America: My Time

Chapter 999 The Cruelty of Reality

Chapter 989 The Cruelty of Reality
"Did you expect this day to come? I always felt like you had seen it all coming?"

"Of course. You don't think I have a bad eye, you don't think I can't see through this little thing, do you? If I were really that stupid, would I have the wealth and status I have today? She has been with me for a long time and has been recognized by my family, but she has not gone any further. Instead, she has always focused her mind on her so-called 'career.' Do you think that's reasonable? Besides, she is Chinese!"

John's words startled Xiao Qiang. She hadn't considered this question before, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. She had followed John for over a decade, always busy with his 'business,' never showing any intention of giving up. Wasn't this a clear indication that she wanted to leave? If it weren't for the previous upheaval, she might have chosen to stay, as it involved the conglomerate's strategic planning, which was no small matter. However, after John restructured and split his company, all those constraints disappeared, leading to this outcome.

John understood the situation. Since the other person's heart wasn't in it, keeping them tied down wasn't a good thing. After all, different perspectives naturally led to different decisions. Forcing them to stay wouldn't be good for John either. It was better to part amicably; there was no need to push things too far. Initially, John was young and impulsive, but after experiencing so much, he gradually understood the situation he was facing.

You can't keep someone who wants to leave. You can't force a relationship. Besides, you don't lack women yourself, so there's no need to impose such restrictions on the women around you. And this is just the beginning. Not everyone wants to return to 'ordinary life,' and not everyone wants to follow John forever!
"Don't you feel even a little bit reluctant in your heart?" Xiao Qiang's voice trembled slightly!
"Reluctance? Are you kidding me? Do you think I would feel that way? This is reality, not a fairy tale. There's no 'perfect' ending like you're thinking. I won't feel any reluctance. If I reacted like this to something so small, do you think I would still be the person I am today? Don't bring fairy tales into the real world. It's not that I'm heartless, but reality is what it is. She has her own choices, and my not stopping her is the best outcome! You should think about it carefully too. This is just the beginning. Reality is much crueler than you imagine!"

Xiao Qiang found it hard to accept at first, but she didn't react emotionally. Just as John said, the best outcome was that she didn't stop it. Standing at the top of the pyramid, how could she feel reluctant about such a thing? It can only be said that Xiao Qiang hasn't truly realized everything and accepted reality.

Xiao Qiang and her group aren't feeling any external pressure or threat right now. At least, what they're experiencing isn't that significant. If they were in Japan, they wouldn't have these thoughts and would understand John's decision. After all, Japan is more ruthless than Taiwan or Hong Kong. Hong Kong and Taiwan still have some bottom lines, but Japan doesn't. The future of South Korea will be even more ruthless and insane—that's reality!

John didn't try to persuade Xiao Qiang to accept his words. Instead, he told her to face it herself. If she couldn't even accept this, it meant she wasn't suitable to follow him and would leave like Ye Qianwen in the future. This wasn't the beautiful path she envisioned. You have to give something to get something. That's reality. There's no gain without pain. She had to judge the gains and losses herself and make all the decisions herself!

Why is this the case? Actually, it's related to Xiao Qiang's experiences. She hasn't suffered, hasn't experienced the cruelty of the lower classes, and is even less familiar with the cruelty of high society. It's not that John is heartless, nor that he's so ruthless, but that's just how reality is. If one is reluctant to let go of even such things, if one is preoccupied with sentimentality, one will find oneself in an abyss of no return, and one's enemies will lay a trap to deliver a fatal blow.

Although a little explanation could make Xiao Qiang feel better, or even help her understand his thoughts, John did not do so. This was a test. If she couldn't even understand this, it would prove that she was too naive and not suitable to follow him. Otherwise, he would only let her suffer.

As he changed and amassed more wealth, John understood what he needed to face. It seemed that he was now at the top of the United States, able to stand on equal footing with other conglomerates, but this was only on the surface. His foundation was far inferior to those of the big families and conglomerates. Decisiveness and ruthlessness were the only way to avoid trouble. After all, the struggle for wealth and power was extremely cruel. Otherwise, John would not have invested so much in Jaguar Security Company, nor would he have taken control of the National Guard as soon as he took over Oregon!
It was precisely because of the existence of Jaguar Security and the support of the Oregon National Guard that those enemies dared not go too far; it was all hard-won through real fighting. Now, everything is just as John said—it's only the beginning. He's already done his best to give her ample time to prepare. After all, it was her own choice; John didn't want to abandon her. Therefore, John has no reason or obligation to do anything more for her!
Of course, John didn't have time to deal with such trivial matters right now. His energy was focused on fighting those guys in Japan and the oil capital. Such trivial matters were not worth his time and energy!
Seeing that Xiao Qiang hadn't recovered for a long time, John said again, "You should keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone, and don't cause her any trouble. She needs time to prepare!"

John didn't say that out of malice or suspicion, but because he was worried that her good intentions might backfire and cause the situation to spiral out of control. He knew that there were quite a few enemies watching him, and if they found out about this, there might be unnecessary accidents. As far as those people were concerned, they wouldn't care about a woman's life or death. If he could use this opportunity to test John's reaction, it would be a good thing for them!
Those guys wouldn't believe John would risk a fight for a woman who had left them. Morality was irrelevant to them; all they cared about was profit. It was precisely because John understood all this that he reminded Xiao Qiang at this moment, thus preserving his relationship with Ye Qianwen.
"Every man for himself!" John would offer some help if he had the means, but it would never affect his own interests. It sounds cruel, but that's reality. As a powerful figure, John wouldn't do anything harmful to himself. He couldn't possibly make a wrong decision that would put the women around him in danger! John isn't alone now; he has children, and for their sake, he has to do this!
The Japanese have already laid their trap, waiting for the enemy to walk right into it, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Therefore, John will not say anything more about this matter; this is the most he can do.

John quickly put the matter out of his mind. It wasn't that he was heartless, but rather that he didn't have the time or energy to deal with it all. There were many other things he needed to handle in Taiwan. John also needed to continuously improve the development of Taiwan and communicate with the Taiwanese officials. With the acceleration of privatization, John naturally wanted to acquire more assets and make more investments there, turning Taiwan into his important base in Asia. Especially in shipbuilding and automobiles, this would be the foundation for his dominance in the Southeast Asian market.

Only by arranging things well in Taiwan and ensuring its better development can John gradually seize Japan's market share during this crucial period and disrupt Japan's Southeast Asian strategy. As long as he has sufficient production capacity and a price advantage, John doesn't believe anyone will dare stop his expansion in Southeast Asia; after all, he's a member of an American conglomerate!
Although Taiwan's car factories are developing well, it is far from enough to meet the needs of Southeast Asia. If they cannot acquire Nissan or obtain the assets they want from Japan, they need to increase their investment in Taiwan. As for South Korea, John does not have high hopes and does not want to waste any more time and energy. The current layout is sufficient, and there is no need to waste any more time and energy.

It wasn't that John didn't want to acquire Daewoo Motors, but Bentley Motors Group couldn't afford to waste any more precious time. Bentley Motors Group's global layout was almost complete, and Daewoo didn't have Nissan's strong R&D capabilities, nor did it have as many patents as Nissan. So it wasn't worth wasting energy on Daewoo Motors.

Bentley Motors is now embarking on a new round of integration, a global one. From car factories to sales and maintenance, and even parts distribution, everything needs to be reorganized. From the very beginning, Bentley has been focused on improving itself and its sales channels, rather than handing over sales to competitors who could potentially strangle it. Whether in Asia or Europe, Bentley is steadily advancing this process. Of course, there is an exception: India, a country Bentley avoids.

(End of this chapter)