundred Years of Solitude."
Grace was a little unaccustomed to being held in a man's arms like a little girl, but she couldn't bear to leave. She changed to a side-sitting position without leaving a trace, turned her head and glanced at the book again. It was the original Spanish version. She Although I can speak some Spanish, reading is a bit difficult: “I’ve read the English version, but I didn’t quite understand it, so I didn’t finish it.”
Simon didn't mean to explain anything to Grace. He put the book on the round table next to him, rubbed the waist of the woman in his arms, and asked, "What do you usually like?"
The late autumn evening was already very cold. As the man moved, Grace felt her cheeks heat up again. She really had no resistance to him. She said honestly: "I don't know. I started working very early and then got married. I have a child again. You know, life in Manhattan is very stressful. Well, it seems that it is now now all of a sudden." After saying these words, he looked into the eyes of the man close at hand: "Am I a failure? "
Simon kissed the woman on the lips and comforted: "Most people are like this. You have been very successful."
"It's all given by you," Grace chased over and kissed Simon. After they separated, she looked at the young face in front of her and suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "I... you should date more young girls."
Simon felt the fragrance of the woman in front of him and said with a smile: "But I just like to bully you, what should I do?"
Grace avoided the little man's gaze and evil smile for a moment. She said in her heart that you can bully her as much as you want, but she didn't say it out loud. She noticed that the Westeros Building that looked like it was already standing in the clouds was not far away, and she looked over there. Pointing, "When will this building be completed?"
Simon followed Grace's gaze and looked over. The main building of the Westeros Building was more than 500 meters long. If this length were spread on the ground, it would not be too conspicuous. Compared with the buildings in the Upper East Side, which are generally within 100 meters. , suddenly stood out from the crowd: "It will take another year to cap the roof. I want to build another home of my own on the top and install an apron. The construction standards of this part are very high. Counting the subsequent decoration, it may be possible to actually move in. It will have to wait until about 2000."
The architectural drawings of the Westeros Towers have long been disclosed to the media, and Grace has also seen them.
Hearing what the man said, Grace looked forward to it: "I really hope I can go up and have a look then."
Simon smiled and said: "I'm sure, I will bully you from above when the time comes."
Grace glanced at the man lightly and said a little uneasily: "I'm afraid you will forget me by then."
"Of course not. You know, I am a very nostalgic person."
Grace retorted: "Bryce said last week that you had forgotten about her."
"Who is Bryce?"
Grace immediately rolled her eyes.
Simon smiled and pinched the woman somewhere, and said: "When we had dinner together a few days ago, she complained to me that your daughter had brought up her son, and she complained to me that it was all your instigation. ,what happened?"
The man's words were unintentional, but a somewhat scattered mess of silk and hemp formed in Grace's mind.
Weird and a little embarrassed, Grace whispered: "She wanted her son to go to Yale. You know, to go to Yale, you have to go to New Haven, and then... she stayed in New York to go to Columbia. Anyway, it's not weird. As for Rita, Bryce has always been too strong and taught her son to have no independent opinions, so how can you blame others."
The woman explained in a cryptic manner, and Simon roughly understood.
Seeing that Grace didn't like to talk about it, she stopped mentioning it and said instead: "Go to the Time Warner party tonight with me."
Grace shook her head and said, "No, today is Friday. We have made an appointment with the children to have dinner together. The restaurant has been reserved." As she spoke, she seemed to be worried that Simon would be angry, and added, "Let Qu Si and Lima wait. Come here, if you want, you can bring a few more, they are all looking forward to it."
Simon did not nod, but said: "I have said before that it is not good to always push girls toward me."
"I don't care, so you can remember me longer," Grace said firmly, "and even if something happens, you will protect me, right?"
Simon held up the woman's face with one hand and looked at her: "Aren't you afraid that I will push you out as a scapegoat?"
Grace and Simon looked at each other with obvious infatuation in their eyes, "I know you won't do this, but if necessary, I will take the initiative to help you be a scapegoat."
Simon let go of his hand and said with a smile: "I suddenly understood why our girl could snatch Bryce's little baby away."
But Grace came over and whispered in Simon's ear: "If you like, I can also let Rita call you daddy."
When Simon heard this, he almost threw the woman in his arms out.
Seeing the little man's surprised expression, Grace smiled and explained, "Jerry and I are very familiar. You know, we are all in the same circle."
Simon said: "Forget it, it's better not to teach the children indiscriminately."
Grace raised the corners of her lips and leaned over to say something in Simon's ear. Sensing the man's reaction, Grace couldn't help but laugh. She even twisted her body slightly and teased for a moment. The woman saw that it was almost time and mentioned something serious. : “Simon, I heard Instagram is looking for another round of funding?”
Simon nodded: "Are you planning to participate?"
"I can't afford to invest," Grace said, explaining: "I asked a fund manager I met in Europe some time ago. She heard the news and called to see if she could invest in some shares. , she also knows about Elite’s cooperation with Instagram.”
Simon pretended to be suspicious and said: "Are you sure it's 'she' and not 'he'."
Grace said seriously: "I promise, you are the only man I have now, and I won't even let my husband touch me. If you find out that I have other men, you can strangle me to death and bury me secretly."
"Uh, don't be so cruel to yourself, right?"
Grace posted over: "I have had this idea before. I hope you will strangle me to death, preferably buried under the lawn of the manor in the northern suburbs of Linnitch."
"It's so scary, a bit like the beginning of a horror movie."
Grace rolled her eyes slightly and asked, "Is that okay?"
Simon nodded: "Yes, but the share is not large. Instagram only intends to give up 10% of the shares this time, and the price is US$200 million. There is no bargaining, and it is mainly for some related investors in the Westeros system. Since you ask, I can give you 2%, no more."
"2% is enough, which is also US$40 million. In fact, that fund controls some European print media. I asked for help. In addition to Elite's clients getting more exposure, I also think this should be helpful to you. .”
"That's it, I can meet you when you have time."
"The other party must be asking for it. Let me know when you have time."
Simon deliberately turned a corner: "Is that female manager pretty?"
"She's beautiful, she's married, she's younger than me, and she has three children. Well, it's said that she has aristocratic blood."
"Well, as a nouveau riche like me, I mainly want to meet some nobles to improve my style."
"bad guy."
The two hugged each other and chatted for a while. The sunset light completely disappeared between the gaps between the buildings in Manhattan, and Grace reluctantly said goodbye.
The Time Warner party in the evening was mainly to celebrate the formal merger agreement between General Electric and Time Warner.
This morning, while Simonians were watching the Victoria's Secret show rehearsal at the Lexington Avenue Armory, the two companies officially held a press conference to officially announce the deal.
Both parties made some concessions, and the final transaction price was US$27.5 billion. Taking into account Time Warner's current debt of approximately US$8.6 billion, the total transaction value was US$36.1 billion. Because the news had gradually spread, as of yesterday afternoon, Time Warner's total market value had reached US$23.9 billion. Based on this stock price calculation, GE was only equivalent to a 13% premium.
As long as this transaction can be successfully completed, GE will become the second largest media group in North America in addition to the established industrial giants.
However, compared with the merger between Daenerys and Metropolis ABC, which is unanimously optimistic by the market, GE's merger with Time Warner is full of controversy. The most direct evidence is today. Because of the announcement of the news, GE's stock price fell throughout the day. It rose 4.3%, while Time Warner's stock price rose only 5.1%.
Critics generally believe that GE's acquisition of Time Warner is not doing its job properly.
General Electric is indeed very powerful at present. Compared with competitors such as Westinghouse Electric, it can be said to be unparalleled in the industry. However, General Electric's investment in the media field has not been so successful. Over the years after acquiring RCA, the development of NBC television network can only be Said to be quite satisfactory.
What's more, in the current media and entertainment field, Daenerys Entertainment is the giant that dominates the front.
Whether it is NBC or Time Warner, many aspects are quite dependent on Daenerys Entertainment, which is obviously abnormal.
In addition, there is a mess of personnel relations within Time Warner.
Due to the death of Steve Ross due to illness three years ago, Time Warner management has been in constant internal strife in recent years, which has greatly hindered the development of this media and entertainment giant. If Jack Welch cannot handle this matter, thing, this merger is likely to slide from one disaster to another.
The evening party was held at the Marriott Hotel near Times Square.
Considering that reporters would be present at the party and interviews were allowed, Simon did not follow Grace's suggestion to bring one or two vases, for the sake of the girls.
Some things are known to everyone in the circle, but it is better to hide them in front of the public. After all, many supermodels are goddess-level existences in the hearts of thousands of fans. As long as some things are not confirmed, even if they are exposed and compiled by gossip tabloids, they will not be exposed. You will only get a series of 'I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it'.
The new annual "Forbes" list announced on Monday has not yet cooled down, and Simon had no intention of stealing the limelight. He did not arrive at the party until almost an hour after the party started at 8 o'clock, and the reporters outside the hotel had basically dispersed.
Entering the party hall, Jack Welch personally greeted him with two middle-aged men, Bob Wright and Terry Semel.
Bob Wright is the chairman and CEO of NBC Television Network. He has been in charge of the public television network since General Electric acquired NBC's parent company RCA Group in 1986. This General Electric executive was a lawyer. Before running NBC, he was General Electric. The sales director of its plastics business has been in charge of NBC for many years, and his performance can only be considered satisfactory.
As for Terry Semel, Jack Welch obviously followed Simon's advice and planned to completely change the disorganized situation within Time Warner. This matter is actually not easy, but mentioning Semel is a very big deal. Good start.
However, Welch still lacked some courage.
Depending on the situation, General Electric's Bob Wright and Time Warner's Terry Semel should be next in charge of General Electric's media and entertainment assets after the merger is completed.
This situation is very similar to the scene when Time Inc. and Warner Bros. just merged.
If Bob Wright and Terry Semel couldn't work together closely, then it might really be as predicted by the media that it would slide from one disaster to another.
Of course, there are differences.
The key is that there is an extra Jack Welch this time. As long as Welch is tough enough, he can replace Steve Ross' original role and tightly condense his scattered media and entertainment assets. According to Welch's age and his contract with GM, the legendary professional manager still has five years left.
However, to do this well, Welch must spare enough time and energy.
After everyone exchanged pleasantries and talked about some details of the merger of the two companies, Terry Semel and Bob Wright walked away on their own initiative, leaving only Jack Welch and Simon standing in the corner of the hall.
After beckoning the waiter and getting another glass of red wine, Jack Welch looked at Simon and said, "Simon, I remember a piece of news a few years ago, after the success of "Batman Begins." Daenerys Entertainment has released news that it will probably start the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 1995, but it seems that Daenerys has no such plan now?"
When Simon heard what Welch said, he immediately understood what the other person was thinking. He secretly sighed that this business guru who had been in power for many years really did not lack courage, but he ignored him and said, "If you pay attention to this matter, Jack, We should find that Hollywood’s current blockbuster movies are getting stronger and stronger, especially the DC movie universe. If Daenerys starts to develop the Marvel movie universe again, Hollywood will soon be occupied by comic book movies, which will seriously impact Hollywood. The diversity of movies is very detrimental to the development of this industry, so I choose to continue to shelve the development of Marvel superhero movies."
Simon did not say it clearly, but Jack Welch immediately felt the rejection in his words, but did not give up. He simply said: "Simon, Daenerys's "Jurassic Park 2" this summer is better than most DC movies. The universe project is even better. Another new film in the Conjuring movie universe, "The Conjuring 2", was released today. My children even talked about it last week and wanted to take the time to watch it together. So, Daenerys is not lacking in high-quality movies now. series. What do you think if Warner Bros. plans to buy out all of Daenerys’ rights to DC projects at once?”
Sure enough.
If Warner can buy back all the DC superhero-related copyrights held by Daenerys, even if it costs billions of dollars at one time, this good news alone will be enough to push GE’s stock price to a higher level in the future.
Faced with Welch's inquiring gaze, Simon did not refuse immediately, but asked instead: "If Daenerys lets go, Jack, do you think Warners can do a good job in this series?"
Simon did not refuse immediately, which gave Welch hope. He nodded and said: "The DC movie universe already has a very solid foundation. If it can be taken back, I think Terry can definitely take care of it. Moreover, we will not Severing cooperation with Daenerys, you can still continue to serve as executive producer on all DC projects as long as you agree."
Simon thought for a moment, stopped beating around the bush, and said to Welch: "Jack, frankly speaking, as long as your price is right, I will not refuse to sell all DC-related copyrights back to Warner, but not now. If you need a time point, , you can talk to me about this matter again after "Justice League" is released."