Everyone worked diligently all afternoon and finally finalized some press releases that would be published tomorrow.
Simon didn't want to get too deeply involved with the Japanese, so he ultimately only agreed to publish four articles in Japan's Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun, and North America's Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, clarifying the inside story of Cersei Capital's operations and expressing optimism about the Japanese economy.
Of course, the so-called inside story being clarified could not be 100% true.
Cersei Capital's exit from the Japanese market was set for June, and the Japanese's purchase of Cersei Capital's 1 to 5 sub-fund portfolios was described as normal securities investment, with no ulterior motives that could not be revealed to outsiders. Since Cersei Capital is a private offshore hedge fund, it had no obligation to disclose details of its operations to the public.
At the same time, Simon also appropriately expressed his optimism about the Japanese economy.
The general view was that while the Japanese real estate market indeed had a serious bubble component in recent years, this bubble was undeniably supported by a very solid real economy.
Japan's almost frenzied real estate industry did not squeeze the living space of the real economy; both developed in parallel, which is why the Japanese real estate and stock markets could skyrocket for many consecutive years.
Therefore, even if the real estate bubble burst, Japan's deep accumulation in industries such as automobiles, steel, chemicals, electronics, and entertainment would still be enough to support its strong position as the world's second-largest economy, and the country would remain very worthy of investment.
Evidently, these points discussed by both sides meant that the Japanese would focus on maintaining their real economy after the economic shift.
Admitting the real estate bubble and maintaining the real economy was undoubtedly a very wise decision.
After having dinner with Haruo Maekawa and his delegation and seeing off the Japanese, it was already nine in the evening.
Janette, after showering, came downstairs to the living room wrapped in a thick cotton bathrobe and wearing cotton slippers. Simon was sitting on the sofa, looking through documents from Nokia in Finland.
Snuggling comfortably on the sofa next to Simon, Janette rubbed against the man like a kitten and said, "I think it's not good to get too close to the Japanese. You are American, after all".
The overall tendency in the United States now was to suppress Japan's rise, and Simon's obvious 'dissent' seemed a bit inappropriate upon careful consideration.
Simon leaned his head against Janette's fluffy blonde hair after her shower, smelling the pleasant fragrance on her, and said, "Of course I know that. So, after completing the operations in North America at the end of the year, I will liquidate Cersei Capital and then re-raise funds. This time, it will be open to North American capital".
Janette nodded in agreement and asked, "How much money are you planning to raise this time?"
"About $3 billion. $1 billion from Australia, $1 billion from North America, and we'll put up $1 billion ourselves. However, this is only for hedging funds. If we don't encounter good opportunities, the profit of a hedge fund won't actually be too high. I've been considering transforming Cersei Capital into a comprehensive fund company recently, so it can be involved in corporate mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, venture capital, and other aspects in the future. Now, take some time to help me think about it".
"Mmm-hmm".
As the two were chatting, Jennifer, having finished her work in the kitchen, also came to the living room.
After greeting them, Jennifer sat quietly on a nearby single sofa.
Janette saw her assistant pick up a document and seemed content to read it, then suddenly laughed, leaned into Simon's ear, and said, "You can go to Jenny's room tonight".
Janette didn't lower her voice at all.
Jennifer's cheeks clearly began to flush. She subconsciously turned a page of the document in her hand, but her trembling little hand made a soft rustling sound, which immediately made Janette laugh again. She simply got up, tiptoed and jumped onto the single sofa where Jennifer was, and forcefully hugged her assistant, whispering in her ear.
This time, she did lower her voice.
Simon merely 'warned' helplessly, "No bad ideas".
Janette looked up and winked at Simon, saying, "Of course not, it's definitely a very good idea".
Simon simply put down the document and said, "Forget it, I'm going to bed".
Janette chased after him, giggling, "Then I'm sleeping with Jenny tonight, okay?"
"Don't bully Jenny".
Janette hugged her assistant, who was still too shy to speak, and shook her, saying, "Isn't Jenny meant to be bullied?"
Simon still had to fly to Helsinki tomorrow morning, so he ignored Janette's little madness and walked straight upstairs to the bedroom.
After showering and lying on the big bed, he waited for a while, but the woman didn't return.
She was probably really going to bully Jennifer tonight.
Simon simply turned off the light and lay down in bed.
A few minutes later, still not asleep, the bedroom door was gently pushed open. Just by the figure in the dim light and the slightly different footsteps, Simon knew it wasn't Janette who had entered.
The figure walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Without speaking, a small hand reached out and tentatively patted Simon. Simon reached out and wrapped his arm around the woman's waist. Her body stiffened for a moment, then quickly softened, leaning obediently against him with his pull.
"Actually, there's been something I've wanted to tell you for a while".
A moment later, Simon finally spoke first.
Jennifer just hummed softly.
Simon thought for a moment and said, "Probably, next year, Janette and I will get married".
Jennifer was quiet for a moment, then hummed again, pressing closer to the man.
Simon suddenly understood something. Perhaps, during this time, Janette and Jennifer had also realized this, which was probably why Janette was acting unusually tonight by pushing her assistant over.
After spending so much time together, Simon and Jennifer's relationship was already very intimate, but it had never crossed a certain line.
Simon knew very well that his assistant liked him. He had always cherished and been cautious with those close to him. While possessing a very strong possessiveness, he also hoped they could all live well and have more choices. Therefore, he had carefully maintained a certain distance with both Sandra and Jennifer.
At this moment, feeling the soft, warm jade in his arms, Simon finally no longer hesitated. He leaned over, kissed his assistant on the lips, and said, "Tonight, just like this. We'll find a better time".
Jennifer quickly hummed this time, then boldly leaned in and actively kissed him on the lips.
In fact, a large part of why she had decided to stay by his side was precisely because of his cherishing of her. She knew he would casually give women a large check after some absurdity, but after spending so much time together, he had never treated her carelessly.
The next day when they woke up, the two articles in Japan's Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun had already been published.
Simon and his group flew from Athens Airport at nine in the morning. By the time they arrived in Helsinki, it was not yet noon local time. The signing ceremony for Westeros Company's acquisition of Nokia's mobile communications equipment division was held at two in the afternoon.
The final agreed transaction price between the two parties was $200 million. At the same time, Westeros Company would inject $50 million into Nokia for the research and development of digital mobile phones and GSM communication equipment.
Speaking of which, Nokia's name was also a focal point of this negotiation.
At this time, Nokia was still a diversified conglomerate involved in many fields, including papermaking, rubber, television, and various other aspects.
Originally, according to custom, the name would definitely have to be changed after the acquisition. However, Simon still really liked the name Nokia.
After some bargaining, it was finally decided that Nokia's mobile communications equipment division would be reorganized into Nokia Electronic Communication Technology Company. At the same time, Nokia's other businesses would continue as usual.
Nokia Electronic Communication Technology Company could still be abbreviated as Nokia to the outside world.
The two parties also agreed that Nokia Electronic Communication Technology Company's future business scope would be limited to the research, development, and manufacturing of mobile communication-related equipment. The same applied to Nokia's other businesses; neither party could engage in the other's business, otherwise, it would be considered a breach of contract.
In addition, Simon also continued to employ Jorma Ollila, the former head of Nokia's mobile communications equipment division, as the president and CEO of Nokia Electronic Communication Technology Company, responsible for the company's operations. Jorma Ollila was the person who, in the original timeline, developed Nokia from a company confined to a corner of Finland into a world-class electronics giant.
After staying in Nokia's headquarters in Espoo, for two days to finalize everything, Simon and his group left Finland and returned to North America.
Simon had promised Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith that he would attend Dakota Johnson's baptism on December 9th, and a lot of matters requiring Simon's personal attention had accumulated in North America.
Elsewhere…
Monday, December 4th, 1989.
The Japanese stock market began to decline immediately after opening due to a surge of sell orders. By the close of trading on Monday afternoon, the Nikkei 225 Index had fallen from 40039 points at Friday's close to 39811 points.
The market fell by 228 points in a single day, a decline of only 0.56%, which was far better than the Japanese government's expectations.
Apparently, due to the timely remedial measures taken by the Japanese government, Simon's statements in several major media outlets in North America and Japan also played a role in easing market panic. Therefore, while the shift in the Japanese stock market could not be avoided, it did not experience the sharp plunge many had anticipated.
Stabilizing the situation on the first day of trading made subsequent responses even easier.
Subsequently, on December 6th, the new issue of Time magazine, owned by Time Inc., was released. Simon, as this years' Time Person of the Year, graced the cover of this historic political magazine, once again attracting media attention and heated discussion.
Time magazine's explanation for Simon becoming this year's Person of the Year was 'creating an astonishing wealth miracle at an unparalleled speed'.
After the news about Cersei Capital's inside story broke last Friday, Time magazine, which had already completed its interview article on Simon, temporarily added some content citing those newspaper press releases. Due to the immense influence of Time magazine's Person of the Year, on the second day of the new issue's release, the Japanese stock market even saw a brief rebound after opening.
Ultimately, by December 8th, the Nikkei 225 Index had only fallen by 636 points in one week, a mere 1.6% decline compared to the high of over 40,000 points last Friday.
Although the downward trend of the Japanese stock market was irreversible, the impending storm after the news of Cersei Capital's operations broke last Friday had completely dissipated.
After Simon made public statements in several newspapers on Monday, he no longer made any public comments on the matter.
Returning to North America, Simon's first stop was New York.
During the return journey with James Raybould and his group, Simon and James discussed Westeros Company's next phase of tech stock acquisition plans.
The acquisition of Nokia was entirely funded by Cersei Capital's overseas reserves. Daenerys Entertainment had been continuously providing funds to Westeros Company for the past six months, and the 'mini-crash' of the North American stock market in October also caused many tech stock prices to slump.
Moreover, Windows 3.0 was scheduled for release in May of next year. Microsoft would officially gain market recognition with this operating system, and its stock price would take off from then on.
Therefore, the next few months were the last opportunity for Westeros Company to increase its holdings in Microsoft at a lower price.
Simon intended to increase Westeros Company's stake in both Microsoft and Intel to 15% each.
If this goal could be achieved, based on the combined peak market value of over $1 trillion for these two companies in 2000 as per his memory, these stocks alone could bring Simon $150 billion in wealth in the future.
Back in Los Angeles, Nancy Brill informed Simon that Nintendo had proactively contacted Daenerys Entertainment to grant Blizzard Entertainment a special quota. In addition, Nancy also took the opportunity to reach an understanding with Nintendo regarding the acquisition of EA.
However, the acquisition negotiations with EA were not going smoothly.
Daenerys Entertainment wanted to take over EA entirely to gain a complete PC game development and publishing platform. Although EA shareholders responded very positively to Daenerys Entertainment's approach, they did not wish to be completely acquired by Daenerys Entertainment, but rather preferred to sell only a portion of their shares from various major shareholders to Daenerys Entertainment.
After several rounds of negotiations, Nancy determined that the maximum shareholding Daenerys Entertainment could acquire was approximately 35%, which was comparable to the company's stake in Blockbuster.
At the same time, by acquiring these shares, Daenerys Entertainment would also become EA's largest shareholder, almost possessing absolute control over EA. According to Nancy's judgment, most of EA's shareholders did not mind transferring control to Daenerys Entertainment; they only hoped to continue to gain more returns from their holdings in EA.
With Blizzard Entertainment's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' alone projected to earn over 100 million US dollars in net profit, this decision by EA's shareholders was not at all surprising.
After discussion, this was probably the least costly and most gentle equity investment plan.
The negotiations between the two parties were still confidential. Once the news became public, if Daenerys Entertainment pursued a hostile takeover to merge with EA, EA's stock price would definitely double in a short period.
Simon did not want to acquire EA at an irrational price, so he decided to accept this equity investment plan.
EA would certainly continue to expand in the future. As long as Daenerys Entertainment gained control of the company, it could increase its stake in the company through many means in the future.