Chapter 1850 Journey to Xichuan

Zhao Fusheng had always maintained an attitude of keeping his distance from politics.

Otherwise, he would have long gone to curry favor with the Xue family, rather than resorting to such methods to score points with the big shots.

Although politics and economics are inevitably closely related, in Zhao Fusheng's view, a businessman or an enterprise with too strong a political label would actually be at a disadvantage.

Of course, people have different aspirations; Zhao Fusheng could not fathom the thoughts of the big shots, nor did he have the ability or inclination to think too much about it. So he simply focused on being himself.

"Regardless, thank you this time."

Xue Yuanfang said to Zhao Fusheng earnestly.

This was from the heart. No matter what, because of him, Zhao Fusheng was willing to invest in Xichuan, which gave Xue Yuanfang considerable face within his family.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing more, instead raising his glass to drink with Xue Yuanfang.

Some words, spoken too much, are meaningless. He had long passed the age of being easily moved by a few compliments into baring his soul.

The two sat for a while longer, and seeing that it was getting late, they parted ways.

It was the New Year, and besides, Zhao Fusheng was not one for drinking, so there was naturally little reason to linger.

Moreover, in Xue Yuanfang's words, Zhao Fusheng was a good partner for discussing business, and doing business with him was a pleasure.

But if it came to going out for fun, he would never choose to be in the same group as Zhao Fusheng, because the man was utterly boring, always wearing a cold face, even when out enjoying himself—a poker face that kept strangers at bay. How could any woman like him?

Even if there were, it would only be because he paid them, and they were in it for the money.

Zhao Fusheng neither confirmed nor denied this, never refuting it; after all, what he said was the truth.

Furthermore, Zhao Fusheng knew that Tan Kaixuan, Xue Yuanfang, and Han Bin, when together, often spoke ill of him.

There was no helping it; they were all players, while he simply had no interest in playing.

……

……

Bidding farewell to Xue Yuanfang, Zhao Fusheng left.

During the New Year, there were few people on the streets. On the usually bustling roads, one could clearly feel the decrease in both people and cars.

"Chairman, go home?"

The driver asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly, thought for a moment, and finally shook his head: "No, go to headquarters."

Since it was the Spring Festival, there must be someone on duty at the company. As chairman, Zhao Fusheng felt he should go and check on them.

As it turned out, he was overthinking.

Upon arriving at the Future Group headquarters, Zhao Fusheng was surprised to find the entire company empty, with only the security guard on duty.

"Damn!"

Zhao Fusheng was utterly bewildered. There were bodyguards in the car; how could this be?

Pulling out his phone, Zhao Fusheng dialed Zheng Yao's number.

"What's going on? Why is there no one on duty at the company?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Zheng Yao, puzzled.

"On duty?"

Zheng Yao was a bit confused, then laughed: "You didn't go to the company, did you?"

"Ahem, well, I was passing by and just dropped in."

Zhao Fusheng wouldn't tell her that he had specifically come to "pay respects" to the company, only to find not a single soul.

"Mainly, there's nothing going on during the Spring Festival. Everything is handled by phone now. If something comes up, colleagues in the capital will be notified."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "I see."

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to stay. Hanging up, Zhao Fusheng went home.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng enter, his mother and the others were surprised; they had thought he would be out discussing business all day.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head and didn't explain much, simply saying that the matter was settled.

As for the embarrassing incident of finding the company empty, he wouldn't tell anyone.

……

……

During the Spring Festival, most of the time, it's all about the atmosphere.

For Zhao Fusheng's family, being together as a whole family was what mattered most. Things like buying new clothes for the New Year were only eagerly anticipated in childhood.

Given their current financial situation, there was no material joy to be had.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth day of the New Year. Although he wanted to stay home with his parents, wife, and daughter, Zhao Fusheng had to lead his team onto the train bound for Xichuan.

There was no help for it; he had to follow through on his promises.

The big shot from Xue Yuanfang's side had already set off, and Zhao Fusheng had no reason not to cooperate.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng did not appear among the big shot's entourage. He was just a businessman, not yet at that level. Even if he wanted to, there would certainly be a place for him, but Zhao Fusheng felt it was better to keep a low profile.

The more you jump, the faster you die.

That saying held some truth.

Zhao Fusheng did not want to become a thorn in anyone's side. He already had enough enemies, both overt and covert, all waiting to see him fall. He wouldn't give them the chance.

"Chairman, are we going this time primarily under Future Investment or Future Film?" Wu Sijie asked Zhao Fusheng, puzzled, as they sat in the soft sleeper compartment.

This question was crucial. If it was primarily Future Investment, then they would naturally invest in some projects; if Future Film, it would be within a certain scope.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head: "Since President Ye is coming, do you think Future Film won't invest?"

Wu Sijie was taken aback: "So you're planning to invest in a film studio?"

"Not just a film studio."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Xichuan has great development potential, especially in the food industry. There are many projects worth exploring. But we'll only invest, put in money for shares, and not interfere with the projects' future development."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng added: "On the physical side, I've already instructed President Zheng. We can invest in building factories, but the specific projects must be good, and local government support must be guaranteed to be continuous. Most importantly, we must handle the specific operations ourselves and not let them meddle."

Wu Sijie blinked, somewhat surprised at his boss, thinking to himself that these conditions were quite harsh.

That was the truth.

The conditions Zhao Fusheng mentioned, if implemented, were indeed quite苛刻, even somewhat bullying.

But Zhao Fusheng knew better that if he didn't do this, those local government officials could really mess up a good thing.

This wasn't nonsense from Zhao Fusheng; it was a fact.

It wasn't that those officials had bad intentions. As local leaders, they wanted to boost the local economy and gain political achievements for themselves.

But the problem lay here.

Many times, a project takes time from investment to showing results.

And what leaders lack most is time.

After all, the camp is iron, but the soldiers are flowing water. As local leaders, they might be transferred before the investments they brought in yield results.

In such a situation, every leader faces a dilemma.

Should they plant trees for future generations to enjoy, laying a foundation for their successors?

Or should they be shortsighted, draining the pond to catch all the fish?

Some make the right choice, while others may not.

The result is often that a good project ends up as a half-finished mess.

When that happens, the leaders are certainly not at fault; the blame falls on the investors.

So Zhao Fusheng did not want the Future Group to bear such infamy.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, whatever the reason, since it had come to this, he had to do things perfectly. After all, he was the investor. If the local government wanted to attract investment, they had to show sincerity.

"I hope we meet a responsible leader."

Zhao Fusheng thought silently to himself; that was the only thing he could hope for.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door of the soft sleeper was knocked, and when opened, Ye Jing walked in.

"Why are you here?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Ye Jing: "What, coming to pay me New Year's greetings?"

This was naturally a joke; they had already spoken on the phone during the Spring Festival.

"Greetings my foot!"

Ye Jing glared at Zhao Fusheng and said, "I want to talk to you about something."

"Alright."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and said to Wu Sijie, "Go keep watch at the door. I'll have a word with President Ye."

Wu Sijie got up and left, leaving only Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing in the soft sleeper.

"Is this investment for Xue Yuanfang's sake, or do you actually plan to do something in Xichuan?" Ye Jing sat down, not beating around the bush, and directly asked the question on his mind.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and said to Ye Jing, "What, feeling uncertain?"

"It's not uncertainty."

Ye Jing shook his head and said seriously to Zhao Fusheng, "I'm just reminding you that this is a critical time. If we choose to side with the Xue family, and if the other faction comes to power, we..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhao Fusheng understood what Ye Jing meant.

All along, Zhao Fusheng had been relatively conservative in this regard, never actively revealing any stance. Even his friendship with Xue Yuanfang was merely maintaining a good relationship with the Xue family, without becoming an appendage or a white glove.

But now, he was voluntarily following the Xue family's big shot to Xichuan. Ye Jing, as one of the few people around Zhao Fusheng who understood the changes at the top, was naturally somewhat surprised.