America: My Time

Chapter 1330 Da Mao's Reaction

Chapter 1320 Da Mao's Reaction

John was lying. He was completely lying. Why would he invest in building a factory in Russia? That would be suicide! In twenty years, Russia could confiscate it. Only a fool would do that. But nobody knew John's thoughts, or the future. John's reasons were also quite compelling. Many people in the US were watching him, and the United Auto Workers had caused him trouble more than once. Under these circumstances, how could John dare to invest in building a factory in Russia?

Of course, there was also the influence of Oil Capital. After all, these guys had a very bad relationship with John. Given the chance, they would never let John go and would definitely target him with all their might, especially regarding the overseas factory construction. This was not the first or second time that they had targeted him.

"Damn those oil capitalists, they're too arrogant!" someone in Russia cursed angrily. They were extremely disgusted with the oil capitalists represented by Soros and his ilk. After all, these guys were preparing to attack Russia, so how could they not be angry?

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m powerless to do anything about it. And as you all know, I just had a conflict with them. If I dared to do that now, I would definitely be targeted. They’ve forced me to break up and integrate the Bentley Motors Group and even separate out parts production. I’m terrified of being targeted by these guys, and this is just the beginning. They’ll get even crazier.” John sighed, a hint of annoyance in his eyes, as if he were hostile to the oil and gas capital.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and Mao naturally thought so too. Although John had a good reputation, it was impossible for them to completely trust him. His status was what it was; he was a tycoon of an American conglomerate. No matter how much they kept their promises, they wouldn't dare to completely trust John, an outsider. They just had no other choice at the moment.

"Mr. John, is there any other way? You know our situation isn't ideal. We desperately need more foreign exchange and to revitalize our economy!" Russia's situation isn't ideal either; they haven't fully recovered, and now they're being targeted by guys like Soros. The pressure on them is unimaginable.

"It's difficult, this is a very difficult matter. I'm willing but unable to handle it. However, I can help with sales regarding resources. We're currently negotiating a cooperation agreement with South Korea on Sakhalin Island. Once the agreement is finalized, we can start supplying them." In short, no matter what these guys say, he will not build a factory in Russia or invest his funds there.

Just as the people from Great Russia were feeling somewhat disappointed, John changed the subject and said, "Gentlemen, we can't cooperate in those heavy industries, but there are opportunities in other areas. I can invest in breweries and retail to boost Great Russia's economic development. After all, investments in these areas don't have that much of an impact, and raw materials aren't a problem!"

Indeed, John was already the world's fifth-largest grain trader, though he hadn't expanded too aggressively. However, he controlled a considerable amount of resources, so supplying Russia wasn't a problem. Moreover, such investments would recoup their costs within a few years, so even if a crisis occurred twenty years later, his investment would have already been recovered.

And so John and the guys from Da Mao began discussing investments in Da Mao, starting with retail and food processing. With retail, food processing was inevitable. Da Mao wouldn't be happy to rely entirely on imports, so they would naturally demand investment in food processing plants. John couldn't refuse such an investment.

Thus, John and Da Mao reached a cooperation agreement through 'friendly' communication. Although it was only a verbal agreement, both parties were very satisfied and neither believed the other would breach the contract. Da Mao was now in dire need of investment and needed to open up new opportunities, so he naturally wouldn't breach the contract. John had no reason to breach the contract, and all of this was highly advantageous to him.

To alleviate its economic pressure and secure more valuable foreign exchange reserves, Russia did not reject John's proposal to lift restrictions on Asian energy resources. After all, Asian energy companies were capable of selling their extracted energy, while Russia itself did not have that kind of "capability." After all, the Europeans and Americans had been targeting and suppressing them for a long time; they were not going to give them a chance to breathe.

It seems that John was forced to make those retail and food processing investments in Russia, but this was all part of John's pre-planned strategy. There was no pressure at all; he was just deceiving the Russians. Moreover, John didn't use US funds for his investments in Russia; he used Chinese funds and Asian brands. The excuses were simple: to prevent his competitors from sabotaging the cooperation.

"Sigh, it's really tough. These Russian guys are really persistent!" After finishing his conversation with the Russians, John couldn't help but sigh, a hint of weariness in his eyes. The reason the Russians were waiting for John at the hotel as soon as he got off the plane was to take advantage of his fatigue and gain more benefits. John understood all this, but he didn't refuse.

Da Mao wanted to scheme against him, and he wanted to scheme against them as well, which led to this 'pleasant' exchange. Da Mao returned satisfied, and John also obtained a lot of resources from Da Mao. The barter trade between the two sides will return to its busiest time!
"You must be exhausted. Wouldn't it be better to relax a bit? Why did you have to rush over here? And those guys from Da Mao have no manners at all. Who comes to talk about cooperation right after landing and checking into a hotel?"

Upon hearing this, John smiled calmly and said, "It's nothing. They're just under too much pressure and have no choice but to do this. After all, they want to temporarily stop repaying their foreign debt. Once this news gets out, you should understand how big an impact it will have, and how amazing the impact on them will be. Soros and his ilk won't let such an opportunity pass by, and neither will those international speculative funds. Another storm is about to be triggered."

"Soros is too arrogant. If it weren't for the US backing him up, he would have been targeted long ago."

"You can't say that. While Soros and his ilk are indeed wicked and despicable, they have a good eye for opportunity. They were able to see the financial weaknesses in Asian countries; otherwise, their schemes wouldn't have succeeded." This time, Soros and his cronies wreaked havoc on Asia, emptying the country's coffers of over a decade. Of course, John also contributed to this, as he had been laying the groundwork for years. Therefore, John's gains were greater, but his preparations were more thorough, and his schemes weren't fully exposed. Moreover, Soros took the blame for the villainy.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's rest for a day and then start our 'work'. Now that we're in Russia, let's do our job well here, so we can give those guys a 'satisfactory' explanation and leave them with no excuse to target me. Even if it's a far-fetched reason, as long as I do it, they won't be able to say anything!"

A day passed in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, after reaching a cooperation agreement with John, Da Mao did not bother him again. John also quickly called Lee Boo-jin and asked her to fly from the United States to Da Mao to prepare and conduct research on the investment in Da Mao. Even though there was a verbal agreement with Da Mao, it was still necessary to conduct a thorough study before investing, since investment is not a trivial matter.

However, John and Da Mao agreed that the investment would take place in the second half of the year, and the first half of the year would require time for consideration and planning. Da Mao could not object to such a proposal. He couldn't expect people to invest without any research. Even a fool wouldn't accept that. Investment is about making money. How could one dare to invest rashly without prior preparation?

John intended to have Lee Boo-jin handle the investment in Russia, as he didn't have the energy to focus on it himself. However, this time, John's cooperation with Russia involved numerous steel-related projects, essentially a barter system. Russia's main assets were heavy industry, and many of its products were difficult to sell. The easiest assets to convert into cash were steel, energy, and timber. John's cooperation with them primarily focused on these three items.

Although he was also a steel tycoon, John wasn't opposed to such a deal. He figured it wasn't a big deal now; in a few years, steel prices would skyrocket. Knowing this, John readily agreed when Russia made the proposal. Russia preferred trading steel with John to energy, as it would help revitalize their steel mills—a win-win situation overall.

Although the Americans were eager to know what John had discussed with Russia and what kind of cooperation they had, they hadn't heard a word of it. After all, it was Russia; their reach wasn't that far. However, news that shocked them soon broke: Russia was offering to sell its aircraft carrier to India for just one dollar. This news stunned the world; selling it for one dollar was simply insane.

As expected, the Indians are greedy. When they got the offer from Russia to sell them the aircraft carrier for just one dollar, they immediately took action and headed towards Russia, fearing that Russia would renege on its promise if they were too late. It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a bargain.

Yes, it was indeed a great deal, but behind this bargain lay a huge pitfall. One dollar could buy an aircraft carrier, but getting it back wouldn't be easy; maintenance costs would be a major expense. John knew how ruthless Russia was; this deal was a complete rip-off for India.

"This is insane! Are all modeling agencies in Europe this crazy now? This isn't a model selection process; they're just throwing out all sorts of slogans. With such a frenzied audition, how many people will actually make it into the industry?" John sighed as he watched the actions of the European modeling agencies. In the entertainment industry, everywhere is just as crazy and dark.

“John, this is the norm. You haven’t been in this industry for years, and this is how it is now. Modeling agencies in Paris are like this: they recruit people first and then worry about whether they can find work or adapt. That depends on their own abilities. They won’t lose money; on the contrary, they’ll make a profit. The training fees won’t be small!”

"Heh, these guys are really shady. They just provide ordinary accommodation and a modeling agency shell, and they can make so much money. These guys are getting more and more shameless. I haven't paid much attention to this kind of thing, after all, I don't have that much energy. I've been fighting with Youtai Capital all along, and we're training elites, not casting a wide net. Our focus has always been on Europe and America, we didn't have the mind to come here, since these are minor issues. If it weren't for the problems at Forever Group and Victoria's Secret having a little trouble, I wouldn't have used this as a shield." John shook his head as he spoke. He didn't accept the agency's suggestion; there was absolutely no need to make a long-term presence here.

Now that the deal with those old guys has begun, I have plenty of resources and am not lacking in opportunities to cultivate new talent, nor am I lacking in capable newcomers. With so many talent shows, I can be completely self-sufficient. There is no need to waste my energy here. Moreover, these guys who make such suggestions probably have ulterior motives.

Even a cursory glance was enough to uncover the terrifying issues behind it; a closer investigation would reveal even more problems. He didn't want to make a mistake in such a matter and ruin his reputation. Besides, he was training elites, not ordinary models; there was no need for him to be so concerned.

"John, now that you're here, make the most of this experience. And since you're here under this guise, you have to make the most of this draft. After all, if you're here, you have to do your job well!"

"Uncle, I know, but for some reason I'm feeling a little out of place right now. Maybe my mindset has changed! Since you've asked, I'll go with you. It'll only be for about ten days. Even if Soros and his cronies wanted to make a move, they wouldn't be able to do it that quickly. But are you sure you want to travel around here and then go back to Europe? That will take quite a while."

"Don't worry, we've already done the publicity and preparations. This is just a talent show. The time is a bit tight, but with your private jet, it will be easier and won't take up too much of your time. Besides, you should relax a bit. Your mother has been very worried!"

(End of this chapter)