Chapter 1133: High and Mighty

"The old master Han Yu said: 'In learning, there is a sequence; in skills, there is specialization.' I've always thought this makes a lot of sense." Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly upon hearing Wang Zhongjun's words, and looked at him, saying, "What do you think, President Wang?"

Zhao Fusheng never believed in coincidences in this world. If you strip away the layers of so-called coincidences, you will surely find inevitable factors within them.

For example, it is said that the boss of Wanke made his fortune in the early 1980s by accidentally discovering that as long as the transportation problem was solved, corn shipped from the Northeast to Shenzhen would have no trouble selling. So he plunged into the corn resale business and earned 400,000 yuan in just a few months.

Four hundred thousand yuan in 1983 was naturally eye-catching. In August of the same year, Hong Kong media reported that carcinogens had been found in chicken feed. Overnight, Hong Kongers stopped eating chicken, and Boss Shi's corn became unsellable. He had to sell his thirty tons of corn at a low price of 400 yuan per ton. After this battle, he lost 1.1 million yuan—not only losing the 400,000 he had earned but also going an additional 700,000 into debt.

Just as the 7,000 tons of corn he had ordered were about to arrive, which would cause even greater backlog, Hong Kong media published a news item stating that the previous report was erroneous and that no carcinogens existed in chicken feed. Suddenly, his corn found a market. Two major feed factories placed orders with him, not only making up for his losses but also earning him over 3 million yuan. With this 3 million yuan, he founded the "Modern Science and Education Instrument Exhibition Center," which mainly dealt in video equipment—the predecessor of Wanke. Reflecting on this experience, he joked, "If I hadn't changed careers back then, the title 'Corn King' would probably be mine."

Many people say that fate favored him.

But in fact, no one knows that his father was the director of the railway bureau, and his ex-wife, whom he abandoned, had a father who was a deputy secretary of the provincial party committee.

In other words, this man was never a self-made man from scratch. The reason for his success was not coincidence but the resources he possessed that ordinary people could not imagine.

In his autobiography and interviews, Boss Shi repeatedly mentioned, "He found the provincial maritime transport bureau, and the two sides hit it off immediately." Let an ordinary person try that. See if they would pay any attention to you.

After that, Boss Shi's business went smoothly. He said he would never bribe officials for business deals—this was obvious, because his backing was greater than anyone else's; it was the officials who curried favor with him. A businessman named Liu Yuansheng was very shrewd. At the inception of Wanke, he invested 4 million yuan, and later that money appreciated hundreds of times. A reporter asked him why he invested. He said Boss Shi was different from others—as soon as he arrived in Hong Kong, he bought books to read, so he invested without a second thought. But some say the real reason was that he valued Shi's family background. His 4 million was not just a bet on Boss Shi but more likely a bet on the vast network of connections behind him.

As for later, when he achieved fame and success, divorced, and married a third-tier actress who had once performed a nude scene with Tony Leung Ka-fai, we can understand it as an old steed in the stable still aspiring to gallop, wanting to prove he is still young. Ahem, as for how many thrusts he can manage, that remains unknown.

By the same token, although Zhao Fusheng did not know who stood behind the Wang brothers, he also knew that Wang Zhongjun was not as simple as he appeared.

So as soon as Wang Zhongjun spoke, Zhao Fusheng understood that the man was worried that he might set his sights on Huayi.

And upon hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Wang Zhongjun's brow furrowed.

"Fusheng, you know, Huayi has always focused on the film and television industry. Personally, I am very optimistic about this industry," Wang Zhongjun began slowly, staring at Zhao Fusheng. "Zhonglei is not good with words. Can you tell me why you would exchange shares of Shengda Technology, which could clearly go public, for shares of Huayi Brothers?"

It had come back to this question after all.

Zhao Fusheng looked helpless and sighed. He really didn't know if this guy had watched too many palace intrigue dramas or had been immersed in all sorts of messy things since childhood. How could his imagination be so powerful that he was convinced Zhao Fusheng harbored ulterior motives?

"President Wang, you probably don't understand what I mean." Zhao Fusheng looked at Wang Zhongjun, slowly pacing to a streetlamp: "Actually, I'm like you—I'm also optimistic about the film and television industry. Otherwise, I wouldn't have set up a subsidiary like Future Films. But the difference between you and me is that I'm also optimistic about your Huayi and a few other companies. Don't forget, I started out in investment. Analyzing a company's development prospects is my forte. In my view, Huayi's potential is limitless—it won't fall short of Shengda Technology. Plus, with my wife Fan Baobao in this circle, if I can gain some say, it'll be good for her too."

Zhao Fusheng spoke sincerely, and in fact, that was what he truly thought. After all, he knew well that in the next decade or so, even though Huayi's market value would plummet when it came time to cash out, during the peak of the ChiNext board, Huayi's market value had once reached as high as eighty or ninety billion RMB.

In other words, the ten percent of Huayi shares he held were worth at least several billion.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng believed that if given the chance, he could acquire even more Huayi shares through purchases.

Furthermore, as he told Wang Zhongjun, knowing that with hot money pouring in, the film and television circle would become increasingly prosperous, as someone who started in investment, he had no reason not to get involved.

Zhao Baogang's Xinbaoyuan was also a target for Zhao Fusheng, but that guy was tight-lipped and never showed any intention of selling shares, so Zhao Fusheng had no way to proceed.

As for Fan Baobao's matter, in Zhao Fusheng's view, it was actually a minor issue. After all, once he became a well-known tycoon, his relationship with her would likely become public knowledge. Then, just like Xue Yuanfang's aunt being a singer, people probably wouldn't object much to such things, and she wouldn't encounter any messy problems.

"Really?" Wang Zhongjun listened to Zhao Fusheng's words in astonishment, feeling his brain couldn't keep up. This guy was playing such a big game.

"Of course it's true." Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Trust me, within two years, this circle will become more and more profitable. Maybe Huayi Brothers will even go public."

This was probably something no one else knew: Huayi Brothers would stir up waves in the domestic stock market, spawning numerous film and television companies, including Feng Xiaogang and others, who would all cash in on the stock market, screwing over a large number of retail investors.

Zhao Fusheng had no intention of swindling retail investors. His thinking was simple: if he didn't make this money, someone else would, so he might as well earn it and do some good deeds.

Speaking of conscience, Zhao Fusheng considered himself to have a bit more than some people.

"Sorry, I was overthinking." Wang Zhongjun glanced at Zhao Fusheng and apologized directly.

He was a very shrewd man. Once convinced that Zhao Fusheng had no intention of entering Huayi to compete for power, he immediately changed his attitude.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly and shook his head: "President Wang, you have to understand, I'm a businessman."

Wang Zhongjun frowned, then understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning, and nodded: "That's best."

What is a businessman?

As long as there's money to be made and opportunities to profit, nothing else matters. That was the message Zhao Fusheng wanted to convey to Wang Zhongjun.