Chapter 2346: Miss Li's Remarriage

That was just Zhao Fusheng's nature.

If someone respects me an inch, I respect them a foot.

If the Football Association people had been polite, he wouldn't have said a word and would have helped them without reservation.

But since they played dirty, they couldn't blame him for being unkind.

Over the years, Zhao Fusheng had never been the type to swallow insults and suffer in silence.

Soon, Future Group officially disclosed the whole truth of the matter.

Instantly, a storm erupted online.

No one had expected such a hidden story behind this incident!

"Is it real?"

"Are they kidding? Did the Football Association lose their minds?"

"Why do I think it's very possible."

"Haha, really?"

"With those pig-brains at the Football Association, it's entirely possible."

"Haha, hilarious. I've given up all hope on the Football Association's brains."

"They actually dared to ask for two million euros!"

Unexpectedly, public opinion online overwhelmingly sided with Zhao Fusheng.

There was no help for it; netizens and fans alike knew all too well the Football Association's character.

Even if they tried to argue, no one believed them.

In contrast, Future Group had long established a positive image.

Both Zhao Fusheng himself and Future Group had always been committed to charity.

That alone already outshone the Football Association.

Plus, Zheng Yao had deployed a large number of online trolls to steer public sentiment.

Soon, the blame was directed at the Football Association.

Of course, Zheng Yao was smart enough to target only a few leaders, not the entire association.

After all, if it escalated to the level of the whole association, it would be awkward and disrespectful to higher-ups.

It had to be said, Zheng Yao knew how to handle things.

Before long, the news spread everywhere.

The Football Association quickly responded, announcing they would investigate the matter.

Of course, it was just an investigation.

There would definitely be no follow-up.

The reason?

Heh, anyone with half a brain knew.

Not only that, Zhao Fusheng received word that someone had hinted the sports teams sponsored by Future Group should stop accepting its sponsorship.

As for who it was, Zhao Fusheng didn't need to guess.

Zhao Fusheng simply ignored it. These days, there were plenty of petty schemers; if he had to guard against every one, he'd never be able to.

Zheng Yao had no objection either.

Pursuing it aggressively would be useless; it would inevitably fizzle out. The Football Association had so many problems, yet nothing serious had ever come of them.

……

……

Though the incident had passed, everyone had a new understanding of Future Group's power.

It was a remarkable company with global influence.

Most importantly, their boss Zhao Fusheng didn't come across as an out-of-touch super-rich.

He seemed more like an ordinary person.

He had things he liked and disliked; what he liked he praised, and what he disliked he criticized.

This persona was exactly what many people liked.

"You know, you're very popular online now."

Zheng Yao said with a laugh when she called Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was speechless.

"I don't want any persona. Let it be."

With that, he hung up.

Zheng Yao was laughing uncontrollably on the other end.

But Zhao Fusheng was truly helpless.

He never liked such things; if it hadn't involved his father, he wouldn't have bothered.

"How is it? All settled?"

Zhao Fusheng had just put down the phone and walked back to the dining room.

His father came over to ask.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded, reassuring him, "Don't worry, it's fine."

"That's good."

His father nodded and left.

Watching his back, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly.

……

……

After staying in Italy for a while, Zhao Fusheng set off for South Korea.

He went there because he had received an invitation from Lee Boo-jin.

She was getting remarried.

That's right.

Back then, Zhao Fusheng had influenced her; she chose to divorce her husband, who pestered her until Lee Kun-hee taught him a lesson and forced him to leave South Korea.

In recent years, Lee Boo-jin had been busy with business and, as the intermediary between Samsung and Zhao Fusheng, had grown increasingly important in the group.

Soon, she met her true love again.

"An actor?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at the newspaper in surprise.

Interestingly, female tycoons in South Korea all seemed to like male actors.

Lee Boo-jin was one, and so was her sister-in-law, Lim Se-ryung, the ex-wife of Lee Jae-yong.

Speaking of Lin Shiling, she really has quite a story.

Lin Shiling was a bona fide rich heiress: her father was Lin Changyu, honorary president of South Korea's Daesang Group and one of the top ten richest people in South Korea, and her mother was Park Hyun-joo, daughter of Park In-cheon, founder of Kumho Asiana Group.

Daesang Group is South Korea's number one food company. As the eldest daughter of such a family business, Lin Shiling, contrary to the typical behavior of upper-class heiresses, always appeared as an ordinary person in front of her classmates and friends. Her high school classmate, South Korean host Choi Yoon-young, once told her story on a show: "None of her classmates had any idea that Lin Shiling was a chaebol heiress. Although a driver drove her to school, she would get off far from the school and walk the rest of the way, wearing only her school uniform every day. It wasn't until a parent-teacher meeting, when Park Hyun-joo attended, that everyone learned her true identity."

In 1996, Lin Shiling was admitted to Yonsei University, a prestigious South Korean university, with excellent grades.

While studying, with her striking features and elegant demeanor, she became a coveted "daughter-in-law candidate" among major chaebol families due to her reputation for "virtue."

At that time, Samsung Group was looking to enter the food additive industry, putting pressure on Daesang Group, which was in the same field.

Thus, a "matchmaking of the century" unfolded—Lin Shiling's mother, Park Hyun-joo, and Hong Ra-hee, mother of Samsung's "crown prince" Lee Jae-yong, were friends in a Buddhist group, and they arranged for Lin Shiling to meet Lee Jae-yong, who had just completed his MBA in Japan and was planning to study in the United States.

South Korean media revealed that when they first met, they were accompanied by their mothers, secretaries, bodyguards, and a large entourage, making quite a spectacle.

Two years later, they got married.

But the marriage lasted only until 2008. South Korean media once reported that Lin Shiling, though seemingly obedient on the surface, was always very independent-minded and often challenged the absolute male authority of the Lee family: she ignored Lee Kun-hee's aversion to competitors and used a Sony Walkman for years, once receiving a harsh scolding when her mother-in-law happened to see it; she also boldly suggested to her husband that they move out of his parents' house, only to be flatly refused; she harbored resentment over giving up her studies and career, and her mother-in-law Hong Ra-hee had to placate her, promising that once the children were older, she would let Lin Shiling take over her position as director of the Hoam Art Museum...

In the Lee family, besides the suffocating male dictatorship, the coldness among relatives was also disappointing.

In 2005, Lin Shiling's sister-in-law, Lee Kun-hee's youngest daughter Lee Yoon-hyung, hanged herself in her New York apartment. Lee Yoon-hyung was originally the heiress with the most "fans" in South Korea; she once set up a personal webpage to share life anecdotes and was called "the most unburdensome princess." However, the site was eventually shut down.

It was said that Lee Yoon-hyung had planned to marry a boyfriend from an ordinary family, but Lee Kun-hee strongly opposed it, sending her to study in the United States, where she fell into depression.

After her death, Samsung Group immediately launched a PR campaign, claiming Lee Yoon-hyung died in a car accident, only to apologize and explain after the media revealed the truth. At the time, the South Korean government was moving to curb chaebols, and Lee Kun-hee was under investigation for allegedly providing illegal political funds to political parties in 1997, tax evasion, and illegally transferring funds to his children, facing imprisonment.

Thus, to avoid the media, the Lee family did not even attend Lee Yoon-hyung's funeral.

Lin Shiling grew disheartened in the Lee family. Meanwhile, her family's Daesang Group fell into trouble: first, in 2006, it was investigated due to being implicated in Samsung's illegal fund embezzlement case; then, at the end of 2008, it hit a low point due to the financial crisis, selling off a large number of shares.

In both incidents, Samsung Group turned a blind eye, straining relations between the Lee and Lin families, and naturally increasing Lin Shiling's dissatisfaction. Eventually, she filed for divorce, directly challenging Samsung.

The final outcome was that Lin Shiling received tens of billions of Korean won in alimony and successfully left the Lee family.

Within a few years, she found her true love again: South Korea's top actor Lee Jung-jae.

And now, Lee Boo-jin had also found a South Korean actor.

This left Zhao Fusheng somewhat puzzled.

But these were all personal matters, and he certainly wouldn't say much about them.

"Chairman, the plane is about to arrive in Seoul."

At that moment, someone came over to inform Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and let out a long breath.

He knew that the real test was yet to come.

After all, he was about to face that old fox, Lee Kun-hee.

He was finally about to outlast his brother Lee Mengxi, and he wondered whether conflict would erupt between Samsung and CJ Group next.

If that happened, it might be a good opportunity for him.

After all, Zhao Fusheng had long had his eye on certain industries in South Korea.

...

...

The plane landed slowly.

Zhao Fusheng and his party left through the VIP passage.

He didn't take the regular passage, given his status.

Walking out of the airport, Zhao Fusheng smiled at Wu Sijie, who was standing respectfully waiting for him.

"Well, are you disappointed?"

Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

Wu Sijie chuckled: "What are you saying? Why would I be disappointed?"

"Don't think I don't know you. Your girlfriend didn't come, so of course you're disappointed."

Zhao Fusheng patted Wu Sijie on the shoulder with a smile: "Come on, your girl isn't coming. She's gone to the US."

Dong Chenxi had originally planned to accompany Zhao Fusheng to South Korea, but she received news from the US and rushed off to attend Facebook's board meeting.

Wu Sijie was taken aback; he really hadn't known that.

But on second thought, it was quite normal, after all, his girlfriend was no ordinary person.

A financial magazine once ranked the most powerful women in the financial circle.

Dong Chenxi赫然位列前十。

This was even before Facebook had gone public.

Once Facebook went public, as the head of Future Investment, Zhao Fusheng's most trusted confidant, Dong Chenxi would surely become an idol to many.

No way around it.

In her early thirties, controlling a large investment firm with over fifty billion US dollars.

Such influence made Wu Sijie have to admit that compared to his girlfriend, he still had a long way to go.

No help for it; he had chosen to fall for such a woman.

Zhao Fusheng and his party got into the cars, and the large convoy slowly left Seoul International Airport.

Leaving behind a crowd of astonished gazes.

After all, although Hanxing Investment was very low-key in South Korea, everyone knew how powerful the company really was.

It was an entity that could stand up to certain South Korean chaebols without losing ground.

Sitting in the car, Zhao Fusheng looked at Wu Sijie.

"So, nothing's been happening lately?"

After all, he was his former secretary; Zhao Fusheng didn't want anything to go wrong with him.

Ever since Liang Jingyu left South Korea, Wu Sijie had been solely responsible for things here. One small slip could cause problems.

And then there would be no one to take the blame for him.

"Don't worry."

Wu Sijie shook his head and reported to Zhao Fusheng: "Although I'm not as sharp as President Liang, you know me—I'm cautious and not greedy. So recently, I haven't made any expansion moves."

Zhao Fusheng smiled.

He hadn't expected Wu Sijie to be so candid, openly admitting his shortcomings.

He was exactly as he described himself.

His ability was inferior to Liang Jingyu's; everyone knew that.

But one thing was his strength: Wu Sijie was steady enough.

Or perhaps, because of Zhao Fusheng, he would rather forgo a project's profit than take a risk.

After all, he was Zhao Fusheng's former secretary; even without major achievements, as long as he kept Hanxing Investment stable, that was a major accomplishment.

It was a somewhat frustrating situation.

"Ha ha ha, you, really."

Zhao Fusheng laughed, pointing at Wu Sijie, unable to say another word.

Wu Sijie didn't mind; he shrugged: "Don't make fun of me. That's what Miss Dong told me. She said that here in South Korea, I should aim for no faults, not necessarily merits. As long as I don't make mistakes, that's the biggest success."

Zhao Fusheng was stunned. On reflection, what Dong Chenxi had taught Wu Sijie was exactly what a qualified manager should do.