Chapter 1712: A Digression

When Zhao Fusheng and Park Sun-young walked over to sit down, they had already attracted attention.

"Who is that?"

"I heard he's a guest of the eldest Miss Lee?"

"Really?"

"Really, I saw it at the door just now—Lee Boo-jin personally welcomed him."

"And just now, Lee Jae-yong was accompanying him..."

No one present was a fool. Kim Beom's earlier behavior could only be attributed to his ignorance of Zhao Fusheng's identity, which made him somewhat rash.

As for the rest, none of them were idiots.

Someone who could be personally welcomed by the eldest daughter of the Samsung Lee family and personally accompanied by the heir, Lee Jae-yong, could not possibly be an ordinary person.

In the business world, who can be provoked and who cannot is often clearly discerned after contact.

Just like now, although Zhao Fusheng sat there, the actions of Lee Boo-jin and Lee Jae-yong had implicitly marked him as close to the Lee family.

"Quite a clever move."

Zhao Fusheng sat there, muttering to himself.

"What is it, Chairman?"

Park Sun-young heard Zhao Fusheng's words and asked in a low voice, puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Nothing, I was just saying that the Lee siblings have played their cards well."

Not being stupid, Park Sun-young understood immediately upon hearing Zhao Fusheng's words and recalling Lee Boo-jin and Lee Jae-yong's behavior today. She chuckled and nodded: "Indeed, a well-calculated move."

"No wonder they are Korea's first family."

Zhao Fusheng said with a smile: "With such cunning, it's no wonder others can't compete with them."

This was praise, not mockery.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, both Lee Jae-yong and Lee Boo-jin had reasons for doing so. Although it might seem somewhat cold-hearted, their purpose was indeed beneficial to them.

By the same token, Zhao Fusheng knew their intentions and chose to cooperate, hoping to use this relationship to make Hanxing Investment's subsequent moves appear natural.

People are like that; they always unconsciously choose the direction that benefits them.

"It seems Representative Liang has also received an invitation."

Park Sun-young thought for a moment and said to Zhao Fusheng.

"Is that so?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then smiled: "Then he should be arriving soon."

As one of Seoul's major companies now, Hanxing Investment, as a partner of Samsung, would naturally be invited. Zhao Fusheng just hadn't expected Park Sun-young to know about it.

It seemed her relationship with Liang Jingyu was better than he had imagined.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng gave Park Sun-young a knowing smile: "Miss Sun-young, what do you think of Representative Liang as a person?"

"Ah?"

Park Sun-young was startled and looked at Zhao Fusheng strangely: "Chairman, you..."

"Just speaking objectively."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "I'm simply curious to hear your opinion of Representative Liang."

"Well, I..." Park Sun-young, a graduate of Seoul National University, was no fool despite not being a genius with an IQ of 200. Seeing Zhao Fusheng's knowing smile and his seemingly personal tone, she vaguely guessed what her boss was up to.

After all, she was a woman, and Park Sun-young's face visibly reddened.

"Chairman, you..." Park Sun-young looked at Zhao Fusheng helplessly and sighed: "You're putting me in a difficult position."

"What's so difficult?"

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "This isn't our first meeting. You've been with Liang Jingyu for a while now. You know him better than I do. If you ask me..."

Before he could finish, a familiar voice sounded beside him: "Chairman, I never expected you to be such a gossip."

It was Liang Jingyu, who had just arrived.

Zhao Fusheng looked up and saw Liang Jingyu standing before him with a wry smile. He laughed: "What's this? Do you have clairvoyance or super hearing? I barely mentioned you, and here you are."

"It's you who was too busy teasing Sun-young to notice I've been standing here for a while," Liang Jingyu retorted without ceremony.

"Is that so? You've been here for a while..." Zhao Fusheng laughed and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, I'll stop, okay?"

Park Sun-young's cheeks were flushed. She glanced at Liang Jingyu and said softly, "I'll go to the restroom."

Then, as if fleeing, she hurried away.

Watching her retreating figure, Zhao Fusheng smiled and turned to Liang Jingyu, who had sat down beside him: "What? I'm just concerned about your personal life. Where else can you find a boss like me?"

"Thank you very much."

Liang Jingyu's face was full of helplessness as he said to Zhao Fusheng: "We were just a normal superior-subordinate relationship. Now that you've said that, how are we supposed to interact? It's so awkward."

"Awkward?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "I think Miss Sun-young is a nice person and very beautiful. She suits you well."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Liang Jingyu looked at Zhao Fusheng speechlessly: "Boss, tell me what you want me to do. As long as you drop this, I'll do anything."

Zhao Fusheng laughed, patted Liang Jingyu on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

...

...

"Today, I sincerely thank everyone for attending this reception. On behalf of my elder sister, I express our heartfelt gratitude to all the guests present."

Lee Jae-yong stood on the podium, speaking politely to the crowd.

Since the guests had all arrived, it was time to start the formal reception. As the host, Lee Boo-jin could not take the stage, so her younger brother Lee Jae-yong naturally took the lead.

More importantly, he needed to use this opportunity to announce his alliance with Lee Boo-jin to the outside world.

"Additionally, I would like to extend special thanks to Chairman Zhao Fusheng from China. He is an important partner of Samsung Group in China and a good friend of both my sister and me. May our friendship last forever."

But Lee Jae-yong's next words surprised everyone.

To be honest, at a reception of this level, many people knew what was going on. But for Lee Jae-yong to single out Zhao Fusheng for thanks was unexpected.

It elevated Zhao Fusheng's status above that of other guests, and what's more, he was Chinese.

In the eyes of most Koreans, China meant backwardness.

Although the development of that neighboring giant had actually caught up with Korea, in many Koreans' minds, China was still backward. Chinese companies and wealthy individuals were far inferior to their Korean counterparts.

But now, Lee Jae-yong was clearly telling everyone that Zhao Fusheng was someone he and Lee Boo-jin valued highly.

"Tsk tsk, Young Master Lee sure knows how to make a grand gesture."

Liang Jingyu sat beside Zhao Fusheng, feeling the different gazes directed at them from those around, and whispered with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly, his expression calm: "Simple. He needs us as allies."

Hit the nail on the head!

Liang Jingyu had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was absolutely right.

For someone like Lee Jae-yong, so-called feelings were a joke. His marriage was a political alliance, let alone friendship.

Ultimately, the alliance between Lee Jae-yong and Lee Boo-jin needed an external ally like Zhao Fusheng.

"By the way, did you hear? Lee Jae-yong seems to be getting a divorce," Liang Jingyu mentioned casually, recalling a piece of gossip.

Divorce?

Zhao Fusheng was startled: "Who is his wife?"

"The daughter of the Daesung Group's Lim family, named Lim Se-ryung," Liang Jingyu explained. Having been in Korea for several years, he knew more about these matters than Zhao Fusheng. "Daesung Group is Korea's largest food company. Although not as powerful as Samsung, it's still a豪门."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "A perfect match."

"Not at all."

Liang Jingyu snorted and shook his head: "Back then, Samsung wanted to enter the food industry. The other party was wary, so they arranged a marriage."

"I see." Zhao Fusheng smiled. These豪门 marriages were indeed full of interests.

"But why are they getting divorced now?"

Zhao Fusheng was puzzled. According to Liang Jingyu, since it was a political alliance, even with a former prime minister as the wedding officiant, it shouldn't have come to divorce.

"Ahem, this matter is actually related to you," Liang Jingyu said, suppressing a smile.

"Me?"

Zhao Fusheng was utterly surprised and confused: "Don't talk nonsense..."

"No, it's like this. Because Samsung withdrew a large amount of cash for its cooperation with our company, it didn't extend a helping hand to the struggling Daesung Group during this financial crisis. So Lim Se-ryung felt that her husband and his family were too cruel to her..." Liang Jingyu explained. "I hear they're already separated and may soon be in divorce court."

"..." Zhao Fusheng was speechless for a moment, then looked at Liang Jingyu: "Are you sure you're in the investment business and not a tabloid reporter? How do you know everything?"

Liang Jingyu himself felt a bit embarrassed. A堂堂 company representative director, a bona fide member of high society, gossiping about the Samsung heir's family affairs like his own father—if this got out, it would probably shock a lot of people.

But judging by his boss's eager expression, Liang Jingyu didn't think Zhao Fusheng was uninterested in the matter.