Chapter 0870: One Cannot Be Too Greedy

Zhao Fusheng remembered hearing a song whose lyrics said that some people drift apart as they walk. Actually, these words made a lot of sense. It's often said that people strive to rise, like water flows downward, but often the people around you disappear as you walk—friends, former partners, all gradually vanish, eventually leaving you a so-called king, solitary and alone.

Zhao Fusheng had always feared such a scenario, because that was the path Tan Kaixuan had once walked.

But in his previous life, Tan Kaixuan still had him by his side. If he himself repeated the same mistake, he would probably end up as a businessman who only knew how to make money every day.

That was a terrifying thought.

Zhao Fusheng didn't want some future day when he and Fan Baobao would become the kind of so-called "husband and wife" who, like in TV dramas, flew around all day and could only occasionally make a phone call to keep in touch. If that happened, all his current efforts would be meaningless.

Fan Baobao finally finished her call. Zhao Fusheng glanced at her: "Well, did she agree?"

"Mm-hmm." Fan Baobao nodded and said with a smile, "Sister Zhou is actually pretty nice."

Zhao Fusheng smiled noncommittally.

He didn't know much about the agent business, but Zhao Fusheng certainly didn't think that an agent entrusted by Wang Jinghua with managing newcomers like Fan Baobao would be a pushover. The reason she was easy to deal with was most likely because his girlfriend's status was too low.

In other words, an agent like Sister Zhou probably had a bunch of newcomers like Fan Baobao under her. Her focus would definitely be on those newcomers who were heavily promoted by the company—those with more resources and opportunities, agents would want to stay by their side 24/7.

As for someone like Fan Baobao, who had to find most of her own resources and occasionally got a chance to shoot a pictorial or advertisement, she was basically left to fend for herself.

Of course, if Zhao Fusheng could go further and cooperate more with Huayi, perhaps Wang Jinghua would give Fan Baobao more resources out of respect for him.

"What are we doing today?"

Fan Baobao linked her arm with Zhao Fusheng's and asked with a smile.

It was early spring, and the weather was lovely—neither hot nor cold, just right. Many couples were strolling on the streets, and occasionally a breeze brushed against people's cheeks, ticklish and pleasant.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "You can do whatever you want. My task for now is to accompany you."

"No way. Sister Panyan is coming back soon, so I don't need you to accompany me." Fan Baobao wrinkled her nose.

"Yang Panyan is coming back?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled and looked at Fan Baobao strangely: "How come I didn't know?"

He really didn't know about this. Zhang Qian hadn't mentioned it, apparently.

"She's my assistant, why would I tell you?" Fan Baobao lifted her chin and snorted: "Tell me, why are you so concerned about whether she's coming back? Do you think she's prettier than me?"

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. He had only asked casually, and now he was being accused. Women were indeed unreasonable creatures.

He reached out and tapped Fan Baobao on the nose, then without explaining, turned around and walked away with a smile.

Fan Baobao was taken aback, then yelled and chased after him, attacking his ticklish spots.

People are like this. In psychology, there is a phenomenon called "cute aggression." It simply means that humans have an innate urge to tease and play with things that are cute and adorable.

For example, if we like a cat, we'll vigorously rub its head.

Translated to humans, it's like being a lolicon...

Of course, Zhao Fusheng wasn't a lolicon; he just really enjoyed teasing Fan Baobao.

...

...

After spending the whole day with his girlfriend, Zhao Fusheng truly kept his promise to set aside all work. Even when Zheng Yao called, he simply didn't answer and replied with a text saying he'd talk tomorrow.

Then early the next morning, Zhao Fusheng received another call from Zheng Yao.

"Can you come to the company?"

Zheng Yao's tone was quite serious, as if she had something important to tell him.

Zhao Fusheng frowned: "Got it, I'll be right there."

Hanging up, he saw Fan Baobao looking at him curiously.

"What's up? Something at the company?" Fan Baobao asked.

"Yeah, CEO Zheng wants to see me." Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Fan Baobao.

"Then you'd better go quickly." Fan Baobao urged.

A truly smart woman knows when to say what. Thinking things like "I'll be beautiful, you'll make the money" is idiotic.

Two people together need to understand and tolerate each other, not just expect the other to always be accommodating and doting. No matter how deep the feelings, if they are constantly worn down, they will eventually fade.

Driving to the company, Zhao Fusheng walked in and saw Zheng Yao sitting there with a serious expression, flipping through something.

"What's wrong?"

He walked over and sat down across from Zheng Yao.

"You're here." Zheng Yao looked up, and seeing it was Zhao Fusheng, she smiled bitterly: "There's a problem now."

"What do you mean? What kind of problem?" Zhao Fusheng asked, puzzled. Future Advertising had been developing well recently; why would a problem suddenly arise?

"It's like this. Our advertising business hasn't touched the luxury goods sector before. After the headquarters moved to the capital, I considered entering the luxury market, but..." Zheng Yao hesitated.

"And you got boycotted?" Zhao Fusheng understood immediately and felt relieved. He laughed: "Is it the other ad companies in the capital joining forces to keep us out?"

"Exactly. Because the luxury ad market was previously in their hands, this time, to block us, they not only sent out their best planners but also drastically reduced planning fees." Zheng Yao said helplessly. "I tried contacting some advertisers, but they still prefer to cooperate with their original partners."

"So this is the big problem you told me about?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Zheng Yao, his eyes full of shock—not because of what she said, but because she had called him over for such a trivial matter.

"How is this not a big problem? The luxury ad market is crucial to whether our company can become a large ad firm. You're the company's only gold-medal planner. Who else would I discuss this with?" Zheng Yao looked bewildered, not understanding what she had done wrong.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile.

He had forgotten the difference between himself and Zheng Yao. They saw problems from different angles and starting points, so naturally they arrived at different conclusions.

"Sis, think about it—how many ads can we actually produce?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zheng Yao after a moment.

Zheng Yao was startled: "What do you mean?"

"Literally. I'm asking you, how many ad companies are there in the country, or just in the capital? And how many of them are profitable?" Zhao Fusheng looked at Zheng Yao and asked slowly.

Zheng Yao paused, then shook her head: "I'm not sure, but I can say that most small ad firms are losing money. Even large ad companies don't have high profits; basically, they go three years without a deal and then one deal feeds them for three years. They all rely on big orders."

She paused and looked at Zhao Fusheng: "That's why I say the luxury ad market is important."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Whether it's luxury goods or commodities, there's only so much stuff and so much market. Everyone is rushing to grab a piece now. What advantage do we have?"

Zheng Yao was taken aback but didn't speak.

Because she knew very well that Future Advertising had no real advantage.

The only thing they could rely on was Zhao Fusheng, the gold-medal planner, to come up with better ideas to beat the competition. But even if he could, they would only snatch a few ads. What about the rest?

"This cake is too big for one company to swallow. That's why those established companies have carved out their own territories and fear our sudden entry." Zhao Fusheng said calmly.

"Instead of focusing on where the cake has already been divided and where they're waiting to smash us bloody, why not consider a different angle?"

Looking at Zheng Yao, Zhao Fusheng said seriously: "You can investigate how Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical's sales have been in recent months."

Zheng Yao was stunned. She hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to bring up Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical. Was there some secret hidden there?

"In short, I don't think this is a big deal. You don't need to take it too seriously. The luxury market in China isn't that large; we don't need to worry too much about it." Zhao Fusheng looked at Zheng Yao and said slowly.

Zheng Yao smiled wryly and nodded: "You're the boss, you're in charge."

That was the truth. Since the company belonged to Zhao Fusheng, and he had made his decision, Zheng Yao would certainly carry it out.

Although Zhao Fusheng had never emphasized his status as boss in front of her, Zheng Yao knew it well.

It's said that self-knowledge is wisdom. Zheng Yao understood that.

But she was even more curious: why did Zhao Fusheng want her to investigate Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical's recent sales? Was there a connection to expanding into the luxury market?

Thinking this, Zheng Yao suddenly felt a bit curious.

Seeing Zheng Yao's expression, Zhao Fusheng wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and took his leave.

As for whether Zheng Yao would send someone to investigate Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical's sales, Zhao Fusheng believed that once she saw the data, she would understand what was going on.

If she didn't even have that ability, Zheng Yao couldn't have led Future Advertising to where it was today.