Chapter 1255: Happy New Year

Fan Baobao had never imagined that one day she might become an independent director of a listed company.

That's right, according to Zhao Fusheng's analysis, if nothing unexpected happened, Alibaba might go public within the year.

In other words, without meaning to, she had become a director of a listed company.

To be honest, this felt even more thrilling to Fan Baobao than being a star.

So much so that she was excited for days on end.

"Do you think I should speak at the board meeting?" Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes helplessly; he felt he could completely avoid answering this question.

But unfortunately, Ms. Fan Baobao had no intention of letting her fiancé off so easily. She tugged at his arm, rubbing her body against it, and said softly, "Honey, just tell me."

"Ahem..." Zhao Fusheng felt like he was about to faint.

There was no help for it; he had almost no resistance to Fan Baobao, especially under these circumstances.

"Well, actually, it's nothing much. When you get there, just look at the reports and agree with Ma Xiaoyun," Zhao Fusheng said, glancing at Fan Baobao and winking.

This was the truth. In Zhao Fusheng's view, even if he himself went to Alibaba's board, he would do the same thing, let alone Fan Baobao.

It's important to know one's limits. Zhao Fusheng could talk about the general direction of future economic development, but if asked to judge whether a specific decision was right or wrong, he'd rather write an advertising plan—at least that was his job, and he could do it with ease.

"Huh, is it that simple?"

Fan Baobao clearly didn't understand Zhao Fusheng's words. In her mind, shouldn't one be commanding and inspiring, pointing out the way?

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily: "Of course. Did you think doing business was that hard?"

As he spoke, he put his arm around Fan Baobao's shoulders and said seriously, "The key to doing business is pretty much the same as being an official. In short, stand on the side of the strong. Do whatever makes money, and cooperate with whoever can make money. Ma Xiaoyun is a capable man, so we don't need to waste too much energy. Cooperate with him and let him earn money for us steadily, understand?"

Fan Baobao nodded as if she understood, but deep down she was still somewhat unconvinced. After all, she didn't think that Ma Xiaoyun could be better than her own man.

There was no help for it; this was a kind of personal worship.

Actually, Zhao Fusheng hadn't said everything.

For him, the current situation was that he had risen too quickly without a strong foundation.

As the saying goes, the tallest tree is the first to be felled by the wind; the protruding stake is the first to rot.

In the entertainment world of later generations, young idols would fight openly and covertly, scheme against each other, and even try to cripple their rivals for a role, not even necessarily the lead.

How much more so in the business world, which was more complex, darker, and dirtier than the entertainment industry?

Even the Duke of Zhou feared rumors, and Confucius had his days of hardship in Chen and Cai.

Let alone ordinary people.

So...

Zhao Fusheng's behavior might seem foolish—keeping only shares and a small amount of voting rights, not interfering in company affairs—but in fact, it was the best choice, the best way to secure his position.

Having climbed from the bottom to where he was today, Zhao Fusheng understood clearly that only by surviving could one talk about ideals, beliefs, and principles.

Those who cannot even ensure their survival do not deserve a future.

Or rather, how can those who cannot ensure their survival have a future?

"Alright, don't overthink it. Dong Chenxi will assign you an assistant later," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile to the still nervous Fan Baobao. "Actually, doing business isn't that hard. You'll get used to it."

Winking, he laughed, "Look at Zheng Yao and Dong Chenxi. Neither of them started out in this field, but now they've been trained."

This was the truth. Not to mention others, Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao had never imagined they would one day manage companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

And now, both Future Group and Future Investment Fund were fairly well-known companies in the country.

Sometimes, the future is the hardest thing for people to fathom, because no one knows where fate will turn at a certain crossroads.

"Mm, I know." Fan Baobao reached out and hugged Zhao Fusheng, saying, "With you here, I never worry."

For her, Zhao Fusheng's existence was the reason for her happiness.

...

...

Dong Chenxi had no objection to Zhao Fusheng's proposal.

She herself had no interest in the position of independent director.

The reason was simple: Zhao Fusheng had no intention of interfering in Alibaba's management, and he had even made it clear to Dong Chenxi that Future Investment would not participate in the management of any company, including Alipay.

"We are not professional operators. Or to be more precise, neither you nor I can guarantee that the path we direct is necessarily correct," Zhao Fusheng said meaningfully to Dong Chenxi.

Dong Chenxi frowned slightly, wanting to argue, but after thinking it over, she had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right.

A good investor is not necessarily a good corporate manager. This had been proven by countless venture capital firms. After all, compared to the founders of those companies, investors are better suited to listening rather than meddling.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, half of April was gone. Zhao Fusheng had been in a good mood lately. Life was sometimes like that—seemingly ordinary and plain, but sometimes peace and quiet were the best days.

...

...

One morning, after seeing Fan Baobao off and personally taking Fan Beibei to school, Zhao Fusheng watched the little girl wave goodbye reluctantly and walk into the kindergarten. Just as he was about to go home, his phone suddenly rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng still chose to answer.

"Hello?"

"Is this Fusheng?"

"This is Zhao Fusheng." Zhao Fusheng was a bit puzzled. The voice on the other end sounded familiar, somewhat aged and low, as if the speaker was very tired.

"It's me..." The voice on the other end rose a little, and the expression on Zhao Fusheng's face instantly changed.