America: My Time

Chapter 1335 The Europeans' Methods
Chapter 1325 The Europeans' Methods

"Now it's certain that John has indeed made comprehensive preparations. Soros and his cronies' plan has failed, and they won't get the benefits they wanted." Upon receiving this news, Morgan sighed, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Boss, actually, the communication between Asia and John has been ongoing, but they're using satellite phones to keep the conversations private. Now there's new information from Asia: Japan's 'Seishin Bank' is shorting the yen, and quite aggressively, without any attempt to conceal it!"

"Are you saying that John is retaliating against Japan, expressing his dissatisfaction with what happened before? And also warning those guys in Japan to behave themselves?" Morgan instantly understood the meaning behind this, but with this change, the problem became even more dangerous.

"Yes, that's the only explanation that makes sense. After all, John and Japan have always maintained a tacit understanding and never really crossed the line. But this time is different. 'Seishin Bank' is a Japanese bank, and at this time, it's openly shorting the yen. What else could this be but retaliation? But has the relationship between John and Japan really reached this point? Isn't this a bit too strange and too crazy!"

“You’re overthinking it. This is perfectly normal. Do you really think John has a good relationship with Japan? The reason he was able to maintain appearances in the past was because John was deliberately restraining himself. He has significant interests in Japan. But now John no longer needs to compromise with these guys, and his biggest contact with Japan has retired. So do you think John still needs to give them face?”

At this point, Morgan paused, then looked at Jimmy with a puzzled expression and said, "Jimmy, you don't believe those rumors that the Japanese honey trap worked, do you really believe such stupid things?"

"Boss, I have no choice but to believe it. For the past ten years or so, John has maintained a very good relationship with Japan and has made compromises on many things. Every time it involves Akio Morita, he is the one who steps in. This inevitably makes people have more ideas, so this statement has always existed!"

"Heh, that's ridiculous. You think John is someone who would be seduced by beauty? In the past ten years or so, how many people have tried to use beauty to scheme against John? Did they succeed? Don't tell me you don't know what's been going on in the US these past few years. No matter how secretive those guys are, they can't possibly leave no trace."

Jimmy nodded and said, "I've heard that, but everyone says John prefers Asian beauties, which is why he didn't accept those beauties. And this theory is quite popular; almost everyone on Wall Street believes it!"

"Do you really believe I'm joking? John isn't surrounded by other European and American beauties. Who are Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, and Jennifer Connelly? Besides, you haven't noticed the changes in John's modeling agency, have you? It's not that he doesn't like European and American beauties, but he's unwilling to get involved with those unknown beauties. He's always been very vigilant and doesn't want those guys to find fault with him."

"But why hasn't John taken action to teach those guys a lesson? With his strength, he could have easily warned them and stopped it all, instead of letting it escalate to this point?"

"This is exactly the result John wanted. If he hadn't been pushing things out in the shadows, do you think these rumors would have even surfaced? Now John no longer needs to compromise with Japan, so naturally he doesn't need to give them any face anymore. And don't you know how much Japan has changed? With such a good opportunity, John wouldn't be doing justice to all his years of patience if he didn't seize it. I believe that after this, those guys won't dare to have any more ideas! Keep an eye on John, keep an eye on the situation in Asia, and see how those guys in Japan react. I'm really looking forward to their reaction; I hope they won't disappoint me!"

Upon hearing his boss's words, Jimmy immediately understood it was time to leave and get to work, so he acted without hesitation. However, he failed to notice the gleam of auspicious light flashing in the eyes of Morgan's secretary, a look that seemed to mock Jimmy's ignorance and foolishness!
It can only be said that this secretary was too naive and made too many assumptions. Jimmy has been able to remain Morgan's confidant for decades. Is he really incompetent? No, it's not that he lacks ability, but rather that he can't do everything or say everything. How could that demonstrate the importance of the boss?
Many 'smart' guys, those eager to show off, have all been eliminated, but Jimmy has remained steadfast. Unfortunately, the reasons behind this aren't clear to everyone. Morgan's secretaries have come and gone; few have stayed long. But Jimmy, the manager, has always been there, always Morgan's confidant. What right does this junior secretary have to look down on Jimmy?

Perhaps initially, Jimmy truly couldn't see through everything, but after so much guidance from a powerful figure, how could he not have made any progress? Did Morgan really not understand anything? Actually, no. He was perfectly aware of Jimmy's situation, and it was precisely because of this understanding that Jimmy seemed so capable and reliable!

John was unaware of the situation in the United States, but he knew how many eyes were watching him; even Claudia Schiffer would be known. Just as John was preparing to relax for a few days and then meet with those Europeans to catch up, an unexpected invitation arrived.

Karl Lagerfeld, who had been the designer for Chanel, invited John to attend. Faced with such an invitation, John had no choice but to accept. After all, Lagerfeld was the pillar of Chanel, and he had to give him that much face!
"See? This is where the trouble begins!" John sighed as his uncle delivered the invitations. "This isn't just one invitation; there are several more. Take them all!" Justin said, handing John the invitations, which made John sigh again. If he attended Chanel, he'd have to attend other brands; after all, these were his brands, and he couldn't refuse!
"Arrange the cocktail party as soon as possible. It would be best to build some connections with these brands in the next few days. Remember, you must invite the Middle Eastern tycoons. We can't let them down; they are our cash cows!" The Middle Eastern tycoons have always been the main force behind John's luxury brands. Although there may be some exchange of benefits involved, we still have to give them the face they deserve. Otherwise, why would they continue to support your brands?

Over the past decade or so, Middle Eastern tycoons have been supporters of luxury brands, making John a fortune!

“You want to bring them all together? Isn’t that a bit too crazy? Middle Eastern tycoons aren’t popular!” Justin said hesitantly. He was well aware of the French arrogance, especially their contempt for Middle Eastern tycoons.

“Just do it this way. Those guys are all so arrogant, looking down on this and that. If they’re so capable, let them not do business with Middle Eastern tycoons. If they lose the support of Middle Eastern tycoons, see what they’ll become! Do you think I need to care about their feelings? Do you think they’re more important to me than the Middle Eastern tycoons?”

If John had the choice, he would naturally choose the Middle Eastern tycoons. John was well aware that the current situation was largely due to the influence of oil and Pacific capital. Unfortunately for them, John wasn't buying it. If these guys had objections, they could keep them to themselves; if they were really dissatisfied, they could simply not attend the party. John didn't care whether they attended or not!
"Well, let's hope nothing goes wrong, otherwise we'll be in a real mess!" Justin sighed, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. After all, this was a party he had personally organized, and if something went wrong, he would become a laughing stock in the industry, which was not the outcome he wanted!
"Uncle, don't worry. Those guys know when to back down. If anyone dares to cause trouble, don't blame me for retaliating. I've been looking for a reason to deal with some people. If they give me this opportunity, I'll gladly accept it!"

John has already begun to establish his authority in Japan. 'New Bank' has taken direct action, showing no mercy to those Japanese guys. If something happens in Paris as well, and he is given such an opportunity, John will naturally not refuse. He will let those people know what pain is and make them pay a heavy price.

"You're too aggressive, that's not good. Can't we sit down and discuss things? There's no need to resort to violence!"

Hearing his uncle's words, John shook his head without explaining anything. After all, their perspectives and ways of looking at problems are different. Given his uncle's status and position, he wouldn't understand his current situation, how much scheming and trouble was behind all of this. Compromise will never lead to a good outcome; it will only make things worse!
"By the way, John, could you do me a favor and get Eugenia walking the runway for those luxury brands?"

"Uncle, you've helped them so much, didn't you ask them for this?" John asked with a puzzled look. In his opinion, such an exchange of benefits was perfectly normal, but why didn't his uncle do anything? Could it be that he was rejected?
“John, as you know, it’s not easy for me to bring this up. After all, Eugenia’s strength is still a little bit lacking, and if I were to speak up, there would be a lot of dissenting voices within the company.”

“Uncle, you’re still too honest. Does it matter what those people think? Exchanging benefits is perfectly normal in this circle. They can do it if they have the ability, and if they don’t, they have to endure it. Do you think they dare to break the ‘rules’ of this circle? They don’t have that kind of courage. Anyone who dares to step forward will be targeted and abandoned by the circle. But since you’ve already asked, I’ll help you this time.”

Although it was just a small matter, it didn't make John feel good. Even his uncle was under such pressure. It seemed that the modeling agency needed to be reorganized. The problems in Europe were also significant. However, he didn't have that much time right now and needed to wait. After all, Europe wasn't like the United States. It could even have a ripple effect, impacting the entire modeling agency. Especially since it happened during Fashion Week, if something went wrong, the impact would be enormous!
John had been worried about problems in Europe, but he didn't expect that he would feel the seriousness of the problem before he even started investigating. After all, the romance in France was too crazy, and behind the romance was a naked exchange of interests. Just from this small matter, John could feel the seriousness of the problem behind it!
Why did John want to change Victoria's Secret? Was it merely a problem with the Forever Group? No, it was more about the supermodels' suppression of the new generation, impacting the interests of modeling agencies and management companies, and affecting his grand plans. If John wanted to, he could have forcefully promoted Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, but they also played a negative role in the process, as they were also beneficiaries.

However, John couldn't easily pursue this matter. After all, making a big fuss about it wouldn't be good for anyone, and he couldn't be too heartless. If he really went to investigate, what would others think of him, and what would the women around him think? In any case, he still had some kind of 'relationship' with Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, and he couldn't be completely cold-blooded.

If these people hadn't gone too far, leaving the newcomers with no hope of advancement and affecting his grand plans, John wouldn't have chosen to intervene at this time and under these circumstances. Instead, he would have opted for a more moderate approach. Unfortunately, he has no choice now; if things continue to escalate, the consequences will be too severe.

John didn't know how much groundwork those old guys had done before selling these companies, but he didn't trust them, so starting from scratch was necessary. Starting with Victoria's Secret naturally silenced those people; after all, even Victoria's Secret itself had taken action, so what reason did they have to object? Even if someone tried to cause trouble, he had legitimate grounds to deal with them. He originally thought the problem wouldn't be too serious, but now John no longer had that optimistic view!

(End of this chapter)