Chapter 1871: Advancing Through Wind and Rain

Zhao Fusheng knew Tan Kaixuan well; if Tan Kaixuan had lost a large sum of money, he wouldn't be in this state.

Clearly, he was gloating.

"You bastard, you didn't screw someone over, did you?"

Zhao Fusheng didn't hide his suspicion and asked Tan Kaixuan directly.

Tan Kaixuan chuckled: "What are you saying? I earnestly advised those people, but they wouldn't listen. What could I do?"

"What happened?"

Zhao Fusheng asked suspiciously.

"Nothing much. I advised the company's shareholders to temporarily sell off their futures and stocks, but they didn't listen, thinking the US economy couldn't collapse. So..."

Tan Kaixuan said calmly: "I could only use my authority to sell off the portion I could manage. As for the rest, if those people want to die, what can I do?"

"Holy shit!"

Zhao Fusheng immediately lost his composure. Old Tan had really screwed those partners over this time!

Those were all Wall Street tycoons, and they were actually duped by Tan Kaixuan—quite surprising.

But Zhao Fusheng could understand.

After all, the rapid development of the US economy over the long term had given those Wall Street businessmen great confidence in America. Similarly, they thought the subprime crisis would have some impact but shouldn't be that exaggerated.

Who would have thought things would evolve into a global financial crisis?

Except for Tan Kaixuan, who had absolute faith in himself.

"What's your next move?"

Zhao Fusheng then thought of a very critical question and asked Tan Kaixuan.

He knew Tan Kaixuan's character well; since things had reached this point, he wouldn't just do nothing.

"Heh, of course I'll ask those guys if they're thinking of selling their shares." Tan Kaixuan said calmly: "This time, I'm going to become the major shareholder!"

"Good, if you need money, just say the word. I'll have Dong Chenxi arrange a loan for you." Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Zhao Fusheng didn't understand the operations involved, but he knew that since Tan Kaixuan said so, he must be confident.

That's how the internet era is—opportunities are everywhere. As long as you stand at the forefront, you have a chance to rise.

Many who seem unlikely to succeed somehow succeed at this time.

Of course, there are also many who seem destined for success but fail inexplicably after a short period of glory.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng had often lamented missing too many opportunities. Now, he knew that not only he but many others had also missed even more opportunities.

It's hard, even impossible, to easily define an era as good or bad, because the words 'good' and 'bad' are relative in some ways, just as you can't simply say a person is good or bad.

There are few purely bad people, and few purely good people.

Zhao Fusheng had seen demure girls cheating on their partners, and girls who smoke and drink staying true to love. He had seen men in suits and ties cursing at their parents, and tattooed individuals patiently caring for the elderly at home.

Civilization isn't measured by education, and character isn't judged by clothing. Many well-dressed people commit heinous acts.

One's moral integrity and innate kindness cannot be disguised.

...

...

The next day, Zhao Fusheng went to Future Investment.

There was no choice; such a major event required careful handling.

"Yesterday, global stock markets plummeted. In Asia, after opening today, everything is falling..."

In Future Investment's conference room, facing the big screen, a department manager under Dong Chenxi briefed Zhao Fusheng and Dong Chenxi on the situation.

Just as Wu Sijie had told Zhao Fusheng the night before, global stock markets were affected by the US stock crash. Tokyo and Hong Kong reacted directly, crashing at the open.

Mainland China resisted for a while but didn't hold out long; the market was now a sea of green.

"How big are our losses?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Dong Chenxi and asked.

"Our losses mainly come from Tencent Technology and Alibaba." Dong Chenxi said to Zhao Fusheng: "The other companies are fine."

Zhao Fusheng nodded; he understood why this was the case.

Most of the companies in which Future Investment held shares were still unicorns that hadn't gone public. The only listed ones were Alibaba and Tencent Technology.

There were also shares in Samsung, but that involved transactions with CJ Group, so the overall impact was minimal.

"My idea is to stay out of the financial markets in the short term."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Dong Chenxi: "What conclusions has the company reached?"

"We're thinking the same way."

Dong Chenxi nodded: "I estimate this situation will last at least until next year, or even longer."

"Not necessarily."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "After hitting bottom, there will definitely be a rebound."

That was the truth.

That's how financial markets work: when prices fall to a certain value floor, actual prices below actual value trigger a rebound.

This kind of oversold rebound is usually quite strong.

That is, a V-shaped reversal. After severe overselling, when prices break through people's psychological底线, the purchasing potential for a valuable company whose stock price severely deviates from its actual value is enormous. Such sustained rebounds are often accompanied by positive news.

Although the entire global financial market was in a slump, truly smart people knew this situation would only last for a while, given the current economic globalization where financial markets are closely tied to other industries.

Although Zhao Fusheng's previous judgments had all been validated, Dong Chenxi and the others were still somewhat surprised to hear this.

"So soon?"

Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise.

She really hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to be so optimistic about a financial market rebound.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Don't underestimate the Americans. They say they won't bail out the market, but they're not counting on themselves—they're counting on others."

"Others?"

Dong Chenxi and the others were stunned, looking at Zhao Fusheng curiously.

Zhao Fusheng smiled without speaking. Some things he couldn't say; saying them might get him into trouble.

"Chairman, should we consider bottom-fishing?"

Someone from Dong Chenxi's team asked Zhao Fusheng.

"Bottom-fishing?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Aren't you afraid of catching the falling knife halfway down?"

The group was stunned; upon reflection, what Zhao Fusheng said made sense.

In finance, the worst fear is bottom-fishing halfway down, which leaves you in a dilemma.

Zhao Fusheng said no more, waved his hand for everyone to leave, and adjourned the meeting.

Back in Dong Chenxi's general manager's office, Dong Chenxi asked Zhao Fusheng: "You didn't finish earlier—are the Americans going to pull some tricks?"

She wasn't stupid; Zhao Fusheng hadn't finished his sentence, but his meaning was clear: the Americans had a backup plan.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "What do you think? In this day and age, it would be strange if those Americans didn't stir up trouble."

Dong Chenxi frowned, thought for a long time, then suddenly looked up and said in surprise: "Treasury bonds?"

After much thought, that was the only thing she could think of.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Exactly. Just wait and see."

Dong Chenxi's face instantly turned grim.

She now understood a lot about financial operations.

She knew very well what treasury bonds were, and naturally understood that if the US issued bonds, someone would have to foot the bill.

After a long silence, Dong Chenxi opened her mouth to say something but didn't know how to begin. Finally, she could only sigh helplessly.

Seeing her reaction, Zhao Fusheng knew she had understood his meaning.

"Alright, don't overthink it."

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Dong Chenxi and said calmly: "This has nothing to do with us. We're just businessmen, understand?"

Dong Chenxi smiled bitterly: "I know. Don't worry."

She wasn't stupid; she knew what Zhao Fusheng was hinting at.

Ten years ago, Dong Chenxi would have been furious like a hot-blooded youth.

But now, she had matured and knew what to say and what not to say.

"Our future investment direction should focus on internet companies."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Dong Chenxi and said calmly.

Dong Chenxi nodded: "That's the only way."

After a moment's thought, she asked: "Do you think we could mainly do angel investing?"

"Now?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed, then said: "You decide that yourself. I won't interfere."

To be honest, angel investing is essentially casting a wide net, like what SoftBank did in the US back then—spending hundreds of millions of dollars all at once and waiting to reap the rewards.

This approach carries both risks and opportunities.

The risk is that not all investments will succeed. Investing hundreds of thousands or millions, if successful, yields substantial returns, but if it fails, you lose everything.

Even with SoftBank's investments, people only saw Yahoo's success, but no one noticed that besides Yahoo, most of the internet companies SoftBank invested in eventually went bankrupt.

What does that mean?

It means the development process of internet companies is like panning for gold in a turbulent river.

Only after being sifted through violent waves do the shining diamonds remain, bringing substantial returns to investors.

The vast majority of other companies will cause investors to lose money.

Under these circumstances, how to choose good projects and promising companies to invest in is undoubtedly a huge test for investors.