Chapter 0326: Well-Intentioned Efforts

Chen Tianqiao had always been what people called 'someone else's child' since childhood—good grades, high emotional intelligence, and he got into Fudan University's Economics Department without any pressure. Even at Fudan, a place full of talented people, he still seemed like a cheat,凭借 his excellent grades and strong organizational skills, becoming the only outstanding student cadre model in Shanghai in 1993 and graduating a year early.

Indeed, this man was an elite who loved to stir things up.

Chen Tianqiao had always felt successful, at least compared to his peers, and even compared to his classmates who went to work for foreign companies after graduation, he believed the path he was on now was more exciting.

Until he met Zhao Fusheng.

Now, Chen Tianqiao felt that the young man sitting across from him, drinking coffee and chatting happily with his wife, was practically his nemesis from a past life.

From the initial acquisition of MyHome to the forced transfer of ten percent of Shanda Technology's equity, Chen Tianqiao had never gained an advantage over Zhao Fusheng.

Yet he had to admit that the other party's methods were clever; he knew Zhao was taking advantage, but he couldn't refuse to cooperate with him.

Glancing at Cheng Gong, who was discussing contract details with his lawyer, Chen Tianqiao smiled bitterly. He hadn't expected that Zhao Fusheng would bring his own lawyer.

Fortunately, he had also come prepared, inviting his lawyer friend along.

"Xiao Zhao, I didn't expect you to be so young," Luo Qianqian said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "Qianqian Jie, don't tease me. If we walked out together, people might not know who's older—you look much younger than me."

Zhao Fusheng dared not underestimate this woman behind the future richest man. Being able to participate in company management and consistently hold power, her cunning and scheming went without saying. From the moment they met, she quickly bridged the gap and called him 'brother,' and Zhao Fusheng knew she was no simple person.

But no matter how she tried to pry, Zhao Fusheng only told her what he wanted to say. As for what he didn't want to say, no matter how Luo Qianqian teased, Zhao Fusheng just smiled and evaded.

He wasn't a young boy who would be easily charmed by a beautiful woman. A middle-aged man in his forties might like beautiful women, but Zhao Fusheng knew better what to say and what not to say.

"Hehe, you really know how to talk," Luo Qianqian shook her head with a smile, then looked at Zhao Fusheng: "Do you have a girlfriend? Want me to introduce one?"

"No, no, no, Luo Jie, please spare me," Zhao Fusheng quickly made a pleading gesture with his hands together: "My family has arranged an engagement for me; I dare not find a girlfriend."

At this moment, he was extremely grateful to his mother for turning Fan Baobao into his shield.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's reaction, Luo Qianqian was quite surprised: "You're not joking, are you?"

What era was this, and there were still arranged engagements? Luo Qianqian felt either she had stepped into the wrong time or Zhao Fusheng was making things up.

Zhao Fusheng smiled bitterly and nodded: "Our parents have known each other for decades. We grew up together, and our feelings are good."

Luo Qianqian covered her mouth and laughed: "I see, so it's a childhood sweetheart."

She and Chen Tianqiao had entered marriage after knowing each other for six months, so she didn't quite understand Zhao Fusheng's so-called childhood sweetheart. But since he had said that, she didn't continue the topic.

At that moment, Cheng Gong and the lawyer brought by Chen Tianqiao had finished their discussion. The two presented the contract and said: "Basically, that's it. If there are no objections, please sign."

Zhao Fusheng and Chen Tianqiao exchanged glances, both smiled, and signed their names on the contract.

After signing, the lawyers naturally took their leave. As for the fees, they would be handled separately. Zhao Fusheng knew he would meet Cheng Gong again.

"Now we're family. I hope we can cooperate happily in the future," Luo Qianqian said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "Of course. To be honest, I am very optimistic about Shanda's future development."

"Oh?" This remark caught Chen Tianqiao's attention. He was undoubtedly optimistic about China's internet development. But when he went to Nanjing to recruit, saying he wanted to build a domestic Disney, those arrogant college students ignored him. Fortunately, he recruited a group from his alma mater, or Shanda wouldn't have even started.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Chen Tianqiao: "President Chen, I admire you. I believe you can lead Shanda further, which is why I agreed to exchange equity for advertising fees. Otherwise, do you think wo123 couldn't find clients?"

Chen Tianqiao was taken aback, then smiled bitterly, shaking his head and nodding: "Then I must thank you for your regard."

He knew Zhao Fusheng was telling the truth. For one thing, wo123's traffic was the highest among domestic navigation pages. Although there were similar pages, they were not as convenient or comprehensive in links as wo123.

Of course, the most important point was that people were already used to using wo123; switching to another page would feel unfamiliar.

In short, Zhao Fusheng held a bomb in his hand—a particularly powerful trump card. No matter what anyone wanted to do, he could just throw the bomb.

"Fusheng, how far do you think MyHome can develop?" Luo Qianqian suddenly asked.

She was curious about how much Zhao Fusheng, as the founder of MyHome, expected from this virtual community. Moreover, she didn't understand why he wanted to sell the site—did he have other plans?

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Luo Qianqian and shook his head: "I don't know how far this virtual community can go. For me, it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea. After I built it and promoted it through wo123, I realized it might bring joy to many people online."

He paused and smiled: "To be honest, maybe this site is just a starting point for me. I think there will always be better sites, because our internet is constantly evolving."

He meant it. In fact, Zhao Fusheng had never really valued MyHome, because he knew that online games would become much more advanced in the future. Things like getting married in games were too common, and some future games would even allow people to have sex.

Most importantly, according to his memory, the future direction of game development was role-playing, not this kind of virtual community.

"I hope so," Chen Tianqiao said with a smile to Zhao Fusheng.

"President Chen, rest assured, I won't interfere in any company matters. The contract just now also stated that my share voting rights are in your hands; I only have the right to dividends," Zhao Fusheng said to Chen Tianqiao with a smile.

The reason he wanted this ten percent stake was that Zhao Fusheng clearly remembered that a few years later, Chen Tianqiao would rise with the game 'Legend,' and Shanda Group would be listed on NASDAQ in the US, making him the richest man in China.

Zhao Fusheng's plan was simple: to get a piece of the pie.

As for company management and operations, Zhao Fusheng had no intention of getting involved. What a joke—he wasn't a computer science major; even setting up a webpage took him half a day. Letting him participate in managing a tech company would be harder than being Fan Baobao's agent.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Zhao Fusheng didn't want to disrupt the development of certain things because of his appearance. Moreover, he couldn't guarantee that if he acquired Chen Tianqiao's company, the game 'Legend' would appear in China as scheduled.

Chen Tianqiao was quite satisfied with Zhao Fusheng's attitude. He was a person with a strong desire for control, which later led to his isolation, even his own brother parting ways with him.

He had originally thought Zhao Fusheng would take the opportunity to meddle in internal affairs, but unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng acted like a hands-off boss, leaving Chen Tianqiao both delighted and puzzled.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng to the door, he turned to his wife: "What is this guy really up to?"

Luo Qianqian smiled slightly: "Whatever he's up to, since it's come to this, we can always dilute his shares later."

Chen Tianqiao nodded: "Let's wait and see. With wo123's promotion, we should reach one million users in another two or three months, and then I can attract some investment."

He was truly optimistic about the internet. In Chen Tianqiao's view, China's internet was still in its early stages. If he could seize the initiative now, once the internet developed, his returns would be ten or a hundred times.

If Zhao Fusheng knew what the Chen couple was thinking, he would probably laugh out loud.

He really hadn't thought too much. He simply remembered that the game 'Legend' would become hugely popular in the future, so he thought about trying to get some shares of Shanda. After all, unlike Ma Yun and others, Chen Tianqiao was in a difficult startup phase, and if he seized the opportunity well, he could get equity.

If he had gone to Hangzhou, he probably wouldn't have had a chance. That guy's ambitions were too high; he might not even look at a few hundred thousand.

Ma Yun of Hangzhou and Ma Huateng of Shenzhen were two different types. The former was a pure businessman, while the latter, during his startup phase, still retained some characteristics of a technician.

That was also why Zhao Fusheng set his next destination as Shenzhen.