America: My Time

Chapter 1331 An Unexpected Appearance

Chapter 1321 An Unexpected Occurrence
Anna, as John's mother, was naturally very worried. She deeply understood the immense pressure John had faced along the way, which was why she reminded Justin. Being in the United States, she was even more aware of the perilous situation and how many people were watching John, plotting against him. Especially with the changes at General Motors, the undercurrents had become even more intense. Even though everyone had already reached an agreement, many things cannot be suppressed simply by wishing to do so!
“Uncle, I know my situation, and you don’t need to worry about me. I will adjust myself. But you have to give me an explanation. This can’t go on forever. Grandpa and Grandma are hoping that you can get married soon, and at least have a child so that they won’t have to worry about you. Think about it carefully. Even if you don’t think about yourself, you have to think about Grandpa and Grandma. They all want to have a child.”

"Don't drag me into this. I'll consider it, but I haven't found a suitable partner yet. Their intentions aren't pure; they all just want to use me!" Justin sighed, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Having been in this industry for so long, he was starting to feel lost and couldn't see things clearly anymore.

"This is perfectly normal. What are you worried about? Isn't this how this industry is? It's like this in the entertainment industry, and even more so in high society. Why do those big families arrange marriages? To put it bluntly, it's about using each other to protect themselves. That's how it is when you're looking for a suitable person in this industry. If you have no value to them at all, do you think anyone will care about you or be willing to be with you? Think about how dark this industry is, and you'll understand what those women are thinking! The more disadvantaged a woman's background or lack of connections is, the more insecure she is, and the more she wants to find a safe haven! You haven't forgotten Karen Mudd, and what happened to her."

Although nothing has come to light yet, John and his associates are well aware of what's going on. After all, John has Lady Snow by his side, and she's aware of the darker side of this industry. This isn't a secret in the European modeling world either; it's darker and more insane than Hollywood.

Seeing so many shady modeling agencies and even talent agencies from Europe coming to Russia to select models, John felt a chill run down his spine. They were using respectable names, but behind the scenes they were incredibly shady schemes. John looked down on these guys, and he didn't know how many people from the upper echelons of European society were behind them.

"Yes, that's how this industry is. I'll think about it carefully. Let's not talk about these things now. Even if you're not afraid, you can't stand on the opposite side of everyone. After all, this is the norm in the industry. You know how crazy those designers are. You don't have much pressure, but many people are not like that."

"That's right, it's just an exchange of interests. It's just that some people don't see it that way and insist on using underhanded tactics. These people are not respectable, and they can never become mainstream. Look at what kind of people those masters are!"

Upon hearing John's words, Justin shuddered and quickly said, "That's enough, you'd better not say any more. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!"

"Your will is still not strong enough. Why is that? Because those masters are too powerful. They are surrounded by too many beautiful women. They have had enough of them and want to do something more exciting. Do you understand? Those guys who use force don't have any real ability. If they had any ability, they wouldn't need to do this. Countless beautiful women would come to them on their own."

John's words couldn't be more accurate, but they were also terrifying. It was fine to say such things among his own people, but if he spoke of them to outsiders, it would cause an unstoppable storm and impact the entire industry. In fact, those clear-headed people in the industry understand this: these masters have no shortage of beautiful women. Models aspiring to fame are willing to have relationships with them and receive their favors. Having slept with so many beautiful women naturally changes their mindset.

Of course, not everyone is like this; there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. After all, they are artists, so naturally they need to have an 'artistic' aura. This is true not only in the modeling world but also in Hollywood. Do those famous directors lack beautiful women? No, they don't. Do they need to force them? No, they only need to wave their hand and people will come to them automatically. Only those with dark minds, or even those who are despicable, would do such a thing.

"John, don't you have any ideas?" Justin looked at John with curiosity, his eyes full of expectation.

John shook his head and said, "No, I don't expect that. I don't have the energy for such trivial matters right now. Do you think I'd give up such a huge benefit for a beautiful woman? Do you think I'd be so easily swayed by beauty? You're overthinking it. If I were so easily bewitched and made such an irrational move, I would have been devoured by those old guys long ago. Let's go. I don't have any ideas, at least not now. If you do have any ideas, that's fine too. I support you. As long as you can let Grandma hold her grandson, I'll fully cooperate with you!"

John was extremely cautious, especially when it came to women, and particularly with the Russians, since they had taken over most of the old Russians' assets. He had encountered "swallows" before, but he had always managed to avoid them. No matter how beautiful or alluring a woman was, John wouldn't pay her any attention, avoiding putting himself in danger. He kept his distance from such beauties, giving no one a chance.

These are things he can't say to Justin, even though he's his uncle. John hasn't mentioned them to his family either. Not only has the former Russian had such schemes, but he's also encountered British, Europeans, Americans, and even Israelis—all of whom he's kept his distance from, giving them no chance. If it weren't for John's reputation as a playboy, these people would all think he's gay.

It was only after repeated failures that those guys had to give up, and John no longer had to face such 'temptations', finally allowing him to live a stable life. Even now, John still keeps his distance from unfamiliar beautiful women and is unwilling to have any contact with them, for fear that their identities might be questionable.

“John, you’re sometimes really boring. Life is about being happy. You don’t need to make yourself like this; it’s exhausting!” Justin shook his head, unable to accept John’s current state. They were completely different kinds of people. Their perspectives differed depending on their perspectives, and their different positions naturally led to different reactions.

"Alright, let's not talk about me. We need to finish things here quickly. I don't have much time to waste here. I'm not used to life here!" John sighed. If it wasn't necessary, he didn't want to stay here any longer and would prefer to leave as soon as possible.

“I don’t want to stay in this environment for too long either, but we can’t abandon the things that have been arranged. At least we have to get things done here. If we can’t recruit anyone, what do you think people will think?” Justin’s gaze fell on John as he spoke, after all, all of this was to cover for John! “Does it matter what others think? We’re not without excuses. We’re training elites, not like those guys. If there are no suitable candidates, of course we have to give up. We can’t waste precious resources on guys who don’t have much potential. Besides, we have our own sources of talent in Europe.”

John didn't care too much about any of this; one reason was enough. What others thought or how they viewed didn't matter. Justin, however, didn't see it that way. Deep down, he still harbored a sliver of expectation. That's human nature, that's a man's nature—naturally drawn to beautiful women. Even though life here wasn't great, Justin still had high hopes.

John said that the Europeans have some ideas. You can actually tell from Justin himself. If even he has such expectations, you can imagine what the Europeans are thinking. That's just human nature.

The selection time arrived quickly, but things really surprised John. The people at the modeling agency were quite capable; John actually saw two familiar figures in the audition: Natalia Vodianova and Eugenia Volodina. However, he was a little puzzled. Shouldn't Natalia Vodianova have debuted last year? Why was she still participating in his modeling agency's audition now?

Although John had some doubts, he ignored them. While the two women were beautiful, they weren't his type. However, he recognized their abilities; their future fame naturally stemmed from advantages others lacked. Success wasn't a matter of luck; it always required hard work and sacrifice!

John didn't believe that anyone was trying to use these two beauties to scheme against him; there was no need for that. After all, he hadn't been involved in the modeling industry for a long time, and had even stepped away from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for quite some time. If it weren't for the problems that had arisen at the Forever Group, John hadn't planned to make any changes.

Even if John wanted to make changes, he wouldn't have acted so hastily. Instead, he would have waited until after the Asian financial crisis. It can only be said that all of this came too suddenly. He himself hadn't expected it, so naturally, no one else would have either.

Seeing his uncle's infatuated expression, John couldn't help but sigh. That's French romance—they fall for beautiful women at first sight. John didn't try to offer any advice; success or failure, it didn't matter. Providing help was enough; he wouldn't interfere in anything else.
While John was in Russia, Soros and his cronies made their move ahead of time. They wanted to take advantage of John's absence to create a time gap. Moreover, in Soros's eyes, without John's presence, Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investment would experience some chaos. They planned to make arrangements after contacting John, and by then, they had completed their entire scheme.

The idea was good, but reality was cruel. How could someone as cautious as John make such a basic mistake? Moreover, John had made all the necessary preparations before leaving China for South Korea. Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investment were well-prepared, and even John's 'Seijin Bank' in Japan had made comprehensive preparations!

Soros thought he was very clever, but in reality, everything he did was nothing. He wanted to strike first, seize the initiative, and get the lion's share, but that was just being too arrogant. John's plan was far more sophisticated than he imagined.

The sudden ringing of the satellite phone caused a slight disturbance at the audition, drawing attention to John and making him the target of many beautiful women. Unfortunately for them, their efforts were in vain; John had no interest in them, at least not in the mood for it!
"Boss, Soros and his men have made their move. The scenario we feared has come to pass. Are we proceeding according to plan?"

"Everything will proceed as planned without any changes. If Soros wants to show off, let him. We don't need that kind of fame. All we need to do is secure our own interests. Everything else can be sacrificed."

John's sudden move was both expected and unexpected. In fact, Soros and his cronies didn't need to rush into action; they could have waited longer and made full preparations before making their move. However, they still chose to act while John was away in Russia, which meant that Soros and his cronies could no longer withstand the pressure and had no choice but to take action.

Others only saw Soros's preemptive move and perceived advantage, but in John's eyes, it was a sign of insecurity; otherwise, waiting a little longer would have yielded better results. However, all of this was beyond his control, and he couldn't change it, since Soros was not someone he could manipulate.

"Is there a problem over there? Do you need to leave now and go back to deal with it?" Justin asked with concern when he saw the change in John's expression, a hint of worry in his eyes!

"It's alright, just continue according to your plan. There was a minor incident over there, but it's under control and won't have any major impact!"

(End of this chapter)