Chapter 1163: Each Sticks to His Own Opinion

Many things in this world always seem heavy before a decision is made, yet once the decision is made, the weight of those things seems to vanish without a trace, scattered by a gentle breeze and soaring upward.

That was exactly how Dong Chenxi felt now. After she spoke those words, she suddenly felt much lighter, and even her eyes brightened, realizing that this was what she should have been doing all along.

After all, as the general manager of Future Investment Fund and a close friend of Zhao Fusheng, even Dong Chenxi found the position very demanding.

She had always been striving to keep pace with Zhao Fusheng, only to find that no matter what she did, she couldn't do better than him.

"Tell me specifically, what's the problem?" Zhao Fusheng glanced at Dong Chenxi and slowly asked.

Dong Chenxi organized her thoughts and said to everyone, "First, we need to determine what kind of fund Future Investment Fund is going to be. For example, are we going to manipulate stocks and futures in the financial market, or focus on investing in various emerging companies?"

Everyone was taken aback, including Zhao Fusheng, who looked at Dong Chenxi in surprise.

Especially Zhao Fusheng himself; he never expected Dong Chenxi to raise such a question. On second thought, what Dong Chenxi said actually made a lot of sense.

For a long time, the strategy of Future Investment had often been decided by Zhao Fusheng on a whim. Whether it was investing in the stock and financial markets or in emerging internet companies, apart from the acquisition of Blog Network which was championed by Dong Chenxi, the rest were all decisions made by Zhao Fusheng himself.

In a sense, this approach was wrong.

A standard investment company has a specific direction in its business.

To put it more directly, take SoftBank for example; they don't venture into the financial market but focus on venture capital for various companies. They would rather invest one hundred million US dollars in multiple internet companies than put that money into the financial market.

In contrast, Future Investment was indeed somewhat chaotic.

Dong Chenxi's question obviously caught the executives off guard, and they began to express their opinions.

"I think we can focus entirely on the financial market," said a young man in his early thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Zhao Fusheng remembered Dong Chenxi introducing him as a financial PhD from Columbia University, a genuine returnee.

The man named Du Zhong said earnestly, "Driven by the US financial market, the global financial market has maintained a good momentum over the past year or so. If we concentrate our efforts on finance, I believe we can achieve considerable returns."

He paused, glanced at Zhao Fusheng, and said sincerely, "The chairman's bottom-fishing investment in NetEase stock has proven that in the financial market, as long as you choose the right investment direction, you can still reap substantial rewards."

Zhao Fusheng laughed, not expecting this financial PhD to know how to flatter.

But regardless, since the man was praising him so eloquently, Zhao Fusheng was in a good mood. He smiled at Du Zhong and waved his hand, "I just bought it on a whim back then. Manager Du, don't praise me anymore."

At that moment, a middle-aged man in his forties spoke up, "Chairman, General Dong, I think we could focus on venture capital. After all, the financial market changes rapidly. Although our company has considerable funds, compared to the vast financial market, seeking high profit returns is too risky. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket; we should cast a wide net to catch more fish."

"Yes, Manager Chen is right."

"No, I still think Manager Du makes more sense."

Clearly, there was disagreement among the executives. As professionals, each believed their own reasoning was correct, and convincing others was no easy task.

Watching the executives argue, Dong Chenxi frowned slightly and looked at Zhao Fusheng.

No matter how they debated, the final decision still rested with the boss. Although Zhao Fusheng remained silent, Dong Chenxi knew him well—he had his own ideas.

Seeing Dong Chenxi look at him, Zhao Fusheng chuckled, shook his head, and lightly tapped the table in front of him: "Quiet down."

His voice was not loud, almost as if he had just casually said it, but in an instant, the entire conference room fell silent. The executives who had been passionately discussing the company's development all shut their mouths.

Everyone knew that in Future Investment Fund and even the Future Group, before going public, the only person with the authority to make decisions was the young man sitting in the central seat.

"The question General Dong just raised is very good." Zhao Fusheng coughed and slowly spoke, his gaze sweeping over the department managers and executives in the room. "To be honest, I first want to apologize to everyone. The current state of the company's operations is largely due to my personal reasons."

He always spoke his mind; if he was wrong, he admitted it. There was no need to hide his faults. In his view, since this matter had become complicated because of him, apologizing and acknowledging the mistake, then correcting it, was the way to go.

After all, he was the boss and the major shareholder; there was no possibility of anyone ousting him.

Although this thought seemed somewhat shameless, it was the reality.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, the executives exchanged glances. They didn't know what to say, because the one admitting fault was the company's boss.

Though they might privately criticize the boss, who would dare speak ill of him to his face?

Unless someone wanted to quit, no employee would dare go against their boss.

It's like how we curse the sports bureau and the football association all day, but if we were to join the system and become employees of their subordinate agencies, you wouldn't dare speak recklessly even if you had ten times the courage.

Seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster is not shameful; no one exists in this world alone. Zhao Fusheng understood this, and he believed the executives in the conference room understood it too.

So, after a brief self-criticism, Zhao Fusheng quickly returned to the main topic.

"Here's the thing: I'm going to assign you a task now." Looking at the executives in the conference room, Zhao Fusheng said word by word, "Go back and each prepare a proposal, then submit it to General Dong. The content should specifically elaborate on what the future development direction of Future Investment Fund should be. I believe that all of you here are elite professionals in the investment field and will not disappoint me, right?"

"Ah, rest assured, Chairman, no problem."

"Yes, I'll start preparing as soon as the meeting ends."

"We will definitely satisfy the chairman and General Dong."

A group of people began to pledge their commitment, as if the task Zhao Fusheng had given them was a trivial matter.

Looking at them, Zhao Fusheng said nothing more. He turned to Dong Chenxi, who nodded and announced the end of the meeting.

Watching the executives leave the conference room, Zhao Fusheng did not leave immediately. Instead, he walked to the window and gazed at the distant sky.

At this time, the capital still had a clear blue sky; in a few years, this would probably become a luxury.

Of course, except for Zhao Fusheng, no one knew how extravagant it was to see blue skies and white clouds in the capital.

"I'm sorry."

At that moment, Dong Chenxi came to Zhao Fusheng's side and said softly to him.

"Why apologize?" Zhao Fusheng turned around, looking at Dong Chenxi in surprise.

"I should have discussed this with you alone," Dong Chenxi said a little sheepishly. "But it came to me on the spot, so I just said it."

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and waved his hand, "You're overthinking it. If you hadn't brought this up, I really wouldn't have noticed. Now that you've mentioned it, it's actually a good thing."

That was his honest opinion. For a company to grow and thrive, a healthy and orderly business model is essential. He himself was not a professional; whether in corporate management or business operations, he was essentially feeling his way across the river.

The phrase 'feeling the stones to cross the river' sounds simple, but in reality, the risks involved are immense and unknown to outsiders.

Zhao Fusheng could even imagine that when the late leader said those words, his heart must have been pounding, but the old man saw things more clearly.

Some things, if not done, mean waiting for death. Rather than sitting around waiting for doom, it's better to fight with all one's might.

"What are your plans?" Dong Chenxi asked Zhao Fusheng.

Clearly, she had to respect Zhao Fusheng's opinion on this matter. Although she was the head of Future Investment, the boss's opinion was still very important.

"Do what needs to be done." Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "Let's wait and see the proposals submitted by the subordinates before making a decision."

Dong Chenxi frowned, opened her mouth to speak, but Zhao Fusheng stopped her. He looked at her and said with a smile, "You have to understand, I can't focus on the investment company all the time; I'm bound to be biased. You're not a professional yourself. If we don't select suitable people from among these to assist you, how long do you think our company can last?"

Dong Chenxi remained silent. She sensed a different meaning in Zhao Fusheng's words. It seemed that from the very beginning, Zhao Fusheng had never intended to specialize in a single direction of investment.

This guy's ambition was bigger than she had imagined.