Chapter 1762 Negotiations (Part 1)

Although he was full of contempt for the so-called White Tiger Regiment soldiers, Zhang Qian still knew what was important. He understood that today's matter was very significant, and if he clashed with them, it would make Zhao Fusheng's position difficult.

Therefore, Zhang Qian had no intention of doing anything to those Koreans.

He merely showed a slight disdain for them while arranging the security measures.

Of course, if they were outshone by the Chinese side due to their lack of professional competence, that was not Zhang Qian's fault; it was purely because those Koreans were too incompetent.

No problem!

That was what Zhang Qian told his subordinates.

After learning about it, Zhao Fusheng didn't pay much attention either. In his view, it was a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

The highlight of today was his meeting with Lee Jae-hyun.

Zhao Fusheng was looking forward to what surprise Lee Jae-hyun would bring him.

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng was right.

Lee Jae-hyun indeed gave him a huge surprise!

…

…

“Chairman Zhao, a pleasure to meet you.”

“President Lee, hello.”

Inside the tea room, Zhao Fusheng and Lee Jae-hyun sat facing each other.

Unexpectedly, Lee Meng-hee was not present.

But after thinking about it, Zhao Fusheng understood the reason. Since Lee Jae-hyun had already come, it proved the determination of Lee Meng-hee and his son to cooperate with him. Whether Lee Meng-hee appeared or not no longer mattered.

Only the two of them were in the tea room, and they chose to communicate in English.

After all, Lee Jae-hyun was also a well-educated person. Although not proficient, he had no problem conversing in English.

Neither Zhao Fusheng nor Lee Jae-hyun chose to have interpreters enter.

The reason was simple: the matters they were about to discuss were best not heard by a third party besides themselves.

“To be honest, seeing President Lee in the capital surprised me a bit.”

Zhao Fusheng looked at Lee Jae-hyun and said bluntly, “After our last meeting, I thought my intentions were clear to President Lee and your father.”

He was referring, of course, to his previous meeting with Lee Meng-hee.

Lee Jae-hyun was not offended upon hearing this. He smiled faintly and said to Zhao Fusheng, “Chairman Zhao is quite a humorous person.”

“Humorous?”

Zhao Fusheng looked at Lee Jae-hyun and chuckled. “Actually, I’m not humorous at all. My friends say I’m quite dull, with nothing but business on my mind. Even my wife thinks so.”

Lee Jae-hyun was taken aback, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Both were intelligent people; the probing had begun the moment they met.

Lee Jae-hyun apologized for the previous incident, calling it a misunderstanding, while Zhao Fusheng indicated that he was merely a businessman who cared only about results, not the process.

After this exchange, Lee Jae-hyun could confirm that Zhao Fusheng had definitely come prepared today.

Or, more accurately, he was waiting for him to make an offer.

Taking a deep breath, Lee Jae-hyun looked at Zhao Fusheng. “Chairman Zhao, I think I should be frank.”

“Is that so?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and looked at Lee Jae-hyun. “I think so too. To become partners, frankness is a necessary quality. Don’t you agree, President Lee?”

Since the other party had already spoken so plainly, Zhao Fusheng naturally couldn’t pretend not to understand the implication in Lee Jae-hyun’s words.

There was a limit to playing dumb.

Sure enough, after Zhao Fusheng said that, Lee Jae-hyun’s eyes lit up.

“Chairman Zhao, what do you think of CJ Group?”

Lee Jae-hyun looked at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly.

CJ Group?

Before coming to meet Lee Jae-hyun, Zhao Fusheng had reviewed the materials on CJ Group.

As one of South Korea’s top conglomerates, CJ Group’s status in South Korea was unquestionable.

Especially in the cultural industry, CJ Group, which dominated the upstream production and distribution sectors, was undoubtedly the hegemon of South Korea’s cultural and entertainment industry.

In the previous turmoil, the only groups that could rival CJ were Lotte and SK.

To put it simply, the three major companies in the Korean music industry—SM, YG, and JYP—combined were about the same size as CJM.

And the latter was just a subsidiary of CJ Group responsible for the music division.

The enormity of CJ was evident.

“CJ is a very good company.”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Lee Jae-hyun, “It has developed smoothly under President Lee’s leadership over the years.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jae-hyun nodded. “CJ is the business my mother left me. To be honest, when it first split from Samsung, it was just a food company. Now, CJ has expanded across multiple industries and grown into a huge conglomerate…”

Zhao Fusheng did not interrupt Lee Jae-hyun, letting him reminisce about the past.

After all, since the other party had mentioned his deceased mother, Zhao Fusheng, out of politeness, could not say much.

In fact, he knew the story.

Back then, during the Samsung brothers’ struggle for inheritance, Lee Meng-hee and Lee Kun-hee nearly fought to the death. In the end, Lee Kun-hee won and seized the inheritance rights.

Lee Meng-hee fell out of favor, but he had a good wife.

Although Samsung’s founder Lee Byung-chul was very disappointed in his eldest son, he was still fond of his eldest daughter-in-law and his eldest grandson, Lee Jae-hyun. So he gave them Cheil Jedang.

That was the predecessor of CJ Group.

Lee Jae-hyun’s mother’s maiden name was Son, so the Son family held significant power in CJ.

However, Lee Jae-hyun’s uncle was well aware that without his nephew, the old fox Lee Kun-hee would have long made a move on CJ, so he stayed in line and helped Lee Jae-hyun manage CJ Group.

Legend has it that Lee Jae-hyun’s mother raised her younger brothers, so his uncles were grateful and repaid her kindness.

But in Zhao Fusheng’s view, these people simply dared not overstep.

Simply put, as long as Lee Jae-hyun remained the controller of CJ, CJ belonged to the Lee family.

If it became the Son family’s, well, given Lee Kun-hee’s personality and methods, how could he remain indifferent?

As people age, they tend to reminisce. Although Lee Jae-hyun was not old, he still spoke for a long time recalling those days.

Zhao Fusheng was not in a hurry. He sat there sipping tea and listening to Lee Jae-hyun.

After a while, Lee Jae-hyun finally finished.

He looked up at Zhao Fusheng and smiled. “Sorry, Chairman Zhao, for making you laugh.”

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. “It’s nothing. I envy your bond with your family. What meaning would our existence have if we didn’t care about our families?”

Lee Jae-hyun nodded, deeply agreeing with Zhao Fusheng’s words.

Whether he was truly a sentimental person or not, at this moment, he had to appear very family-oriented.

Otherwise, the subsequent negotiations could not proceed.

“What do you think about the inheritance lawsuit between my father and my uncle?”

Lee Jae-hyun looked at Zhao Fusheng and asked slowly.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. “Family disputes between brothers are not for outsiders to judge, are they?”

This was true. Whether it was Lee Kun-hee or Lee Meng-hee, both were successors of Lee Byung-chul, and that was beyond doubt. No matter how Samsung’s inheritance was divided, it was a struggle between brothers. Outsiders who dared to meddle would certainly suffer.

“What if I exchange CJ shares for your Samsung shares? Would you be willing?”

Lee Jae-hyun looked at Zhao Fusheng and said word by word.

What!

At that moment, even though Zhao Fusheng had mentally prepared himself, knowing that Lee Jae-hyun would certainly make a substantial offer, he never expected Lee Jae-hyun to be this crazy.

He was actually willing to give up CJ Group!

“President Lee, are you joking?”

Zhao Fusheng looked at Lee Jae-hyun with astonishment.

Lee Jae-hyun’s face was calm as he looked at Zhao Fusheng. “I think I’ve made myself clear, haven’t I?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled bitterly and shook his head. “President Lee, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but what you just said really surprised me. Do you know what you’re doing?”

This was Zhao Fusheng’s honest thought, because Lee Jae-hyun’s proposal was simply crazy to a certain extent.

In fact, it was outright gambling!

“Chairman Zhao, I think I’ve made it very clear: exchange CJ Group shares of equivalent value for the Samsung shares you hold. If you think the value is insufficient, you can name your price.”

Lee Jae-hyun looked at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly, “This is the most sincere offer my father and I can give you after discussion.”

Zhao Fusheng remained silent. He had to admit that Lee Jae-hyun was telling the truth.

And this offer was indeed very sincere.

But the problem was, the offer was too much!

So much so that Zhao Fusheng dared not accept it easily.

It was like two people fighting, originally agreeing to use fists, but suddenly one pulls out a gun. How could the game continue?

Zhao Fusheng was only human, not a deity. What could he do in such a situation?

“I need time to think.”

After a long silence, Zhao Fusheng looked up at Lee Jae-hyun and said slowly.

Lee Jae-hyun seemed to have anticipated this response. He nodded. “Alright, but please be quick, because every minute now is torture for my father.”

Zhao Fusheng naturally understood his meaning.

Lee Meng-hee’s health was gradually deteriorating. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

In other words, if Lee Meng-hee died one day, the inheritance dispute might become meaningless.

This was clear not only to Zhao Fusheng but also to Lee Jae-hyun and his father.

As he left the tea room, Zhao Fusheng looked up at the clear blue sky outside and suddenly felt a bit pressured.