Chapter 1858: Distrust

Faced with Dong Chenxi's confusion, Zhao Fusheng did not explain too much.

With matters like this, since the person involved chose to keep it secret, there was no need for him to say too much. If the news leaked from his side, it would be inappropriate.

Even so, Dong Chenxi was clearly in a bad mood.

After all, she really did like Andy Lau.

"It's normal. His approach is ultimately for his family's good." Seeing Dong Chenxi's low spirits, Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "Andy Lau keeps it secret even from his close friends in the industry, let alone us?"

"No way?"

Dong Chenxi was stunned, looking at Zhao Fusheng with surprise: "Really?"

She really hadn't expected Andy Lau's secrecy to be so thorough.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "The logic is the same as when we work. Think about it: you have many acquaintances around you, including ordinary friends and colleagues, but do you think your relationship with each of them is the same?"

Dong Chenxi waved her hand: "Of course not, it depends on the situation."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Isn't it the same? For Andy Lau, whether fans or industry friends, they are all work relationships. So isn't it normal for him to keep family matters private?"

Dong Chenxi blinked, wanting to argue, but had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right.

Although those artists always publicly claim to treat fans like family, in fact, everyone knows that the relationship between artists and fans is just a work relationship.

Fans like the image the artist presents because it satisfies some deep fantasy of theirs.

And artists rely on fans' affection to gain the fame and fortune they deserve.

There is no real blood bond between the two. Why should you expect them to open their hearts to you without any secrets?

Just because fans don't allow it, should artists never fall in love or get married?

If that were the case, could artists also demand that fans not like other stars? Be loyal only to them, even when they grow old, lose their looks, and act poorly, still faithfully stay by their side?

Hah, how many fans could do that?

If that were the case, those traffic stars wouldn't have been abandoned by investors.

The most important reason traffic stars lost their market after ten years was that investors suddenly discovered that no matter how they promoted or how hard fans worked, it was just hype.

The conversion into box office revenue was almost zero.

Those fans who cheer for their idols all day—asking them to spend real money on movie tickets is pure nonsense. Even paying for membership on streaming sites, these people wouldn't waste that money.

Because they know well that their idol's skill level isn't enough for sci-fi blockbusters, let alone TV dramas.

Although the idol works hard, the fact remains that acting requires talent in addition to practice.

This situation is similar to Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, Hong Kong's entertainment industry was also very developed. Andy Lau and others were actually similar to today's traffic stars.

But at that time, these people had an advantage: they had enough opportunities and time to hone their acting skills, gradually cultivating them and improving their level.

But today's investors and agencies don't give these traffic stars a chance to improve.

They only urge these young people without hesitation to take on ads, roles, and schedules like crazy.

After all, in this era, exposure is the most important thing for artists.

The result is that while their popularity rises, neither their acting skills nor other abilities improve.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't explain this reasoning to Dong Chenxi, because no one but himself could understand what the future would become.

...

...

After sending the still-upset Dong Chenxi back to her room, Zhao Fusheng also rested.

The next morning, Ma Xiaoyun came to visit. Zhao Fusheng held another meeting with him. No one knew what they discussed, but judging by the smile on Ma's face when he left, their meeting must have been pleasant.

"Mr. Ono, are Ma Xiaoyun and Zhao Fusheng planning something?"

A subordinate asked Ono Masao respectfully.

As the head of SoftBank Asia, Ono Masao's status was unquestionable.

After all, he was Masayoshi Son's right-hand man. Ono Masao had played a crucial role in Son's success, which was why Son entrusted him with the important position of leading SoftBank Asia.

It was well known that during SoftBank's rise, Masayoshi Son was a controversial figure.

In other words, many of those who started the business with him were later forced to leave SoftBank, but Ono Masao remained. This showed that he had considerable skill.

"Do you think, if you were Zhao Fusheng or Ma Xiaoyun, you would do nothing in this situation?" Ono Masao glanced at his assistant and said indifferently.

The assistant was taken aback and then dared not speak.

"Idiot!"

Ono Masao gave his assistant a cold look and said firmly, "Don't worry about Zhao Fusheng. Focus on contacting James. I want to meet with Sequoia Capital before the board meeting."

"Yes, sir." The assistant quickly bowed to show he understood.

He had been with Ono Masao for a long time and knew his temperament well. If he couldn't handle even this small matter, it wouldn't be long before he left SoftBank Asia.

Sitting in his office, Ono Masao remained silent for a long time.

To be honest, he regarded Zhao Fusheng as a more formidable opponent than Dong Chenxi.

That woman Dong Chenxi was still somewhat rational, and to put it bluntly, sometimes she was too rational or considered too many things before acting.

But not Zhao Fusheng. That guy's mind was too deep.

Ono Masao had clashed with Zhao Fusheng several times before, and each time he was outsmarted. After many times, he gradually understood why he was being manipulated.

The reason was simple: because he had needs.

"A man with no desires is hard to corrupt." Often, if a person wants nothing, they don't need to care about anything. Even if someone tries to scheme against them, they can't succeed.

Because they have no weaknesses!

In Ono Masao's view, Zhao Fusheng currently had no weaknesses.

From any perspective, Future Group and its subsidiaries had ample cash flow and a very healthy equity structure.

Under these circumstances, there was almost no opportunity to make a move against them.

Though reluctant to admit it, Ono Masao had to say that he could do nothing about Zhao Fusheng now.

"What to do?"

He muttered to himself, sitting there.

He really wanted to talk to Zhao Fusheng now. If he could persuade Zhao Fusheng to hand over his shares, it would be great news for SoftBank.

But unfortunately, from the moment Zhao Fusheng went to great lengths to acquire the shares, Ono Masao realized that Zhao Fusheng was very optimistic about Alibaba.

In fact, he was even more optimistic about Alibaba's development than SoftBank.

So when he cooperated with Samsung, he preferred to sell Twitter shares to Lee Kun-hee rather than use Alibaba shares for the transaction.

In the game of Werewolf, there's an unwritten rule: the simplest way to tell if someone is a werewolf is to see if they say one thing but mean another.

Business is the same: don't believe a single word a businessman says, because they are full of lies.

For a businessman, what he says doesn't matter; what matters is what he does.

Clearly, Ono Masao saw it clearly: Zhao Fusheng had no intention of giving up Alibaba's shares.

...

...

"What do you think Ono Masao is thinking right now?"

Zhao Fusheng sat in his room, on the phone with Tan Kaixuan, who had gone home for the New Year.

"What could he be thinking?"

Tan Kaixuan chuckled: "He's an old fox. No matter how you and Ma Xiaoyun perform, do you think he'll panic?"

"No choice," Zhao Fusheng sighed. "In this situation, I can't do anything either."

"Want me to give it a try?"

Tan Kaixuan suddenly suggested to Zhao Fusheng.

After all, he had some influence and backup plans in the Hong Kong stock market. If he did something with Alibaba's shares, it might yield surprising results.

"Better not."

At first, Zhao Fusheng was tempted by the idea.

But on second thought, he gave up the notion.

The reason was simple: if he let Tan Kaixuan act covertly, it would coincide with the acquisition battle Dong Chenxi had mentioned earlier.

Fighting an acquisition battle with SoftBank and Yahoo, Zhao Fusheng had to admit that neither Future Investment nor Ma Xiaoyun and his team had the capital.

More importantly, Zhao Fusheng didn't trust Ma Xiaoyun.

Boss Ma, though good at talking and commercially talented, had a reputation—well, basically zero credibility.

If Zhao Fusheng placed all his hopes on him, he would be crazy!

He would end up being sold and still counting the money.

With that in mind, Zhao Fusheng said to Tan Kaixuan, "You should quietly accumulate Alibaba shares. If you do a short-term trade, you definitely won't lose money."

Tan Kaixuan was startled, not expecting Zhao Fusheng to say that.