Saguaro National Park, west of Tucson, Arizona.
It was already evening the next day.
The sun was setting.
Simon leaned against the hood of the Chevrolet SUV, smiling as he watched Janet not far away, camera in hand, circling a few seven- or eight-meter-tall saguaro cactus with keen interest, snapping photos.
Early that morning, he'd been dragged out of bed by the woman.
The two had driven north until they reached the famous Grand Canyon National Park, playing to their hearts' content all day. On the way back in the afternoon, Janet clearly wasn't done, clamoring to see the saguaros, so they'd ended up here.
All told, they'd driven over 700 kilometers that day, crossing half of Arizona.
Sensing Simon watching her, Janet soon scampered back. "Such huge cacti—makes me want to take one home. Planting it in the yard would be so cool."
Simon imagined the flashy sight of a seven- or eight-meter cactus in their yard and smiled. "Cool or not, I don't know, but someone would definitely come after us. Alright, we've played all day—time to head back."
Janet tossed her camera into the back seat, then turned and climbed onto the hood.
Simon looked at Janet perched on the hood and patted her calf. "Sit tight—I'm driving."
Janet laughed and tugged at Simon. "Little boy, you come up too."
Simon didn't refuse, hoisting himself up with a casual push.
The Chevrolet SUV's hood was plenty wide, easily fitting two people.
Once settled on the hood, Simon leaned back against the windshield, his gaze passing through the tall cacti to the endless wilderness where the sun was about to dip below the horizon. Unbidden, a strange emotion welled up inside him.
Janet snuggled over like a cat, touching his cheek. "Little boy, do you think I'm too clingy?"
"Not at all," Simon shook his head. "I actually like the feeling."
Janet lay down, pillowing her head on his shoulder, and whispered, "Actually, I don't want to be clingy either—it's just hard to hold back. And you really don't remember what today is?"
Simon thought for a moment but still shook his head.
Janet reached over, fished his wallet from his jacket pocket, opened it, and held it up for him.
Simon scrutinized the driver's license for a few seconds before saying, "Oh, it's my birthday—I forgot."
In his previous life, Simon hadn't cared much about his birthday; after reincarnating in this world, he cared even less. He hadn't expected Janet to remember and make the trip from Los Angeles just for it.
Touched, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
Janet cooperated eagerly, leaning in as they kissed.
After a lingering moment, they parted, but Janet stayed pressed against him, touching his cheek again. "After today, I can't call you little boy anymore. Actually, I wanted to plan something special. But since you don't care, I won't bother. I've always thought blowing out candles on a cake is pretty silly anyway."
Simon just smiled, feeling her soft body, when another thought struck him. "Speaking of which, I still don't know your age. Come on, let me see your license."
"So rude, asking a lady's age," Janet swatted at him but promptly pulled a card from her pocket and handed it over. "Here."
Simon took it and held it up to examine.
Date of Birth: February 22, 1968.
Hmm?
Something seemed off.
He held up his own license again.
Date of Birth: February 22, 1968.
Janet leaned in to look too, then exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa, what a coincidence—our birthdays are exactly the same."
"Yeah, what a coincidence."
Simon looked helpless, casually flipping her over and spanking her bottom twice.
"Hehe, ouch—that's violent."
Janet giggled and wriggled, snatching back her "driver's license."
Simon had never really cared about Janet's age; he'd just asked offhand. Since she didn't want him to know, he didn't press.
After his rebirth, Simon found he viewed so many things with detachment. He worked hard at some pursuits, but deep down, he felt an indescribable alienation and indifference toward everything around him.
Janet pressed her cheek to his chest, quietly listening to his strong heartbeat for a while, then murmured suddenly, "Little boy, I love you—you know that, right?"
Simon gazed at the fiery clouds lingering after the sun had set. "Yeah, I know."
"But I also know you don't love me," Janet continued murmuring, lifting a hand to his chest. "It's so cold in here—I really want to melt it for you."
Simon hugged her tighter. "It's getting dark—we should head back. Tonight, you can try a hot compress."
"Not funny at all," Janet lightly smacked him, whispering, "Actually, I really want to know everything about you, but you won't tell me, will you?"
"Mm."
Janet rubbed her cheek against his 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 like this, spoil me, let me have my way."
"Of course, I will," Simon nodded. "But I think it'd be best if you did become my burden—without one, I might just go destroy the world."
Janet heard this and chuckled. "Little boy, do you know what my dream has been since I was little?"
"What?"
Janet lifted her head, meeting his gaze earnestly. "To destroy the world, like the big villains in movies."
Simon feigned a shudder. "Good thing you're too lazy—otherwise, humanity will be in trouble."
Janet's lips curved, and she nestled back against his chest. "But now, you can help me fulfill that dream."
"That one's a bit tough. Besides, the world's already messed up enough—let's just let it limp along."
Janet's tone gained a stubborn edge. "No way."
"How about we switch to an easier goal—conquer the world first?"
"Mm-hmm."
Simon smiled up at the darkening sky. "Then before conquering the world, shouldn't we hurry back? This is the wilderness—I don't even know if Arizona has wolves."
"Hehe," Janet giggled, wrapping her arms around him to keep him from moving. "No, I haven't had enough yet."
Simon indulgently pinched her tender cheek. "Alright, who am I to argue—it's your birthday today, after all."
Janet nipped at his extended finger, then said, "Simon, one more thing. About that contract we signed—there'll be a lot of money this time. I've thought about it—I can't take it. Just give me back the original $400,000."
Simon didn't answer, instead asking, "Have you calculated how much Orion stands to make?"
Janet nodded, then pouted. "Just from box office, maybe $50 million—and we even covered the prints. Orion barely invested anything; what a steal for them."
Simon traced her lip line with his finger to stop the pout, smiling. "But I don't feel they got too much—it's what they earned. If I'd gone with the Big Seven, I never would've gotten Orion's terms. Similarly, you put in that money—the future splits are what you deserve."
Janet looked up at him. "But it feels unfair to you. You did the most work but get the least."
Simon leaned down and kissed her lips. "Without you all, I couldn't have done any of it. So it's fair. And it's not just money—I've gotten way more than you think. Remember Sanders leaving last night? For The Butterfly Effect, still in production, including back-end, I might not even clear $500,000. But for Final Destination this time, if it works out, I could get over $5 million. See? That's what I've gained."
Janet finally nodded. "Alright, in that case, I'll take the money."
Simon thought for a moment. "Before you take it, let me use it for a while—this time as a loan. If I profit, I won't share—deal?"
"Mm-hmm," Janet nodded, then asked, "What are you planning?"
Simon looked at her and grinned. "I just remembered—Katherine said you graduated from Columbia Business School. Do you know how to trade stock index futures?"
This was 1987, after all, and in Simon's memory, the year's most vivid event was undoubtedly the U.S. stock market crash. With such a prime opportunity, it would be foolish not to build some capital.
"Yeah, I even made some pocket money in college," Janet said, her eyes sparkling with alertness, shedding her usual laziness as she gazed at him brightly. "A lot of people are already piling in—so, North America or Tokyo? Which side are you betting?"
Simon watched her sudden shift in demeanor, pinched her nose, and laughed. "We're not betting either—let's wait. But since you're interested, you can handle the trading for me then."
Janet swatted his hand away and lazily leaned back against him. "I won't do it—too tiring. A lot of my old classmates are on Wall Street; get them to do it. Hmm, I can supervise. But Simon, with index futures, unless you can see the future, no one's sure."
As expected—those at the top make others work.
Simon pinched the naturally pampered woman in his arms. "What if I really can see the future?"
Janet perked up again. "Do you know when humanity goes extinct?"
Simon blinked, honestly shaking his head.
"When will another asteroid like the one 65 million years ago hit Earth?"
Simon shook his head again.
"World War III?"
Simon still shook his head.
Janet pouted. "Tch."
Sensing her world-destroying vibes, Simon put his hand across her pale neck. "Janet, I think it's too dangerous having you on this planet."
Janet tilted her neck toward his hand. "Mm-hmm, strangle me."
Simon naturally didn't apply pressure, withdrawing his hand. "Speaking of which—Janet, I hope we get as much money as possible this time. So tomorrow, head back to L.A., get our Orion contract appraised at a bank, and secure a loan ASAP."
"Mm-hmm," Janet nodded, then eyed him with a sly glint. "I'll draw up an IOU—this is a big sum; remember to fingerprint it when you're back."
"I've been thinking—maybe I should pull a deadbeat move like some people."
"I wish you would," Janet poked his chest. "That way, you'd owe me in your heart forever."
Simon's tone firmed up immediately. "Nah, forget it."
"Hehe."
Seeing the darkness fully settle around them, Simon had no intention of lingering in the wild. He hopped off the hood, scooped up Janet's light frame, and carried her to the passenger seat before driving quickly back north to Coolidge.
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