During this period, Simon had been paying close attention to the release of Bubugao's VCDs and the development of the VCD industry in China.
In the first quarter of 1995, with the emergence of other VCD brands beyond Wanyan and the rapid expansion of the piracy industry along the southeastern coast, China's VCD shipments reached 110,000 units, as estimated based on Scobol's shipment of video decoding chips. At this stage, Scobol had a monopoly on this business.
In the second quarter, after news spread in late April that Chen Qing's team had secured absolute control over Scobol, interest in VCD players surged. In addition to the Westeros-backed Bubugao starting its own VCD project, many other Chinese manufacturers followed suit. Companies that had already launched products ramped up their marketing efforts, leading to a rapid increase in China's VCD shipments for the quarter, exceeding 200,000 units, reaching 230,000 units, a growth rate of over 100%.
Now, with only one month into the third quarter, VCD shipments in China had already surpassed 150,000 units, and the growth rate for the quarter was expected to exceed 100% again.
Based on these projections, by the end of 1995, total VCD shipments in China were expected to reach around 1.5 million units, showing explosive exponential growth. Although the boom in the VCD industry had occurred slightly earlier than in Simon's memory, the overall growth curve was very similar to the historical trend.
As the sole supplier of VCD video decoding chips at this stage, Scobol's strong performance, driven by the explosive growth of the Chinese market, combined with the "Westeros Concept Stock" halo following its acquisition by Chen Qing's team, resulted in a stock price increase of over 400% in just three months. Scobol's market value had surged from around $200 million at the time of the acquisition to over $1 billion, reaching $1.076 billion by the close of trading on July 31.
The initial investment of $94 million for 53% of Scobol's shares had yielded a paper profit of $477 million in three months, with a return on investment of 500%.
In China, the Bubugao team, which had previously split from Subor, did not disappoint Simon.
Even with the abundant financial and technical support of the Westeros system, launching the first product in just three months was a display of exceptional execution.
Bubugao's VCD, released on July 15, managed to sell 6,000 units in the first week, despite only being available in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces for testing. Sales were expected to easily surpass 20,000 units in the first month, and with further market expansion, the Bubugao team was on track to achieve at least 150,000 units in sales by the second half of the year, capturing more than 10% of the Chinese VCD market.
Priced at 3,999 yuan per unit, 150,000 units would generate 600 million yuan in revenue.
Subor had taken five years to achieve 1 billion yuan in sales, but Bubugao was poised to reach the same goal in just two years. This not only validated Simon's decision to recruit the Bubugao team but also highlighted the much larger market size of the VCD industry compared to game consoles.
During lunch, Simon mainly discussed two topics with Chen Qing and Emmanuelle.
First, how Scobol should balance its relationship with Bubugao, as its in-house brand, and other VCD manufacturers to prevent these manufacturers from turning to other electronics companies due to concerns about restrictions on video decoding chip supplies. Second, how to use Scobol's influence to control VCD pricing—constantly adjusting prices to maximize the development of the Chinese VCD market while avoiding price wars between manufacturers.
Industries that attracted the Westeros system's interest often garnered significant attention.
After Chen Qing's team acquired Scobol in April, Simon quickly heard that companies like Sony, Toshiba, and Samsung had begun developing VCD video decoding chips. So even if Scobol successfully completed its planned technology upgrades next year, the Chinese market would inevitably face competition from other manufacturers.
Despite being a generation ahead in technology, companies like Sony and Toshiba wouldn't be able to match Scobol. However, if these less advanced chips entered the Chinese market with aggressive pricing strategies, it would still pose a challenge for Scobol. Video decoding chips had very high profit margins, which meant there was considerable room for price cuts.
To achieve the goals discussed by Simon and Chen Qing, Scobol needed to find a pricing balance that would suppress competitors while maintaining sufficient profit margins. Since the initial strategy was to make quick profits, Chen Qing's team also needed to choose the right time to sell Scobol stock and cash out.
This would test the skills of the professional managers involved.
Lunch lasted about an hour, mostly focused on work. As they were leaving the restaurant together, Chen Qing found an opportunity to bring up another topic. "Boss, are you free tonight? Maybe we could have dinner together?"
Emmanuelle, walking behind Simon and A-girl, quietly perked up her ears when she heard this for some reason.
Simon smiled and shook his head. "Next time."
Chen Qing didn't press the issue and instead mentioned the gifts she had brought back from her trip to China.
As they left the building, it became clear that Simon had no intention of inviting them to stay, so Chen Qing had no choice but to leave with Emmanuelle.
Simon and A-girl returned to Building One, where Simon's office was located. The producer of Sleepy Hollow, David Giler, director Tim Burton, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, lead actor Johnny Depp, and lead actress Mia Kirshner were already waiting in a conference room next to his office.
Since the project had started late last year, the pre-production phase for Sleepy Hollow was now nearly complete.
The film was tentatively scheduled for release next summer, as one of Daenerys's major productions.
The budget for the project was set at $70 million, and the filming location would once again be in the UK. The sets had already been constructed, and filming was expected to begin in September.
Compared to the original version, the main changes to the creative team were the addition of David Giler, the producer of the Alien series, who had once done Simon a favor, and the replacement of Christina Ricci with Mia Kirshner as the female lead.
David Giler had been a contract producer for Daenerys Entertainment since his significant help during the production of Run Lola Run. After their roles reversed, Giler had proven himself time and again with the successful projects he managed. Sleepy Hollow happened to be in a genre he excelled at.
As for the lead actress, while Christina Ricci would certainly fit Tim Burton's quirky aesthetic, Simon personally preferred Mia Kirshner.
After receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Little Women last year, Mia Kirshner's fame had surged, nearly rivaling that of Winona Ryder.
In Amy Heckerling's teen comedy Clueless, released on July 14, Kirshner's portrayal of the lead character further demonstrated her versatility as an actress. Clueless garnered a solid media score of 7.9, with many critics praising her performance, which stood out from her role in Little Women.
Supported by strong reviews, Clueless, which had a budget of just $12 million, grossed $23.07 million in its opening weekend.
Although the second-week drop was steep at 43%, by the weekend of July 30, the film had grossed $41.53 million in just over two weeks. It was projected to reach a total domestic box office of around $60 million, possibly surpassing Waterworld, which had cost $175 million to make.
Back-to-back successes with Little Women and Clueless, along with an Academy Award nomination, made Mia Kirshner a much stronger choice for the lead in Sleepy Hollow than Christina Ricci.
Of course, Simon's personal preference also played a role.
Much like how Ricci had fit Tim Burton's eccentric tastes in the original version, Simon believed Mia Kirshner's innate wickedness and gloominess made her better suited for the role of a witch in Sleepy Hollow. These qualities, once fully tapped into, might even overwhelm Johnny Depp's performance.
Simon had long felt that Mia Kirshner, who had previously been considered a B-list actress, was severely underrated, simply lacking the opportunity to shine.
Of course, this was a common occurrence in Hollywood.
Fairness didn't really exist.
Tim Burton had initially been displeased with Simon's decision to cast Mia Kirshner as the lead, but after seeing her audition, his resistance vanished. He even felt as if he had found a new muse and went back to the scriptwriter to add more scenes for her character.
This production meeting was primarily about finalizing all aspects of Sleepy Hollow to ensure that filming would proceed on schedule.
A-girl escorted Simon into the meeting room but didn't stay, as she had other tasks to attend to.
Amanda Fur, who had helped welcome Chen Qing and Emmanuelle earlier in the day, was waiting in A-girl's office area outside Simon's office with a stack of documents. When Simon entered the meeting room and Alison returned to her desk, she began reviewing the papers Amanda handed over. She stopped Amanda as she was about to leave.
"Wait," Alison said.
Amanda paused, unsure. "Do you need coffee, A?"
Alison quickly made a note on a draft script for the new season of Sex and the City
and shook her head. "No. Tell me what you talked about with Chen and Brandt this morning during their visit."
Amanda's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something might be wrong. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Chen Qing and possibly the red-haired woman might both be the boss's lovers.
Her previous indifference could have been a serious mistake.
Alison's voice was cold as she glanced up at Amanda, her expression equally icy. Amanda felt a chill run down her spine and quickly straightened up, recounting in detail all her interactions with Chen Qing and Emmanuelle, from the airport to Malibu Studios.
Alison listened quietly while multitasking, reviewing the documents before her. After Amanda finished, Alison resumed her focus on the Sex and the City script and said, "Alright, go back to work. Make sure you finish the July report summary for the gaming department before the end of the day."
Amanda nodded but hesitated. After a moment, she said, "A, if possible, I'd like to personally apologize to Miss Chen and Miss Brandt."
Alison glanced up, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she shook her head. "No need. In fact, you did very well. In the future, treat all of those women the same way. Keep it up, and I'll put in a request for a raise for you next year."
Amanda's eyes widened briefly before she understood.
Her boss, Alison, wasn't just Simon's assistant; she was also one of his women.
Naturally, women were always at odds with one another.
From Alison's perspective, Amanda had done nothing wrong.
Though she nodded in agreement, Amanda made a mental note not to follow Alison's lead in the future.
She was just a small fry.
If she got caught up in the conflicts between the "big fish," she could easily get crushed.
At 27, Amanda had graduated from Ivy League Cornell University and was one of the most successful among her peers. Working as Simon Westeros's personal assistant was a prestigious position, and she had no intention of losing it—especially not after paying off all her student loans in just one year.
The two-hour Sleepy Hollow production meeting concluded, followed by another hour-long discussion at Pixar's offices regarding the score for the 3D version of Beauty and the Beast, set to be released at the end of the year. At 4 p.m., Simon returned to his office for a meeting.
When Simon arrived, his guest was already waiting.
A man in his early forties with a square face and black hair, sporting a neatly trimmed beard, stood up. He was wearing a formal dark blue suit that seemed ill-fitted to his tall, nearly 6'3" frame and rugged demeanor.
The man's name was Victor Melis, a 39-year-old Portuguese Angolan.
He had been recruited by the Westeros family's headhunting team in Angola to manage the coffee plantation. Even though Simon had other plans for the 600-square-kilometer coffee plantation, if it could be properly managed, it would be a welcome outcome, consistent with Simon's principle that sustainable business models are essential for long-term success.
Thus, Simon had carefully selected the plantation manager.
After greeting each other, they sat down in Simon's office. Once A-girl had served coffee and left, Simon asked Victor about his plans for the plantation. Melis's first words did not disappoint Simon: "Mr. Westeros, I believe the plantation is not your top priority. If you authorize me, I can personally negotiate with Savimbi."
Jonas Savimbi was the leader of Angola's rebel forces.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Savimbi, once backed by the West, had been abandoned, causing his power to rapidly decline. Though he was still fighting the Angolan government forces, his influence had been reduced to less than 15% of Angola's territory in the southeast. His defeat was only a matter of time.
The coffee plantation Simon had acquired from the Angolan government happened to be located in the southeastern region where Savimbi's forces and the government army were in a standoff.
Although Simon had intervened to prevent the Rwandan genocide, from the perspective of the Westeros system, Simon did not want Savimbi to be defeated too quickly.
The phrase "raising a wolf to keep the sheep in line" came to mind.
As long as the Angolan opposition continued to exist, the various deals between the Westeros system and the Angolan government could continue.
What surprised Simon was that the "farmer" he had recruited not only saw this but also volunteered to personally reach out to Savimbi.
It was important to note that without some form of communication, there was no guarantee that Savimbi wouldn't harass or even attack Simon's plantation. In order to maintain peace, Simon would have to intervene directly, which would leave no room for negotiation. On the other hand, if a tacit understanding could be reached, both sides could coexist peacefully, with Savimbi focusing solely on battling the government forces—a win-win for both parties.
However, Simon wasn't planning on going down that path.
Despite thoroughly investigating Victor Melis's background beforehand, this was their first meeting, and there was no foundation of trust.
If Melis had any ties to the Angolan government, agreeing to his proposal could backfire. Moreover, even if Simon wanted to "raise a wolf," he wasn't interested in directly contacting Savimbi. He preferred to see if the rebel leader was smart enough to make the right moves on his own.
That would leave fewer risks.
Historically, African warlords were known to be quite cunning. But if Savimbi had lost his wits after years of defeat, Simon wouldn't hesitate to engage in armed conflict with his forces. After all, the private army Simon had invested so much in wasn't just for show.
Every army needs real combat experience to maintain its strength.
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