Chapter 1005: Leniency for Confession

"Dad, there's something I want to tell you."

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Fusheng felt he should give his father a heads-up.

After all, what he was about to say tomorrow would be like a bombshell to his family.

Though not earth-shattering, it would certainly shock everyone.

"What is it? Go ahead." Father Zhao nodded calmly, but inside he felt a hint of secret delight. After all, his son had become sensible now, and for him to take the initiative to speak up, it must be something important.

"Well, I've been running a small business on the side." Zhao Fusheng chose his words carefully, speaking softly to his father.

Father Zhao was taken aback, then laughed: "What's the big deal? Lost money? It's okay, just take it as experience. Let me tell you, business isn't always profit; you have to get used to it..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Fusheng slowly said: "Future Advertising is mine."

"Huh?"

Father Zhao froze.

After about ten seconds, he looked up at Zhao Fusheng: "Son, what did you say?"

"I said, Future Advertising is mine." With a soft sigh, Zhao Fusheng explained quietly: "When we started, General Manager Zheng and I had no money, so we kept reinvesting the planning fees I earned into the company. That's how my shares grew, and the company kept expanding. No one expected it to become what it is today."

Listening to Zhao Fusheng, Father Zhao stood there dumbfounded for a long time without speaking.

He naturally knew the scale of Future Advertising now, and sometimes he would chat with his wife, saying that their son's choice back then was undoubtedly correct.

After all, icing on the cake is not as good as fuel in the snow. With the bond forged through starting a business together, Zheng Yao and Zhao Fusheng's relationship meant that, barring accidents, Zhao Fusheng would never have to worry for the rest of his life.

But he never expected that now Zhao Fusheng would suddenly tell him that the company was his.

If he didn't know Zhao Fusheng's character well, Father Zhao might have thought his son had gone mad.

But clearly, Zhao Fusheng wasn't crazy.

So then...

"You little brat! You dared to hide this from us for so long!"

Father Zhao reached out and gave his son a firm knock on the head. Clearly, this bombshell from Zhao Fusheng had really startled him.

If he weren't now a businessman of considerable means himself, Father Zhao felt that five years ago, hearing his son's words would have left him speechless with shock.

Now, though there was still shock, it wasn't unbearable.

Then it dawned on him: since Zhao Fusheng was confessing to him, it seemed he planned to reveal it to the whole family.

"You're not angry?" Zhao Fusheng looked at his father in surprise, quite taken aback.

He had thought his father would be angry with him.

Father Zhao shook his head, smiled, and patted Zhao Fusheng's head: "Silly boy, you're my son. No matter what you do or achieve, you're your mother's and my pride, understand?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded silently. At that moment, he truly understood his parents. After all, in his previous life he had never been a father, and sometimes he had only guessed at the mindset of elders. Now he realized that for parents, what matters isn't what job their child does or what achievements they make; what matters is safety, health, and the whole family being together.

"So, you plan to tell your mother and the others?" Father Zhao smiled approvingly and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, explained his plan, and finally said with a smile: "I think it's time to tell them."

"That's fine. After all, you and Baobao are growing up; there's no need to hide some things." Father Zhao agreed. After all, they were a family; too many secrets were unnecessary.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng hadn't expected it to be so easy to get past his father. He had thought his father would interrogate him thoroughly, but he asked nothing.

Cheerfully walking back from the balcony to the living room, Zhao Fusheng didn't notice his father's meaningful gaze.

"You little brat, think it's that easy to get off?" Father Zhao muttered to himself: "I'm not asking, but that doesn't mean your mother won't."

Ginger, no matter when, is still the spiciest.

...

...

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng had indeed oversimplified things.

He had thought that after telling his father, the subsequent confession would be much simpler. But he never expected the gap between ideal and reality to be so vast.

Perhaps that's how life is: what we imagine and what we ultimately experience always have various differences.

"So, most of Future Advertising's shares are yours?"

"That navigation website, the one bought by Baidu, is also yours?"

"How much money do you have?"

"And that Xiaonei website, is it under your name too?"

During the New Year's Eve dinner, Zhao Fusheng ate dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala, surrounded by questions from his mother and Fan Baobao. Even Li Yuan occasionally asked about topics that interested her.

At this point, Zhao Fusheng finally understood why his father had let him off so easily yesterday. It turned out he knew that he didn't need to say anything; someone else would ask all the questions.

Shooting a resentful glance at his father, Zhao Fusheng had to patiently answer his mother's questions.

He also understood that the main reason his mother asked so many details was because of Fan Baobao.

After all, with Zhao Fusheng's identity suddenly changing, she would be the one who found it hardest to accept.

Having a boyfriend you see every day, originally thought to be a good stock, suddenly turning into a diamond bachelor—it's like buying a lottery ticket hoping to win five bucks for fun, only to find you've won five million.

"Future Film, Future Advertising, Future Investment—are they all yours?"

Mother Zhao calculated for a while, then looked up at her son: "Son, are you richer than your dad now?"

Zhao Fusheng was stunned. After thinking, he nodded: "Theoretically, yes."

Pausing, he glanced at his father's unhappy expression and whispered: "Of course, most of my assets are investment-type, mostly internet-related, just numbers on paper for now. In terms of cash, I definitely don't have as much as Dad."

"Haha, then from now on I can take any ad I want from Future Advertising, right?"

At that moment, Fan Baobao suddenly said with a smile: "And I can pick whichever I like?"

Clearly, she had gone crazy.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't fazed and smiled: "I already told Zheng Yao to arrange higher-end ads for you as much as possible."

Fan Baobao was startled, then it dawned on her: "I wondered why she was always so good to me. So it was because of you."

At the time, she thought Zheng Yao appreciated her and that's why she was so considerate. Now she realized it was all because of Zhao Fusheng behind the scenes.

Thinking this, she glanced at Zhao Fusheng and suddenly felt she was truly blessed.

"Child, why didn't you tell us back then?" Li Yuan looked at Zhao Fusheng with some reproach: "No matter what, we elders could have helped you a bit."

That was sincere. As elders, when Zhao Fusheng started his business, he must have faced many difficulties, but they did nothing. This made Li Yuan and Zhao's parents feel uneasy.

Zhao Fusheng smiled casually: "It's okay, Auntie. I was in the internet industry, so there weren't many difficulties."

That wasn't modesty. In fact, from start to finish, Zhao Fusheng lacked only startup capital, not good projects.

As a reborn person, the one thing he had no shortage of was good projects.

"Regardless, from now on, if anything happens, remember to tell the family. Don't bear it all alone." Li Yuan said to Zhao Fusheng with some concern.

Zhao Fusheng made it sound easy. If it were before, Li Yuan might not have understood, but now that she was in business herself, she knew the difficulties of doing business.

In the end, Zhao Fusheng just didn't want his family to worry about him.

Thinking this, Li Yuan looked at Fan Baobao: "Baobao, from now on in the capital, don't cause trouble for Fusheng, understand?"

Fan Baobao immediately became agitated. What did that look mean, Mom? Clearly, she was implying that she was a burden to Zhao Fusheng!

With that thought, she glared at Zhao Fusheng and snorted: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him, okay?"

"Oh, Li Yuan, don't say that. Baobao is such a good girl; how could she cause trouble for Fusheng?" Mother Zhao quickly interjected.

Having known each other for so many years, she knew what kind of person Li Yuan was. In Li Yuan's view, if Fan Baobao caused trouble for Zhao Fusheng after he treated her so well, that would be too much.

Zhao Fusheng felt it was better to slip away quietly.

Otherwise, who knew if an enraged Fan Baobao might stage a scene of murdering her husband?

So, using the excuse of going to the bathroom, he hid out on the balcony.

Since it was New Year's Eve, his phone was flooded with calls and messages, all blessings. Most were mass forwards, but at least someone remembered him.

Opening his phone, Zhao Fusheng replied to each one. He felt it was a matter of courtesy and basic upbringing.

It's like how villains can kill without restraint, but good people cannot stop killing with killing, because good people have principles and boundaries, while villains don't.