America: My Time

Chapter 575 The British Man's Persistence
Chapter 565 The Englishman's Persistence

John's dinner with Zou Daheng quickly became known to the bigwigs in Hong Kong, which made some people feel a little more relaxed. After all, being able to chat and laugh with Zou Daheng was no easy feat. Although no one knew what they were talking about, everyone knew that Zou Daheng was beaming with joy afterward.

However, this situation also made these Hong Kong tycoons worry about whether their youngsters could survive in the same era as this prodigy. Their concerns were shared by the American financial groups and the old guys who had been constantly fighting with John, after all, John's abilities were too powerful. Moreover, this guy was extremely cautious and took personal safety very seriously. If he had any flaws, it would only be the common trait of all men: a love of 'beauty'.

Although everyone somewhat approved of John's stance, not everyone could reach the level of Old Master Huo. So John stayed in Hong Kong for a few more days, during which he had tea with some bigwigs in Hong Kong and talked about his thoughts. Although he didn't know if they would believe him, he expressed his attitude.

Hong Kong is indeed a great place, but John has already completed his strategic layout there, so he has no intention of further expansion. As for acquiring the companies of those bigwigs, he wouldn't do something so foolish; doing so would only make him vulnerable to attack from all sides in Hong Kong. He simply wants to leave more assets for his future foundation, not create countless enemies for himself. Most importantly, he doesn't want to compete with these bigwigs in Hong Kong, nor is it necessary. He has many other ways to make money, and there's no need to fight them. His target has never been them, but rather the powerful rivals in Europe.

While John was enjoying himself in Hong Kong, things were getting turbulent at the White House. The Mandarin Oriental Group's shopping mall project was delayed, while cooperation agreements with South Korea had been signed. Steel mills, car factories, shipyards, and oil refineries had all been contracted, and their upgrades and construction had begun. Fortunately, they suppressed this information; otherwise, a major incident would have occurred in the United States, given that this involved heavy manufacturing industries that could create numerous jobs.

"That bastard, he's living the high life in Hong Kong, while we're trying to cover up this news for him. We've sent people to warn those guys not to cause any more trouble, or they'll face the consequences!" The White House wasn't unaware of the Mandarin Oriental Group's expansion being hampered, but they were unwilling to intervene. They wanted John to handle it himself and let the two sides negotiate. However, John's reaction exceeded the White House's expectations; he simply ignored it and pretended not to know anything.

Although some bigwigs from conglomerates have issued warnings, it has had no effect whatsoever. Everyone has their own excuses, and this is during a stock market crash, so no one is willing to take the risk. The longer things drag on, the more dangerous it becomes. Now that the situation in South Korea has arisen, if the issues in the United States are not resolved soon, the trouble will be much greater, and ultimately the White House will also be affected.

"Damn bastards, are those guys all pigs? How dare they go against John, that little fox, during this time? Do they even have the strength? They're incredibly stupid. Tell them to stop immediately, or we'll show them no mercy!"

"These guys are really stupid and ridiculous, going against a media mogul like John, and at this critical juncture, isn't that just handing him dirt? They can die if they want, but don't drag us down with them. Now that Gulfstream Aerospace has made a deal with the Middle Eastern tycoon, these guys have become even more crazy. Actually, they just lack a channel of communication."

This isn't about channels; it's about mindset. John wants profits—huge profits from the Middle Eastern tycoons. And those guys want to prevent John from cooperating with the Middle Eastern tycoons. This is a fundamental problem that can't be solved through communication.

“When will John be back? If the Mandarin Oriental Group issue isn’t resolved before he returns, things will get complicated. I believe he’s waiting for our stance! In any case, we must make those bastards back down. This is America; they can’t act recklessly here.”

At this moment, everyone could feel the boundless anger in the president's voice. Although John, that little fox, understood everything, he wanted to wait and see, and wanted to deliver a blow to the enemy. They even suspected that the previous deal between Gulfstream Aerospace and the Middle Eastern tycoons might have been a trap, a bait, to make these guys even more crazy and stop the expansion of the Mandarin Oriental Group. Then the news from South Korea was transmitted to the United States, arousing public anger and bringing all of this to the attention of the American public.

“Those guys probably won’t give us that face. In their eyes, Taiwan Aerospace is their enemy. They won’t listen to anything we say. They’ve already come up with a plan, otherwise this situation wouldn’t have happened.”

The White House was in a dilemma, while the conglomerates watched coldly. They were also curious to see if those guys would harm John. If they really had the ability to break John's invincibility, these old guys wouldn't mind giving him a push from behind.

As John's plane landed in London, a storm was brewing. Before John's arrival, Carol Tomey had already come to England to discuss Gulfstream's acquisition of the country. However, this news was still kept secret, and no results had been achieved. The British always wanted more investment without being willing to pay much themselves—they were simply too greedy! "So, the British still won't compromise?" John asked after meeting with Carol Tomey. This matter concerned the future development of Gulfstream and could not afford any mishaps.

"Yes, they still refuse to budge and are determined to let us choose their engines first! It seems Rolls-Royce is in a bad situation; the stock market crash has had a significant impact on them, otherwise these guys wouldn't be so resolute!"

"Is it possible for us to acquire them? Aren't they going through a privatization process? As long as they're willing to let us acquire Rolls-Royce, there's no problem. Otherwise, we'll give up. We have our own Inclusive Finance; we won't do anything without benefit. At worst, we can give up our investment in England. With our comprehensive expansion, we don't necessarily have to cooperate with them! If I haven't forgotten, they still owe me a favor from back then."

After a moment's thought, John put forward his idea: acquiring Rolls-Royce engines would be more beneficial than harmful, but only if Gulfstream Aerospace held a controlling stake; otherwise, it would be impossible.

"It's difficult, I'm afraid it's very difficult. They won't give up such an important engine plant as Rolls-Royce. Even if it's difficult, they may not necessarily cooperate with us. There are still many people in Europe who are very concerned about the privatization process in Britain. Britain itself also wants to get a share of the benefits in this regard. Even if we have a ticket to participate, it won't be of much use!"

"Let's sound them out first and see if there's any possibility of an acquisition. If they can't even get a controlling stake, we can't accept their claims, otherwise we'll definitely be affected by them in the future, not to mention the need to build a new factory in England."

John initially thought things in Europe would be easy to handle, but he underestimated the greed of these guys and the impact of his trade with the Russians. The British started to challenge John on this issue.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if there’s no result, it’s not a big problem for us. It will just affect our development in Europe. If it really doesn’t work out, we can stay in the Netherlands. With Lockheed, we have enough strength to go further. Even if there are problems there, it won’t have a big impact on us. Lockheed can make up for our shortcomings. We have limited time, so there’s no need to keep getting entangled with them. You should state our demands tomorrow, or just give up.” John advised when he saw that Carol Tomé still looked so serious.

Nothing is ever smooth sailing. The British aren't Middle Eastern tycoons, and these guys aren't as generous as the Middle Eastern tycoons. It's not an easy thing to get something out of them!

“Okay, I understand. If we confront them, dragging this out will affect our overall plan. If we abandon the investment here, we’ll have to readjust our previous arrangements!” Carol Tomey also understood that they couldn’t compromise or back down at this point, or there would be endless trouble in the future.

“They have no right to negotiate with us. The initiative is in our hands now. Sometimes giving up might be a good choice. At least we can ensure that our own interests are not affected!” At this moment, John also became wary of the British. If this cooperation cannot be achieved, they should seriously consider the British strategy, and even the Bentley Group should consider its own development.

This is no small matter; it concerns his overall strategy in Europe. John's original plan was to focus on the Netherlands and Britain, but it seems he was wrong. Problems have arisen in both countries. The situation in Europe is too troublesome, and there is a huge gap between Europe and the United States. In fact, these guys are even more greedy.

Compared to ordinary investments, there are no problems. However, when it comes to security, it's a different story. Rolls-Royce engines are a case in point. The British are still unwilling to admit defeat and harbor some inappropriate thoughts. In fact, it's not just the British who feel this way; the whole of Europe is like this. Seeing that the Russians are on the verge of collapse, they all have their own ideas and want to break free from American control. Now it remains to be seen how they will manage to do it.

(End of this chapter)