Chapter 0226: The Inside Story

If Zhao Fusheng knew how highly Wang Jinghua regarded him, he would definitely burst out laughing.

The reason he appeared mature in others' eyes was partly because of the soul experience ingrained in his bones, which made it impossible for him to act immaturely, and partly because of his caution.

Unless one was a fool, or had fallen from a high social status, the process of a poor person suddenly becoming rich was actually quite terrifying.

If one could control the wealth before them, it would be their own; if not, they would become a slave to wealth, and sooner or later, that money would become someone else's.

Money and power are things that can make people dizzy. It is said that once a person has everything they desire, wealth and power are the same—some people, once they have them, feel as if they own the whole world.

When you stand at the peak, you see the mountains below as small.

For Zhao Fusheng, his current efforts were simply to make his life better.

The purpose of making money was simple: first, to ensure food and clothing—only when one was full could they work better. Next, the accumulation and growth of wealth often became a habitual task.

Although he had not yet reached the point where Ma Yun pretentiously claimed he regretted founding Alibaba, Zhao Fusheng actually understood his thoughts well. Sometimes, people tend to forget that their initial goal was often very small.

"Fusheng, I heard from Baobao that your family and hers have a very close relationship?"

At that moment, Wang Jinghua's voice rang in Zhao Fusheng's ears. Apparently, seeing that Zhao Fusheng wasn't speaking, Sister Wang had to make conversation herself.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Yes, our families are neighbors, and we grew up together. Her father and my father were colleagues in the same workshop back then."

"Oh, can you tell me something about her family?" Wang Jinghua asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was startled and looked at Wang Jinghua in surprise. What did she mean by asking him about Fan Baobao's situation?

But then he reconsidered and thought that she probably wasn't that foolish; it seemed she genuinely wanted to know something about Fan Baobao's family.

Upon reflection, Wang Jinghua's approach was understandable. As an agent, she needed to have a comprehensive understanding of the artists under her management. Otherwise, if an artist remained obscure, it was fine, but if they suddenly became famous, with the increasingly developed internet, media reports alone could completely ruin a person.

Zhao Fusheng didn't want Fan Baobao to end up like certain singers or actors, whose personas completely collapsed due to a shady past.

With that in mind, he nodded and said to Wang Jinghua: "You probably know the basics, Sister Hua, so I won't go into detail. Uncle Fan was actually a decent person before, and he was kind to us kids when we were young. But ever since he was laid off four years ago, he changed completely—he started drinking heavily and also got addicted to gambling."

"Gambling?"

Wang Jinghua's brow furrowed; she clearly cared about this matter.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Yes, at first it was just playing cards, but later it turned into all kinds of gambling machines. He lost all the family savings, and once he almost lost his own wife and daughter."

"What?" Wang Jinghua was stunned. She never imagined that Fan Jian could do such a thing—his own wife and daughter, and he actually thought of using them to pay off his gambling debts.

Zhao Fusheng gave a bitter smile and sighed. In this world, gambling and drugs were things one must never touch, because they could truly destroy a person.

At the very least, Zhao Fusheng dared not be friends with anyone who had these two addictions, for fear that one day he might be sold out by them without knowing it.

Human nature simply did not exist in gamblers and drug addicts.

"Go on..." Wang Jinghua frowned, her expression turning serious. Although Fan Baobao seemed fine now, she was still a bit worried.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and continued, "This summer, Uncle Fan lost again, but this time he owed someone fifty thousand yuan. He really had no money to pay, so he sneaked away. They say his arm was broken by the debt collectors. At that time, Baobao was still studying at the Film Academy in Ninghai. Aunt Li had no choice but to sell the house to pay off the debts and moved in with us with her two daughters."

These words had actually been said before, only he had omitted the role he played in it.

"And what about the two of you..." Wang Jinghua hesitated, then asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng looked at her in surprise, then broke into a smile. It seemed Wang Jinghua still cared about his relationship with Fan Baobao, otherwise she wouldn't have asked.

She might not have been entirely well-intentioned, because relationships between people could change over time—from good to bad, or from bad to good—you never knew.

But Zhao Fusheng had no intention of hiding it. He said calmly, "After Uncle Fan ran away, Aunt Li sold the house to pay off the debts, and then she got breast cancer. Thinking she was about to die, she forced Baobao and me to get engaged, entrusting her two daughters to me. But because the situation was special at the time, our engagement was just a verbal agreement."

He paused and added flatly, "Later, my college counselor founded Future Advertising. She adopted my advertising plan and recommended Baobao to shoot that Qingpian Honeysuckle Tablet commercial."

Wang Jinghua nodded, indicating she knew that part of the story; Zhao Fusheng had told her once before.

"And your engagement..." Wang Jinghua hesitated, asking Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "It's hard to say. Let's leave it as it is for now. Baobao and I think we'll deal with it later. What do you think, Sister Hua?"

Wang Jinghua gave an awkward laugh. "Right, deal with it later. Heh, later."

Then she looked into the distance and suddenly said, "I see a friend over there. I'll go say hello."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and watched Wang Jinghua walk out of his sight.

He hadn't actually told the truth. Back when Fan Baobao left Ninghai to study at the Central Academy of Drama, both Zhao's parents and Li Yuan had hoped the two would get engaged.

Under those circumstances, Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao had no choice but to make a decision witnessed only by their families—a choice known only to the two families.