Chapter 1187 Far-Sighted

"Are you all so lacking in confidence in the domestic e-commerce industry?" Zhao Fusheng looked at Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao, smiled, and asked.

This was the crux of the issue.

It was also the reason why Zhao Fusheng hesitated.

"It's not that we lack confidence." Zheng Yao gave a wry smile and explained to Zhao Fusheng, "Think about it: if we lacked confidence in the domestic e-commerce industry, why would we suggest you consider expanding into this area?"

She paused, then continued, "It's just that we feel, compared to the prospects of the US stock market, e-commerce currently not only fails to generate profit but also requires continuous burning of cash. It's completely unnecessary."

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly, finally understanding where the problem lay. In essence, it was a matter of long-term versus short-term investment.

Simply put, e-commerce is a long-term investment, and there's no guarantee of returns. You might sink hundreds of millions into it and end up seeing nothing. But with the US stock market, the input and output are clearly evident. Which normal businessman would turn their nose up at hundreds of millions of dollars in profit right in front of them?

If Zhao Fusheng weren't a reborn man, he could be one hundred percent certain that he too would be unable to control himself.

No, even with tens of millions of dollars in profit, Zhao Fusheng knew very well what choice he would make.

"You know, in business, you can't just focus on the present. Good ideas don't just pop up out of nowhere when you need them. They are rooted in months, years, or even decades of accumulation by the creator. They are both the product of habitual thinking and a flash of talent. Real life should be about doing your part diligently every day. Don't seek love or distant prospects that have nothing to do with you. Don't get entangled in unnecessary emotions and judgments. Don't fantasize or indulge in self-deception. Don't harm, and don't make enemies of yourself or others. Don't perform, and don't believe in others' performances."

Zhao Fusheng spoke at length, and Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao looked at each other, suddenly feeling that they couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"You have a point. Maybe we aren't looking far enough." Dong Chenxi, after listening to Zhao Fusheng, said thoughtfully.

It was evident that she was genuinely moved by Zhao Fusheng. Although his words sounded a bit foggy, his attitude of being sober while others were drunk was somewhat intriguing.

In fact, if such words were said to a fool, they would surely be cursed at. But to smart people like Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao, they carried a different flavor.

Smart people are often like that—they like to fill in the gaps and think too deeply. Even if your words are vague, they can perfect them flawlessly on their own.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled, but Zheng Yao felt something was off. Seeing Zhao Fusheng's smile, she suddenly snapped out of it and glared at him. "You little rascal, are you messing with us?"

At her words, Dong Chenxi was momentarily stunned, then understood. Her face flushed red, and her gaze at Zhao Fusheng turned sharp.

Clearly, they both realized that Zhao Fusheng had been fooling them.

Seeing their reactions, Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily. "You two, can't you let me say a few inspiring words? I'm doing this for your own good."

"Good for your head!" Zheng Yao snapped irritably. "What's really going on? Spit it out!"

She knew that Zhao Fusheng must have some idea, otherwise he wouldn't have said such things to her and Dong Chenxi.

Meeting their gazes, Zhao Fusheng laughed and explained, "It's actually very simple—it's a matter of trade-offs."

Trade-offs?

Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao exchanged glances but said nothing, their eyes turning to Zhao Fusheng in unison.

Clearly, they were waiting for him to continue.

Zhao Fusheng's expression was calm as he said flatly, "The foundation of Future Group will definitely be in China. As for the US, we can treat it as a stage, a platform for making money. Whether it's the US stock market or American internet tech companies, that's their role for me. Especially American internet tech companies—you need to understand, we are Chinese, and the US won't allow us to become major shareholders of any American internet company."

Hearing this, Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao looked at each other in astonishment but nodded in agreement, knowing that Zhao Fusheng was absolutely right.

Despite the US constantly shouting about democracy and freedom, in reality, America is definitely one of the countries with the most rules in the world. Of course, compared to the great Celestial Empire, it falls a little short. After all, they don't chase you for taxes from a few years ago.

Just as the Celestial Empire doesn't allow Google to enter, the US government won't agree to a Chinese company becoming the controlling shareholder of an American internet tech company.

So from the very beginning, whether it was Facebook or Twitter, despite being optimistic about their development potential, Zhao Fusheng never intended to take absolute control. He didn't even mind having his shares diluted when they went public.

After all, even after dilution, his investment of a few million dollars would turn into several billion dollars.

Similarly, even if NetEase's stock price reached two hundred dollars, or even nearly four hundred dollars ten years later, it wouldn't mean much to Zhao Fusheng.

Because by then, he would surely have used those hundreds of millions of dollars to create even more wealth.

Moreover, by that time, Ma Xiaoyun, Boss Ma, would have already given the world a surprise.

The transaction volume on Double Eleven had already captured the world's attention!

But now, no one could imagine what a behemoth the small Taobao trading platform would become, or what kind of existence Jack Ma would turn into.

"So, you plan to cooperate with Ono Masao?" Zheng Yao pondered for a long while before asking Zhao Fusheng.

This was the crux of the entire issue. No matter what Zhao Fusheng said, he couldn't bypass this deadlock.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Not just cooperation, but comprehensive cooperation."

"What do you mean?" This time, Dong Chenxi was puzzled. What did Zhao Fusheng mean by comprehensive cooperation?

Cooperating with SoftBank—was Zhao Fusheng crazy?

Was Zhao Fusheng crazy?

The answer was, of course, no.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't stupid; he would never do something that meant giving money away.

So, facing Dong Chenxi's question, Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "It's actually very simple. The NetEase stocks we acquired in the past few months—sell all of them to them at a price of one hundred dollars per share. Also, of the two million NetEase shares we bought earlier, keep five hundred thousand and sell the rest to them."

Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao were completely dumbfounded.

"Is it necessary to be so ruthless?" Dong Chenxi hesitated, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

She really hadn't expected that Zhao Fusheng's so-called cooperation would be so ruthless—it was like handing over all of Future Investment's US stock holdings to the other party.

"Of course. If the price isn't high enough, how could the other party be willing to hand over Alibaba's shares to us?" Zhao Fusheng countered with a smile. "Haven't you heard the saying: you have to risk losing your child to catch a wolf, and risk losing someone else's wife to catch a scoundrel..."

Pfft!

Dong Chenxi, who was drinking water, sprayed it out.

Someone else's wife!

With a strange expression, Dong Chenxi looked at Zhao Fusheng, seeming to want to say something but stopping.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "I was just making an analogy. Don't overthink it. What I mean is simple: the bigger the stake we put down, the easier it will be to hook Ono Masao."

Hook?

Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao were at a loss. Why couldn't they understand anything Zhao Fusheng said today?

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and didn't explain further. He just said to Dong Chenxi and Zheng Yao, "Don't worry about too much for now. Let's continue acquiring NetEase's stocks. Remember, buy regardless of the price."

The two naturally nodded in agreement. Zhao Fusheng was the boss; since he had made the decision, as subordinates, they could only comply.

That was the rule of the workplace, and no one could change it.