Chapter 1403: Each Has His Own Aspirations

Obviously, Mark Zuckerberg's question was not without purpose; he had an agenda.

And for Zhao Fusheng, he had to admit that Zuckerberg had sharp instincts, targeting the Chinese market at this early stage.

After all, China's internet development was not particularly fast at the time, and compared to Europe and America, the internet market was not yet mature.

But Mark Zuckerberg had already begun to notice the prospects of China's internet development.

In a sense, this could be considered a kind of foresight.

Smiling at Zuckerberg, Zhao Fusheng said calmly, "I can't guarantee anything about this, because you have to understand that China is different from most countries. The ideological gap makes our country relatively conservative."

Zuckerberg nodded; he understood Zhao Fusheng's words.

How conservative China was, Zuckerberg had some idea—not just in ideology, but also in social customs and certain aspects of the nation's thinking, China was relatively conservative compared to other countries.

"So, to be honest, Mark," Zhao Fusheng glanced at Zuckerberg and said slowly, "I don't think it's simple for Facebook to enter the Chinese market."

Zuckerberg was startled, then fell into thought.

Zhao Fusheng did not continue; some things were best left unsaid. He didn't need to spell it out, believing the other party would understand his meaning.

For one thing, just the censorship by the broadcasting authorities alone, Zhao Fusheng didn't think Facebook could pass unscathed.

After all, China's scrutiny of matters involving ideology was very strict.

"But don't worry, as long as there's an opportunity, I'll definitely support you."

Zhao Fusheng said to Zuckerberg with a smile.

He knew very well that even up to the time of his rebirth, Zuckerberg had never given up his dream of bringing Facebook into China, though he never succeeded.

"Good, I trust you," Zuckerberg nodded.

He just needed a promise.

Their subsequent conversation became much more formal, mostly about Facebook's development prospects, but both Zhao Fusheng and Zuckerberg knew that their relationship could never return to what it was.

Facebook was no longer a website but a business.

……

……

The meeting with Zuckerberg was a business negotiation, while the meeting with Tan Kaixuan was simply a reunion of old friends.

"So, so, didn't I tell you I'm useful?"

As soon as he met Zhao Fusheng, Tan Kaixuan said with a grin.

Clearly, he also knew that it was precisely because of the involvement of Brother Capital, which he represented, that Sequoia Capital decided to acquire the Facebook shares Zhao Fusheng held.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to comment on this guy's attitude.

"You're just stubborn with your mouth." Seeing that Zhao Fusheng didn't praise him, Tan Kaixuan began to praise himself: "I told Dong Chenxi at the time, as soon as news of our contact spread, those old foxes at Sequoia Capital wouldn't be able to sit still. And what happened? I was right about everything!"

"Alright, alright, you're so amazing. You, Boss Tan, are the world's greatest investor, okay?" Zhao Fusheng was defeated by this guy's shamelessness and said helplessly.

"Anyway, I'm just a little bit better than you," Tan Kaixuan said smugly.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He poured himself a glass of water and asked, "Is your company satisfied with this deal?"

He was referring to the American shareholders of Brother Capital, since the company was no longer just Tan Kaixuan's alone, but also included his American partners.

Tan Kaixuan shrugged: "Very satisfied. After all, it's Sequoia Capital. Getting five percent of the shares from them is already an unexpected bonus."

Zhao Fusheng wasn't primarily in the investment business and didn't fully understand what the name Sequoia Capital meant in America. Tan Kaixuan knew that when news broke that he had obtained five percent of Facebook's shares from Sequoia Capital, the company's shareholders were overjoyed.

Over the years, Sequoia Capital had proven through countless successful cases how powerful an investment company they were.

And now, Brother Capital was gradually developing in Sequoia's direction.

"That's good," Zhao Fusheng nodded. "I was worried that your company's shareholders might think you got too few shares."

Tan Kaixuan shook his head: "You don't understand Americans. Their thinking is simple: with a good start, there will be a next step. Even though it's only five percent now, they believe that if we keep waiting for opportunities, there will be another five percent."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then smiled, having to admit that this kind of thinking did make some sense.

Often, we are never satisfied with the status quo and want more, but in fact, we overlook a very important issue: if we can't even take the first step, there is no possibility of a next step.

"I'm planning to get a green card."

After a long silence, Tan Kaixuan said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng frowned: "Are you serious?"

Tan Kaixuan smiled bitterly: "Yes, I have no choice. If I want to establish myself here, this is my only option."

He paused and sighed: "You know the environment back home..."

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng couldn't say anything more.

Although Zhao Fusheng was reluctant to admit it, the investment environment in China was indeed too unsettling for investors. For instance, in most parts of the north, investors were simply there to be exploited.

Yes, exploited.

It's often said that investment doesn't cross Shanhaiguan. Take Xuexiang as an example: before investment, all conditions were promised; after investment, all conditions vanished. Law enforcement agencies would constantly come to threaten, checking this today and that tomorrow—public security, food inspection, boiler inspections—causing trouble every day.

With such an investment environment, who would dare to invest their funds?

More importantly, Tan Kaixuan was different from Zhao Fusheng. Future Group was Zhao Fusheng's own company, but Brother Capital was not solely Tan Kaixuan's; he had his considerations and concerns. Under these circumstances, he could only choose to become a US citizen.

Each has his own aspirations, and Zhao Fusheng couldn't say anything.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng understood that Tan Kaixuan was most likely trying to avoid becoming someone's white glove.