Chapter 1057 Arrangements

Before going to the United States, Zhao Fusheng still had to deal with matters on the domestic front.

The news that Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong had joined Future Films was finally exposed by the media.

Of course, by this time, the movie "Kung Fu Hustle" and the TV series "Soldiers Sortie" had officially begun shooting, and Future Films' attention was momentarily quite high.

After receiving the news, Zhao Fusheng discussed it with Bai Jie and, taking advantage of the buzz, officially announced Future Films' new cooperation model to the public.

For a moment, the entertainment industry in summer seemed to have been detonated by a super bomb.

Many talent agencies suddenly discovered that their own artists were starting to have other ideas. Some even began privately contacting Future Films.

Zhao Fusheng had long anticipated this. He instructed Bai Jie to firmly refuse to respond to artists from other companies who approached Future Films.

In short, unless the other party terminated their contract and became free agents, Future Films would absolutely not actively contact any artist from another company.

Some things, once done, set a bad precedent, and what happens next becomes unpredictable.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng found it truly difficult to hold any favorable feelings toward artists.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, if the bosses of talent agencies were vampires, then these artists were no angels either.

For example, take the famous four returnees from Korea in later generations of China.

Not to mention the others, just talk about that guy who became famous overnight with "The Rap of China"—Wu, I'm not a playboy, never mess with fans, Fan. Before he left that messed-up Korean group, he disappeared for a whole month, caused a stir among fans, and then chose to return to the group.

In the following year, he remained silent, and then a year later, he suddenly disappeared and directly returned to China.

Many people were curious why he did that.

But in Zhao Fusheng's view, the reason was simple: at the very beginning, this guy didn't have much popularity. Compared to Zhao Fusheng's fellow Northeasterner Geng Han, who had no choice but to terminate his contract, Playboy Fan purely used Korea as a springboard. Moreover, if he wanted to terminate his contract, he had to find a new home in China first, so he chose to lie low at that time.

A year later, he chose to terminate his contract just as the group had become hugely popular and was about to hold its first concert. The whole process seemed rehearsed, with domestic media marketing accounts taking turns to leak stories, such as being mistreated by the company, financial difficulties, suffering from illnesses...

Not only that, but this guy behaved quite naturally in daily life, making it hard to believe that someone who was smiling and promoting songs with his teammates one day would just leave the next.

Although this guy could only act with a stiff face and show off, being a useless teammate that even Emperor Liang couldn't carry, one had to admit that in real life, this kind of hypocrite was still good at performing.

As for scandals like messing with fans, there's no need to mention them.

Such artists are everywhere in the entertainment industry. So Zhao Fusheng had long instructed Bai Jie to firmly ignore those who were still under contract but wanted to jump ship.

Wanting Future Films to clean up their mess? Dream on!

Zhao Fusheng wasn't running a charity. He treated Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong well because they were his friends. He doted on Fan Baobao because she was his lover. As for others, ha, Zhao Fusheng had only one principle: to maximize the extraction of their surplus value.

Sometimes people may not believe what they hear, but they will definitely believe what they see and experience. If it were just an occasional accident, Zhao Fusheng might still have some expectations for artists. But after experiencing the baptism of countless ironclad revelations on the internet in later generations, it was really hard for Zhao Fusheng to maintain any respectful attitude toward the profession of celebrity.

A show like "The Birth of a Drama Queen" could even appear on stage with impunity. For these celebrities, what couldn't they do?

True actors focus on their work, not on so-called fame and fortune.

...

...

Also exposed was Future Investment.

After all, the simultaneous listing of Shengda Technology and Tencent Technology had caused quite a stir in the domestic financial circle.

In this context, any slight movement could not escape the media's pervasive investigation.

Soon, the name Future Investment appeared in many newspapers.

A nearly hundred-million-dollar transaction before Shengda Technology's listing. Holding 4.9% of Tencent Technology's shares, and being a major shareholder of Future Advertising, one of the three major advertising companies in the north.

Future Investment was instantly pushed to the forefront. Even Dong Chenxi, the general manager, received countless interview requests from media reporters, which annoyed her to no end.

"Hey, have you lost your mind? Why do you want me to give interviews?" Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng speechlessly.

The location was Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao's home.

"Simple, because you are the helmsman of Future Investment," said Zheng Yao and Bai Jie, smiling as they watched the scene. They were cracking sunflower seeds and drinking beverages, looking quite pleased with themselves.

The term "bystanders" was perfectly embodied by them.

Dong Chenxi felt terrible. She glared at her two irresponsible sisters and then looked at Zhao Fusheng, clearly waiting for him to give her a satisfactory answer.

Facing Dong Chenxi's rare outburst, Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "First, I'm the boss, so what I say goes. Second, you are the head of Future Investment; it's most appropriate for you to step forward at this time."

"But you told me to keep a low profile before," Dong Chenxi said, puzzled. Just a month ago, when Shengda Technology and Tencent Technology hadn't gone public, Zhao Fusheng had told her to stay low-key. How come he had changed his mind so soon?

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Times have changed. Back then, we didn't have such capital. Now, the successful listing of Shengda Technology proves that the transaction between Sequoia Capital and us was a win-win. And Tencent Technology's stock is soaring. The outside world has a high opinion of Future Investment. For you to give an interview now is undoubtedly the best opportunity to expand our visibility."

Then, looking at Dong Chenxi, Zhao Fusheng said: "You don't think an investment company, especially a fund-type investment company, can operate solely on one person's capital injection, do you?"

Dong Chenxi shook her head. She was no longer the naive novice she once was; she knew the basics.

Companies like Future Investment are similar to private equity funds; they all need backers.

Simply put, someone is willing to entrust funds to Future Investment for management, and Future Investment promises to give them a certain dividend as a return each year.

In a strict sense, this is the role of a financial manager.

Of course, after learning about Zhao Fusheng's track record, Dong Chenxi always felt that Zhao Fusheng was an investment genius. Given enough capital, he could even leverage the entire global investment circle.

Zhao Fusheng was more clear-headed than Dong Chenxi. He knew well that financial investment wasn't easy. Even he couldn't guarantee that once large sums of money were poured in, certain destined events in the future would still happen. So he had always been cautious, not touching financial matters.

"Moreover, our company is about to undergo integration. At this time, increasing exposure is beneficial," Zhao Fusheng concluded.

Dong Chenxi had no choice but to nod. After all, Zhao Fusheng was right; he was the boss, and he had the final say.

"How is the integration plan coming along?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zheng Yao.

This matter had always been her responsibility.

Zheng Yao nodded: "It's basically ready. The strategic research team came up with two plans. I've looked at them; they're both acceptable. I'll send them to you later, and you can think them over."

After all, Zhao Fusheng was the real boss of the entire company. Regardless of which plan was chosen, the final decision rested with him.

Zhao Fusheng grunted in acknowledgment and said to Zheng Yao: "No matter which plan is chosen, you will be the company's president and CEO. So in the near future, you need to learn more about the situation of each company."

By saying this in front of Bai Jie and Dong Chenxi, Zhao Fusheng was essentially confirming Zheng Yao's core leadership position.

This was an inevitable result.

After all, from the very beginning of Zhao Fusheng's entrepreneurial journey, Zheng Yao had been his closest collaborator. At that time, Bai Jie and Dong Chenxi were still strangers to Zhao Fusheng.

Although the three now each headed different companies, in terms of trust, Zheng Yao ranked first in Zhao Fusheng's heart.

Even Dong Chenxi couldn't compare in this regard.

It was just that personality and ability determined that Zheng Yao couldn't engage in the investment industry.

But if he had to choose an agent within the company, Zhao Fusheng's first choice would definitely be Zheng Yao.

Dong Chenxi and Bai Jie knew this too, so they didn't show any displeasure at Zhao Fusheng's arrangement.

Although it's said that women are sensitive and prone to fuss, it depends on the person and the situation. At least at this moment, both Bai Jie and Dong Chenxi understood that Zhao Fusheng's choice of Zheng Yao was likely planned long ago, and no one's opposition would make a difference.

Moreover, they knew Zhao Fusheng's character well; he wasn't the type to be heartless and would surely have proper arrangements for them as well.

This had been clear to them ever since they met Zhao Fusheng.

This guy always planned ahead and thought twice before acting.