America: My Time

Chapter 229 Layout
Chapter 229 Layout
In Schmidt's eyes, this acquisition was significant, but in John's eyes, it was insignificant. ASML was only worth a few million dollars, nothing to Bell Labs. What truly interested John was that they now possessed a research direction Bell Labs lacked: lithography machines. Such an acquisition was inexpensive and had minimal impact, unlikely to attract the attention of the old guard, and wouldn't even have much influence on Japan.

Perhaps ASML won't become a lithography giant under his control, but he won't let the issue of lithography machines hinder his own development in the semiconductor industry. Having or not having lithography machines is a crucial question; resolving this issue would be highly beneficial to his semiconductor strategy. Being held back by others is never a good thing, and John also worries that even if Nvidia develops rapidly under his influence, it won't be able to manufacture chips without the corresponding supporting equipment. Lithography machines might become a major obstacle to his own semiconductor chip development.

Nowadays, Japan doesn't have that much influence in the field of lithography machines. The lithography giant is still GCA from the United States. At this time, there is still a chance to catch up. As long as ASML has the capability, there is a chance. Bell Labs will not let itself down. With Bell Labs' reputation, it can naturally recruit enough talents.

Although this was just John's own idea, as long as ASML was acquired and its research on lithography machines could be learned from, Bell Labs and ASML would have enough capability to complete the research on a new round of lithography machines. This is because Nvidia would provide ASML and Bell Labs with strong support. Nvidia is not what it used to be; it now has both manpower and money.

The emergence of ASML made John think of more things. With the Netherlands having such an opportunity, another problem with lithography machines needed to be solved in advance: optical lenses. Zeiss came into John's view. However, John wasn't thinking of West Germany's Zeiss, but rather East Germany's Zeiss, which was where he could most easily begin.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking for now; nothing can be done. At most, Bell Labs can inquire about the situation in East Germany and Zeiss, and see if there's any chance of poaching the talent they need from East Germany. John doesn't need to personally handle such a trivial matter, at least not now.

After dealing with ASML, John breathed a sigh of relief. If everything went smoothly, Bell Labs would have gained another asset. However, before John could relax, something new soon emerged. Although the storm in Japan had ended, it had a significant impact on the Japanese entertainment industry.

When Akina Nakamori's record deal was transferred to Universal Music, it shocked many people, especially the artists and production companies. They all understood what this meant, how powerful Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media were, and those in the know understood the deal behind it and how precarious Warner's situation was.

The Japanese were also shocked by Vanguard's methods. Although the excuse was fake, they succeeded. Successful people are not despised. At least Vanguard got out of the crisis and no longer had to live in fear that it would suffer a devastating crackdown in the United States at any time and cause it to fail in the American market.

Although they went all out this time, practically throwing money at that greedy bastard, the result was good. For Vanguard, 500 million yen was manageable, which would only amount to 2 million US dollars—a pittance compared to the profits in the United States. They could make the right choice. However, they also harbored resentment towards Ken-On this time, as the reason they paid such a high price was due to Ken-On's lack of cooperation.

Although Vanguard hates Kenon, they don't hate Akina Nakamori, who came from Kenon. They need to intensify their efforts. After Akina Nakamori stayed, Kenon quickly launched a ten-year advertising campaign, just like Naoko's. However, Naoko's campaign was for Hitachi, while Akina Nakamori's was for Vanguard. Both of them were targeting John.

Although the five beauties were all together, and John gave them the chance to leave, none of them chose to go. This pleased John greatly. Everyone likes beautiful women, and John liked all of them, so why would he let them leave?

While expanding his real estate business in Japan, John also used the identities of Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina Nakamori to establish an investment company in Japan. Although it was small, it still attracted the attention of these Japanese people. However, no one stood up to cause trouble, and they had no reason to cause trouble, since it was not John's own company, at least not on the surface.

The emergence of this investment company surprised some Japanese people, yet they also felt it made sense. Some even thought it was John expressing his attitude to them, which made some Japanese people breathe a sigh of relief. In particular, Vanguard felt that his actions were correct. If he hadn't completed this 'feat' so quickly, Vanguard might have faced even greater pressure in the United States, just like Toshiba.

Does anyone think this investment company will have a significant impact on Japan? No, because it's simply too small. Even if John invests more in the future, no one thinks it will affect Japan. Japan has its own regulatory bodies; targeting such a small investment company is insignificant. Perhaps it was the combined attack on Warner by Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media that triggered a major earthquake in the Japanese entertainment industry, affecting many other sectors. Although many media outlets knew about the women around John, no one dared to report it. Even when Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, Akina Nakamori, Sally Yeh, and Cherie Chung went shopping together, no one caused trouble because the initial troublemakers had all been punished.

Although Warner Bros. was eager to cause trouble, unfortunately, Japanese media outlets were unwilling to cooperate. Even Weekly Bunshun was forced to compromise by capital, so other media outlets naturally wouldn't cause trouble for themselves. Moreover, the conglomerates behind them wouldn't allow them to cause trouble either. This made Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina Nakamori taboo subjects that couldn't be touched.

The news that five beautiful women were involved in the construction of the real estate project spread quickly, albeit within a small circle. Many were astonished by John's generosity. While they didn't know which companies Ye Qianwen and Zhong Chuhong had acquired shares in, Naoko and Kuroki Hitomi held shares in TV Tokyo, and Nakamori Akina received shares in Uniqlo. This amazed many with John's generosity and made the Japanese actresses envious.

Of course, some people were jealous of John's wealth and good fortune with women. They didn't know the details of the two beauties from Hong Kong, but John didn't actively pursue Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina Nakamori. Instead, they were offered to him. This naturally attracted some people's jealousy.

What those guys envied most was that John didn't have the trouble of having too many women. He got along well with the five beauties. Although they only spent a short time together, each of them behaved very appropriately, which made them even more jealous.

For powerful men, who doesn't have a few beautiful women around them? Especially in countries like Japan, where women have a low status, this kind of crazy side is even more fueled. But those who are both beautiful and intelligent are rare.

Some people are jealous of John's good luck with women, just as many beautiful female celebrities are envious of Hitomi Kuroki and Akina Nakamori. Although the two of them did not voluntarily accept this job as a public relations officer, the result was good. They both gained enviable benefits and had powerful backers, so they no longer had to be at the mercy of others.

If everything about Naoko is still acceptable, after all, she has followed John for quite some time, but what about Kuroki Hitomi and Nakamori Akina? In just a short time, less than a month or two, they have earned wealth that many people cannot earn in a lifetime, and they also have an enviable status and position.

Following the right person brings everything, while following the wrong person not only incurs greater costs but also yields nothing. In Japan, countless beautiful female celebrities have been deceived; those who truly gain the approval of powerful figures are few and far between. This is precisely why so many beautiful women in the entertainment industry are jealous of Kuroki Hitomi and Nakamori Akina. These people truly understand how dark and insane the Japanese entertainment industry is, which is why they are so envious.

This is the workings of fate. They didn't have the good fortune of Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina Nakamori. They also accompanied many people and paid countless prices, but ultimately remained unknown. In the Japanese entertainment industry of the 1980s, the competition among idols was incredibly fierce, and beautiful women emerged one after another.

Among these beauties, only a small number managed to carve out a niche for themselves, only to be quickly overshadowed by new idols. Their hard work didn't bring them the rewards they deserved, so how could they not feel envious when they saw the outcomes for Hitomi Kuroki and Akina Nakamori? Even Mao Daichi was astonished by Hitomi Kuroki's good fortune. Initially, Mao felt incredibly guilty for pushing Hitomi into this dark abyss. However, when she soon learned of Hitomi Kuroki's wonderful outcome, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, amazed by Hitomi Kuroki's incredible luck.

(End of this chapter)