Simon hadn't expected Chen Qing to be aware of the news from *Asahi Shimbun*.
It wasn't a major event.
This morning, the latest issue of *Asahi Shimbun* published an article titled "Simon Westeros's Trip to China," revealing Simon's secret visit, which he had intended to keep under wraps.
It seemed the Japanese had no ill intentions.
In fact, they were somewhat compelled to do so.
Last week, Simon had traveled to Japan, coinciding with the outbreak of the Mexican financial crisis, which unexpectedly triggered the "Westeros Effect" once again, causing the Japanese stock market to plummet by over 6% in just two days.
This was actually a coincidence.
Due to its export-oriented economy, coupled with Japan's unresolved issues from the previous years' stock and real estate market crashes, the market remained highly fragile, susceptible to even the slightest disturbance. So, even without Simon's presence, the Japanese stock market wouldn't have escaped this downturn.
Historically, the Mexican peso's collapse had triggered a global financial crisis, and Japan's stock market, located in the Far East, was hit harder than North America and Europe.
However, while the rationale made sense, mysticism is pervasive in both the East and the West, regardless of a country's level of civilization. After all, there are indeed too many things in the world that cannot be explained by mere coincidence. For example, the fact that Simon Westeros's rare visits to Japan always resulted in a stock market crash—once could be a coincidence, twice could be a coincidence, but three times? Not even a ghost would believe that.
As a result, Simon's originally planned four-day trip to Japan was cut short to just two days, as the hosts hastily and "enthusiastically" sent him out of the country due to the market crash.
However, the matter didn't end there.
In the new week, the Japanese stock market showed no signs of recovery. Although the decline wasn't as severe as when Simon was in Japan, it continued to fall. After exhausting various official measures, the Japanese, perhaps out of desperation, shifted their focus back to Simon, revealing his trip to China.
The implication was obvious.
The "unlucky star" had left Japan and gone to China. So, dear brothers, sisters, and fellow citizens, if you're looking for the source of your troubles, you know where to point your fingers now.
Of course, while they may have thought this, they couldn't say it outright.
In recent years, Japan and China had been in a honeymoon period.
Thus, the article in *Asahi Shimbun* merely exposed Simon's trip to China after leaving Japan last Friday, with some speculation that Simon Westeros was optimistic about China's economy, hence his visit—a typical diplomatic phrase.
Although the Japanese had no ill intentions, Simon could already imagine the reactions from various parties.
First, the Chinese government would be thrilled.
Initially, Simon had requested a completely private trip, and the Chinese government, while reluctant to intentionally expose it, would undoubtedly be pleased with the news spreading. A visit from a super-rich man like Simon Westeros, with a fortune of $300 billion, would serve as a powerful stimulant for China, which was eagerly opening up and seeking foreign cooperation.
If Simon Westeros, with his keen investment acumen, was optimistic about China and the Westeros System had started investing in China, even the most hesitant would take notice. Even if it was just herd mentality, it wouldn't hurt to follow suit.
Surely no one could outdo Simon Westeros in investment foresight.
It was foreseeable that this bandwagon effect would bring substantial foreign investment to China.
Indeed, the revelation of Simon's trip to China would likely prompt global capital to follow suit.
No matter how large the market, its capacity is not infinite.
A flood of capital into China would inevitably impact the Westeros System's plans there, with some parties undoubtedly keeping a close watch on the system's moves.
In fact, many had already been eyeing the vast market in the East with its billion-plus population, but China's economic policies' instability had kept them cautious. Now, with Simon Westeros leading the way, what was there to hesitate about?
With Europe's economy sluggish, Latin America in decline, and Africa almost irrelevant, the only remaining untapped market was the vast and fertile ground of Asia.
Simon Westeros had given the "signal." No need for further discussion—just invest.
Finally, there was the implicit political risk.
Just like Sino-Japanese relations, Sino-American relations were also in a honeymoon phase.
At least on the surface.
However, with the Soviet Union's collapse and the USA emerging as the sole superpower, it wouldn't tolerate another challenger rising.
China was undoubtedly a potential threat.
Bill Gates's and Warren Buffett's previous visits to China could still be seen as purely commercial endeavors. However, given Simon's current wealth, status, and international influence, his actions would inevitably spark speculation beyond the realm of business.
Ultimately, it came down to the fact that the Westeros System had grown too powerful without anyone realizing it.
As Simon predicted, the next morning, at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular press conference, when asked whether Simon Westeros was visiting China, the spokesperson readily confirmed it. The spokesperson, clearly prepared, praised Simon's visit and took the opportunity to promote China's investment opportunities to the foreign press.
The news quickly spread worldwide, prompting media outlets everywhere to follow up, with some even delving deeper into the purpose of Simon's visit to China.
By that time, Simon had already left China.
Returning to San Francisco, due to the time difference, it was still the morning of October 17th, a Thursday, on the West Coast.
He didn't go straight home, as there were several important meetings in San Francisco that required his attendance. These meetings had been scheduled in advance.
With the year-end approaching, and with the continued growth of the new technology sector, the Westeros System, along with companies like Ygritte, AOL, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Compaq, and HP, was preparing to launch a massive year-end marketing campaign for the new tech industry.
The campaign, expected to last two months, had a staggering total budget of $1.5 billion.
As a result, representatives from major tech companies, media platforms, and advertising firms were flocking to Silicon Valley in hopes of securing a slice of this massive marketing pie.
Upon arriving in San Francisco, Simon took a brief rest before participating in a meeting at 2 PM to finalize the "Information Age" marketing plan.
The entire marketing plan had already been assigned a unified slogan.
After a bidding process, the marketing team had chosen the succinct and powerful slogan: "Catch The Internet or You're Out!"
Besides the slogan, the marketing plan was divided into three main parts.
First was traditional ad coverage.
Over the next two months, the dozen or so tech companies involved would engage in a high-intensity, carpet-bombing ad campaign across all media platforms accessible to the public, including newspapers, TV, radio, and outdoor ads, with a total budget of $500 million.
Second was the product discount program.
With a total budget of $1 billion, this program would primarily involve hardware manufacturers like IBM, Compaq, HP, and service providers like AOL, offering large-scale discounts on personal computers and internet access services over two months.
For two months, whether buying a PC, connecting to the internet, or purchasing other software and hardware from partner brands, consumers could enjoy significant discounts. Many users could also win free PCs or internet access vouchers through sweepstakes via traditional media, online platforms, and other channels.
Although the budget was officially set at $1 billion, if consumer participation was enthusiastic enough, there was no upper limit to the program's budget.
The third component was a unique case study promotion.
The Westeros System had selected several success stories of individuals who had achieved the "American Dream" through the internet, creating profiles to be widely promoted across various media platforms. This plan overlapped somewhat with the ad coverage plan and didn't have a separate budget, but a dedicated team would handle its execution.
Compared to abstract slogans, real success stories were sure to inspire the public to embrace the information age.
The meeting lasted all afternoon, with Jeff Bezos personally detailing the various aspects of the extensive marketing plan. It wasn't until 7 PM that representatives from the various companies were able to leave the conference room.
There was a reception planned for the evening, but Simon, having just gone through long-haul travel, decided not to attend.
Holding a stack of success stories, he and a few others, including one of Ygritte's top executives, Carol Bartz, headed to the company's internal restaurant. While waiting for their orders, Simon took a moment to flip through the cases.
In Wisconsin, a laid-off automotive engineer, Peter Sturman, had taught himself software programming and created a dating website that had since attracted investments from companies like Ygritte and Sequoia Capital. The site now had 8 million registered users, and its latest round of funding valued the site at $60 million. Sturman, once dependent on welfare, now owned 60% of the company, making him worth $36 million.
In Arkansas, a housewife named Susanna Vaughn had written a vampire-themed novel on Ygritte's blogging platform in her spare time, which unexpectedly gained popularity. After its print publication, the book made it onto the *New York Times* bestseller list, earning her over $3 million in just two years.
In Florida, a sixteen-year-old high school student named Peter McCrone had created an alien-themed Flash game during his free time. The game became wildly popular on Facebook, making him the youngest millionaire in his area within just six months.
In Washington State, a bartender named Alex Bridge, thanks to his outstanding linguistic skills,
had become a sensation as the most popular talk show host on the online radio site Broadcast. He had over 2.6 million fans, and his annual income from contracts, endorsements, and user subscriptions had reached $2 million.
And so on.
The dozen or so success stories set to be broadcast across North America all highlighted the dawn of a new American Dream era.
All you had to do was embrace the internet quickly, and you could become the next millionaire, multimillionaire, or even billionaire.
As for the behind-the-scenes support these success stories often received from investors or the platforms themselves, that was not something the public needed to know. Regardless, these were individuals who had already emerged as winners in the information age, and their stories would undoubtedly have a strong impact on the public.
In fact, the impact was even more significant for those familiar with the inner workings of the most closely affiliated new tech companies within the Westeros System.
That laid-off engineer in Wisconsin had achieved a personal net worth of $36 million from an 8 million-user website, but D, one of the four ladies in the Westeros family, had created Instagram, a photo-sharing site. Since its launch at the end of July, in just three months, thanks to Ygritte's relentless content promotion, Instagram had amassed over 38 million users.
Considering Instagram's high growth potential, Wall Street analysts had valued the site at $500 million. D, who owned 56% of Instagram, now had a net worth of $280 million. Even the six other women who had initially invested in Instagram, each with a 4% stake, now held shares worth $20 million apiece.
Each of these women had invested only $200,000 in seed money at the project's inception in April. In just six months, this investment had skyrocketed 100 times.
That was the incredible allure of the emerging internet industry.
Although this marketing campaign would focus on promoting stories of ordinary people achieving the American Dream, neither Silicon Valley nor Wall Street could ignore the even more dazzling capital miracles created by the Westeros System through the internet industry.
When the waiter brought their dinner, Simon set aside the stack of documents and picked up his utensils. He then asked Carol Bartz, one of the four giants of Ygritte, "Carly, can't we launch the outsourcing platform next Monday?"
The final plans were being confirmed today and tomorrow, and next Monday, the "Information Age" marketing campaign would officially kick off.
Earlier this year, inspired by Ygritte's collaboration with Indian software companies, Simon had proposed creating an online outsourcing platform. Over the past six months, Ygritte had been developing the project, with Simon occasionally checking in on its progress.
In fact, the outsourcing system, named "Ygritte Outsourcing," had begun internal testing two months ago but had yet to be publicly launched.
Carol Bartz replied, "The rating system still needs to be adjusted. This is crucial. If we can't accurately rate registered members based on their skills, work quality, and other details, both the companies placing orders and the members taking the jobs could suffer, which would be detrimental to the platform's development. So, next Monday is out of the question. But, Boss, I can guarantee it'll be ready by mid-November at the latest."
Mid-November would be perfect timing. The effects of the "Information Age" marketing campaign would just be kicking in, and the launch of a platform capable of providing millions of jobs annually across the USA would undoubtedly amplify the campaign's impact.
It's worth noting that Ygritte's YO platform wasn't just for engineers; ordinary people with basic computer skills could take on tasks like image categorization.
Of course, the more skilled you were, the more challenging the outsourced tasks you could secure, and the higher the pay.
This was why Carol Bartz placed so much importance on the member rating system.
Simon was a boss who valued time and always wanted to see projects completed as planned. However, he wasn't rigid about it. Having risen in Hollywood, no one understood better than Simon that plans couldn't keep up with changes. As long as the reasons were valid, he didn't mind some delays.
After a few more words with Carol Bartz, Simon turned to Alice Ferguson, seated beside him, to discuss Amazon.
With Amazon's seven large-scale logistics centers across the USA nearing completion, the e-commerce site was set to expand beyond books into apparel, cosmetics, and other areas, moving closer to its goal of becoming a comprehensive e-commerce platform. Amazon would also be part of the "Information Age" marketing campaign starting next Monday.
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