During this time, traveling to China by private jet involved incredibly complex procedures. Still, Chen Qing insisted on flying back and forth on the Westeros Company's Gulfstream V ultra-long-range business jet.
She enjoyed the feeling of returning home in luxury.
And, of course, why not take advantage of it? After all, this was one of the perks Simon provided for both Westeros executives and his women, and Chen Qing was both.
On July 15, Bubugao released its first VCD product. Chen Qing and Scobol Corporation's female CEO, Emmanuelle Brandt, arrived in China a week early to personally oversee the production, distribution, and marketing processes surrounding the VCD launch, gaining a deeper understanding of the Chinese market.
They arrived in China on July 6, and with additional work to follow up on the construction progress of Scobol's VCD core component factory in the city of DZ, GD Province, it was already August 1 by the time they returned.
Inside the Gulfstream V cabin.
A flight attendant gently woke Emmanuelle Brandt in the bedroom compartment, reminding her that the plane would land in an hour. The tall Frenchwoman instinctively stretched, her long limbs pressing against the cabin wall.
She couldn't help but sigh as the image of a certain man's Boeing 767 came to mind.
The Gulfstream V was already one of the top private jets of the era, but compared to Simon's Boeing 767, it still fell short. This "bedroom" was more like a small compartment, with a bed that took up most of the space, and even stretching felt cramped.
Such an issue would never occur on the boss's Boeing 767. During private conversations, Emmanuelle had also learned that Chen Qing's first time with that man had been aboard the 767.
Apparently, the experience was very memorable.
She found herself longing for a similar encounter.
After freshening up in the bathroom, Emmanuelle made her way to the front of the cabin. Chen Qing was sitting on the sofa on one side, flipping through a copy of The New York Times. A stack of newspapers sat on the table in front of her, many of which had been marked up.
This trip to China primarily involved Chen Qing and Emmanuelle, while Lin Su stayed behind in New York.
Onboard the Gulfstream V, aside from the two women, there were also Chen Qing's personal maid and bodyguard, as well as four flight crew members from the Westeros family, making a total of eight people—all female.
Emmanuelle ordered a coffee from the flight attendant and sat on the sofa opposite Chen Qing. She casually picked up a newspaper—it was The Wall Street Journal—with the headline reading, "Waterworld's Box Office Failure Hits Time Warner Stock," reporting a 3.7% drop on the first trading day of the week.
She quickly skimmed through it.
Yesterday was July 31, a Monday. Waterworld, which had been released on July 28, wrapped up its opening weekend with only $17.35 million in earnings. Given that the project had spiraled out of control and burned through a massive $175 million budget, its first-week gross was projected to be around $25 million.
Based on the opening numbers and the reviews from both critics and audiences, its domestic box office was expected to be between $60 million and $70 million.
The outcome was not surprising.
For a film with a $175 million investment to be profitable, it would need to reach the level of a DC universe film or something like Jurassic Park 2, which was still in theaters. Historically, movies with uncontrolled budgets tended to have subpar results, and the chances of them succeeding were slim.
The article also mentioned that Jurassic Park 2, produced by Daenerys Entertainment, had grossed $378.29 million in North America by the end of last weekend, just $20 million short of the $400 million milestone.
The contrast was striking.
Daenerys Entertainment was projected to receive around 65% of the domestic box office revenue. With a domestic gross of $400 million, Daenerys would reclaim $260 million. Given that the production and marketing costs for Jurassic Park 2 totaled $180 million, the film was already poised to bring in a pure profit of $80 million just from domestic box office sales, not to mention other revenue streams.
It was practically printing money.
As this thought crossed Emmanuelle's mind, she recalled something and looked up at Chen Qing. "Chen, Jurassic Park 2 grossed over 100 million yuan in China, right? And with the VCD launch this time, I've realized the Chinese market has an enormous potential for entertainment products. Don't you think this is a great investment opportunity?"
"Of course," Chen Qing replied without looking up from her paper, nodding without hesitation. However, she quickly dampened the enthusiasm. "But the boss is already laying the groundwork there himself. We won't be able to get involved."
Whenever Chen Qing mentioned Simon, Emmanuelle couldn't help but feel a little restless. She leaned forward slightly and asked, "Why can't we get involved? Is the boss forbidding it?"
Chen Qing glanced up at her and said, "Because we wouldn't be able to manage it, and there's no need to. Emmanuelle, the Chinese government has strict regulations in this area. If we were to invest, we'd have to spend an enormous amount of effort coordinating with various parties, and the chances of making a profit would be slim. The boss is only cultivating the market for now, and it may take another ten years before any real results emerge. Take the VCD industry, for example. You've seen it yourself—China's VCD market can only thrive on pirated content; there's no room for legitimate media."
Emmanuelle thought about it and realized Chen Qing was right. However, she still wasn't willing to give up. "We don't necessarily have to invest in movies in China. Remember that nightclub we visited in Shanghai? It held over a thousand people, and the ticket price was nearly $10. Yet, it was packed every night."
Chen Qing was also tempted by this memory.
That nightclub, with its thousand-person capacity, had a reported annual revenue of over 200 million yuan and a gross profit margin of more than 50%, making it an absolute cash cow.
However, this wasn't something their team could easily get involved in either.
Operating entertainment venues in China wasn't just about having money; you needed powerful connections. Without strong backing, problems could arise at any moment. And as outsiders, even if they managed to succeed, they would likely attract envy, leading to disaster.
On the whole, it was safer to stick to industry.
Regretfully shaking her head again, Chen Qing said, "Emmanuelle, just focus on doing your current job well. Don't think too much about these other things. We both feel the same—there are opportunities everywhere in China right now. But our time and energy are limited. Doing our current work well is already enough."
Emmanuelle sighed and then asked, "How do you think our boss manages to do so many things at once?"
Chen Qing gestured to herself and then to Emmanuelle. "You're mistaken. The boss doesn't do everything at once. He just finds the right people to help him do a lot of things, like you and me."
"We can find a lot of people too."
"Would you feel comfortable handing over the position of Scobol's chairperson to someone else?"
Emmanuelle immediately shook her head. "No."
Chen Qing shrugged. "Exactly. People are easy to find. The world is full of people. The problem is finding the right ones. I think the most remarkable thing about the boss is that he can find so many capable people, and in less than ten years, he's built the entire Westeros system. Not everyone has that kind of talent."
Humans excel at imitation.
Chen Qing had formed her team and pushed Emmanuelle to become Scobol's chairperson by following Simon's example. However, even though her recruited team had gradually proven its worth, she still instinctively felt there was a vast gap between herself and Simon.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly where the gap lay.
An hour later, the Gulfstream V landed at Los Angeles International Airport. It was now just past 10 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, August 1.
There were already people waiting for the two women.
With a lunch appointment scheduled with Simon, they drove to Malibu's Daenerys Studio. Entering from the southern gate, Emmanuelle, visiting for the first time, noticed the bustling activity inside the studio. Since it wasn't yet noon, she suggested taking a tour of the lot.
The assistant from Simon's office, Amanda Fur, didn't refuse. They parked near the soundstage area on the lower level.
After getting out of the car, instead of heading straight to the massive soundstages that usually attracted attention, Emmanuelle walked toward the railing by the cliffside. Chen Qing and Amanda followed.
At the railing, Emmanuelle gazed out at the vast ocean and commented, "The boss really knows how to pick a location. This could have been a prime oceanfront mansion area, but he turned it into a film studio. What a waste."
Amanda saw Emmanuelle strike a pose as if she were embracing the ocean. With a faint smile, she turned up her nose slightly, secretly envying the redhead's tall, slender frame and delicate features.
As a member of Simon's assistant team, Amanda was highly competent, though her looks were just about average—a solid 7 out of 10. This wasn't bad, but compared to the stunning beauties Simon often surrounded himself with, she paled in
comparison.
After admiring the sea view and indulging in a few brief thoughts, the three women turned back toward the soundstage area.
Amanda casually offered a few words of introduction but didn't invite the two women inside any of the soundstages. Her superiority complex was apparent.
Both Chen Qing and Emmanuelle, being astute women, immediately picked up on Amanda's arrogance and subtle disdain.
After a quick tour of the lower-level soundstage area, they headed toward the second level. Unable to hold back, Emmanuelle finally asked, "Didn't they say Daenerys Entertainment has three major studio complexes—Burbank, Malibu, and Melbourne? Why does it seem like everyone's crowded here?"
Amanda, who had been walking slightly ahead of them, glanced back and asked, "Do you know how many films Daenerys's three labels produce each year?"
Emmanuelle realized she might have asked a somewhat naive question and could only shake her head.
Amanda replied, "For the past few years, it's been over 40 films. Even though more and more movies rely on live-action shooting, with that kind of volume, many scenes still need to be filmed in soundstages. And both the Malibu and Melbourne studios primarily focus on CG and virtual set production. Daenerys's CG teams are unmatched in the industry right now, so other studios rent our soundstages and tech teams to complete many of their shots. The people you see working here are rushing to meet deadlines. Some soundstages are booked out for three months. For traditional set building, we still have to rent additional space at Fox or Warner."
Chen Qing, annoyed by Amanda's tone, zeroed in on a detail and asked, "What about Burbank?"
Amanda smirked slightly, as if she had been waiting for that question. "Burbank? Shows like Friends, Desperate Housewives, and Seinfeld are filmed there."
The mention of these three shows, all household names in America at the time, made it clear to Chen Qing and Emmanuelle that Burbank's Universal Studios was primarily used for TV productions.
Feeling the condescending attitude of their host, the two women lost much of their interest in the tour.
After a brief look around the offices of Pixar and Daenerys VFX on the second level, they made their way to the administrative offices on the top floor.
With about ten minutes to go before noon, Amanda led the two women to an executive dining room. Lunch had already been arranged here by A-girl Alison. Amanda, her arrogance gone, greeted Alison respectfully and then left.
Chen Qing, noticing Alison busily setting the table, cheerfully offered to help. Alison quickly shook her head. "No need, it's all set. Please, have a seat. The boss will be here shortly."
Chen Qing sat at the table, her face lighting up with anticipation. "We've been hearing about the boss all morning, A. What's he been up to lately?"
Alison paused, then quietly said, "He's been busy with many things, as always."
Chen Qing nodded, quickly changing the subject.
Emmanuelle blinked in confusion. Had Amanda actually mentioned Simon earlier? When Emmanuelle had asked about him, Amanda had bluntly refused to answer, citing a confidentiality agreement.
After thinking it over, Emmanuelle finally understood.
She glanced at Chen Qing.
Too sly.
Just a few words, and she might get someone fired.
Despite her high intelligence and education, Emmanuelle always felt she couldn't quite match up to Chen Qing in interpersonal matters. Perhaps it was because Chinese people studied The Art of War. Maybe she should read it herself one day.
After chatting for a while, Simon arrived.
Chen Qing, showing no restraint, immediately stood up to embrace him. She even kissed him affectionately, showing how much she'd missed him.
Emmanuelle wasn't as bold as Chen Qing. She had planned to give him a polite hug, but seeing Simon reach out his hand after letting go of Chen, she was slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, she kept her smile and shook his hand, wondering to herself, weren't Eastern women supposed to be reserved? Why was she, a Western woman, behaving more demurely?
After the greetings, they all sat down. Alison didn't leave; she quietly stayed by Simon's side.
As lunch was served, the conversation quickly turned to the rapid growth of the VCD industry in China over the past six months. As a company directly supported by the Westeros system, Bubugao VCD, with its ample funding, technical support, and strong operational team, had easily achieved a successful launch recently.
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