America: My Time

Chapter 1307 The Turmoil in the United States

Chapter 1297 The Turmoil in the United States
“Go back. Don’t worry too much. I’m not an unreasonable person. Spending the Spring Festival with family is the greatest wish of Chinese people. I have no reason to let you stay in Beijing. I’ve also prepared a New Year’s gift for you!” John said, taking out a beautifully wrapped gift box and handing it to Zeng Li.

Seeing Zeng Li's somewhat bewildered expression, John smiled calmly and said, "Take them. They all have them. Don't worry too much. I've already arranged a private jet for you. There's plenty of time to handle anything!"

John knew this year's Spring Festival wouldn't be pleasant. Oilfield Capital and Soros wouldn't let him have an easy time; they'd definitely make their move during this period. As for the situation in the US, John didn't care; his uncle would handle it. Besides, with Morgan around, John didn't believe there would be any major problems. After all, Morgan had been provoked before! Only those who are provoked know their own thoughts and can see everything behind the scenes. In contrast, those greedy old men like Rockefeller probably wouldn't be able to easily see through his plans.

At this point, it was practically a full-blown war. John had already made his move; it was now up to Soros and his allies to decide what to do, and how the Americans would react. At this juncture, it wasn't just the banks that were making moves; personnel from Jaguar Security Company were also involved.

Of course, John was also under considerable pressure at this time. After all, this was a crazy contest. If Morgan didn't make a move, didn't see through his plan, or pretended not to know, he would have to prepare for the worst and start a bloodbath to let those old guys know his power and let the oil capital know that its bottom line could not be challenged. Soros and those oil capital involved would have to stay in Southeast Asia.

John wouldn't take this step unless absolutely necessary, as it's the worst possible outcome. However, he had to be prepared for everything, since this was a real contest involving enormous sums of money.

Although John didn't seem to have changed much on the surface, those who knew him well, and those who had always been around him, could sense the change in him and feel a subtle pressure emanating from him. Even so, John remained remarkably calm, arranging gifts for everyone, even Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington who had returned to the United States. However, under this extreme pressure, John was also experiencing a tremendous internal shock.

"This is too precious!" Zeng Li exclaimed in surprise when she opened the gift box and saw what was inside.

“It’s nothing. The gifts you all received are of similar value. What’s special about yours is those two sets of Victoria’s Secret lingerie. Actually, they all have them, and some even have two. Take them as souvenirs. The collectible value of such lingerie is greater than its practical value. And its high price is only due to the craftsmanship. Don’t be fooled by those treasures; they’re not actually worth much.” John shook his head as he spoke, a subtle change flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, John thought about how those people would later speculate on diamonds, and how crazy the devaluation of diamonds would be. However, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show featured two sets of lingerie, one blue and one red, crafted from sapphires and rubies. The two largest heart-shaped gemstones were provided by John himself, obtained from treasures in an Indian temple.

Johnny Depp wanted to revamp the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show because the costs were skyrocketing every year, and he was personally funding the diamond-encrusted lingerie each year, with designs becoming increasingly extravagant and outrageous—as if the show had completely changed since moving into haute couture. Over the years, he'd supplied all the jewels for the show, all thanks to Jaguar Security.

It's not that I don't have the money, but if things continue like this, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will become increasingly outrageous, forgetting that what truly makes money isn't the revenue from luxury brands, but the revenue from the general public. Quality is the foundation of everything!

For over a decade, John has witnessed one outrageous work after another, all of which he personally purchased. This madness has become somewhat tiresome for him, as his aesthetic appreciation of the concepts has become fatigued. If this continues, the brand's value will be greatly diminished, which is not the outcome John wants to see.

John himself didn't have time to sort things out, so he handed it over to Christie Turlington. Now that things have started in the United States, John isn't too concerned about whether there will be any results, since even if there is some impact, it won't be too significant.

With a look of surprise and delight, Zeng Li accepted this precious gift, the most valuable Chinese New Year present she had ever received. The value of the gift itself wasn't important; what mattered was the sentiment, which meant she had been accepted. The fact that John could think of all this at such a crucial moment spoke volumes about his character. At this moment, Zeng Li also understood why so many beautiful women were willing to follow John without any official status; the sentiment was one of the most important reasons.

Rich and sophisticated, who wouldn't like that? And in the crazy entertainment industry, the allure is even more astonishing. Only after stepping into this industry do you realize how ruthless and insane it truly is. The more you learn, the more you understand the importance of connections; without connections, there is no future; without sacrifice, there is no future!
The entertainment industry is terrifying, but the business world is even more insane. Just what she heard from John was enough to shock her. Silent battles are the most terrifying and frightening. Everyone is targeting the other's weaknesses; a single wrong decision can lead to devastating losses.

After seeing Zeng Li off, the other beauties didn't choose to leave. They were all shrewd enough to understand that this wasn't the right time to leave, as it would jeopardize their future. They weren't Zeng Li, nor had they just joined this family; they understood what leaving now would mean for themselves. "John, do you know what's going on in the US? Donald hasn't kept his promises yet. What are your thoughts? The old man has called now, wanting to hear your opinion. The situation there is probably quite turbulent!" Smith sighed, clearly troubled by the situation.
"It's fine, let those guys do what they want. I have no objection now, but if they cross my line again, it will be a completely different story. A kind person is bullied, and a good horse is ridden. I don't want to keep backing down. My decision now is not important; it depends on what those guys think and do. They are the ones who decide everything."

As soon as John finished speaking, Smith sighed. He understood John's thoughts, but understanding was one thing, and accepting them was another. This time, the situation had escalated quite a bit, and judging from John's reaction, it was clear that he had foreseen the reactions of the Donkey, the White House, and even those old guys like Rockefeller, and was prepared for them to make a move. However, this time things wouldn't be so easy to resolve.

“John, everything should be done in moderation. Don’t go too far. After all, breaking the rules will give others an excuse, no matter how good your reasons are. People are treacherous. Once they see an opportunity, they will do anything to target you. The Donkey did that, the White House did that, and even Rockefeller did that. You think they really didn’t see through your plan? They think you will compromise, that you won’t dare to stand against everyone. In fact, no one can stand against everyone. You know how serious the consequences would be!”

John smiled calmly and nodded, saying, "That's right, I understand perfectly well. But it's precisely because I understand all this that I can no longer compromise. Even if it costs me dearly, I must teach them a profound lesson. They have their schemes, and so do I. They don't represent all power; they only represent a portion of the 'old money' families. The vast majority of 'new money' families won't stand by their side. They're hoping I'll step forward and deliver a fatal blow to the 'old money' families. Now that I'm in the right, even if I go a little too far, no one will criticize me. As long as I take action, almost all the 'new money' families will be on my side. If they don't support me today, then when they face suppression from the 'old money' families in the future, they won't get help from others. By helping me now, they are helping themselves!"

John was right. That's how it is. Those "new money" families won't side with Rockefeller, Donkey, or even the White House. They won't just look at the present; they'll think about the future. So they'll only choose to side with John or remain neutral. Anyone who sides with the "old money" families is betraying their own system, and then they'll be caught in the middle!

“Have you considered Donkey and Zipperton’s reaction? If they get serious, your losses could be substantial. This is a serious matter; the consequences could be unimaginable if things go wrong!” Smith was still trying to persuade John, hoping to change his mind and prevent the situation from escalating so drastically. The situation in the US was probably quite dire; otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have called to inform him. Seeing John’s reaction, Smith felt incredibly distressed. After all, it was beyond his control; John, not himself, was in control. He couldn’t stop John from doing what he wanted!

"Dad, you're overthinking it. Things won't escalate to the point you're worried about. Those old guys like Rockefeller don't have the guts. Donkey and Richard Lindstone aren't without rivals either. Elephant Communications intervened to stop them. You don't think my relationship with Little Bush is fake, and you don't think I was completely unprepared, do you? I've brought the entire state of Oregon to Elephant Communications, so they naturally have to bear all the pressure behind it. If they don't step up now, when will they? Don't worry, as long as Donkey and Richard Lindstone dare to break the rules, they'll pay a heavy price. Those old guys haven't made a move, but that doesn't mean the 'New Money' family won't. Richard Lindstone has a lot of dirt on him; any leaked information will cost him dearly. Besides, I control the media. Do you think this is still a problem?"

Upon hearing John's words, Smith couldn't help but sigh. Under these circumstances, it really wasn't a major problem, but could the old man be unaware of this? Could there be other reasons behind it? Did John know all this? Smith thought it unlikely he didn't, but the fact that he knew yet dared to be so calm and make such a decision suggested the reasons behind it were probably not simple. Everyone was making their own plans; now it was just a matter of whose methods were more skillful!

Persuading John to back down? Smith quickly abandoned the idea. Soros had already made his move, Oil Capital had already made its move, and John's counterattack had begun. The current situation was merely John's counterattack alone. Would Oil Capital's enemies react in the slightest? Would the 'New Money' family react in the slightest?

That's impossible. Do Middle Eastern tycoons have money? When they see such an opportunity, they can't help but hinder the oil tycoons. They can't help but fully support John's actions. They can't directly confront oil capital or Soros, but they can use John's help.

Suddenly, Smith understood where John's funds came from. They were from Middle Eastern tycoons who didn't care about gains or losses; all they wanted was to attack the oil capital and Soros.

"John, do you have funds from Middle Eastern tycoons?" Smith looked at John with a serious expression, waiting for John's answer. He was feeling very depressed at the moment, and he knew very well what kind of trouble it would bring to John if all of this were exposed.

John smiled calmly and said, "That's right. Some of them are from Middle Eastern tycoons, and they are interest-free loans. As long as I can stand on the opposite side of oil capital, as long as I can fight Soros, they will support me unconditionally. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Not to mention that I already have a good relationship with them, so there will naturally be no problem! This amount of money is nothing to them, and it's not like I haven't given them any benefits. It's only good if we give and take."

John was right. He did provide ample assistance to the Middle Eastern tycoons. The freedom to export military products further strengthened John's cooperation with the Middle Eastern tycoons. When the Middle Eastern tycoons realized that things were getting out of control, they finally realized that their best 'friend' was John. They couldn't let their friend down, so they naturally had to help him with all their might!

(End of this chapter)