America: My Time

Chapter 453 Conspiracy
Chapter 453 Conspiracy

"Sophie, how far have we gotten in filming? Why are you back?" John was surprised to see Sophie Marceau in front of him. Had filming for "Top Gun" already wrapped up and was it time for special effects and editing?
Sophie didn't seem to have any problem with John's question, and smiled calmly, saying, "My filming is finished. The director said it will definitely be completed before the end of the year, and it won't affect next year's summer movie season!"

"That's good. You also need to be careful and not have too many ideas. Hollywood isn't France. If you want to gain a foothold in Hollywood, you need to start from scratch, one step at a time. I can arrange opportunities for you, but if you don't have the ability, you won't achieve anything. How many impactful contracts did you sign with Paramount this time?"

John could take care of Sophie Marceau, but it wouldn't affect the company's overall interests. He wouldn't give her special treatment. As the leading lady, Paramount couldn't limit her to just one film; that was company rule that no one could break. Even if Sophie Marceau was his woman, he couldn't break the rules he set, otherwise it would only affect Paramount's future development and interests.

"Three films, three films in five years. This is only because of your reputation; otherwise, it would be worse, requiring at least a five-film contract. I don't understand why Paramount and Universal have such rules. That lead actor has been complaining the whole time; he signed a ten-year, six-film contract!"

"He has no choice. These are the rules of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, and no one can break them. Trying to take advantage is impossible. We won't do someone else's bidding. Fame comes at a price. Remember, never discuss this issue in any situation, and don't complain. That guy will regret it later. Complaining before even becoming famous only shows he's overthinking things. Ten years from now, he might not have any more opportunities to work with Legendary Entertainment or Phoenix Media. Hollywood is never short of people who want to be famous. His impulsiveness and arrogance will cause him endless trouble in the future. You don't think Paramount Pictures hasn't researched you actors, do you?"

You reap what you sow. Complaining about this and that after only the first collaboration, does he really think Paramount Pictures is a charity? After six films are shot, I'm afraid he will never have the opportunity to work with them again.

For Tom Cruise, there may only be collaborations on "Mission: Impossible," and no other collaborations. This guy is still too young and arrogant. He is not facing Paramount Pictures, but two media giants, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media.

Seeing Sophie Marceau's surprised expression, John smiled calmly and said, "Don't be surprised. This is the rule of the two major media groups. They evaluate and rate all the actors they have worked with!"

"Is this necessary? I think it's crazy and incomprehensible!"

"It's absolutely necessary. Only by understanding the actors better can we advance the filming process without worrying about unexpected problems. So, if there are any negative reviews, there won't be any more collaborations after the contract is completed. No producer would dare to take such a risk. Okay, that's all for now. You know what you're doing. Are you staying for Christmas or going back to France?"

"I'll stay with you, but I still need to go back for the New Year. I haven't been back for a long time!"

With beautiful women by his side, the good times were short-lived. Soon, John faced pressure from the semiconductor industry and Silicon Valley. After taking over Seagate, John had to hold a press conference to explain the purpose of the acquisition. Faced with accusations from those with ulterior motives, John remained calm. During the press conference, John knew how intense those guys' reactions would be and how it would make some of them feel uneasy.

"Mr. John, is this acquisition truly due to the setbacks in the development of Dreamworld and personal computers, forcing you to develop your own hard drive technology?"

"That's right, that's definitely one of the reasons. With the continuous development of technology and the software industry, the space required for software will only increase in the future. If we don't increase hard drive space, how can personal computers meet the installation needs of professional software!"

"Mr. John, the software development of Dream World is in trouble. Will this affect its market value?"

"No, at least for a long time, it won't affect Dream World's market value. After all, we've already taken action. As long as we're willing to invest heavily in R&D, I believe new hard drives will appear soon. Hard drive space will continue to expand over time, and software development will naturally not have as many problems. Of course, if anyone thinks this is an opportunity to short Dream World, I welcome that too!" After John's press conference ended, with Seagate fully taking over Quantum and Maxtor, the Wall Street giants also learned about John's words. This annoyed many Wall Street guys, who thought John was too arrogant.

"Damn it, this kid is too arrogant. Does he really think we can't do anything to him? Does he really think we're afraid of him? He dares to provoke us directly. We must unite and teach him a lesson, a profound lesson!"

"Enough! If you have the guts, then do it yourself. We're not going to get involved. We've already lost a lot of money in the game world, and I don't want to fail again in the dream world. Besides, our focus is still on the game world. John, that little fox, is still selling his shares in the game world. This is our chance to get our profits back!"

"That's too little. This little fox is selling too few shares. Selling them little by little will only keep driving up the market value of the game world. If they wait until this year's dividend distribution, the stock price will skyrocket. You have to know that he has spun off a part of the home game console business, and the profits of the game world are astonishing!"

"Yes, the profits in the gaming world are astonishing right now. With the help of this little fox's actions, the market value of the gaming world will only be pushed up little by little. It's also because that fool has no ability whatsoever. If they had even a little bit of skill, they could have independently developed their own gaming platform. How could we have lost to this little fox, John?"

"What's the use of saying all this now? What's done is done, we have no choice but to accept it. And we can't shake John's position in the game world now."

"No, I don't think there's no chance to shake his control over the game world. Right now, that little fox John is focused on personal computer research and development, so his control over the game world isn't very strong. Besides, his previous proposals in the game world were rejected. This is our opportunity. We should gradually gain the support of the game world's administrators and researchers. As long as we can get them to accept us, this is our chance!"

"Impossible, that's too difficult. Before we even succeed, that little fox John will find out. Do you want to start a fight? Do you think you have the ability to fight this little fox and defeat him?"

"No, we don't need to fight him at all. We just need to get most of the game world's administrators and developers to stand with us. We strongly oppose the shift to PC games, and we also oppose banning the use of the game platform. After all, the usage fee for the game platform is the main source of revenue for the game world."

"Actually, I think we should talk to Morgan. John, that little fox, is too domineering. He made the decision to split up without even consulting us. This is intolerable. He did it this time, but will he do it again next time? As long as those guys in Japan are on his side, we can't stop him at all. If we let this guy continue to split up, what will be left of the game world?"

“That’s right, that makes sense. We should definitely talk to Morgan. If things continue like this, all the benefits of the game world will fall into the hands of those guys in Japan. We should discuss with Morgan that the game world should have its own production and manufacturing plants, instead of always having those three guys in Japan do the work for us. This is causing us to lose a lot of revenue every year! The game world didn’t have such a large investment before, but now we can use this year’s huge profits to establish our own factory and take control of production.”

"Do you think this is feasible? Do you think Morgan will agree? After all, Morgan has always stood by John, that little fox, even when the game world was in crisis. Morgan has always stood firmly by his side. I don't think your proposal has any chance of succeeding. You're being too naive."

“I think it’s feasible. If John refuses, we’ll hold a board meeting. And even if we fail, it doesn’t matter. The management team will be on our side. With our own manufacturing plant, the market value of the game world will increase further. I believe the management team will not reject our proposal!”

"This proposal is indeed good, but we need to communicate with those guys in management first. Only by persuading them can we implement this plan and use it to undermine John's prestige in the game world. As long as those guys in management are on our side, we will have the upper hand and be able to take control. At that time, we will have the opportunity to weaken John's influence on the game world and gradually take control of it. After all, we are also shareholders of the game world!"

(End of this chapter)