America: My Time

Chapter 431 Calculation
Chapter 431 Schemes

“Sure, no problem at all. Lehman Brothers can do it right now. I’ll contact them right away!” At this point, Old Man Shi didn’t haggle with John but agreed to his request directly. He didn’t care how much money John asked for; it was the attitude that mattered, and the conclusion of the matter. He didn’t inquire about when Hurricane Investment would be liquidated. There was no need for that. In his view, as long as John had spoken, it was not a problem.

With that, Old Bush picked up the phone and called Lehman Brothers. A moment later, Old Bush finished his call with Lehman Brothers and put down the phone, saying, "John, Lehman Brothers has started transferring the money. I believe Hurricane Investments will receive it soon. Keep a close eye on things to avoid any unexpected problems!"

"It's alright. I already told them about this before I came. As long as the two hundred million dollars arrive, everything will be over. They will start liquidating their positions without delay. It all depends on how fast Lehman Brothers can transfer the money. This is not something I can decide or control."

When John finished speaking, the people present couldn't help but sigh. John's answer made them realize that this guy had no intention of discussing things with them. Two hundred million dollars was a must, and discussing it with him would not yield any results; it would only be a waste of time and energy.

"John, you've really surprised us. You've already made this decision so early on. It seems you're very confident!"

“Of course. If Lehman Brothers knew how to weigh things, they wouldn’t have refused my request. Besides, it’s my only request. Compared to the losses they would face if things dragged on any longer, this price is insignificant. If they’re going to haggle over this condition, I’ll have to think carefully about whether they’re sincere. I don’t have time to do all sorts of negotiations with them, and I hate negotiations the most, as Morgan knows perfectly well!”

The matter was resolved so easily; Lehman Brothers only needed to pay $200 million to end it, which surprised the old man. However, he didn't say much about it, nor did he intend to linger there. After completing the communication, he took his leave without any hesitation.

As they left Morgan, Little Bush, who had been following Old Bush, couldn't help but ask, "Dad, isn't that a bit too domineering? They didn't even give Lehman Brothers any room to negotiate. Aren't they afraid that Lehman Brothers might retaliate in anger? And aren't they worried about the White House's attitude?"

"Worried? What does he have to worry about? It's already quite remarkable that he offered two hundred million dollars to resolve this matter. Don't think two hundred million dollars is a lot; to these Wall Street crocodiles, it's just a number. Moreover, Lehman Brothers' losses in the devaluation of the dollar are far more than that amount; if it drags on any longer, it will be even more serious. You should spend more time getting to know this young man. If you can gain his approval, it will be very beneficial to your future development. He is a media tycoon. With two major media groups under his control, that is his greatest strength, a strength that no one dares to ignore."

"I will, but he's different from us. He hardly ever attends parties. Although he has women around him, he's very cautious. Most importantly, he doesn't seem to fit in with us!"

"No, you're wrong. This kid is different from what you think. He had an excuse for not attending parties and events before because he was still in school. Now he doesn't have that excuse anymore. Although he will continue to study at Stanford, that doesn't matter anymore. He will be attending various events from now on, and that's your chance."

"Dad, do you think John will accept the family's arrangements? A lot of people are eyeing him!"

"Impossible. No matter how hard those guys try, it's impossible. John, that little fox, has his own ideas, and now he's the head of the conglomerate himself. Do you think he still needs to consider his family's opinions? As far as I know, he's given up all his family's rights and is no longer influenced by them. He has his own ideas, and even if they wanted to take advantage of this kid, do you think Morgan wouldn't have acted? Even Morgan hasn't made any move. Do you think they have any chance of succeeding?"

"It's difficult. Although Forbes hasn't offered much explanation for his inclusion on the list, and only leaves his wealth a question mark, his wealth is constantly growing. In the past, Forbes could explain it away by saying John was still in school, but that probably won't work this year. They need to give their readers an explanation. I don't know how rich this guy is, but he's definitely worth a billion!"

"A billion? You underestimate his wealth. A hundred billion is no problem. It's just that this kid has been using debt to cover it up, but that's impossible now. Forbes has to give an explanation. It's just that we don't know what the consequences will be for Warner's actions, or if it will provoke another fierce counterattack from this kid. So, there's no way to get a precise figure. Besides, this kid's overseas investments are no less than his investments in the US, making his wealth even more of a mystery. However, that's not something you need to worry about. All you need to do is build a good relationship with him, that's all. Don't talk about anything related to wealth; that's not your job, understand?" "Understood. Instead of talking to him about wealth and money, it's better to build a personal relationship. As long as he can help us in a crucial moment, that's enough!" Little Bush immediately understood his father's intention. Wealth wasn't important; what mattered was John himself. Once the relationship was established, wealth wouldn't be difficult to obtain!
"It's good that you understand, but you need to be able to do it. Many people understand, but when they actually face all of this, they will make different decisions. When faced with the temptation of money, many people cannot resist it, but you must resist it!"

"Morgan has already given a reply. John has reached a settlement with Lehman Brothers, only demanding two hundred million dollars. It seems that this kid isn't as difficult to deal with as we thought!"

"Heh, if you have such a foolish idea, it just means you're falling into a trap. If this little guy were easy to deal with, would we have failed time and time again? And this time he rejected our proposal again, insisting on cooperating with those guys on the global satellite positioning system. Do you think he's easy to deal with?"

"Why don't we try using our femininity? If those guys in Japan can succeed, there's no reason why we can fail."

"Foolish. If you continue to have this foolish idea, I can only say that you are not suitable for your current position. The success of Japan is because there is not much conflict between them, and there are not many conflicts of interest. But we are different. Don't you know how much Hughes Aerospace and Communications has an interest in? How much support those guys have given Hughes, how much support Japan has given, and the European side has always wanted to participate in this project, but have you seen them succeed? Not a single one has succeeded. It can be seen how difficult this guy is."

"The European guys failed because they were too greedy and wanted to share the profits from Hughes' GPS system, while the Japanese and those guys didn't even have that idea!"

"Yes, they were too greedy. But who can invest billions without expecting a return? Japan might be able to do it because they have money but no technology or ability, and those guys are the same. So Hughes was the only option. But Europe isn't like that, which is why they failed. The same goes for honey traps. Japan's success is just an isolated case. If honey traps could succeed, do you think those conglomerates wouldn't take action? Have you seen Morgan or Rockefeller do anything about it?"

“We’ve already clashed with this guy, and now we want to cut off his interests. Do you think he’ll agree? Do you think a mere honey trap can succeed? If you do that, you’ll only make things worse, and it will only make that kid more wary and defensive of us, which will be even more disadvantageous for us. Do you understand?”

What good is understanding? They have no way to reconcile with John now. Having broken their promises time and time again, their credibility has been damaged, and it is impossible for them to regain John's approval.

Many people understand the enormous investment Hughes Aerospace and Communications has made in the global positioning system, and the staggering profits involved. However, such a massive investment is not something everyone can afford. John, the shrewd businessman, has finally secured substantial financial support from Middle Eastern tycoons and Japan; why would he willingly cut off his own arm? Not to mention these guys, even the United States itself wouldn't allow Hughes to abandon this project.

"Perhaps we can find something else to make him have to accept our demands!"

"Don't have such dangerous thoughts, it won't work, it will cross their bottom line. I'll pretend I didn't hear this time, but next time you can leave on your own. We can't pay a heavy price because of your stupidity. Never have dangerous thoughts. He's not an ordinary person, he's a member of a conglomerate, protected by the United States."

Initially, some dared to break the rules and secretly plot against John, but now no one dares to do so. Anyone who does would pay a heavy price; the rules aren't just for show, and doing so would incur public wrath. These guys wanting to assassinate John, wanting to use extreme methods, won't succeed. Once exposed, the consequences would be unbearable for them—a disaster, a terrifying disaster targeting them. So, while his men might have such thoughts, they can't afford to lose their heads, nor dare they; the consequences are too severe.

(End of this chapter)