America: My Time

Chapter 702 A Difficult Choice
Chapter 692 A Difficult Choice
"Give up? Do I really have to give up all of this, give up the pursuit of fame and fortune?" After leaving, Xiao Qiang pondered this question. She was unwilling to accept it. Why could Sunny live so freely while she couldn't? It was just a matter of paying a price. If others could do it, there was no reason why she couldn't. Now there was a great opportunity right in front of her. How could she not seize it? If she missed such an opportunity, it would be hard to get it again.

Xiao Qiang knew a little about John, though not much, but enough for her. Just as John had said, this industry was too dark; beautiful women who fell in were hard to escape. They either had to leave quickly as soon as they got involved, or they would be powerless to break free and simply sink deeper into it. But Xiao Qiang knew what she wanted from the beginning; she just hadn't expected the industry to be so dark, nor the dangers she would face to be so terrifying. This was the world of fame and fortune; once you stepped into it, you had to bear all the oppression and dangers it brought.

When Xiao Qiang finally understood everything, her heart changed. She began to transform from a cunning and scheming innocent beauty. Just as many people had thought, since she couldn't leave this circle and couldn't resist the allure of fame and fortune, she decided to find a powerful figure to protect her. Being manipulated by one person was better than being manipulated by a group. Looking at Sunny's situation—living in a mansion, enjoying an upper-class life, without any pressure, free and unrestrained—how could she not envy her?

Although Xiao Qiang knew that John was surrounded by many beautiful women, understanding the dynamics of this circle and the affairs of those powerful figures, she naturally understood that this was the norm; how could such wealthy and influential people be without beautiful women around them? Unable to resist the allure of fame and fortune, she had to make a choice—a choice about her own life.

For a beautiful woman who can let go of everything, she has few concerns and few hesitations. She quickly understands everything, makes a decision, and realizes that she is willing to give everything for everything she wants. Moreover, she does not think she is inferior to Sunny. She is confident in her beauty and in herself.

If a single conversation could cause such a change within the inner circle, then Sunny has changed as well. While the change isn't as dramatic, she's lost her former ambition. A beautiful woman with a peaceful mind, understanding the darkness of the fame and fortune world, feeling less pressure, and recognizing the kindness of those she follows—as long as she doesn't make mistakes, there won't be any other problems—naturally, she will change. After meeting Nakamori Akina, Sunny has changed too, no longer paying attention to what's happening in the industry, and instead pursuing a comfortable and carefree life.

This is how life changes. For the time being, Sunny hasn't made a final decision yet, nor has she completely withdrawn from this circle. She still has a faint pursuit in her heart, but this pursuit is not as strong anymore. Life changes everything, and she is no exception. She has also become different in the face of life.

After returning home, Xiao Qiang pondered his future, considering and making decisions. Zhang Yuyan was no exception. Even though her involvement in this circle was brief, she understood that John's words were true, and a prime example was right before her: Sonny. Zhang Yuyan knew Sonny well; she wasn't a woman who coveted wealth, yet she had ultimately ended up this way. What changed her? It was the environment, this dark and insane circle, that led her to make such a decision.

"Should I still hold on to my ideals? Should I still pursue my dreams? Can I leave this circle unscathed, without being corrupted or sinking into it?" Zhang Yuyan was also asking herself these questions, and she was also thinking about whether to give up. At this moment, she was standing at a crossroads in her life and needed to make a choice.

One wrong step and there's no turning back. A mistake could plunge you into an abyss of no return. Zhang Yuyan, who had just stepped into this circle, didn't know if she could resist its temptations, stay true to herself, or be melted into its influence. After all, this incident had a significant impact on her, making her deeply aware of how terrifying this circle could be. She had initially thought it was just a minor disturbance, but she hadn't expected so much more to be hidden behind it.

Although John didn't offer much explanation, Zhang Yuyan, with her intelligence, could understand that there were issues behind this that she didn't know about. Now that she was being targeted, even if she had temporarily resolved the crisis and gotten through it, would she be so lucky next time, and would someone like him be able to step in and resolve the crisis for her again?

As John said at the end, even a company can't protect everyone, and the company isn't monolithic. Entering this industry means guarding against not only outsiders but also company insiders, and even those closest to you. Sometimes, those closest to you will betray you. Anything is possible for profit. If you're unwilling to make sacrifices and pay the price, how can you get the resources you want, or achieve your dreams? The entertainment industry is a place of fame and fortune; without effort, there's no reward. You can't always get the resources you want, and you can't always get help from your friend Sunny. Zhang Yuyan could see that Sunny had changed since she first met her. Although the differences weren't drastic, she could vaguely sense that Sunny had lost some of her passion for acting. Perhaps this was a change in life.

As an intelligent and beautiful woman, Zhang Yuyan noticed not only Sunny's changes but also Xiao Qiang's. Although Xiao Qiang concealed it well, she was still a newcomer, and Zhang Yuyan could still sense her changes. This incident also had a significant impact on Xiao Qiang, changing her perspective. After all, it was all too sudden, exposing them to so much darkness in this industry without any preparation, making them realize how terrifying and crazy the dangers they faced were. It would be a lie if they didn't change at all. However, Zhang Yuyan didn't know what to do.

"Worried about their choices? There's no need for that. They have their own options, and the path is theirs to choose from. It's not something you can influence. I've said what I needed to say. As for how they choose, that's their own business, and you don't need to think about it so much!" After the two beauties left, a faint trace of worry remained on Sonny's face. John couldn't help but shake his head. Although he was also quite attracted to these two beauties—after all, no man dislikes beautiful women, and he was no exception—John was still somewhat surprised by Sonny's reaction.

John liked it, but he didn't intend to do anything proactively because he didn't have that much time. This time, he wasn't in Taiwan to pick up girls; he had his own things to do, a lot of things to deal with. Not only were there numerous problems with ASUS, but also issues with the oil refineries. John had stored Russian crude oil in China, South Korea, and Japan, but that wasn't enough. He wanted to seize the opportunity to really rip off those guys in Japan, so naturally, he needed to make more preparations.

John needs to be prepared for the oil refineries in Taiwan. However, the crude oil here cannot be obtained from Russia. Instead, John chooses Middle Eastern tycoons. With the development of Taiwan's economy, the expansion of oil refineries is also accelerating, and crude oil storage is naturally prepared. Any oil refinery needs to have such reserves, otherwise, when oil prices soar and crude oil becomes scarce, there will be trouble. With a large reserve, there will be no such problem.

"I understand, but I'm afraid they won't understand, and once they're truly caught up in it, they'll never be able to extricate themselves!"

John couldn't quite understand women's thoughts, but fortunately, he didn't want to find out more. He had more things to deal with. As for Zhang Yuyan's matter, he no longer cared about it. As for the problem with Asia Television, John didn't want to know either. Everything was up to Huang Xizhao. It wasn't appropriate for him to interfere too much. He could offer his opinions, but handling everything personally would affect Huang Xizhao's control over Asia Television.

"Then when you have time, talk to them and try to comfort them. But you also need to take care of yourself and think more about what happened to Akina. I don't want you to fall into the same situation. Also, after I've dealt with things here, come with me to China. There are a lot of things to take care of there. Besides, it's good to leave Taiwan for now and avoid the impact of this matter!"

After Huang Xizhao takes action against Asia Television, it will inevitably cause a significant uproar within the company. John does not want Sonny to get involved, so leaving Taiwan with him is the best option to avoid the turmoil.

The extent of the turmoil depends on Huang Xizhao's handling of the situation. However, after receiving a call from John, the big boss, Huang Xizhao will not hold back. Having worked in this industry for so many years, he naturally understands how serious the situation at Asia Television is; it's definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface. He will take drastic measures to reverse the trend and prevent further problems from affecting Asia Television and Phoenix Group's plans, impacting himself, and making him an innocent scapegoat for these guys, forcing him to bear immense pressure from the big boss!
(End of this chapter)