Chapter 2289 Playing Chess

Dong Chenxi never expected that Zhao Fusheng's words would actually come true.

Upon learning that Zhao Fusheng wanted to see him, Ma Xiaoyun arrived in the capital immediately.

Moreover, he took the initiative to arrange a meeting with Zhao Fusheng.

“You actually guessed right.”

Dong Chenxi said to Zhao Fusheng with some surprise.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, looking completely composed: “Of course, don’t you know who I am?”

His tone was quite smug.

Rolling her eyes, Dong Chenxi couldn’t be bothered to mock him.

Who was it that, upon learning that Standard Bank of South Africa had bought the shares from Yahoo and Sequoia Capital, had cursed and trembled with rage?

Now he was putting on such a calm front.

Men.

Hmph.

Zhao Fusheng naturally understood what she meant, but he pretended not to notice.

After all, as long as he was happy.

“In that case, make the arrangements. I’ll meet with Ma Xiaoyun.”

Zhao Fusheng said to Dong Chenxi, “Get things settled as soon as possible.”

“Okay, no problem.”

Dong Chenxi nodded to show she understood.

…

…

Two days later, Zhao Fusheng and Ma Xiaoyun finally met.

“Chairman Zhao, long time no see.”

Ma Xiaoyun still wore a warm smile, looking like a friendly uncle next door.

That was just how he was—always giving people a sense of warmth.

You simply couldn’t associate him with the word ‘rich.’

Most importantly, Ma Xiaoyun’s affable demeanor made you let your guard down when chatting with him.

That was a remarkable skill.

At least Zhao Fusheng admitted he didn’t have that ability.

“Chairman Ma, your cooperation with Standard Bank of South Africa this time was a great success.”

Zhao Fusheng said flatly.

He had no intention of beating around the bush.

When doing business with someone like Ma, the more you circled around, the easier it was to get dizzy, because that was his specialty.

Rather than that, it was better to state his purpose directly, as he was doing now.

“Well…”

Ma Xiaoyun seemed unaccustomed to Zhao Fusheng’s blunt style and looked a bit awkward.

For him, typical business negotiations involved a process; few people came straight to the point like Zhao Fusheng.

This guy was clearly overturning the table.

“Heh.”

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Ma Xiaoyun’s expression and smiled faintly: “I think we can cooperate.”

Cooperate?

At that word, Ma Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up.

He was a smart man, exceptionally smart.

He naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

Clearly, the big boss behind Future Investment didn’t dislike his previous actions.

Or more precisely, even if he disliked him, he didn’t mind cooperating.

This realization put Ma Xiaoyun in a good mood.

He knew exactly what that meant.

“I’m very optimistic about Alibaba’s development.”

Zhao Fusheng looked at Ma Xiaoyun seriously and said, “And I’m also very interested in Alipay!”

With one sentence, he made Ma Xiaoyun tense up.

“Chairman Zhao, I think Future Investment already holds a considerable stake in Alipay, doesn’t it?”

Ma Xiaoyun said seriously, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Back when they created the payment software, even he hadn’t expected it to grow so fast.

At that time, he had agreed to let Future Investment hold twenty-five percent of the shares, and now he deeply regretted it.

And now Zhao Fusheng said he was interested in that company!

Ma Xiaoyun felt terrible.

Was this guy trying to cut a piece out of his heart?

Ma Xiaoyun looked at Zhao Fusheng suspiciously, on high alert.

After all, that was the company he truly cared about!

Zhao Fusheng smiled but said nothing more; some things were best left unsaid.

The two continued chatting, with Zhao Fusheng mostly asking Ma Xiaoyun about the company’s development and management.

He seemed genuinely interested in these matters.

Not knowing what Zhao Fusheng was up to, Ma Xiaoyun had to patiently listen.

They talked for a long time, but Zhao Fusheng didn’t bring up the main topic, and Ma Xiaoyun was getting bored to death.

Fortunately, before he lost patience, Zhao Fusheng finally got down to business.

“Chairman Ma, how much do you think my Alibaba shares will eventually be worth?”

Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

Ma Xiaoyun was taken aback but said nothing.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Fusheng chuckled: “Relax, relax, I don’t mean anything else.”

Then he shrugged: “Chairman Ma, you might consider it. Actually, I’m easy to talk to.”

Ma Xiaoyun still didn’t respond, sitting there lost in thought.

He seemed to have lost his earlier jovial mood.

Zhao Fusheng said nothing more, lightly picked up his teacup.

Clearly, that was a signal to see the guest out.

…

…

“What did you talk about?”

After Ma Xiaoyun left, Dong Chenxi asked Zhao Fusheng curiously.

“Nothing much.”

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: “He’s not the one calling the shots.”

“Huh?”

Dong Chenxi was puzzled: “What do you mean? He’s not in charge? You mean he has someone behind him?”

Zhao Fusheng nodded: “Definitely. Otherwise, why do you think he acted like that?”

Some things didn’t need too much scrutiny; a little comparison of before and after, plus some information gathering, could confirm it.

Zhao Fusheng hadn’t deliberately thought about it before, but now it seemed that some public speculations from his past life might not be groundless.

The background of this Chairman Ma was probably not that simple.

“You mean he’s a front man?” Dong Chenxi stared at Zhao Fusheng, dumbfounded.

She really hadn’t expected Ma Xiaoyun to have such an identity.

“Who knows?”

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. With his and Dong Chenxi’s network, if they deliberately investigated, they might actually find something.

After all, such things always leave some traces.

But the problem was, doing so was pointless.

If they were discovered, the other party might misunderstand and think they had ulterior motives.

In that case, Zhao Fusheng had no intention of doing something so boring.

As he had told Ma Xiaoyun, he was a businessman, easy to talk to, as long as he made money.

Other things didn’t matter to him.

Dong Chenxi pursed her lips, knowing Zhao Fusheng didn’t want to discuss it, so she didn’t ask further.

She wasn’t stupid; in business, curiosity could sometimes kill. Those who liked to poke around often ended up badly.

“By the way, when do you plan to start restructuring the company?”

Dong Chenxi casually asked Zhao Fusheng.

They had discussed this before, but since Zhao Fusheng hadn’t moved on it for days, Dong Chenxi thought he might have changed his mind.

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng wasn’t so easily swayed.

Hearing her question, Zhao Fusheng said flatly: “I’ve already arranged for someone to draft a plan. Why, do you have any ideas?”

Dong Chenxi nodded, not hiding her thoughts: “I think a few people at headquarters are good. I plan to snatch them up first.”

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, helpless at her words.

These people, each with their own little agendas.

But on second thought, it made sense. If everyone were completely selfless, that would be strange.

Zhao Fusheng knew human nature all too well.

But he had no intention of testing anyone’s loyalty. Throughout history, the human heart had never been able to withstand such tests.

“Do as you please.”

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand, too lazy to say more.

…

…

Not staying long, Zhao Fusheng chatted with Dong Chenxi for a bit and then went home.

At first, the matter with Ma Xiaoyun had really worried him, but as time went on, Zhao Fusheng came to terms with it.

He wasn’t a god; whether Ma Xiaoyun had someone behind him or not, what did it have to do with him?

His goal was to hold on to his shares and avoid any trouble.

Now, it seemed manageable.

Judging by Ma Xiaoyun’s behavior in front of him, he didn’t seem intent on doing anything to him.

If so, that was the best outcome.

They could coexist peacefully.

Otherwise, Zhao Fusheng really wouldn’t know how to handle him.

After resting at home for a few days, Zhao Fusheng handed over the group integration to Zheng Yao.

Of course, she didn’t need to go to the office; she just assigned the plan to the Strategic Planning Department.

Zhao Fusheng planned to keep this department and make it his think tank, providing him with advice.

Both Zheng Yao and Dong Chenxi agreed.

The larger the enterprise, the more it needed to consider such issues.

Unless there was a suitable successor, the boss always needed advisors around.

And the Strategic Planning Department was just right for that.

To that end, Zhao Fusheng specifically sent Liu Yiming to communicate with Zheng Yao and learn about these people in detail.

Moreover, he told Zheng Yao that the new head of the Strategic Planning Department would be Liu Yiming.

Zheng Yao had no objection, but she suggested that Zhao Fusheng transfer the current head of the Strategic Planning Department to Dong Chenxi’s side.

The reason was simple: that person had a keen financial sense and had predicted Ma Xiaoyun’s moves earlier, though she and Dong Chenxi hadn’t taken the suggestion seriously.

Zhao Fusheng never hesitated to promote talent.

Soon, he made the adjustment.