America: My Time

Chapter 1157 Sony's Betrayal

Chapter 1147 Sony's Betrayal
Although many were dissatisfied with John's actions, few were willing to confront him directly. After all, this was no joke; if things went wrong, the consequences would be severe. After some discussion, even those who were unwilling had no choice but to accept it, watching John's plan succeed and everything unfold as they least wanted to see. This was a demonstration of power; faced with absolute strength, they had no choice but to compromise and abide by the rules.

“You still haven’t figured it out. It seems you’re simply not suited for the business world. Some things can’t be achieved just by trying; you lack the natural talent. Shen died while his people lived in seclusion, while Chong’er lived in peace while his people lived abroad. Don’t you understand this principle? It’s an election year in the US right now; the Olympics are all just fluff. If I stay in the US now, I’ll be targeted by many people. This isn’t a matter of ability, but a matter of human greed. Many people will find an excuse, a reason to target me! Profit can drive people crazy, can make them forget fear, leaving only greedy desires!” Seeing that Yang Gongru still hadn’t seen through his plan, hadn’t seen through the conspiracy in the US, John shook his head.

Ordinary businessmen don't need such a sensitive reaction, but if you want to be someone's secretary, you need to have this sensitivity to things. For capital, greed is instinctive. For those greedy old guys, they are unwilling to let go of any opportunity. Only by being careful and cautious can they get through this dangerous period.

John's current strength is insufficient to confront those old guys head-on; doing so would be counterproductive and would only give them more reasons and excuses. Even a careless move could expose his plans for the Asian economic crisis. In contrast, Lee Boo-jin, born into a chaebol family, sees through all this. At this time, a direct confrontation with the 'enemy' is not the best option; avoiding battle is the most sensible course of action.

Just as John had guessed, things were developing in his favor. Anyone who tried to set a trap for John at this time would have their schemes overshadowed by his scandalous affairs. Unless you wanted to break off relations, it was impossible to outmaneuver John. This was the advantage of having the power to control the narrative.

While many people were incredibly annoyed by all this, even more saw the wisdom behind it, and it made those old guys even more vigilant. If John had previously demonstrated his strong vision and sensitivity to market developments, at this moment they realized that John's reaction in this area was equally impressive.

Don't underestimate this small clash, especially since John was out in the shadows. A grudge has been formed, and Oil Pacific Capital has once again incurred John's wrath. Although it wasn't a provocation, but rather a setup, since they've already made their move, they need to pay the price. John can't target those old guys, but he can target them!
"Don't think too much. The most important thing for you is to learn from experience, not to dream of instant success. You still have a long way to go. If you really want to pursue a career in business, you can choose entertainment. At least you have some understanding of it and can learn slowly!"

As the issues in the United States gradually came to a close, John breathed a sigh of relief. The old guys' schemes had finally failed, and he had escaped unscathed. Although there were still some potential problems, compared to the old guys' previous scheming, these problems could be gradually resolved and would not have a significant impact on him.

John naturally attaches great importance to the development of the entertainment industry; otherwise, he wouldn't have made so many plans and arrangements, nor would he have invested so much energy. However, with the changes in Hong Kong, its film industry will soon face a downturn and decline. After all, Hong Kong's market is limited, and the promotion of film development by other Asian countries further impacts the Hong Kong film industry. Most importantly, the Hong Kong film industry itself is severely hampered by rampant piracy, coupled with its own lack of development efforts and the impact of Hollywood.

Although Phoenix Media has been constantly evolving, the decline of Hong Kong cinema is an undeniable fact, a fact John is well aware of. Phoenix Media's future focus is not in Hong Kong, but throughout Asia. Clinging solely to Hong Kong cinema will plunge Phoenix Media into crisis. Currently, Phoenix Media is aggressively recruiting talent, particularly in the Chinese film and television industry, gradually shifting its focus away from Hong Kong.
In fact, the management of Phoenix Media Group has been aware of the changes in the Hong Kong film market. With the impact of Hollywood, Hong Kong films are losing market share across Asia, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Rampant piracy is the biggest threat, which is why John is pushing for a global film development strategy and is aggressively controlling the theatrical market. The same applies to their television strategy—aiming to seize more market share and increase profits. This strategy will be accelerated and further refined in the future!
Phoenix Media Group, despite being one of the last to enter the Chinese market, has grown rapidly. This is because Phoenix Media Group possesses strength unmatched by other film companies, making it a true Asian media and entertainment giant. However, it is currently consolidating its foundation and has not yet reached the point of full-scale expansion!
When the numerous investment projects of various groups have yielded results, Phoenix Group's next surge will have a completely different outcome, fully opening up the Chinese market and completing its layout across the entire Asia.

Being close to the platform, one gets the moon first; this arrangement, particularly regarding the Central Academy of Drama, is a good start for Phoenix Group! Of course, all of this is inseparable from John's various investments in China, from tourism to film and television bases—all substantial investments, backed by the cooperation of numerous companies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The controversy surrounding the Olympics came and went quickly; after all, it was just a small retaliation, a warning to those old fogies. John had no intention of engaging in a battle with them at this time. Similarly, Lee Boo-jin and Kikuchi Momoko also had many things to handle, as they each controlled a portion of assets, and both Japan and South Korea had numerous matters to manage. They couldn't remain in the United States indefinitely.

A few days later, Lee Boo-jin and Momoko Kikuchi left the United States to handle their respective matters back home. This counterattack also gave the Koreans and Japanese some ideas, even making them feel threatened. Especially the Japanese, who originally thought everything was under their control, but when they saw the turmoil in the United States, they suddenly realized that things were not as good as they had imagined, and their honey trap did not seem to have been as successful as they thought.

At this point, these guys in Japan suddenly realized that South Korea's influence was also increasing, even threatening their interests. If John's network in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China was comprehensive, and his presence in South Korea was focused on manufacturing, what was the situation in Japan?
In the past, those guys in Japan were very arrogant, thinking they had everything under control. But now they suddenly realize that things are not like that. John's assets in Japan have changed a lot. In manufacturing, he only acquired Nissan Motors and petrochemicals not long ago. In contrast, the situation in South Korea is very different. They have shipbuilding, automobiles, and petrochemicals.

Lee Boo-jin's appearance made them even more worried that John might have more plans, especially regarding the previous energy layout. If the Koreans hadn't been so arrogant, they might have gotten the resources they needed most, including energy.

Both South Korea and Japan are heavily reliant on imports for resources, but John controls vast resources. Originally, due to the falling out between John and South Korea, some cooperation on resources had been reduced and transferred to Japan. However, it seems that things are not as good as he thought, and Lee Boo-jin's position in John's heart has not diminished.

Human greed is insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. That's exactly what those guys in Japan are like. Their greed has led them to make wrong decisions time and time again. That's what happened with the real estate deal before. Now, with Akio Morita's retirement, Sony has lost its initial understanding with John and has developed inappropriate ideas, wanting to take back the market that belongs to them.

When Momoko Kikuchi went to the United States, these guys started to take action and began to break away from the Internet Cafe Alliance. Some of the Internet Cafe Alliance's franchisees switched to their side, allowing them to quickly gain their own market.

The development of the Internet Cafe Alliance in Japan has been impacted, and many of the members obtained their memberships from Momoko Kikuchi. Many of these people had good relationships with Kikuchi, but now they have betrayed her. The reason is simple: the benefits offered by Sony are more tempting.

It's obvious that this was a premeditated plan. Perhaps these guys were making such preparations when Akio Morita retired, just waiting to deliver this fatal blow to the Internet Cafe Alliance, directly destroying its layout in Japan and taking back the market share that belonged to them. In their eyes, the Internet Cafe Alliance was an intruder.

Sony's betrayal was just the beginning. Soon, other Japanese companies joined in, forming a large internet cafe platform led by Sony. They seemed determined to completely crush the internet cafe alliance and take back the Japanese online gaming market!
(End of this chapter)