America: My Time

Chapter 1589 Neon's Sinister Scheme

Chapter 1579 The Neon's Cunning Scheme
At this moment, Kikuchi Momoko and the others were taken aback. They hadn't expected that John would still give Lee Boo-jin face under these circumstances. If he could treat Lee Boo-jin this way, he would naturally treat them the same way, which made them feel incredibly at ease!
John didn't care about what the beautiful women around him thought, and continued, "Momo, after you inform Suo Ikuo, also inform those guys in Japan and let them choose a time for us to have a formal meeting. Let's put some pressure on those Koreans. If they don't feel any pressure at all, that would be too easy on them. At least we should make them suffer a bit!"

For greedy people, the greatest blow is seeing the benefits but not being able to obtain them. This causes them immense pain. Moreover, as long as Japan steps in again, it will naturally be to discuss the next cooperation, but the Koreans have not been notified. This is clearly an exclusion, and how can they be willing to accept this?

If those Koreans still don't show sincerity by this point, then they're truly finished. There's no need to help them, because they don't deserve it. The best choice is not to cooperate with someone who's this stingy, because they're not worth it.

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away. I'm sure we'll have results soon!" With that, Kikuchi Momoko quickly got up and left to inform Suo Ikuo and the others in Japan. She knew this matter couldn't be delayed; it concerned Japan's energy security. Although she was John's woman, she was still Japanese, so given the opportunity, she would instinctively stand on Japan's side. After all, if things dragged on too long, the Koreans might change their minds!

There are rivalries among women, especially between Kikuchi Momoko and Lee Boo-jin. After all, one represents John and controls the wealth of South Korea, while the other represents John and controls the wealth of Japan. Naturally, they have thoughts of comparison! This time, Lee Boo-jin is clearly at a disadvantage, which is due to her family's greed. Kikuchi Momoko, on the other hand, is not under any pressure. After all, she cannot control how Japan chooses to act, and she has not cooperated much with the higher-ups in Japan. So even if those guys in Japan previously led John to Russia, it had no impact on Kikuchi Momoko.

Kikuchi Momoko quickly notified the people in Japan. As for Suo Ikuo, she also had someone from Japan inform him. How that guy chooses is beyond Kikuchi Momoko's control, after all, he is quite capable!

Seeing that Kikuchi Momoko had returned so quickly, Lee Boo-jin's face showed a faint sense of disappointment. This was the difference in their abilities, and it pained her deeply. This time, she was clearly behind Kikuchi Momoko, which made her very unwilling, yet she was helpless. After all, it wasn't her fault, but rather the fault of her family and the stupidity and greed of the Koreans.

John had already given them a chance, but these guys always wanted to maximize their profits, always wanted to gain without effort, and didn't want to pay any price. They didn't even realize that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if they had a good relationship with John, they couldn't let him take advantage of them in such a big matter. It can only be said that they had been controlled by greed. Perhaps this was the effect of the previous Asian crisis on them. After all, the Korean conglomerates suffered huge losses in this upheaval!

When they received the notification from Momoko Kikuchi, the guys in Japan were all excited. They got to choose the time, which made them very happy. It meant that they had already succeeded more than halfway and now they only needed to take one more step to get everything they wanted. So at this moment, they had to work together!

"Gentlemen, now we need to figure out how to maximize our benefits. We are now certain that Asian Energy is indeed opening up the development of Sakhalin Island. If we want to get the biggest advantage, we need to make a decision as quickly as possible: what to offer in the deal with Asian Energy, or what assets to offer in the deal with John Hang Kuang. We don't have much time. As you all saw before, the Koreans have also appeared. If we can't make a decision quickly, and the Koreans change their minds, everything will change, and we may lose our initiative."

“I also think time is very important to us. We should start discussing now, begin a conference call, and get in touch with Japan. This time we can only win, we can’t afford to lose, and we can’t waste this opportunity. On behalf of the authorities, I can say that as long as you are willing, the authorities will not have any problems and will cooperate with you in everything.”

Soon, the Japanese officials made a statement. This was a decision they had made before coming to China to meet John. As long as John was genuinely willing to open up Sakhalin Island, the Japanese government would absolutely not hold back the conglomerates and would do its best to help them obtain the development opportunity for Sakhalin Island.

"Okay, we can rest assured with this official statement. Although we don't know how much profit Mr. John can offer, the best option for us major conglomerates to maximize our profits is for each of us to act separately. After all, there are quite a few projects on Sakhalin Island, including several oil and gas fields. Moreover, this is the fairest way. Whoever has the ability will get the biggest benefits. If you don't have the ability, you can only blame yourselves and not us for not giving you such an opportunity."

Goodness, Mitsui just said something like that, directly wanting to separate himself from the other Japanese conglomerates. Judging from his reaction, it's clear that this guy has absolute confidence in himself and in Mitsui's arrangements!
At this moment, Sanhe also stepped forward and nodded, saying, "Okay, I also agree with Mitsui's proposal. This is the fairest way for us. Whoever has the ability will get the meat, and whoever doesn't have the ability will get the soup, or they will get nothing. It all depends on our individual abilities. I wonder what the authorities think and whether they can accept our proposal!"

The Sanwa Group members also chose to side with Mitsui because they were confident in themselves. However, they were worried that the Japanese authorities would obstruct them and make changes to the distribution of profits, which would affect them. Therefore, they directly and frankly asked the authorities for their opinions, which was also a way to protect their own interests!
When questioned by Sanhecai, the Japanese officials could only nod and say, "Of course we have no objection. After all, this is your business, and everyone earns their living through their own abilities, so we naturally can't object."

"Alright, with that official statement, we can rest assured. Sumitomo, you guys don't really have no confidence at all, do you?" Mitsui quickly turned his gaze to the Sumitomo guys, a show of pressure on them. After all, Sumitomo had the ability to compete with them back then, but did they still have that ability now? Although so many years have passed, Mitsui remained cautious. Even though that old guy Akio Morita had passed away, Mitsui's contact with Naoko Kawai had never been severed; they still maintained contact, sending her a gift every year on holidays, whether it was for Naoko Kawai or her men. So they had confidence!

“Yes, Sumitomo, you can’t possibly lack even this much confidence. If that’s the case, then you’re just too incompetent!” Sanwa also stepped forward to put pressure on Sumitomo. After all, as long as Sumitomo accepted, it wouldn’t matter if the others didn’t want to accept.

Just as Sumitomo was hesitating, the guy from Fuji stepped forward and said, "We agree too. This is the fairest way for everyone. Now that we've got our tickets, it's up to us to see how we do it. We can't rely on others for everything. Besides, the organizers have already done their job. Now it's up to us!"

Goodness, Sumitomo hasn't even made a statement yet, but Fuji has already agreed. It's obvious that Fuji was also well-prepared and had absolute confidence. How did they have such confidence? This puzzled many people, but they didn't have time to think too much about it. After all, three companies had already expressed their opinions, and it wouldn't matter if Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank disagreed!
"Since the three of you have such confidence, we at Sumitomo naturally have confidence too. We'll each earn our living through our own abilities, and even if we fail, we can't blame others. We have no objections. However, I do have a suggestion: we must not compete internally. There are quite a few projects on Sakhalin Island, and we can't target other people's plans. Before we take action, it would be best if we could reach a consensus!"

Sumitomo's words surprised Mitsui, Fuji, and Sanwa, as they hadn't expected it, since all three were convinced they would get their share of the benefits.

“Sure, but if there’s a dispute, then it’s up to each of you to prove yourselves. If you fail, don’t blame others for not giving you a chance. After all, there are so many projects out there, and it’s your own choice to compete with others.” Mitsui quickly stepped forward to express his opinion and took the matter a step further!
“Well said, I agree with Sanhe. Relying on our own abilities is the best option. As for what price we each have to pay, that’s our own business. If there are no problems, I think we can go see Mr. John tomorrow. After all, the sooner we reach an agreement with Mr. John, the more benefits we will gain. We can’t give the Koreans too much time!”

"Fuji has no problem either. The Koreans are our biggest enemy. Although there are many projects on Sakhalin Island, China National Offshore Oil Corporation has already taken a share. If we let them get involved as well, our profits will be affected. The more people involved, the more benefits we will have to share. Cutting the Gordian knot is the best choice!"

Seeing that all four conglomerates had made their statements, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Mitsubishi had no choice but to accept it, even if they didn't want to. After all, the Japanese government had stated that it would not interfere in their competition, so they had no choice but to accept it. However, they were also wary of the Koreans and even somewhat cautious about them!
The guy from First Industrial Bank spoke up: "We have no problem with your opinions, but there's one thing I think you're being too simplistic. Don't forget about South Korea and Lee Boo-jin. And you all know Mr. John's character. Even if the South Koreans go to extremes, as long as they're willing to back down, they'll still have a share in the Sakhalin Island project. So I don't think we should kick the South Koreans out; that's practically impossible. We should do our best to reduce their opportunities. Even if they get involved, they won't gain much!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Japanese guys all sighed. This was the truth. Especially after working with John for so many years, they all knew John's character. Even if some people accused John of being too hypocritical, John had done everything right and saved face for everyone. They had never suffered a loss by working with John. At least in the first few years, they had made huge profits. After that, it was their own problem and they couldn't blame John.

"That's a good idea, but how can we suppress those Koreans? We can't just plead for them and get John to give them some benefits; that would be too fake!" The Japanese official spoke up at this moment, feeling that the suggestion was somewhat inappropriate, since this shouldn't be their business.

"That's right, that's exactly what I was thinking. Since we can't kick them out of the game, we'll take the initiative and offer them the smallest share of the profits. And once Mr. John agrees, it will be too late for them to take any action later. By then, they'll have lost their chance and will only get the smallest share!" Good heavens, First Industrial Bank is indeed cunning and treacherous. They can even come up with such a vicious scheme. I have to admit they are really shrewd!
"The plan is good, but it looks too fake. It will leave a bad impression on Mr. John, and it won't fool the Koreans at all, since Lee Boo-jin is with Mr. John!" The Japanese officials immediately found the biggest weakness of the plan. No matter how good the plan is, it's not very useful if it can't be fooled by the enemy!

"So what? Do you think those Koreans really screwed over Lee Boo-jin this time? Their stupidity made Lee Boo-jin lose a lot of points with Mr. John. And even if we have a conspiracy or a scheme, so what? Even if the Koreans find out, they can't do anything to us. They pose no threat to us."

"Well said! What does this have to do with us? They brought this all on themselves. If they had even a little sincerity, this situation wouldn't have happened. They can only blame themselves for being too stupid, too selfish, and too arrogant! Besides, I don't think Mr. John will have any opinion about us. After all, this is normal business competition. I also believe that Mr. John doesn't like the Koreans either, but he has to give them some benefits because of his position, and he has to save face for Lee Boo-jin. But how much he gives is not the issue. As long as we speak up and are willing to take the blame, I believe Mr. John will have no objections and will cooperate with us tacitly!"

(End of this chapter)