Chapter 1044: Clash of the Titans (Part 2)

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian arrived at Future Investment.

"Wait for me here. Send me a text when Ono arrives," Zhao Fusheng said to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian nodded in agreement, fully aware that Dong Chenxi had deliberately invited James and Ono Masao separately for a specific purpose.

Zhao Fusheng walked upstairs, greeted the receptionist, and upon learning that James and his team were already waiting for him in Dong Chenxi's office, he headed straight there.

In the office, James was chatting idly with Dong Chenxi.

Of course, their conversation had nothing to do with investments; for the most part, James was recounting his travels around the world over the years.

"Mr. James, my apologies for keeping you waiting," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile as he pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng, James stood up and extended his hand first: "Dear Zhao, long time no see."

It must be said that this man's success was no accident. At the very least, James now gave off a warm and pleasant impression, completely unlike the time when he had treated Zhao Fusheng as if he didn't exist.

Back then, he had outright ignored Zhao Fusheng, acting as if he were invisible.

Now, knowing Zhao Fusheng's identity, his demeanor was like a different person. An outsider might think he and Zhao Fusheng were old friends.

In short, the thickness of his skin rivaled that of certain entertainment stars who lie through their teeth.

Even Zhao Fusheng was somewhat taken aback by James's enthusiastic attitude. Though not flattered, he still shook hands with him: "Mr. James, welcome to Future Investment."

"I hope everything goes smoothly for us today," James said, looking at Zhao Fusheng with a meaningful smile.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "I feel the same way."

Then he said to Dong Chenxi: "I'll speak with Mr. James alone. Please arrange to entertain Mr. James's assistants."

James understood Chinese, so no interpreter was needed, and Zhao Fusheng was happy to negotiate with him one-on-one.

After all, this was a deal worth hundreds of millions or even more dollars. In his view, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

James had no objection. His assistants were soon taken to the lounge by Dong Chenxi, leaving only Zhao Fusheng and James sitting opposite each other in the office.

Taking a sip of tea from the cup in front of him, Zhao Fusheng looked at James with a smile: "Mr. James, to be honest, I didn't expect you to think I was going to sell my shares in Shengda Technology."

He paused and continued: "If my sources are correct, Shengda Technology will likely be listed on NASDAQ within two months, won't it?"

Indeed, Chen Tianqiao was ambitious. Seeing the company's growth, he could no longer hold back and officially kicked off Shengda Technology's IPO.

It must be said that under the current circumstances, Shengda Technology's IPO process was going quite smoothly. According to Dong Chenxi's information, barring any surprises, Shengda Technology would officially list on NASDAQ before June.

This news was the most important reason prompting James to come eagerly.

After all, everyone knew that with a growth stock like Shengda Technology, the share price would surely rise once listed. At that point, Zhao Fusheng would likely become the youngest billionaire in the country.

And this billionaire's net worth wouldn't be a hundred million, but a billion.

"Ha, dear friend, since there's no one else here, let me be blunt. Do you really think Mr. Chen Tianqiao is a good partner?" James looked at Zhao Fusheng with interest. "You Chinese have an old saying: 'Share hardships, but not wealth.' In my view, Chen is that kind of person."

Zhao Fusheng remained silent.

In fact, James wasn't wrong; Chen Tianqiao was indeed that kind of person.

"Moreover, I see ambition in your eyes. I don't think you're someone who is satisfied with the status quo," James said again, this time looking directly at Zhao Fusheng.

"I come from an ordinary background. I worked hard to get into an Ivy League school and climbed up from the bottom. So I know very well how far ambition can drive a person," James said slowly, fiddling with the teacup lid in front of him. "Many people envy the rich second generation, who seem to have endless money to squander without effort. They can buy luxury cars and yachts, fly around the world. But for people like us, what should we do if we want to become rich?"

"The answer is simple: use our abilities to make money by any means, even if it means taking money from the rich second generation," James shrugged, showing a strange expression. "I'm glad that you and I both rely on ability and vision to make money, not groveling on our knees like pathetic wretches."

Zhao Fusheng looked at James. By adult standards, the man's words were quite persuasive.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng thought to himself that if he didn't have decades of life experience and were just a young man in his early twenties, he might actually be moved.

It was too inspirational—the flavor of that chicken soup for the soul was incredibly fresh.

But the problem was that Zhao Fusheng wasn't one of those hot-blooded young people who would shout slogans and cheer for dreams after being slightly coaxed.

He looked young on the surface, but in reality, he was an old hand who had weathered decades of ups and downs.

In Zhao Fusheng's eyes, what James said wasn't wrong, but it didn't change one fact.

Today, the two of them were sitting here as negotiating opponents, not as like-minded friends.

They could talk about ideals and the future, but when it came to real money and interests, if James wanted Zhao Fusheng to make concessions—sorry, he wasn't a philanthropist, nor would he harbor any unrealistic illusions about a capitalist who had been steeped in business for years and only cared about profits.

The twenty-year-old James might have once harbored the dreams he spoke of, but the forty-year-old James absolutely wouldn't let any personal feelings interfere with business.

If he did, he wouldn't have reached his current position.

This was a practical issue. When anyone first enters society or the workplace, they might carry dreams and the desire to change the world.

But along the way, they discover that what changes isn't the world, but themselves.

That's why many people, even after being battered and bruised, persist in big cities—because they realize that once they start, they can't stop.

Life is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat.

"Mr. James, I admit what you said was brilliant," Zhao Fusheng smiled, glancing at James, and said calmly: "But if I may be blunt, Sequoia Capital's reputation isn't exactly good."

With one sentence, Zhao Fusheng made James realize that this young man was no fool to be easily fooled.

Having built a fortune worth hundreds of millions from scratch, such a person couldn't be persuaded by a few words.

Moreover, he directly pointed out that Sequoia Capital's reputation in Europe and America was quite poor.

This showed that Zhao Fusheng had done his homework and understood the situation.

Because indeed, as he said, Sequoia Capital was most famous not for its precise investment vision, but for its eagerness to oust company founders after gaining control.

So in Zhao Fusheng's view, what James had just said was actually quite ridiculous.

If Chen Tianqiao wasn't one to share wealth, wasn't Sequoia Capital also a capitalist?

It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black; neither was better than the other.

Ultimately, if James wanted to win over Zhao Fusheng, he had to offer enticing terms.

"Dear Zhao, I think you might have misunderstood. For our partners, Sequoia Capital always acts with the utmost sincerity," James said, being a smart man who understood Zhao Fusheng's implication.

So he deftly changed the subject and steered the conversation to the main topic.

"Regarding the shares of Shengda Technology, I think you should have felt my sincerity, haven't you?" James said slowly, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Mr. James, since I invited you here today, I think you should understand my attitude, don't you?"

The same way of asking, with the same meaning.

"Ha, it seems we can get down to business," James said, his expression unchanged, but inwardly a little excited. After all, being able to acquire shares of Shengda Technology at a later stage would be an achievement for him in the Asian market, especially the Chinese market.

"My requirement is simple. If Sequoia Capital wants to buy my shares, you need to show sufficient sincerity," Zhao Fusheng said calmly. "I currently hold over fifteen percent of the shares, worth at least one billion RMB."

One billion?

Hearing this number, James was momentarily stunned, then laughed: "Dear Zhao, I didn't expect you to be so confident in Shengda Technology."

Zhao Fusheng shrugged, looking confident: "If I weren't confident, I wouldn't have invested in it in the first place, would I?"

James shook his head: "No, although Shengda Technology is valuable, I think your asking price is a bit too high."

One billion RMB, converted to US dollars at the current exchange rate, was about 120 million. In James's view, Zhao Fusheng was being overly optimistic.

Hearing James's words, Zhao Fusheng shook his head with a faint smile, clearly unimpressed by what James said.

What a joke—who in this world knew better than him how high Shengda Technology's stock would eventually rise?