Chapter 1729 The Terrible Boss

Back in Ninghai, Zhao Fusheng enjoyed the warmth of his family, playing with his daughter every day, spending time with his parents, and occasionally going out shopping with Fan Baobao, feeling utterly carefree.

But in faraway South Korea, the days of the Lotte Shin family were growing increasingly difficult.

Especially after someone exposed Jang Ja-yeon's diary, Shin Kyuk-ho and his son Shin Dong-joo were immediately thrust into the eye of the storm.

Society today, to put it bluntly, is like the Olympic rings—each ring interlocking with the others, influencing one another.

Only, some intersect, some are nested inside or outside, and rarely are there any that have no connection at all; if you dig deep, the relationships are all very close.

The so-called idea that any two people in the world can be connected through six people is not a baseless claim by some scientists.

The existence of the media is to report news.

In other words, with the media, we get to know all kinds of news from around the world.

But in fact, various strata also have their own circles, and certain news within those circles is rarely exposed, because once exposed, it would cause a huge shock to the public's worldview, even making people lose trust in the government or the ruling party.

This is no joke. Such things may not exist in China, but in capitalist countries like South Korea, the privileged class itself enjoys enormous benefits. Once those unspoken rules are exposed, it is truly hard for the public to accept.

For example, the son of a high-ranking South Korean official was street racing in Seoul, hit and killed someone, and had two naked women in the car. Yet the Seoul Metropolitan Police managed to suppress the incident.

If this incident were exposed, would that high-ranking official have any choice but to step down?

As the leader of the ruling party, besides helping to cover it up, there was no other way.

Although this is unfair to many, that is the power of authority.

And now, because of Jang Ja-yeon's diary, Shin Dong-joo and Shin Kyuk-ho, father and son, have suddenly become the target of public criticism in South Korea.

"How did you know this would ruin their reputation?"

Lee Boo-jin called Zhao Fusheng, utterly puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Simple, because they are everyone's enemy."

"Huh?"

Lee Boo-jin was taken aback.

Clearly, she didn't quite understand what Zhao Fusheng meant by 'everyone's enemy.'

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and said nothing more. Some things didn't need to be spelled out to Lee Boo-jin.

After Lee Boo-jin hung up, still full of doubts, Zhao Fusheng turned to Wu Sijie with a smile: "Call Liang Jingyu and tell him that while Shin Kyuk-ho and his son are under investigation, he can start acquiring Lotte's theater chains."

After a moment's thought, he instructed: "Tell him to do this together with CJ's Lee Jae-hyun."

"CJ?"

Wu Sijie was startled, but despite his surprise, he still dialed Liang Jingyu's number and relayed Zhao Fusheng's instructions.

Regardless, the task assigned by the boss was the most important. As for other matters, he could ask the chairman after the call; he believed the boss would give him an explanation.

Soon, Wu Sijie finished the call and turned to Zhao Fusheng: "Chairman, I've notified President Liang."

Although Liang Jingyu was called Representative Director over there, Wu Sijie still addressed him as President Liang, following the Chinese custom.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Good. Barring any surprises, the rest shouldn't be too troublesome."

"Chairman, I don't understand. How can you be sure that no one in South Korea will lend a hand to the Shin family?" Wu Sijie asked Zhao Fusheng in confusion.

This time, the misfortune of the Lotte Shin family seemed completely unexpected. The entire South Korea, from official media to government agencies to the chaebols, appeared to have formed an alliance overnight, all forces united against Lotte.

This was truly astonishing; no one could have imagined such a thing happening.

"Simple, because Shin Kyuk-ho brought it upon himself."

Zhao Fusheng replied calmly.

"He brought it on himself?"

Wu Sijie was taken aback, looking at Zhao Fusheng in confusion. Clearly, he did not understand Zhao Fusheng's words.

"Think about it, where did Lotte stand before this incident?" Zhao Fusheng did not mind, picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and then asked Wu Sijie.

Wu Sijie frowned, sat there thinking carefully, and after a long while replied: "Lotte first went to war with Samsung, then was dragged into conflict with CJ and SK, instantly making three enemies of the same level."

"Exactly."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Before this incident, Lotte had become a target of public criticism. Whether Samsung, CJ Group, or SK Group, any one of them could stand up to Lotte. In normal times, it was fine—they would trade blows, and even competition was kept within bounds. But don't forget, this time there's also Roh Moo-hyun."

"Roh Moo-hyun?"

Wu Sijie was startled and asked in surprise: "You mean this South Korean president is the one who truly wants to bring down Lotte?"

"Of course."

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "You need to understand, Roh Moo-hyun is a man with great ambitions—this was evident from his days as a human rights lawyer. In this war between Lotte and Samsung, Roh Moo-hyun initially chose to stand by, but when he made his move, it meant he had made up his mind!"

"You mean, he..." Wu Sijie suddenly thought of a possibility and said in surprise: "He, he couldn't be planning to destroy the Lotte Shin family, could he?"

"How is that possible?" Zhao Fusheng waved his hand, directly refuting Wu Sijie's words: "Do you think chaebols are so easily destroyed? These are South Korea's top chaebols, super chaebols that can decide the turnover of most government positions. Countless people across South Korea depend on their industries for a living—how could they be destroyed so easily?"

"Then what do you mean..." Wu Sijie did not quite understand Zhao Fusheng's words. If Roh Moo-hyun did not intend to destroy the Lotte Shin family, what was he trying to do?

Zhao Fusheng pursed his lips: "Iron chaebols, flowing governments. Roh Moo-hyun knows this better than anyone. That's why he only sent SK Group's Chey Tae-won to prison instead of choosing to completely crush SK Group—because he knows he can never accomplish that task. And now, I've handed him a knife, a knife that can make Lotte suffer. Do you think he will ignore it?"

Wu Sijie remained silent, frowning deeply, bowing his head in thought. Clearly, Zhao Fusheng's words had made him think of many things.

Zhao Fusheng was not in a hurry either; he silently drank his water, waiting for Wu Sijie to figure it out on his own.

Zhao Fusheng had always spared no effort in cultivating those around him. If they could become capable, it would naturally be a good thing for him—at least he would have people to help him, unlike now, where he was constantly in need of management talent to assist him.

Among them, Wu Sijie was the one Zhao Fusheng was most optimistic about.

This guy was both clever and resourceful, and knew how to adapt at critical moments. Once successfully cultivated, he would surely be a talent capable of handling things on his own.

After a long time, Wu Sijie raised his head, looked at Zhao Fusheng, and said seriously: "Chairman, do you mean that Roh Moo-hyun will choose to ally with Samsung, us, and even other South Korean chaebols to bankrupt Lotte?"

"Heh, go on."

Zhao Fusheng neither confirmed nor denied his guess, saying to Wu Sijie: "Give a detailed analysis."

"It's simple. Because of what Shin Kyuk-ho and his son did to Jang Ja-yeon, Lotte has become a rat crossing the street, with everyone in South Korea shouting to beat it. Coupled with the earlier exposure of their actions during the Japanese occupation, their reputation in South Korea has hit rock bottom. In normal times, it might have been fine—they could rely on their chaebol status and influence to turn things around. But now, it's not that easy."

Wu Sijie spoke confidently to Zhao Fusheng, his expression serious: "Earlier, you designed a scenario where Samsung and other chaebols went to war with Lotte. Now they are already in a hostile state. Add to that Roh Moo-hyun's prosecutors eyeing Lotte like tigers watching their prey. Lotte is now besieged on all sides, ambushed from every direction. With just one misstep, they will be torn apart by their enemies. Although chaebols won't be completely eliminated, they can still be carved up, right?"

Clearly, even he had not expected this speculation; by the end, his voice was trembling slightly.

That was a large enterprise worth billions of dollars, yet it had fallen into such internal and external difficulties, possibly being swallowed up at any moment. Wasn't that too surreal?

After listening to Wu Sijie's words, Zhao Fusheng chuckled.

"You're pretty good."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Wu Sijie and said: "Your analysis is spot on. In fact, whether Lotte ends up being dismantled or swallowed up doesn't matter to us."

"I never intended to completely destroy the Lotte Group when I designed this scheme, because we are ultimately outsiders. The major chaebols of South Korea will not allow a Chinese company to replace Lotte's position and become a top chaebol in South Korea. Remember that."

"But what if the ones dismantling and swallowing Lotte are South Koreans themselves?"

"I don't ask for much. I just plan to get a piece of the cultural industry in South Korea—acquire some theater chain shares, buy a few film and television companies and music companies. As for Lotte's other industries, we won't touch them. Those are things for Samsung, CJ, and other South Korean chaebols to fight over. It's Roh Moo-hyun who investigates the illegal chaebols, not us."

"Everyone gets what they want—that is my true goal."

Looking at Zhao Fusheng, who was faintly smiling, Wu Sijie suddenly felt a chill in his heart. So this was Zhao Fusheng's true face!