Bab 269: Chapter 269: Surprise
San Francisco.
In Palo Alto, where tech companies cluster in the southern part of the Bay Area, Tim Berners-Lee, with the support of Westeros Corporation's funding and Silicon Valley's rich technological human resources, has rapidly established the basic framework of the Egregore Company within a month of arriving in the United States.
The headquarters of Egregore Company is located in a three-story white building on Serman Street, east of Stanford University.
Having returned from Europe, Simon has been in close contact with Tim Berners-Lee via phone. Today, having some time, he flies to San Francisco to personally check on this tech company, crucial to his plans.
Tim Berners-Lee personally welcomes Simon to the Egregore Company headquarters. As they enter the ground floor lobby, they simultaneously stop in their tracks.
The lobby is a horizontally elongated rectangle, not very large in size.
Aside from the reception desk, the most eye-catching feature is a phrase inlaid on the wall behind the desk with colorful letters: "You know nothing."
Satisfied after a moment's inspection, Simon notices Tim Berners-Lee seems about to say something while looking at the phrase on the wall and quickly stops him: "Tim, don't say anything. You could never grasp the true meaning of these words."
Tim Berners-Lee nods slightly but still says, "I just feel like this sentence has a meaning of warning to the world. No matter how hard we try, our understanding of the world remains superficial."
Simon almost laughs, feeling it unfair to tease the honest man too much, and forcibly holds back, patting Lee on the shoulder: "Exactly, so, let's go inside."
Tim Berners-Lee senses something off in Simon's expression but doesn't probe further.
As they reach the first floor's working area, Lee introduces the newly hired employees to Simon while explaining his work accomplishments over the past month.
"I've completed the most basic technical framework for the World Wide Web and filed patent applications in major countries in North America and Europe. Simon, this is Michael Levi, the leader of the first-floor team, mainly responsible for perfecting HTML and HTTP technical standards."
The Internet is a concept that officially took shape in the 90s.
However, the World Wide Web, or WWW technology, is Tim Berners-Lee's conception, which can be considered the foundation of the internet. Years later, most web pages accessible to the general public start with WWW, highlighting the importance of this technology.
After communicating with the first-floor employees, they head upstairs.
The three-story building isn't very large. Including Tim Berners-Lee, Egregore Company currently has 39 employees, so there's some space left in the building. However, Lee plans to expand the staff to 100 people in the coming months, divided into several teams responsible for developing browser software, web design software, and basic technical protocols.
Simon hasn't set a strict timetable for Egregore Company. According to Lee's plan, the company needs only six months to complete its two core products: a user-oriented browser software and a developer-oriented web design software.
Software development isn't as grand as ordinary people might imagine.
While working in Europe, Lee had already designed a very primitive web browser software in his spare time, which required users to set various connection parameters themselves, unusable by ordinary people, lacking features like 'home page', 'download', 'favorites', etc.
Egregore's next goal is to develop a 'fool-proof' graphical interface browser. When Simon and Lee met in Geneva, Simon provided him with a mature graphical interface browser design concept remembered from the future.
After touring the teams in the three-story building and bringing Simon to the office, Tim Berners-Lee excitedly introduces him to a prototype website he recently constructed using his past technical expertise. Although the website can only display basic information about the newly hired employees of Egregore Company, Simon can confirm this is probably the world's first network site using HTTP protocol and HTML language.
Simon has much work to do and only stays in Palo Alto for the morning. After having lunch with a few key employees of Egregore Company, he flies back to Los Angeles.
Daenerys Entertainment's Falcon jet lands directly at a private airport in the San Fernando Valley.
Arriving at the nearby Warner Bros., Simon has just parked his car and is about to head to the post-production center when a white sedan drives in.
Noticing a woman's figure in the driver's seat, Simon hesitates for a moment whether to pretend not to see and leave but eventually stops.
The white sedan parks, and Renee Russell, wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress today, gets out of the car and looks towards Simon.
Seeing that the man hasn't left, Renee Russell closes the car door, carrying a brown handbag, and walks towards him.
However, approaching, she hesitates whether to shake hands or hug, but smiles and greets warmly, "Good afternoon, Simon."
Simon nods and starts walking out of the parking lot.
Renee Russell naturally follows, feeling somewhat resentful about the man's inexplicable coldness but dares not show it.
After a moment of silence, Simon finally asks, "What are you doing here?"
"Reading for 'Goodfellas' over in the administration area."
"Oh."
Simon acknowledges and remembers the event.
Martin Scorsese's new film "Goodfellas," funded by Warner, is partly due to Simon's influence that Renee Russell was able to join the cast. With three male leads, Warner was initially dissatisfied with Scorsese's decision to cast Ray Liotta alongside big names like De Niro and Joe Pesci, considering Liotta's lower profile.
As the lead actress in "Goodfellas," without Simon's recommendation, Renee Russell, with only one film to her acting resume, would have struggled to land the role.
Robert De Niro is currently busy promoting "The Sixth Sense," and "Goodfellas" is scheduled to start shooting in July. However, today is June 21, and it's time for the actors to begin rehearsals.
Exiting the north gate's parking lot on a workday, the studio is bustling.
Renee Russell sticks close to Simon, hearing almost everyone greet him along the way. His bodyguards block several people attempting to approach him, and she feels a prideful satisfaction. Being by his side, she senses the envy from passing girls.
After all, this is Westeros.
In recent weeks, when almost everyone thought Daenerys Entertainment's "The Bodyguard" would flop, its soundtrack created a miracle by selling over a million copies for two consecutive weeks. And in terms of box office, "The Bodyguard" saw only an 11% drop in its third weekend, reaching over $56 million in just two and a half weeks.
With such minor drops over two weeks, "The Hollywood Reporter" has adjusted its box office projection for "The Bodyguard" to $120 million.
In contrast, "Ghostbusters II," which had almost double "The Bodyguard's" opening weekend box office, saw a 55% drop in its second weekend. This sharp decline led "The Hollywood Reporter" to predict a total North American gross of only $100 million for "Ghostbusters II."
Renee Russell vividly remembers "The Hollywood Reporter's" commentary on "The Bodyguard."
After Lawrence Kasdan, the golden screenwriter behind "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Star Wars," completed the script for "The Bodyguard" in the 70s, it was rejected over sixty times by nearly all Hollywood studios.
However, once the script landed in Simon Westeros's hands, and despite widespread skepticism even after its release, "The Bodyguard" miraculously achieved record-breaking soundtrack sales and far exceeded everyone's box office expectations.
"The Hollywood Reporter" praised the film, largely attributing its success to the young Simon Westeros, who seems to possess a talent for creating miracles.
Now, she walks beside him, envied by many other women.
Even though he's cold towards her, she understands that being seen with him, even for this short distance, will make her journey in Hollywood smoother.
Hollywood is superstitious about authority.
With a budget of $25 million for "Goodfellas," even as Hollywood film budgets have generally inflated in recent years, this figure is substantial.
It's said that Warner would not have approved the project if De Niro hadn't agreed to participate, despite Martin Scorsese being the director. Now, with Simon Westeros's interest, Warner seems to have gained more confidence in the project.
In recent meetings, both "Goodfellas'" director Martin Scorsese and producer Irwin Winkler have subtly inquired about Simon Westeros's opinions on the script. Being a newcomer without strong Hollywood connections, she's not treated as a typical new actress would be; instead, they naturally regard her as Simon Westeros's lover.
Initially worried about being disrespected because of this status, she gradually realizes most people are just envious.
Through casual conversations in the circle, she learns that compared to many Hollywood celebrities, the young, famously ascended Simon Westeros leads a very restrained personal life. The women who make it to his side are few and far between, highlighting her luck.
Lucky?
Perhaps. She's not naïve. Facing such a support that could make her career much easier, it's hard to refuse. At 35, she's long lost the idealism of a young girl and is fully aware of how rare such an opportunity is in this industry.
But.
Most people probably don't know that since they met, she and he have only seen each other twice.
Including today, three times.
The administrative area of the studio is in the southeast corner, and they soon reach the post-production center.
Seeing him about to enter the post-production center so detachedly, her bitterness intensifies, yet she takes the initiative to ask, "Simon, um, would you like to have dinner together tonight?"
Simon stops, looks at the woman beside him, shakes his head, "I'm a bit tired today, maybe next time."
Watching his figure disappear, she feels a surge of tears but suppresses it.
There are several onlookers around; she can't afford to lose composure, especially over a man so much younger than her.
Too undignified.
After taking a deep breath and smiling at a couple looking at her, she slings her handbag over her shoulder and walks towards the administrative area as if nothing happened.
She spends the afternoon in a daze.
In the evening, when Simon leaves the studio, he doesn't encounter Renee Russell again, but Scorsese comes to greet him in the afternoon.
Arriving at Daenerys Entertainment's Burbank branch, his female assistant is waiting to report some matters needing his attention today.
Columbia Pictures announced the release date for "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" on July 7, and Universal also announced today that "Cinema Paradiso," the Cannes Palme d'Or winner, will be released on July 28.
Many things have changed.
"Sex, Lies, and Videotape" didn't win the Palme d'Or, and Columbia's marketing strategy doesn't seem as effective as Miramax's to Simon, making the film's box office prospects uncertain.
As for "Cinema Paradiso," choosing a late July release seems even more misguided to Simon.
The original "Cinema Paradiso" was re-edited for its North American release. Now, with just two months to go, Simon doubts Universal can carefully re-edit the film. If it's released in its original two-and-a-half-hour version, its fate is even more unpredictable.
Moreover, unlike Miramax, which benefited from the award season's long promotional campaign, Universal can only rely on "Cinema Paradiso's" Cannes Palme d'Or fame for publicity.
To Simon, the Palme d'Or's influence in North America isn't as significant as in Europe. Especially compared to last year's "Pulp Fiction," with stars like De Niro and Redford, "Cinema Paradiso," an Italian film, is at a clear disadvantage.
These thoughts briefly pass through Simon's mind before he dismisses them.
After finishing work and talking with Jennifer, he leaves the Burbank branch on time.
Driving south through the mountain roads, Simon idly looks out the window, suddenly remembering Janet's advice before leaving Melbourne.
Girls love surprises.
And indeed, it's been a while since he visited her.
Deciding, he instructs Neil Bennett, the driver, to arrange a flight, planning to fly to Australia tonight.
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