Chapter 1557: Returning Home

"What, Zhao, is there something you're not satisfied with?"

Seeming to notice Zhao Fusheng's displeasure, Kevin Feige asked him with some curiosity.

Not only him, but even Jon Favreau looked at Zhao Fusheng with equal curiosity.

Even Tan Kaixuan and Dong Chenxi showed expressions of confusion.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and shook his head: "Mr. Feige, I'm not dissatisfied with you. I just don't understand—can't we fight for more shares?"

This was his biggest point of dissatisfaction; originally, by his estimate, he thought he could get at least sixty to seventy percent of the shares.

But now it was only a little over fifty percent, which left Zhao Fusheng very unsatisfied.

"I'm sorry, Zhao."

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Kevin Feige shook his head helplessly: "I've done my best on this, but not all shareholders are willing to sell their shares. Some would rather see their equity diluted than give up their Marvel shares."

With a sigh, Zhao Fusheng knew that this matter was probably not as easy as he had thought.

"Tell me your plan."

Glancing at Kevin Feige, Zhao Fusheng said slowly.

Regardless, the rise of Marvel would ultimately depend on this man.

Kevin Feige nodded: "First, we plan to launch the 'Iron Man' film series, followed by 'Thor' and 'Captain America.' Of course, these are just the groundwork; our goal is to build 'The Avengers.'"

Looking at Zhao Fusheng, Kevin Feige explained: "After that, we'll continue with 'Iron Man' sequels, then more sequels for Captain America and Thor, and spin off 'Guardians of the Galaxy' on its own track. Additionally, I plan to shoot 'The Avengers 2,' with the plot to be determined as we go."

By the time he said this, Zhao Fusheng already understood what the man's plan looked like.

In fact, while Marvel was methodically building its universe, Warner Bros. and DC could no longer sit still. Without fully developing Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, or Green Lantern, they unveiled a重磅 five-year plan for 'Batman v Superman' and 'Justice League.'

On the Marvel side, Kevin Feige calmly held press conferences to announce that he really had a long-brewing five-year plan, including Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and a Captain America vs. Iron Man showdown that no one could guess.

Moreover, they would even buy back the little spider they had sold off, using Marvel's profits, and give him Tony Stark as a father figure, so he could stop crying poor and shouting 'with great power comes great responsibility'—if he had the guts, he could come to the Avengers and fight Thanos.

This series of operations ultimately built the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe empire.

And now, Zhao Fusheng suddenly realized that he had become one of the founders of this empire.

"So, Zhao, what do you think? Is my plan worth your investment?" Kevin Feige finished laying out his plan and fixed his eyes on Zhao Fusheng, waiting for his answer.

Zhao Fusheng was silent for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Heh, Mr. Kevin Feige, I have to admit, your plan is very persuasive. You've successfully convinced me. I agree to your plan and am willing to invest. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."

With that, Zhao Fusheng stood up and extended his hand to Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau: "I hope to see the 'Iron Man' project launched as soon as possible."

Kevin Feige was overjoyed. To be honest, although he knew his plan was perfect, the problem was that given Marvel's current situation, convincing investors was no simple task.

And despite Zhao Fusheng's earlier positive remarks, without a signed contract in black and white, Kevin Feige still felt uncertain inside.

"Zhao, rest assured, I will get the movie made as soon as possible," Kevin Feige said earnestly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "I'm not worried about that. As for the contract details, Miss Dong will negotiate with you."

Then, thinking for a moment, he said to Tan Kaixuan: "You should join in too."

After all, Tan Kaixuan was also one of the investors.

Tan Kaixuan shrugged: "Don't worry, I know what to do."

Everyone was happy; at that moment, everyone was in a good mood.

A week later, the agreement between Marvel and Future Investment was officially reached. A total investment of 2.1 billion US dollars quickly shocked the entire United States.

Fifty-eight percent of Marvel's shares were sold to the consortium led by Zhao Fusheng.

Among them, Brother Capital invested one billion US dollars, holding eighteen percent of the shares. The remaining shares were held by Zhao Fusheng.

Of course, this also included Zhou Jianmin's three hundred million US dollars and Xue Yuanfang's shares, but that was Zhao Fusheng's business.

In short, the announcement of this acquisition plan left everyone stunned.

Some even lamented that the East was indeed rich but foolish—spending a fortune to acquire a company like Marvel, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. Were these Easterners printing money?

Zhao Fusheng was certainly not printing money; he was merely investing in a project that could print money for him.

…

…

Leaving all matters to Tan Kaixuan and the others, Zhao Fusheng flew back to China.

He had been away from home for nearly a month and was rushing back to spend Christmas with his daughter and wife.

Sure enough, Fan Baobao was in a very good mood when she saw Zhao Fusheng return.

"Everything settled?"

Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng while holding their daughter and feeding her.

Zhao Fusheng gazed tenderly at the mother and daughter, nodded, and said: "All negotiated. The rest is just signing contracts. Old Tan and Dong Chenxi are overseeing things there."

"I thought you'd have to stay a while longer."

Fan Baobao smiled and said: "How long can you stay after coming back?"

She assumed Zhao Fusheng would likely have to leave again in a few days.

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, calculated his recent schedule, and finally said: "It depends. If they launch a new project in the US, I might need to go over and oversee it."

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng wasn't very concerned about Marvel's plan itself; what mattered to him was whether Marvel could get on track as originally planned.

After all, if Marvel couldn't get on track, this huge investment of his would go down the drain.

An investment of two billion—even Zhao Fusheng didn't want to see anything go wrong this time.

Although he was wealthy, he hadn't reached the point where he could casually throw away such a large sum of money.

Moreover, domestically, there was basically nothing left that required his personal attention.

Of course, before that, Zhao Fusheng still needed to resolve a few issues with Future Investment.

…

…

"What?"

At the SoftBank Asia Capital branch office, Ono Masao stared at his secretary in astonishment and asked: "Say that again?"

"Mr. Ono, Zhao Fusheng has returned from the US. Not only that, he personally went to Hongshan," the secretary said cautiously, lowering her voice as she glanced at Ono Masao.

"Bastard!"

Ono Masao flew into a rage and stood up abruptly. Clearly, this news was completely unacceptable to him.

He had originally thought that after his several visits to Zhao Fusheng and Dong Chenxi, the Future Group would cooperate with him. He never expected Zhao Fusheng to pull such a move—wasn't that guy afraid of completely offending him?

And at that moment, Ono Masao's phone suddenly rang...