For a solid week, Simon was in a state of intense activity.
He spent his days busy with the preparations for 'Batman' and his evenings attending various parties and receptions specially arranged for him.
Besides being known as the world's youngest genius director, Simon's current wealth was enough to attract the attention of Australia's entire upper class. Coupled with the Johnston family's deep connections, the grand party held at the mansion by the Yarra River on Saturday almost invited all of Australia's political and business elite, with the current Australian Prime Minister and Governor-General even making special appearances.
Simon also unexpectedly saw Rupert Murdoch, the head of the Murdoch family, who also started his career in Melbourne. To expand News Corp's operations in the United States, this media mogul had already immigrated to America, but in reality, control of News Corp still remained with his family's holding company in Australia.
Because there was no industrial competition between them, the Johnston family had a very good relationship with several major media families in Australia.
Janette also told Simon that Raymond Johnston had originally intended to introduce Murdoch to him at an appropriate time to help Daenerys Entertainment's development in Hollywood, but Simon's rise was too rapid, and this matter became less important.
On the other hand, as a young man who had created a series of miracles in just two years, Simon's trip to Australia also received considerable attention from local media.
In just one week, Simon's journey from an unknown nobody to accumulating billions of dollars in wealth was thoroughly reviewed by the Australian media.
Coincidentally, during the week Simon came to Melbourne, 'Basic Instinct' in its eighth week of release in North America, after a full week of screenings from September 2nd to September 8th, earned another $5.06 million at the box office, officially breaking the $100 million mark with a cumulative total of $102.32 million, becoming the third film produced by Daenerys Entertainment this year to gross over $100 million in North America.
Even in 1985, only three films broke the $100 million mark at the North American box office for the entire year.
Therefore, the box office miracle created by Daenerys Entertainment also became a hot topic in the media. Due to News Corp's involvement, 'Basic Instinct' was almost simultaneously released in Australia with North America. Because of appropriate cuts and News Corp's strong media influence in Australia, the film did not cause the intense controversy seen in North America.
Because of Simon's identity as an Australian son-in-law, the media these days tended to be more complimentary.
In addition, 'Batman', which was about to begin filming in Melbourne, naturally also became a closely watched subject by the media.
The highly flexible and generous tax rebate policy obtained for this film was quickly exposed. Although everyone was aware of the Johnston family's influence in this, the Melbourne officials were also very frank. In their dealings with the media, they openly praised the strong promotional effect of bringing a project with global influence like 'Batman' to Australia for the local film industry.
The major local media outlets, which usually held differing opinions, this time very courteously maintained a unified stance, and even if there were some dissenting voices, they were completely irrelevant to the overall situation.
Amidst various busy schedules and social engagements, time quickly moved to Saturday, September 10th.
According to the agreement between Daenerys Entertainment and the four major television networks, starting from Sunday, September 11th, four reality shows produced by Daenerys Entertainment; 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', 'Survivor', 'Big Brother', and 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills', would be progressively launched over the coming week.
The specific schedule was as follows: ABC's 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' would air three times a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, starting September 11th. NBC's 'Survivor', Fox's 'Big Brother', and CBS's 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' would each air once a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Wednesdays, respectively. The unpopular Friday and Saturday drama slots were deliberately skipped.
Due to the Hollywood writers' strike lasting over five months, this year's fall season dramas were generally postponed until October. Therefore, the golden September slot, which was originally supposed to be the most competitive for ratings, became entirely dominated by Daenerys Entertainment's four reality shows.
It is conceivable that if even half of the four reality shows achieve great success, it will be enough to severely dampen the confidence of the Writers Guild of America to launch another strike. Furthermore, the four major television networks spent heavily to acquire these four reality shows, so they spared no effort in their promotion and marketing.
In the mountains and forests northeast of Melbourne.
Due to its proximity to the sea, the temperate oceanic climate of the mountains and forests did not experience the same winter desolation as inland areas; instead, it remained lush and green.
Simon was taken by Raymond Johnston early in the morning for a hunting trip. Knowing that this was one of Janette's father's great hobbies, and understanding that the old man wanted to talk to him alone, Simon gladly went along.
Bang—
In the mountains and forests that belonged entirely to the Johnston family's private hunting ground, after a gunshot, several hounds barked and ran towards a wild boar. Simon and Raymond, each carrying an old-fashioned hunting rifle, leisurely walked towards the fallen wild boar, surrounded by several attendants.
"'Big Brother' is named after a 1940s sci-fi novel, '1984,' which tells the story of humanity in 1984 being ruled by an authoritarian leader named Big Brother. Apple once created a very famous 'Big Brother 1984' commercial based on this book, where a woman smashes a hammer into a large screen playing Big Brother's speech, implying Apple's unconventional breaking of shackles. The core of this reality show produced by Daenerys Entertainment is to demonstrate whether contestants can achieve Big Brother-like team leadership. Essentially, it is more about satisfying the audience's voyeuristic desires".
As they walked, Simon explained the four upcoming reality shows from Daenerys Entertainment.
"'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' exploits people's greed, and 'Big Brother' exploits people's voyeuristic desires. It's brilliant", Raymond Johnston said, looking at Simon, and suddenly asked, "Simon, what is your desire?"
Simon thought for a moment and smiled, "Ray, I already have everything now".
Raymond Johnston pressed, "Are you satisfied?"
Simon shook his head and said, "Not satisfied, but there isn't any strong desire either".
"That's your problem", Raymond Johnston said. "Although we've only spent a few days together, I've already sensed your confusion. You've had it too easy, you have too much, and you're a bit overwhelmed".
Simon was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "I feel that if I continue, I might encounter more and more trouble, and even danger".
They walked to the fallen wild boar. Raymond Johnston, seeing that it was almost noon, instructed his attendants to butcher and prepare the wild boar for lunch. He and Simon chose an open space to sit down and said, "Son, do you know how our family got its start?"
Simon shook his head.
Raymond Johnston raised his hand and gestured around, saying, "This was originally a place of exile. The surname Johnston has no glorious history, and my family has no noble blood. Frankly, we are descendants of criminals. This land has existed for a hundred years, and too many people still crave recognition from the motherland, even going so far as to actively participate in two world wars for it.
Some people are ecstatic to receive a knighthood, but the Johnston family is not like that. We know our identity clearly, but we never yield to our fate. We only believe in ourselves, only believe in strength. Only the weak seek recognition; we only want to stand in the position of those who grant recognition. My father endured unimaginable hardships to expand the family business to its current scale. Once, just to transport a mere sixty tons of iron ore from the mine to the dock, my father and twelve workers had a shootout with others, five people died, and he himself was left with two bullet holes.
Similar incidents happened more than once. Later, feeling the British restrictions on Australia, my father united everyone to secretly push for this country's independence. Because he disagreed with the inheritance tax, my father secretly worked for seven years and finally abolished this law. During this process, at least six high-ranking officials and parliament members died in car accidents, heart attacks, accidental robberies..."
Listening to these past events that Raymond Johnston would absolutely never reveal to outsiders, Simon was filled with emotion.
The accumulation of capital is never smooth sailing.
This is especially true for mining and resource development. Although this industry always appears volatile and not very profitable to outsiders, anyone with a little common sense understands the huge profits contained within this industry.
Raymond Johnston was clearly lost in his recollections as he spoke, and soon turned to Simon, saying, "Boy, comparatively, your success has been far too easy. But at the same time, you have actually stepped out of certain boundaries and become a player in this world, no longer a pawn. You must understand one thing: players truly value themselves, because we are the manipulators of the game.
Most of the time, we don't have to fight personally; there are too many pawns for us to command. Even if we have to abandon them, only the pawns will be sacrificed. Therefore, among players, as long as you adhere to certain game rules, you have absolutely nothing to fear. If you are stronger than your opponent, you will only be feared by others".
Simon seemed to understand, and recalling a thought he had a few days ago, he murmured, "Humans create rules, humans manipulate rules, humans break rules".
Raymond Johnston heard Simon's words and shook his head, saying, "The strong manipulate rules, the foolish follow rules. Son, you can use your strength to promote the creation of new rules that benefit you, and then let others abide by them. But don't deliberately break established rules; that's how you keep the game going for a long time. Conversely, if you deliberately break the rules on the chessboard, your opponent might really throw a punch at you".
Simon nodded seriously, then, thinking of something, a smile appeared on his lips as he said, "I suddenly feel that Janette's grandfather must have loved his granddaughter very much".
There was a certain quality in Janette's personality, a willingness to disregard everything, that was so much like Nicholas Johnston as Raymond Johnston had just described him.
Raymond Johnston paused, then laughed, "Of course, I admire my father very much, and therefore I also really like Janette's temperament. If it weren't for the fact that she has no interest in managing family affairs, I would definitely train her to be the successor of the Johnston family. So, treat her well; she will definitely be able to help you in the future".
Simon nodded solemnly, saying, "I will".
Raymond Johnston finished speaking, stood up and said, "Well, let's go. We'll prepare lunch ourselves. It's more fun to do these things personally. Maybe we can hunt a few more rabbits. Oh, by the way, do you know about the rabbit plague in Australia back then? That girl you cast in 'Pulp Fiction,' Nicole Kidman, her great-grandfather Sidney Kidman was very impressed by it back then, haha".
While Simon and Raymond Johnston were discussing Janette, Janette herself arrived at a high-rise apartment in Melbourne's city centre. She had originally wanted to bring her boyfriend along, but Simon had been dragged off by her father to go hunting, so she had to give up.
Familiar with the routine, she took the private elevator to the top-floor apartment. Janette haphazardly pressed the doorbell a few times, but no one answered, so she pulled out her key, opened the door, and walked in.
Before her was a very clean and simple apartment, decorated in pure white tones, located on the top floor of a thirty-two-story apartment building. Janette sniffed, sensing the faint feminine scent around her, and suddenly felt that her aunt was quite similar to a certain someone in this regard.
This was Veronica Johnston's apartment.
Hearing that her aunt was back from Western Australia, Janette excitedly rushed over, but unfortunately, the workaholic wasn't back yet.
Completely as if she were at home, Janette took off her shoes and walked barefoot around the villa, brewed herself a pot of coffee, turned on the TV in the living room, admired the city view from the floor-to-ceiling windows for a while, then wandered like a kitten into the bedroom, rolled around on the big bed, and unconsciously arrived at the study.
The study still carried a certain feminine scent that even Janette found very comfortable. The bookshelves were filled with various management books.
Standing on tiptoes behind the desk, Janette was about to sit in the office chair when she noticed a book lying open on the desktop.
Curiously, she picked it up. It was a French novel.
Janette had studied a little French, so she immediately recognized the book's title, 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.
She was immediately very surprised. Why would Iceberg be interested in Dumas's novel?
Hmm, 'The Count of Monte Cristo' seems to be a story about revenge.
Who was she seeking revenge on?
Thinking this, she picked up the book and sat in the chair, idly flipping through it for a while. Janette quickly lost interest again, picked up the phone on the desk, and rapidly dialled a string of numbers. After connecting, she said, "Hello, Iceberg... I'm at your place. Let's have lunch together... No time? Hmm, you don't even have time to eat... What client are you meeting? I'll go with you! What if you meet bad people?... Alone? Yes, oh, you mean Simon? He was dragged off by the old man to go hunting... Speaking of which, are you free tonight? Simon and I will treat you to dinner... Don't worry, it's not at our house. I know you're afraid of Dad nagging you. How about here at your place?... Don't be like that... In a few days, Simon and I are going back to Los Angeles... Hello, hmm, Iceberg? Vinnie? Veronica?"
Listening to the busy signal on the phone, Janette frowned in annoyance, and could only helplessly put down the receiver.
Very strange.
This thought popped into her head, and Janette's little brain habitually spun halfway. Although she still didn't understand, she was too lazy to think about it anymore.
But she didn't give up the idea of showing off her boyfriend to her aunt.
Hmph, I don't believe you won't come home these next few days.