America: My Time

Chapter 587 The unexpected person
Chapter 577 An Unexpected Person

Morgan also paid close attention to John's situation in Europe and took precautions. The expansion of Hurricane Investment was also within their expectations. If they could not expand within the United States, then overseas expansion was the only option. Standard Chartered Bank was no exception. In fact, in Morgan's eyes, Standard Chartered Bank was the core of John's financial strategy and the foundation of John's financial group.

The most important element of a conglomerate is its bank. Neither Chengxin Bank nor East West Bank has the capability to support the entire conglomerate's operation. Even if John were to incorporate Hurricane Investment into it, it would be impossible unless he went even further. However, the current situation on Wall Street is already set, and without anyone falling, there is no possibility of advancement.

Although John already had a formidable reputation in the financial industry, the amount of assets one controlled was also crucial to becoming one of Wall Street's top crocodiles, and Hurricane Investment was far from adequate in this regard. Of course, John himself was aware of all this, but he didn't care. After all, the United States at that time would not allow new Wall Street crocodiles to emerge, and if he forced Hurricane Investment into the struggle, it would only provoke public outrage and lead to a siege.

Under these circumstances, overseas expansion is the best option, allowing them to avoid confrontation with Wall Street. This invitation from Morgan Stanley and the gathering at Wall Street likely have the same purpose: those guys want to know John's thoughts, understand Hurricane Investment's future plans, and learn about the changes at Honourable Bank and East West Bank.

“Those old guys did the worst thing. John is now out of control. It seems like he's been compromising all along, but behind these compromises lies the laying of his own plans. Jimmy, what do you think John's plans are for the semiconductor industry?”

"It's unrealistic for him to expand into South Korea; by comparison, his expansion there is limited to heavy industry and media!"

Morgan nodded and said, "Yes, this little fox clearly doesn't want to put all his eggs in one basket. Britain, South Korea, and even Southeast Asia are his targets. After selling some of Global Online's assets, Bell Labs will have more funds. Do you think he will continue to invest more in research and development? Could everything he said before be true? Or is this just another smokescreen to attract everyone's attention?"

"I don't know. Bell Labs is now completely protected by his security company. Outsiders have no idea about their research and development progress. The wafer fab incident was also intentional on his part. Rockefeller was testing John's strength and weakness, and John was also testing him. The wafer fab is just the beginning. But I don't understand why he would give up the mobile phone manufacturing plant. It's Global Online's only profitable project. And Motorola was obviously just testing him. He couldn't possibly not see that!"

"He saw things clearly, and it was precisely because he saw things clearly that he directly outmaneuvered Motorola, forcing them to acquire it. As for his schemes, we can't see through them at the moment; we can only take it one step at a time. For us, the best thing is that he doesn't expand in the financial sector. Hurricane Investment is now powerful enough to replace others as a giant on Wall Street, and Lehman Brothers is extremely nervous, fearing that it might be targeted by Hurricane Investment at any moment!"

John had no idea what Morgan was thinking or even worried about. He was currently pondering everything that had happened that night, and also considering Rockefeller's schemes. These old guys had invested heavily in the semiconductor industry, putting John under pressure for the first time. Under their calculations, could he still get everything he wanted from Japan, and could he acquire the talent he needed?

Although there is still plenty of time, even John feels that the situation is slipping out of his control as Rockefeller and other old guys invest heavily in it. While he is scheming against them, he is also being schemed against. Whether they can succeed now depends on their respective methods.

The next day, John and Naoko appeared at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Their appearance immediately attracted the attention of many reporters, and many of them wanted to interview them, but unfortunately, they were all blocked by bodyguards and not given a chance to get close.

This time, John didn't sit in the audience, but backstage. He didn't want to get too entangled with those with ulterior motives. There were quite a few 'interested' audience members at today's Victoria's Secret show, so John had to avoid them.

"Does it feel a bit oppressive?" John couldn't help but smile slightly when he saw Naoko's performance. From an outsider's perspective, the atmosphere backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was indeed somewhat oppressive. Everyone was nervously arranging everything, afraid that something might go wrong, and each of them was under considerable pressure.

"It does feel a bit oppressive, a little uncomfortable, almost more nervous than when I was on stage myself!" "You need to learn to adapt to this change. Your oppression comes from within yourself; you're worrying about what others think. That's unnecessary and superfluous. Since you're sitting here, there's no need to care about their opinions. After this, go back with Akina. I have to show up and talk to those guys; otherwise, it would be too rude!"

There were quite a few 'interested' people in the audience of today's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. They weren't there to watch the show, but for John. If John ignored them, it would be too rude. After all, as the host, John had to give his guests some face and act like a host. He couldn't let people think he was too arrogant.

Time flew by, and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was drawing to a close. After the final bows, John had to deal with those "interested individuals." As the show ended, some of these "interested individuals" didn't leave but instead stood and chatted with the Victoria's Secret staff. Others were using the opportunity to build connections. Very few people actually came to the show; everyone had different reasons for attending.

"Ellen, the models in New York are just as good as the girls in Hollywood, and they're just as enthusiastic. If you're interested, you can check them out. There are quite a few people here who dream of taking things to the next level!"

Several people from the entertainment industry were talking about it. Actually, there were quite a few men looking for a woman among the audience of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. After all, there are just as many beauties in the modeling world as there are in Hollywood, and they are all long-legged beauties who are even more alluring than Hollywood actresses.

Just as these people were talking amongst themselves, a commotion broke out. Many people looked over curiously and saw John walking in with Naoko. His appearance immediately attracted the attention of some people, and those 'interested' people all came to greet John. Compared to those who were just looking for a womanizer, these guys were the real big shots.

"Mr. Morita, I didn't expect to see you here!" Among the crowd, John immediately spotted the old man Akio Morita and Riko beside him. The fact that this old man was able to appear at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show suggests that there have been some changes in Japan, or rather, some changes at Sony.

Of course, it's also possible that the game world has already taken action, putting pressure on the old man Akio Morita and forcing him to come to the United States. After all, the North American market is crucial to them, and losing it would plunge them into an absolute crisis.

Because of the sudden stock market crash, North American consumption has been severely impacted, putting immense pressure on Japanese companies. Therefore, Akio Morita's emergence is not entirely unexpected.

“John, I had no choice but to come. The situation in Hollywood isn’t good right now. The Writers Guild has been affecting Columbia Pictures’ development, so I had to come and see for myself to understand the specifics!” As he said this, Akio Morita couldn’t help but sigh, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. Clearly, before attending the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Akio Morita had already learned about Columbia Pictures’ situation and was aware of the current state of Hollywood.

"It's not just Columbia, the whole of Hollywood, even the TV stations have been affected. Those guys are determined to get a bigger share of the profits. Maybe we should sit down and talk sometime to clarify our positions. If we let them continue to cause trouble, things will get worse. I'm worried that they might get carried away and start a big strike, which would affect the whole of Hollywood and the TV stations."

Upon hearing John's words, Akio Morita's expression hardened, and he said doubtfully, "No way, things can't be that serious. Columbia Pictures didn't say things were that serious, they just said the Writers Guild was unwilling to compromise!"

“Nothing is impossible. This is America, and the situation in Hollywood is more serious than you think. Those guys won't compromise easily. Columbia should prepare in advance. To be honest, I have to be cautious now. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media are both emphasizing this issue. If something like this happens, the entire Hollywood will come to a standstill, the television stations will shut down, and the impact will be absolutely staggering. To be honest, Universal and Paramount have already halted their filming plans for next year and are waiting for the results of their discussions with the Writers Guild.” John sighed as he said this. Making such a decision would also have a significant impact on Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, but the current situation left them no choice but to do so.

(End of this chapter)