New York, at Elite's headquarters near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, a new media operation department, which has grown increasingly important at Elite over the past two years, was conducting an interview personally overseen by Grace Spolet.
It was Monday morning, April 22.
The interview was based on a suggestion Simon had suddenly made during a phone call a few days ago.
Grace had always been completely obedient to Simon's suggestions, carrying them out as quickly and diligently as possible, even if failure were a possibility.
Most of the time, though, he was right.
Based on Simon's proposal, Grace swiftly organized Elite's team to discuss a tailored plan to create a few internet celebrities under the "Ordinary Girl" concept, which focused on showcasing the daily lives of normal, relatable girls.
Of course, these "ordinary" girls needed to possess some unique appeal that could attract viewers.
The internet was still in its 1.0 era, and platforms like YouTube had just opened up on a large scale. No one truly knew the right formula yet, so it was a matter of trial and error. Luckily, Simon had provided enough guidance.
The first step was to choose candidates with distinctive traits.
It wasn't just about being pretty.
That was important, of course, but besides a good face, there needed to be other attributes, like a great figure or a pleasant voice, that would immediately grab viewers' attention.
Next was to target a specific audience.
The internet's vast user base meant no content could cater to everyone. Attempting to do so would only lead to failure. Content creators had to define their target audience. With the internet's immense scale, even a niche category, if successful, could generate enough followers for a content creator to thrive indefinitely.
Lastly, the content itself.
While the concept revolved around everyday life, there still needed to be substance. Topics like fashion, makeup tips, life hacks, and catchy phrases or quirks that could captivate an audience.
Much of this could be planned.
Just like reality TV, which appears spontaneous, but always follows a script.
At noon, the morning interview ended, and Grace temporarily left. Her assistant, Michelle Sonam, followed her down the office corridor and said, "I think Christina Hendricks is a great pick. You know, Grace, with her body... once viewers see her, they won't look away. Her voice is sweet too, and she's studied acting. She seemed so natural in front of the camera."
Grace agreed but felt a bit regretful. "She's about to turn 21, though, which is a bit old."
"I don't think it's an issue. We could sign her to a seven-year contract. By the time it's up, she'll only be 28. If she takes care of herself, her appearance won't change much," Michelle said as they ascended the internal staircase. She hesitated before asking, "Grace, I'd like to personally take charge of this project. Do you think that's possible?"
Grace glanced at her and smiled. "You want to lead the project?"
Michelle Sonam was a bit nervous but nodded. "Yes."
Even though she was Grace's top assistant, she couldn't do that job forever. In a talent agency, career progression often involved starting as an assistant and then moving up to become an agent. Since Elite's restructuring, it had adopted Hollywood's CAA-style cross-representation model, which significantly reduced the power of agents. Jumping ship with talent was no longer an option, but becoming an agent was still better than remaining an assistant.
Grace thought for a moment and then nodded. "You can start working with Sally. But Michelle, this project is important. If you do well, I'll continue to promote you. But if you mess it up, the consequences will be serious."
Michelle had an inkling of the project's significance. Understanding its weight, she nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Grace, I'll do my best."
Grace smiled encouragingly and added, "Since you like Christina Hendricks, sign her as soon as possible, and pick four more girls. I'll handle the YouTube promotion resources for you. You have five girls, and YouTube's resources, so Michelle, failure is not an option."
Michelle nodded again and added, "In that case, I can lead this afternoon's interview myself."
"No need. My entire day has been set aside for this."
They arrived at Grace's office.
Her second assistant, Sally Callan, had just returned with lunch. When she saw Grace, she stood up to greet her.
Instead of heading to the adjacent dining room, Grace walked through the assistant's office area and asked Sally, "Is Ms. Levison still here?"
Sally nodded. "Yes, Ms. Levison has been watching TV all morning."
Grace headed toward her office and instructed, "Set up lunch, and you can chat about the morning's activities."
She entered the office.
Inside the spacious executive office, a graceful and elegant woman was lounging on the sofa, wearing a form-fitting light blue dress. She resembled a lazy yet poised Persian cat. It was Bryce Levison.
Seeing Grace enter, Bryce shifted the pillow under her head and patted the space beside her. "Grace, let me lean on you for a bit. You really should replace this sofa."
"Would you prefer I add a bed?" Grace rolled her eyes but still sat beside Bryce, allowing her to rest her head on her lap as they both looked at the television.
The TV showed scenes from China.
A young man's figure stood out in a grand reception ceremony, looking increasingly majestic.
Judging by the time zone difference, it had been over ten hours since this happened.
In recent days, the world's attention had followed Simon Westeros on his journey to the distant East.
It all started two days ago.
On April 20, Saturday at 10 a.m., two Boeing 767 private jets and three Boeing 747 business jets took off one after another from Los Angeles International Airport.
Destination: China.
Simon was officially embarking on another trip to China.
The five planes, carrying nearly 800 people, stunned global media, making it a hot topic of debate.
In the office, Bryce Levison watched for a while before grumbling, "What's he showing off for, that little rascal."
Grace smiled, knowing why Bryce was annoyed. "If you wanted to go, why didn't you join him this time? Instead, you came here to bother me."
"Why didn't you go?"
"I'm busy."
"Well... what's the point of going anyway? Janet's there too."
Grace looked at her. "Are you afraid of Janet?"
"Aren't you?"
"Why should I be?"
"You don't know how wild that woman is... she actually hit me."
Grace widened her eyes, surprised. "Hit you? Really? And you just let her?"
From what Grace knew of Bryce's character, she wasn't one to take things lying down.
Bryce became even more indignant. "If she had done it herself, of course, I would've fought back. But, can you imagine? She... you know, the Westeros family has those female guards, the really tough ones."
Hearing this, Grace also felt a bit uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "When did this happen? And Simon didn't know?"
"Of course, that brat knew, and he didn't do anything about it."
"Did they hurt you?"
"No, if they had, I would've fought back. But, hey," Bryce seemed to realize something and changed the subject, pointing to the TV. "Did you see? The Westeros Effect has struck Asia again. This time, it's even funnier."
Grace was used to Bryce's mercurial nature and didn't press further. She also knew what the Westeros Effect referred to, so she shifted the conversation. "The Westeros Effect? Japan's stock market crashed again?"
"Not just Japan. Honestly, it's gotten so ridiculous that I'm tempted to buy some futures myself and send him away somewhere. He's like a god of misfortune."
While the two women joked, the reality in Asia was far from lighthearted. Countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia were in turmoil, feeling as though they had suddenly fallen into a runaway elevator.
Because...
The effects of Simon Westeros' trip to China were almost immediate.
The Westeros Effect.
Yes, the same phenomenon that had terrified Japan in recent years.
But this time, it wasn't just Japan; most of East and Southeast Asia were caught in the whirlwind.
On April 22, the first day of the new trading week, Japan's stock market, which had been slowly recovering from last year's crash, plummeted at the opening bell. At one point during the day, the Nikkei 225 fell by 6.3%. By the close, the index had dropped 4.9%, sliding from 16,893 points to 16,065 points in just one day.
Meanwhile, stock markets in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia also plunged, with most markets falling by around 5%. South Korea's market suffered the worst, with a 7.6% drop—absolutely brutal.
On April 23, as governments scrambled to issue statements to stabilize the markets, they quickly realized they had been too optimistic. Not only was there no rebound, but with the signing of several agreements between the Westeros system and China that morning, the Asian markets took another dive.
Once again, Japan led the charge.
The Nikkei 225 fell another 6.3% throughout the day, closing at 15,053 points, marking a two-day total loss of 10.9%.
At this rate, even a slight additional dip would push Japan's stock market back to the darkest days of early last
year when it first plunged below 15,000 points after a decade of rising above that mark in the 1980s. Many had believed such a collapse was behind them, yet in just two days, the Nikkei had hovered dangerously close to the 15,000 threshold again.
South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and other Asian countries fared no better.
By the end of Tuesday, the average decline across Asian markets exceeded 7%, an even bleaker outcome than the previous day.
In stark contrast to Japan and South Korea, the stock markets of China and the U.S. reached new highs.
This sudden financial upheaval left everyone scrambling.
But when analyzed closely, it all made perfect sense.
China, with its population of 1.2 billion, was a massive untapped market. Moreover, its economy was rapidly rising, posing an inherent threat to other Asian economies. Simon's trip to China had effectively eliminated many of the concerns foreign investors had about the country, leading to an inevitable influx of capital in the coming years.
Capital, however, is finite.
Given China's massive scale, when capital shifts focus, the first to suffer are neighboring Asian countries.
For developed economies like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, this meant not only facing fierce competition from Western capital in investment, but also in exports to China, as Western companies would begin to compete with the advantages these countries had previously enjoyed due to their geographic proximity.
For countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, whose economies relied heavily on low- and mid-range manufacturing, they were now set to face even more intense competition from China, where production costs were lower. This would inevitably lead to a loss of competitiveness and subsequent economic decline.
Thus, the capital markets reacted swiftly.
In the original timeline, the development of these Asian countries followed a similar trajectory.
Japan's "Lost Decades," for instance, were not only due to domestic economic policy failures and external pressure from the U.S., but also because China's rise effectively siphoned away much of Japan's economic momentum. As for Southeast Asia, after the Asian financial crisis, combined with China's growth, they gradually lost their presence on the global stage.
Simon's highly publicized trip to China merely accelerated these long-term trends, resulting in the sharp market crashes across Asia.
After two days of public engagements, Simon disappeared from the spotlight.
When asked about his whereabouts, the Westeros system's official statement was that the couple had begun a private vacation and did not wish to be disturbed. Judging by various reports, it was clear that Simon and Janet were still in China.
This marked yet another significant difference.
Freedom.
If Simon were a government official, he wouldn't be able to disappear at will. Even if he managed to avoid the public eye temporarily, there would still be official records of his every move. While outsiders might envy the grandeur, only those within the system would understand that the lack of private time was far from desirable.
But when Simon and Janet wanted to avoid public attention, it was as if they cast a spell and vanished.
No one could find them.
This brought a huge sense of relief to Japan and other Asian countries.
As the Westeros couple stepped out of the spotlight, so too did the Westeros Effect.
On April 24, Wednesday, after many sleepless nights, Japan's stock market finally rebounded when trading resumed. For the first time, it did not spiral further into the abyss. Other Asian markets also saw mixed results, but the devastation of the previous two days had subsided.
To ensure that this "good fortune" wasn't interrupted, many reached out to the Westeros system with requests, asking Simon not to make any more public appearances for the time being.
Japan even offered something tangible in return.
If Simon stayed out of the spotlight, Sony, Panasonic, and Canon would drop their patent infringement lawsuits against Tinkerbell regarding digital cameras and camcorders, and the two sides could reach a private settlement.
This was both a favor and a way to save face.
Tinkerbell was still a young company and didn't have the deep technological roots of Japan's longstanding electronics giants. Many of its components were still sourced from these companies. As Tinkerbell grew rapidly, Sony and other firms felt threatened and frequently used patent litigation to try to stifle it.
Unfortunately, this strategy hadn't worked.
Tinkerbell's primary market was still the U.S., and even if the Japanese companies had the upper hand in legal terms, the U.S. government would have to be crazy to suppress one of its own rapidly growing tech giants at Japan's behest.
Since Simon had no intention of making any more appearances, he had James confirm their acceptance of Japan's offer.
On the other hand, Simon's trip to China was having an equally significant impact there.
The stock market's growth was just one aspect.
Across China, many foreign investment projects that had been in negotiations saw their talks speed up. Deals that had been in the preliminary stages quickly moved into formal negotiations, and many major Western corporations began preparing to send investment delegations to China.
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