Chapter 1142: Wealth and Ambition

Chen, the tycoon, still appeared before Zhao Fusheng.

Peach blossoms still smiled in the spring breeze, but when the same two people met again, things had changed.

Chen was no longer the entrepreneurial youth who would either succeed or face bankruptcy. Zhao Fusheng was no longer the seemingly ordinary college student.

Barring accidents, the middle-aged man before him would soon become a benchmark figure in China's internet industry. He and his Shengda empire would grow into a behemoth. In fact, in recent years, Shengda Technology had been even more prominent than the future troika.

Zhao Fusheng, meanwhile, had become the boss of Future Group, hailed by the financial circle and media as the most mysterious billionaire. After all, it was rare for someone like him to insist on avoiding media interviews and staying behind the scenes. Some even thought Zhao Fusheng might be too ugly to face the media.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng considered this notion pure nonsense. Ma Xiaoyun was practically regressing to his ancestors, yet he still dared to boast and give interviews to fool young people. Besides, though he himself was plain-looking, he bore some resemblance to Gu Tianle, so he wasn't too hard on the eyes.

In the end, Zhao Fusheng simply didn't want to seek the limelight.

"Long time no see," Chen Tianqiao said, looking at Zhao Fusheng with a smile.

He had agreed as soon as he received the message from Future Network. The reason was simple: since Zhao Fusheng was handling this personally, the boss of Shengda Technology had to step forward as well.

Moreover, in Chen's view, no one else at Shengda Technology was qualified to negotiate with Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly. "President Chen is now riding high with pride. Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

This was true. Shengda Technology was indeed thriving. Like in the timeline Zhao Fusheng knew, Chen, like a prophet, was laying out plans across various industries—from video sites to literature websites—Shengda Technology's tentacles spreading across the entire internet sector.

Zhao Fusheng felt nothing about this. It was like watching a replay of a TV series or movie, seeing Chen repeat the same mistakes and walk the same old path.

As for whether the final outcome would be the same as before, that had nothing to do with Zhao Fusheng. Chen wasn't his son; whether he lived or died was none of Zhao Fusheng's business.

There were plenty of people with bad endings in this world. If everyone needed saving, Zhao Fusheng felt he might have to wear his underwear outside and become a superhero.

Helping ordinary people in need, within his ability and without harming himself—that was Zhao Fusheng's worldview.

As for those successful types, what did he care?

Zhao Fusheng didn't have the broad-mindedness to love everyone equally. He was quite petty.

"To be honest, I want to thank you," Chen said, looking at Zhao Fusheng. "Without your initial support, Shengda Technology couldn't have held on."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "I was just a passenger. Shengda Technology gave me a ride."

Chen Tianqiao frowned, looking at Zhao Fusheng. "Is that why you cooperated with James?"

He had never understood why Zhao Fusheng sold his shares in Shengda Technology to James of Hongshan Capital. Many people were optimistic about Shengda Technology's future. Zhao Fusheng wasn't stubborn, so why did he make such a choice? Chen had been puzzled for a long time, but today he finally understood.

It wasn't that the Shengda Technology ship wasn't good enough; it was that Zhao Fusheng had never intended to share the same boat with him.

Facing Chen Tianqiao's question, Zhao Fusheng's expression was calm. After a long pause, he slowly said, "I'm a businessman, and so are you, President Chen. So our first principle in choosing partners is whether they can bring us profit. Isn't that right?"

Chen Tianqiao was silent. Though reluctant to admit it, he had to say that Zhao Fusheng's words were like a knife, ruthlessly exposing the truth of certain matters.

No matter how Chen Tianqiao tried to argue, he couldn't deny that on the issue of equity, he had intended to use SoftBank Asia to deal with Zhao Fusheng.

But no one expected Zhao Fusheng to not give him a chance to weaken him; instead, he directly cashed out and left.

After a long time, Chen Tianqiao sighed, looked up at Zhao Fusheng, and said, "It seems you still have no confidence in me."

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and waved his hand. "President Chen, you're overthinking. It's not that I have no confidence in you. I have no confidence in any business partner except the numbers in my bank account."

Chen Tianqiao was stunned, then burst into laughter. He hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to be so frank.

Zhao Fusheng was speaking from the heart. Since he was doing business, he naturally had to adopt a businessman's mindset. Always thinking others wouldn't cheat him, placing hope in others' kindness—Zhao Fusheng could only say that such a person might be a good person, but definitely not a qualified businessman.

In the business arena, the winner takes all. This was an unchanging truth for thousands of years. Not to mention Zhao Fusheng and Chen Tianqiao, even the three founders of New Oriental, with their good relationship, eventually went their separate ways.

Ultimately, once cooperation involves interests, someone is bound to suffer losses. Everyone has a bottom line. Once the loss exceeds that bottom line, cooperation naturally cannot continue.

"President Zhao speaks bluntly. I'm the one being petty," Chen Tianqiao said. After all, he was a magnate who had built a vast empire. He quickly regained his composure, looked at Zhao Fusheng, and slowly said, "President Zhao, what are your plans for Kaixin.com?"

Clearly, since Zhao Fusheng didn't want to discuss the past, Chen Tianqiao would only talk business with him. They would keep enmity and gratitude separate.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled. "Shengda Technology is an old acquaintance. We've cooperated more than once. President Chen should know that I rarely run a website from start to finish. Even My and 123 Navigation Page, I sold them."

Chen Tianqiao nodded. He knew this. Though he didn't agree with Zhao Fusheng's approach, he had to admit that Zhao Fusheng and his team were quite formidable, always staying ahead of the times.

"So, as long as the price is right, I don't mind who the buyer of Kaixin.com is," Zhao Fusheng said, facing Chen Tianqiao with a faint smile, speaking each word deliberately.

Chen Tianqiao was a bit surprised but still nodded. "That's good. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."

Since it was business, it naturally had to be settled with money. And right now, what Shengda Technology lacked least was money.