America: My Time

Chapter 807 The Koreans' Compromise

Chapter 797 The Koreans' Compromise
When John came to his senses, he saw the astonished Sachiko Kamachi and smiled calmly, saying, "Do you find it unbelievable, completely different from your own views? Because you are not the same kind of people. She and I are the same kind of people. We both yearn for freedom and want to break free from the shackles of our families. It's just that it's more difficult for her as a woman. Moreover, if she accepts the family's arrangement, she will become a housewife forever. Do you think an ambitious woman who longs for freedom would accept that? So after hearing my conditions, she made this decision. For her, this is the best outcome."

Sachiko Kamachi shook her head and said, "I can't understand it. This is too crazy, at least I can't understand it!"

"Actually, you can understand it if you look at it from a different perspective. If you were asked to give up music, could you accept it? No, so you would fight for it if you had the chance, and that's how she is. Everyone only sees the glamorous side of the conglomerate, but they don't know that behind this glamour, as a member of the conglomerate, you also have to bear your own responsibilities. As a woman, she is naturally the object of marriage alliances, and it is understandable that she is unwilling to accept it. If I hadn't forged my own path back then, I would have accepted the family's arrangement like her."

At this point, John couldn't help but sigh. The conflict between him and his family had been going on for a long time, but thankfully it was all over now. He no longer had to worry about it or bear that pressure. Without the pressure from his family, he could finally relax. The reason he resolutely broke away from them wasn't just because they were too greedy, but more so to prepare for the future and prevent his children from being exploited by them.

In fact, John could imagine that when those guys lost in the struggle and suffered losses, they would turn their attention to him, even handing over the position of family patriarch to him, so that he would work for them, and even let his children be influenced by the family.

John didn't think those guys were incapable of such a thing; for them, anything was possible as long as there was enough profit. Fortunately, an opportunity arose, allowing him to seize it, break free from the family, and gain the 'freedom' he desired without giving them a chance to back out!
'Freedom' is not easily obtained; it comes at a price. Looking back, John deeply understands how hard-won his freedom was. It was thanks to his parents' help and support, and his grandfather's tacit approval. Otherwise, he would have had to pay an even greater price and expend far more effort to achieve it. It is precisely because John understands how precious this freedom is that he can comprehend the immense pressure that Lee Boo-jin, the heiress of Samsung, has to bear and face.

After the party, those who were watching John went to report everything. It wasn't just one group paying attention to John at the party; many with ulterior motives were observing his every move. Although they didn't know what kind of 'deal' John had made with Lee Boo-jin, many felt that Samsung might get everything they wanted.

"This is outrageous! They actually want such privileges! We can't agree to this!" When they learned of John's conditions, there was a wave of opposition within the Korean team. They couldn't accept John's demands; they felt it was too shameful.

"If we don't accept it, how are we going to solve the current crisis, this energy crisis? Don't you think we can get the resources we want in a short time? Even if the oil refineries we cooperate with in the US aren't in trouble yet, it doesn't mean we can get through this. And who will bear the consequences of the factories shutting down without crude oil? Actually, we have no choice right now. We don't have oil reserves like Japan, and even Japan has to accept it. Do you think we can refuse? Can we bear the consequences of refusing?"

"But if we just agree like that, where will we put our face? Besides, we can think of another way; after all, we still have time."

"Hehe, time? The time you're talking about doesn't exist at all. As long as we refuse, I believe their oil reserves in our country will be transferred to Japan. They won't suffer any losses; the only ones who will lose are us."

"We don't have much time to wait to agree to their demands. With their oil reserves, we can get through the current difficulties. Moreover, with such a deal, we can ask for more benefits from them, just like Japan. We can even try to leverage their power to get a short-term contract from a Middle Eastern tycoon."

"It's difficult. I think it's almost impossible. We all know that Japan has offered two years. Can we accept such conditions? Have you thought about the price we'll have to pay for two years?"

"Actually, those guys in Japan didn't discuss this matter in depth with Mr. John. They just wanted to wait for the situation to change in the Middle East. They felt that this situation wouldn't last long, but we could negotiate with him. If we could extend the contract to a year, it wouldn't matter how big the order was, and our losses wouldn't be too great."

“In principle, I have no objection. As long as the other party can accept it, everything is fine. But do you think the other party can agree to our demands? Even if we get their oil reserves, we won't last long. Our situation is even more dangerous than Japan's. Moreover, among all the oil refineries, ours is the smallest, so our oil reserves are also the smallest!” When this question was raised, these guys couldn't help but sigh. This was reality. Who could blame them when South Korea's land area was too small and its population was smaller than Japan's? The size of their oil refineries was also limited.

John had no intention of expanding the oil refineries in South Korea, because South Korea's own consumption levels were what they were. His biggest target was China, not them, and even Japan was much stronger than South Korea.

"Agree to their conditions and do everything in our power to negotiate and get more oil. After all, this guy has been doing business with the Russians, not to mention his oil production in Southeast Asia. So he has far more resources in his hands than we imagine!" These Koreans also know a bit about John. After all, the war in the Middle East has been going on for so many days. Since they are after John, how could they not do more research?

"Perhaps Samsung will have more to gain. Their eldest daughter has had good communication with them. Maybe we can learn from them. Those guys in Japan can use honey traps, so can we!" It has to be said that the Koreans have no bottom line either. They will do anything for profit and are willing to sacrifice some people for profit.

When the South Korean government made its decision, all the major conglomerates quickly learned of it. However, the Lee family of Samsung was not so quiet. Upon learning of their eldest daughter's 'deal' with John, Lee Kun-hee was furious. In his view, this was tarnishing the family's reputation and causing them to lose face. In fact, he was overthinking it. The Lee family had already lost face long ago. The competition for succession had already made them lose face, and the farce between father and son had long become a laughing stock in South Korea.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You should understand that once you take this step, there will be no turning back, and you will no longer receive anything from the family. The family's wealth will no longer be related to you!"

“I know, this is my decision. I don’t want to accept the family’s arrangement and become a housewife. I have my own ideas and my own pursuits. Besides, the family’s wealth will be inherited by my eldest brother, and I won’t get much. Since that’s the case, why not choose to walk the path I want to walk? And with his support, my future may be brighter!”

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you anymore. You've chosen this path yourself, so don't regret it later."

"Regret? No, I will not regret it!" When faced with her father's persuasion, Lee Boo-jin did not accept it. Instead, she insisted on breaking free from the constraints of her family and following her own path. Perhaps this path was difficult, but it was more suitable for her.

After seeing his sister leave, Li Zairong was overjoyed, as it meant he had one less competitor. However, his face was heavy, and he said in a low voice, "Father, how could you agree to this? Where will this leave the face of the Li family? This will make us a laughingstock."

"Laughingstock, do you think those guys have the right to laugh at us? Do you think there's anything wrong with this 'deal'? With their support, Fu-jin might go further and control more wealth. And what kind of concept is 30% of the shares? Is it a promise that can be made just because she's my daughter? Don't be naive. They want to expand further here. Samsung isn't doing very well right now. Those old folks have such outdated ideas, and changing them will take an immense amount of effort. It might be better for Fu-jin to leave the family. You don't need to worry about her fighting with you for assets."

Although Lee Jae-yong concealed it well, how could his father, with his wisdom, not see through his true thoughts? In the face of profit, there is no such thing as kinship, especially for the Lee family, where kinship is a joke. Moreover, this kind of 'deal' can solve their current difficulties. If he can exchange his daughter for Samsung's development, Lee Kun-hee will not refuse. If he really opposed it, he would not have agreed to all of this. For him, the family business is the most important thing.

(End of this chapter)