Chapter 0353: Seriousness Is an Attitude

Tan Kaixuan was a man of strong action, which was precisely why Zhao Fusheng considered him superior to Wang Zhen. Because as soon as Zhao proposed the plan, Tan immediately contacted his father to inquire about the cost of a KFC franchise in Shanghai.

Then Tan Kaixuan began calculating how much capital he and Zhao Fusheng could pool together.

Watching the guy sit there scribbling calculations, Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Old Tan, do you have to be so dramatic?"

Tan Kaixuan looked up and glared at Zhao Fusheng: "Let me tell you, from now on, no more treating people to meals at restaurants. We're in the same boat now. Let's eat in the cafeteria more often—there's money on the meal card, isn't there?"

Blinking, Zhao Fusheng felt as if he had done something wrong.

In fact, he understood what Tan Kaixuan meant. Having finally gotten a chance to do something, naturally they should cherish it.

At their age, on the verge of graduating from university and having had some exposure to society, they understood that talent sometimes couldn't be eaten. Talent only indicated potential for development, but if luck was against you, there was nothing to be done.

Sages like Confucius, Laozi, and even Han Feizi, those predecessors with 'zi' in their names, had proven this truth through their own experiences. The same applied to Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan.

Neither of them came from outstanding backgrounds; all they could rely on was their own abilities.

In this regard, Tan Kaixuan had a deeper understanding than Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen, perhaps influenced by his parents, preferred to be content with small comforts. Tan Kaixuan, on the other hand, was influenced by his parents to aspire to great things.

As for Wen Yu, coming from an official family, he didn't have many thoughts on the matter for now.

Zhao Fusheng's idea was more explicit: he wanted to fully leverage the advantage of his rebirth to gain more dividends and become a big shot in the eyes of others.

At the very least, he had to be able to protect his family.

Although Zhao Fusheng knew that those who truly cared about him wouldn't demand great achievements from him; they only wished for his safety.

But as a man, this was his responsibility, and there was no shirking it.

Over the next few days, Zhao Fusheng let Tan Kaixuan drag him around the center of Ninghai City to wander aimlessly. In Tan Kaixuan's words, this was called market research.

To this, Zhao Fusheng remarked that for research, one person would suffice.

Although it was early March and the weather had started to warm up, it was still bitingly cold. Especially since Tan Kaixuan was really serious about his research—every time they reached a place, he would stop to observe the surroundings, leaving Zhao Fusheng's hands and feet frozen stiff.

In the end, Zhao Fusheng couldn't take it anymore.

"How about this: you continue the survey, pick a few locations, and then we'll discuss them together. Even though I'm putting in more money for this project, you'll be the one mainly handling the operations and such in the future," Zhao Fusheng said seriously to Tan Kaixuan after some thought.

Tan Kaixuan was taken aback: "What do you mean? You're not going to show your face?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "You're from Shanghai; if you invest, it counts as an achievement for attracting investment. I'm a local from Ninghai, and just in terms of preferential policies alone, there's a huge gap."

What he said was the truth. In this era, the whole country was fiercely pursuing GDP. In short, as long as there were political achievements, any project, regardless of what it was, would get the green light all the way.

With the same two-million-yuan investment, if Zhao Fusheng were in charge, he might face extortion from various departments, but if Tan Kaixuan took the lead, it would become a case of a Shanghai merchant investing in Ninghai's catering industry.

The intricacies involved were truly immense.

Watching Tan Kaixuan turn around and continue his research, Zhao Fusheng let out a long sigh, got into his car without a word, and went home.

No kidding—the preferential policies were one thing, but more importantly, he was really freezing and would rather die than continue doing market research with that guy Tan Kaixuan in the cold wind.

Perhaps this was the difference between the young and the middle-aged: the former were full of passion when pursuing a career, always hoping to accomplish something great, while the latter focused more on practical benefits, caring little about the process as long as the outcome was good.

No sooner had he arrived home than Zhao Fusheng received a call from Zheng Yao.

"So, how did your cooperation with Lawyer Cheng go?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zheng Yao with a smile.

Zheng Yao chuckled: "Where did you find this guy? He's quite formidable in legal matters."

Formidable?

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

He was genuinely curious. Cheng Gong wasn't a top-tier lawyer in Shanghai, but he was still a fairly outstanding figure. Zhao Fusheng wasn't surprised that Zheng Yao gave him such high praise; what puzzled him was why she said so.

Zheng Yao explained: "Here's the thing. When Lawyer Cheng arrived, we were negotiating with the lawyers from No. 7 Pharmaceutical Factory. After he got up to speed, he refuted them so thoroughly that they were left speechless. Now they don't dare to bring up any so-called claims for compensation."

"Really? That impressive?" Zhao Fusheng was also quite surprised and said with a smile, "Looks like I made the right choice hiring this legal consultant."

He hadn't expected Cheng Gong to achieve such good results.

"I've already signed the contract and formally hired Lawyer Cheng as our company's legal consultant, with an annual salary of two hundred thousand," Zheng Yao said seriously.

Zhao Fusheng frowned: "That much?"

Logically, the price was a bit high; in his view, Cheng Gong wasn't worth that much.

Zheng Yao laughed: "You don't understand—it's a deterrent, showing our stance."

Zhao Fusheng thought it over and understood her meaning. Spending two hundred thousand a year to hire a legal consultant clearly indicated that Future Advertising wouldn't mind going to court with certain people, even in marathon lawsuits.

In areas he wasn't familiar with, Zhao Fusheng's principle had always been to trust those he employed and not doubt them. Although Zheng Yao was still inexperienced in corporate management, since he had chosen her as the helm of Future Advertising, as long as she didn't make major mistakes, Zhao Fusheng would continue to trust her.

After chatting with Zheng Yao for a few more minutes, Zhao Fusheng finally hung up.

He also understood Zheng Yao's intention: keeping Cheng Gong was undoubtedly a gesture toward him. After all, the mountains were high and the emperor far away; although Zhao Fusheng didn't say certain things, Zheng Yao, as his partner, had to consider them carefully.

Cheng Gong's appearance perfectly filled that gap.

Just a few minutes after hanging up with Zheng Yao, Zhao Fusheng's phone rang again, and this time, the caller surprised him a bit.