Chapter 0967: A Moment of Respite

No one knew better than Zhao Fusheng how bright the future of the social networking site project was. Barring any accidents, the listing of Xiaonei.com was an inevitable outcome.

But the problem was that under the current circumstances, he needed to accept external financing. Otherwise, relying solely on his own strength, to be honest, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be overtaken by similar products.

After all, in the internet industry, no matter what project you were working on, it all came down to burning money.

Even the two powerful Boss Mas had to accept financing, even though they knew full well that the companies in their hands would surely shine.

The same went for Zhao Fusheng. It had nothing to do with being prescient; it was purely a matter of having the will but not the means.

Wealth was an interesting thing. The richer people were, as long as they didn't court disaster, they rarely suffered a complete downfall. The reason was simple: many good opportunities and projects required huge amounts of manpower, material resources, and capital.

If there was a project with great future prospects that could make big money, for an ordinary person without a penny, it could only remain a nice idea, because that ordinary person simply lacked the ability to realize it. But for a wealthy person, throwing in tens of millions of yuan was just an investment if it failed, but if it succeeded, it would yield huge profits.

That was why the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

Fortunately, although Zhao Fusheng wasn't rich now, he wasn't poor either. He had the capital to negotiate with Han Bin. Otherwise, if he were like many early entrepreneurs who painstakingly built a project only to have it taken away by investors, earning just a pittance, that would be the most tragic thing.

"Did Aipu make any demands?" Zhao Fusheng sat chatting with Zhang Qian and asked him.

Zhang Qian's work had been relatively simple lately, mainly responsible for matters at Xiaonei.com. Although Dong Chenxi had already sent someone to stay permanently at Dong Guoxiang's place, Zhao Fusheng still wasn't entirely reassured. This was a project he valued greatly and could not afford to lose, so he had sent Yang Panpan and Zhang Qian over.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's question, Zhang Qian shook his head: "No. After the funds arrived, they only sent a financial officer to monitor the company's use of funds. They made no other requests."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, quite satisfied with Han Bin's tactfulness.

But he also knew that, after all, the company was still in its development stage and hadn't touched on core interests. Once more investments came in, everyone might start fighting for control of the company.

Not all investors would be as easy to deal with as Han Bin. There would always be investors who came with money in one hand and a knife in the other. That was when the real battle would begin.

Zhao Fusheng didn't have mind-reading abilities; he couldn't tell who harbored ill intentions and who was a loyal friend. All he could do was ensure his own interests within the legal framework.

This might seem ridiculous, but it was the truth.

Although the law was sometimes dismissed with a sneer, it actually played a significant role.

Many people with ulterior motives, or simply those who lacked brains, often showed contempt for the law, claiming it was full of loopholes and was a tool for the ruling class to control the masses. This theory was not entirely wrong in a sense, but it wasn't completely correct either.

The significance of the law lies in maintaining order.

The reason was simple: although the formulation of the law certainly contained the will of the ruling class, its greater significance was to ensure the safety of the interests of the majority.

As long as a person abided by the law, they could use it as a weapon to protect themselves and resist illegal infringement. In other words, as long as a person ensured their behavior complied with legal provisions, they could guarantee their own safety, unless someone deliberately disrupted this reasonable order.

And once someone disrupted the order, unless that person's power surpassed that of the majority, they would inevitably suffer a huge backlash.

Just like Zhao Fusheng now: as long as he didn't do anything illegal, Xiaonei.com would still belong to him. Even if subsequent investments came in, he could still protect his rights from harm.

Of course, this was just Zhao Fusheng's concern. He himself couldn't guarantee what would happen then, after all, China was a magical country. Sometimes, the bottom line of certain people was hard to predict, and there were indeed those with ugly manners.

But Zhao Fusheng wasn't in a hurry. After all, it was almost 2004. The development of the my123 navigation website was getting better and better, and it had become the largest navigation website in the country. Barring any accidents, many internet giants should have already noticed this site. The next act was what excited Zhao Fusheng the most.

This time, he didn't plan to take Baidu's shares; he intended to take cash.

Although Baidu's shares would be valuable in the future, Zhao Fusheng had never had a good impression of that company. Besides, he had plenty of money-making opportunities in his mind, so he didn't need this one company.

Even more, if given the chance, Zhao Fusheng felt he must teach that certain Li how to do the internet industry, and also that a business operator should adhere to the most basic morality.

Although Zhao Fusheng knew this sounded ridiculous, he stubbornly believed that some money really shouldn't be earned.

…

…

It's often said that poverty in a couple brings a hundred woes. This saying is quite true, after all, when you're constantly worrying about daily necessities, even a couple whose love is stronger than gold will breed many quarrels over time.

And sometimes, in the emotional world of adults, everyone possesses an instinctive understanding; you don't need to wait for the other to actually utter the words of ending to comprehend everything.

Once it reaches that point, the relationship truly cannot be salvaged.

Fortunately, between Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao, that situation would not occur.

But even so, feelings still need to be maintained.

This principle, Zhao Fusheng, with a psychological age of several decades, naturally understood well.

Taking advantage of the weekend, Zhao Fusheng dragged Fan Baobao for a stroll in the alley.

"What are we here for?"

Fan Baobao was a bit puzzled. Although she had acted in several films now, most were banned movies; she had done quite a few commercials, but the capital was different from Ninghai—celebrities weren't so sought after here, so going out on the street with Zhao Fusheng didn't require full disguise.

Zhao Fusheng smiled upon hearing this: "Isn't the purpose of hard work to enjoy life?"

"Huh?" Fan Baobao looked utterly bewildered, clearly not understanding why Zhao Fusheng had suddenly become so literary.

Zhao Fusheng certainly wouldn't admit that he was striving to adopt the mindset of a wealthy man, but regardless, the two were stealing a moment of leisure today, strolling hand in hand through the alley like an ordinary couple.

"What do you think about buying a siheyuan?" Zhao Fusheng suddenly said to Fan Baobao.

"Buy this?" Fan Baobao was somewhat surprised, not having thought of that.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, but in his heart, he became even more determined about the idea.

The siheyuan of the capital has witnessed the city's repeated developments, possessing a very long historical and cultural heritage. Some say that the siheyuan connects the capital's past, present, and future.

In a society of modern high-rises, the capital's siheyuan represents Beijing-flavored culture and is all the more precious.

And most importantly, if Zhao Fusheng remembered correctly, the siheyuan now worth hundreds of thousands would, in a few years, increase tenfold or even more. Moreover, some siheyuan were even protected; after purchase and modern renovation, their prices were also considerable.

Such a place was suitable whether for living in oneself or for resale.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng said to Fan Baobao: "Let's buy two. We can come and stay when we're free. At worst, it's like saving money and preserving value."

Upon hearing Zhao Fusheng's last sentence, Fan Baobao's eyes lit up.

Perhaps because children of the poor learn to manage early, classmate Fan Baobao, though not overly concerned with money, placed great importance on housing.

In her own words, she didn't want to end up without a place to stand.

So Zhao Fusheng's words hit exactly where it itched for Fan Baobao.

Nodding, Fan Baobao said, "Alright, let's buy a house!"