Chapter 1427: Bold and Resolute

Actually, what Dad Zhao and Zhao Fusheng talked about wasn't really a secret—it was just that his parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary was approaching, and he planned to give his wife a gift.

Zhao Fusheng naturally expressed support for this. He had always felt that as his parents grew older, they should enjoy life. After all, the purpose of making money was to make life more pleasant. If someone worked hard all their life, saved up money, and then died before they could enjoy it, that would be too tragic.

"What did Dad tell you?"

Sitting on the train, Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng in a low voice.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and shook his head. "Secret."

"Hmph!" Fan Baobao shot him a glare, contemptuous of his mystifying behavior, but she knew it probably wasn't anything serious.

Having known him for so long, she understood that if Zhao Fusheng didn't want to tell her something, he definitely wouldn't. That guy's lips were sealed tight.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and didn't bring up the topic again. Instead, he chatted with Fan Baobao about some things that happened during the filming of *Lurking*.

Although Fan Baobao was already quite mature, she was undoubtedly much more naive compared to the even more mature Zhao Fusheng. Soon, he diverted her attention, and she enthusiastically followed his lead in their conversation.

Since they were taking the train—even though the railway had been sped up several times in recent years—the trip from Ninghai to the capital still took at least two days and one night. So most of the time, Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao were quite bored. Fortunately, Fan Beibei was a little ray of sunshine, and the three of them occasionally played cards together, making the time pass easily.

...

...

Back in the capital, Fan Baobao officially began her break. Every day, besides taking care of Fan Beibei, she would chat and go shopping with Zhou Yun, who was also at home with her child. Meanwhile, Zhao Fusheng started restructuring the Future Group.

"This restructuring must be thorough!"

In the meeting room at Future Group headquarters, Zhao Fusheng sat in the main seat at the head of the table, swept his gaze around the room, and said to everyone, "Unnecessary projects must be cut as soon as possible."

Zheng Yao and the others exchanged glances. Although they had been briefed by Zhao Fusheng beforehand, they hadn't expected his resolve to be so strong. It was clear he was determined to overhaul the company.

Zhao Fusheng looked at the reactions of those below him and sighed inwardly.

To be honest, he really didn't want to do this, but the problem was that if they didn't restructure, the company would sooner or later fall into the same dangerous situations that big companies like Delong and Wantong had experienced.

You see, in recent years, the Future Group had expanded very rapidly, which meant more and more places to spend money. Although they had obtained $900 million from the United States earlier, after taxes, only about $700 million remained, and they still had to deal with issues from companies like Alibaba and Tencent Technology.

So Zhao Fusheng was well aware that the money in his hands was insufficient.

Moreover, during the expansion, the internal organization of the Future Group had gradually fragmented. The advertising company was controlled by Zheng Yao, the investment company was Dong Chenxi's territory, security was Zhang Qian's responsibility, and the film and television company was under Ye Jing's authority. Even Dong Guoxiang, now the head of the supervision department, had Zhang Xiaolong as his confidant at the network technology company, along with a large number of former subordinates, so his influence could not be underestimated.

This situation was deliberately created by Zhao Fusheng. Previously, he thought it was fine, but now, financial resources and the company's operations were gradually showing drawbacks. Misalignment and conflicts were common, especially during the expansion process, as the financial burden grew heavier. In particular, many projects that had been invested in were like endless money-sucking machines, constantly urging Zhao Fusheng to invest more.

For example, to maintain its position as a major shareholder in Alibaba, according to Future Investment's estimates, the Future Group would need to invest over $300 million within at least three to five years.

The same went for Tencent Technology.

The projects of these two companies alone consumed almost all the funds Zhao Fusheng had obtained from selling his Facebook shares.

What did that mean?

It meant that unless the Future Group continued to borrow from banks, the company would still face a shortage of funds.

Having realized this problem, Zhao Fusheng had been thinking about how much capacity he had and how the company could achieve healthy investment and expansion capabilities, rather than relying on his foresight to solve problems in a spasmodic manner.

"Never borrow money to invest!"

That was the only thought in Zhao Fusheng's mind.

Although Dong Chenxi, Zheng Yao, and others didn't understand his thinking, they all knew that Zhao Fusheng had strong business acumen and accurate judgment. Since he thought that way, there must be a reason.

Of course, more importantly, he was the boss, so what he said went.

"Projects that should be abandoned must be abandoned without hesitation." Zhao Fusheng looked at everyone. "Go back and think it over carefully. We can appropriately introduce partners and gradually give up our dominant position while keeping our shares."

Everyone nodded, understanding Zhao Fusheng's meaning.

"Handle the specifics as you see fit." Zhao Fusheng smiled. "I'm an outsider, so I won't give blind orders."

This was his usual approach: set the general direction and let the responsible people under him handle it themselves.

Zheng Yao and the others knew his personality and weren't surprised by this. They all nodded in agreement.

After the meeting, Zhao Fusheng kept Zheng Yao and Dong Chenxi behind.

One was the company's CEO, and the other was the head of Future Investment, so naturally, they needed a separate conversation.

"So, is there anything unclear about what I said?" In his office, Zhao Fusheng asked Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao with a smile.

Dong Chenxi nodded. "According to your meaning, if we do this, should we sell off some of the projects on the investment side?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Naturally. What I mean is that Future Investment will mainly focus on angel investing in the future. As for financial investments, we should do as little as possible, or none at all. Especially in the domestic financial market, we won't get involved."

This was the decision Zhao Fusheng made after meeting with Lu Jianzhi.

It wasn't that he thought the employees of Future Investment were incompetent, but because China's financial market was completely unsound. Rather than taking risks by entering it, it was better to simply stay out and stick to angel investing, where they wouldn't lose much no matter what.

There are no innocent investors in the stock market—Zhao Fusheng was very sure of that. He didn't want to be a leek-cutter, nor did he want to be cut as a leek.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Dong Chenxi frowned slightly, a look of surprise on her face.

Clearly, she hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to make such a decision.

As the general manager of Future Investment, the company had been doing well in recent years. Although most of its returns came from venture capital, the department responsible for stock and futures investments had also achieved some results, with considerable profits. Now, Zhao Fusheng's words meant shutting down this business line, which was undoubtedly hard for Dong Chenxi to accept.

"What, surprised?" Zhao Fusheng glanced at Dong Chenxi and asked.

He knew very well that if he didn't explain clearly, it would be difficult for her to accept.

"Personally, I don't mind, but the company's returns from the financial market are pretty good." Dong Chenxi thought for a moment and honestly said to Zhao Fusheng, "I think we can keep this business."

There was no selfish motive in her thinking; she simply believed that since they could make money in the financial market, why give it up?

Zheng Yao hesitated for a moment and then spoke up, "I think Chenxi's idea is right. Since the investment department is doing well now, maybe we should give them some time?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and waved his hand. "It's not a matter of time. You have to understand that China's financial market is different from other countries. If you often walk by the river, you'll eventually get your feet wet. If something goes wrong, it will be a big problem, and it will be too late to regret."

Hearing his words, Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao's expressions changed, and they fell silent.