Chapter 1228: Christmas

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Christmas had arrived. Zhao Fusheng had previously suggested an idea to Old Zhao, and after much deliberation, his father finally accepted it.

After all, father and son were of one mind. Old Zhao knew well that in this world, anyone might try to cheat him, but his son never would. In fact, this was also Zhao Fusheng's thinking. He would never cheat his own father—on that point, Zhao Fusheng was very clear.

So Old Zhao decided to follow Zhao Fusheng's advice: take out a bank loan, bring in Xue Yuanfang and Tan Kaixuan, and develop the real estate market together with them.

Xue Yuanfang and Tan Kaixuan were quite interested in Zhao Fusheng's invitation and said they would come together after New Year's to discuss the cooperation.

Those two had been getting along famously lately. In Xue Yuanfang's words, Tan Kaixuan had money and he had projects—why not make a big splash?

Zhao Fusheng secretly thought that if they added Ye Jing to the mix, they could easily become a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

Quietly, the year 2004 came to an end. The streets and alleys were filled with festive atmosphere, adorned with all kinds of decorations—Christmas trees, bells, stockings, reindeer plushies, and various gift boxes, all set up by merchants. Promotional events came one after another, as if they wanted the whole city to come and see. In short, the Christmas spirit on the streets was fervent. Though it was a foreign holiday, the Chinese had turned it into a festival with Chinese characteristics.

The streets were crowded with people bustling shoulder to shoulder. The brightly lit commercial district made everyone's face glow with rosy anticipation.

Zhao Fusheng walked side by side with Fan Baobao, who had just returned. Not far behind them were two bodyguards arranged by Zhang Qian and Yang Panpan.

“Why didn’t you let Beibei come?” Fan Baobao shot Zhao Fusheng a glare and said irritably, “That girl thinks I didn’t let her come. She’s been giving me the cold shoulder.”

With a light smile, Zhao Fusheng reached out and took Fan Baobao’s hand. “Today is Christmas Eve, so of course I want to spend it with you.”

Although he rarely said sweet nothings to Fan Baobao, that didn’t mean he couldn’t say things to please a girl. After all, he was an old fox who had seen many ups and downs; such little tricks came naturally to him.

Sure enough, Fan Baobao’s face visibly reddened. She glared at Zhao Fusheng but didn’t dwell on the topic.

The festive atmosphere was thick. Most of the people coming and going on the streets were couples. After all, Christmas Eve was a very important holiday for couples, especially young ones.

“By the way, Zhou Yun called the other day and said ‘A World Without Thieves’ is almost finished filming. Are you planning to release it during the Spring Festival?” Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was momentarily stunned, then shook his head. “I haven’t asked Ye Jing, but last time he mentioned releasing ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ for New Year’s. As for ‘A World Without Thieves,’ barring any surprises, it should be for the Spring Festival slot.”

“Is that appropriate?” Fan Baobao hesitated. “If we release our films back to back, won’t it upset others?”

Having been in this circle for a while, she had come to understand many rules she hadn’t known before. Doing business was like being a person. One shouldn’t stand out too much; if you did, you would drift apart from your group, and people would instinctively keep their distance. There was a saying: when a person is half a step ahead of the crowd, they’re called a genius; a full step ahead, a god; two steps ahead, a madman.

Fan Baobao’s concern was the same. Future Films had produced works of such high quality in recent years that they risked being isolated as madmen by the entire industry.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily. “You worry too much. This is more complicated than you think. According to our plan, after these films and TV dramas air, what we need to consider is no longer whether others will see us as a thorn in their side, but whether they’ll wave money at us, begging us to let them make money with us.”

“Really?” Fan Baobao was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Zhao Fusheng to have such a scheme, or rather, she hadn’t thought those film production companies would actually make the choice he described.

“Do you think businesspeople are smart?” Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile, seeing that Fan Baobao was still puzzled.

Fan Baobao nodded matter-of-factly. “Of course. At the very least, I’m sure you’re smarter than me, and Uncle Zhao is smarter than most people. Otherwise, how could you have made so much money?”

“Yes, businesspeople are very smart. Of course, intelligence can be innate for some—that’s talent. But most people’s intelligence comes from their own experience and learning. Have you noticed that many people, including me, will act without hesitation when they have a sixty or seventy percent chance of success? Because in this world, there’s never a ridiculous thing like a hundred percent certainty. If one day you’re absolutely sure something will succeed, you need to be vigilant, because danger is surely lurking nearby. Even drinking cold water can make you choke; let alone dealing with humans, such terrifying creatures. If you’re a hundred percent sure, it’s likely that your enemy has fed you false information to make you let your guard down, and they’ll attack from an unexpected direction.”

Zhao Fusheng’s calm words left Fan Baobao half-understanding. She had no idea what he really meant.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Zhao Fusheng knew she hadn’t understood. He smiled casually and said no more. He hadn’t expected Fan Baobao to grasp it anyway; he just wanted to tell her that he had made this decision after careful consideration, and even Ye Jing had agreed to the plan after thorough deliberation.

For Future Films to establish a foothold in the film industry, the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival slots were crucial and important.

In other words, whether they could truly show their peers the company’s capabilities depended on this one move.

If both films performed well at the box office and made money, it would mean Future Films had the ability to cooperate with peers and generate sufficient profits.

Simply put, only a fool would refuse money. For those investors, they would be eager to earn more.

Of course, there was a lot of depth to this, and Zhao Fusheng didn’t need to explain everything to Fan Baobao. He only said this to keep her from worrying.

“By the way, have you told your family about the wedding?” Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked Fan Baobao with a smile.

Fan Beibei had told him on the way back that Fan Baobao had called home about the wedding.

Fan Baobao nodded. “Of course I have to tell them. Did you think we’d do it secretly?”

Zhao Fusheng was speechless but a little surprised. He had been home for nearly a month, and neither Li Yuan nor his mother had brought up the topic in front of him. That was unexpected.

“What are you thinking about?” Fan Baobao asked, seeing that Zhao Fusheng hadn’t answered her question and was just staring blankly.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head and smiled. “Nothing. I was just wondering whether to have the wedding in summer or spring. If we have it in spring, I might become a father by the end of the year.”

After all, she was a girl with thin skin. Hearing Zhao Fusheng mention this, Fan Baobao blushed, glared at him, and said nothing more.

Looking at Fan Baobao’s profile, a ripple stirred in Zhao Fusheng’s heart.

Back then we were young, passing through ruined walls and ancient pines and cypresses, we came to the cliff. Bathed in the sunset, our hearts as calm as water, we gazed into the distant mist. In fact, we couldn’t see anything; the joys and sorrows of life were far beyond the horizon, but gazing was a youthful posture…

…

…

If you persist in something long enough, “persistence” gradually becomes a habit. What once required effort becomes routine; what once required determination becomes natural.

Around Zhao Fusheng, Dong Guoxiang was such a person. He wasn’t the most talented, nor a business prodigy. In fact, if it weren’t for being one of the earliest to follow Zhao Fusheng in starting the business, there were plenty of programmers in Future Network Technology Company more capable than him.

But from start to finish, Zhao Fusheng’s trust in him remained unwavering, because Zhao Fusheng knew he could hire talented programmers at high salaries, but subordinates as conscientious and responsible as Dong Guoxiang were rare.

Although it was Christmas, most of Dong Guoxiang and his team hadn’t taken a holiday. A bunch of programmers and single guys—where would they get so many holidays and time?

Girlfriend.

What’s that?

Can you eat it?

“President Dong, can our plan work?” A young man in glasses stood beside Dong Guoxiang, looking nervous, holding a proposal in his hand.

Dong Guoxiang’s expression was also tense, but he gritted his teeth and said seriously, “No matter what, this plan must be implemented. I’ll personally talk to the chairman.”

The man was startled, then surprised. “The chairman? Will he support us?”

Dong Guoxiang nodded. “You know, after all our discussions, we’ve reached the same conclusion. If we can get this agency, the future profits will be astonishing. So no matter what, this time we need to convince the chairman.”

With that thought, Dong Guoxiang’s expression grew even more resolute. This time, he would make sure people knew he wasn’t useless!