It had been a week since arriving in China, and for Charlotte Brenita, visiting the country for the first time, her most profound impression was that there were simply so many people. The morning traffic of bicycles on the city's streets was particularly astonishing. Moreover, many things were not as she had initially imagined.
Following Chen Qing as they traveled between the most bustling cities in the country and seeing firsthand the series of projects invested in by the Westeros system, Charlotte Brenita, with her investor's eye, keenly noticed the vigorous economic vitality of the country.
It was absolutely a blue ocean for investment.
However, Charlotte Brenita did not immediately feel the impulse to seek investment opportunities in China. She also discovered many problems.
The unfamiliar investment environment and the business culture that was vastly different from what she was accustomed to meant that without fully understanding these factors, rushing in would likely result in failure. This made her admire Chen Qing even more, who seemed to navigate this environment with ease.
At only 27 years old, this Chinese woman, who had been a mere translator last year, had quickly risen to prominence after being discovered by a certain man. Over just a few days of meetings with various political and business circles, Charlotte could faintly see the emergence of a vast network of connections.
Even though Charlotte understood that behind this network stood the man in question, she had no confidence that she could do better than Chen Qing in her position, even as a mere spokesperson.
December 3rd.
It was a Sunday in China.
After days of constant travel and attending a government-hosted reception the previous night, Charlotte Brenita woke up in a building on Zhongshan Road by the Bund in Shanghai. It was already past eight in the morning.
Waking up in a building might sound odd, but it was the truth.
The man had purchased a seven-story Italian-style building on a street once dominated by foreign banks, turning it into his residence in Shanghai. When they first arrived last Sunday, Charlotte had chatted with Chen Qing about the building, which had been bought from the Chinese government last year. Previously, it had housed some state-owned enterprises, and before that, built in 1923, it had been the Shanghai headquarters of Standard Chartered Bank.
After being purchased, a professional restoration team from Italy had been hired to restore the building, a process that took a year. To maintain the historic building's original charm, the restoration team spent three months using toothbrushes to clean the dust from the cracks.
Although the building had been completed, fully restored, and furnished two months ago, the man had yet to visit. Instead, Charlotte and the other women had become the building's first residents.
According to Chen Qing, including the cost of the property, restoration, and interior decoration, the total investment in the building was $12 million. The Brenita family, managing assets of over $30 billion, had a net worth of about $150 million. Charlotte herself, with her family company's stock and personal savings, had less than $10 million.
Suddenly, she realized how poor she really was.
After learning more about the country's economy, she understood that $12 million, converted into Chinese yuan, could build several modern buildings of the same size in the booming development area across the river.
Yet, this money was spent on a residence that the man might only use a few times a year.
And that wasn't all. Since meeting Simon Westeros and traveling through China, Charlotte had lost count of the similar properties she had seen.
What a lavish man.
Thinking this, she got up, freshened up, and left the guest room on the sixth floor. A maid guided her to the rooftop terrace, where Chen Qing, Lin Su, and Emmanuel Brandt were already having breakfast. The winter sun had risen, and since Shanghai was in the south, the temperature was just right.
After greeting everyone, Charlotte sat down at the table and waited for her breakfast, while she looked around.
She was seated facing south, aligned with the direction of the street. To her left, the shimmering Huangpu River was bathed in morning sunlight, and across the river stood the towering Oriental Pearl TV Tower. She could also see the busy construction site across the river.
When they arrived last week, Chen Qing had explained that the site was for a skyscraper set to become the tallest building in China.
As her breakfast arrived, Charlotte's attention was drawn to the adjacent ten-story building. Feeling a little disgruntled about her own 'poverty,' she half-jokingly asked Chen Qing, "The building next door is taller. Why did your boss choose this one? I'd think he wouldn't like having taller buildings nearby."
Chen Qing could sense the playful jealousy in Charlotte's tone and laughed. "You're right. At first, he did want to buy the building next door, but the city government didn't agree. So he had to settle for this one. Even this one was hard to negotiate for—after all, the buildings on Zhongshan Road are considered cultural heritage."
Charlotte was surprised by her accidental insight and shrugged. "Your boss doesn't seem like the kind of person who would settle for second best."
"He's not. But he liked the address, so he decided on this one."
"The address?"
"Yes," Chen Qing nodded. "This building is No. 18, The Bund."
"And that's significant?"
Chen Qing smiled as she casually twirled her utensils. Simon hadn't explained the significance to her, but she filled in the blanks herself. "In Chinese, 18 is pronounced similarly to 'prosper,' so it's a lucky number."
Charlotte still didn't fully understand.
But, oh well. Who was she to complain? She was the poor one here.
Changing the topic, she asked, "What's on the agenda today?"
Sipping her orange juice, Chen Qing replied, "Lin and I need to handle some matters regarding the formation of the National Wind Art Troupe. If that doesn't interest you, you can join Emmanuel for a trip to Suzhou. A VCD manufacturer there is seeking a partnership with Scorpia, and Emmanuel is going to inspect their factory in the Suzhou Industrial Park."
Charlotte had already seen many of Westeros's projects in China—Nokia's factory, the meat processing plant, the headquarters of BBK, and the steel plant in which Johnston Holdings was involved. She had learned a lot. However, she was now more curious about the art troupe Simon was establishing, so she quickly replied, "I'll stay and help you select the girls."
Last week, on the flight back to China, Chen Qing had been modifying the business plan for the computer company while simultaneously drafting a recruitment notice. After Simon approved it, they quickly assembled a recruitment team and placed a full-page ad in one of China's largest newspapers for three consecutive days, from Wednesday to Friday.
Securing the ad was not easy, as newspapers were still cautious about accepting advertisements.
Fortunately, the National Wind Art Troupe, a dance group formed to promote Chinese culture, was a positive endeavor. Coupled with Chen Qing's growing network in China, the ad was approved, though the cost was steep.
In fact, Lin Su, who was overseeing the troupe's budget, felt Chen was spending recklessly, and the two had a small argument.
Lin Su eventually gave in.
Although Simon had given only a casual instruction, Chen Qing had accurately interpreted his intentions and set very strict recruitment criteria.
On the surface, the job requirements were simple: women between 18 and 22 years old, standing between 168 and 173 cm tall, with a strong background in dance. Priority was given to students or graduates of art schools, with a well-proportioned figure and a pleasant appearance.
The highlight of the job was the salary.
2,000 yuan a month.
And the opportunity to perform abroad.
In recent years, China had seen rapid wage growth due to inflation, but 2,000 yuan a month was still four times the average salary of a Chinese citizen in 1995. Moreover, official statistics tended to skew the average due to income disparities.
2,000 yuan a month, in terms of purchasing power, was worth far more than 20,000 yuan in two decades' time.
As for performing abroad, that was the dream of many Chinese people.
After all, going abroad meant the possibility of staying abroad, which, to many, was like stepping into paradise.
In reality, both the seemingly simple recruitment requirements and the salary offered were false.
The hidden standards for the job were a hundred times higher than what was publicly stated.
The girls were to be selected according to the standards of Westeros's maids.
Aside from basic requirements like appearance, figure, and dance skills, the girls would undergo various tests and background checks.
The salary was also misleading—not inflated, but greatly understated.
When Chen Qing had discussed the matter with Simon after arriving in China, he had insisted that the troupe members be treated like Westeros's maids.
However, Westeros's maids were also categorized by rank.
Chen Qing didn't want a bunch of new girls receiving the same treatment as herself, so she suggested offering a monthly salary of 1,000 dollars, thinking that would be more than enough. Had they not been separated by an ocean, she suspected Simon would have knocked her on the head for that.
Simon didn't match their salaries with those of Chen Qing and her peers.
After some negotiation, they settled on an annual salary of $100,000.
$100,000—an amount that in the United States could qualify someone as upper management. In China, if you advertised this salary for a dance troupe, people would think it was a scam. $100,000 a year, equivalent to more than 800,000 yuan, to recruit dancers? Who would believe that?
So, they posted a salary of 2,000 yuan a month, a figure attractive enough to draw interest without raising disbelief.
The plan was
to inform the finalists of the real salary after several rounds of selection.
Even the advertised 2,000 yuan salary and the opportunity to perform abroad had caused the temporary phone lines they set up to be flooded with calls.
2,000 yuan a month was equivalent to what many workers earned in a year. As for official statistics, they were only for reference. In fact, the salary for dancers in various artistic troupes was generally lower than the average.
For many, earning 2,000 yuan a month would be considered a star-level income.
In recent days, people had even started to inquire about backdoor connections.
Chen Qing, of course, handled these inquiries with ease, but she had no intention of granting favors. She knew her role well—though she was Simon's lover, their relationship wasn't entirely secure. She saw him as her boss, and that was the only way to ensure a lasting connection.
Since he was her boss, she had to be loyal and dedicated.
Even a seemingly casual task from him was something she took very seriously. She knew that the moment she allowed personal interests to interfere, she would lose Simon's trust. And there were countless others vying for that trust, like the Swiss woman who had dutifully followed her across China.
Once lost, it would be nearly impossible to regain.
At that point, she might be left with only her identity as his lover.
That might seem closer than an employer-employee relationship to others, but to Simon, lovers were the least rare thing in his life. He had so many that he couldn't even remember all their names, and she could easily be forgotten at any time.
And then, the maids and bodyguards who served her might one day disappear without warning.
Falling out of favor, even if she had already secured a foothold in the U.S., would be a major setback.
Because the life she enjoyed now, compared to what she would have left, would be a stark contrast.
At the very least, she wouldn't be flying on private jets so easily, or staying in places like this—a building converted into a personal residence in every city she visited.
As she sat on the terrace of The Bund 18, eating breakfast, Chen Qing suddenly understood the real intention behind Simon offering those girls a $100,000 annual salary.
It was... devious.
For dancers, unless they became major stars, earning the equivalent of 800,000 yuan a year might be something they could never achieve in their lifetime.
By offering such a generous salary, Simon was likely ensuring that these girls would find it nearly impossible to leave.
It's hard to go back to a simple life once you've tasted luxury.
It was the same reason so many celebrities, even after earning enough money and fame, continued to work tirelessly—they couldn't leave behind the glamorous life they had grown accustomed to. It wasn't just about having more money than they could ever spend.
The girls who joined the National Wind Art Troupe would likely face a similar fate.
With a $100,000 annual salary, they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives even before becoming Westeros dancers. However, once they entered that world and experienced its luxuries, even if some of them saved every penny they earned, enough to ensure a good life after leaving, they still wouldn't want to leave.
Because it would no longer be about the money.
Just like Lin Su and herself, even after paying off their debts, they had millions of dollars in assets. Converted to yuan, they were wealthy by any standard in China. But could they walk away from Westeros now?
Could they just leave the building they were eating breakfast in, say goodbye to the maids and bodyguards, the private jets, and the vast network of connections within the Westeros system?
Could they live on just a few million dollars?
People who had never experienced it might think that a few million dollars was enough to live off for the rest of their lives and use as capital to build a business. But those in their position knew better—such a sum was insignificant.
Because the lifestyle they now enjoyed was one that even billionaires might not be able to reach.
Private jets, grand residences—these were luxuries that a few million dollars couldn't sustain.
Similarly, those girls might enjoy the lifestyle of a billionaire on a $100,000 salary.
Once they were immersed, it would be incredibly difficult to break free.
Reflecting on this, Chen Qing realized that her seemingly generous and often perceived as wasteful boss was, in fact, a mastermind of the highest order.
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