America: My Time

Chapter 1355 An Unexpected Gift

Chapter 1345 An Unexpected Gift
Watching Little Bush leave, John shook his head slightly. This guy seemed very carefree on the surface, but John felt that he was a bit forced. However, John didn't intend to find out the reason behind it. He didn't need to know. He and Little Bush were not on the same path. At most, they could only be considered collaborators.

Don't be fooled by the information Little Bush brought; it's useless to me because I already knew it all. Therefore, the favor he did for Little Bush is significantly less valuable. John knows Little Bush understands this, and he's aware of John's capabilities, yet he still had Little Bush do it, which means the other party is overly ambitious. Perhaps Little Bush isn't willing to accept it, judging from his forced nonchalance, but John doesn't dare to be too careless, after all, the other party is a politician.

However, John soon encountered an unexpected person: a Chinese staff member who came to deliver gifts to the two newlywed couples. This person was an old acquaintance of John's. More than a decade had passed; John was no longer the same person he was back then, and both of them felt a pang of nostalgia upon meeting.
John didn't invite the people; his parents made the invitation. The wedding was also arranged by his parents. Although John made some preparations, he had no say in such matters.

"More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. I never thought we would meet again under these circumstances. It's quite a surprise!" John sighed softly. He had changed in the past decade; he was no longer the boy he once was!
“Mr. John, I’m not surprised at all, after all, you’ve been making headlines for over a decade! I’m here on behalf of the Chief to present a congratulatory gift to the newlyweds. The Chief also said that if you were to get married, he would make time to attend no matter what!”

Upon hearing this, John took a deep breath, shook his head, and sighed, "Impossible. I can't get married. The United States is not China. My current status and position do not allow for marriage, which would only bring unnecessary trouble. Even if there is a prenuptial agreement, it would be useless. Many things are beyond our control!"

John was speaking the truth. At this point, there was absolutely no possibility of him getting married. Doing so would leave too many hidden dangers and risks for the conglomerate he had built from scratch, something John didn't want to see. If marriage were so easy, why would he be on the opposite side of those old guys? Although he had calculated things in one transaction, fundamentally, he was forced into it. He had to compromise under pressure from those old men—that's the harsh reality. If he were to marry again, the hidden dangers would be magnified many times over.

John never underestimated anyone, especially those guys from Seville. He was extremely wary of them; otherwise, he wouldn't have been constantly increasing his security personnel and strengthening his own power, precisely because he was afraid of being outmaneuvered. John didn't believe these guys wouldn't dare to break the rules or resort to underhanded tactics. For these guys, there was nothing they wouldn't do. Rules applied to the weak, and without sufficient power, it was simply not feasible.

After the Russians fell, American conglomerates, Europeans, and even Middle Eastern tycoons and Israelis were all testing him, trying to find information about the nuclear bomb. This was John's trump card and an important means for him to threaten those guys. As long as he had this powerful weapon, those guys would have to consider how serious the consequences would be if they wanted to target him, and whether they could withstand his counterattack!

John was well aware of Israel's greed and shamelessness, and these guys always pretended to be victims. In fact, just by looking at the size of their country, you can tell how greedy they are. John didn't want to deal with such a greedy group of people, let alone have any dealings with them. He also needed to be on high alert!

Upon hearing John's words, the other party showed no reaction, which was within his expectations. In fact, many people had been studying John and understood his current predicament. Although John was a playboy, this reputation was something he had deliberately cultivated. A little research would reveal this: John had never married, yet he had many children, and had even made arrangements for them long ago. This rendered many people's thoughts useless, and they dared not act rashly.

"Let's not talk about that. You must have other things to discuss with me today. If I'm not mistaken, it's related to Hong Kong. The battle between Standard Chartered and HSBC had a significant impact on Hong Kong, and the situation there isn't great right now. Soros and his cronies won't give up. They'll definitely choose a suitable time to target Hong Kong."

When John got straight to the point, the other man's expression changed slightly. He nodded and said, "Yes, that's exactly what I came here for. I believe no one here will think there's anything wrong with our conversation. After all, if you want to communicate, you can do it in China or Hong Kong!"

John nodded and said, "That's true, I won't attract much attention here. If you're worried that I'll take this opportunity to target Hong Kong, then you've made a wasted trip. I have no such intentions. After all, I have considerable assets in Hong Kong. If Hong Kong suffers a major blow, I will be the first to be affected. I'm not on the same side as Soros!"

“Mr. John, you flatter us. We have never doubted you. If you were determined, it would be difficult for us to resist, given the astonishing wealth and funds you possess. Many people believe that Standard Chartered Bank was severely damaged after the battle with HSBC, but that's just an illusion. Standard Chartered Bank's losses were not as great as imagined. Moreover, over the years, the gold from Quantum Mining has flowed into Standard Chartered Bank, Sinotrans Bank, and East West Bank. In more than a decade, that's an enormous amount of assets. I've come here simply to discuss with you when the Hong Kong financial crisis might occur.”

Hearing this, John shook his head and sighed, "It's hard to say. Looking at the current situation in Japan, you can see how terrifying this financial crisis is. The yen's exchange rate has been steadily declining, which seems to benefit their exports, but it also affects their costs. The same is true for South Korea in Asia. So, this crisis depends on what Soros and his group think. They should be almost ready by now. HSBC's move against Standard Chartered is a way to contain me. If there are no surprises, they will definitely make their move in the second half of the year, and this time it will be even more aggressive. The power they've accumulated is not simple." "Mr. John, do you think their plan will succeed?"

John smiled calmly and said, “Difficult! Almost impossible to succeed. Of course, they don’t need to succeed. Everything they’ve done isn’t just for profit. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been targeted by those old guys, wouldn’t have been repeatedly warned, and wouldn’t have let Soros and his ilk go time and time again. In Hong Kong, no matter how much they prepare, it’s useless. After all, Hong Kong has China behind it. Compared to the foreign exchange reserves of a major power, their strength is still insufficient. As for Russia, those guys are even more insane. I have even less faith in them. After all, Russia has no integrity, and I’ve already contacted them before and accepted their proposal. In my opinion, they still don’t understand Russia enough, and their understanding of Hong Kong and China is too shallow. Actually, there’s only so much I can do in this great battle.”

Is it really true, as John says, that there are limitations to what he can do? No, John is not limited. He has been laying the groundwork in Hong Kong for so long, how could he be powerless? It's just that walls have ears, so even at this time, John must be cautious and dare not easily expose his plans.

"As long as Mr. John is willing, everything will be fine as long as you don't get involved!"

"You overestimate my abilities; I'm not that powerful. However, to protect myself, I will do my best, after all, I don't want to see my assets in Hong Kong shrink. If it weren't for HSBC's sudden move, I would have been better prepared. Now, I can only take it one step at a time. Even if I wanted to raise funds, it would be impossible, since too many people are watching me." John wasn't lying. Too many people were watching him. These old guys in the US, seemingly entangled with John over the Nvidia and Dreamworld issue, were also hindering his progress, preventing him from fully committing to his Asian expansion and creating opportunities for Soros and his ilk.

Although John understood this in his heart, he could only pretend not to know and continue to play along with these guys. These guys were scheming against him, but John was also using them to cover up his many actions. These family members thought they could distract him and force him to pay attention to the situation in the United States through this transaction. In fact, they had no idea that John had already completed his layout in Asia and did not need to pay much attention to it.

Is General Motors only backed by the Italians? Is it as simple as John makes it out to be? No, things are more complicated than they seem. There are also those old guys involved behind the scenes. It is precisely because John knows this that he went straight to the point and made demands of them.

“We understand your difficulties and don’t have too many demands. We are satisfied as long as you remain neutral. We don’t need you to completely side with us and affect your own interests.”

Upon hearing this, John breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you understand. Actually, I won't remain neutral. I will protect my own interests. I have huge assets in Hong Kong. Since Soros is targeting Hong Kong, I have an obligation to protect my interests. In this battle in Hong Kong, Standard Chartered Bank will do everything in its power to protect everything. Hurricane Investment and East West Bank will also be involved. This battle can also be considered my battle against Soros."

The feud between John and Soros is well-known in the industry; anyone with even a little inside information understands their complex relationship and rivalry. It's not just a simple matter of oil and capital; it involves far more interests and struggles!
Don't let John's American background fool you; he's not a fan of Soros and those international speculators. Those guys are a disorganized mess. Targeting Southeast Asian countries isn't a problem, or even targeting South Korea and Japan. Southeast Asian countries have limited power, while South Korea and Japan face pressure from the US. So their attacks are naturally smooth sailing. But it's a different story when facing Russia and China. Great powers possess methods and dominance beyond their wildest imaginations.

Soros was still basking in the glory of how the Americans had dismembered Russia, thinking he could do the same. But he forgot that Russia's downfall wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface, and that Russia's collapse had already put Russia on its guard. If they wanted to pull off another financial invasion, they were just daydreaming; it would only end up hurting both sides. So John didn't want to get involved or incur Russia's wrath. As for Hong Kong, it had legitimate reasons to act and had reached a consensus with the Americans.

Seeing John chatting and laughing with others, some people's gazes darkened considerably. Quite a few people had come today, and naturally, many were John's enemies. However, since they had come to offer their congratulations, John couldn't very well stop them; if he did, it would truly be a fight to the death, and things hadn't reached that point yet!
Many people are wondering what the content of John's conversation with the Chinese personnel was. However, judging from the smiles on their faces, things might not be as they think. If the other party really wanted to discuss Asian issues, they wouldn't need to be here. John had countless opportunities to discuss these issues with them before.

“Mr. John’s time is also very valuable, and he’s very busy today. I can’t keep you here forever. Now that we’ve reached a conclusion, I’ll take my leave!” Soon, the Chinese personnel also said goodbye to John. John had a lot of tasks to complete today; many people had come for him, and he needed to receive them. Everyone naturally understood this, and familiar friends didn’t have much interaction with John or excessively disturb his schedule.

Of course, many people also understand that today's wedding is not simple and there are many hidden problems. Many people are not here for the wedding, but just to take this opportunity to find out information, or even to make contact with John and learn about his situation. Naturally, the presence of Youtai Capital is also involved!
(End of this chapter)