Chapter 1148: Those Who Yearn for Light

As it turned out, Zhang Qian and Dong Chenxi and the others had overthought things.

The night passed without incident, peaceful and uneventful.

No one came to disturb Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian's rest; they slept until they naturally woke up the next day.

"It seems they didn't take us seriously," Zhao Fusheng said with a self-deprecating smile to Zhang Qian during breakfast.

Zhang Qian shook his head. "Not necessarily."

He didn't disagree with Zhao Fusheng's words, but rather felt that perhaps both of them had been mistaken. That Mr. Li probably wouldn't test them in such a manner.

In fact, the same question puzzled someone else as well.

"Sir, do we really not need to bring him here?"

At a farm near New York, Tong Zhenbang respectfully asked an old man who was drinking tea before him.

The old man was about sixty, dressed in a Tang suit with graying hair, looking very refined, though the age spots on his hands revealed he was no longer young.

Hearing Tong Zhenbang's question, the old man slowly stopped his tea-making, looked up at Tong Zhenbang, and said indifferently, "Zhenbang, do you know what the most powerful force in this world is?"

Tong Zhenbang was taken aback. Having served as the old man's strategist for over a decade, he prided himself on understanding his boss's temperament, but he also knew that his boss always acted unpredictably, with unconventional ideas. His favorite book was The Art of War, and in business, he often took unorthodox approaches yet never failed.

Now, hearing this question, Tong Zhenbang was somewhat at a loss and tentatively said, "Is it guns?"

"Heh, guns are indeed powerful. As a great man once said, power grows out of the barrel of a gun." Mr. Li smiled faintly, then shook his head. "But that was in the past. Back then, with a gun, you could rob money, grain, and territory, raise an army, and declare yourself king."

"But now, times have changed." Sighing, Mr. Li slowly stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked along the farm path, with Tong Zhenbang and a group of burly men following behind.

"Sir, what do you mean?" Tong Zhenbang asked cautiously.

"In this era, money is the most powerful force," Mr. Li said as he walked. "As long as you have enough money, you can drive anyone to do your bidding. So-called loyalty is just a matter of insufficient betrayal compensation."

Tong Zhenbang remained silent, suddenly feeling that he understood his boss's thoughts somewhat.

"Do you know how much money that Zhao has?" Mr. Li suddenly asked Tong Zhenbang.

Tong Zhenbang was startled, then shook his head. "Not exactly, but I had someone investigate his visible assets, which amount to no more than three hundred million US dollars."

"Yes, three hundred million US dollars." Mr. Li smiled. "How old is he?"

"Twenty-five," Tong Zhenbang quickly replied.

He was very clear on this; he had reviewed Zhao Fusheng's information countless times and knew it by heart.

"A twenty-five-year-old young man, starting from scratch, has earned three hundred million US dollars. Not only that, the stocks of NetEase he invested in are rising, and the Facebook he invested in is now a household name in the US. And domestically, a single deal of his is worth tens of millions." Mr. Li stopped, turned to look at Tong Zhenbang, and asked, "Do you think how long it would take us, who walk the crooked path, to reach his level?"

Tong Zhenbang was silent, knowing he couldn't give his boss an answer.

Walking the crooked path, with that 'crooked' character, meant they not only operated in the shadows but also had inherent limitations. Compared to legitimate businesses like Zhao Fusheng's, although their smuggling and drug trafficking yielded high profits, they could never publicly flaunt their wealth or do as they pleased like Zhao Fusheng.

Even if they had a hundred million US dollars, they wouldn't dare invest in the businesses they wanted, because the money was dirty and could be investigated at any time.

"Tell the men below not to disturb that Zhao," Mr. Li said slowly, looking at Tong Zhenbang.

Tong Zhenbang nodded, not daring to raise any objection.

Having been with Mr. Li for a long time, the only rule he had learned was never to oppose the boss's opinions, because those who opposed or paid lip service to his orders had all gone to meet their maker.

Seeing Tong Zhenbang's reaction, Mr. Li nodded in satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder, and walked off into the distance on his own.

Only after Mr. Li had gone far did Tong Zhenbang straighten up, wipe his forehead, and let out a long breath.

"Pass the word: follow the boss's instructions," Tong Zhenbang said, turning around, his face no longer showing the caution he had before Mr. Li, looking down at the men behind him.

Those men quickly nodded and relayed Tong Zhenbang's orders.

"Come on, let's get some rest too," Tong Zhenbang said to Chen Shijie.

Chen Shijie, who had been following them all along, silently nodded and followed Tong Zhenbang out of the farm.

...

...

"You rascal, why did you sneak in without telling me?" In a New York coffee shop, Tan Kaixuan looked at Zhao Fusheng with dissatisfaction. "If I hadn't asked Dong Chenxi, I wouldn't have known you were in New York."

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to deal with this guy.

"Look, look, that expression!" Tan Kaixuan's eyes widened as he pointed at Zhao Fusheng. "Every time you don't want to talk to me, you make that face!"

There was no help for it; having known each other for so long, they were too familiar with each other's habits.

Tan Kaixuan had rushed over this morning and started complaining as soon as he entered, grumbling that Zhao Fusheng hadn't called him when he arrived in the US, like a girlfriend who had been abandoned.

"I'm more than just not wanting to talk to you," Zhao Fusheng said, giving Tan Kaixuan a look. "I hear you've been having a good time here in the US?"

"Ah, well, not bad," Tan Kaixuan said, a rare look of embarrassment crossing his face as he blinked.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and didn't bother to expose him.

He had heard that since arriving in the US, Tan Kaixuan had completely let loose, flitting among numerous beauties, like a new-generation Casanova reborn.

Rumor had it he had even hooked up with several Hollywood actresses. Zhao Fusheng had no idea where the guy got the energy, busy with business all day yet still finding time to chase women.

Originally, Zhao Fusheng hadn't planned to say anything, but since Tan Kaixuan had jumped out on his own, Zhao Fusheng naturally wanted to tease him about it.

Sure enough, seeing Zhao Fusheng's expression, Tan Kaixuan gave an awkward laugh.

Zhao Fusheng didn't say much, just glared at him. "Be careful. I don't want you going back home with a bunch of diseases."

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn't have much fondness for foreign women, especially欧美 actresses. They were too open, to the point where Zhao Fusheng found it hard to accept.

Not that there was anything wrong with them; after all, social norms and values differ from country to country. But from a traditional Eastern perspective, they might be fine as mistresses, but as girlfriends, Zhao Fusheng would rather decline.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Tan Kaixuan nodded, taking Zhao Fusheng's words to heart.

He wasn't stupid. Having reached his current position, most people around him were his subordinates. To put it bluntly, most of them just followed orders, and few dared to offer advice on his personal life. Not because they couldn't, but because they didn't dare, since he was the boss who paid their salaries.

Only someone like Zhao Fusheng would speak to him so bluntly.

Sometimes, that's what friends are for.

"By the way, what brings you here this time?" Tan Kaixuan suddenly remembered something and said to Zhao Fusheng, "I hear Facebook is developing quite well."

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly. "I know, but I'm not here because of Facebook."

Of course, he knew Facebook was doing well; he even knew that Facebook might soon face its first major challenge since its founding—a pair of brothers from Harvard were suing Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he had stolen their idea.

Zhao Fusheng didn't believe that at all. By their logic, wouldn't that mean everyone who made social networking sites was suspect?

Some things can't be examined too closely, because once you analyze them thread by thread, you end up with a ridiculous conclusion.

It's like how we always call public figures stars and role models, but in reality, they're nothing of the sort. A hundred years ago, they would have been lowly entertainers.

It's only with economic development and people's increasing need for spiritual life that stars have had their chance to rise. But unfortunately, some people think they're something special. Sleeping with fans is one thing, but even engaging in 'concubine selection'—I don't know what's wrong with the brains of those fans who worship him as the king of hip-hop. Calling such a scumbag a piece of trash might not even be an insult.

That said, regarding Facebook or Twitter, Zhao Fusheng's thoughts weren't as long-term as Tan Kaixuan and the others imagined. Not to mention that the US government would never allow a foreigner, especially a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, to hold so many shares, but the big American capitalists wouldn't stand by and watch him take the profits that rightfully belonged to them.

Therefore, how to maximize the value of his shares was what Zhao Fusheng needed to consider.

As for how these two companies would develop, he wasn't too worried. After all, the inertia of history wasn't something a small fry like him could change.

Some people are destined to walk that path.