Chapter 1129: A Bright Prospect

Blankfein said, 'Life is unpredictable, so don't close yourself off to possibilities. Try to surround yourself with people who are equally ambitious, and place yourself in an environment where you can grow: one where not only can you improve yourself, but others will also push you forward.'

These ambitious people may be extremely wealthy and immensely powerful, but their passion far surpasses money and power.

Zhao Fusheng hoped to become such a person, because he knew very well that if one becomes a slave to money and power, life will certainly not be happy.

So he never thought of clinging to a single project to make a fortune.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, people truly need to know when to stop, whether in business or in life.

Of course, in the eyes of Dong Chenxi or Zheng Yao, it seemed that Zhao Fusheng, while full of confidence in the internet industry, always invested in various projects but never stuck with them long-term. After a project gained attention, he would cash out and leave.

In fact, they didn't know that Zhao Fusheng was just waiting for the real opportunity.

In 2004, China's internet was undergoing tremendous changes, from the wave of overseas listings to the white-hot competition in search engines, all indicating that the golden age of this industry was about to arrive.

And for Zhao Fusheng, the opportunity to grab money, resources, and territory was also imminent.

As for the attention and议论 from the outside world, Zhao Fusheng never cared. No matter what those people said now, they couldn't hide one fact: they simply couldn't foresee what the internet would look like in the future.

One shouldn't take oneself too seriously; occasionally putting on airs to boost courage is fine. In truth, no one really cares what you think, and no one will die without you. Never overestimate your place in others' hearts. Being talked about or even misunderstood by others is nothing. If others call you a dog, you won't go looking for a tree when you pee. Who hasn't been talked about by others? Who hasn't talked about others behind their backs? Living in others' eyes will inevitably lead to losing your way on your own path.

Men value momentum, women value charm. For Zhao Fusheng, what he lacked now was depth. In other words, once he accumulated enough depth, he would naturally no longer need to be as cautious as he was now.

'What do you think? Do you find me too cautious?' Zhao Fusheng glanced at Dong Chenxi and asked with a smile.

Dong Chenxi nodded: 'I think blogging will develop very quickly in the future. It's a good market, and we should try to enter it.'

Zhao Fusheng smiled: 'Blogging is a good thing, but the problem is that, relative to the entire era, it's just one stage of internet development.'

'What do you mean?' Dong Chenxi frowned slightly, looking at Zhao Fusheng. 'Do you mean there will be faster ways to communicate in the future?'

Having been exposed to more of these things, her understanding of the internet was naturally clearer. Zhao Fusheng's words clearly hinted that internet development would have even greater prospects.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: 'Over in the US, they're researching smartphones. It's said that several major phone manufacturers are also considering adding instant sharing features to their latest models.'

This wasn't just him talking nonsense; it was a real fact. Zhao Fusheng knew clearly that at the beginning of this year, Apple had gathered over a thousand internal employees to form the iPhone R&D team, starting a highly confidential project codenamed 'Project Purple,' which included Jonathan Ive, the designer behind the iPhone. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs shifted focus from the iPad tablet to mobile phones. Apple secretly collaborated with AT&T to create some hardware and software devices—then Cingular Wireless—and AT&T gave Apple investment and a great deal of freedom, spending about $150 million over thirty months. In exchange, Apple guaranteed that for four years, iPhones sold in the US would be exclusively distributed by AT&T.

Of course, apart from insiders at the two companies, no one outside knew about this agreement.

And Zhao Fusheng was the only person who knew.

'Do you mean that our investment in Blog.com is just an experiment?' Dong Chenxi asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: 'To be precise, we're acquiring Blog.com now to better develop the site, and then sell it at the right time.'

As he spoke, he laughed: 'Personally, I still think that internet development up to now is just the beginning.'

Dong Chenxi was taken aback. Clearly, this was the first time she had heard such a conclusion from Zhao Fusheng. But thinking about his actions, it seemed he really was optimistic about the entire internet industry, though he kept making trade-offs.

Rome wasn't built in a day. No one knew better than Zhao Fusheng the position the internet would occupy in the future. To build his business empire, the internet was an indispensable part.

'Forget it, you're the boss, you have the final say.' Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng helplessly and pursed her lips. 'But I've recently received several calls and invitations, all hoping we could invest in some small companies.'

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: 'You decide. If the project is suitable, invest. But remember one thing: we don't play the fool. As for shares, don't take too many. We shouldn't turn projects that others have worked hard on into ours just because we put money in.'

Dong Chenxi was somewhat surprised, not expecting Zhao Fusheng to hold such views.

In fact, she had misunderstood Zhao Fusheng. For him, he himself couldn't guarantee that every investment would make money. After all, venture capital involves risk, meaning money might not be recovered. Just like when they invested in Shengda Technology through Huaxia Net, if the game 'Legend' hadn't revived Shengda Technology, their three million US dollars would have gone down the drain.

So Zhao Fusheng's idea was simple: cast a wide net and catch many fish. Although most domestic internet companies were not very large at the time, relatively speaking, some would grow in the future.

The development of China's internet industry itself is a process of sifting through the waves, and that is beyond doubt.

'I'll leave in a few days. Prepare on your end. For now, don't consider projects in other areas; focus mainly on the internet.' Zhao Fusheng pondered for a moment and said to Dong Chenxi.

Dong Chenxi nodded: 'I understand. Don't worry.'

They discussed a few other matters, and Zhao Fusheng gave Dong Chenxi some instructions before she took her leave.