Though the sudden and unexpected NASDAQ crash didn't cause Simon to lose his composure like many tech investors, he still ended up working late into the evening on that Monday, only returning to the Dume Point estate around 7 PM. By the time he got home, the Oscars ceremony on the other side of the city had already been underway for an hour.
Given the scale of the stock market collapse, Janet had also been busy all day. When she saw Simon return, she immediately rushed over to him, wrapping herself around him like a proud kitten seeking praise, clearly showing off her "hard work."
Simon could only oblige by carrying Janet in his arms as they walked into the dining room.
As they walked, they talked.
The topic, unsurprisingly, was still the NASDAQ.
Janet, still cradled in Simon's arms, looked up at him with sparkling eyes and said playfully, "First of all, congratulations, darling. At 10 AM today, when the NASDAQ hit 7,045 points, your net worth peaked at $2.3 trillion. That's equivalent to 28% of the United States' 1996 GDP of $8 trillion, putting you just behind Germany, with its GDP of $2.5 trillion, making you effectively the fourth largest economy."
Simon laughed and said, "Go ahead and say 'but.' I can handle it."
"But," Janet said with a mischievous smile, "just in one day, that number dropped to $2.1 trillion—an 8% decrease. Poof! $200 billion vanished into thin air. And more is bound to disappear in the days ahead."
As they reached the dining room, Simon set Janet down on a chair, greeted Jennifer and the little one in her belly, and didn't forget to acknowledge the kids at the table. Finally, he took a seat with Melbourne beside him.
Normally, the family didn't watch much television during meals, but since it was Oscar night, they made an exception.
As Simon sat down, he glanced at the TV mounted on the dining room wall, just in time to catch the Best Costume Design category being presented.
The award presenters were Natasha Henstridge and Megan Gale, the two leading ladies from Species 2, which had just premiered the previous Friday. Their role as presenters was clearly intended to promote the film.
This wasn't unusual.
Anyone paying attention to the Oscars would notice certain patterns. Besides the nominees, most of the Hollywood stars who attended the ceremony typically had new projects releasing that year.
It was a win-win: the stars lent their fame to the Oscars, while the Oscars provided publicity in return.
As for the award presenters, apart from the tradition of having the previous year's Best Actor and Best Actress winners present their counterparts' awards (which wasn't always followed), the selection of presenters often served strategic purposes rather than being random.
Like the current pairing of the two Species 2 actresses, which was obviously to promote the film.
Of course, not just anyone could snag a presenter spot—it required the right connections and influence.
The nominees for Best Costume Design were The English Patient, Emma, Hamlet, The Portrait of a Lady, and Evita. After the introductions for each film, Natasha Henstridge opened the envelope, glanced at the name, and subtly leaned toward Megan Gale. The two actresses then leaned into the microphone and announced the winner together.
The English Patient.
Amid applause, Ann Roth, the costume designer for The English Patient, rose from her seat, embracing her fellow team members before heading to the stage.
At the dining table in the Shell Villa, Janet, mindful of the young children present who were beginning to understand adult conversations, refrained from teasing Simon about the two actresses. Instead, she simply muttered, "The PR push is way too obvious."
Of the five nominated films, four were period dramas with intricate costume designs. In contrast, The English Patient was a modern drama. While its costume design wasn't irrelevant, it certainly wasn't the film's standout feature. For it to win the Oscar felt suspicious to anyone paying attention.
Simon glanced at the screen, where Ann Roth was delivering her acceptance speech, and chuckled. "It's a bit blatant, I admit. But with so many PR resources poured into it, it's inevitable the voters chose The English Patient. We can't exactly tell them not to vote, can we?"
Jennifer, seated nearby, said, "Aren't you worried the Academy will eventually catch on and start targeting our films?"
"I've already made concessions to help them maintain balance. If they deliberately target us, it would turn into a scandal. Besides, even if the Academy wanted to manipulate things, they couldn't. With thousands of voting members, it's impossible to sway them all. And honestly, the Oscars aren't that important to me. Over the years, I've given them so many great films—it's really me doing them a favor."
Jennifer rolled her eyes at Simon's bold statement.
Janet, on the other hand, playfully leaned her head on Simon's shoulder, feigning adoration with exaggerated admiration. "My man is so amazing; I'm swooning!"
The Oscars ceremony continued on the TV as Simon shifted the conversation to other matters. "I talked to Jim, Jeff, and Steve today about cash reserves. From the NASDAQ crash to when we begin our vulture expansion strategy, there'll likely be a gap of a few months. That includes the financial situation in Asia later this year. Before that, I want to assemble a third-party accounting team to conduct a thorough audit of the financial status of all our companies. I want to ensure that the data on our cash reserves is completely accurate."
This idea was largely inspired by the infamous collapses of companies like WorldCom and Enron during the aftermath of the dot-com bubble in his previous timeline.
While Simon had always maintained strict financial oversight within the Westeros system, the sheer scale of the operation made it unlikely there were no blind spots. A comprehensive audit was necessary.
When Simon finished speaking, Jennifer smiled faintly and looked toward Janet.
Janet, pretending to hesitate, was about to tease her husband further when Melbourne blurted out, "Dad, does this mean NaNa can come to the U.S. again? She's the best for this job!"
Jennifer lowered her head slightly, suppressing laughter.
Janet, pretending to be annoyed, reached across Simon to pinch her son's cheeks. "Always thinking about NaNa! Am I not good to you?"
Melbourne, utterly baffled as to why he was being scolded, could only look confused.
Truth be told, the precocious five-year-old thought NaNa—his nanny—was indeed the kindest to him. After all, she had practically raised him from infancy while his parents were off handling their own matters. Apart from his grandparents and Aunt Jenny, who managed the household, his parents weren't exactly winning "Parent of the Year" awards.
Fortunately, his dad finally came to the rescue, prying his cheeks free from his mom's grasp. As for his dad being the next target of his mom's playful wrath, Melbourne wisely chose to look the other way.
After playfully scolding her husband and son, Janet finally relented. "Fine, I'll talk to Aunt Bing soon."
Simon didn't press the matter further.
Melbourne, too, wisely stayed quiet.
Jennifer continued to stifle her laughter.
Once dinner was over, Janet promptly kicked Simon out of the estate, implying he shouldn't bother coming back until after Easter Sunday.
"Out of sight, out of mind."
Simon made his way to the Sunset Tower Hotel, where the traditional Mélisandre party would be held. The Oscars ceremony was still ongoing.
As soon as Simon entered the hotel lobby, a group of women sitting in the lounge stood and approached him. Leading them was a tall, slender girl in a white spaghetti-strap dress. She hesitated briefly before Simon smiled and opened his arms, at which point she quickly embraced him—it was Zhu Momo.
Simon hugged her gently, noting how much thinner she had become. Pulling back slightly, he noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Zhu Momo tilted her head slightly, trying to blink away the tears. Her voice carried a hint of grievance. "Simon, I thought you didn't want me anymore."
Simon chuckled. "I rarely abandon anyone first. Usually, I'm the one being left behind."
Zhu Momo seemed to catch the deeper meaning in his words but didn't dwell on it. She turned slightly, linking her arm with his, and introduced the other women who had followed her. "Simon, this is my aunt, Mo Wuling. This is Miss Ren Jingxi. And this is An Xiaohan, my agent from back home."
In total, there were five women, though Zhu Momo only introduced three. The other two, clearly part of the Westeros household staff, went unmentioned.
Simon didn't mind the clear distinction Zhu Momo made in her introductions. Smiling, he shook hands with Mo Wuling and the others while quietly observing them.
Mo Wuling bore a strong resemblance to Zhu Momo, as well as to her sister Mo Yiling, with whom Simon had spoken in the past. However, her features were softer, making her even more attractive than Zhu Momo. Dressed in a black pantsuit, she exuded a slightly mature charm, though she wasn't as tall as her niece.
Ren Jingxi, a petite woman with a delicate oval face and a ponytail, also wore a black pantsuit. She had fair skin and, even with high heels, barely reached 5'7". While her demeanor leaned toward softness and intellectualism, Simon's personal aesthetic gave her an "80 and above" rating.
As for An Xiaohan, Simon had reviewed her background beforehand. Her short hair and sharp features made her look more like a television host than a talent agent. However, in Simon's eyes, her overly professional demeanor reduced her appeal, leaving her just shy of his "80-point" threshold.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Simon turned to Mo Wuling and said, "You should all head back now. No need to wait around here."
It was Mo Wuling's first time meeting the young billionaire in person, and despite harboring various thoughts over the past few days, she felt an instinctive sense of restraint in his presence. Nodding without hesitation, she watched as Simon led Zhu Momo and the others into the elevator before she fully registered what had just happened.
Sigh.
If her older sister found out about this, she might just kill her.
But ever since Zhu Momo had insisted on moving back to the family's courtyard residence in Beijing, Mo Wuling had refrained from reporting the situation to her sister. She knew she had inadvertently boarded the same "pirate ship" as her niece.
Not that she regretted it—the "ship" was just too comfortable.
Take the recent fashion week, for example. Zhu Momo had restarted her modeling career, with Mo Wuling accompanying her throughout the grueling schedule. From New York to London, Milan to Paris, their accommodations were luxurious mansions she'd never dared to dream of, their transportation consisted of expensive cars, and they were surrounded by attentive staff.
Mo Wuling couldn't shake the feeling that Zhu Momo's earnings over the past month wouldn't even cover a fraction of their expenses.
This kind of life—once experienced—was impossible to let go of.
If my sister wants to kill me, so be it.
Lost in thought, Mo Wuling exhaled softly as the elevator doors closed. She turned to leave, only to notice her college friend and current colleague, Ren Jingxi, staring blankly at the same elevator. Smiling, she gave her friend a playful nudge. "Hey, snap out of it."
Ren Jingxi jumped slightly, startled. Blushing, she stammered, "We're… supposed to leave now, right?"
Mo Wuling didn't overthink it—after all, her own dazed expression had probably been similar moments earlier. Linking arms with Ren Jingxi, she said, "Yes, let's go," and motioned for An Xiaohan and the others to follow.
Meanwhile…
Simon stepped into the elevator with Zhu Momo. Taking note of her increasingly slender frame, he asked with concern, "Why have you lost so much weight?"
"Because of fashion week. I had to diet to maintain my figure," Zhu Momo replied. Her tone carried both pride and complaint as she added, "I walked 97 shows this season and worked over 12 hours a day."
"Impressive. But take some time to rest and recover. Being too thin isn't healthy."
"Okay."
"By the way, are you having issues with Jianxin and Xiaoyu?"
Zhu Momo hesitated but ultimately held back any complaints. "Not really. It's just… because of you, actually. We're all doing different things now, so we don't spend much time together. Like this time—they're staying in New York to study at Parsons, while I've gone back to the Central Academy of Drama in China. Naturally, we're apart."
Simon nodded, satisfied with her response, and changed the subject. "How's school at the Central Academy?"
"I don't like it, but since you and my mom both insisted, I have no choice but to go."
Zhu Momo's honesty was evident.
If it weren't for her mother and Simon inexplicably sharing the same opinion, she wouldn't have considered school at all.
Fortunately, she was only auditing classes and attending the core curriculum. Otherwise, as someone who had always struggled academically, she wouldn't have been able to keep up.
Simon chuckled. "You're still young. Life is long, and you should experience as much as you can while you have the chance. Otherwise, you might regret missing out later."
As he spoke, Simon couldn't help but find it amusing.
After all, this was the legendary Class of '96 from the Central Academy of Drama.
Curious, Simon had someone compile a list of students from the class. Unsurprisingly, his presence as a "butterfly effect" had significantly altered the roster.
For instance, the original "Eight Golden Flowers" of the 1996 class had been reduced to just two: Zhang Ziyi and another rising star. Even the most promising male student, Liu Ye, was nowhere to be found. Over at Beijing Film Academy, the Class of '96 had also been reshuffled, with only one familiar face remaining—a certain "Director Chen," who had both academic prowess and connections to the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe.
As they continued chatting, the elevator soon reached the top-floor bar of the Sunset Tower Hotel.
It was around 8:30 PM.
The Oscars ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium had another half hour to go, and it would take even longer for guests to arrive at the afterparty. However, the bar was already filled with numerous stars and high-profile figures who had skipped the ceremony.
After greeting Angela Ahrendts, the host of the Mélisandre party, and exchanging a few words, Simon entered the lively scene with Zhu Momo by his side.
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