Chapter 8: Creating Gods
The next morning, John went to Stanford University to study finance and computer science. This marked the beginning of his journey into a new environment and the accumulation of knowledge. As for other matters, he left them entirely to his father to handle!
Acquiring small companies was not difficult for a family with extensive connections. From start to finish, the acquisition of a record label, a small publishing house, and the necessary talent for game console development took only two weeks. They were all in place and properly settled. A manga company was also established in Japan, awaiting John's works. As for animation, it would take some time, as animation and manga have fundamental differences, and this was not being done domestically.
This speed greatly astonished John, and he truly felt the power of capital and witnessed the strength of his family. Amidst his shock, he also understood the importance of his family to his own development and the heavy responsibilities he would have to bear. Previously, he had felt some resentment and a bit of a grudge towards his family, but from this moment on, all of that vanished without a trace.
There is no gain without pain. Whatever you do, there is a price to pay. Getting something for nothing is impossible. If you want to gain the family's recognition and the help of its power, you need to prove your ability. This is only right and proper. Perhaps this process is a bit cruel, but it is a guarantee of a family's prosperity.
Without sufficient ability, even if the family intends to help, it will be difficult to succeed and will only waste valuable family resources. This is not something a wise person would do, and no family can accept such losses. Family resources are limited and cannot withstand endless waste. Strict rules are necessary to prevent such occurrences and ensure the family's stable development!
Any powerful and prosperous family has its own rules. Even the patriarch must abide by these rules. If you do not wish to be bound by the rules, you either possess immense power, exceeding that of the family, and thus do not require the family's help; or you distance yourself from the family and are forgotten by it.
To receive the family's help, you must accept the constraints of its rules. This is unchangeable. The existence of family rules is the fundamental guarantee of the family's prosperity! Of course, if you possess absolute power, you can also break free from the family's shackles, as society is simply that realistic!
Having witnessed the family's formidable power, John felt his plan had been a bit too cautious. If he had known the family could provide such strong assistance, he should have expanded his ventures even further! However, it was too late now; everything had already begun. He needed to devote himself fully to addressing the company's development issues and also make a trip to Japan to finalize the development of the manga company.
John temporarily ignored the record label and film company. His primary focus was the publishing house, as the promotion and distribution of six novels were no small matter, as well as the manga layout in Japan, which were both extremely important.
In the entire United States, John's acquisitions were insignificant and no one paid attention to the transactions of a few small companies, as such transactions occurred daily. But all of this marked the beginning of John's entrepreneurial journey!
After assisting John with these acquisitions, the family made a new decision. The family had done what it could; now it was time for John to face everything on his own and prove his abilities. From this moment on, the family would temporarily cease to invest resources to help John grow. For him to grow, he would have to rely on his own strength.
Regarding the family's decision, Smith clearly told John, making him understand how difficult the challenges he would face would be, and how terrifying the pressure he carried would be. For one person to shoulder the development of a small group, even if it was just a startup, was still incredibly heavy for an eighteen-year-old.
"John, it's still not too late to give up now. Once these businesses are fully operational, you won't have a chance to back down!" As a mother, Anna couldn't help but advise him. In her opinion, the pressure was too great; even an adult would find it hard to bear, and now John had to shoulder it alone. This was a bit cruel.
"No, Mom, this is my choice. I won't give up. I believe I have the ability to do everything well, and aren't you and Dad still by my side? What do I have to be afraid of!"
The only one who could truly help John was his father, Smith; his mother, Anna, had almost no time. His mother was a professor and a scholar who didn't know much about business operations. Fortunately, the companies the family acquired were well-established, and the chosen companies were reliable. Although the companies were small, the managers had good character; otherwise, the family would not have let go so quickly, allowing John to face the challenge alone.
Throwing an eighteen-year-old into the tide of the commercial market is like putting a lamb into a pack of wolves. If the lamb's family background also had problems, the lamb would have no chance of survival. Therefore, the family put a lot of thought into selecting the companies for acquisition. All of this was also part of the family's plan; only in this way could they truly understand John's business capabilities!
Legendary Entertainment, a shell company, appeared in California, registered in the British Cayman Islands. It had a small record label, a small publishing house, a newly acquired toy company in Taiwan, and a registered film company. The manga company was also registered in the Cayman Islands. Japan was the stronghold of manga, but its assets were pitifully small. Such companies attracted no attention from competitors; they were simply too small!
With his own publishing house, the publication of the six novels went smoothly, and promotion quickly unfolded. One had to admit that John's 'God Creation' plan was formidable. One person rapidly releasing six novels caused an astonishing impact on the market, quickly creating a huge influence in the United States. Soon, the entire US newspaper industry went wild. An eighteen-year-old had consecutively published six novels, each in a different style. Although everyone knew he was a genius, the impact was too strong. In just a few weeks, John's name spread throughout the United States, making him the 'child of other people's families'!
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With the success of the novels, doubts also arose. Many people could not accept that an eighteen-year-old had such powerful writing ability; even a genius shouldn't have such terrifying ability, writing every novel so well. Some ill-intentioned individuals naturally developed malicious thoughts!
Soon, everyone was frantically searching for John. At this time, John was already hiding in Stanford University, observing everything with a cold eye, allowing himself to experience the price of fame and witness the wickedness of human nature.
No matter where, there is always a group of despicable and shameless villains who view others with the worst intentions. John's success attracted the attention of these villains. For a time, doubts were constant, but John was not in a hurry to come out and explain, letting the farce continue to escalate, making the doubts grow louder and louder!
The bigger the commotion, the greater the gain for himself. One could say this was free advertising and recommendations for his novels. How could John refuse such a good thing?
The American paparazzi still had strong combat power. Although he was hiding in Stanford University, they still found him. A group of reporters frantically surrounded John outside Stanford University, wanting to hear his thoughts!
"Mr. John, I'm a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. What are your thoughts on this questioning incident?"
"Thoughts? Of course, I have them. I never expected the American literary circle to be so chaotic, so crazy, to the point of hoping for the death of colleagues. Some people questioned me, saying I plagiarized or used ghostwriters. I can only lament how low people's bottom lines are. No one is a fool. If I really plagiarized or used ghostwriters, do you think I would be standing here? I can only say that these people are too malicious, too insidious. To suppress their colleagues, they will use any means. They dare to say such things. Everyone understands the importance of copyright. Who would be foolish enough to give such good works to a child like me! Some people question my lack of social experience and say I shouldn't have written books like 'Forrest Gump', but people are different. Can a genius and a fool be the same? Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Reading more books will give you enough knowledge accumulation!"
John's words won the approval of everyone present. No one was a fool; if they had such good works, they would have published them long ago, rather than giving them to a young man like John. Moreover, these novels were full of vivid imagery and clearly had the potential to be adapted into films. Of course, the golden phrase about hoping for the death of colleagues also made everyone present feel immense pressure!
"Mr. John, some say your novels are full of vivid imagery. Are you intentionally looking to get involved in Hollywood?"
"I don't rule out that possibility! No one would refuse their work from appearing on the big stage of film! Finally, I want to say that I composed two pieces for pirates of the caribbean and A Song of Ice and Fire. I also have a manga company in Japan and have written over a dozen stories. If anyone still has doubts, they can try for themselves!"
This is why John had ignored the voices of doubt all along. He was waiting for this opportunity. Only when the doubts reached their peak would his standing up maximize his benefits. He could promote his record label in one fell swoop, killing two birds with one stone. While striking at his enemies, he gained more benefits for himself and also made a name for himself throughout the United States, achieving instant fame to the point where no one was unaware of him!
John's methods were somewhat wild but highly effective. Not only did he capture everyone's attention, but he also earned a great deal of money. He made his publishing house famous overnight and brought attention to his unreleased record and manga!
For those who doubted John, this was a heavy blow, especially for a few writers who had jumped out to criticize John. They faced immense social pressure. The phrase "hoping for the death of colleagues" was too powerful, so powerful that they could not bear it. They lacked ability yet sought to suppress and slander their colleagues. With this label attached to them, it would be difficult for them to ever rise again. Their reputations were ruined, and earning money would become even harder. One could say their path had reached its end, completely sealed off by John.