Chapter 0980 Ambitious

Zhao Fusheng had always believed that everyone has the right to choose how to live their own life, whether in matters of emotion or career.

So, although he felt a bit saddened by Dong Chenxi's words, Zhao Fusheng did not try to persuade her further.

Arriving in Shanghai, the city of magic, after a grueling journey, Shengda Technology had already arranged everything. After resting briefly, Zhao Fusheng and his party attended Shengda Technology's New Year's party.

The party was of a very high standard; anyone present was either an important partner of Shengda or a notable figure in Shanghai society.

Of course, there were also many internet elites.

But none of this had anything to do with Zhao Fusheng. He quietly hid in a corner, happily eating, with no intention of greeting anyone.

Naturally, no one knew that it was this unremarkable young man who, single-handedly, had pulled Shengda Technology back from the brink of bankruptcy.

It is said that those skilled in war achieve no great fame. In Zhao Fusheng's view, unless necessary, he did not need to step into the spotlight now.

But when he was willing to step forward, no one could overshadow his brilliance.

Not far away, Dong Chenxi, led by Chen Tianqiao's wife Luo Qianqian, was conversing with several men in suits, who appeared to be representatives of companies with cooperative ties to Shengda Technology.

"I've found out. Besides the representative from SoftBank, there are also representatives from several venture capital funds attending today's party."

At that moment, Zhang Qian walked up to Zhao Fusheng and said in a low voice.

Zhao Fusheng's expression remained unchanged as he nodded imperceptibly: "Got it."

It seemed his guess was correct; Chen Tianqiao was indeed eager to go public.

To be fair, Zhao Fusheng was in favor of going public. After all, as a shareholder, he currently only held equity shares. To cash out, he would have to wait. Once Shengda Technology went public, the value of his original shares would naturally increase significantly.

But Zhao Fusheng was also wary of Chen Tianqiao scheming behind the scenes.

Because this was a game in the capital market, and due to information asymmetry, most participants in the capital market often ended up as fuel and fertilizer.

For example, after a company goes public, if it chooses to issue additional shares and small shareholders do not follow, their equity will be gradually diluted. If they do follow, the major shareholder controls the use of funds, and it still has nothing to do with the small shareholders.

This is a common practice for many listed companies. Whether small shareholders or retail investors, in the eyes of major shareholders, they are just leeks.

Ready to be harvested at any time.

Zhao Fusheng naturally did not want to be treated as a leek, so he closely monitored Chen Tianqiao's various moves. Being prepared in advance was never a bad thing.

Although he had no intention of sharing the same boat with Chen Tianqiao, Zhao Fusheng did not want to jump ship too early. In his view, if Boss Chen could not create enough value for him, then all the effort he had put into investing in Shengda Technology would be wasted.

"Fusheng, why are you here alone?"

At that moment, a voice sounded in Zhao Fusheng's ear. Looking up, he saw Chen Danian standing before him, wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

"Wow, you look much more spirited today than usual," Zhao Fusheng teased.

Unlike Chen Tianqiao, a pure businessman, Chen Danian was more of a tech geek. His usual unkempt appearance made it hard to believe that he was the head of Shengda Technology's R&D department.

But that was the truth. Chen Tianqiao was not a technical talent; his strength lay in business operations and marketing. When it came to technology, Chen Danian was the one to rely on.

"You say that. I just can't be bothered to tidy up; it's not like I can't be seen in public," Chen Danian said, rolling his eyes at Zhao Fusheng's words, looking speechless.

He and Zhao Fusheng were old acquaintances. They had dealt with each other before when building the virtual community. As Shengda Technology developed, Chen Danian had to admit he greatly admired Zhao Fusheng's foresight. After all, not everyone could predict the internet bubble and the explosion of the virtual gaming market.

At the very least, Chen Danian felt that both he and his brother Chen Tianqiao were far inferior to Zhao Fusheng in strategic vision.

As a technical person, he also knew that sometimes the gap between people was unavoidable. The existence of geniuses was meant to constantly challenge the perceptions of most people.

But that did not stop Chen Danian from having a good impression of Zhao Fusheng. Their meetings were always quite harmonious.

"Alright, alright, you're handsome and elegant, okay?" Zhao Fusheng shot Chen Danian a look, too lazy to bother with his narcissistic remarks. Geeks seemed to be all the same—insufferably self-absorbed.

"Smart of you," Chen Danian said with a grin, then looked at Zhao Fusheng. "What are your plans this time, bringing your beautiful female CEO along?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Is that question from you, or does your brother want to know?"

Chen Danian laughed evasively. "What's the difference?"

Shrugging, Zhao Fusheng said flatly, "Of course. If it's you asking, I'll naturally tell you the truth. But if your brother sent you to find out, I'll have to consider whether he's planning to scheme against me."

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Chen Danian's face flushed slightly, and his expression turned awkward. After a moment, he said sheepishly, "Actually, my brother isn't a bad person. He just tends to overthink things and has too many considerations."

As his younger brother, Chen Danian knew Chen Tianqiao's character better than anyone, so he naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

Chen Tianqiao's business acumen was unquestionable; he was a true commercial genius. Having started from scratch to reach his current position, his ability in business was evident.

But the same problem was that he was too shrewd.

The smarter a person is, the more they like to control everything. Especially someone like Chen Tianqiao, who saw Shengda Technology as his own kingdom, founded by his own hands, and could not tolerate anyone meddling in it.

Hence, Chen Tianqiao had previously pushed to bring in SoftBank's investment.

He might have only wanted to establish his leadership, but in Zhao Fusheng's view, this behavior meant that Chen Tianqiao was still the iron-fisted boss he had always known.

Such a person could share hardships and conquer the world together, but could never share wealth and rule the kingdom.

Therefore, Zhao Fusheng had thought of using Huayi's equity to swap for Shengda Technology's equity.

You have your strategy, I have my countermeasure. Each relies on their own abilities, and it goes without saying.

In fact, Chen Tianqiao himself had sensed that Zhao Fusheng's thinking had changed. Since Huayi entered the picture, the relationship between Chen Tianqiao and Zhao Fusheng had cooled considerably. Moreover, after Zhao Fusheng pushed Dong Chenxi to the forefront, Chen Tianqiao often communicated with her on many matters.

But this time, concerning the listing plan, Chen Tianqiao had to pay attention to Zhao Fusheng's reaction.

After all, when Shengda Technology had just launched the game "The Legend" and the Chen brothers were still anxious, Zhao Fusheng had already predicted the company's listing.

In the end, Chen Tianqiao still felt uncertain about Zhao Fusheng.

Little did he know that Zhao Fusheng was even more eager than he was for the company to go public as soon as possible, because Zhao Fusheng had no intention of continuing to play along with Chen Tianqiao.

So when Zhao Fusheng confirmed that Chen Danian was there to test him, he felt somewhat helpless. After listening to Chen Danian's words, he smiled and said, "Don't worry. Since I'm a shareholder of Shengda Technology, I naturally want the company to do better. If there's a chance to make more money, I'm not stupid—I'll welcome it with open arms."

Chen Danian's eyes lit up; he clearly understood Zhao Fusheng's subtext.

Zhao Fusheng said no more and turned to whisper something to Zhang Qian, while Chen Danian, having gotten the answer he wanted, left happily.

For the rest of the party, Zhao Fusheng remained hidden, like a transparent person, quietly tucked away in a corner, listening as Chen Tianqiao stood on stage introducing Shengda Technology's current situation to the many financial professionals present.

"Over the past year, Shengda Technology has made significant progress and development. In May 2003, Shengda Technology officially launched its electronic payment business, promoting new developments in interactive entertainment e-commerce. In July, the first online game independently developed by our company, 'The World of Legend,' entered open beta testing, and in September, it officially began commercial operations.

Additionally, we acquired the nationwide leading internet cafe management software company, Chengdu Jisheng Technology Co., Ltd., and put it into use.

Just recently, Shengda Technology invested in Beijing Shuhong Software Technology Application Co., Ltd., the largest game software supplier on China's Nokia Symbian OS and J2ME platforms, and acquired ZONA, one of the world's leading developers of core technologies for online game engines, based in the United States..."

Watching Chen Tianqiao speak eloquently on stage, a faint smile played on Zhao Fusheng's lips. He had to admit that the man had a keen business sense. Some things could only be felt, not explained. In Zhao Fusheng's view, Chen Tianqiao was already paving the way for Shengda Technology's listing.

"So, what did you gain today?" Zhao Fusheng glanced at Chen Tianqiao without moving his head and asked Dong Chenxi beside him.

Dong Chenxi smiled. "Not bad. Met some people. It seems Shengda is quite popular in the investment community now."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and said nothing more. Dong Chenxi's few words had already revealed something.

The two were in the front row, and some things were inconvenient to say, so Zhao Fusheng didn't speak further.

But at that moment, he didn't notice a figure approaching him.