Chapter 1440 Short Selling?

"A new model?"

"That's right, a new model." Zhao Fusheng said to Zheng Yao, "We've invested in many projects before, haven't we? We can select some people from the company, including our clients and potential partners. If they think a project has prospects, we can hand over the leadership of the project to them."

"What?"

Zheng Yao was stunned for a moment, and only after a long while did she come back to her senses: "What... what does that mean?"

"Literally." Zhao Fusheng laughed. "Think about it, see if it's feasible."

Hearing his words, Zheng Yao fell silent.

After a long time, just as Zhao Fusheng thought she was about to hang up, Zheng Yao's voice sounded: "Let me think about it. I'll have the Strategic Planning Department draft a plan."

"Okay."

Zhao Fusheng said nothing more.

Putting down the phone, a smile crept onto Zhao Fusheng's lips. He knew that Zheng Yao might not yet realize what this model would bring to the Future Group if it took off.

For example, many of the Future Group's projects were actually quite high-quality in the eyes of outsiders.

Then, according to Zhao Fusheng's plan, by handing over these projects to the group's partners or clients at some cost, the Future Group would gain not only the financial returns from the other party but also their friendship.

Whether in business or in the workplace, having more allies is always better.

If a person or a company has more allies than enemies, that is naturally a good thing.

Take Zhu Yushi, for example. Even though the Giant Group had already failed, with the loyalty of a group of employees who refused to leave and the help of a few old friends, he was still able to make a comeback.

That's an example of how having more friends makes the road easier to travel.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng didn't really care about that. He just felt that at least this way, Zheng Yao wouldn't be so distressed.

After all, exchanging a few high-quality projects for more beneficial resources to feed back into the company was something she, as CEO, could accept.

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng knew Zheng Yao quite well.

Once the Strategic Planning Department produced a feasibility plan for this proposal, Zheng Yao quickly made a decision.

Zhao Fusheng wouldn't bother with that. His attention lately had been on family matters.

Fan Baobao had started experiencing relentless morning sickness, throwing up almost everything she ate. Zhao's mother was extremely worried, and Li Yuan kept calling every day to check in. If not for the fact that her shop in Ninghai couldn't spare her, she would have come to take care of her daughter personally.

As the instigator, Zhao Fusheng naturally couldn't escape. He had gone out to buy fruit for his wife in the middle of the night at least three or four times.

And Fan Baobao wouldn't eat anything else—only sour things.

Zhao Fusheng had no objection to that, but it was tough on Hu Donghai and the others. After all, if the boss went out in the middle of the night, they, as bodyguards, couldn't afford to be negligent and had to follow along.

For this, Fan Baobao apologized to Hu Donghai and the others several times and even gave them bonuses out of her own pocket.

She actually knew that what she was doing was a bit inappropriate, but at the time, she just wanted to give her husband a hard time.

Zhao Fusheng felt like crying but had no tears, though he could understand.

After all, a pregnant woman basically has no one else to bully except her own man.

Zhao's mother, on the other hand, thought it was perfectly normal and didn't side with Zhao Fusheng at all. In her words, when she was pregnant with Zhao Fusheng, she tormented his father even more outrageously than this.

Now Zhao Fusheng had lost even his last ally, so he had no choice but to obediently endure Fan Baobao's "torment."

Fortunately, Fan Baobao wasn't the unreasonable type. After that initial novelty wore off, she stopped "bullying" Zhao Fusheng all day.

And Zhao Fusheng's energy was then taken up by the little girl, Fan Beibei.

The reason was simple: with Fan Baobao pregnant and Zhao's mother needing to take care of her, the responsibility of looking after Fan Beibei naturally fell on Zhao Fusheng.

Of course, in Fan Baobao's words, this was advance training for Zhao Fusheng's ability to take care of children.

Zhao Fusheng was quite helpless about this.

But fortunately, Fan Beibei, now in elementary school, was much more sensible than before. Although she still occasionally made people double over with laughter, most of the time she was quite well-behaved.

...

...

"Beibei, be good, get out of the car."

At the school gate, Zhao Fusheng said to Fan Beibei with a smile.

The little girl looked reluctant: "Brother, will you pick me up tonight?"

"Of course." Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you at the gate."

"Mm."

The obedient little girl nodded, then got out of the car and walked toward the school.

"Let's go, we're heading home."

After watching Fan Beibei enter the school, Zhao Fusheng turned around and said to Hu Donghai, who was in the passenger seat.

Hu Donghai silently started the car and slowly drove away from the school.

As the car drove along the road, Zhao Fusheng closed his eyes and listened to the news on the radio.

"Construction of the Olympic venues enters..."

"According to the latest data, Lehman Brothers in the United States is mired in an unprecedented crisis..."

Huh?

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then opened his eyes wide.

If he hadn't misheard, that news just now was about Lehman Brothers.

"What's wrong, Chairman?"

Hu Donghai, seeing Zhao Fusheng's reaction, asked curiously.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Nothing, nothing."

But his mind was racing, thinking about what was going on. Could it be that because of his little butterfly effect, Lehman Brothers was already facing a crisis in 2006?

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng picked up the phone and dialed Wu Sijie's number.

"Chairman, what are your instructions?"

When the call connected, Wu Sijie asked respectfully.

Zhao Fusheng had been resting at home lately, but as his assistant, Wu Sijie had no vacation and stayed at the company, ready to report any developments at headquarters to Zhao Fusheng in a timely manner.

"Check on the recent situation of Lehman Brothers in the U.S. for me." Zhao Fusheng said to Wu Sijie.

Wu Sijie was taken aback but still nodded: "I understand."

Putting down the phone, Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, then dialed Tan Kaixuan's number.

"Ring ring ring!"

After a burst of phone vibrations, Tan Kaixuan's groggy voice sounded: "Hello, this is Tan Kaixuan."

"I know it's you."

Zhao Fusheng said, "Just went to sleep?"

"Bro, it's the middle of the night. What do you mean 'just went to sleep'? I was dreaming." Tan Kaixuan said helplessly.

If it weren't Zhao Fusheng calling, he wouldn't even bother to answer and would just hang up.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "How much do you know about Lehman?"

Lehman Brothers?

Tan Kaixuan was startled, clearly surprised, but then said in a dismissive tone: "They've been all over the news lately. But didn't you say that even if there were problems, it wouldn't be until next year?"

Zhao Fusheng was dumbfounded!

Taking a deep breath, he restrained himself from cursing out the swear word in his mind and said helplessly: "You idiot, do you think I can dictate exactly when something like this happens? I sensed something was off when I heard the news this morning."

"What does that have to do with us?" Tan Kaixuan didn't quite understand Zhao Fusheng's meaning. "We've already exited the market here."

In his view, the capital he represented had already left, and their current investment business in the U.S. was mostly small-time. Even if Lehman Brothers really had problems, it had nothing to do with him.

Mind your own business—that was Tan Kaixuan's current attitude.

"Don't you want to short U.S. stocks?"

One sentence from Zhao Fusheng made Tan Kaixuan's drowsiness vanish completely.

"What did you say?"

"Short U.S. stocks?!"

Tan Kaixuan's voice instantly rose by several dozen decibels. Clearly, he was now extremely agitated.

Was this guy Zhao Fusheng finally planning to enter the financial market?