Inside the spacious Boeing 767 cabin, the long sixteen‑hour journey feels no different from being on the ground.
Work, eat, sleep.
When he awoke, the plane had entered southern Australian airspace; looking out the window, Melbourne's city centre and the surrounding Philip Bay are clearly visible.
Late August in Melbourne is winter; coastal cities usually have little seasonal temperature swing, but even Los Angeles summer gear can't cope.
In the cabin bedroom, Janette, as usual, dressed Simon up, watching him in a dark wool sweater and black casual pants, then draped a black short trench coat over him, finally nodding with satisfaction: "Now you look a bit more mature".
Simon smiled at the woman's light pink jacket and asked, "So, is there anything else to tell me, like topics you absolutely can't bring up in front of your family?"
"Tony hates it when people mention how he was beaten by a girl when he was little", Janette tilted her head, clearly 'reminding' him on purpose, then quickly pulled a watch from her bag and handed it over: "Here, wear this. You don't mind flattering my Old Man a little, do you? I've already set the Melbourne time for you".
Simon glanced at down, it was the Patek Philippe jade‑stainless steel 1518 her brother Anthony Johnston gave him for his twentieth birthday, the first perpetual calendar model from Patek Philippe.
As a classic luxury watch brand, over ninety percent of Patek Philippe's pieces are made of precious metals; the stainless‑steel models, produced in only single‑digit quantities, are the most coveted. Remarkably, this wartime‑era piece is still brand new.
He cheerfully slipped it on and said, "You've been keeping it from me; I thought you were planning to keep it as a collection".
"Dad is the one who likes collecting watches, not me. Besides, the collectible value of watches is actually low; even the most expensive pieces are mass‑produced and relatively recent. It's brands like Patek Philippe that make complex‑function watches worth collecting. Still, if you like something and have the money, you can collect whatever you want", Janette said, then laughed, "My Old Man loves that gold‑watch scene in Pulp Fiction, but the method of preserving the gold watch is just too vulgar, haha".
With a final laugh and a tidy up, the Boeing 767 roared and landed on Melbourne's runway.
When Simon stepped off the plane, he checked the newly‑worn watch, it read 5:23. Because daylight is short in winter, the sun was already setting.
Everyone disembarked, and Simon immediately spotted Janettes brother Anthony Johnston and a few others greeting them warmly. Anthony turned to Simon and said, "Let's go back quickly; everyone's waiting for you".
After a perfunctory completion of the necessary formalities, the group left the airport promptly.
Jennifer and several attendants were assigned to a downtown hotel, while Simon and Janette took a car to the Johnston residence. Leaving Melbourne's western airport, after about half an hour the car entered a green‑tree‑shrouded estate on the Yarra River's eastern bank.
When the sedan stopped before the main building, Simon got out and couldn't help but stare at the structure. It was clearly an English‑style castle with Gothic spires, but without the dense arched colonnades of Westminster; bathed in golden sunset, it looked square and imposing.
However, Simon's pause wasn't because of the architectural style.
Anthony Johnston walked over, stood beside him, and examined the mansion, smiling, "I've seen some of your Batman concept art; this house would be perfect as a Wayne estate, huh? Only, I can't lend it to you. There are similar buildings around Melbourne; you can take a few days to choose".
Simon certainly didn't intend to use Janette's family home as a set. Even if Melbourne lacked a suitable Wayne‑style castle, there are plenty in Britain, many abandoned. He just found the coincidence amusing.
Janette leaned in, slipped her arm around Simon's, and said, "Dad and the others are out; let's go".
At that moment a group emerged from the castle; Janette had long shown Simon photos of her family, so he could roughly identify a few faces.
Seventy‑year‑old Raymond Johnston stood tall and lanky, his hair silver‑white, eyes sharp, exuding a rugged, old‑west cowboy aura, not the type who was easy to get along with. Daniela Johnston, Janette's mother, contrasted her husband's imposing presence with a much softer demeanour; when people approached, Janette fluttered like a little bird into her mother's arms.
After brief introductions, besides Janette's parents, there were also her older brother Anthony's family of four and second brother Norman's family of three.
Simon didn't see Janette's aunt Veronica Johnston or her other two younger brothers David Johnston and Patrick Johnston. He also knew Anthony's eldest son was absent, which avoided a minor awkwardness, because Raymond's eldest grandson, Janette's nephew Brandon Johnston, is also twenty this year, the same age as Simon.
Night fell, and the Johnston household had already prepared dinner.
Inside the castle, the Rooms were arranged and Janette promptly handed Simon over to her father and brothers. Like a little girl, she clung to her mother and walked into the kitchen, watching the chefs and servants bustle about dinner. She greedily picked at a small piece of dessert, asking her mother, "Mom, even if David and Pat can't return from England, what about the iceberg? She's not here either".
Daniela Johnston, realizing her daughter wasn't likely to change how she refers to her younger aunt, sighed, "Your aunt went to Perth a few days ago for a mining project in Western Australia".
Janette was puzzled, "She handles the company's finances; shouldn't Dad and my brother deal with this?"
Daniela Johnston opened her hand as her daughter reached for another piece of cake and said, "I'm not sure about that, but now that your dad and brother have left, who will entertain the guests?"
"Then I'll wait for her to come back. She'll definitely be back in a few days, right?" Janette said, meeting her mother's puzzled gaze and explaining proactively, "She helped Simon and me a lot, so I have to thank her. Hehe, it's weird, though, she's never been this enthusiastic before".
Daniela Johnston cooed affectionately, "Your aunt has always treated you the best. What's so strange? You, little girl, just never know how to be content".
"Alright, alright", Janette hugged her mother again, then suddenly exclaimed, "Wow, I get it now".
Daniela Johnston frowned at her daughter's suddenness, straightening her crooked collar and asking, "What is it?"
"I've already brought my boyfriend back", Janette said smugly, "Auntie probably avoided him because she didn't want Dad nagging about her again".
Daniela Johnston's expression turned a bit helpless as she nudged her daughter, "Okay, stop causing a scene here and go keep the guest company".
"Just call him Simon, no need for all that 'guest' talk", Janette beamed, leaning close to her mother, "Mom, what do you think of him?"
Daniela Johnston smiled, "Your father thinks he's great, and I agree",
Janette protested, "Just 'great'?"
"Daughters always look outward", Daniela Johnston patted Janette, glanced at the kitchen staff, and added, "Your father said this kid has something very satisfying about him, treat him well, and he'll treat you well".
Janette gave a soft hum and asked, "Anything else?"
Daniela Johnston smiled, "He's pretty good at making money, enough to support a little spendthrift like you".
Janette pouted and pressed on, "Anything else?"
"There's no need to chase Mom around praising your boyfriend", Daniela Johnston pretended to be annoyed, then whispered, "When you two are together, is everything fine in that area?"
Janette pretended to misunderstand, her cheeks flushing as she mimicked her mother's tone, "Why would I chase my daughter asking about her boyfriend's..." She stopped as her mother stared, quickly adding, "It's fine, he's always normal now, should be fully recovered".
"I heard mental illnesses are hard to cure and can be hereditary," Daniela Johnston worried, "Does he, in private, break things or maybe hit you?"
Janette shook her head immediately, "Of course not".
The mother and daughter whispered to each other while dinner was unknowingly prepared.
The men who had been chatting in the living Room moved there, making a total of eleven family members of all ages, plus the surrounding servants, creating a lively scene.
In the following days, Simon settled into the Johnston mansion and gained a deeper understanding of the family.
The Johnston Family centres around Johnston Holdings Group, with 70% of its assets in ore mining and smelting, 20% in transportation, and the remaining 10% in livestock and other peripheral industries.
Seventy‑year‑old Raymond Johnston still serves as chairman of the family conglomerate, based in Australia. Janette's aunt Veronica Johnston is the chief financial officer. Anthony Johnston and Norman Johnston are the chief executive officer and president respectively. Anthony handles European operations, while Norman oversees Asia and Africa.
The Johnston Group's business in North America and Latin America is relatively weak.
Besides Anthony and Norman, Raymond's other two sons, David Johnston and Patrick Johnston, show no interest in family affairs. Twenty‑five‑year‑old David and twenty‑two‑year‑old Patrick are still studying in the UK; by Janette's words, David is a textbook nerd, while Patrick is a classic playboy.
Originally, Raymond expected a single‑line inheritance like his father and grandfather, but after unexpectedly having two sons, he poured all his energy into grooming Anthony and Norman, both of whom turned out outstanding.
Thus, when it came to Janette and her siblings, Raymond was less strict and didn't force them to inherit the family business, leading to the current situation.
As for Simon's main purpose, 'Batman', the project was essentially finalized with the help of the Johnston Family's strong connections in Melbourne before he even arrived.
The shoot for 'Batman' will require helicopters, but Melbourne bans helicopter flights over the city, a problem similar to what 'The Matrix' faced in its original timeline.
However, unlike the near‑shutdown of 'The Matrix', Melbourne introduced a new law before Simon arrived, loosening the urban helicopter restriction.
Simon is personally scouting locations; the company sent a dedicated location‑scouting team months ago, and for several months they've been continuously remote‑scouting via fax, so that issue is minor.
Regarding tax rebates, the Melbourne Film Authority finally agreed to grant a 15% rebate on the entire Australian spend for the 'Batman' project.
While this rate isn't high compared to Australia's support for domestic films, it's very favourable relative to other foreign productions shooting in Australia.
Moreover, the rebate agreement with Daenerys Entertainment is especially lenient, which Simon values most.
Usually, overseas films must not only shoot locally but also involve Australian financing and employ a certain percentage of local crew, with daily spend caps, to qualify for rebates. Any hiccup can cause the rebate to disappear or shrink.
In contrast, Daenerys Entertainment's contract only requires 30% local staff, no Australian funding, and no spend limits; after the film wraps, they simply submit a total expense report to receive the 15% rebate.