Chapter 1321 The King of Hustle

The chairman was going to hire an assistant!

In the Future Group Strategic Planning Department, explosive news spread like wildfire.

Everyone in Future Group, especially the Strategic Planning Department, was already well acquainted with the legend of their chairman. Not to mention his entrepreneurial journey, Zhao Fusheng's repeated successful "battle records" alone were enough to make many people sit up and take notice.

More importantly, the two people previously handpicked by Zhao Fusheng in the Strategic Planning Department, Liu Ming and Liang Jingyu, were now both in high positions.

This stirred up ambition in many people's hearts.

"I'm no worse than them, so why don't I get this opportunity?"

Such is human nature—people fear inequality rather than scarcity. Seeing those who are no better than themselves or on par with them rise to prominence was undoubtedly hard for these elites to bear.

Now that there was a chance to work by Zhao Fusheng's side, they naturally wouldn't let it slip.

Zhao Fusheng didn't care much about it. In his view, competition brought good things.

In the past few days, Zhao Fusheng had learned from Dong Chenxi that Ma Xiaoyun had come to the capital and wanted to meet him.

Zhao Fusheng rather admired this Boss Ma, who was always exceptionally good at spinning tales. Regardless of his character, at least in the field of e-commerce, Ma Xiaoyun's level was evident.

Or to be more precise, his ability to hustle was absolutely top-notch.

You see, in the mid-1990s, around 1996 or so, Ma Xiaoyun was still running China Yellow Pages. To be exact, he was running around all over the country, hustling people into making web pages, and making twenty to thirty thousand yuan per page.

He euphemistically called this: "running the market."

What a joke—there were hardly any internet users in China back then. Ma Xiaoyun was purely bluffing.

To run the market, he went to Yinghaiwei to seek cooperation with the internet heroine Zhang Shuxin. He didn't go alone; he brought the technical director He Yibing and a computer. But their goal was the information superhighway, and they didn't buy his spiel at all. Boss Ma was kicked out, but before leaving, he threw down harsh words, predicting that Yinghaiwei would fail. His words proved prophetic—sure enough, a few years later, Yinghaiwei collapsed.

Disappointed, Ma Xiaoyun felt even more isolated. He had no relatives or social connections in the capital, but he didn't turn back. Thanks to his generous and sociable nature, he soon made a friend named Qian Feng. After a few interactions, they became good friends. Qian Feng had worked in Zhongguancun but later quit to run a pager business. Using his extensive network, Qian Feng found opportunities for Ma Xiaoyun. He put aside his own business, driving Ma Xiaoyun around every day to pitch ideas. They visited almost all the major media outlets and government departments in the capital, but because the internet wasn't yet widespread and few people understood it, even fewer knew about the small China Yellow Pages website.

Ma Xiaoyun realized that to boost China Yellow Pages' visibility, he had to find a way to promote it and attract widespread attention. Today, that wouldn't be difficult, but under the conditions at the time, it was very hard. The reason was that the concept of the "information highway" advocated by Western countries was still highly controversial in China, with supporters and opponents each holding their ground. In this debate, the authorities seemed unable to take a clear stance, so no media outlet dared to promote the internet boldly. Despite this, Ma Xiaoyun kept looking for opportunities. Through Qian Feng, he got to know a driver from the China Trade News, hoping to use the driver's connections to get articles published in the capital's media introducing China Yellow Pages. He didn't mind spending money—as long as it got publicity, he would foot the bill.

The article was soon published in the China Trade News, and on the front page at that—an unexpected surprise for Ma Xiaoyun. He admired the driver's networking skills, and the editor-in-chief's green light filled him with respect.

In Ma Xiaoyun's view, at a time when the internet was not widely accepted, the editor-in-chief had the courage and foresight to publish his article. Ma Xiaoyun greatly admired this editor and wanted to discuss the internet with him face to face, so he paid him a visit. Initially, he just wanted to chat, but unexpectedly, they hit it off and talked for three days and nights. The editor, who was not familiar with computers, found the internet to be a great thing after hearing Ma Xiaoyun's introduction and ideas, and he decided to help Ma Xiaoyun break new ground.

With the editor's help, Ma Xiaoyun organized a press conference and networking event for the capital's media and business figures. Through this opportunity, Ma Xiaoyun met many heavyweight figures in media and business and got a chance to promote the internet and China Yellow Pages. He invested thirty thousand yuan in the event, but the results were not ideal—no business investment came in. Still, there were gains: through the event, the media gained a better understanding of the internet and China Yellow Pages, and many were willing to lend a hand to help promote it. So, Ma Xiaoyun's efforts and money were not entirely wasted. Then, the editor took Ma Xiaoyun to visit the International Information Center, the Ministry of Culture, and the State Sports Commission, but all efforts came to nothing.

In the midst of this predicament, another benefactor appeared: a fellow townsman of Ma Xiaoyun named Fan Xinman.

This woman was quite famous—she was a producer for CCTV's Oriental Horizon, and later produced the Touching China program for nine consecutive years.

Also, she was the wife of Zhang Dahuzi—yeah, that bearded director, rumored to have slept with countless actresses, and whose wife was slept with by his godson.

Fan Xinman didn't know much about the internet either, but Ma Xiaoyun's relentless drive for entrepreneurship moved her. She made a feature film for him titled Scholar Ma Xiaoyun, showcasing his entrepreneurial journey, his hardships, and his persistence, and it truthfully reflected the state of the internet in China.

After Scholar Ma Xiaoyun aired on CCTV, a college alumnus named Lou Wensheng recognized Ma Xiaoyun and was moved by his spirit. The day after the feature aired, China Yellow Pages received a job applicant—Lou Wensheng.

But a good start didn't mean the curtain of success had risen. Things always took unexpected and曲折 turns. Just then, all media received a notice: without explicit government support, no media could vigorously promote the internet. This happened because some academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences had petitioned the government, arguing that China's current conditions were unsuitable for developing the internet. Ma Xiaoyun, just starting out, was dealt a heavy blow upon hearing this. Many friends in the media were powerless, but they suggested he try the People's Daily. If he could convince the People's Daily, other media would follow suit in covering China Yellow Pages.

Ma Xiaoyun had a friend working in a government department. One day, while his friend was on duty, he called Ma Xiaoyun over for a chat. Ma Xiaoyun talked about the internet. As they were discussing heatedly, a bureau chief passed by and joined in. The chief felt that Ma Xiaoyun had a deep understanding of the internet and decided to invite him to the People's Daily to give training to the cadres there.

For Ma Xiaoyun, this was a turning point. Soon, he went to the People's Daily and gave a speech to the leadership. The impassioned speech deeply inspired the editor-in-chief, who submitted a report directly to the central government requesting that the People's Daily go online. With the report approved, the People's Daily launched its online project. This move caused a strong reaction in society, with major media in the capital competing to report on it, and CCTV's Oriental Horizon even conducted an exclusive interview with Ma Xiaoyun.

…

…

And now, the legendary talker Ma Xiaoyun was about to appear before Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt a bit excited and nervous.

In fact, they had met briefly before at the China Economic Figures评选 event, and even exchanged a few words.

But the problem was, back then they were still strangers, and Boss Ma hadn't thought of hustling him. Now that they were collaborators, Zhao Fusheng felt sure Ma Xiaoyun wouldn't miss the chance to spin him a tale.

This judgment was based on his later-life understanding of this great hustler.

Although Ma Xiaoyun's business acumen was formidable, and he later became known for playing up various sentimentalities, in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, his greatest skill was still his silver tongue.

He was truly a formidable man who could conquer the world with just his mouth.

"Why do I feel like you're a bit nervous?"

Sitting beside Zhao Fusheng, Dong Chenxi asked curiously.

Zhao Fusheng smiled at the question. "Nothing, just a bit unsure."

"Unsure?"

Hearing those two words, Dong Chenxi was quite surprised. In the years she had known Zhao Fusheng, he rarely showed such a side.

Waving his hand, Zhao Fusheng didn't explain much to Dong Chenxi. He couldn't very well tell her that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist Ma Xiaoyun's glib tongue in their upcoming meeting and end up being roped into some project together.

This wasn't a joke—Ma Xiaoyun had that ability.

And Zhao Fusheng himself felt like a pilgrim穿越时空, after years of struggle, finally sitting at the same table as the big shots he once could only look up to on TV and in newspapers.

That feeling, except for Zhao Fusheng himself, no one could understand.