America: My Time

Chapter 1496 Obsession and Greed

Chapter 1486 Obsession and Greed

Did these old guys like Rockefeller not realize John's intention in hosting this party? No, they all did, but none of them wanted to speak up. They all knew that speaking up would bring them considerable trouble and make them targets for others' schemes. No one wanted to speak up, and some even used their wealth and reputation as leverage, harboring more insidious plans. Anyone who took the initiative to get involved would be a fool.

"Alright, since everyone has their own ideas, let's put everything aside for now. After all, we all have our own selfish motives, which is only human nature. So let's all do what we think is right. Although John is hosting a party in Oregon and doesn't even have enough time for us, we still have to give him face!" Rockefeller quickly settled the matter, leaving no room for anyone to scheme against others.

“Well said. We should indeed give John face. Putting aside everything else, we should give him face for the benefits he offered. I have already made arrangements. If any of you are not prepared, you can come with me to Oregon. Don’t worry about transportation!” As DuPont finished speaking, a change flashed in everyone’s eyes. They were all prepared. It would be foolish for anyone not to be prepared in advance.

However, no one dared to contradict DuPont at this moment, because they all knew that DuPont's words had a purpose, and were even an attempt to extricate them from the previous discussion!

"Yes, we should give John face and prepare some gifts for him. After all, we should make a gesture. I believe everyone knows John's current situation. His whole family is in Oregon. We can't just stand by and do nothing; that would be too embarrassing!" Soon, these old guys shifted the topic to John personally and started talking about gifts. No one talked about anything else anymore!

If it were just an ordinary cocktail party, the gifts would be casual for these old guys. But this was no ordinary cocktail party, so they had to make careful preparations. Making all these preparations in a limited time was no easy task. After all, they were different from people like Zipperton and Little Bush. This was related to their future 'cooperation'!
Of course, this is also a test of their abilities, to see how capable they are. After all, gifts must be delivered properly. If they don't know the beautiful women and children around John, they won't be able to deliver them properly. This will test their abilities and their preparation. So at this moment, these old guys all had a faint smile on their faces. They were all looking forward to someone making a fool of themselves so they could take the opportunity to kick someone when they're down!
That's human nature. Don't be fooled by these old guys' ability to gather and discuss countermeasures; it's all just a facade. Deep down, they all hope others will make fools of themselves so they can take advantage of the situation and seize their spoils. But these guys all appear very calm and haven't revealed their true intentions!
Who are the beautiful women around John, and what are the hobbies of those children? This is extremely important information. If these old guys don't even know this, then their abilities will be questioned. If they really don't have such abilities, what awaits them is an astonishing loss, and they may be kicked out in the future distribution of benefits.

Those who lack ability and vision are not worth their attention. Keeping such people in their ranks is not a good thing; they could easily be tricked by them, since they are outwardly on the same side!

Don't they need to pay attention to Zipperton and Little Bush? They can indeed do whatever they want, especially Little Bush, who is easier to deal with. He only needs to focus on Jennifer Connelly. But it's not good for the others, since not everyone has a 'connection' with Jennifer Connelly!
"What, are you worried about the party I'm hosting?" John said calmly, seeing Lee Boo-jin's hesitant expression.
"I do have that concern. Isn't this going a bit too far? Won't such a self-contradictory act make you seem petty? Won't it affect your public image?"

"Heh, you're overthinking it. You underestimate those old guys. They're far more cunning than you imagine. They wouldn't be foolish enough to wage a full-scale war against me over something so trivial. If they were that foolish, I could rest easy!" John paused here, thought for a moment, and then continued, "You need to detach yourself from the Koreans' perspective. Don't always compare yourself to them. To be honest, the Koreans' capabilities are truly ignorant and foolish. Frankly, the Korean chaebols are all too foolish, too arrogant, and even more ignorant."

When Lee Boo-jin heard John's words, her expression changed repeatedly. Although she knew that John despised the Korean chaebols, the fact that he spoke so harshly was enough to prove how little he thought of them!

"Why? Even if some of our people aren't capable enough, they shouldn't be judged like that!"

"Stupidity, arrogance, and ignorance—they've displayed it all to the fullest. You saw their performance during the Asian financial crisis. Look at what those guys did! Not only were they arrogant and conceited, but they couldn't even see the situation clearly. Furthermore, they were so ignorant that they frantically released their pent-up pressure and committed those ugly acts. It's not that they couldn't do it; in fact, all global conglomerates are the same. But they can't be so blatant about it, and they haven't bothered to conceal their actions. Look at the farce you Koreans have made, and then look at Japan, just across the sea. Both are conglomerates, both control the nation's wealth, but how do they act, and how do you? If they continue like this, sooner or later they'll incite public outrage and drag Korea into the abyss!"

The fact that South Korea has already produced those "jokes" about its chaebols is enough to prove that South Korean chaebols don't have enough control over the media or over South Korea. Otherwise, how could such voices have emerged? Moreover, they are all too foolish. They could have learned from Japan, which is just across the sea, but they have only managed to imitate a hodgepodge.

Those guys in Japan are far smarter and more composed than the South Korean chaebols. Look at South Korea, then look at Japan. South Korea has numerous scandals, but do the Japanese have any? Only politicians have scandals; the chaebols don't. They have a firm grip on everything. And South Korea is too arrogant and self-righteous. Japan separates ordinary people from the chaebols, preventing ordinary Japanese people from developing resentment towards the wealthy. But what do South Korea do? Of course, John's reminder to Lee Boo-jin at this time wasn't meant to be a direct message to South Korea, but rather to help her shift her mindset, to make her understand that her identity has long since changed. There's no need to remain confined to South Korea; she needs to broaden her horizons and open her mind. John didn't believe Lee Boo-jin couldn't see through his intentions in hosting this party, but her reaction left him somewhat disappointed!
Should I care about my enemies' feelings? If those guys from the Oil Pacific Capital can't even tolerate this much, they're not worthy of being my opponents. Besides, I didn't host this party specifically to target them. John's failure to distinguish between primary and secondary matters is the real reason he's disappointed in Lee Boo-jin! This is America. Although the Oil Pacific Capital is powerful, they're not capable of confronting John head-on right now!
Just as John reminded Lee Boo-jin, a figure quickly appeared. It was Old Martin. Upon seeing John, he ignored Lee Boo-jin beside John and said directly, "John, haven't you gone a bit too far this time? It's one thing that you didn't invite Yuta Capital, after all, you have a grudge between you. But you didn't even invite your family members. That's a bit unreasonable. Even if there is a big conflict, it is a matter between our own families!"

“Old man, I’ve said it before, it’s all over. I gave them enough face and enough benefits, but how did they treat me? They were heartless, so don’t blame me for being unjust. We have different paths, so we can’t work together. They took the benefits I gave them but were secretly scheming against me. Do you think I can keep tolerating this? They have their own selfish motives, and so do I. I have my own plans, so please don’t interfere anymore.”

When John put his words to this point, Old Martin's expression changed instantly. He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to have a good talk with John and change John's view of the family, but he failed. John had no desire to have any further contact with the family and made it clear that he did not care about the family's interests or reputation at all!
John hosted a party without inviting even his family. If word got out in high society, it would be a huge joke, and the Bayard family would lose all face. It was precisely because of this concern that old Martin showed up uninvited; after all, he could do it, but others couldn't. This was also his way of trying to save face for the family, but the more he did this, the faster his relationship with John was eroded.

In John's eyes, the family had long since changed, but old Martin had been stubbornly holding on. If it weren't for his support, the Bayard family wouldn't be what it is today. Even with old Martin's arrangements, the family's development still got out of control. They were too selfish and failed to see the situation clearly.

"Grandpa, you should go and rest first!" John said, giving Lee Boo-jin a wink, signaling him to help Old Martin away. To be honest, John was at a loss with Old Martin. Even if he didn't want to talk to Old Martin, he still had to give him face, after all, he was his grandfather!
Although he had a thousand words in his heart, faced with John's reaction and Lee Boo-jin's stepping forward, he could only sigh inwardly. It was not good to argue with John under these circumstances, as that would only increase John's hatred for the family.

John breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Old Martin being sent away by Lee Boo-jin. He was really worried that Old Martin would do anything to plead for those guys in the family. John was not unaware of the family's situation; in fact, he knew more about it than Old Martin did. Those guys were all scheming against him, wanting to get benefits out of him and wanting him to continue to supply the family with profits. It could only be said that these guys were too greedy.

Don't they realize that their relationship with John has reached rock bottom, and even their familial bond has been completely eroded? John can trust Morgan, but he won't trust those guys in his family. That's the reality between them. But Old Martin knows all this, yet he insists on forcibly linking John with those guys in his family. That's going too far. John might give Old Martin face once or twice, but if it happens too often, even the strongest familial bond will be worn down!
This time, John offered so much benefit, and he even hosted a party, inviting Laugh Tale, Little Bush, and those old guys. The potential benefits behind this were so great that it was impossible for the family members not to be tempted. Unfortunately, their carefully planned negotiation was all in vain; they didn't receive an invitation from John at all, which left them all dumbfounded.

Even in this situation, those people still haven't seen through everything and still have inappropriate thoughts, inviting Old Martin out again. This shows a lack of understanding of propriety, and even the best family ties will be worn away little by little under such circumstances.

“I’ll take Martin to talk to the old man. Even if you have a lot of grievances, you still have to give him some face.” At this moment, Naoko stepped forward to persuade John, trying to resolve the conflict between John and old Martin.

Unfortunately, Naoko overthought things. This wasn't just a minor conflict; it was a matter of principles and positions. John couldn't back down, or he would pay an even greater price. This was an outcome John was unwilling to accept, and one he couldn't accept.

"You don't need to do anything. Father, Mother, and Uncle will take care of the old man. Tell Martin not to contact those family members anymore. No matter what they say, don't take it seriously, or he'll just be deceived by them!"

When John said those words, Naoko's face showed utter shock. She had never seen John act this way before. If he hadn't been hurt, why would he react like this? It could only be said that old Martin was too obsessed with the family and had broken John's heart.

(End of this chapter)