Chapter 1145: The Trip to America

Ye Jing naturally held Zhao Fusheng in great admiration.

Although Zhao was younger than him, Ye Jing saw no trace of arrogance that often came with early success; his steadiness was almost frightening.

Ye Jing had seen many talented screenwriters, but only Zhao Fusheng could both write stories and run a business so well.

"Alright, keep an eye on things here," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile to Ye Jing. "I just came to tell you that Old Jiang should be able to officially join the crew after his child's full-moon celebration. Since that's the case, let's set up the framework first, what do you think?"

Ye Jing nodded. He knew that Zhou Yun was due to give birth in less than two months. According to Zhao's estimate, the crew would officially start by October at the latest.

Although the director and lead actor would be absent, it wouldn't affect the formation of the crew. Huayi, Xinbaoyuan, or Future Film all had the capability to assemble a team.

Moreover, Jiang Wen's directing ban wouldn't be officially lifted until early 2005. In Ye Jing's view, keeping a low profile at this time was harmless.

Leaving Future Film, he went downstairs and got into his car.

"Dong Guoxiang called. Shengda Technology is willing to offer 70 million yuan to fully acquire Kaixin.com," Zhang Qian said, turning to Zhao Fusheng.

Seventy million.

Zhao Fusheng rubbed his chin, tilted his head in thought, and after a long moment said, "Agree to it. Sign the contract."

He added, "No equity or bonds. We only want cash."

In such acquisitions, buyers often use a mix of cash and equity or bonds, but Zhao Fusheng didn't want any equity or bonds—only cash.

Zhang Qian understood this request and nodded. "Okay, I'll inform him."

"By the way, any news from Dong Chenxi?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian shook his head. "Not yet. After Tong Zhenbang signed the contract, the funds were transferred to our company account. General Manager Dong asked if we could start."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Tell her not to worry. She can start after I go to the US in a few days."

He had previously outlined a plan that required Dong Chenxi's cooperation. It seemed she was getting anxious because he hadn't left yet.

After all, delays could lead to complications. If Tong Zhenbang and his people caught on, everything would be lost, and worse, his life might be in danger.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't that worried. Unlike Dong Chenxi, who had a woman's delicate sensibilities, he thought her concerns, while somewhat reasonable, were actually unnecessary.

The reason was simple: Tong Zhenbang and the people behind him were greedy.

The word 'greed' sums up all the original sins in the world.

Whether it was Tong Zhenbang or Mr. Li, no matter how vicious or brutal they were, they were still human. Even if they could slaughter innocent people without mercy, when it came to their own interests, their patience exceeded anyone's imagination.

After all, if they weren't greedy enough, they wouldn't have ended up on this path.

Given that, Zhao Fusheng was certain that as long as he could keep increasing the value of the funds Tong Zhenbang had invested in him, he would be safe until his identity was confirmed.

More importantly, Zhao Fusheng knew that his current cautiousness would make Tong Zhenbang and his people believe he was genuinely working on project investments. After all, it wasn't a small sum—several hundred million US dollars, converted to RMB, was enough to drive many people crazy.

If Zhao Fusheng had acted rashly, they might have suspected he had other motives.

By taking the money and then proceeding methodically with his own affairs, Zhao Fusheng thought Tong Zhenbang would be more accepting of him as he was now.

For this reason, Zhao Fusheng had maintained a calm demeanor throughout, as if he didn't know Tong Zhenbang had sent people to follow him or that he was under surveillance.

Doing what he was supposed to do—that was Zhao Fusheng's plan.

In fact, he hadn't even contacted Cao Jianguo or Tong Zhenbang recently.

Meeting changes with inaction.

That was Zhao Fusheng's current mindset.

But since Dong Chenxi was getting anxious, it seemed Tong Zhenbang had been probing her. Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Zhang Qian, "Get ready. We're going to the US next week."

Zhang Qian was startled for a moment, then nodded to show he understood.

He rarely questioned Zhao Fusheng's decisions. In Zhang Qian's view, even if Zhao was wrong, he could just protect him and fight their way back from the US. He had killed before, though now he kept a low profile.

In Zhao Fusheng's opinion, many things couldn't be calculated. No matter how carefully you planned, unexpected events would always arise and disrupt the layout.

So once the general direction was set, going with the flow and not overthinking might lead to a better outcome.

As for trump cards and countermeasures, why worry about them?

...

...

With this mindset, Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian boarded a flight to the United States.

Of course, Tong Zhenbang and Chen Shijie were also on the same flight.

"Why are you traveling alone, Mr. Zhao? Didn't bring your girlfriend?" Tong Zhenbang asked with a sly smile, sitting next to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and shook his head. "She has things to do, so she didn't come with me."

Though he didn't know if Tong Zhenbang was sincere or just making small talk, he answered seriously.

Of course, it was the truth.

Fan Baobao had already started studying the script for "A World Without Thieves." She had even moved into Jiang Wen's house, ostensibly to take care of the pregnant Zhou Yun.

In reality, her main goal was to get a feel for the entire film, try to rehearse with Jiang Wen, and even study the character's personality, habits, and body language.

Reading a script wasn't easy. A script might seem like just a few thousand words, perhaps shorter than a novel. But it included actions, shots, dialogues, expressions, and various notations—there were too many things to pay attention to.

That's why a truly good actor never took on multiple roles casually. Instead, they would get a script and study it carefully for a long time.

Unlike the so-called traffic stars of later generations, who would shoot two or three dramas at once and occasionally go out for variety shows—the quality of their performances was bound to be poor.

"Oh, work is important, work is important," Tong Zhenbang said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say after Zhao's explanation.

In truth, he had just asked casually, having assumed Zhao would bring his girlfriend to the US.

"Mr. Tong, I plan to invest in an emerging internet company during this trip to the US. Are you interested?" Zhao Fusheng looked at Tong Zhenbang and said with a smile.

Tong Zhenbang was taken aback. "An emerging internet company?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Last time I was in the US, I met the founder of a dating website I invested in. That site is doing well now, covering the entire US and even Canada. Next, I plan to increase my investment. Also, I know a Google engineer who wants to quit and start his own business, so I'm considering investing in him."

Tong Zhenbang frowned but didn't immediately respond.

He didn't understand the internet industry, so he couldn't judge whether Zhao's proposal was right or wrong.

Speaking of this, Tong Zhenbang felt helpless.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. For example, a super killer skilled in murder might not know how to cook. A business genius who creates immense wealth in an instant might not manage his own life.

And a master of manipulating people and power like Tong Zhenbang might naturally not understand the internet.

People instinctively resist anything unknown—like sports they don't dare try or dishes that look good but they won't taste.

Now, Tong Zhenbang was hesitant. He didn't know whether to believe the news Zhao had thrown out. Although he knew Zhao had a stellar record in financial investments and was a successful internet entrepreneur himself, investing in an American internet company that hadn't even been formally established seemed somewhat unbelievable.

"Mr. Zhao, may I ask what business that company will mainly do?" After a long silence, Tong Zhenbang looked at Zhao Fusheng and slowly asked.

Clearly, he was still interested.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. "Podcasting technology."

This was the truth. Evan Williams was now more interested in podcasting technology. In his email to Zhao Fusheng, he said he planned to quit Google and start a podcasting company.

Zhao Fusheng had no objection. Initially, he thought about persuading Evan Williams, but on second thought, if the guy could be easily swayed, he probably wouldn't achieve great things later.

So Zhao Fusheng decided to let Evan Williams do as he pleased. After all, he had nothing to lose.

At most, it would cost a few hundred thousand US dollars.

For Zhao Fusheng now, he could afford that loss.

If a few hundred thousand US dollars could buy a future empire worth tens of billions, Zhao Fusheng certainly wouldn't mind.