Chapter 1174: Give a Brother a Hand!

The thoughts of clever people differ from those of others. Ordinary people tend to think of the best possible outcomes, but clever people do not. They always consider the worst-case scenario and make plans for the most adverse circumstances. They do not even hesitate to assume everyone else is a bad person.

Zhao Fusheng was such a person, and so was Tong Zhenbang. They were both accustomed to thinking of the worst.

Because of this, Zhao Fusheng could well understand Tong Zhenbang's approach.

When people are down and out, they often yearn for a life of feasting, beautiful women, and debauchery. But once they become wealthy, they do not necessarily live that way.

Because everyone knows that if they truly lived such a life, they would not last long.

So whether it was Mr. Li or Tong Zhenbang, what they wanted was actually the life of ordinary people.

To have no worries about food and clothing, and to spend the rest of their lives in peace and safety.

That was what they wanted.

And what supported all this was, naturally, a large fortune.

Therefore, they banded together for warmth and became the leaders of the entire criminal organization. Those who opposed them, naturally, no longer existed in this world.

Of course, the most frightening thing about banding together for warmth is when someone gives up halfway. Simply put, if a group of people love and support each other harmoniously, there will naturally be endless benefits.

But if one of them has different thoughts, then there will naturally be many troubles.

For example, the situation Tong Zhenbang now faced was exactly that.

"I didn't know before that Mr. Li had a family," Tong Zhenbang said to Zhao Fusheng with a bitter smile.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback and frowned: "What does that have to do with you?"

Tong Zhenbang smiled bitterly: "You know, the money we originally invested in you was shared by everyone..."

At this point, the meaning was already very clear.

Tong Zhenbang no longer believed that his boss, Mr. Li, would honestly hand over his share. He was preparing a way out.

"Alright, I agree to this matter."

Before Tong Zhenbang could continue, Zhao Fusheng directly interrupted him and said indifferently: "However, I am not interested in the grievances between you, nor do I want to know. I am just a businessman, nothing more."

Tong Zhenbang was overjoyed and immediately understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning. The man did not want to get involved in those messy affairs and made it clear that he was purely doing business.

Since it was business, if someone invested in him, he would naturally accept it.

Thus, his US dollars could naturally be handled by Zhao Fusheng.

"Thank you so much, Chairman Zhao," Tong Zhenbang said enthusiastically to Zhao Fusheng. "If Chairman Zhao ever needs anything from me in the future, just say the word."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Not for now. Mr. Tong, don't be too happy too soon. To be honest, I don't need money at the moment. If you bring this money over, I won't have much use for it. How about this: you gather a bit more, make it fifteen million US dollars, and I'll pick a project for you. In China, it should be able to stand on its own."

"What?" Tong Zhenbang was stunned and looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise. Clearly, he had not expected Zhao Fusheng to do this.

"Come on, you don't think good projects just sit around waiting for you to invest, do you?" Zhao Fusheng said to Tong Zhenbang impatiently. "When people invest, they choose their projects in advance. Mr. Tong, you suddenly show up and say you have money to invest. Where am I supposed to find a project for you?"

Tong Zhenbang's expression was somewhat embarrassed, but he still listened obediently to Zhao Fusheng's words without any displeasure or intention to refute.

He knew very well that the more Zhao Fusheng spoke like this, the more it indicated that he was actually willing to accept his suggestion.

So Tong Zhenbang wisely chose to let Zhao Fusheng vent his anger.

If getting scolded a few times could make money, Tong Zhenbang was no fool.

"That's it. Go back and prepare the money," Zhao Fusheng said after a few words, then looked up at Tong Zhenbang and said indifferently: "Mr. Tong, I don't care about your internal conflicts, but let me say one thing upfront: I know nothing about this matter."

His meaning was clear: he didn't care what tricks Tong Zhenbang was playing behind the scenes. Bring the money, he would invest it for him, and the dividends would be paid as agreed. But one condition: if things ever came to light, Zhao Fusheng would not bear any responsibility for Tong Zhenbang.

In other words, when the time came, Zhao Fusheng would undoubtedly choose to protect himself without hesitation.

Tong Zhenbang smiled bitterly. He naturally understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning, but since the man had said so and was willing to accept his money and help find a project to invest in and launder it, he had already given him enough face. Sighing, Tong Zhenbang nodded: "Chairman Zhao, I understand. When this is done, I will surely reward you handsomely."

This was a mutual exchange of interests. After all, for Zhao Fusheng, Tong Zhenbang was still very useful, and for Tong Zhenbang, Zhao Fusheng was undoubtedly his last hope now.

After finishing their business, the two of them stepped out of the car together.

Zhao Fusheng said to Tong Zhenbang, "Mr. Tong, if anything comes up, you'd better contact Miss Dong directly. I'll be busy with other matters lately."

Tong Zhenbang was taken aback, then smiled wryly and nodded. Clearly, the man had no intention of dealing with him any more than necessary.

Watching Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian walk away, Xiao Bao spat, his face full of venom: "This guy, does he have to be so arrogant?"

He really couldn't stand Zhao Fusheng's high-and-mighty attitude.

They were all human—why should his boss have to grovel before him? Just because he had some money?

"He's rich, and he knows how to make money. Of course he can afford to be that arrogant." Tong Zhenbang laughed, dropping the deferential posture he had shown in front of Zhao Fusheng, now more like a man in power.

"A Bao, A Jie, find a quiet place. I have something to tell you." Tong Zhenbang gave Chen Shijie and Xiao Bao a deep look, then spoke slowly.

Chen Shijie and Xiao Bao were startled, a bit bewildered. They even exchanged glances. Chen Shijie saw a hint of confusion in Xiao Bao's eyes—clearly, he was just as clueless as himself.

Now this was interesting!

Chen Shijie was secretly surprised. He knew that Xiao Bao was actually more trusted by Tong Zhenbang than he was, but obviously Xiao Bao had no idea what was going on either. That meant whatever Tong Zhenbang was about to tell them, he had kept it from everyone beforehand.

Thinking this over, Chen Shijie suddenly felt that, if nothing unexpected happened, Zhao Fusheng and Tong Zhenbang must have been discussing this very matter in the car earlier.

What on earth was going on?

Chen Shijie's curiosity grew heavier and heavier.

...

...

"What exactly does Tong Zhenbang mean?" The same question was asked by Dong Chenxi.

Of course, she called Zhao Fusheng after work that evening.

"What could he mean?" Zhao Fusheng said, sitting at home watching TV and eating fruit, phone in hand. "The guy's afraid of being discarded once the job is done—worried that Mr. Li might kill him off. So he's just preparing an escape route."

Dong Chenxi was speechless for a moment, then understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

"So you actually called it right." After a long pause, Dong Chenxi suddenly recalled what Zhao Fusheng had said earlier and laughed.

Earlier, Zhao Fusheng had told her to be ready, that if Tong Zhenbang made any other moves, he might part ways with Mr. Li. Unexpectedly, things had indeed turned out as he predicted.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "It's normal. As long as someone is human, they'll have selfish motives. Whether it's Tong Zhenbang or that mysterious Mr. Li, they're both people whose greed outweighs their conscience. Such people don't easily trust anyone."

Dong Chenxi was stunned. After mulling it over for a while, she had to admit that what Zhao Fusheng said was true. The darker a person's mind, the less willing they are to trust others. In their hearts, they always unconsciously suspect everything around them.

In simple terms, such people are always in the habit of scheming against others, so they constantly fear that others will scheme against them.

"So you think they'll fall out?" Dong Chenxi thought for a moment and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "It's not that simple. They're both old foxes. Tong Zhenbang is just covering his bases. As for Mr. Li, I doubt he'll do anything in the short term."

This was the conclusion he had reached after careful consideration. The reason was simple: neither Tong Zhenbang nor Mr. Li was an easy mark. In other words, even if they had ideas and wanted to make a move, they wouldn't choose this moment to strike.

Plan carefully before acting, and once they strike, it's life or death.

That was their style.

Zhao Fusheng even suspected that Mr. Li had Tong Zhenbang's people around him, and Tong Zhenbang might also have been infiltrated by Mr. Li's men.

But that had nothing to do with him. As long as he held the purse strings and could ensure they all got their dividends, Zhao Fusheng believed that both Mr. Li and Tong Zhenbang would choose to stay on good terms with him.

They couldn't be unaware of the principle that money makes the world go round.

"So what do we do?" Dong Chenxi hesitated on the other end of the line. "Keep things as they are and proceed according to the original plan?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Yeah, don't get involved in anything, don't do anything. If Tong Zhenbang gives you money, take it. Just invest normally."

"Got it." Dong Chenxi nodded, chatted for a bit, and hung up.

Zhao Fusheng, for his part, tilted his head, thought it over, calculated that everything was foolproof, and then put the matter aside.