America: My Time

Chapter 1473 Reminder
Chapter 1463 Reminder

Impossible. John would never believe his promise. He would be a fool to believe Little Bush. Little Bush might be willing to stand by him on small matters, but he would never do so when something big happened. Politicians are not trustworthy. Friendship is nothing but empty words in their eyes!
John smiled calmly and said, "I can only do my best. After all, I have a lot of things to deal with. You don't believe I'm really relaxed and carefree right now, do you?" John didn't try to hide anything about his own problems. After all, everyone wasn't stupid, and they all knew about his little schemes and misunderstandings.

"Doing your best is enough! Many people wouldn't even give me such a promise, after all, all they care about is profit!" Little Bush didn't hide anything and spoke his mind. All he wanted was John to do his best, and he didn't ask for anything more, because that was impossible.

On such an important matter, Little Bush didn't believe John would make promises so easily, nor did he mention Oregon, after all, it was a state of power, a force to be reckoned with in his election. Although everyone knew that Oregon was in John's hands, and that he controlled the hearts and minds of the people, without mutual benefit, it was impossible to get John to make a promise, even now that Oregon had sided with Elephant. Self-interest was the foundation of everything, and unfortunately, Little Bush couldn't offer such benefits, nor could he promise anything of this magnitude.

Of course, John tacitly didn't mention it, only assuring Little Bush of his promise from back then. As for everything in Oregon, his uncle would handle it. Little Bush's visit today was only to fulfill his past promise.

After some communication, Xiao Bush got the result he wanted and left without further interaction with John. Many things in the future require an exchange of interests. If you're not willing to pay any price, it's impossible to get the result you want. Moreover, such a deal won't be made between him and John; someone else will handle it!

"Dad, everything is as you said. John didn't go back on his word and readily agreed, but he still had some reservations. Moreover, this guy didn't hide his thoughts at all. He is indeed scheming against those 'people with ulterior motives'!" After returning home, Xiao Bu Shi told him about the results of his conversation with John. He was still slightly shocked, after all, John's performance was very calm.

"This is to be expected. If he didn't even have this much integrity, do you think he would have achieved what he has today? And you don't think a conglomerate tycoon like him would break his word. For him, even paying a small price wouldn't damage his reputation. And even if he did keep his promise, he still has other ways to scheme against you. In the end, everything is decided by the exchange of interests. Without enough interests, nothing will come of it; it will only put you ahead!"

"Dad, no way! He has that kind of power to influence the election? Isn't that crazy?!"

"Crazy? You're too naive and underestimate John's abilities. Do you really think his media empire is just for show, with only a little influence? That's just a result of his deliberate low profile. If you really angered him, things wouldn't be like this now. You didn't think John was involved in the election campaign all along, did you? That's just hypothetical. When he unleashes his full power, you'll know how terrifying it is. What you've seen is merely the tip of the iceberg." Old Bu Shi sighed softly. He wasn't some nobody who knew nothing about a financial tycoon like John. Even though John had kept a low profile all these years, the power he wielded was not just for show; it just hadn't been the right time to unleash it yet!
"Keep it low-key, you're not wrong. John has done so many crazy things, and you call that keeping it low-key!" Little Bush couldn't understand his father's statement. After all, in his opinion, John had done too many amazing things. Putting aside everything else, just the things he did with the donkey and the military couldn't be called keeping it low-key. So he couldn't accept his father's statement!
"Naive, you really are naive. You only see the surface, not the substance. You think John's confrontation with the Donald and the military is high-profile, you think his social plans and asset restructuring are high-profile moves, but have you considered his true purpose? If he hadn't acted discreetly, what do you think would have happened to the Donald, what would have happened to the military, what would have happened in the Middle East, and what changes would have occurred in Europe? Don't let those guys influence your judgment, and don't just look at the surface of things. You need to think about everything more deeply. Everything he's done is to hide himself, so he's always acted discreetly. Otherwise, as the largest conglomerate in the US, he wouldn't have compromised with those old guys time and time again. Do you think those guys would have made so many promises to John if it weren't for an exchange of interests?"

Old Bush's perspective on the issue is more accurate. Young Bush is still quite far behind him. Moreover, Old Bush understands better that if John were to unleash his full power, he could indeed manipulate the election. After all, as long as John makes a statement, Morgan will inevitably respond, and others will also react, because they all want benefits, and John has enough tempting benefits in his hands!
“But I haven’t noticed any change in John, and he has directly admitted to scheming against those guys. Is it too early for us to meet John at this time? Will we alert them? After all, John just reached an agreement with those people. If they take action, will it affect me?”

"You're overthinking it. This is exactly the result we want, do you understand? It would be better if those guys actually made a move. It would be problematic if they did nothing. Besides, do you think no one knows about your agreement with John from back then? The more open and aboveboard you are when you meet John, the more effective it will be. You think John doesn't know my scheme? He knows it perfectly well! You don't think you can get John's full support just because of that agreement from back then. All I want is your victory on Elephant. That's the best use of your old friendship. In a real election, that friendship is worthless. Interests are what matter."

Young Bush was taken aback by his father's words and found it hard to accept, his eyes filled with confusion. Seeing this, Old Bush sighed again and said, "Still can't understand? Can't accept it? You don't think John's charitable foundation has only ever done charity, do you? You don't think all those years of charity have been for nothing, do you? Do you think that kind of influence can be used with just your little relationship? And why do you think John would make such a calculation at this time, just to get those fools involved? He has more calculations, more ideas. Most importantly, he's not a competitor of us, nor is he a competitor of Donkey. His opponents aren't us, but those old guys from the same conglomerate, and those guys from Oilfield Capital and Selenium."

At this point, the old man paused slightly, thought for a moment, and continued, "I wasn't originally planning to tell you, but things have come to this point, so I'll tell you so you can be prepared. John's scheme isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. He might be planning a purge, a major internal cleanup. Some people think his asset restructuring isn't simply about hiding assets, but about eliminating internal threats!" "Hiss! He's gone mad! Even if it's to eliminate internal threats, there's no need to go this far. This crazy asset restructuring has caused him considerable losses; the exchange of interests alone is a staggering loss!"

"You still don't understand these financial giants very well. While profits are important to them, it depends on the situation. In John's current situation, profits aren't that important; his own stability is paramount. Otherwise, why do you think he'd be so assertive and directly transfer assets to Oregon? To put it bluntly, it's about consolidating his territory and preparing for the worst. Only within his own territory can he guarantee his interests won't be affected. If John truly prioritized profits, his focus wouldn't be on manufacturing, but on finance. With his financial acumen, how amazing do you think his gains would be? Even old guys like Rockefeller and Morgan wouldn't dare challenge him financially; otherwise, they wouldn't have used Soros and his ilk as pawns. The Asian financial crisis once again instilled fear in those old guys of his financial power. And do you really think John's abandonment of these assets is merely a superficial exchange of interests?"

"Isn't that right? Or are there other ideas?"

"There's also a warning. On the surface, it's an exchange of interests, but there's a hidden warning. John's decision to abandon these assets shows everyone his determination. He has such determination. I wonder what would happen if he were to launch a financial war. After the Asian financial crisis, he has absolute influence in the global financial market. If he were to raise his voice, those guys on Wall Street would be impacted. You don't think John's decision to place the first step of his social plan in New York was without any calculation, and why he chose Hurricane Investment and Integrity Bank as the starting point?"

"John is insane! Doesn't he know how to escalate the conflict and get all those guys on Wall Street to gang up on him? After all, no matter how strong he is, he can't fight against the entire Wall Street!" George W. Bush was once again shocked by his father's words. All of this was beyond his imagination. He hadn't expected there to be so much scheming behind it all.

"Heh, you underestimate his influence in the financial world. When he makes a move, it's not just one person fighting; the entire global speculative capital will mobilize. And if he targets only one bank, it will be a devastating blow. Don't forget how Lehman Brothers bowed down. If John's target is Rockefeller or Citigroup, do you think those guys on Wall Street would stand against him? Remember, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests, especially among those on Wall Street. Compared to them, John is much better; at least his reputation is guaranteed, and he's loyal and righteous. Don't be fooled by his womanizing ways; look at the women around him. If it were anyone else, things wouldn't be like this. Otherwise, why do you think Morgan has always stood by John's side? Because he knows John's character; as long as you don't cross his bottom line, you won't be betrayed!"

"Dad, since you understand this, why didn't we strengthen our communication with John before? Besides, John and I had a pretty good relationship at first, which could have been deepened."

“You’re so naive. Making things too obvious won’t foster true ‘friendship.’ Going too far could even damage our past relationship. We need to maintain a healthy distance from John. Instead of directly approaching him, we should go through his wife and start with the women around him. Isn’t Jennifer Connelly the best choice? Without that connection, do you think things would have gone so smoothly?”

The Bu family is destined for a political career, completely different from John's. Although John also controls a state, he will not compete for the presidency. He is a financial tycoon, and everything he does is based on profit. Moreover, when John's layout in Oregon is further developed, there will be even greater changes!

Young Bush viewed John and the Bayard family as one entity, but Old Bush didn't share that view. Furthermore, the political heavyweights were well aware that John and the Bayard family were now two separate entities. John only wanted Oregon and a certain degree of influence, but the Bayard family was different; there was a fundamental difference between the two. Moreover, those political figures were well aware that the Bayard family and John had already broken apart. Of course, their calculations played a part; otherwise, things wouldn't have developed so quickly. The Bayard family's cooperation was also a factor.

To truly regard old Martin as a fool, an old man solely devoted to the Bayard family, would be utterly foolish. He played a significant role behind the scenes in all of this, and this was the outcome he desired, though he chose not to reveal it. Moreover, John was silently cooperating with his performance, which led to the series of events and John's gradual separation from the Bayard family. Everything was a result of their tacit cooperation. As for what the other members of the Bayard family thought, that was their own business.

(End of this chapter)