America: My Time

Chapter 328 John's Scheme

Chapter 328 John's Scheme
As the saying goes, experience counts. John had many shortcomings in arranging things for international students, failing to see the bigger picture. This illustrates how different perspectives lead to different views. Only after his mother's reminder did John finally understand and see a world he had never seen before.

John had initially worried that last year's arrangements for international students would negatively impact universities, resulting in fewer students this year. However, this was merely his assumption; the reality was quite different. Following his mother's advice, the number could easily multiply several times over. After all, every company has its own network, especially established manufacturing giants like Sikorsky, Pratt & Whitney, and Hughes—their connections are unimaginable!

“I understand now. I’ve been doing it wrong all along. It seems I need to get them to contact me sooner so I can have a definite number!” At this moment, a faint smile appeared on John’s face.

"It's good that you understand. There are many things that you can't handle alone. When it comes to arranging for international students, it's best to stick with public universities and not private ones. The tuition difference between dozens of students can be quite significant. Also, if you can make arrangements in advance, the number of available spots might exceed your expectations. You should know that many companies haven't used their spots for a long time. You'd better communicate with them in advance so that the Chinese side is prepared!"

John hadn't expected Naoko's situation to lead to such a change, which shocked Naoko, Akina, and Hitomi Kuroki. What seemed incredibly difficult to them was nothing to a big shot like John, who himself hadn't even realized how powerful he was.

After resolving the issue with the international students, John immediately thought of his grandmother and said, "Mother, Grandma intends to return to China this summer, and my uncle is determined to go with her. Do you have time? If so, we can go with Grandma together, and I'll help you make the preparations in advance!"

“Even your uncle has time, so I’ll make time for myself no matter how busy I am! But your mention of this reminds me of your uncle’s reminder: why are you buying wineries again? Your father managed the previous two wineries for you, and now you’re buying more, and not just one or two. What are you thinking?”

“Honey, John isn’t just interested in the European wineries Justin mentioned this time; he’s also getting people to look into wineries in California. If someone hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known he was so obsessed with acquiring wineries. John, you should really think about this. Are you planning to acquire wineries in Canada too?”

"Dad, how did you know? I do have the idea of ​​buying a winery in Canada. It's the perfect place to produce ice wine!"

Upon hearing John's answer, Smith couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't expected John to be so obsessed with acquiring the winery; it far exceeded his expectations.

“John, tell me what you’re thinking. Even if you love wineries, there’s no need to make so many acquisitions. I know you have a lot of money after the game world goes public, but you can invest in other areas instead of wasting it on winery acquisitions. You won’t see any returns in the short term!”

"No, that's not the case. Although I am interested in acquiring some wineries this time, it's more for the company's expansion. The wine industry is a good investment. In the expansion of 7-Eleven convenience stores, Southern Group is not only expanding into small stores, but also into larger flagship stores. And if there are no problems, the next expansion will be in the acquisition of warehouse supermarkets. So, investing in the wine industry is a normal business investment."

"John, does this mean you want to establish a wine group? Not just in acquiring wineries, but also in other areas?"

"Yes, if possible, I will acquire a rice wine company in China this summer when I accompany my grandmother back to China. I also have plans to acquire a Japanese sake company, as well as a French champagne and botrytized wine company. If there are suitable wineries in Australia, I also have plans to acquire them, as well as British whisky and the most popular beer in the world."

“John, I’ve heard that you don’t have any plans to expand this year, but with so many wineries and distilleries, isn’t that expansion? Do you think it’s worth making such a big investment in the wine industry?”

"It's worth it. I think now is the best time to make acquisitions. Most importantly, these acquisitions aren't in the US; most are overseas. This means I won't be affected by those old guys! And it's also a showdown. I want to know how they'll react when they know I'm going all out to expand overseas. Don't be fooled by the fact that these guys seem to have reached a consensus and are no longer hindering me. In reality, the resistance has shifted from overt to covert. So, if I want to break this deadlock, I have to start from scratch. Quantum Mining's frenzied expansion has made them nervous, hasn't it? It's made them all worried. If I also increase my efforts in expanding the wine and beverage industry, everything will be completely different!" "John, have you considered how much funding your plan requires? Even if you have a lot of money, I'm afraid it won't be enough to support such a frenzied expansion. You only mentioned corporate expansion, but those wineries your uncle mentioned aren't part of your wine group?"

Upon hearing this, John couldn't help but smile wryly. Sure enough, the problem had been discovered. He said with a wry smile, "That's true. Those top wineries aren't in the wine group. However, I don't think there's a problem. Now is the best time to acquire these wineries."

“John, you’re hopeless. Just like your grandfather, you’re obsessed with wineries. If it were for the expansion of your wine group, I could understand, but is it worth spending such a huge amount of money just for your personal hobby?”

"It's worth it. This is my hobby, and I don't see anything wrong with it. In fact, I think it's a good investment. These wineries are all good assets that will definitely appreciate significantly in the future. Not only in winery acquisitions, but I also have some ideas about estates in Europe. Now is the lowest point for these real estate markets, the best time to buy at the bottom. I've also acquired quite a few estates in Japan!"

“Management, John, your biggest problem isn’t acquisitions, it’s management. Do you have the energy to manage all of this? You have professional managers at other companies, but how are you going to handle the management of these wineries and estates? You don’t expect me to manage them for you, do you? I don’t have that much energy!”

"No, I have no such idea. I have already made arrangements. Most of these assets will be handed over to Mandarin Oriental for management, and a resort hotel brand will be established."

"Funding? You're not still thinking of taking out a loan, are you? Have you considered how much pressure that would put you under?"

“I’ve thought about it, and there’s absolutely no problem. The Mandarin Oriental Group is no longer what you’re used to. It’s managed by professionals, and I’ve handed over the InterContinental Hotels Group under Pan Am to the Mandarin Oriental Group. Even if we expand a lot, we don’t have to worry about a shortage of staff!”

"John, what is your goal? What is the purpose of this frantic expansion? What do you want to get from Rockefeller and his ilk? Do you think they will accept your terms?"

"I don't know, I don't know if they will accept my conditions, but doing something gives you a chance, doing nothing gives you none. There are far too many people watching me in the shadows right now. Take the reconciliation with those guys before, for example. We reached an agreement, but even after the reconciliation, these guys are still secretly hindering my plans! When the game world was launched, I also talked to Morgan about this, and had a confrontation with those old guys. Now we'll see how long they can endure it, and see if they really don't care about my overseas investments! This time, I absolutely cannot back down, and I will not compromise. Those guys are all insatiable. If I take one step back, they can take ten steps forward. So this time I want to see how long they can hold out, and what compromises they will make under the impact of quantum mining!"

"John, do you think they'll compromise with you?"

"That's right, that's exactly what I was thinking. They compromised before, letting me get Hughes, Pan Am, West Air, and Pratt & Whitney. This time, I want to know what kind of compromises they're willing to make for their own interests. I have the interests they're hoping for. Phoenix Media needs to have its own voice in the US. I asked them for the TV stations before, I don't know if these guys will agree. However, Morgan should be fine, it just depends on whether that old man is willing to compromise!"

“It’s difficult. Your idea is very difficult. Legendary Entertainment already controls NBC. If Phoenix also controls its own public television network, do you think those old guys will sit still? Do you think your enemies won’t jump out and cause trouble? Nobody wants to see you control two major public television networks!”

"What I'm asking for isn't the other two major public television networks, but their independent television stations. I want Phoenix to build its own new public television network, which would minimize the impact. I just don't know if those old guys will agree. If they don't, the television stations controlled by Morgan alone won't meet Phoenix's needs. If that's the case, there's no need for me to focus on the domestic market anymore; that would just be a waste of my time and energy. Overseas expansion is the best option! The problem isn't with me now, but with those old guys. The White House bastards' influence isn't as strong as I thought; they haven't really made those old guys compromise. So I have to prepare for the worst!"

(End of this chapter)