Grand Ivan has more money than Gao Yang, more influence than Gao Yang, but now Gao Yang understands his advantage over Grand Ivan: his identity is clean.
Thanks to years of careful caution, thanks to Gao Yang's efforts to hide his identity, and thanks to Morgan as a guide, Gao Yang has the opportunity to blend into the ruling class of America.
No matter how rich Grand Ivan is, he cannot achieve what Gao Yang has accomplished, simply because although Gao Yang is a mercenary who kills without remorse, his public identity in America is clean. So, while his money hasn't reached the point of buying everything, with Morgan's support and promotion, he gained this status many years earlier.
A moment of realization comes in an instant; some things can never be understood unless one is in that position, but once there, it all naturally falls into place.
