Seeing Simon return, Jennifer handed the two little ones over to the maids and walked over to sit on a lounge chair next to him. Noticing the documents on the round table, she asked Simon, "Are you planning to support the ITER project?"
"Our family's money doesn't just fall from the sky. But then again, it depends on whether the interests of the Westeros family can be secured. I'm not looking to do charity work with this," Simon replied, then turned to Janet beside him and asked, "What do you think, darling?"
Janet, her cool body pressing against Simon's now that he had removed his shirt and pants, said, "Honestly, I think developing controlled nuclear fusion is a misconception."
The female assistant, who had clearly also read the material, chimed in, "You mean the tokamak?"
"It's the whole controlled nuclear fusion plan," Janet said, raising her hand to point toward the sky beyond the umbrella. "Our planet has been benefiting from controlled nuclear fusion energy for billions of years. I don't think there's anything more stable than the energy provided by the sun."
Both Simon and Jennifer looked up at the sky and were suddenly struck by the thought.
Following Janet's logic, humans had indeed been continuously receiving an inexhaustible source of "controlled nuclear fusion" energy from the sun. To invest heavily in developing an alternative source did seem somewhat misguided.
Perhaps what humanity really needed to focus on was figuring out how to maximize the use of solar energy.
Beyond the vast biological systems sustained by sunlight on Earth, humans in modern society had already started using solar energy, most notably in the form of solar photovoltaic power generation systems.
However, even now, and even for many years in Simon's memory, photovoltaic power had been unable to break free from a major limitation: the energy converted by solar panels throughout their life cycle had never exceeded the total energy consumed in the production of those panels.
In addition, the manufacturing of solar products and the disposal of these products after their useful life caused significant pollution.
Thus, the idea of "clean energy" was far from reliable.
Many wealthy individuals install expensive solar power systems in their mansions to flaunt their environmental credentials. But this is no more environmentally friendly than flying in private jets to attend climate change summits.
Only when the energy converted by each unit of solar products far exceeds the energy consumed in their production will humanity truly be utilizing sustainable solar energy.
This thought intrigued Simon.
He sat up, continuing the conversation with the two women while gesturing to a nearby assistant to come over and note down his thoughts. He instructed her to gather relevant information as soon as possible.
The solar industry would experience explosive growth after the turn of the century.
It was also a promising area for investment.
Simon had always believed that for an industry to grow rapidly, a sustainable business model was far more effective than lofty ideals or gimmicks.
As they were talking, Melbourne climbed out of the pool under the care of the maids. Holding a small rubber duck, he toddled over to Simon, holding the toy up hopefully and saying, "Daddy, ducky."
Simon took the little yellow duck from his son and asked with a smile, "What's up, sweetheart?"
"Daddy, can I have a real duck?" Melbourne asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Simon played with the rubber duck in his hand and nodded without hesitation. "Of course." Seeing the excitement in his son's eyes, Simon quickly added, "But if you get a real duck, you'll have to take care of it yourself. Are you up for that, Mel?"
Melbourne nodded eagerly. "Yes, I can feed the duck every day."
Simon, however, shook his head. "It's not just that. Ducks aren't as smart as we are. They poop everywhere. If it makes a mess, since it's your duck, you'll have to clean up after it."
The little boy hesitated for a moment, looking to his mother, who was smiling at him, and then to his other mom. Finally, he pointed cleverly at the Indian maid behind him. "Ari can clean up the poop. She's the servant."
Simon shook his head again. "Nope, that won't work. Ari is a servant for Mom and Dad because we pay her, not you. When you grow up and earn your own money, then you can hire your own servants to do things for you. But for now, everything is your responsibility. So, do you still want the duck?"
After another moment of hesitation, feeling the encouragement in his parents' eyes, the boy finally nodded again. "Yes."
Simon smiled and pulled his son into a hug, kissing him on the forehead. "Good, taking responsibility shows that you're growing up to be a man. I'll have someone bring you a duck this afternoon."
Melbourne beamed at the praise, then said, "Daddy, I want to keep the duck in the pool."
"That won't work either," Simon explained. "Ducks are messy, and if it poops in the pool, no one will be able to swim. But we can build a little pool just for your duck elsewhere in the house."
After thinking it over, Melbourne agreed with his father's reasoning and nodded again.
As father and son talked, Zoe Parks and Chris Goff came over, holding a few coconuts. Janet, who was still lying on Simon's back, took one and held it out for Simon to support. Resting her head on his shoulder, she took a sip through the straw. After a few sips, she grinned mischievously and teased her son, "Oh, and sweetie, have you thought about what happens when the duck grows up?"
Melbourne looked over, puzzled, just as Simon handed the straw back to Janet.
The boy, still only three years old, wasn't quite ready to handle such a question.
Noticing Janet's teasing intent, Jennifer playfully glared at her and pulled Melbourne back toward the pool.
After their son walked away, Janet returned the straw to Simon, then turned to Zoe and said, "I want roast duck for dinner tonight."
Simon gave Janet a playful smack on her behind, ignoring her mock cry of pain. He then instructed Zoe, "Find two wild duck eggs, the kind from ducks that can fly, and get an incubator. Have them brought over this afternoon."
Zoe nodded and then cautiously glanced at Janet before asking Simon, "Boss, should we still have roast duck?"
"No, no roast duck for the next couple of years," Simon replied. Then, turning to Janet, who was now pouting, he added, "If you want some, you can go eat it outside."
Janet grumbled a few half-hearted complaints before getting up and diving into the deep end of the pool like a graceful mermaid.
Simon didn't join her in the pool. Instead, he relaxed back on the lounge chair, gesturing for Zoe and Chris to place the other coconuts on the table and go enjoy themselves.
The two women obediently set down the coconuts and then made their way toward the pool.
As Simon sipped on his coconut water, he reflected on his recent meeting with Semel and the discussion they'd had. Occasionally, he gave instructions to the assistant standing nearby.
By the afternoon, two carefully selected wild duck eggs had arrived at the house.
Simon hoped that the birth, growth, and eventual departure of these two little lives would teach his son some valuable lessons—love, responsibility, perseverance, and independence.
In Simon's view, cramming a child's head full of knowledge wasn't as valuable as developing a good character.
Character shapes destiny.
After the weekend, Simon decided not to leave Los Angeles. Even though there were still many things on the East Coast and in San Francisco that needed his attention, he canceled all his trips.
He planned to stay home for the next month.
The main reason was that Sophia's due date was in August, and Simon intended to go to Europe to be with her during that time.
After Terry Semel informed Simon about the dinner between General Electric CEO Jack Welch and Time Warner Group Chairman Gerald Levin, Simon hadn't heard any further rumors about it, nor did he go out of his way to inquire.
If General Electric really were to acquire Time Warner, while it would create a formidable competitor for Daenerys Entertainment, it would still be a good thing overall.
With two giants competing, the potential pressure on Daenerys Entertainment would be significantly reduced.
Moreover, based on the information Simon remembered from his previous life, even if the acquisition went through, he doubted General Electric would be able to manage such a massive media asset effectively.
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