Chapter 1223: Stealing a Moment of Leisure

Until he left Zhao Fusheng's office, Liu Qiangdong was completely bewildered.

He simply couldn't understand where Zhao Fusheng's confidence came from, trusting him and his team so much. In fact, this confident demeanor would later move Liu Qiangdong to emotion whenever he spoke of it in public, years afterward. But by then, Zhao Fusheng had long become a figure he could only look up to.

After seeing off Brother Dong, who was still in a state of confusion and temporarily unsure whether flat-chested internet celebrities or voluptuous big-breasted girls suited him better, Zhao Fusheng sat in his office and carefully reviewed the company's financial statements for the recent period.

As the boss, although he trusted the general managers of the subsidiaries below, that didn't mean Zhao Fusheng would truly wash his hands of everything. That was something only protagonists of time-travel novels did; he didn't have that luck, casually exuding kingly aura to win the admiration of a few talents who would then wholeheartedly help him conquer the world.

Zhao Fusheng knew his subordinates all too well. Whether it was Dong Chenxi, Zheng Yao, Zhang Qian, or Dong Guoxiang, none of them were qualified professional managers in a sense. Even Ye Jing of Future Film was only able to develop the company well because he was one of the big shots in the Beijing circle.

Sometimes, effort determines whether a person can improve, but talent truly sets one's ceiling.

Even Zhao Fusheng himself was still constantly learning and working hard. After all, in his past life, he was just an ordinary nobody. Even with a second chance, he knew he had to strive.

After all, in this day and age, aside from his own parents and family, no one would care even if he suffered a complete defeat. Wallowing in self-pity was never Zhao Fusheng's style. He had understood long ago that there was no necessary connection between crying and being strong; tears were just a bodily fluid that fell when one felt bad, and then life had to go on as before.

"You're so optimistic about Jingdong?"

Only Dong Chenxi, who had handled this investment, could ask Zhao Fusheng such a question. She couldn't understand what Zhao Fusheng saw in Jingdong Mall, or in Liu Qiangdong and his team, that made them worth investing in.

People are always curious about the unknown.

"Not just Jingdong, but also Taobao and Tencent Technology, I'm very optimistic about them." Zhao Fusheng chuckled. "In the future, the companies we invest in should basically follow this model. Our voting rights can be reduced, but we can't give up the dividend rights."

In short, Zhao Fusheng's meaning was simple: if there was an opportunity, for companies he valued, he could take more shares, but he wouldn't interfere with their normal operations.

"I understand." Although she didn't understand why Zhao Fusheng made this decision, Dong Chenxi didn't object. She herself wasn't very good at running a company, and she understood that the risk of investing lay precisely here: you couldn't predict a company's future direction; you could only buy potential.

That is, if the company's potential could be realized, the investment would yield great returns; otherwise, it would be like drawing water with a bamboo basket—all in vain.

"Hey, aren't you curious about my decision?" Zhao Fusheng couldn't help complaining when he saw that Dong Chenxi didn't even ask him about it.

"You're the boss, you call the shots." Dong Chenxi laughed and said to Zhao Fusheng, "I've been reading a book lately, and there's a passage in it that I find very reasonable. It says that trouble can actually be transferred. If you can't solve a problem yourself, you can consider passing your trouble to someone else, like someone stronger than you. That way, things often get solved easily, and you can relax. After all, human strength has its limits; what you can't do or do well might be just a small effort for a powerful person."

As she spoke, she winked at Zhao Fusheng: "You know, among the people I know, you're the most capable, and you're my boss, so what you say must be right. Why should I question you?"

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. What Dong Chenxi said made so much sense that he had no retort.

"Alright, from now on, handle the investment company's matters yourself." Zhao Fusheng waved his hand and said to Dong Chenxi, "Try to negotiate a cooperation deal with Ma Xiaoyun. As for Ono Masao, heh, no rush. Let's keep him waiting for another month."

The US stock market would maintain a decent growth rate for at least the next year, so Zhao Fusheng had plenty of time to keep playing with SoftBank. As long as Ma Xiaoyun hadn't yet become 'Papa Ma,' he wasn't worried that Ono Masao would refuse to cooperate.

In fact, regarding his investments in the US, aside from Twitter and Facebook, Zhao Fusheng felt that no company was untradeable.

"Alright, let's stay in touch." Dong Chenxi nodded.

Since Zhao Fusheng said so, she naturally understood his intention—the guy was clearly planning to skip work and become a hands-off boss.

That's right, Zhao Fusheng intended to take a break.

Money can't be earned to the end—Zhao Fusheng quite agreed with that. Although when Tan Kaixuan said it, he added a few more lines: Men attract women not by age or looks, but by the amount of money they have. There's no woman in the world that money can't buy; it's just a matter of how much you're willing to spend. And money can't be earned to the end...

...

...

A real man's word is as good as gold; once spoken, it can't be taken back.

Well, if he said he wouldn't go to work, then he wouldn't.

So, the next day, Fan Baobao was surprised to find that Zhao Fusheng had actually taken a vacation. Every day, he cheerfully drove her to work and also took the reluctant Fan Beibei to kindergarten.

That's right, although little Fan Beibei really didn't want to go to kindergarten, under her sister's violent suppression, the little girl had no choice but to compromise.

Of course, she didn't come away empty-handed. Fan Baobao promised to take her to the amusement park once a week. With that benefit, the little girl immediately promised to behave in kindergarten.

Zhao Fusheng had nothing to say about the sisters' battle of wits. He was the type to spoil children. As long as Fan Beibei didn't become a mischievous brat, she was destined to be a princess.

After all, under her name, she held the 0.5% stake in Tencent Technology that Zhao Fusheng had given her.

In other words, more than a decade later, when Fan Beibei came of age, she would be a bona fide billionaire.

Of course, the future billionaire still had to go to kindergarten now, still struggling over whether 13+14 equaled 70 or 17. After all, running out of fingers and toes to count on was quite frustrating.

As for Zhao Fusheng himself, he was very idle lately, so idle that he started chatting on forums and even went to see a movie.

Well, he also treated Jiang Wen, who had just finished filming "A World Without Thieves" and was exhausted like a dog, to a meal.

Old Jiang had been really worn out lately. He had been busy with the crew for over two months. Now that it was December, Ye Jing decided to give the crew a half-month break since the winter scenes were mostly done. Taking the opportunity, Jiang Wen flew back to the capital to see his son and wife, but Zhao Fusheng got him drunk with a heavy drinking session, and he staggered home.

Zhao Fusheng felt he should rename himself Zhao 'Good Deeds Without Leaving a Name' Fusheng.

Life is full of hardships; one should not be overly sensitive about everything. Strength of spirit and indifference are the firm shield and sharp spear against a turbulent fate.

This passage from "Two Treatises of Government" had once puzzled Zhao Fusheng: why must one be both cautious and strong yet indifferent in the face of difficulties?

Now he understood: indifference doesn't mean inaction, but restraint in certain aspects.

In short, people must learn to do the right thing at the right time. Wrong timing and wrong choices will naturally lead to bad results.