America: My Time

Chapter 808 A Reminder of 'Kindness'
Chapter 798 A 'Well-intentioned' Reminder
Lee Jae-yong understood his father's thoughts, but he wouldn't say it. He knew very well that Princess Lee Boo-jin wasn't that important to his father, and they didn't care about so-called family ties. At least, when it came to fighting for interests, family ties were irrelevant to them.

Profit can drive people crazy, especially for conglomerates. This outcome is a good thing for Lee Jae-yong, at least he doesn't need to worry about his status as heir, and he doesn't need to fight with others like his father. Now that Lee Boo-jin has withdrawn, it's a great thing for him. Moreover, at this point, he understands that he doesn't need to say anything more, as everything is already set in stone.

"Father, do you think the other party is reliable? This kind of deal seems too frivolous to me. And will he really relinquish power? With his strength and influence, there's no need for him to do this."

"You're worried about unexpected events, which shows your narrow-mindedness and limited vision. To be honest, he doesn't care about this small investment at all. What you're worried about won't happen. With his reputation, how could he possibly lose face over such a trivial matter? Don't worry, there won't be any problems. His vision is to expand across Asia. With Fu-jin's help, it will be easier for him to gain control of the retail market in South Korea. You should understand this. Anyone who knows this guy knows that he values ​​sales. So you should focus on yourself and let Fu-jin make her own decisions!"

What a convenient way to make decisions! This is just a father's choice; family ties are nonexistent for him. All he cares about is profit. He sees no problem in sacrificing his daughter for the conglomerate's growth!
Back at the hotel, seeing that Sachiko Kamachi was still in shock, John smiled calmly, shook his head, and said, "Don't worry about such trivial matters. The infighting within the zaibatsu is far more terrifying than you imagine. Many times, people are not in control of their own lives. Do you really think that Lee Boo-jin's appearance at the party and her friendly conversation with you was without any problems? If you think that, you're sorely mistaken. It's all a scheme; at the very least, she's a sacrifice. Don't overestimate the power of the zaibatsu. They'll do anything for profit. To them, a mere daughter is insignificant! Actually, you can see her situation as similar to Akina Nakamori's, only the latter is a little more discreet."

John knew more than Sachiko Kamachi, at least there was a scheme behind Lee Boo-jin's affair, otherwise it wouldn't have gone so 'smoothly'. Perhaps he had already made preparations before Lee Boo-jin attended the party. After all, he was a playboy, and those Koreans couldn't possibly not know that, so it wasn't impossible for him to use a honey trap.

"Treating her as Akina? Isn't that a bit too crazy? Does the chaebol really not care about their daughter's situation, or the pressure she'll face? I can feel her unease and tension. Besides, the chaebol is already at the top. Is there any need for such a sacrifice? This is a woman's happiness!"

"Hehe, if you think that way, you're overestimating the chaebols. To them, their daughters are just a means of marriage. It's precisely because she understands her situation that she chose to give up everything from the chaebol and make this deal with me. At least she can get the freedom she wants, even if it's only limited freedom, it's better than being manipulated by her family and walking a path she doesn't want to accept! Don't just see how wonderful the lives of the chaebols are, they also have unspeakable difficulties!"

Life is full of disappointments, and as the eldest daughter and the eldest princess of Samsung, does Lee Boo-jin bear no responsibilities? Yes, she does, but she doesn't want to carry them. So the party gave her an opportunity to break free from her constraints and escape her predicament with the help of John.

Would John worry that the other party would back out? No, John wasn't worried. The moment Lee Boo-jin made her decision, the moment they reached an agreement, the deal had already begun. The impact of backing out would be too great, and it could even cause huge trouble. Even Lee Kun-hee couldn't stop it. This was no longer just Lee Boo-jin's matter. When she agreed, she was already linked to John. There was no way out, or it would be a provocation against John.

John had an unexpected windfall at the party, but he was also being watched by many people, especially the Japanese. They were paying more attention to John's 'cooperation' with the Koreans. After all, although they had started to take over the oil business, the price of oil was still rising. Originally, they all thought that $40 a barrel was a bit too high, but now it seemed that it wouldn't be long before the price of oil broke through $40 a barrel, and that day was not far away.

Although South Korea wanted to exert some influence to demonstrate its importance, they dared not do so domestically. They had already learned their lesson the hard way, so they wouldn't do it this time. The next day, South Korea readily agreed to John's demands. They dared not delay any longer, as oil prices continued to rise, and they chose to compromise.

While allowing Standard Chartered Bank to enter South Korea might have some impact on certain countries, it's not a major issue overall. After all, the West has been pushing South Korea to open up its financial sector. Under these circumstances, allowing Standard Chartered Bank to enter South Korea is a good thing, at least it can get rid of those countries' entanglements. Opening up isn't the problem, but it can't come without any benefits either.

"I've agreed. It seems these guys are more difficult than I thought, otherwise they wouldn't have made a decision so quickly. But that's fine too, it saves me from wasting my precious time. After all, dragging it out for too long isn't good for me either!"

“Mr. John, we have accepted your request. Now, we don’t know how much oil we can get from you?” “South Korea has 70% of the country’s oil. If China agrees, we can also give you some oil. However, let me make this clear: this amount of oil alone will not be enough to meet your needs. You need to prepare in advance to avoid falling into an energy crisis again.”

John believes that the energy crisis is something the Koreans cannot escape. As long as the Middle East war remains unresolved, the crisis cannot be resolved. Moreover, it would be a pity to let them escape this predicament, as his carefully laid trap is waiting to reap the benefits from the Koreans.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. John. We are currently powerless to do anything but take it one step at a time. If you have any ideas, please enlighten us!" Soon, these Koreans once again set their sights on John. After all, he had a close relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoon, and as long as he spoke up, there would be an opportunity.

"I dare not presume to offer my advice. You all should have a stable source of oil, not the current situation. Of course, I'm just saying; whether or not to act is up to you." The time is not ripe yet. No matter how much I say now, it's useless. These guys won't willingly get involved; after all, they have their own ideas. Like Japan, they are unwilling to pay too high a price, so they all want to wait for a resolution to the situation in the Middle East.

Now that John knew what these guys were thinking, he naturally wouldn't waste his time and energy arguing with them about this matter. There was no need for that. When the time was right, they would willingly enter the game without him even having to say a word. So now John only needed to wait quietly. The game was already set; he just needed to wait for them to take the initiative.

At this point, John needs to be patient. As long as these guys can't find oil suppliers, they won't be able to gain much from the futures market, because John hasn't released his oil futures contracts. So it's impossible for them to get a large amount of oil in the short term, at least the Koreans don't have that capability. Therefore, they have no chance of escaping John's trap.

"The other side is too cautious and doesn't give us any chance at all. It seems that they don't care too much about our situation. Fortunately, we can get 70% of their oil reserves now, which can resolve the current crisis. However, in the long run, we still need to work hard ourselves, otherwise we will still be unable to get rid of the pressure of the energy crisis!"

"Speaking of which, Samsung's eldest daughter did a very good job. By 'cooperating' with her, this honey trap internet has put Samsung in a much better position than us. Samsung has taken the lion's share, and there is also the possibility of unexpected oil supplies."

"What's the point of saying all this now? If you're all so capable, why don't you do the same? His success is his own doing. Everyone knows he's a playboy. You're all so arrogant, missing out on opportunities. Who can you blame but yourself? Besides, he clearly wants to use Samsung's status as the 'princess' to expand his presence in our domestic retail sector. This has both advantages and disadvantages for us. The advantage is that we can have more opportunities to interact and strengthen our 'cooperation' with him in retail. The disadvantage is that his retail business will become our future enemy. If he grows stronger, he will control most of the retail market."

The Koreans don't want their market to be controlled by outsiders, but they don't have the ability or the courage to resist. They are now in need of help from others. Moreover, John is not alone, but cooperating with Samsung's eldest daughter, which directly reduces a lot of unnecessary trouble. At least John is doing this on the surface as sharing profits, which will not arouse the Koreans' resentment.

The Koreans are very arrogant, so if necessary, John is willing to give them some face and let them feel his 'goodwill'. As for whether the Koreans can accept it, that's not up to him. After all, Koreans are capable of anything, even the universe belongs to them, so they have no sense of shame. As long as these guys don't jump out and cause trouble to stop his expansion, that's enough.

(End of this chapter)