Chasing Stars in Hollywood

The U.S. presidential election does not implement a unified national popular vote system but a special Electoral College system.

The Electoral College system means that each state in the United States has a certain number of electoral votes.

In the U.S. presidential election, the voting results of the voters in each state determine the target of the corresponding electoral votes of that state. The presidential candidate's victory is determined by the number of electoral votes they finally receive, not by the total number of votes nationwide.

This "winner-takes-all" election system means that, apart from the deeply entrenched Democratic and Republican parties, it is very difficult for candidates from other parties to win the election.

In fact, over two hundred years of U.S. history, apart from the very first president, George Washington, no president has come from a third party outside of the Democratic and Republican parties.

Ross Perot's candidacy, although it aroused strong media and public attention, was clearly seen by those with insight as having a very slim chance of breaking the entrenched two-party political monopoly in the United States.

However, as Ross Perot attracted more and more attention, neither of the two main parties could afford to underestimate this independent candidate.

Recent attacks on Ross Perot in some conservative media were obviously orchestrated.

In Simon's memory, it wasn't just media attacks. To stop Perot from running, the Bush administration even resorted to some unscrupulous means.

Under pressure, Ross Perot temporarily withdrew from the election, but this strong-willed billionaire eventually re-entered the race and achieved an unprecedented 19% support rate for an independent candidate.

By siphoning off a significant number of votes that would have gone to the Bush camp, he greatly contributed to George H. W. Bush's failure to secure re-election.

Simon had bet on Clinton last year and had been quietly investing funds and resources to promote this candidate over the past six months.

However, in Simon's view, Clinton, with his shallow political experience, could only win this presidential election by taking an alternative approach.

Simply put, ensuring Ross Perot's candidacy to split Bush's votes.

"A friend of mine has been doing media relations for the Perot family. I've talked to him, and I recently attended a party hosted by Ross Perot through this connection. Overall, he is a very strong-willed and self-confident person, prone to stubbornness and not keen on taking advice," Joseph Schrapf introduced Ross Perot in the Greenwich estate's reception room. "Regarding the recent media attacks, Perot is very angry, feeling that he has been treated unfairly, which has greatly strengthened his resolve to continue running."

Janet personally brought in coffee.

Joseph paused his narration temporarily. After Janet poured coffee for everyone and sat down beside Simon, he continued, "However, I believe Perot's determination will not last long because the Republicans will definitely apply pressure not only in the media.

"For example, Perot's computer services company is currently planning to assist several major securities and commodities exchanges in establishing a new online trading system. This is a big deal and requires approval from the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), the Department of Justice, and other departments.

"If Perot insists on running, the Republicans might create obstacles for Perot's company in these areas. Perot should be very clear about this; his chances of winning the election are low. Damaging his company's interests for this election would be a loss, so he might ultimately choose to withdraw from the race."

Wherever there is a government, there is always the use of public power to suppress opponents.

The United States is no exception.

The Watergate scandal, for instance, saw the Nixon administration threatening to deny the Washington Post Group a cable TV license to prevent the Washington Post's reporting. The Washington Post Group almost succumbed.

Of course, we all know the final outcome.

But apart from that, there have been countless similar incidents.

Two acquisition cases by the Westeros system last year encountered some Republican harassment and warnings because Simon leaned towards the Democratic Party.

With his large family business, Ross Perot belongs to the "rich who fear the barefoot," hesitant to push forward if he continues to run for office.

In the 1980s, Ross Perot frequently appeared at the top of Forbes' rich list. In the 1990s, with the rise of the new tech wave, the Perot family's computer services business seemed to have faded, possibly related to the political pressure following Perot's insistence on running in the 1992 presidential election.

After years of collaboration, Joseph Schrapf had earned Simon's trust and knew most of Simon's strategies.

Listening to Joseph, Simon roughly understood that this was a reminder: if he wanted Ross Perot to continue his presidential bid, he needed to help resolve some "back-end concerns."

Simon wasn't well-acquainted with Ross Perot, but he could help with issues like the online trading system using the Westeros system's connections.

Furthermore, after explaining the situation to the Democrats, the Democratic camp would likely also work to encourage Perot to continue running.

Although the White House cabinet is currently under Republican control, the Democratic presence is not lacking. The SEC is a congressional government agency, and after the midterm elections two years ago, both the Senate and the House are under Democratic control.

After discussing the details of encouraging Ross Perot's continued candidacy, Joseph Schrapf handed over some documents from Clinton's team, mainly hoping Simon could use the Egret portal platform to provide media support for Clinton's campaign.

This presidential election requires Simon to do more than just follow the tide; he won't invest heavily.

Again, the position of U.S. President involves small investments and huge returns, attracting too many interests.

For Simon, getting too involved could be detrimental.

The Westeros system's primary expansion targets in politics remain senators and representatives with substantial power but less attention.

Therefore, after discussing the matter for just over twenty minutes, Joseph Schrapf shifted to the lobbying progress on several telecom and media industry bills that the Westeros system was following.

Recently, Simon has been most concerned about the bill to lift the restriction preventing telecom operators from entering the telecom equipment manufacturing field.

After launching the first GSM digital phone last year, Nokia's expansion in the European market has been rapid. In the U.S., North America's largest telecom operator AT&T and Westeros' Verizon are both deploying GSM mobile communication systems.

If Nokia cannot quickly enter the North American market, even with the advantage of Verizon as a channel operator, falling behind will make it increasingly difficult to open the North American market.

Fortunately, not only the Westeros system but also giants like AT&T are pushing for the liberalization of telecom industry regulations.

While lifting the restrictions on merging long-distance calls, cable TV, and other businesses will take another year or two, the ban on telecom operators entering the telecom equipment manufacturing field is likely to be lifted by the end of this year.

Then, Nokia can enter the North American market.

In the media field, after Sony acquired Columbia, with more Japanese and European companies eyeing Hollywood's major studios, the trend to lift the ban on mergers between media content providers and channel operators seems inevitable.

At the latest, this ban will be lifted next year.

By then, traditional Big Three TV networks and major Hollywood studios can merge, allowing FOX, which owns 20th Century Fox, to expand its scale and fully become the fourth major TV network in the U.S., alongside the three old public networks.

Since the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act was enacted, the U.S. has been continuously limiting the expansion of large corporate giants for a century. Standard Oil was broken up, the Paramount Decree was issued, AT&T was split into seven companies, and many other industries have faced numerous antitrust restrictions.

As the saying goes, "things that separate for long must come together."

At least in Simon's memory of the next thirty years, the U.S. maintained a more or less laissez-faire attitude towards the expansion of corporate giants.

This country will enter the next "golden age" of capital.

Continued expansion under globalization will maintain the competitiveness of American corporate giants worldwide, but this expansion will also stifle innovation and hinder industry development, making it hard to judge whether it's good or bad.

However, for the Westeros system, the next thirty years will undoubtedly be the best time.

Various matters were discussed the entire morning. After keeping Joseph Schrapf for lunch and seeing him off, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

It happened to be a sunny day, with a hint of warmth in the early spring sunlight.

On a terrace of the manor villa, there was a large lounge chair, and Janet, like a cat enjoying the spring, nestled next to Simon.

Indeed, "spring" had arrived.

After resting for a few months post-childbirth, they could finally make love passionately last night, which is why they got up late this morning. When Joseph Schrapf arrived at nine o'clock, they had just finished breakfast.

Simon also closed his eyes comfortably, feeling the warm afternoon sun and the soft, fragrant woman in his arms. After an indeterminate amount of time, with the sun obscured by the terrace wall, he softly asked, "Darling, how do you plan to celebrate your birthday?"

Her birthday was on March 13th, next Friday.

Simon remembered very clearly.

Clinging to Simon, Janet moved her body and scratched him a few times, grumbling, "I don't want to celebrate my birthday."

Simon smiled, "How about we treat it as your 18th birthday?"

"Oww..."

"Alright, alright," Simon patted the woman nibbling on his shoulder, thought for a moment, and said, "How about we go to Australia next week to see the baby?"

"Hmm, it's only been

 a few days. Are you sure you want to see the baby?"

"..."

"Hehe."

Through video communication, they could see the little one in Australia every day.

Originally, Simon had some concerns about the child possibly not adapting well in Australia.

However, this did not happen.

Surrounded by a large family, the little one was even more cherished than in Los Angeles.

Janet often grumbled about the little troublemaker, but as a mother, she was by no means unqualified and always loved children. She just didn't like feeling confined by a little one to her free lifestyle.

As for Simon, after the coma following his first encounter with Veronica, he had a peculiar fusion with the original soul of this body.

Simon's consciousness still dominated this body, but inevitably, many memories and emotions of the original owner influenced him subtly.

In essence, a body fused with over a dozen souls could no longer be purely anyone's.

The current Simon Westeros is just Simon Westeros.

Janet teased again. Seeing Simon not speaking, she propped herself up and looked at him, "How about we go to Manhattan tonight to watch a fashion show? The two 'waist spirits' and 'leg spirits' you nurtured in Europe are here."

At this time, the New York Fashion Week still ranked behind London, Paris, and Milan.

This year's New York Fashion Week officially opened yesterday for ten days.

Last year, Simon casually promoted two models, Yasmin Ghauri and Nadja Auermann, in Milan. Their fame had been rising steadily over the past six months, so they wouldn't miss this New York Fashion Week.

Wrapping his arm around her waist again, Simon pretended to worry, "You're not going to beat them up, are you? They are just ordinary little goblins and can't withstand your big demoness' ravages."

Janet bared her small white teeth, "Little bastard, if I have to beat someone, it should be you."

Simon's slightly raised head fell back down, posing as if he was at her mercy, "Go ahead, I won't resist."

Janet lightly hit Simon and softly muttered, "Little bastard."

Then she snuggled closer, listening to his strong heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump.

Actually, she knew more about it. Those two models, waist spirits and leg spirits, had a lot of money invested in them, a significant amount for ordinary people, yet Simon hadn't slept with them or had any special feelings.

She understood he probably liked the feeling of controlling everything.

God said, let there be light!

It seemed long ago, yet it felt like just yesterday.

When she was once tightly grasped by the wrist, she knew this man was her God.

"Simon."

She couldn't help but softly call out.

A response came to her ear.

"Hmm."

A great sense of satisfaction welled up.

As if they had a telepathic connection, his large hand gently patted her waist.

Time passed slowly until it got completely dark, and they finally left the terrace.

After some discussion, they took a car to Manhattan, picked a nice restaurant for dinner, and then went to Bryant Park in Midtown to watch a fashion show.

Pre-arranged, they arrived just in time for CK's show.

Despite the trend of celebrities attending fashion shows, the presence of Simon and Janet at the CK show still felt like two dinosaurs among chickens.

The photographers on the runway spent more film on the couple than any model on the catwalk.

Fashion shows don't last long, and the two arrived just in time. In less than twenty minutes, a show that might have been months in the making ended.

After Calvin Klein, the founder of CK, took his bow, he personally invited the couple to the subsequent brand party.

He was very courteous.

Simon understood the reason: their appearance at CK's show would bring a significant wave of exposure to the brand.

Moreover, CK was on the brink of bankruptcy.

This was what Janet whispered to Simon upon entering the show.

Sophia had been eyeing this American high-fashion company since the end of last year.

CK's main business of jeans and underwear wouldn't compete much with Gucci.

So, acquiring this well-established brand with over twenty years of history and a solid reputation would be a good complement to Melisandre's fashion business.

Of course, attending tonight's show was purely on a whim for the couple.

Unlike Gucci, CK, though established for over twenty years, was still small, with recent annual sales just surpassing $100 million. Even a full acquisition wouldn't exceed $100 million.

A $100 million deal wouldn't warrant Simon's excessive attention.

Still, he didn't refuse Calvin Klein's party invitation.

Possibly due to financial constraints, despite inviting rising models like Nadja Auermann, Yasmin Ghauri, and Kate Moss, the subsequent party seemed modest, held in a banquet hall of a nearby ordinary hotel.

If not for the couple's appearance, many models and celebrities who participated in the show wouldn't have attended.

Perhaps due to word spreading, as soon as the couple arrived at the CK party, people started arriving one after another. The venue, initially hosting fifty or sixty people, became crowded within half an hour.

Top supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista even showed up.

Nadja Auermann, Yasmin Ghauri, and the just-emerging Kate Moss, though rising stars, couldn't yet be called "supermodels." This highlighted the golden age of supermodels in the 1990s.

When they noticed Janet beside Simon, many ambitious ladies on the scene showed visible disappointment in their eyes.

Nadja Auermann and Yasmin Ghauri's rapid rise over the past six months made many ambitious fashion women feel the magical touch of Simon Westeros, which was even more tempting than his billions.

Who wouldn't want to be the next lucky one touched by the golden hand?

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