Chapter 1860: Each One Cunning Than the Last

"I think we should be open with each other, shouldn't we?"

James looked at Zhao Fusheng and said seriously.

He was genuinely puzzled. What exactly did Zhao Fusheng want to do?

Negotiation was never something that could be accomplished overnight; it naturally required back-and-forth discussions.

Originally, James thought Zhao Fusheng wanted to meet him to talk about Alibaba, but clearly, Zhao Fusheng had other ideas.

That was quite awkward.

During negotiations, not knowing what the opponent wants or guessing what they are thinking is a terrible thing. It means that no matter what demands the other party makes, you are passive.

At that moment, James felt inexplicably frustrated.

Fortunately, Zhao Fusheng didn't let him remain too embarrassed. Instead, he smiled and said, "I think we can talk about Facebook, can't we?"

"Ah?"

James was taken aback: "Facebook?"

"Yes, Facebook."

Zhao Fusheng said calmly with a smile, "I heard Goldman Sachs is approaching Facebook. Don't you think we should make some response?"

"Well..."

James hesitated and remained silent for a long time.

He really hadn't expected this; he was caught off guard by Zhao Fusheng. This guy actually brought up Facebook. Wasn't he concerned about the situation with Alibaba?

Wait!

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck James.

If it were any other opponent, he might not have thought much about it. But sitting before him was Zhao Fusheng, which forced James to be cautious.

Recalling Zhao Fusheng's usual tactics over the years, a whimsical thought suddenly popped into James's mind.

Looking at Zhao Fusheng, James suddenly smiled and said, "Dear Zhao, if I'm not mistaken, you must have reached some agreement with Mr. Ma Xiaoyun, right?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed. He hadn't expected James to react so quickly and guess that.

But it was understandable. After all, James had been rolling in the capital circle for many years, a senior partner of Sequoia Capital. If he couldn't figure out such a thing, Zhao Fusheng would really have to doubt his ability.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng himself hadn't intended to keep this matter secret for long.

Nodding, Zhao Fusheng said frankly, "You could say that. I believe Mr. Ma Xiaoyun and his team are capable of managing and operating Alibaba. At the very least, with him in charge, investors should feel reassured."

Looking at Zhao Fusheng's serious expression, James really wanted to throw the cup in his hand at his face. When you set a trap for Ono Masao, you didn't say that.

But he understood now. It seemed he hadn't guessed wrong; otherwise, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't have spoken that way.

People always have a little emotion, especially someone like James, who was part of the elite, at the top of society, and had strong confidence in himself.

Similarly, in his view, Zhao Fusheng was that kind of person.

Now that he could guess Zhao Fusheng's thoughts, it was undoubtedly a sense of accomplishment for him.

"Dear Zhao, I suddenly feel that being your opponent is a very tough job."

For no reason, James felt sympathy for Ono Masao. That guy was determined to be Zhao Fusheng's opponent, but now it seemed that Zhao Fusheng's sights were never set on that.

Or rather, Zhao Fusheng had already laid out his plan long ago.

"I've always liked making friends."

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and said sincerely to James, "I think having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy, don't you think?"

Then, he looked at James meaningfully and said, "In this world, especially for businessmen, only the US dollars earned in hand are real, right?"

James agreed deeply and nodded: "Yes, we are investors. If we can't see profits, doesn't that mean failure?"

Clearly, on this matter, the two had similar views, or rather, they had a lot in common.

"I've heard about Goldman Sachs Capital."

James glanced at Zhao Fusheng and said calmly, "I think Facebook doesn't need new investors for now. What do you think?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "As one of Facebook's earliest investors, I've always believed that Facebook has great development prospects."

He didn't directly answer James's question, but the meaning behind his words was clear.

For a company with bright prospects, especially an internet company, the fewer investors the better, because more investors mean more people sharing the pie.

When it comes to interests, although everyone likes to share the benefits, the problem is that the more people share, the less you get in return.

That was not the outcome Zhao Fusheng or James wanted to see.

...

...

The meeting with James went very smoothly. Or rather, James was so smart that after confirming that Zhao Fusheng and Ma Xiaoyun had reached a cooperation agreement, he decisively chose the most favorable outcome for Sequoia Capital.

In James's own words, Sequoia Capital always stands on the side of the victor.

Zhao Fusheng was quite satisfied with that, because he thought the same way.

To be honest, if Ono Masao hadn't been trying to drive away Ma Xiaoyun and his team, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't have considered cooperating with Ma Xiaoyun. He would have just sat back and watched the fight.

But under the current circumstances, Zhao Fusheng couldn't continue to watch from the sidelines. He had to step in personally and help Ma Xiaoyun.

Clearly, Zhao Fusheng's appearance solved all the problems.

"How did it go?"

After Zhao Fusheng left the Victoria Grand Hotel, Dong Chenxi asked him.

Earlier, she had been waiting downstairs.

Zhao Fusheng smiled lightly and waved his hand: "Not bad."

"Is he cooperating with us?"

Dong Chenxi raised an eyebrow and continued asking Zhao Fusheng.

"Cooperating?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then laughed and shook his head: "What are you thinking? Do you think he can be trusted? Or rather, can we trust a company like Sequoia Capital?"

"Of course not."

Before Zhao Fusheng finished, Dong Chenxi directly denied it: "These Americans are simply unreliable. They cooperate with us today and might stab us in the back tomorrow."

That was her honest opinion. In fact, Dong Chenxi knew the nature of these Americans better than Zhao Fusheng.

Chinese people at least care about face and business ethics.

But in a place like the United States, cooperation between big companies is only about cold numbers and contracts.

As for human touch?

Hah, did they think they were watching a movie?

In movies, superheroes are always very humane and help the weak.

But in real life, Americans are very cold. For them, unless it concerns their own interests, those Americans have no so-called enthusiasm.

If it were truly a so-called democratic and free country, there wouldn't be so much discrimination against non-white races.

In short, the American Dream is nothing but a wishful fantasy of some Chinese people.

"Yes, you never know when they'll stab you in the back."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Those people have always been like that, liking to backstab others."

Dong Chenxi frowned slightly, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly laughed: "I see. You were just appeasing Sequoia Capital?"

"Not exactly appeasing." Zhao Fusheng shook his head as he got into the car: "To be honest, neither Alibaba nor Facebook has fully developed yet. For us, this is something that cannot be disturbed. So we have to try to keep Sequoia on the same page as us."

Then he smiled and said: "Once these two companies have developed, whether it's Sequoia or SoftBank, whoever wants to stir things up can do so. At worst, we can just part ways."

Dong Chenxi was speechless, looking at Zhao Fusheng's face and finding that he was quite serious.

She then realized that, after all, in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, the reason he worked hard to maintain the stability of the two companies was not because he cared so much about their businesses, but because he believed they had not yet maximized their profits.

In other words, if given the chance, or once Zhao Fusheng was sure that the development of these two companies had met his requirements, he would not hesitate to sell off his shares.

"Alright, don't overthink it."

Seeing Dong Chenxi lost in thought, Zhao Fusheng smiled at her: "We are venture capitalists, not industrialists. Do you think this is a movie? You like a script, invest in it, and if the box office is bad after release, you can still hope for an award. In venture capital, it's all about returns. If the money we invest can't even break even or make a profit, what's the point?"

Dong Chenxi was silent. She had to admit that although Zhao Fusheng's words sounded like a joke, they hit the nail on the head.

What is venture capital?

The full name of venture capital is risk investment. It's money taken out at risk, invested in a project. It might make a fortune or lose everything.

If you think you've invested in a project for a long time, developed feelings for it, and can't bear to give it up, once the project fails, the loss will be huge.

In business, especially investment, the biggest taboo is letting emotions take over. Because humans are strange creatures; once they bring emotions into work, they become unable to distinguish right from wrong.

Under such circumstances, it's easy to make a big mistake.