America: My Time

Chapter 1442 A flash of inspiration

Chapter 1432 A Flash of Inspiration

“Don’t rush back. I’ll have someone arrange for you to travel around here for a while. I want to see if anyone jumps out!” John’s words were calm, but he didn’t leave any room for refusal. Now that the enemy had made their move, he wanted to see if any fools would step forward, giving him a chance to make an example of them.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiang silently nodded and accepted John's arrangement. Given the situation, she naturally understood that she had no power to refuse. If she lost John's protection at this time, her fate would be dire.

Seeing how 'sensible' Xiao Qiang was, John didn't continue. After all, this was just a casual move, and the chances of catching him were slim; the enemy wasn't stupid. Those guys were using the power of the media to orchestrate their plans, not wanting to expose their identities. If something serious happened, they could probably escape unscathed.

“Yu Yan, please stay here with the children a little longer and spend more time with the old lady. She’s getting old and always wants to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren. You know what’s going on with your uncle; it’s impossible to rely on him. And your mother doesn’t have much time either, so I need you to help me fulfill my filial duty.” John understood the old lady’s situation, but he didn’t have much time to spend with her. At John’s level, many things were beyond his control!

Fortunately, he has many women and children around him, so he can make arrangements. Apart from Jennifer Connelly in the United States, the other beautiful women and children around John will tacitly come to accompany the old lady.

John initially thought he had plenty of time, but the appearance of the internal strife made him realize he was overthinking it. Those old guys wouldn't give him any more time to prepare. They couldn't openly sabotage his plans, but they would use underhanded methods to target him, preventing him from having enough time to make his own plans.

How much would these underhanded schemes affect him? If John could be ruthless enough, he wouldn't need to pay any attention to them, but many circumstances prevented him from doing so, otherwise his public image would be tarnished. John understood the schemes of these insidious individuals, but he couldn't stop them for the time being. He could only hope that someone from within would be foolish enough to give him an opportunity.

Of course, John wouldn't stand idly by. Now that these guys had made their move, he needed a way to respond. They could test him, and he could retaliate, letting them know he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Accelerating his plans was one aspect, but in the media and entertainment sector, John wasn't going to suffer in silence and be led by the nose!
Phoenix Group quickly began to exert its influence, leading to a change in the arrangements on the Taiwanese side. The personnel selection for "Little Li Flying Dagger" changed; Xiao Qiang, who wasn't originally in the plans, got the role. This change caused some to sigh, but it also stirred the interest of those who wanted to participate. Xiao Qiang wasn't an artist under Phoenix Group, and her success made some ambitious individuals want to get involved!

This event not only shook Taiwan but also Hong Kong. ATV now has a presence throughout Asia and a huge influence. Who wouldn't be tempted by such a temptation? Even those who secretly cooperated with those guys in the US to scheme against John are now starting to have headaches because their probing gave ATV an opening, so many people have come knocking on their door!

Faced with one familiar 'partner' and 'friend' after another, these guys were all incredibly troubled. They wanted to speak to ATV, but they didn't have a suitable reason. After all, Xiao Qiang was different from those guys who came to him for help. He had his own backing, and looking at Xiao Qiang's current situation, and considering that he was accompanied by Zhang Yuyan to meet John, this relationship gave them the confidence to persuade those people at ATV.

These guys used open schemes to scheme against John, and now John is using open schemes to scheme against them. They're about to face John's counterattack. Originally, these guys thought John would have a big headache, since ATV has rules that prevent outsiders from being used. However, they forgot an important issue: ATV is John's ATV. Moreover, John's actions were a balance of personal relationships and preserving his public image. Most importantly, the internal affairs are different, making it unlikely that others would want to get involved. So, the pressure suddenly shifted from John's side, and those people at ATV also had reasonable reasons to refuse.

Not only were those people affected, but people from ATV also came to them, but unfortunately they were all rejected. The reason given was that the system is unbreakable, and if you want to break the system, you need the boss's instructions. Internal strife is just an exception!
Those in the entertainment industry understand this, and naturally know Xiao Qiang's identity and past experiences. Such an answer left them speechless. Just because someone else could enter ATV's major projects and get important roles didn't mean they had the same ability. What shocked them even more was that ATV was truly undergoing a complete transformation, and actors from mainland China were also getting opportunities and entering ATV's important projects.

Although those who secured the important projects were all connected to John, other key figures also underwent changes. This impact had a significant effect on Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Southeast Asia. Discontent in Hong Kong was useless; ATV completely ignored them, and even Phoenix Media didn't take them seriously. As Asia's largest media and entertainment giant, Phoenix Media's strength was beyond their reach, not to mention it was a world-class media and entertainment conglomerate.

Some people in Taiwan wanted to step forward, but when they thought that this might be John's scheme, they had no choice but to give up and dare not act rashly, for fear that a moment of carelessness would expose them and give John an opportunity to attack them.

The entertainment industry is a mixed bag, and things are complicated in every aspect. No matter how angry those people are, it's useless; no matter how many ideas they have, they can't implement them. Originally, these guys thought ATV would return to its former glory, but reality slapped them in the face. No one at ATV dared to make an exception. Smart people could see through John's scheme and understand that it was targeting certain people with ulterior motives, but very few could see through it, and even if they knew, they wouldn't say it. Those who couldn't see through it were unwilling to accept it. After all, they had seen hope, but the result was a huge disappointment. This sense of disparity was unacceptable to them, and the regulations of Phoenix Group also affected the development of many people, especially those who had no opportunity to participate in important projects. This put pressure on the talent agencies in Hong Kong and Taiwan, causing them great distress.

Compared to the behemoth that is Phoenix Media, they are all mere ants. And this impacts not only Asia, but also Hollywood and even other media and entertainment groups. With the restructuring and reorganization of media and entertainment groups, ostensibly only Phoenix Media has regulations, while other groups seem unaffected. However, in practice, the situation is completely different. Under the same circumstances, only contracted artists still get opportunities. Hollywood has certainly resisted this situation, and the conflict is only escalating!
Originally, no matter how much the talent agencies resisted, they were suppressed by Hollywood giants like Legendary Entertainment. After all, these giants didn't want the talent agencies to take the initiative, as that would significantly impact their interests. However, as time went on, with the rapid development of Legendary Entertainment and Paramount Pictures, some people within Hollywood became uneasy. Now that Phoenix Media has returned to Hollywood, it naturally makes other giants even more uneasy. Warner Bros. and others have no choice but to resist, and even begin to side with the talent agencies, trying to restrict John's development in Hollywood.

John was worried that the Sophie Marceau incident might be part of a conspiracy, and that the situation would turn against Hollywood giants like Legendary Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. Time was of the essence for John. He planned to quickly eliminate all threats and then lay the groundwork for his next major operation. However, it seemed his enemies had discovered his plans and were launching attacks, which left John with a slight sense of unease.

Fortunately, John had already completed the separation of media and entertainment, so even if those guys had any ideas, it was useless. On the surface, they had no reason to target Hollywood giants like Legendary Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. Perhaps it was precisely because his layout in media and entertainment was complete that these guys realized there was no way to snipe him, which made them more vigilant and thus launched such a counterattack, resorting to these underhanded tactics!

Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that these guys were trying to provoke him with these underhanded tactics, hoping to find his weaknesses and deliver a fatal blow. Although John was confident in his plan, he dared not be careless. After all, these old guys were no saints, and they weren't the ones taking the lead. If these old guys were involved in this scheme, John believed things wouldn't be so simple, nor would they end so easily. He needed to put some pressure on them, give them a warning!
At this moment, John thought of Morgan, but quickly dismissed the idea. Although Morgan had a close working relationship with him, they were not trustworthy, especially in this matter. Under the temptation of profit, Morgan might betray him and deliver a fatal blow at a crucial moment.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through John's mind. These guys were plotting against his plans in the media and entertainment industry, and even trying to ruin his public image. Why not take this opportunity to put more pressure on them, teach them a lesson, and make those who were jumping the gun pay a price?

Were those Hollywood guys just acting alone? Could there be someone else plotting behind it all? A sudden thought struck John: he thought of Donkey and those bastards in California. Although he had contributed a significant amount to this restructuring, the profits weren't evenly distributed. Those with the ability got more, so naturally some guys didn't benefit much. Plus, he had a grudge against Donkey, so it wasn't impossible that someone would target him now!

John originally had more ideas for this asset restructuring, and even some adjustments for media and entertainment, but he gave them up for the time being in order to keep those guys in check. However, his goodwill did not earn their understanding and compromise, but instead made them have inappropriate thoughts.

Blindly showing favor is not a good thing. Even if this is an exchange of benefits, we can't show weakness to these guys; we need to be tough. Otherwise, these bastards will only take advantage of us. Right now, they're just testing the waters. If we don't retaliate at all, their appetites will grow bigger, and the pressure on us will increase. Human hearts can't withstand tests. If we're careless in this matter, we'll pay a heavy price.

John understands the proverb "a man's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant" perfectly well, especially those old guys in the US, who have no bottom line. Giving them even the slightest bit of kindness will bring him a lot of trouble. He has to be tough when necessary. Perhaps these old guys thought things in Hong Kong were too simple, and that he hadn't held them back, making them think they were invincible and starting to scheme against him again.

The more he understood how greedy those old guys in the US were, the more he realized that he couldn't compromise or back down at this time. Even if it came at a price, he had to teach them a lesson and give them a 'profound' experience. And if everything went smoothly, he might even gain something himself.

A person can't stand firm without being ruthless, especially someone in John's position. Even a little bit of soft-heartedness can bring him a lot of trouble. Over the years, he has been entangled in a lot of trouble in order to maintain his image, especially in Japan. Now, those old guys in the United States also want to use this honey trap. If he doesn't cut off their ideas, he will have more and more troubles, which will greatly affect his future plans and this asset restructuring!
Having spent so long navigating the circles of high society, how could John not understand the character of those people, their darkness and hypocrisy? If he wasn't prepared and cautious, things could easily spiral out of control. Even if his plan failed to lure out those greedy individuals, it would at least deter them from harboring any further schemes.

Those who can see through my schemes will inevitably be wary and dare not act rashly. As for those who cannot see through me, even if I cannot dispel their greed, it will not have much impact on me. In fact, I can use them as an example to warn the old guys with their blood.

(End of this chapter)