Chapter 1123 Probing?

Zhao Fusheng couldn't care less about what Tong Zhenbang was thinking.

Although Zhao Fusheng hadn't yet reached the state of utter serenity, decades of life experience, coupled with his success in this life, meant he felt no burden in screwing over a scumbag who had done every evil.

After all, according to Chen Shijie and what Cao Jianguo had revealed, Tong Zhenbang, despite his benevolent appearance, was truly a ruthless man.

He had personally killed over six police officers. Though only one was an undercover agent from China and the rest were Interpol, it was clear he was no pushover.

Did he really think that by laying down his butcher's knife, he could instantly become a Buddha?

Heh, though he had no prejudice against Buddhism, Zhao Fusheng didn't buy that saying at all.

If apologies worked, what need would there be for police? Always saying 'the dead are paramount'—as if someone who was beastly in life could become virtuous and accomplished just by dying?

If that were the case, shouldn't traitors like Qin Hui be forgiven, since he's been kneeling for thousands of years?

Heh, bullshit!

Wrong is wrong. Everyone must pay for their actions.

So Zhao Fusheng's stance was clear: if Tong Zhenbang and his backer, Mr. Li, stepped into the trap, don't blame him for being merciless.

"For the first installment, we plan to inject one hundred million US dollars." Tong Zhenbang looked at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly, "Our boss said he hopes Chairman Zhao won't disappoint him."

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised by the figure but nodded. "Let's let the facts speak for themselves."

Tong Zhenbang smiled. "Alright. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."

Zhao Fusheng gave a slight nod, stood up, and said to Tong Zhenbang, "Pleasant cooperation."

…

…

Though the cooperation was confirmed, the specifics of signing the contract and when to transfer funds still needed discussion—that was for Dong Chenxi and Tong Zhenbang to handle. Zhao Fusheng only oversaw the funds, not such trivial matters.

"Chairman Zhao, if I may ask, how do you plan to operate this money?" Tong Zhenbang sat down again with Zhao Fusheng, personally poured him a cup of tea, and asked.

Zhao Fusheng frowned, about to speak, but Tong Zhenbang saw his expression and quickly explained, "Chairman Zhao, don't misunderstand. I was just asking casually."

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng smiled lightly. "It's fine. Since we're chatting, I'll say a bit more."

After all, he had to give the other party some hope.

"I might soon join forces with a friend to invest in U.S. stocks." Zhao Fusheng looked at Tong Zhenbang and said slowly, "I won't specify which stocks, but I can assure Mr. Tong that the returns on this investment will be substantial."

Tong Zhenbang blinked. "U.S. stocks? Are you bullish on them, Chairman Zhao?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at him with surprise, as if exasperated by Tong Zhenbang's absurd remark.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Tong Zhenbang asked, puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. "Mr. Tong, it seems you really don't understand finance."

Then he smiled. "The U.S. stock market has already shaken off the slump after the dot-com bubble burst. Stocks, real estate, and futures markets are all soaring. I predict that within two years, U.S. stocks will rise to an astonishing level."

"This…"

Tong Zhenbang was completely lost. As they say, every trade is a world apart. When it came to scheming and plotting, he might be an expert, but on financial matters, he had to admit he was far out of Zhao Fusheng's league.

It was simple: the victor is king, the loser is the villain. That was reality.

Though he harbored doubts about Zhao Fusheng's claims, Zhao's track record left Tong Zhenbang, an outsider, with no choice but to listen obediently.

Life was like that: when the successful eat vegetables, it's called health; when the failed do, it's poverty.

In the financial market, Zhao Fusheng was now the success, so even if Tong Zhenbang wanted to refute him, his ignorance and lack of evidence forced him to drop it.

Still, Tong Zhenbang felt that what Zhao Fusheng said, though he didn't understand it, somehow sounded impressive.

"The U.S. economy is in a phase of rapid growth. Just look at their current growth rate—they're heading for a full recovery." Zhao Fusheng bluffed solemnly to Tong Zhenbang.

He was sure Tong Zhenbang couldn't see through to the subprime mortgage crisis. In fact, few people worldwide could see the hidden risks at that point.

Before the subprime crisis erupted, everyone believed the U.S. economy would grow robustly for years, failing to notice the risks lurking beneath the surface prosperity.

Tong Zhenbang tried to appear calm, but he really couldn't follow.

Though Zhao Fusheng knew Tong Zhenbang didn't understand, he still said whatever he wanted. After all, Tong would verify his claims later and find them largely accurate.

That was his real goal.

As for what came after, it wasn't Zhao Fusheng's concern. His aim was to screw over Tong Zhenbang and his backers as much as possible.

…

…

After chatting for a while, Zhao Fusheng declined Tong Zhenbang's invitation to dinner, saying he had already arranged to eat with Jiang Wen. Tong Zhenbang, aware of this, didn't insist.

Zhao Fusheng left the club, with Zhang Qian driving.

"Did Chen Shijie say anything?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian shook his head. "Judging by his reaction, there should be surveillance."

Zhao Fusheng grunted. It seemed this club was a base for Tong Zhenbang's backer group in the capital.

"Fusheng, you still need to be careful."

Zhang Qian drove in silence for a long time before suddenly speaking.

Zhao Fusheng frowned. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Qian wouldn't say that without reason; he must have noticed something.

Zhang Qian gave a wry smile. "You know, I received a note there."

"A note?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled. He suddenly realized there might be more to this…