Chapter 0947 New Year's Eve

Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Qian Dongliu's execution was indeed very swift.

Or, to be more precise, in certain circles of Ninghai, Brilliant Technology had already become a company with considerable potential.

Three days after Qian Dongliu spread the word, someone came forward to buy. Qian Dongliu didn't waste words; he set a flat price of eight million and sold Brilliant Technology outright.

This price seemed not low, but in reality it was a loss, because according to Qian Dongliu's estimate, even excluding the machines in the store, the buyer could recoup the entire investment within a year and a half.

Qian Dongliu also frankly stated that if the big boss hadn't needed the money, he wouldn't have intended to sell.

The buyer, seeing this, could accept the explanation; otherwise, for no reason, a business that was raking in money being sold at a discount would itself be unreasonable.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qian Dongliu delivered the check to Zhao Fusheng.

"So fast?"

Zhao Fusheng held the check, quite astonished.

To be honest, even he himself hadn't expected Qian Dongliu to get things done so quickly.

"Yeah, I wanted to get it done before the Spring Festival," Qian Dongliu said with a smile. "I'm heading home myself. I'll come back after the New Year."

His hometown was in Dongliao Province, not far from Ninghai.

"Alright, but after you get back, don't wander around, and pay attention to the news," Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Qian Dongliu.

However, he wasn't worried about any SARS situation in Qian Dongliu's hometown; in his previous life, he hadn't heard of any outbreaks in Dongliao. Moreover, Qian Dongliu's family lived in the countryside, so even if someone in Dongliao Province was infected with SARS, it probably wouldn't reach his village.

Sometimes, backward and isolated places have their advantages.

Although a bit puzzled, Qian Dongliu nodded in agreement and then took his leave.

As for Tan Kaixuan, he had already withdrawn all his money from the stock market. It had to be said, the guy was too shrewd. Originally, Zhao Fusheng thought he had invested all forty million to bottom-fish, but Tan Kaixuan told Zhao Fusheng he only invested ten million, planning to use the remaining thirty million to buy some blue-chip stocks.

As a result, Tan Kaixuan only lost a few hundred thousand in total, which was within an acceptable range.

"The market is closed for the Spring Festival, so you can take a break," Zhao Fusheng said to Tan Kaixuan over the phone.

Tan Kaixuan was straightforward and laughed, "Don't worry, during the market closure, I won't count those days within the month. Our bet is still valid."

This guy still remembered that. Zhao Fusheng chuckled inwardly and didn't bother with further nonsense.

The New Year, in essence, is about the atmosphere—family reunion, joy and happiness, everyone gathering together, chatting, making dumplings, and watching the Spring Festival Gala.

For Zhao Fusheng, it was even more so.

He didn't even bother watching the Spring Festival Gala. He had originally hoped to relive some of the classic programs from his memory, but he had discovered from last year's gala that all the classic skits and songs he remembered didn't appear on the show.

Moreover, even the once-familiar stars were absent.

Only the devil knew what had happened, but in any case, it made Zhao Fusheng's interest in the Spring Festival Gala drop significantly again.

So this year, during the gala, he simply held his phone and called or texted friends one by one to offer New Year's greetings.

He called close friends, while for those with a more distant relationship, a text message sufficed. This was probably the habit of many people nowadays when sending New Year's greetings.

Zhao Fusheng was no exception.

Jiang Wen, Yu Feihong, Ye Jing, and others called one after another. Zhao Fusheng didn't stand on ceremony either. After chatting for a while about their recent situations and urging them to take care of their health and safety, he finally put down the phone.

The same went for Fan Baobao. Although she didn't have as many friends as Zhao Fusheng, she still had colleagues from work, classmates from school, and many people she had met while filming or shooting commercials.

As for Zhao's dad, well, from the start of the gala, his phone never left his hand.

There was no helping it—friends from business, subordinates from the company, all kinds of people, more than Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao combined.

"Can't you two just sit still and watch the show?"

Zhao's mom finally couldn't hold back. She shot a stern glare at Zhao Fusheng and his father and said irritably.

"Watching the show, watching the show."

Zhao Fusheng and his father exchanged a glance, chuckled, and put down their phones, sitting on the sofa.

But glancing at Fan Baobao, who was still fiddling with her phone, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help teasing, "Mom, Baobao is playing with her phone too. Why don't you say anything to her?"

"You brat, how can you compare yourself to Baobao? She just started working. Can she get by without building good relationships with her colleagues?" Zhao's mom said, as if it were only natural.

Zhao Fusheng was stunned, really wanting to ask, "Am I even your biological son?"

This double standard was way too obvious!

Fan Baobao was laughing uncontrollably on the side. She winked at Zhao Fusheng, looking triumphant.

Zhao Fusheng simply couldn't be bothered to say anything more. He started chatting with his dad about last year's World Cup. He had resigned himself to the fact that, compared to Fan Baobao, his status in his mother's heart was declining. When they eventually had a child, he would probably be even less important.

"What if there's a mistake in the performance on the show?" Zhao's mom asked Li Yuan as she wrapped dumplings.

Li Yuan nodded: "Exactly. That's why these stars are so impressive—they never make mistakes."

Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng laughed at the same time. Fan Baobao said, "Mom, Auntie, it's not that they're impressive. Let me tell you, the performances on the Spring Festival Gala are all pre-recorded, and they've rehearsed many times."

"Yeah, most of the singers lip-sync to backing tracks. You don't actually think they're performing live, do you?" Zhao Fusheng explained.

"Isn't that cheating the audience!" After hearing her son and Fan Baobao's explanation, Zhao's mom was immediately displeased. "They can perform like that?"

"You can't say that either." Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said, "Think about it—this is the Spring Festival Gala. With such high viewership every year, hundreds of millions of people watch it. If something goes wrong on the spot, it would be a major incident, and no one could bear that responsibility."

Having said that, he recalled an incident from his past life where a certain diva covered a song but broke her voice during the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala. Logically, a singer breaking their voice is unavoidable, but precisely because it happened at the gala, that diva was heavily criticized, with people saying she couldn't compare to the original singer.

But in truth, not to mention the diva herself, no singer could guarantee that they would be one hundred percent flawless in a live performance.