America: My Time

Chapter 1598 Confrontation
Chapter 1588 Clash

Why do those guys keep trying to get me to step in and stabilize the stock market? They're all just looking to take advantage of John and scheme against him. The more John distances himself from high society, the more they try to take advantage of him. Even now that John's younger brother and sister are grown up, nothing has changed. This situation will continue until John's son comes of age.

Even though John made his stance very clear, the family still hadn't given up on harassing him. Those greedy individuals wouldn't let go of even the slightest opportunity; after all, why would they give up a free advantage? They had no regard for reputation. Even the strictest family rules, even the most talented families, will eventually breed many parasitic individuals, and behind them are other chains of vested interests!

The human heart is the most unpredictable thing, and John knows it all too well. However, knowing many things is of little use unless you can truly sever all ties. Otherwise, it is impossible to succeed. Moreover, as long as his parents and Old Martin are still alive, it will be difficult to completely sever the ties between families. He can ignore them, but it is different for his parents!

Time flies, and soon the era of Zipperton was over, ushering in the era of Little Bush. This New Year was filled with endless pressure for John, pressure from all sides. It wasn't just about his own asset allocation, but also the pressure from the American upper class, and the pressure from the "donkey and the elephant," and so on.

On the evening of January 20th, John had to show up at Little Bush's celebration dance. This time, John couldn't do too much, after all, he was no longer the boy he used to be, and he had to save face for Little Bush and the elephant!

When John and Jennifer Connelly attended the ball, many of the older men wore faint smiles, anticipating the ensuing exchange and hoping to gain something from John.

Of course, some also cast hostile glances, naturally from the increasingly strained relationship between John and the oil industry, especially given their blatant provocations against John's media and entertainment business. Even without John's response, these guys wouldn't give up; they were still plotting, wanting to have a showdown with John.

Why is this? Because John's gains in previous clashes were too great, making these guys uneasy. Not to mention, John's accelerating global expansion is making them even more uncomfortable. Why are these guys so determined to be enemies with John? Is it just because of previous conflicts, or because of John's cooperation with Middle Eastern tycoons? No, it's more about interests. John's expansion naturally encroaches on their interests.

After a brief exchange, John retreated to a corner, having no intention of continuing the conversation. After all, these guys were all vampires, wanting to suck his blood and gain benefits from him. Although John's lack of cooperation displeased some of them, no one dared to oppose him in the face of absolute power, and no one was foolish enough to be the first to act, especially since this was the White House.

In contrast to John's nonchalance, Jennifer Connelly performed admirably, navigating between various groups and individuals—John's strategy. However, soon someone from the White House invited John to a meeting; this wasn't the first time John had faced such a situation, and he was quite adept at it.

Upon arriving at the conference room, John smiled faintly. It was indeed the same old guys, just with a few more people. John didn't care; after all, this was someone he had to face.

Without much pleasantry, the group quickly got down to business, discussing the US economy and the situation in the Middle East. Of course, energy control was left for last.

John knew perfectly well why Little Bush had been able to come to power. He wasn't backed by powerful figures, but rather by oil and arms companies. Now he needed to make a statement and give an explanation to these groups that supported him. In other words, it was time to divide the spoils; how much each received depended on their own abilities!

John remained calm as he watched the various parties vying for the prize, seemingly unmoved. He let them fight it out, knowing that everything had to be agreed upon before the final action could proceed. Otherwise, if problems arose halfway through, it would be a huge mess, a result many people didn't want to see.

The more nonchalant John appeared, the more of a headache those old men became. They wanted to bring John in, after all, the power he wielded was too great and could affect their plans, which they couldn't accept. If John continued to remain aloof, they risked paying a heavy price.

"John, what's your opinion? Everyone's expressing their views, you can't just stay silent!" Rockefeller quickly asked John. After all, there weren't many people here who could speak directly to John, and many people had to consider John's thoughts. But Rockefeller didn't have such concerns!

John smiled calmly and said, "What ideas could I possibly have? Everything is up to everyone's decision. Besides, you've already made your decisions, so my presence or absence is irrelevant. You are the ones who decide everything; I'm just riding on your coattails!"

“John, this is no joke. We need to pool our resources and can’t afford any mistakes. Although we’ve reached an agreement on the oil issue, your continued detachment is hindering our operations. I wonder if you’d be willing to join us? If you accept, you’ll receive all the benefits!” With a tycoon like John, words are useless; it’s best to get straight to the point and use the lure of profits. After all, this plan holds astonishing rewards. John is not only an oil and energy tycoon but also a military-industrial giant.

"It's not impossible for me to join, but I have conditions. I won't make excessive demands on you all. I only want one thing: fairness. You should receive corresponding benefits for the price you pay. I can't let myself benefit others. You all know very well what happened to Gulfstream Space before. I need to get everything back to normal! As for energy, you can rest assured that everything is not a problem. In fact, Asian and European energy sources will cooperate with your plans to a certain extent."

Was John's request excessive? Not at all, but some people were still unwilling to accept it because John's involvement would affect their interests. Although Rockefeller proposed that John join at this time, the proposal was not approved by the other old guys at all, and it was just Rockefeller's own opinion.

Soon, some people stood up to object, not wanting John to compete with them for interests. Conflict quickly arose. Seeing this, John shook his head, instantly understanding Rockefeller's scheme. Using him as a pawn, as a shield, to confront these old men and force him to face their pressure!

"That's enough. If you can't do it, then there's no need to talk anymore. We'll keep to ourselves and go our separate ways. You go your way and I'll go mine. I've never thought of competing with you for benefits. But let me make this clear: if anyone insists on causing trouble, they'll have to bear the consequences. My patience has its limits. Not everyone can act recklessly in front of me."

John's words silenced some of the older guys. They didn't want to be targeted by John, as they all knew that some people were causing trouble in the shadows, and they didn't want to take the blame for them.

John's attitude shocked Xiao Bushi immensely. It was the first time he'd felt such a heavy pressure emanating from John, enough to subdue these old men and prevent them from acting recklessly. This time, he truly witnessed just how terrifying John's influence was. He'd only heard of it before, but only by facing it firsthand could he understand how astonishing it was!

“John, let’s talk this out. There’s no need to rush to conclusions. We’re just discussing this. We can resolve any disagreements through discussion. There’s no need to be so ruthless. We all know how much influence you wield in the oil and energy sector. Before, it was just a matter of western energy, but now there’s Asian and European energy as well. Over the years, you’ve grown and expanded, gaining a significant share in the North Sea oil fields and dominating a considerable portion of the European market. You could say that one of your decisions can affect European energy prices. The same goes for Asia. Just Sakhalin Island alone has sparked a battle between South Korea and Japan. We can’t ignore it, so we can only take this opportunity to sit down and discuss it together. What do you say?” Rockefeller had no choice but to continue persuading John, because Morgan, now retired, had no intention of speaking and simply sat there quietly with his hands full.

"Discuss? What's there to discuss? It's just about dividing the profits. You get what you put in. There's no way you can expect someone to put in the effort and you'll get all the benefits for free. I'm a man of my word. The Western Energy project will definitely be completed without causing you any trouble. But I can't guarantee anything else. After all, we're not on the same page. Your goals don't align with my plans! I gave you all face before because I didn't want to see instability in the United States. It's best to avoid conflict during this sensitive period. But some people insist on causing trouble, and that can't be tolerated."

When John once again pointed the finger at Oil Capital and those who were causing trouble in the shadows, the room fell silent. They were all wondering if John's words meant he had made up his mind to fight back, and if so, how they should deal with it.

John controls a massive flow of funds. If Standard Chartered Bank, CITIC Bank, and Hurricane Investments were to go all out, none of them could withstand the pressure. Moreover, no one in the financial world would dare to claim they could ignore John's threat, given his formidable reputation earned through sheer force.

At this moment, some people turned their attention to Little Bush, hoping that the president would speak up. After all, given his friendship with John, John would surely give him face if he spoke up. Unfortunately, Little Bush turned a blind eye and pretended not to know anything. He didn't want to impulsively stand up for these guys and sacrifice his friendship with John!
Little Bush was well aware of the staggering profits John could generate, given his good relationship with John and the fact that he even entrusted some of his funds to Hurricane Investment. He naturally understood the terrifying returns Hurricane Investment offered. And this was just Hurricane Investment; Standard Chartered Bank and Chengxin Bank must have reaped the rewards as well.

Rockefeller was helpless because Little Bush didn't step in. He naturally understood that it wasn't Little Bush's fault, but rather those guys' fault for being so ignorant and insisting on giving John a reason to target him. Moreover, John had made everything very clear, and the previous events needed an explanation, but these guys didn't want to give John an explanation at all. Instead, they wanted John to agree to their demands. This was simply absurd. Perhaps this was ignorance and arrogance, not understanding at all who they were dealing with.

Seeing that no one had stepped forward for a long time, Morgan sighed. After all, the situation couldn't continue like this. Someone had to break the deadlock. Moreover, speaking up at this moment would not only resolve the awkward situation but also gain Xiao Bushi's favor and even the favor of everyone present!
“John, we’ve known each other for a long time. I shouldn’t have spoken up, since I’m retired and no longer involved in business. But this matter goes far beyond business; it affects the national policy and interests of the United States. So I have to speak up. I hope you can understand!”

Upon hearing Morgan's words, John nodded and said, "I understand. Given our relationship, you don't need such an explanation. Just say what you have to say. As long as it doesn't affect my own interests, I'm still willing to give you face!"

"The energy plan is crucial to the future development of the United States, and even its global strategy. I hope you can stand on the side of the United States and cooperate with everyone to complete this plan. You're right, the price paid should be matched by the benefits received; I believe any rational person would accept that. Actually, what everyone is most worried about isn't just energy, but also the enormous amount of money you hold. That's the real concern, as such a large sum could potentially impact the assets of anyone here. The United States needs stability, and the stock market needs stability. What do you think?" Morgan said, turning his gaze to John. He entrusted everything to John's decision, a truly shrewd move that satisfied everyone!
(End of this chapter)