Chapter 1628: Differences

By the time Zhao Fusheng got home, it was already evening.

"Where's our daughter?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Fan Baobao.

"She's already asleep." Fan Baobao looked at her husband with a smile: "Why are you back? Didn't you say you were going to attend the Baeksang Arts Awards?"

Although Zhao Fusheng was in South Korea, the two talked on the phone every day, so she was quite clear about his schedule.

As for whether Zhao Fusheng might fool around outside, Fan Baobao wasn't worried.

A wise woman doesn't try to prove that her man can resist temptation; instead, she makes him accustomed to rejecting other women who try to tempt him.

A wise friend doesn't force a friend to choose between them and profit; instead, they strive to create mutual benefits.

Only fools test human nature, and then both sides suffer.

The human heart is the least resilient to testing.

"Old Jiang stayed behind."

Zhao Fusheng explained his cooperation with Samsung and finally said: "To avoid Samsung people coming to find me, I came back a few days early to spend time with you and the child."

"What, are you worried?"

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Fan Baobao frowned slightly, somewhat surprised.

Clearly, she felt that Zhao Fusheng was worried about something going wrong with Samsung.

"Not worried."

Zhao Fusheng laughed upon hearing this: "I just need to leave them hanging for a while."

"Alright." Fan Baobao nodded: "As long as you know what you're doing. By the way, Mom bought a house, and it's pretty nice. If you have time tomorrow, let's go take a look, okay?"

Now, she no longer had the ambition she once had; instead, she preferred the feeling of being at home.

After all, having children and family at home made Fan Baobao feel very content, even happier than when she acted in movies or TV shows.

In fact, she felt she should have had children for Zhao Fusheng earlier.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow."

For him, since he was home, family came first. As for work matters, Dong Chenxi and the others were keeping an eye on things, so nothing would go wrong.

...

...

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng's choice was correct.

His departure from Korea startled Samsung. Lee Boo-jin directly called to ask if Zhao Fusheng no longer intended to cooperate with Samsung.

"Sister Boo-jin, don't misunderstand." Zhao Fusheng signaled Fan Baobao to take the child away first, holding the phone with a smile: "I didn't mean that."

"Then why did you leave Korea..."

Lee Boo-jin's tone was somewhat aggrieved. She had thought she had facilitated the cooperation, but unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng left without saying goodbye, leaving her quite frustrated.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "It's like this: my mother and father were originally in the northeast. Since my wife gave birth to a daughter, they thought they should move to the capital to be with the child, so I came back to handle this matter."

"Ah?"

Lee Boo-jin was stunned, completely bewildered.

Indeed, she was baffled. In her view, how could a billionaire like Zhao Fusheng care about something like his family buying a house? He would rather leave business in Korea and return to China's capital? What was going on?

But Zhao Fusheng spoke so seriously that she couldn't help but believe him.

Helpless, Lee Boo-jin said: "When will you come back? My father has authorized my brother and me to negotiate with your company."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment: "Since it's cooperation, there must be a process. Let's set the negotiation location here in the capital, how about that?"

He paused and smiled: "And I also think Sister Boo-jin and Mr. Lee Jae-yong can investigate the development of Alibaba. After all, that's the focus of our cooperation, isn't it?"

Taking a deep breath, Lee Boo-jin barely restrained herself from cursing.

Zhao Fusheng was a complete fox, giving no one any chance.

By saying this, he was clearly hinting that Samsung wouldn't have any opportunity to cheat in this cooperation. It was best to be open and honest; otherwise, there would be no deal.

"Fine."

Lee Boo-jin nodded and hung up without saying more.

"Who was that?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng finish the call, Zhao's mother asked curiously.

Her son rarely came home, and the phone kept ringing; she was a bit displeased.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and explained to his mother: "Nothing, just a business partner."

"Oh." Zhao's mother nodded: "If it's important, that's fine."

Then she looked at Zhao Fusheng: "Make time to spend with Baobao while you're home. You don't come back often, understand?"

She didn't want any problems between her son and Fan Baobao.

Zhao Fusheng smiled; he understood his mother's meaning.

It's often said that men change when they get rich, and there's some truth to that. In most people's eyes, once material wealth is abundant, one seeks satisfaction in other areas. The saying 'full bellies lead to lustful thoughts' isn't wrong.

But that didn't apply to him, because Zhao Fusheng wasn't the type to be blinded by material wealth.

After having a meal with his parents and leaving the child with them, Zhao Fusheng took Fan Baobao to see a movie and go shopping. The couple happily returned home to pick up the child.

"Did Mom say something to you?"

On the way back, Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng suspiciously.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Nothing, she was just worried that I might neglect you."

Fan Baobao burst out laughing; she hadn't expected her mother-in-law to say that to Zhao Fusheng.

"She really is..." Fan Baobao shook her head helplessly, then glared at Zhao Fusheng: "See? I have backup."

Zhao Fusheng was speechless; this woman was crazy. What was so funny?

"Alright, I trust you."

Fan Baobao didn't give him a chance to complain and quickly changed the subject: "If you have time tomorrow, let's invite Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao over for dinner. It's been a while since we all got together."

Not just as collaborators or superiors and subordinates, Zheng Yao and Dong Chenxi were Zhao Fusheng's confidants and the pillars of his control over the Future Group. So Fan Baobao often helped Zhao Fusheng strengthen ties with them. She even helped Dong Guoxiang find a partner by introducing him to nice girls she knew.

In Fan Baobao's view, she couldn't help Zhao Fusheng much in business, but she had to do her best.

"Sure."

Zhao Fusheng nodded; he had planned to call them over anyway.

They were his core team; with them, he wasn't worried about losing control of the company.

...

...

No one refused Zhao Fusheng's invitation.

After all, the cooperation with Samsung, though not public, was no secret among the company's top management.

Zheng Yao and Dong Chenxi hadn't deliberately concealed the news. For a time, morale fluctuated within the Future Group, and lower-level employees discussed whether this was good or bad for the company's development.

"Of course it's good."

Sitting on the sofa at Zhao Fusheng's house, Bai Jie said seriously: "Although the company's financial situation is healthy, we have to admit that we're lacking in liquidity."

As the company's financial director, she was the most authoritative on this issue.

For a long time, the Future Group's financial condition had been healthier than other companies. But remember, relying solely on the funds from Zhao Fusheng's earlier stock sales to develop and grow was very difficult.

In short, the Future Group was like a growing child. It might not need to worry about ordinary opponents, but when facing giants like SoftBank Asia and Sequoia Capital, it was outmatched.

This was well known among the company's top management.

That's why Bai Jie agreed with Zhao Fusheng and Dong Chenxi's decision.

In her view, no matter how promising Alibaba's prospects were, there was a prerequisite: it couldn't affect the company's normal development.

Otherwise, no matter how promising the company, it wasn't worth investing in.

"I'm not so sure."

Dong Guoxiang thought differently and said solemnly: "Samsung is no pushover. Do you think Lee Kun-hee is a saint? Can't he see our intentions?"

He continued slowly: "I still think we should be cautious about this."

He was a conservative, believing that the company had come this far with difficulty. Introducing Samsung into promising investments like Alibaba and Facebook might backfire.

"But the problem is, if we don't take action, once Alibaba goes public, our shares will inevitably be diluted." Bai Jie disagreed with Dong Guoxiang and retorted: "We can't just watch our shares get diluted, can we?"

"Wouldn't our shares be diluted even if Samsung joins?"

Dong Guoxiang said bluntly: "The result is the same."

"It's different."

At this point, Dong Chenxi spoke up: "If Samsung joins, they'll only have a portion of the equity without voting rights, but that will be enough to shift SoftBank and Sequoia's focus onto them."

"I doubt it."

Dong Guoxiang didn't think they were right; he shook his head stubbornly.

Clearly, he opposed the plan.

And Zheng Yao, who hadn't spoken, seemed to support Dong Guoxiang's view in Zhao Fusheng's opinion; otherwise, given her personality, she would have spoken up long ago.