Inside the Hilton's banquet hall, Grace Spert had been chatting with Simon for a while. She noticed that Claire Gaines, who had been making her way over, was stopped by a guest and paused. Grace looked at Simon and spoke softly, "By the way, that girl you sent from Ukraine has potential, but her temperament is a bit unruly. Since Elite has already started operations in Ukraine, how about I pick out a few more for your villa in Rivne?"
Grace was referring to Ludmila Besonoskova, the younger sister of Ukrainian basketball player Eve Besonoskova.
Last year, Simon had casually arranged a year of professional modeling training for the girl, and then left her in Grace's care.
The upcoming spring fashion week would start on February 8, and the rebellious little troublemaker was already in New York, preparing for her debut. She was currently staying in an apartment in the Upper West Side owned by the Westeros family, along with her sister Eve.
With so many women around him, no girl's looks or personality could particularly capture Simon's attention anymore. Ludmila had only been arranged as a model because Simon thought she fit the role, nothing more.
However, this time Simon didn't refuse Grace's offer. He nodded, "Sure, just pick some smart ones."
Grace smiled and said, "Don't you think that sometimes, dumb women are easier to deal with? Smart women are usually less compliant."
"So, does that mean you're not compliant?"
"Of course not," Grace locked eyes with Simon, half-jokingly and half-seriously said, "During dinner, I couldn't help but think about having your child, just to get some child support."
Simon chuckled and shook his head lightly, "You don't need to have a child. If you want support, I can give it to you."
"Like the woman on East 92nd Street who got married recently?"
"Hm? Oh, you mean Laura. That's different."
Laura Graulf.
If Grace hadn't brought it up, Simon might have forgotten about her.
After certain things happened, the Graulf mother and daughters had been separated. Laura was the only one still living in Manhattan. Simon had lost interest in her and didn't want trouble, so he let her find another partner and even generously gave her the Upper East Side house on 92nd Street as a wedding gift, ending things between them.
Hearing Simon's words, Grace didn't press further.
She remembered that Simon had told her before that things would be different.
It turned out to be true. Very different.
In fact, her sudden mention of this topic was just a small, involuntary test.
And it confirmed the difference.
It was the same reason she kept sending Elite's models his way, brought Bryce along yesterday, mentioned picking out girls for him earlier, or why last night she had weirdly joked about finding beautiful girls to die for him.
It all stemmed from an innate sense of insecurity.
But now, at this moment, that feeling of unease melted away.
It was always different.
If Simon could take care of even a mere plaything, how could he possibly treat her badly?
Of course, she couldn't expect too much more.
He had said it himself—he liked smart women.
Smart women know what to do and what not to do.
At that moment, Claire Gaines, Chen Qing, and Lin Su walked over, interrupting the strange dynamic between Simon and Grace. Grace quickly returned to her composed self, exchanged pleasantries with the three women, and then took her leave.
Women's intuition is always sharp.
Even though Grace hid it well, Claire, Chen Qing, and Lin Su all sensed something unusual between the head of Elite and their boss. Anyone who believed there was nothing between them would be fooling themselves.
However, all three women were smart enough not to mention it.
They had already discussed everything that needed to be addressed during the day. Tonight, they were just here to support Claire. Simon had no intention of staying long at the party.
Claire came over to chat briefly about some minor matters. After exchanging a few pleasantries with other important guests, Simon left with Chen Qing and Lin Su.
Instead of returning to his Fifth Avenue apartment, Simon had already arranged for them to head to East Hampton in Long Island. Bryce had the temperament of a spoiled lady, and Chen Qing wasn't someone who liked to suffer losses. If they were to meet, they'd inevitably clash. So, it was better to avoid trouble by heading to Long Island.
Two custom-made Westeros family Black Hawk helicopters took off from the East River, carrying Simon's group. About half an hour later, they arrived at the easternmost point of Long Island, 200 kilometers away.
The housekeeper, Angie, had already led a group of maids to prepare one of the seaside estates.
Throughout the journey, Chen Qing had been talking to Simon about the progress of the dancer selection for the National Style Art Troupe. Over the past two months, since the end of November, the selection team had received over 260,000 applications. This was largely due to China being at a point of reform in this particular field.
Before the 1990s, China had a large number of cultural and artistic troupes under various departments. As the country continued its reforms, many of these organizations were being drastically downsized. Even those that remained were often struggling, and what was once a stable job no longer seemed secure. Many people began looking for new opportunities.
It was at this point that the National Style Art Troupe began recruiting.
Offering ten times the typical salary for an artist, based in a major city like Shanghai, and with the chance to perform abroad, it was a dream come true for many. On top of that, the troupe had placed ads in a prominent newspaper, and given the credibility of that publication, no one doubted the offer's legitimacy.
As a result, the past two months had been, in Chen Qing's words, "pure chaos."
If it weren't for her strong leadership and her decision to fire a group of selectors who had been trying to manipulate the process during the interviews, there's no telling what kind of people might have been chosen.
Regardless, with sufficient budget support, the selection process had moved quickly, and now only 1,000 candidates remained.
Inside the East Hampton estate.
Once everyone settled into a sitting room, Chen Qing opened a large suitcase she had brought along, which was filled with photos of the finalists. "Actually, these 1,000 girls are already excellent, being the top from a pool of 260,000. Lin and I personally participated in some of the interviews, and we've watched all of the audition tapes to make sure no one slipped through by mistake. So, boss, take a look and see if there are any you particularly like. We can finalize things that way."
As she spoke, Chen Qing took out a beautifully bound album from the suitcase and handed it to Simon.
Simon opened the large album, filled with photos of girls dressed in pale green traditional water-sleeved dance costumes, posing on a stage.
This was based on the "Caiwei" dance sketches Simon had given to Chen Qing not long ago. Clearly, she had put a lot of thought into it. Each page of the album displayed four photos, with only one photo per girl. Their posture and dance skills were evident even from these static images.
Simon slowly flipped through the album, appreciating the girls chosen based on his criteria. He began to understand the saying about not recognizing one's own wife.
The girls all looked similar—slender waists, bare feet, delicate oval faces, graceful figures, and elegant, classical charm.
Seeing so many similar faces made it hard to differentiate them after a while.
Still, seeing them all together would definitely satisfy Simon's taste for orderliness.
As Simon flipped through the pages, Chen Qing occasionally offered explanations. After looking at about a hundred girls, she added, "Boss, you could easily pick more. Even choosing all 1,000 of them wouldn't be a problem. Also, I still think there's no need to offer them such high salaries. Even the 2,000 RMB monthly salary we advertised would be considered incredibly generous in China."
Simon imagined the scene of 1,000 girls dancing together but quickly found his mind wandering to thoughts of calisthenics. He shook his head, "What's the point of so many? 100 is enough. Continue with the selection. Besides, I've recently picked out some names—exactly 100. From now on, that's what they'll be called. Hmm, do this: have some jade plaques made, one for each girl, engraved with their new name."
"Names?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled.
Simon motioned to a nearby maid for a pen and began writing in beautiful calligraphy on the album.
Chen Qing quickly saw the names appearing.
Each one consisted of two characters.
And all were obviously from the Book of Songs.
"Guàn jū," "Cēn cī," "Yǎotiǎo," "Táoyāo," "Zǐjīn," "Shǔlí," "Jiānjiā," "Cǎiwēi," "Yǒuhú," "Qīyuè," "Yírén," "Xiǎo wǎn," "Fánshuāng," "Xiǎo míng," "Cǎipíng"...
Sitting quietly on the other side, Lin Su was listening to Simon, and as each name appeared under his pen, her mouth unconsciously opened slightly. She was impressed both by Simon's graceful calligraphy and by the beauty of the names themselves. Many of them were truly elegant.
Simon wrote more than a dozen names before stopping. He handed the pen back to the maid and said to Chen Qing, "In total, there are
100. I'll give you the full list tomorrow."
Chen Qing nodded, and unlike Lin Su, who remained composed, she showed open admiration. "Boss, these names are amazing. I really wish you were my dad. If that were the case, I wouldn't have such a plain name as Chen Qing."
Lin Su, hearing the obvious flirtation in Chen Qing's voice, rolled her eyes slightly and couldn't help but point out, "This name here, 'Xiao Ming,' is that from The Book of Songs too?"
Simon glanced at Lin Su and replied, "Yes. You should take the time to memorize The Book of Songs. I'll quiz you later."
Lin Su froze.
What?!
She had only asked a small question, and now she was being punished?
Seeing Lin Su's frustrated expression, Chen Qing, though amused, knew better than to show it. She didn't want to end up on the receiving end of the same punishment.
But Simon didn't let her off either. He turned to Chen Qing and asked, "What do you think of the name 'Xiao Ming'?"
Uh...
What could she say?
Should she bluntly tell him that the name reminded her of the outdated "Tom" and "Lucy" from her early English textbooks? No, she couldn't say that.
While Chen Qing was still trying to form a response, Simon continued, "Alright, you can memorize The Book of Songs too."
Chen Qing immediately switched to a pitiful tone, "Boss, I think the name is great. Really, it's perfect!"
Simon said, "Good, then…"
Before Simon could finish, Chen Qing quickly grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Boss, I'll memorize it, I swear!"
Seeing her clinging to his arm, Simon didn't press further and, with a smile, stopped her from continuing. He took out one of the girls' photos from the album and began writing a poem from Yu Ji's The Wind Enters the Pines. While writing, he remarked, "'The Book of Songs, Xiao Ya, Xiao Ming.' It's a 'farewell poem,' advising against wasting one's life on trivial tasks, similar to Yu Ji's 'Spring Rain in the South of the Yangtze.' Chinese really is beautiful."
His tone was calm, and his pen strokes steady, yet both women were inexplicably moved.
When Simon finished copying the poem, Chen Qing finally spoke again, "Boss, when are you going to China next? A lot of people are waiting for you."
Simon smiled and said, "I'm not sure. Maybe in a few months, during the spring rains."
Chen Qing beamed, "Then it's settled. Spring rains in Jiangnan."
Simon nodded. "Alright."
Chen Qing helped place the photo back in the album and added, "And about those names, how will they be assigned? Um, could I have one?"
"You want to change your name to Chen Xiao Ming?"
Chen Qing's eyes sparkled as she replied, "Whatever name you give me, I'll take it."
"And what do you think I should call you?"
Chen Qing leaned in closer, whispering something softly into Simon's ear.
Lin Su, sitting on the other side, overheard her words and couldn't help but roll her eyes again. Disgusted, she muttered silently, Shameless!
After whispering in Simon's ear, Chen Qing tightened her grip on his arm and smiled, "Boss, how about we go to bed early?"
Simon shook his head. After last night, he had resolved to abstain for a week. Besides, he wasn't tired yet, so he had no intention of "resting" early. Instead, he continued flipping through the album and said, "Tomorrow, you and Lin will return to China. I have another project for you two. When you leave, ask A to give you the documents."
Back in China, it was already nearing the Lunar New Year.
Chen Qing and Lin Su would be staying in China until after the holiday.
It wasn't just for the New Year.
Aside from managing the National Style Art Troupe and several other ongoing projects, the two women were also working on setting up a computer company and collaborating with Swiss model Charlotte Brunetta on an international school project.
The computer company had already been registered under the name "Excellence Technology," and the computer brand would naturally be called "Excellence Computers."
A rather ordinary name.
Chen Qing had once asked Simon for suggestions, but he had dismissed names like "Xiaomi" or "Hammer," claiming they were too ridiculous, even if Simon tried to argue that names like that would bring good fortune. Unconvinced, Chen Qing had chosen "Excellence" herself.
It was a plain name, but easy to remember, which fit the typical naming style for tech companies in China at the time.
The international school project had also moved forward, with preparations entering the final stages. They were currently scouting locations in Shanghai, though they had ruled out the initially proposed Pudong area, as it had yet to develop fully.
At that moment, hearing Simon mention a new project, Chen Qing's curiosity was piqued. She eagerly asked, "Boss, what is it?"
Simon replied, "It's just an investment in a person—the one building the skyscraper in Zhuhai. If you've been following, you should know about it."
Chen Qing immediately remembered, "The 'Giant' project?"
Simon nodded. To avoid his intentions seeming too abrupt, he gave an explanation: "It's a case from the Cersei Capital China Economic Research Institute in Shanghai. I've read the materials and am quite optimistic about the person behind Giant. When you return, meet with him. Don't rush anything, just have a casual chat. If needed, offer some funding."
Chen Qing hesitated. "Are we supposed to help him finish the Giant Building? Boss, that doesn't sound like a good idea."
Simon shook his head. "Of course not. That kind of oversized, misaligned project—I'm not a sucker. Just wait for him to go bankrupt, and if he comes up with another business idea, we'll invest. He's quite talented, just took a wrong step."
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