Chapter 1698: The Tyrant

Although the office building of SM Entertainment was quite shabby, the trainee dormitory was decent, located in an apartment near the company.

"Thank you."

Getting out of the car, Song Qian bowed to Zhao Fusheng in gratitude.

"You're welcome."

Zhao Fusheng sat in the car, waved his hand, and smiled at Song Qian: "It's nothing. Go on up."

After a thought, he said: "When you come tomorrow, don't rush so much."

He said this because he remembered that Song Qian seemed to have arrived very early today and waited a long time in the hotel lobby.

"Ah, okay."

Song Qian nodded repeatedly and said to Zhao Fusheng gratefully: "Thank you."

Zhao Fusheng watched Song Qian leave with a smile. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a middle-aged man standing not far away, followed by two men in suits.

"Stop the car."

Zhao Fusheng said to Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen was startled but obeyed Zhao Fusheng and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Chairman, that's Lee Soo-man." Wu Sijie naturally recognized the man; as Zhao Fusheng's assistant, he had reviewed the materials on all the companies in which the firm held shares.

"Hmm, looks like he's waiting for us."

A smile curled at the corner of Zhao Fusheng's mouth as he said to Wu Sijie.

Wu Sijie frowned: "Should I drive him away?"

"No need."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Come on, get out with me and see what Director Lee has to say."

Although Lee Soo-man was always regarded as a tyrant by the outside world, Zhao Fusheng believed that the guy was definitely a genius in business.

Turning SM Entertainment from a record company into South Korea's top music agency was itself a testament to his ability.

SM was founded in the 1990s and was not profitable initially. After discovering the success of the idol group Seo Taiji and Boys, Lee Soo-man realized the business opportunity in the idol industry and began recruiting trainees in large numbers to cultivate artists himself.

These artists were trained from a very young age, or some had exceptional talent, undergoing years of training and various screenings before finally debuting.

On this point alone, Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Lee Soo-man really had a knack for it.

"I'll go see."

Zhao Fusheng pushed open the door and got out of the car. Chen Zhen and Wu Sijie quickly followed behind him.

Fan Beibei naturally got out as well, letting Zhao Fusheng hold her hand.

"Brother, who is he?"

As they walked, Fan Beibei asked Zhao Fusheng in a low voice.

"Him?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed at the question and shook his head: "Just someone who thinks he's clever."

That was his honest opinion. Although Lee Soo-man had achieved great success in the music industry, in Zhao Fusheng's view, he was not a qualified businessman because he could never shake off political influence.

SM Entertainment had countless ties to South Korean politics, a fact Zhao Fusheng knew well. Similarly, the later-rising Yang Hyun-suk was also connected to the president involved in the Choi Soon-sil scandal, so after the female president fell, Big Bang also fell into trouble.

There were both benefits and drawbacks to this.

The advantage was that when the political forces they supported were in power, the company developed very quickly. But conversely, once those political forces failed, they would face fierce retaliation from the opposing side.

Although Park Jin-young, that gorilla, was ugly, he saw this clearly. So while JYP developed more slowly, it was relatively stable compared to the ups and downs of the other companies.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao."

Lee Soo-man bowed respectfully to Zhao Fusheng in greeting.

Although older than Zhao Fusheng, he knew well that this man was someone who could sit down and discuss cooperation with Samsung's Lee Kun-hee.

And Lee Kun-hee's status in South Korea was beyond question.

"You're too kind, Director Lee."

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "To be honest, I'm surprised to see you here, Director Lee."

Lee Soo-man had been forced to resign as CEO of SM due to tax evasion and embezzlement of company funds. After receiving a special pardon, he returned to South Korea, but by then Kim Young-min had become the representative director of SM, and Lee Soo-man could only serve as the artistic director.

That was why Lee Soo-man and Kim Young-min had been constantly struggling for power within the company.

Power struggles—such things exist everywhere.

Zhao Fusheng had originally thought that Kim Young-min would be the one to approach him, but unexpectedly it was Lee Soo-man. It seemed that Representative Kim's information was not as timely as Director Lee's.

Or rather, Lee Soo-man understood human nature better than Kim Young-min.

This was evident from how SM's artists desperately thanked Lee Soo-man in their acceptance speeches.

The two conversed in English.

Zhao Fusheng clearly remembered that Lee Soo-man didn't seem to know English, but now it appeared his information was wrong.

"May I speak with you alone, Mr. Zhao?"

Lee Soo-man looked at Zhao Fusheng sincerely.

Zhao Fusheng suddenly smiled: "How about we take a walk?"

"Ah?"

Hearing this, Lee Soo-man was first startled, then smiled and nodded: "Okay."

The two walked side by side on the road, with bodyguards and assistants behind them, and Zhao Fusheng kept holding Fan Beibei's hand.

"Mr. Zhao, what brings you to South Korea this time?" Lee Soo-man asked Zhao Fusheng.

Not only him, but Kim Young-min was also curious. After all, this man was different from ordinary people—he was a genuine tycoon. Especially in this small corner of South Korea, for people like Lee Soo-man, Zhao Fusheng's wealth was beyond measure.

With a net worth of several trillion won and being a shareholder of Samsung, that identity alone was enough to crush everything.

After all, even Lee Soo-man himself was nothing in the eyes of Samsung.

"Vacation."

Hearing Lee Soo-man's question, Zhao Fusheng smiled and pointed to the little girl beside him: "This is my wife's younger sister, a child I've watched grow up. I'm someone who likes to live according to my own wishes, so when I feel tired, I choose to take a vacation."

"Vacation?"

Lee Soo-man was taken aback by Zhao Fusheng's words. He had originally thought Zhao Fusheng came to South Korea to discuss business, which was why he was so wary.

After all, given Zhao Fusheng's current status, if he wanted to do anything to the Korean entertainment industry, SM would have no power to resist.

That was what worried him and Kim Young-min the most.

But unexpectedly, the man was just here for tourism.

This was totally unreasonable!

Seeing Lee Soo-man's expression, Zhao Fusheng laughed: "What, you don't believe me?"

"No, no, I absolutely don't mean that." Lee Soo-man quickly shook his head and denied: "Please don't misunderstand."

When the weak face the strong, the biggest problem is that you cannot let the strong perceive you as hostile, because once they do, the final outcome would be an unimaginable scene.

Lee Soo-man dared not provoke Zhao Fusheng, because he knew that once Zhao Fusheng became an enemy of SM, neither he nor Kim Young-min could withstand his wrath.

And the people behind him or Kim Young-min would never confront Zhao Fusheng head-on for their sake.

Not because they didn't care, but because offending someone like Zhao Fusheng over SM was simply not worth it.

For example, would you fight to the death with someone just because they sang in front of you?

Impossible, unless you were crazy; no one would choose to do that.

People are creatures of interest; they weigh options and make choices, selecting the outcome and situation most beneficial to themselves.

And clearly, for those behind Kim Young-min and Lee Soo-man, they knew exactly what they needed between SM and Zhao Fusheng.

Thus, the purpose of Lee Soo-man's visit was to ascertain Zhao Fusheng's intentions.

Friend?

Enemy?

"Director Lee, I really don't like politics."

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Lee Soo-man and said indifferently: "I've always believed that as a businessman, one should stay as far away from politics as possible, or at least, even if you can't avoid it, don't be the most prominent one."

Lee Soo-man's expression changed slightly; he understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning.

But the problem was that South Korea was different from China. To do business in South Korea, if you didn't get involved in politics, you simply couldn't grow big or strong.

Some things, unless you're in the midst of them, you simply can't understand.

Of course, Lee Soo-man couldn't explain this to Zhao Fusheng.

He could only say solemnly to Zhao Fusheng: "Mr. Zhao, I hope you understand that I and SM will always be your partners."

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "I believe Director Lee's words. Because for me or Hanxing Investment, our purpose in doing business in South Korea is to seek profit. As long as there is profit to be made, I don't mind who my partner is, isn't that so?"

With that said, as long as Lee Soo-man wasn't an idiot, he understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning. Clearly, this Chinese tycoon would not get involved in certain South Korean struggles just because he became a partner with Samsung.

Whether the conservatives or the democrats came to power, it was all the same to him.

Having obtained this promise from Zhao Fusheng, Lee Soo-man's mood improved considerably. He smiled and said to Zhao Fusheng: "If Mr. Zhao is willing, I would like to invite you to visit the company."

"That won't be necessary."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, not agreeing, but said with a smile: "I told you, I'm on vacation."

Yes, just vacation. He didn't want to become a tool in someone else's hands.