America: My Time

Chapter 655 Persuasion
Chapter 645 Persuasion

Initially, Hitomi Kuroki chose to become his assistant, someone useful and indispensable, someone he wouldn't abandon. But now, Miho Nakayama is taking a different path; she only wants to earn more money. Perhaps in her heart, money is all she believes in. John didn't try to stop her or persuade her, because it would be futile. If she doesn't change and doesn't see things clearly, then no amount of persuasion will help. Like Hitomi Kuroki, given time, she will gradually change; if not, perhaps it will all end. It's not that John is heartless, but that Miho Nakayama might bring him trouble, like Akina Nakamori, and John doesn't like trouble, nor does anyone else.

While beautiful women are pleasing to the eye, they should be discarded if they constantly cause trouble. There are many beautiful women in the world, and John has no time or energy to waste on such women, especially since those Japanese guys are too crazy and might cause him some serious trouble.

"Akiko, take good care of them when you have time, and make sure nothing like what happened with Akina happens again. Also, be careful yourself!" After thinking for a moment, John still felt compelled to remind Kuroki Hitomi to keep a close eye on things. As for what would ultimately happen, John had no idea; after all, people's hearts are fickle and beyond one's control. Not all of these beauties possessed Naoko's gentleness or Kuroki Hitomi's wisdom. Many of them entered this cruel industry at a young age, their minds affected. Not all of them were like Sachiko Kamachi, graduates of a junior college.

Although she only graduated from a junior college, compared to Miho Nakayama and others, Sachiko Kamachi is more reassuring. Aside from her passion for music, she has nothing else to offer, unlike Miho Nakayama and the others. Early fame and powerful connections aren't necessarily a good thing for them.

"I understand!" Although Hitomi Kuroki was unwilling to take on this hard, tiring job with no benefits, she would not refuse, and her answer was simply that she understood, leaving herself room for maneuver.

John was not dissatisfied with Hitomi Kuroki's answer. It was already quite an achievement for Hitomi Kuroki to give such an answer, and it was not a decision that anyone could make. Not everyone could understand how difficult it was.

At this moment, John smiled calmly and said, "Don't feel pressured. Just take care of them as much as you can. You have your own life, and you don't need to put all your eggs in one basket! Spend more time with Peach when you have time. She might be a good helper. In short, just take good care of yourself, and do what you can to help with other things!"

Hearing John's words, Hitomi Kuroki breathed a sigh of relief. Not all the beauties understood what John meant, and more importantly, not all of them cared about Kuroki's care. However, Momoko Kikuchi understood, so she sighed inwardly, glad she had made her choice.

Although it had only been a few days, Kikuchi Momoko had noticed many different things. Even though John didn't seem to have many demands or restrictions on them, it didn't mean they could act recklessly. Once they crossed the line, they would be abandoned. Not everyone had the good fortune of Nakamori Akina, and not everyone could be treated the same way John treated them. Making mistakes would have consequences.

"Momoko-nee, are you really going to retire?" When Nakayama Miho and Kikuchi Momoko were together, she couldn't help but ask again. Although Nakayama Miho also had some feelings about it, she still didn't really understand.

"Yes, I am indeed retiring, just like Naoko-nee, and gradually withdrawing from the industry. I've been in this industry for quite a few years, and now it's the ice age for idols. Since there's not much development to be had, it's better to retire sooner and live the life I want. Don't think there's anything wrong with me helping Akiko-nee, and don't think those assets are important. Actually, none of that matters. Look at Naoko, Akiko-nee, Sachiko-chan, and Sunny—aren't they all in a fight?"

"I don't really care. I can understand Naoko and Akiko-nee, but what's with Sachiko-chan and Sunny? I don't quite understand!" Nakayama Miho didn't hide her thoughts. If she didn't understand, she didn't want to pretend to know in front of Kikuchi Momoko and ruin their sisterly relationship.

"They're different. Don't underestimate Sachiko-chan. She's more valued than us. Maybe it's because of Naoko-nee's help, but it's mostly due to her own performance. She's been by Naoko-nee's side throughout the Akina incident, always bearing that pressure. Don't think it's nothing. When you actually face it yourself, you'll know how terrifying that pressure is. As for what you don't understand, it's because you haven't thought about it carefully. Naoko-nee, Akiko-nee, and Akina-nee all have shares in TV Tokyo. That means they get dividends and a considerable income every year. Plus, they own wineries, so they're not short of money at all. Don't focus your energy on making money. There's no need for that. The little money you earn is nothing. You've chosen accommodations from Akiko-nee before, so you should understand how amazing her assets are. Any one of her properties is more than your annual income. Don't put the cart before the horse." Kikuchi Momoko was the one who understood Nakayama Miho the most among these people, and also had the best relationship with her. Therefore, she was unwilling to see Nakayama Miho go down this wrong path. Perhaps if Nakayama Miho were given some time, she could earn a lot of money, but she would still be far behind Naoko, Kuroki Hitomi, and Nakamori Akina. Her income was far less than the resources they controlled.

“But…” Miho Nakayama wanted to explain something more.

“Miho, you need to learn to let go of your guard. Continuing like this isn't a good thing, and you don't think your efforts will guarantee a good life in the future. How long do you think you can maintain this? You know how cruel the industry is. If the worst happens, you'll get into even bigger trouble. Also, do you think the man we follow has amazing assets? Don't just focus on your immediate interests. You need to think long-term. I can tell you clearly that we are all under evaluation and haven't truly gained approval yet. You can see this from Riko's reactions. You can tell from Riko's reactions to Naoko, Akiko, Akina, Sunny, and Sachiko.”

At this point, Momoko Kikuchi couldn't help but sigh. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't envious or tempted. She understood the gap between herself and these people. Even though Akina Nakamori made a big mistake, she wasn't abandoned. If such a thing had happened to them, the outcome would probably have been very different.

“Miho, you need to learn to let go of the past and start a new life. You need to learn from Akiko-nee. Do you know how amazing the assets Akiko-nee and her ilk have? Not to mention the shares in TV Tokyo, just the wineries they own are enough for us to struggle for a lifetime. Akiko-nee got Krug Champagne, Akina-nee got Cheval Blanc, Sachiko-chan just got Château Ausone, Naho-ko-nee got Château d'Yquem, and Sunny and Sachiko got wineries together, but she got Beringer winery in the US, not a French winery. Do you think your struggles are still meaningful?”

"Sister Peach, how do you know all this? Did Sister Zhao tell you?"

"It was indeed Akiko who told me, but you were all too careless. Didn't you notice anything in your previous interactions? Naoko gave us bottles of Château Igan, Akina gave us Hakuba, and Akiko gave us Krug Champagne. Didn't you notice such obvious things?"

Miho Nakayama indeed didn't notice, and neither did anyone else. Not everyone had the keen perception of Momoko Kikuchi; after all, Chisato Moritaka and Miho Nakayama lacked experience! At this moment, Miho Nakayama couldn't help but lower her head. She really had nothing to say; she truly hadn't noticed this situation.

"You need to think this through carefully. Time waits for no one, and neither of us has much time left. If you have other ideas, then disregard what I said. If not, then consider it carefully. Don't really think he doesn't care about our choices. Look at how strong and hardworking Akiko was before. If she had continued working at TV Tokyo, would you still see her going to TV Tokyo now? Have you ever seen her care about those things? The only thing she's doing now is controlling real estate in Japan. She's given up everything else long ago. Naoko has even chosen to retire. Time is very important. You can still continue to develop in this industry, but you must be careful not to continue developing in ignorance! Most importantly, your situation is different from Yasuko Sawaguchi's. Unlike Chisato Moritaka and Sachiko Kamachi, who are in the music industry and not involved in film and television, you are involved in film and television. Even the slightest negative news could be devastating for you."

Upon hearing these words, Miho Nakayama frowned. She understood what these negative comments meant. If she chose the wrong film and television project, it might mean she would be eliminated. As a powerful figure, she wouldn't allow such a situation to occur. Once it happened, there would only be the result of elimination, with no other possibility. She was not Akina Nakamori, nor Naoko Naoko.

(End of this chapter)