America: My Time

Chapter 1256 Struggle of Interests
Chapter 1246 Conflict of Interests

As Morgan said, the pressure has now shifted to the old guard. No one expected that John's first move would not be to acquire energy companies, pharmaceutical companies, or expand into retail, but rather to acquire the film libraries of the two major film studios.

"What do we do now? Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures don't actually want to sell their film library; they're just forced to cooperate with our plan. If the acquisition fails from the start, all our previous calculations will be in vain!"

"This is indeed beyond our expectations. We originally thought that Phoenix Group was no longer able to carry out the acquisition, as there was considerable chaos within them. Given John's character, he would surely make some adjustments. But now this mistake has occurred, and we are now in a dilemma. If we refuse, all our previous calculations will be rendered useless. If we sell, we will have to make sacrifices for Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures."

"If it were Columbia Pictures, we wouldn't have too much of a problem, but Warner Bros. is different. If we really force them to sell their film library, we'll make a huge grudge and it will also affect Warner Bros.' development. John is really cunning; he hit our weak spot directly and used such methods to retaliate."

"It's no use talking about this now. We need to make a decision quickly, or we'll lose everything. We need to put pressure on Columbia Pictures to make a deal with Phoenix Media first, and give them the compensation as soon as possible. As for Warner Bros., they have to accept it. Whether they agree or not, they have to follow our arrangements, or they'll be our enemies. There can't be any problems on this matter. At least we can't fail at the very beginning!"

Although they knew that this decision would have some impact and trouble on themselves, they had no choice but to make Warner Bros. sacrifice itself unless they saw all their carefully prepared plans fail.

John had anticipated these old guys' reactions, but he wouldn't care. He had made his move, and now it was time for them to respond. If the acquisition of Warner Bros. failed, he would have enough excuses and a legitimate reason to step out of the game. If they agreed, all the better, as the most crucial link in Phoenix Group would be secured.

Faced with the aggressive onslaught of Phoenix Media, Warner Bros. was in a difficult position, as was Columbia Pictures. Neither of them had expected John to target their film library so quickly. Now, these two studios wanted to refuse, but dared not, because the pressure from the old guard was mounting and becoming unbearable.
Originally, it was just a formality, but now that bastard John has directly had Phoenix Group start negotiating the acquisition with them. How could this not infuriate them? They couldn't just refuse outright, since Phoenix had come to them 'requesting' the acquisition.

Faced with this situation, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures are caught in a dilemma and are in a predicament. If Phoenix Media successfully acquires them, they will suffer heavy losses. The greatest asset of a film company is its film library, and selling the film library will have a huge impact on itself.

"Let them raise the price to the maximum limit, and make John back down!" This was the result of the old guys' discussion. They knew how much such an acquisition would affect the film company, so this was the only option they had.

"I'm afraid it won't end well. John won't back down; instead, he'll choose to complete the acquisition. If it really comes to that, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures will be in trouble. We could easily incur a huge favor. That's a film company's most valuable asset. If our proposal is sold, that's no small matter!"

“No matter how big the favor, it’s worth it. As long as John’s funds are used up, it’s worth it. Just think about what would happen if John invested such a large sum of money in finance. Have you thought about that? For us, we’re not afraid of big favors, we’re only afraid that John won’t make the acquisition. If he wants to acquire, then we’ll grant his wish!”

As soon as Rockefeller finished speaking, everyone gasped, shocked by this audacious decision. If Phoenix Media successfully acquired the film library, even with the significant cost now, they would recoup their losses in the future. Furthermore, it would impact Hollywood's development; without the film library, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. would suffer. "But repaying this favor is difficult, and Warner Bros. might not agree, let alone Columbia Pictures. Unless we offer them compelling benefits right now!" someone said, revealing the truth. No one does anything without profit; even with Rockefeller's involvement, it wouldn't be easy.

"Then give them something that tempts them. Our current sacrifices are far less than what we gain. Does that mean no one is willing to make this sacrifice? If that's the case, then there's nothing more to discuss, and this matter ends here. Anyway, I, Rockefeller, am not the one most affected. You should think this through!"

Rockefeller was furious to see these guys still haggling over every penny. What kind of time was this to be so stingy? He'd finally gotten John involved, hoping to guide them to spend their precious funds, but these guys didn't want to take responsibility; they just wanted to profit without contributing anything.

Even with Rockefeller's intervention, things wouldn't be so easily resolved. When this news reached Morgan, he sneered; this was the reality. When faced with profit, no one wants to suffer a loss; everyone wants to gain something for nothing. This is why Morgan chose to cooperate with John rather than align himself with these guys. More people means more conflict, and with that comes more trouble, just like the current situation.

"Boss, do we need to make some arrangements?" Jimmy saw this as an opportunity, a chance to divide the enemy. His eyes were full of anticipation. He would act immediately if his boss gave the word.

"No, we'll do nothing. Don't risk losing more than we gain. Don't make ourselves a target for those guys. Don't underestimate Zipperton and Donkey from the White House; if they really get desperate, it won't be good for us. The more critical the situation, the more cautious we must be, and we can't afford to make a single wrong move. Does all this concern us? Absolutely not. Whether those guys succeed or not, it won't have much impact on us. Even if we step in to defuse this crisis for John, do you think that's the outcome John wants? Don't judge John by our standards. Since he dared to make this decision, he must have made all the necessary preparations. We just need to wait and see!"

Faced with this situation, Morgan didn't see it as an opportunity to take the initiative. He even suspected it might be a trap, a trap set for him. Rockefeller, that old man, was no good. If this was all his scheme, a conspiracy, then getting involved now would only lead to him being entangled. Staying out of it was the best option for Morgan; by not participating, he would have nothing to do with it!

In this environment, even Morgan had to be cautious. He felt a slight unease about the current situation, as everything had come about rather erratically. Rockefeller and his ilk were making their moves, and countless old hands across the American financial world were involved. Even the Europeans were seeing some changes. This dramatic shift had put pressure on even Morgan, and he sensed a hint of danger.

John chose entertainment as his breakthrough point, which clearly shows his confidence in controlling everything. After all, John is already ahead of many others in the entertainment media field, possessing a huge market, especially in the optical disc sector, where his investment has been incredibly aggressive. Today, the largest optical disc producer and distributor is a company under John's control. Therefore, for Phoenix Media, the film library is not a burden, but a high-quality asset they crave!
"But if they continue like this, the acquisition may end in failure. Phoenix Group won't give them much time to consider. If Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures keep dragging this out, their plan will soon fail, and they might even give John a better excuse. The funds in Phoenix Group's hands will then directly enter the financial market, causing a greater impact and more terrifying changes to the entire financial crisis!"

"Don't worry, what you're worried about won't happen. The reason those guys are so persistent is that they don't want to take responsibility themselves. They want to shift the responsibility onto Youtai Capital. At most, they'll give Youtai Capital some compensation, and I can already imagine what kind of compensation those guys can offer!" As he said this, a cold smile appeared on Morgan's face.

What Oil Pacific Capital wants most right now is the power of the media. This time, they were badly screwed over by John and the guys behind global speculative capital, and they've been unfairly blamed. After this lesson, they will definitely react. Rockefeller and those old guys will give Oil Pacific Capital a portion of their media power to appease their anger and ensure a satisfactory outcome.

(End of this chapter)