Chapter 1779 Thick-Faced and Black-Hearted Zhao Fusheng

To everyone's surprise, no one opposed Zhao Fusheng's decision to expand the security company's business scale.

"It should have been done long ago."

"Yeah, this is a huge market."

"I bet it'll make a lot of money."

Ye Jing, Zheng Yao, and the others chimed in one after another to Zhao Fusheng.

They were speaking at Zhao Fusheng's home.

But it wasn't Zhao Fusheng who invited them; it was Fan Baobao.

The reason was simple: they had moved to a new place, so it was a housewarming party.

As for Dong Chenxi, she was still in South Korea overseeing the cooperation between Samsung and CJ, so she couldn't come back for now.

"So, how is it over at the tech company? More comfortable than the supervision department?"

Zheng Yao teased Dong Guoxiang with a smile.

"Yeah."

Dong Guoxiang didn't deny it and nodded honestly: "I think I'm suited for technology; this is the best place for me."

He was very self-aware, clearly knowing what he was suited for and what he wasn't.

His earlier stint at the supervision department was because Zhao Fusheng needed him there; now that Zhang Qian had taken over, Dong Guoxiang was undoubtedly relieved.

He preferred sitting in front of a computer rather than putting on a stern face and leading people around investigating internal violations.

People are different.

Some like to throw their weight around, while others just want to make money quietly.

For someone like Dong Guoxiang, if you made him immerse himself in various affairs all day, he would be unhappy; he preferred sitting in front of a computer programming.

If it were ten years later, Dong Guoxiang would probably be that kind of otaku.

"So, any progress?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled, walked over, and asked Dong Guoxiang.

Dong Guoxiang nodded: "Not bad. Some of the things we've developed are now being tested, and from the results, they're no worse than the games made by Koreans and Americans."

South Korea and the United States have always been pioneers in game development, a fact even Zhao Fusheng had to admit.

Of course, this refers to online games, not arcade games.

In arcade games, the Japanese are also not far behind.

This is no joke; in single-player games, Japan is at the forefront of the world, a fact even Americans have to concede.

From Pokémon to The Three Kingdoms, Japanese animations and games have accompanied a generation's growth.

"By the way, you all know about Apple's latest phone, right?"

Zhao Fusheng suddenly brought up Apple's new phone and asked everyone.

"I know."

Dong Guoxiang nodded: "It was announced for sale at the beginning of the year and launched in the US a few months ago. But from what I've seen, the response has been lukewarm; many people say it's not that great."

The iPhone 2G launched in the US, with the 4GB version priced at $499 and the 8GB at $599.

Moreover, depending on the country or region, buyers had to sign a one- to two-year contract with an operator to purchase the iPhone, which could also be seen as buying the phone with prepaid service fees.

The first-generation iPhone featured a 2-megapixel rear camera but did not support 3G networks, nor did it support copy and paste or other important functions. Additionally, the non-removable battery sparked market controversy.

Under these circumstances, Apple announced a price cut in early September; the 4GB version was discontinued on the Apple US online store, and the 8GB version was priced at $399.

At the same time, on September 6, Steve Jobs posted an open letter to all iPhone users on the company's website, apologizing for the price cut and promising to compensate old users with a $100 product discount.

After Dong Guoxiang finished explaining the situation, Zheng Yao looked at Zhao Fusheng curiously and asked, "What, you're bullish on Apple?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Yeah, I think even though they're facing some difficulties now, it won't be long before Jobs releases new phones."

Then he smiled and said, "And look, although the market response hasn't been great, users have still accepted the iPhone, haven't they?"

Zheng Yao and Dong Guoxiang exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded, indicating that Zhao Fusheng was right.

"So what do you want to do?"

Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng.

That was the key point. Even if Apple's sales prospects were good, it didn't mean much for Future Group.

Could it be that Zhao Fusheng wanted to secure Apple's sales agency?

"Contact Apple."

Zhao Fusheng said to Zheng Yao: "If possible, we want to secure the domestic agency rights."

Then he turned to Xue Yuanfang, who was chatting with Ye Jing on the sofa: "Old Xue, interested in doing business together?"

Huh?

Xue Yuanfang was startled and looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise: "What did you say?"

"I said, want to go for a big score?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Xue Yuanfang and said, "I guarantee it'll make you a fortune."

"Really?"

Xue Yuanfang shot up straight, stood up, and walked over to Zhao Fusheng: "More profitable than Marvel?"

Xue Yuanfang had also invested in the Marvel project, but he didn't know yet whether it would make money, since the Iron Man movie hadn't been released yet, and there were only rumors that Disney was interested in acquiring Marvel.

But if, as Zhao Fusheng said, there was a project that could make him a fortune, he certainly didn't want to miss out.

"Compared to this, Marvel might fall short."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Xue Yuanfang.

He was telling the truth. Compared to Apple's market, Zhao Fusheng really didn't think Marvel's market was bigger.

You see, comparing Marvel and the iPhone, purely in terms of time, they might have been popular for about the same duration, but the problem was that Apple's market in China was huge, while Marvel relied on movies and merchandise.

"Really? You're not joking, are you?"

Xue Yuanfang was taken aback by Zhao Fusheng's words. Such a good project—was Zhao Fusheng messing with him?

After all, he rarely saw Zhao Fusheng speak like this.

"No joke."

Zhao Fusheng retorted irritably, glaring at him: "I'm telling you, this is a now-or-never opportunity. If you don't do it, I'll find Zhou Guoxiang; he'll probably be willing."

"No, no, no."

Xue Yuanfang quickly shook his head: "I'll do it, I'll do it, okay? What kind of relationship do we have? If you have a good deal and go to someone else instead of me, where would I put my face if word gets out?"

For a playboy of his caliber, face was everything. If Zhao Fusheng had a money-making project and went to someone else instead of him, Xue Yuanfang would be ridiculed to death.

"That's more like it."

Zhao Fusheng laughed and teased Xue Yuanfang: "To be honest, I'm afraid you might not be able to handle it."

"Can't handle it?"

Xue Yuanfang was stunned.

He could tell that although Zhao Fusheng was teasing him, he was serious.

In other words, Zhao Fusheng really thought he might not be able to handle this project.

"Tell me, what exactly is this project?" Xue Yuanfang said to Zhao Fusheng.

He wasn't stupid. Since Zhao Fusheng thought so, he naturally wanted to hear what the project was before deciding whether to participate. If it was beyond his capacity, Xue Yuanfang figured he could either bring in more partners or simply steer clear.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, repeated what he had said earlier to Dong Guoxiang and Zheng Yao, and finally said to Xue Yuanfang: "I think if we can secure Apple's agency rights, it might be a great opportunity."

"Agency rights."

Xue Yuanfang frowned, his expression turning serious: "This is no small project. We might need to partner with China Mobile or China Unicom."

That was inevitable. Selling phones on such a scale required nationwide sales points, which a single company couldn't achieve.

The only ones capable of that were either China Mobile or China Unicom.

A choice between the two.

That was also why Zhao Fusheng wanted to bring Xue Yuanfang in.

Although Future Group had developed quite well, its influence was insignificant compared to these large state-owned enterprises; they wouldn't even bother with him.

This wasn't Zhao Fusheng talking nonsense; it had always been the attitude of large state-owned enterprises like China Mobile and China Unicom.

State-owned enterprises, especially monopolistic ones, often had a difficult attitude and were hard to deal with, always putting on airs.

Just like the amazing reporters from CCTV, who would ask idiotic questions and then get upset if the interviewee got angry, slapping on labels like 'obstruction of press freedom' or 'disdain for authoritative media.'

During the Olympics that year, in a swimming competition, a fourteen-year-old girl came in eighth in the finals, which was already a great result for her, but they insisted on asking if she was nervous, and she had to admit she was.

Not to mention the very legendary 'Are you happy?' interview.

China Unicom and China Mobile were the same. Zhao Fusheng was a hundred percent sure that if he went to them with the Apple agency, they probably wouldn't even bother with him.

Under these circumstances, the most suitable person was undoubtedly Xue Yuanfang.

With his status, Zhao Fusheng didn't need to do much; just put him forward.

After all, in a few years, Xue Yuanfang's family member would reach the top. By then, even if China Unicom or China Mobile saw the iPhone's sales booming and wanted to back out, they would have to consider the Xue family's stance.

That was the number one, not some nobody. If they dared to mess with Xue Yuanfang, the thunderous wrath would be more than they could bear.

"Of course we'll partner with them."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Xue Yuanfang and said calmly: "And we'll sign a long-term contract with them."

"What?"

Xue Yuanfang was astonished: "How long?"

"Ten years, I guess."

Zhao Fusheng calculated the time and then said: "After ten years, we'll have eaten most of the meat; we'll leave the leftovers for them."

Hearing his words, Zheng Yao, Xue Yuanfang, and the others all looked at Zhao Fusheng and simultaneously uttered the same sentence.

"You really have a black heart!"

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. These people were simply jealous of his talent.