Simon patiently listened to Charlotte Brenita's pitch, then took a sip of his coffee while reclining on the sofa and shook his head. "You make a good point, Charlotte, but I still have no interest in investing in Europe's internet industry. Besides, the Westeros system doesn't entirely neglect Europe. For investments here, our own team is sufficient; there's no need for collaboration with you."
Past facts had already proven that due to market size, language differences, and other factors, Europe had never produced a major internet giant.
If Simon were willing to invest heavily, perhaps history could be changed, but from his current position, he saw no reason to do so.
As for potential troubles in the future, Simon recalled many similar cases: Apple, Google, and Facebook were repeatedly targeted by EU antitrust regulators, collectively fined hundreds of billions of euros. However, the monopolistic grip of these tech giants was so entrenched that such measures never really hurt them.
Over the years, Charlotte Brenita had faced countless rejections while trying to gain influence in her family business. Simon's words didn't disappoint her. The mere fact that she was able to meet Westeros today was already a success in her eyes. Even if she left empty-handed, casually mentioning in the future that she once had coffee with Simon Westeros would bring unexpected benefits.
However, Charlotte Brenita wasn't ready to give up easily. She continued, "Mr. Westeros, Switzerland's financial investment environment is quite unique, and I'm sure you're aware of that. For example, Melisandre is registered in Switzerland. Moreover, we offer unmatched confidentiality advantages. So, I believe there are definitely opportunities for collaboration."
Simon, hearing Brenita's words, thought of something and turned to the woman beside him. "Do you know much about China? What's your view on its current economic situation?"
Though the topic shift was abrupt, Charlotte Brenita didn't falter. She had done her homework. She knew that the Westeros system was heavily invested in China, so she quickly responded, "China's economic growth has been rapid in recent years. However, I'm not very optimistic about its long-term prospects. China's economic foundation is weak, and the current boom is largely due to cheap labor, which is replaceable. Take your investments in Ukraine, for example. Labor costs there are even cheaper than in China, and Ukraine is geographically much closer to Europe. Therefore, I believe China is more likely to follow the path of Argentina."
"Argentina?"
"Or rather, the entire Latin American region," Charlotte Brenita elaborated, adding, "The middle-income trap."
Simon understood and remained noncommittal. Instead, he said, "Alright, if you want to work with me, make sure to learn more about China. It would be best if you visit a few times."
Charlotte Brenita, currently president of the risk investment division under Brenita Asset Management, had focused her work in recent years on emerging technologies. She didn't believe that China had fertile ground for tech investments. In her mind, how many computers could that backward country even have?
However, since Simon had said so, she quickly agreed.
Her current role was merely a stepping stone toward a higher goal. Charlotte Brenita ultimately aimed to control the entire family business. So if necessary, she didn't mind dabbling in Chinese investments. If it meant building a relationship with Westeros, she was certain that her family's investors wouldn't mind her expanding into new fields.
In the Westeros system's global strategy for the internet industry, Simon had no intention of fostering any local European internet giants. China, however, was different. The country's policy barriers ensured that Western internet giants couldn't easily thrive there, necessitating localized efforts.
This was merely another strategic move.
After all, the image of Westeros looming behind a swath of future Chinese internet giants wouldn't look great. But if capital from North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and even Switzerland propped up a batch of companies, even if people could trace them back to Westeros, it would be easier to explain on the surface.
That would suffice.
Simon could tell that the woman in front of him wasn't particularly interested in China. He didn't press further; the opportunity was presented, and if she couldn't seize it, that was her own problem. Changing the subject, he asked, "Aside from subscribing to Egret shares and investing in Instagram, do you have other projects?"
"I've been researching computer games lately and plan to invest in a few game studios. Egret's Steam platform has greatly lowered the distribution threshold for indie studios, and developing computer games is relatively low-cost. There's also a success story like Farmville."
"That's a good direction," Simon nodded slightly and added, "But if you've been following industry trends closely, you'd know that Egret has been raising the bar for Steam's game releases. Facebook's gaming platform is even more stringent. In the future, not just any indie game will be allowed on the platform. I recently reviewed a memo from Egret about their gaming operations: whether it's Steam or Facebook, the rule is to prioritize releasing a single game with 10 million users over 1,000 mediocre games with just 10,000 users each. So, if you're only planning to dabble or speculate, I advise you to abandon this plan."
Egret's Steam platform initially had low entry barriers. Many indie studios and even individual developers could upload games and make considerable profits.
However, Egret, aware of the cautionary tale of the "Atari crash," had no intention of repeating the past.
As Steam and Facebook platforms attracted more players, Egret's team was steadily increasing the standards for game approvals. Recently, they had introduced the rule Simon mentioned: prioritizing one 10-million-user game over 1,000 games with only 10,000 users each, thus shutting out a vast number of underperforming indie developers and poor-quality games.
While a few hidden gems might emerge from the rejected games, on the whole, this strategy would ensure the long-term health of Egret's platforms, like Steam and Facebook.
This approach also served a second purpose—driving subpar games to other platforms with lower entry standards.
In the early days, online game platforms naturally lowered the bar to attract content, but as the industry became more regulated and dominant players emerged, continuing to allow poor-quality games would only accelerate the market exit of second- and third-tier platforms.
Atari's downfall was largely due to the flood of poor-quality games on its platform, which caused players to abandon what had once been a highly lucrative game console.
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Westeros. I'll take note."
Charlotte Brenita sincerely responded. Though she didn't plan to focus long-term on the gaming sector, she wasn't merely dabbling or speculating either. Her goal was to acquire several startup game studios, devote resources to developing one or two high-quality games, and seek to sell off the studios after their success.
This was a common venture capital strategy.
By selecting a batch of studios, if one project succeeded spectacularly in the next few years, the overall return would be satisfactory.
Of course, if a studio produced a blockbuster game—like Super Mario by Nintendo or Farmville on Facebook—Charlotte would undoubtedly hold onto the studio long-term.
But these details weren't necessary to share with the man in front of her.
The two continued chatting for a while longer. An A-girl came in to remind them that it was almost noon, prompting Simon to rise and say to Brenita, "I have an estate nearby. Let's go have lunch."
Charlotte Brenita had been bracing for the possibility of being dismissed, so she readily agreed when Simon extended the lunch invitation.
Though Simon said the estate was nearby, it still took a half-hour drive from the military-themed park to reach the destination.
The estate, located about 30 kilometers north of Rivne, nestled in the woods, was a hot spring retreat. The surrounding area, blanketed by snow and towering trees, created a secluded atmosphere. Even discounting the private forest that Simon had quietly secured for miles around, the estate itself covered 10 acres.
The buildings within the estate followed an American country vacation style but incorporated elements of Eastern garden design, giving the layout a layered, harmonious feel. Sitting atop a hot spring, the estate was kept warm by geothermal heat, and the lush greenery inside contrasted starkly with the snowy landscape outside. Flowers bloomed along the streams and ponds crisscrossing the estate.
Despite having grown up in luxury, Charlotte Brenita was momentarily awestruck by the sight of this secluded paradise.
Such a sanctuary wasn't something that could be created with just money.
When she noticed Simon Westeros pausing to wait for her, Charlotte quickly caught up, offering him an apologetic smile.
Lunch was ready.
Before the meal, Charlotte had assumed it would just be her and Simon. To her surprise, there were seven people seated at the long table: Simon, the A-girl, three small figures, and a tall woman named Eve. With the three small figures occupying Simon's attention, Charlotte sat across from him with the A-girl and Eve.
The meal proceeded smoothly, with most of the conversation coming from the three small figures chatting away with Simon. Since Charlotte didn't understand Russian or Ukrainian, she couldn't follow the conversation, but Simon and the A-girl often switched to English, ensuring she wasn't left out.
Discreetly observing the other attendants, all of whom were strikingly attractive, Charlotte started piecing together certain clues.
Her mood became unexpectedly anxious.
Or perhaps...
Maybe, possibly, there was a flicker of anticipation.
At 35, though married for many years, she had prepared herself for this meeting after Grace's clear hints. After all, this was Simon Westeros.
Men evaluated women, and women likewise rated men.
Charlotte Brenita was confident she scored above 90, while the young man before her
, towering so far above others, could easily break the 100-point scale.
Sleeping with Westeros? She felt she would be the one getting the better deal.
After lunch, the three small figures insisted Simon join them for a hot spring bath, and he casually invited Charlotte to join. After a moment's hesitation, she agreed.
There was genuine hesitation.
Not because she didn't want to, but because, given the "setup" during lunch, things might get... complicated.
Luckily.
In the end, nothing major happened.
Well, not nothing—she ended up being the one discreetly excused, while the three small figures remained behind in the indoor hot spring.
She felt somewhat defeated.
And a bit rebellious.
Since she hadn't been sent away, she chose not to leave on her own accord.
Although the A-girl remained cold to her throughout, Charlotte knew how important the girl was to Simon. Recently, two of the A, B, C, and D girls had made the Forbes list of the richest 400 Americans. Much could be inferred from that.
Charlotte had experienced such coldness before. Despite her pride, she didn't mind lowering herself for something that benefited her. By the evening, she had successfully obtained the A-girl's contact information—just a work email, but it was enough.
She thought she might spend the night here, but after dinner, the group set off again in the dark, heading back to Rivne.
She took particular notice of one thing.
The three once-naive little figures now had rosy cheeks, as if they had suddenly matured. She found herself feeling oddly envious.
They arrived back in the city around 8 p.m.
Initially, Charlotte didn't understand why they had made the trip back. Surely staying at the hot spring estate would've been more comfortable than the city. Only when the convoy split in two, and Simon's vehicle headed toward a brightly lit area in the northwestern part of Rivne, did she realize he had other plans.
When Simon got out of the car, Charlotte eagerly followed, and together they stepped into a bustling street.
She wasn't sure what the man had planned.
But seeing the three small figures and the A-girl leave in other vehicles, leaving her as the only woman accompanying Simon, Charlotte was pleased. She stepped closer to him and softly asked, "Simon, what are we doing?"
Her tone had become more intimate.
Simon gestured toward the lively street ahead and said, "A commercial street. Let's take a look."
Charlotte Brenita didn't quite understand but followed along without asking further. She curiously scanned her surroundings, but her interest soon waned. The street was lined with ordinary shops, including restaurants, clothing stores, electronics, and food outlets, all of relatively modest quality. Compared to the commercial streets she had frequented, this one was downright shabby.
However, being a graduate of London's top business school, she soon noticed something different about this street.
Despite the freezing temperatures of ten degrees below zero, this area was unusually vibrant, with a footfall far exceeding that of any commercial street she had seen before. One thing became clear: every store on this street was making a fortune for its owners.
This commercial street was yet another creation of the Westeros system.
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