Chapter 71: Quite a Coincidence

At the Saguaro National Park in western Tucson, Arizona, it was already the following evening.

The sun was setting.

Simon Westeros leaned against the front of his Chevrolet SUV, smiling as he watched Janet not far away, enthusiastically taking photos around several giant saguaro cacti that were about seven to eight meters tall.

Early this morning, Janet had dragged him out of bed.

They drove north from Colby City to the famous Grand Canyon National Park and enjoyed a full day there. In the afternoon, as they headed back, Janet, still not having had enough, clamored to see the giant saguaro cacti, so they ended up here.

All in all, they had driven over 700 kilometers that day, crossing almost half of Arizona.

Feeling Simon's gaze on her, Janet quickly ran back and said, "These cacti are so big, I really want to take one home. It would be so cool to have one in the yard."

Imagining a seven or eight-meter tall cactus in his own yard, Simon laughed and said, "I don't know about cool, but it would definitely get us in trouble. Alright, we've had a day of fun, should we head back?"

Janet tossed her camera into the car and climbed onto the hood.

Simon looked at Janet as she settled on the hood and patted her leg, saying, "Sit tight, I'm going to drive."

Janet, chuckling, pulled Simon up, saying, "Come on up, boy."

Simon complied without objection, easily hopping up beside her.

The hood of the Chevrolet SUV was spacious enough to comfortably fit both of them.

Seated on the hood and leaning against the windshield, Simon's gaze drifted past the tall cacti to the endless wilderness and the sun sinking into the horizon, evoking a flood of indescribable emotions.

Janet, cozying up like a cat, touched Simon's cheek and asked, "Little boy, do you ever find me too clingy?"

"Not at all," Simon shook his head, "I actually quite like it."

Janet lay down, resting her head on Simon's shoulder, and whispered, "Actually, I can't help it either. And, do you really not remember what day it is today?"

Simon thought for a moment but still shook his head.

Janet reached into Simon's coat pocket, pulled out his wallet, and opened it to show him.

Simon scrutinized the driver's license inside for a moment before realizing, "Oh, it's a birthday, I forgot."

In his past life, Simon never paid much attention to his own birthday, and it was even less significant after his rebirth. He hadn't expected Janet to remember and to have come all the way from Los Angeles just for this.

Moved, he wrapped his arms around her, tightening his embrace.

Janet moved closer, and they kissed.

After a moment, they parted, but Janet still clung to him, caressing his cheek again, saying, "After today, I can't call you 'little boy' anymore. I actually wanted to prepare something special. But since you don't care, I didn't bother. I always thought blowing candles on a cake was kind of silly."

Simon just smiled, feeling Janet's soft body against him, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Speaking of which, I still don't know how old you are. Let me see your driver's license."

"How impolite, asking a lady her age," Janet swatted at him but straightforwardly pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to him: "Here."

Simon looked at it closely.

DOB: 02/22/68.

Hmm? Something seemed off.

He then lifted his own driver's license.

DOB: 02/22/68.

Janet leaned in to look together, then exclaimed, "Wow, what a coincidence, our birthdays are exactly the same!"

"Yeah, quite a coincidence."

Simon, with a resigned look, playfully spanked her twice.

"Ouch, so violent," Janet giggled, squirming and snatching back her 'driver's license.'

Simon had never really cared about Janet's age; he had just asked on a whim. Since she didn't want him to know, he didn't press further.

After his rebirth, Simon found himself detached and indifferent about many things. Although he worked hard at his endeavors, he felt an inexplicable distance and aloofness towards everything around him.

Janet, with her cheek against Simon's chest, quietly listened to his strong heartbeat, then suddenly murmured, "Little boy, I love you, you know?"

Simon, watching the afterglow of the sunset, nodded, "I know."

"But I also know you don't love me," Janet continued softly, placing her hand over Simon's heart, "It's so cold here, I really want to warm it up."

Simon hugged her

, "It's getting dark, we should head back. You can try using a hot compress tonight."

"Not funny," Janet lightly hit him, whispering, "Actually, I really want to know everything about you, but you won't tell me, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Janet gently rubbed her face against Simon's chest, "Little boy, no matter what, I won't become a burden to you. But you have to promise that even if you don't love me in your heart, you'll always indulge me, spoil me, tolerate me."

"Of course, I will," Simon nodded, "But I think it's better if you do become a burden. Without one, I might just go off and destroy the world."

Janet chuckled at Simon's words, "Little boy, do you know what my dream has been since I was little?"

"What is it?"

Janet lifted her head, her eyes earnest as she met Simon's gaze. "To be like the big villains in movies and destroy the world."

Simon showed a relieved smile, "Good thing you're too lazy, or else we'd all be in trouble."

Janet curved her lips into a smile, resting her head back on Simon's chest. "But now, you could help me fulfill that dream."

"That's a tough one. Plus, the world's already a mess; we might as well let it limp along," Simon replied.

Janet's tone turned slightly stubborn, "I don't want that."

"How about we set a smaller target first, like conquering the world?"

"Mmm, that sounds good."

Simon smiled and looked up at the darkening sky, "Then, before we conquer the world, should we head back? We're in the wilderness here, and I'm not even sure if there are wolves in Arizona."

Janet chuckled, holding Simon tightly, "No, I haven't had enough yet."

Simon indulgently pinched Janet's delicate cheek, "Alright, since today is your birthday."

Janet bit playfully at the finger Simon extended toward her, then said, "Simon, there's something else. About the contract we signed originally, there's going to be a lot of money this time. I've thought about it, and I can't take it; just give me back the original $400,000."

Simon didn't respond but instead asked, "Have you calculated how much Orion could make this time?"

Janet nodded and pouted, "Just from the box office, they might take in $50 million. And we're even paying the copying fees; Orion hasn't really invested much. It's too cheap for them."

Simon's fingers traced Janet's lips, stopping her from pouting further. He smiled, "But I don't think they're taking too much, because it's what they deserve. If I had chosen to work with the big seven, I would never have gotten the terms that Orion offered. Likewise, the money you put in originally and the share you get later are what you deserve."

Janet looked at him again, "But I always feel it's somewhat unfair to you. You do the most work but get the least."

Simon leaned in and kissed her lips gently, "Without you guys, I couldn't do any of this. So, it's fair. And it's not just about the money; I'm getting much more than you might think. Remember Sanders who left last night? The earnings from 'The Butterfly Effect' I'm involved in, including post-release profits, might not even reach $500,000. But with 'Final Destination', if negotiations succeed, I could make over $5 million. See, that's what I'm gaining."

Janet finally nodded, "Okay, then, I'll take the money."

Simon thought for a moment, "Before you take it, let me use it for a while. This time, consider it a loan; if it earns, I won't share it with you, okay?"

"Okay," Janet nodded and then asked, "What are you going to do?"

Simon looked at her and smiled, "I just remembered, Katherine said you graduated from Columbia Business School. Do you know how to trade stock index futures?"

It was 1987, and Simon's most vivid memory of this year was undoubtedly the great stock market crash in the United States. It seemed a perfect opportunity to build up some capital.

"I do. I even made some pocket money in college," Janet's eyes sparkled with excitement, no trace of her usual languor. "A lot of people are already entering the market, so are you thinking of betting on North America or Tokyo?"

Simon pinched her nose playfully, "We won't bet on either just yet, let's wait. But since you're so interested, you can handle the trades when the time comes."

Janet pushed away his hand and lazily leaned against him, "I'm not going to do it, it's too tiring. A lot of my classmates are on Wall Street; let them handle it. I can supervise. But Simon, with futures like these, unless you can predict the future, no one can be sure."

That's indeed a burden for others.

Simon squeezed the born-to-be-rich woman in his arms, "Maybe I really can predict the future."

Janet suddenly perked up, "Do you know when humans will go extinct?"

Simon blinked, honestly shaking his head.

"When will that kind of asteroid from 65 million years ago visit Earth again?"

Simon kept shaking his head.

"What about the third World War?"

Still, Simon shook his head.

Janet pouted, "Tsk."

Simon, feeling her overwhelming desire for destruction, gestured at her delicate neck and chuckled, "Janet, I think it's too dangerous for you to be on this planet."

Janet pushed her neck into Simon's

 hand, "Hmm, go ahead and strangle me."

Of course, Simon didn't apply any pressure and withdrew his hand, "Since we're on the topic, Janet, I hope there's as much money as possible this time, so when you go back to Los Angeles tomorrow, take our contract with Orion to the bank for an assessment and try to get a loan quickly."

"Okay," Janet nodded, then looked at Simon with a mischievous gleam, "I'll write you a promissory note. This time it's a big amount, remember to come back and put your fingerprint on it."

"I've been thinking, maybe I should play dumb like some people do."

"Just try to dodge paying," Janet tapped on Simon's heart, "That way, you'll owe me for a lifetime."

Simon immediately firmed his voice, "Never mind, I won't do that."

"Hehe."

As darkness enveloped them, Simon was not inclined to stay out in the wild any longer. He jumped down from the hood, lifted Janet's light body, and carried her to the passenger seat, then drove quickly back to Colby City in the north.