Chapter 1298 Arrangements

A clever subordinate should show a proper amount of reverence before their superior, so that the superior can feel more at ease with them.

If someone truly acts as if they fear nothing, who would dare to employ them?

Therefore, in the workplace, knowing how to hide one's talents appropriately is a necessary skill.

Take the conversation between Liang Jingyu and Zhao Fusheng just now—could he really not see through Zhao Fusheng's intentions?

Zhao Fusheng didn't believe that a financial elite with a double master's degree couldn't see through such a thing. But since he asked and gave himself a chance to explain, Zhao Fusheng knew that Liang Jingyu was hiding his abilities.

For such a clever subordinate, Zhao Fusheng was willing to give him an opportunity.

So he went along with it and proposed an equity incentive plan.

If you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass. Even the emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers to battle, let alone in business.

Zhao Fusheng understood this better than anyone.

Don't forget, in his previous life, he had spent over a decade at the grassroots level.

Only after experiencing certain things does one understand the ways of the world and realize that the world is not always black and white. That's a child's way of thinking, because children distinguish right from wrong, while adults only weigh pros and cons.

Zhao Fusheng didn't mind Liang Jingyu gaining something through his abilities, but the prerequisite was that Liang Jingyu had to demonstrate his value and prove to Zhao Fusheng that he was useful.

Only then would Zhao Fusheng truly trust him.

"You and Jinshan will both be granted shares in Future Entertainment," Zhao Fusheng said calmly to Liang Jingyu. "Although it's also five percent, your voting rights are higher than his."

Liang Jingyu nodded. The equity structure of Future Entertainment wasn't that complicated. At present, the company's shareholders were only Future Investment and Future Group, with the former holding eighty percent and the latter twenty percent. Now, with Jinshan and himself each holding five percent, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

After all, Future Entertainment wasn't listed yet; it was essentially just a subsidiary controlled by Future Investment.

And Zhao Fusheng, who owned over eighty percent of Future Investment, naturally became the true controller of Future Entertainment.

"Thank you, Chairman," Liang Jingyu said respectfully to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "You don't need to be polite. I will grant equity to the head of each subsidiary. After all, you are the ones managing the company and making money for me. If you aren't made shareholders, how can I expect you to do your utmost for me?"

This was his honest thought. Many times, Zhao Fusheng didn't believe that friendship was unbreakable.

Or to be more precise, goodwill can be exhausted, while interests are eternal.

This might sound cynical, but Zhao Fusheng truly believed it.

No matter how good the relationship between two friends, if one always takes and never gives back, that friendship will eventually be drained.

It's like two brothers: one is better off, the other not. If the younger brother is considerate, even just calling frequently to check in, the older brother will lend a hand when the younger one is in trouble. But if the younger brother never asks after the older one and only shows up when he needs help paying off gambling debts or fixing his mistakes, even blood brothers will become strangers over time.

Zhao Fusheng naturally didn't want to become strangers with his managers, so the best solution was to give up some shares and make these managers minority shareholders.

People have a strange mentality: they treat their own business and working for others as two completely different things.

When working for others, you earn a salary and bonuses. If you do well, you get rewarded; if not, you can quit. Even if the company goes bankrupt, you can find another job.

But if it's your own business, it's different.

Making money is certainly enjoyable, but if you lose money, it's your own hard-earned cash going down the drain. That's heartbreaking for anyone.

Since ancient times, the winner is king and the loser is a bandit. Few people can accept their own interests being harmed. But if it's the boss's interests being harmed, many might just watch, because working for yourself and working for others feel different.

Liang Jingyu was like that.

At this moment, even though he knew Zhao Fusheng was deliberate, and Zhao Fusheng had already made it clear, Liang Jingyu still couldn't hide his excitement.

After all, he was human too, and he had his own dreams.

As a man, who doesn't crave success and fame?

"Chairman, rest assured, I will give my all until my last breath," Liang Jingyu said, almost patting his chest to swear. It was clear he was truly excited.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled, not taking Liang Jingyu's words seriously. He wasn't a child; such declarations of determination were just words to him.

There's a saying in Werewolf that's true: the only way to tell if someone is good is to see if their words match their actions.

Having determination is good, but whether one can follow through depends on the future.

…

…

Future Entertainment, in the office.

"You know, South Korea is a very interesting country. Although they always claim to uphold Confucian traditions, many times Koreans are very pure, or rather, they are pure economic animals," Zhao Fusheng said to Dong Chenxi with a smile. "Most Koreans are very stubborn. Perhaps it's this stubbornness that makes them successful. Do you understand?"

Dong Chenxi frowned slightly. Zhao Fusheng's words puzzled her. She hadn't gone with Zhao Fusheng to Jinshan Law Firm today. After Zhao Fusheng and Liang Jingyu returned and she heard about Zhao Fusheng's decision, she was truly surprised.

Even if it was to win people over, this was too generous!

"What, don't you understand?" Seeing Dong Chenxi's expression, Zhao Fusheng knew she hadn't grasped his meaning.

Dong Chenxi nodded: "Are you really that optimistic about the future of the Korean entertainment industry?"

She didn't mind what terms Zhao Fusheng offered Jinshan. What really bothered her was Zhao Fusheng's attitude toward Future Entertainment. He had made so many preparations just to establish Future Entertainment in South Korea. In Dong Chenxi's memory, Zhao Fusheng rarely did such things.

Smiling slightly, Zhao Fusheng didn't seem surprised by Dong Chenxi's doubt. He said calmly: "Think about it: if Future Entertainment can establish a foothold in South Korea, can't we later recruit Korean trainees to China and then relaunch them in Korea?"

"Ah?"

Dong Chenxi was taken aback. Clearly, this kind of export-to-reimport operation was something she had never thought of.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and didn't elaborate further. He had learned this trick from the Koreans. In the world he originally came from, Koreans loved to recruit trainees domestically, stuff them into some idol group, and then have them lead the group to make money in the Chinese market.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Zhao Fusheng had to say that Koreans were really good at packaging idols. Compared to the messy idol packaging methods in China, entertainment companies in Korea and Japan were far ahead.

Take groups from talent shows, whether the one with the village flower or the one with the four-thousand-year beauty—they had good cards but played them terribly.

Look at those Korean idol groups. Although they eventually disband, they really knew how to make money.

Chinese idols and stars often like to distance themselves, forgetting that when you turn into a 'why' machine questioning your teammates, you're also destroying your own image.

"By the way, if Jinshan agrees, contact the capital as soon as possible and have Zheng Yao send someone over. For the financial side, we must use our own people," Zhao Fusheng said seriously to Dong Chenxi.

They could use Korean legal advisors, but for the accounting firm on the financial side, Zhao Fusheng had to find someone from China.

"Understood. Don't worry, I've already spoken with Bai Jie," Dong Chenxi nodded, holding up her Samsung phone.

She had bought a new phone number after arriving in Korea. Korea's mobile network was different from the rest of the world and didn't support roaming, so if you wanted to make calls, you had to get a new SIM card.

"Good. Transfer the funds needed here as soon as possible," Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and continued.

"Um, how much?" Dong Chenxi hesitated and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Clearly, she was somewhat hesitant about Zhao Fusheng's decision.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Prepare 150 million for the initial phase. That should be enough."

"That much?"

Dong Chenxi frowned and said seriously: "Including the money for buying the office building, that's quite a lot. Should we reconsider?"

Earlier, Zhao Fusheng had asked Liang Jingyu to find an office building to buy. Dong Chenxi had inquired and found it would cost nearly 50 million RMB or more. Adding the money to acquire SM Entertainment's shares, Zhao Fusheng's investment in Future Entertainment would be close to 50 million USD.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily: "Don't worry, we'll earn back even more from this investment."

Dong Chenxi took a deep breath and was about to speak when Zhao Fusheng's phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, a smile appeared on Zhao Fusheng's lips. It seemed there was good news.