America: My Time

Chapter 149 Action
Chapter 149 Action

Time flew by, and the party naturally came to an end. Although the party was short, and because everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, some people were a little reserved. However, John had gotten to know the girls a bit, and after the party, Naoko got up to see them off; they were all idols and had work the next day.

As they left, John realized that none of the girls had come alone; they were all accompanied by someone, except for Honda Minako, Minamino Yoko, and Kikuchi Momoko, who were alone. However, they worked at the same agency as Naoko, and Naoko arranged for them to be driven back to their apartments.

After seeing off the idols, Naoko breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected such a sudden event, especially the unexpected visit from a big shot like Akio Morita, which caught her completely off guard. Fortunately, everything was over and nothing unexpected happened, otherwise she would have been embarrassed.

"Alright, don't worry about what happened before. It was just an accident. You did very well, so there's nothing to worry about. If there's any responsibility, it's mine, not yours. Mr. Morita can understand; he came in a bit of a rush. It has nothing to do with you. It's just that he won't be able to sleep well tonight; he has a lot of things to deal with!"

Hearing John's words of comfort, Naoko relaxed and nestled against him, savoring the rare moment together. The two rarely saw each other, and their time together was limited. Naoko never interfered with or questioned John's career; she simply focused on doing her own thing.

"From now on, you need to relax more. Don't throw yourself into work all the time. It's okay to have dreams, and you can pursue them, but don't overwork yourself. Your health is very important. People like Minako Honda are too thin; you need to be careful. Also, keep an eye on these girls. Don't let them have any contact with those idols from Johnny's. Although I mentioned it before, I doubt they took it to heart. Those guys at Johnny's have issues. Johnny's doesn't want these cash cows to have problems. If something happens, the girls will be the ones most affected." It was only after suddenly seeing these girls that John thought of all this and said so much. Whether it will be effective is hard to say!

With a beautiful woman in his arms, John quickly forgot about his troubles. This time, his stay in Tokyo was limited. After meeting with the First Industrial Bank and Mitsui Bank, he would leave for China. He would return to Japan after the investment in China was completed. John would be busy throughout the entire holiday.

That night, John and Naoko were able to sleep peacefully, but many others were unable to. The arrival of Sony's bigwig, Akio Morita, was witnessed by those who followed Seiko Matsuda, Yoshie Kashiwabara, and Hiroko Yakushimaru. Although they didn't know just how distinguished John was, the fact that Akio Morita personally paid him a visit was enough to speak volumes.

On the way back, Akio Morita kept thinking about his conversation with John, reviewing everything. Inadvertently, he thought of those idols he hadn't avoided! Was this just an accident, or another arrangement by John? If it was an accident, everything would be fine, but if it was another arrangement, then things would be troublesome.

Soon, Akio Morita understood the reason behind it all. He knew about things in the US, the Universal Marine Park plan, and the VCD release. Would other companies not know? He had taken the lead in reaching an investment agreement with John. Would other companies remain indifferent?
If Sony and Mitsui don't act quickly, everything will change tomorrow. Everything that happened tonight will be known to others, and those idols are the best source of that information. Idols never appear alone; they're always accompanied by others. My visit will likely become known to even more people soon!

Fortunately, Sony has already secured investment and gained the upper hand. Now it is Mitsui Bank that needs to take action. Akio Morita does not believe that John's mention of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel was just a casual remark; there must be a reason behind it. Although it has little to do with Sony, Sony is also a member of the Mitsui Group and naturally has an obligation to notify Mitsui Bank.

That night was anything but easy for the executives at Mitsui Bank. Upon receiving Akio Morita's notification, they immediately sprang into action, mobilizing all available resources to learn about Legendary Entertainment's plans for Universal Studios and Universal Seas, as well as the situation at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Without understanding, they knew nothing; after learning everything, they were all excited. Universal Studios and Universal Seas held immense potential, as evidenced by the success of Tokyo Disneyland.

As for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, it's not as bad as they think. It's just a Hong Kong hotel. Nowadays, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel owns a lot of properties in New York. The Times Square building and many surrounding buildings were acquired by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, so it can be said to have a good foundation.

John consolidated the properties in Times Square, New York, into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, forming the foundation of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group—a substantial asset. If some at Mitsui Bank had previously worried about the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's prospects, they could now finally relax and confidently issue loans, striving to secure the loan project before Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank could react.

The people at Mitsui Bank underestimated both Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Akio Morita's warning. Mitsui could learn about the plans and arrangements for Universal Studios and Universal Sea World from Morita, and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank could also learn about them through other channels; those behind the idols were eager to curry favor with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank. Although they were all eager to discuss Universal Studios, Universal Sea World, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with John, they knew they couldn't rush things. It was already late, and they couldn't disturb John's rest. Even if they were in a hurry, they needed to wait until the next day, and only after everything was prepared.

That night, it wasn't just Mitsui and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank that were taking action; many more were making preparations. Without Tokyo Disneyland, perhaps no one would have paid attention to the Universal Studios and Universal Seas plans, but with the allure of Tokyo Disneyland, everything changed. Many wanted to profit from this grand scheme!
Competition creates pressure, and pressure fuels motivation. John never imagined his flash of inspiration would have such a powerful impact, nor did he expect the people behind those idols to create such a massive wave.

The next morning, before John could even contact the First Industrial Bank and Mitsui Bank, their calls had already reached his estate. John's Tokyo estate was no secret to these tycoons; they all knew its contact number, and lured by such a powerful offer, they all sprang into action.

John didn't enjoy breakfast; the phone kept ringing. His original plan was only to contact Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Mitsui Bank, but he hadn't expected several banks to proactively reach out to him. This was due in part to the influence of those behind his idols, and also to John's reputation in the Japanese banking world. A good reputation makes things much easier. John was like that; Japanese banks understood his capabilities, so they weren't worried about loans. Therefore, once a project came up, especially a good one, more banks naturally flocked to compete for the profits!

Although John had connections with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Mitsui Bank, he wouldn't refuse offers from other banks. Of course, the sincerity behind these offers was debatable; all the banks that flocked to him were driven by profit, and only profit could make them so frantic and so eager!

John originally intended to negotiate with Mitsui and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, but with so many banks approaching him, the previous plan was no longer suitable. Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank had connections to Japan, so to avoid offending any of the banks, John entrusted the negotiations to Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, planning to hold a banquet to gather everyone together and discuss how to divide the profits.

The reason why the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank was entrusted with the management, rather than John himself, was due to his own reasons. Rejecting too many banks would not be beneficial to his development in Japan. If Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank were in charge, everything would be much easier, he wouldn't have to offend anyone, and banks without strength would naturally be kept out.

First Industrial Bank would not refuse the role of the villain; in fact, it would be quite willing to accept it. This way, they could take the initiative, gain an advantage, and get the largest share of the pie. As for whether those banks would hate them, that was not a consideration for First Industrial Bank!

John wouldn't mind if it were just business negotiations and would be prepared to go, but First Commercial Bank was hosting a cocktail party where everyone sat down to discuss things, rather than direct business negotiations, which meant there was a lot to do.

The shareholdings of Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment will remain unchanged, but the other shares are worth discussing, which requires an exchange of interests. It is also necessary to hold a banquet to let everyone sit down and talk.

The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank arranged a cocktail party in the evening, giving everyone a day to prepare and showcase their talents to seize the opportunity. This included not only business and banking personnel, but also staff from various cities in Japan.

Tokyo Disneyland also harbors resentment. They were aware of the Universal Marine Park project, which was located in the same area as theirs. However, the problem wasn't with Tokyo Disneyland, but with Disney in the United States. This made them extremely resentful of Disney in the United States. They felt that it was unreasonable for Tokyo Disneyland to bear the consequences of the major incident.

(End of this chapter)