Chapter 200

Inside the spacious cabin of a Boeing 767, Simon felt no different from being on the ground during the long 16-hour journey.

Work, eat, sleep.

Waking up again, the plane had entered the airspace over southern Australia. Looking down through the porthole, the Melbourne city district and the surrounding Port Phillip Bay were clearly visible.

At the end of August, Melbourne was in winter. The temperature differences between the seasons are usually not too large for a coastal city, but they are still not something that Los Angeles summer attire could withstand.

In the cabin bedroom, Janet dressed Simon as usual. Watching him put on a dark woolen sweater and black casual pants, and then draping a black short trench coat over him, she finally nodded in satisfaction: "This makes you look more mature."

Simon smiled at the woman in her light pink coat, asking, "So, is there anything else you need to remind me of, like topics absolutely not to be mentioned in front of your family?"

"Tony hates it when people bring up the times he was beaten up by girls in his childhood," Janet tilted her head, deliberately 'reminding' him, but quickly took out a watch from her bag and handed it over, saying, "Here, wear this, and you'll be fine. You won't mind flattering my old man a bit, right? I've already set it to Melbourne time for you."

Simon glanced at it. This was the Patek Philippe stainless steel model 1518, a gift from Janet's elder brother, Anthony Johnston, for his 20th birthday earlier this year. It was Patek Philippe's first perpetual calendar wristwatch.

As a classic luxury watch brand, over ninety percent of Patek Philippe's models are made of precious metals. The few stainless steel models are therefore the most precious collectibles. What's more, this watch, made during World War II, was still brand new.

Graciously accepting it, Simon smiled, "I thought you were keeping it as a collectible."

"Dad likes collecting watches, not me. And, honestly, the collectible value of watches is quite low. Even the most expensive luxury models are mass-produced, and the era is recent. It's brands like Patek Philippe, known for their complex function watches, that are worth collecting. But, if you like it and can afford it, of course, you can collect whatever you want," Janet said, and then suddenly laughed, "Dad really likes the gold watch segment from 'Pulp Fiction,' though he thinks the way of preserving the gold watch was too vulgar, haha."

With that, they finished packing and the Boeing 767 roared as it landed on the runway of Melbourne Airport.

When Simon disembarked, he checked the watch he had just put on; it was 5:23 PM. Due to the shorter daylight hours in winter, it was already sunset.

Upon disembarking, Simon immediately spotted Janet's elder brother, Anthony Johnston, and a few others who had come to greet them. After warmly greeting everyone, Anthony turned to Simon, "Let's head back. Everyone is waiting for you."

After quickly completing the necessary formalities, which were merely a formality, they soon left the airport.

Jennifer and a few other attendants were arranged to stay at a hotel in the city center, while Simon and Janet took a car to the Johnston family estate. Departing from Melbourne Airport in the western suburbs, after a journey of more than half an hour, the car entered a manor surrounded by greenery along the Yarra River in the eastern suburbs.

As the car stopped in front of the main building of the manor, Simon involuntarily stood still to admire the architecture in front of him. It was clearly an English-style castle with Gothic spires but lacked the dense arcades of Westminster Abbey, appearing solemn and majestic under the golden sunset.

However, Simon's pause was not because of the architectural style.

Anthony Johnston came over, stood beside him, and looked up at his family's mansion, laughing, "I've seen some of your 'Batman' concept sketches. Doesn't this house perfectly fit as Wayne Manor? Heh, but you can't use this one. There are still some similar buildings around Melbourne that you can slowly choose from over the next few days."

Simon certainly had no intention of using Janet's home as a filming location. Even if he couldn't find another suitable castle in Melbourne to serve as Wayne Manor, there were plenty in the UK, many of which were even abandoned. He just found this coincidence very interesting.

Janet came over and took Simon's arm, "Dad and the others are coming out; let's go over."

A group of people surrounded them as they walked out of the castle. Janet had already shown Simon photos of her family, so he could roughly identify some of them.

Raymond Johnston, who was exactly 70 years old this year, was tall and lean with white hair and sharp eyes, exuding a rugged, Old West cowboy aura, clearly not an easy person to get along with. Tracy Johnston, Janet's mother, had a much softer demeanor compared to her imposing husband. As they approached, Janet affectionately threw herself into her mother's arms like a little bird.

After introductions, besides Janet's parents, there were also Janet's elder brother, Anthony Johnston, his family of four, and her second brother, Norman Johnston, with his family of three.

Simon didn't see Janet's aunt, Veronica Johnston, or her two younger brothers, David and Patrick Johnston. He also knew that Anthony Johnston's eldest son, who was also Janet's nephew, Brandon Johnston, was the same age as Simon, 20, and was not present, avoiding some potential awkwardness. Raymond Johnston's eldest grandson, Brandon, also being absent, spared some minor embarrassment as Raymond likely would have mentioned him in conversation, given the same age as Simon.

As night fell, the Johnston family had already prepared dinner in advance.

Inside the castle, after settling into his room, Janet left Simon with her father and brothers, acting like a little girl clinging to her mother in the kitchen, watching the chefs and servants busy with dinner preparations, and unabashedly nibbling on a dessert, she asked her mother, "Even if David and Patrick can't come back from the UK, what about the Ice Queen? Why isn't she here either?"

Tracy Johnston had long given up expecting her daughter to change her nickname for her aunt, replying resignedly, "Your aunt went to Perth a few days ago for something about a mine in Western Australia."

Janet puzzled, "But she's in charge of the company's finances. Shouldn't this be something for dad and my brothers to handle?"

Tracy Johnston swatted away her daughter's hand reaching for another piece of cake, saying, "I'm not sure about that, but if your dad and brothers were gone, who would entertain the guests?"

"So, I'll wait for her to come back then. She'll definitely be back in a few days, right?" Janet said, facing her mother's questioning gaze, she explained, "She did a lot for me and Simon. Of course, I have to thank her. Hehe, it's funny though, she was never this enthusiastic before."

Tracy Johnston spoke indulgently, "Your aunt has always been the kindest to you. What's so strange about that? You're just too ungrateful."

"Okay, okay," Janet hugged her mother again, suddenly exclaiming, "Wow, I get it."

Tracy Johnston looked somewhat annoyed by her daughter's antics, straightening her skewed collar, "What is it?"

"I've already brought my boyfriend home," Janet analyzed with a bit of pride, "Aunt must be avoiding Dad's nagging, so she deliberately stayed away."

Tracy Johnston's expression softened into resignation, pushing her daughter gently, "Alright, stop messing around here. Go keep the guests company."

"Just call him Simon, not 'the guest,'" Janet said cheerfully, whispering into her mother's ear, "Mom, what do you think of him?"

Tracy Johnston smiled, "Your dad thinks highly of him, and I think he's alright."

Janet wasn't satisfied, "Just alright?"

"A daughter indeed sides with an outsider," Tracy Johnston playfully slapped her daughter, glancing around at the chefs and servants before adding, "Your dad said, there's one thing very satisfying about the boy. If you're good to him, he'll be good to you."

Janet hummed in agreement, pressing for more, "What else?"

Tracy Johnston continued with a smile, "He's quite capable of making money, enough to support you, my little spendthrift daughter."

Janet pouted, dissatisfied, and pressed further, "What else?"

"Who chases after their mother to praise their boyfriend?" Tracy Johnston pretended to scold, whispering, "How are you two getting along these days? That area, has it been resolved?"

Misunderstanding on purpose, Janet's cheeks flushed as she mimicked her mother's tone, "Who chases after their daughter about her boyfriend's that area?" After seeing her mother's stern look, Janet quickly added, "No problems there, he's been very normal. It should be completely healed."

"I've heard mental illnesses are hard to cure and can be hereditary." Tracy Johnston was still worried, "Does he ever throw things or, you know, hit you in private?"

Janet immediately shook her head, "Of course not."

The mother and daughter whispered among themselves as dinner was unknowingly prepared.

The men, who had been chatting in the living room, moved to the dining room. The Johnston family, large and small, totaling eleven people, along with the surrounding servants, made for a very lively scene.

In the following days, Simon settled into the Johnston family mansion, gaining a deeper understanding of the family.

The Johnston family centered around Johnston Holdings, with seventy percent of the family's assets in mining and smelting, twenty percent in transportation, and the remaining ten percent in ancillary industries like livestock.

Raymond Johnston, still the chairman of the family group at seventy, oversaw operations in Australia. Janet's aunt, Veronica Johnston, served as the chief financial officer. Anthony Johnston and Norman Johnston held the positions of CEO and president, respectively, with Anthony handling European operations and Norman overseeing Asia and Africa. The Johnston Group's presence in North America and Latin America was relatively weak.

Beyond Anthony and Norman, Raymond's other two sons, David and Patrick Johnston, showed little interest in family affairs. David, 25, and Patrick, 22, were still studying in the UK. According to Janet, David was a typical bookworm, while Patrick was a standard playboy.

Initially, Raymond Johnston expected to continue the tradition of single inheritance as his father and grandfather had done. Surprisingly having two sons, he devoted all his efforts to grooming Anthony and Norman, both of whom excelled in their roles.

Thus, with the arrival of Janet and her two younger siblings, Raymond became less strict and did not force them into the family business, leading to the current situation.

As for Simon's main purpose of the trip, "Batman," with the assistance of the Johnston family's strong connections in Melbourne, the necessary arrangements had been nearly finalized before his arrival.

The filming of "Batman" was expected to use helicopters, which are generally prohibited over Melbourne. This issue was similar to what "The Matrix" faced in the original timeline. However, unlike "The Matrix," which nearly halted production due to this issue, Melbourne had introduced new legislation relaxing the restrictions on helicopter flights over the city before Simon's arrival.

Simon's primary goal was to personally review the selected filming locations. The company had sent a location scouting team months ago, and through continuous remote supervision via fax, Simon had kept a close watch on the process, ensuring there were no major issues.

Regarding tax rebates, the Melbourne Film Office ultimately agreed to offer a 15% rebate on all expenses incurred in Australia for the "Batman" project.

While this rate was not as high as the support provided to domestic films in Australia, it was quite generous compared to other foreign films shot in Australia.

Moreover, the leniency of the tax rebate agreement signed with Danerys Entertainment was what Simon valued most.

Typically, for a foreign film to qualify for a rebate, it's not enough to merely shoot in Australia. Most often, there's a requirement for Australian capital participation and the employment of a certain percentage of Australian film personnel. Even the daily expenses of the crew in Australian cities are subject to restrictions, with a fixed amount needing to be spent each day to qualify for the rebate. Any slight deviation in these requirements could lead to losing the rebate or a reduction in the amount.

In contrast, the contract obtained by Danerys Entertainment only required the employment of 30% Australian staff, without the need for Australian investment. There were no restrictions on the crew's expenses in Australia, and upon completing the film, Danerys Entertainment merely needed to provide a total expense report to receive a 15% cash rebate.

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