America: My Time

Chapter 892 Worries in My Heart

Chapter 862 Worries in My Heart
As a student, Norika Fujiwara knew nothing about John's identity, as she wasn't yet part of the circle. However, an American valued by Mitsui must be someone of considerable status, and she had been warned before being given away as a gift, told not to throw a tantrum, or the consequences would be unbearable. Although she didn't understand the full picture, she knew the darkness of this circle; once you step in, there's no turning back. You either accept your fate and try to win the favor of the person you serve, or you'll suffer. Therefore, she was still somewhat afraid of it all.

The concept of zaibatsu (conglomerates) is deeply ingrained in the minds of Japanese people. Let alone a mere woman, even celebrities from Kabuki families are insignificant and must bow down. To oppose the zaibatsu would only lead to their destruction. The zaibatsu don't care about their thoughts; all they want is profit and personal relationships. If someone has no value, they are not worth cultivating.

Submitting to the strong is also an instinct for the Japanese, so when facing John, Norika Fujiwara dared not resist in any way, not only because of the threat from the zaibatsu, but also because of her own instinct!
"Akiko, you and Momoko come over here!" John ignored Fujiwara Norika's thoughts and didn't care. Instead, he called Kuroki Hitomi and Kikuchi Momoko over to handle the matter. John didn't make a move against the beautiful woman kneeling in front of him. There was no rush. She was already here, and he had plenty of time to enjoy the moment.

Actually, when John was invited, Hitomi Kuroki and the others were mentally prepared. After all, there had been rumors in the industry that John had successfully avoided the invitation before, but this time it wouldn't be so easy. They just hoped it would be someone easy to talk to, not a foolish guy who would make them suffer as well. No one wanted to deal with something like what happened to Akina Nakamori, which had a significant impact on them.

Of course, they didn't believe that the newcomer would gain John's approval; things were no longer the way they were at the beginning. While it's true that men are naturally attracted to beauty, not all beautiful women will be accepted.

After receiving John's call, Hitomi Kuroki and Momoko Kikuchi rushed over. Fortunately, it wasn't far from their residence, so it wouldn't take long. However, their expressions were somewhat grave. After all, Mitsui had a scheme behind this, and they couldn't be too careless. A beauty chosen by Mitsui must have her advantages.

These beauties who followed John each had their own advantages, though it wasn't entirely absolute. After all, the environment back then was completely different from now, and Kikuchi Momoko, Nakayama Miho, Moritaka Chisato, and Kamachi Sachiko were different from them, as they came from elite agencies.

However, some people are already falling behind. Although it's not very obvious, careful observers will notice. Nakamori Akina is a case in point. She was completely dragged down by her family. After all, having such a greedy family has had a huge impact on her. At least she herself was affected, and so were others. If it weren't for John's loyalty, he probably would have been abandoned long ago. Beautiful women are no problem for such a tycoon; with a wave of his hand, they're readily available. If it were one of the Japanese tycoons, they would probably have given up on her long ago.

Those Japanese are more ruthless and heartless, a fact that Kuroki Hitomi knows all too well. Of course, it wasn't just Nakamori Akina who was falling behind; Nakayama Miho and Sawaguchi Yasuko were also lagging behind, and Kuroki Hitomi was gradually discovering the reason. They were all too focused on their so-called 'careers' and hadn't properly defined their place in the world.

Kuroki Hitomi had tried to persuade Sawaguchi Yasuko several times, but the latter had not accepted her advice. So now she stopped trying to persuade her. After all, everyone makes different choices. Perhaps Sawaguchi Yasuko and Nakayama Miho felt that this was better, or perhaps they even had thoughts of leaving. As for whether that was the case, Kuroki Hitomi did not want to know, nor did she want to know. After all, it was their privacy, and interfering too much would only do more harm than good.

"Sister Zhaozi, what do we do next? If the other party is difficult to get along with, won't we be in a lot of trouble?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. Even if they're difficult to get along with, it's not a big deal. We can just stop associating with them and treat them as nodding acquaintances. There's no need to take it too seriously. We just need to do our best. You should have noticed that some people are gradually falling behind. If they don't wake up soon, they might be eliminated. In the current situation, the consequences of being eliminated would be severe. I don't know if they can bear those terrible consequences, but there's nothing we can do about it!" As she said this, Kuroki Hitomi shook her head with a wry smile. She couldn't do anything about this situation.

“I understand, I feel the same pressure. Miho is like that too, I don’t know what she’s thinking, she hasn’t reacted at all, and she’s constantly squandering her remaining connections. Akiko-nee, you might not know, but Miho arranged for her younger sister to work at an elite agency, and she’s even transferring her resources to her sister, Nakayama Shinobu. This has caused quite a stir in the agency, making many people unhappy! I don’t know if things will get out of hand if this continues. Luckily, Chisato and Sachiko don’t seem to care, Akina isn’t at the agency, and Yasuko-nee doesn’t seem to care about competing for resources, otherwise things would get out of control. I’m really having a headache, I don’t know whether I should help her or not!” “If you can help, then help her. Just like Yasuko, do you think I could ignore her? Although Akina is affected by her family, her problems aren’t that serious. Sachiko and Naoko are both close to her and will speak up for her. Most importantly, as long as she doesn’t do anything foolish, she’ll be fine. That little bit of money isn’t important. What we value most in the men we follow is character and personality.”

Kuroki Hitomi is right. Money isn't important. If those greedy people could wake up, they would understand that money isn't the issue; it's family. If they understood this, it wouldn't be a problem at all. Their families also have issues and have been impacted by this bubble crisis, but what is a little money? With a little initiative, this problem can be resolved quickly; it's not a big deal at all.

“Sister Zhaozi, you still have the ability. I don’t think you should give up. Look at that Korean girl, she directly controls a group, and she is clearly not on our side!” Kikuchi Momoko could also sense the arrogance of Lee Boo-jin, the eldest princess of Samsung.

"No, I don't have that many thoughts, and you shouldn't worry too much about these gains and losses. Actually, what Riko-nee said makes sense; the child is the key. Look at Naoko's situation, and then look at those two in Taiwan. So, do you still think this is important? Of course, if you want to pursue a higher status, it's not impossible, but you'll be very tired. I used to be like you, except I wasn't pursuing a higher status; I was worried about my future. Now I don't have that worry, so I want to live a more relaxed life. Perhaps that's what it means to have different goals. People change, and that's how I am!"

At this point, Kuroki Hitomi paused, then shook her head and said, "Actually, Miho's matter isn't a big deal. Even if she used her position to get her sister into the elite agency, it's not a big deal. As for resources, it's the same. You should understand that the agency isn't lacking in resources. The troublemakers are just ignorant fools; smart people won't bother with them. However, this matter can't be kept secret. You have to get Miho to confess voluntarily. Being sentimental isn't a bad thing, do you understand?"

Indeed, in John's eyes, being sentimental wasn't a bad thing. Sentimental people were more trustworthy, while cold-blooded people didn't deserve sympathy or help. At this moment, Kikuchi Momoko nodded thoughtfully, understanding somewhat.

She understood, but whether she could persuade Miho to accept it was another matter. Perhaps she had been living too comfortably and had forgotten the dangers that existed and where everything she had now came from. If things continued like this, Kikuchi Momoko worried that Miho's fate would not be good. After all, in this industry, the consequences of not having a powerful backer would be dire.

The pressure is what's happening to Kikuchi Momoko and Kuroki Hitomi. They worry that their companion's ignorance and foolishness will cause things to spiral out of control and drag them into it. Having experienced it once before, neither of them wants to face such pressure or danger again!

"Alright, don't look so serious. Things haven't come to that point yet, we still have time to deal with it. If all else fails, we can just talk everything out. Ultimately, their choice is none of our business. After all, we can't keep an eye on them all the time. If we talk to them too much, it might just provoke their rebellious side and make us look bad to everyone!"

After Kuroki Hitomi finished speaking, Kikuchi Momoko nodded in acceptance. There really wasn't much they could do about these issues, since people's hearts can change. In many situations, they had reservations. Just like in this situation, although they knew it would happen, they still had some worries when it actually occurred. They were worried that the other person wasn't easy to get along with, and that it would affect them and implicate them!

(End of this chapter)