America: My Time

Chapter 1374 An unexpected appearance
Chapter 1364 An Unexpected Occurrence

Of course, to get the Japanese to willingly fall into the trap, he couldn't appear too hasty, lest he arouse their suspicion. John needed to be extremely cautious in his approach, and he couldn't release too many listed companies at once, otherwise it might trigger a crisis prematurely. To rip off the Japanese and those old Europeans and American conglomerates, John needed to make meticulous preparations, and every step had to be flawless. He couldn't take the initiative; everything had to be made by those guys themselves. He was merely forced to sell these assets.

Just like this sale of Nvidia and Dreamworld, it was John's meticulously planned scheme. Moreover, he was forced to sell under duress, having to compromise with these old guys. All of this was exactly what those old guys wanted. Now that he's come to Japan, he's been exploited too much by those old guys and has to turn to them in Japan to protect his own interests. He was forced to sell under duress from beginning to end, and even if the bubble bursts in the future, it won't have anything to do with him!
Even if the Japanese guys dragged it out for a long time, John wouldn't ask them directly. He would just passively accept it, just like when the British guys came forward. He was only passively accepting it, and under the pressure of that 'friendship,' he had no choice but to share some of the company's shares with these guys, letting them enjoy this feast of wealth.

For John right now, the last thing he wants to see is for any unexpected events to happen, as that would disrupt his plans and affect his strategy. After all, he is most worried about the occurrence of unexpected events that are beyond his plans, even if they are small things, as they can have a significant impact, let alone during the Asian financial crisis!
However, things rarely go as planned, and unexpected events always occur. No matter how much preparation one makes, things can never be completely under one's control. Before the Japanese guys even showed up, John encountered problems on his own. Kikuchi Momoko was contacted by Nakamori Akina's family, who wanted Akina's contact information, claiming that her mother was sick and hospitalized. This unexpected turn of events gave John a headache.

In order to minimize any unexpected events and to keep everything under his control, John had made arrangements for all the women in Japan. But now that this situation has arisen, how could John not have a headache!
"Have you found out? Is she really sick or is she faking it? Or is this all a conspiracy, a conspiracy to lure Akina back? Is someone setting me up?" John's first thought was a conspiracy. After all, these Japanese guys are capable of any means, and they've dragged this out for quite a while. It's understandable that someone might have had some inappropriate thoughts, since these Japanese guys aren't exactly good people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made so many meticulous arrangements beforehand!

To give themselves an explanation, these guys made thorough preparations in advance. They were even capable of using others as scapegoats. What else couldn't they do? What wouldn't they dare to do? In their hearts, as long as there was enough profit, they would do anything. Profit was above all else, and what did sacrificing a few people matter?
“It’s true, the hospital has confirmed it. However, it’s not a normal illness, but rather he got sick from being angered by someone. The reason they came to me is probably because they don’t have the money to pay the bill!” Kikuchi Momoko quickly told everyone she had found out, and it was Riko who had been helping her all along who had done all of this.

"Then you should go to the hospital on my behalf, pay the bills, and tell Akina to come back. She shouldn't stay on Lanai Island anymore. We can't suppress this matter; she needs to address it herself!" Although he knew that Akina's return might cause new problems, John still did it. One can't be too heartless. If he had to suppress even something like this, he would become cold-blooded and ruthless, which wasn't what he wanted.

"Also, have someone keep an eye on them, don't give anyone with ulterior motives a chance to scheme, and keep an eye on that family, they're not good people, they're always going to cause trouble, I don't want any accidents to happen at this time."

Don't be fooled by the fact that John and the Japanese have reached an agreement. If someone is unwilling to accept this, it's not impossible for them to cause trouble. John doesn't know what internal decisions the Japanese have made, but some people's interests will inevitably be harmed. There are only so many interests, and everyone wants them, so naturally someone has to compromise and someone has to back down. It's not impossible for someone to be unwilling to accept this and cause trouble, especially since that family is the easiest to manipulate!
Over the past ten years, John has learned a lot about these guys. Whenever they are short of money, they think of Akina and try every means to extort money from her. Otherwise, Akina wouldn't have left Japan and only come back a few times a year. She's been scared and heartbroken by this family.

Perhaps Akina's only remaining concern is her mother, which is why John couldn't stop her from returning. Moreover, he believes this news will spread quickly, and if she doesn't return even when her mother is ill, it will damage her reputation. John's biggest worry is that someone might deliberately try to pin this on him, which would harm his reputation!
"Can't you understand why I'm being so cautious and so wary of those guys?" John asked, seeing the puzzled looks on Kikuchi Momoko's and Zeng Li's faces.

"Yes, I don't quite understand. Now that a consensus has been reached, there's no need to continue taking precautions. Besides, no one would be foolish enough to take action against us now; that would provoke public outrage, and they can't afford the consequences!"

Hearing Kikuchi Momoko's words, John shook his head and sighed, "You're still too naive, and your understanding of business rivalries is limited. Under the lure of profit, those guys have no bottom line. Think about what they did to give me a satisfactory explanation, to achieve their goals. That farce at the wedding—it ended like this. They just made some scapegoats take the fall. The most pathetic guy even 'atoneed with his death.' Tell me, what wouldn't they do, what wouldn't they dare to do? Don't think too highly of people. The guys you're facing are not kind! If you underestimate them, even the slightest carelessness will bring you boundless danger!"

John paused here, then continued, "With your current abilities, you shouldn't touch investments. Don't make any investments at all, or you'll lose everything. Listen to Riko; she understands the wickedness of this society better than you do. In Japan, a society where human relationships are cold and indifferent, it's dangerous for you to have such thoughts!"

At this moment, John reminded Kikuchi Momoko, after all, she was now his representative in Japan and was also overseeing the bank's situation. If something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable. John's instincts told him that Akina's mother's matter was not so simple, and there must be other issues behind it, but he had no interest in finding out about such issues! Everything would be clear after Akina returned to Japan, and there was no need to waste his time and energy at this time.

Those guys in Japan wouldn't be unaware of that family's situation. Even if they were negligent, such a loophole wouldn't appear at this time. So there must be something wrong behind this, just to varying degrees. "They wouldn't be so heartless, would they? What happened back then was a huge scandal!" Kikuchi Momoko said with a worried expression. She had heard about Akina being driven to suicide, although she didn't know the details, she still remembered it. Now that something like this has happened again, will it cause another problem?
Upon hearing Kikuchi Momoko's words, Nakayama Shinobu's expression changed drastically. She had also thought of this issue, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes. She said with concern, "Perhaps we shouldn't inform Akina-nee about this, so as not to put her in a difficult position!"

At this moment, John glanced at Shinobu Nakayama and said, "You're even more stupid than her. In this situation, if you try to resolve this privately behind Akina's back, you'll only embolden those guys. Their greed will exceed your imagination. Not everyone can be a good father. Even if Akina's mother is reluctant, she's naturally more willing to sacrifice Akina for the sake of her family. Don't be fooled by appearances. Think about your own situation! By the way, do you know what caused Akina's mother to fall ill? I don't recall them having any legitimate business now!"

Shinobu Nakayama and Miho Nakayama also had a difficult childhood. Upon hearing John's words, their expressions changed again. In the end, they sighed and said nothing more. In a cold and indifferent society like Japan, even family ties are very cold, especially in poor families. It is perfectly normal for them to want to exploit their children. Just look at the celebrities in the entertainment industry. Almost all artists from poor backgrounds are like this.

"Akina's father and brother sold that internet cafe and went into the butcher shop business, but they lost all their money!" Kikuchi Momoko revealed the information she had investigated. Originally, she didn't want to say it, because such a shameful thing was too embarrassing. This guy was simply making the Japanese lose all face!

"Heh, a leopard can't change its spots. This family is truly awful. Akina is really unlucky to have such a family. Back then, it was in Akina's name that we helped them open the internet cafe, making them members of the internet cafe alliance. You all had a share, and the internet cafe's income has always been quite considerable. But this family actually sold it now and invested in a butcher shop. Do they even have the ability to do that? They are incredibly stupid and incredibly greedy, because they know Akina won't abandon them!" John shook his head as he said this, expressing his utter disgust for the family.

"Yes, the internet cafes under the Internet Cafe Alliance do indeed have very considerable income, which is why many people want to join. However, the Internet Cafe Alliance has always controlled the number of them, otherwise Japan would have more than double the number of stores!"

"Restrictions are the right thing to do. Otherwise, how can we protect the interests of our previous franchisees and our own interests? If there are twice as many stores, the revenue of all stores will be affected. If the market is really saturated, it will not be good for us!"

After understanding the family's true situation, John said, "Alright, hurry up and make the arrangements. If time permits, there will be results soon! Don't keep that family waiting too long, or they'll cause trouble again, especially at this time. I don't want any unexpected events to occur! For that family, they'll sell out even family ties for money; all they care about is money!"

John urged Kikuchi Momoko to handle the matter quickly and inform Nakamori Akina, lest problems arise if things dragged on. He didn't care himself, but if something went wrong, he would be affected. This family had been using filial piety to pressure Akina, and Akina's mother had used her ridiculous 'family affection' to bind Akina to the family.

Did she not know how much harm she was causing Akina? She knew, and was fully aware of it, but she still did it anyway, so her 'family ties' had value! Did Akina not know her mother's scheme? She did know, because she longed for that sliver of family affection, even knowing it was her mother's scheme, she still persisted, still became the object of her mother's exploitation, giving them a living allowance every month.

Over a decade has passed, and Akina has never stopped receiving this living expense. Not only John knows this, but many people in Japan know it, even the Japanese beauties around John are aware of it. It's precisely because they know this that they feel Akina's situation is unworthy of them. This is why Akina prefers to live in Australia rather than return to Japan. Only by leaving Japan can she escape the constraints of this family and have a sliver of freedom! Otherwise, this family will become even more reckless, constantly demanding money; they have no compassion whatsoever.

The saying "Kindness is often taken advantage of" perfectly describes Nakamori Akina. She was too kind, too focused on family ties, which is why she was so tightly bound by her family and faced so much pressure and so many situations. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation; in the past ten years or so, how many things had she not faced?

A closer look reveals the madness behind it all, and explains this guy's greed. She fell ill from anger, which likely indicates underlying issues; perhaps the illness was already present, but she collapsed at this moment, driven by her desire to get more money from Akina to supplement her family's income and give them a better life again!
(End of this chapter)