Chapter 1216 Patience

Many times, people tend to use their own thoughts to guess what others are thinking. This is a habit, but the problem is, if you are not the other person, how can you understand what they are thinking?

You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish.

Without a sense of empathy, many things are not as simple as people think.

Just like now, Li Ruhai thought he had grasped Zhao Fusheng's thoughts, but in fact, he had fallen into the trap Zhao Fusheng had set for him without realizing it.

Zhao Fusheng had originally planned to agree after Li Ruhai made his request. The reason he hesitated was that he felt if he acted too obviously, Li Ruhai might sense something was off. Later, he thought it over and decided to go all the way, proposing an even harsher condition.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng knew very well that no matter what he discussed with Li Ruhai here, it didn't really matter. What use was it to talk about the future with a man about to die? No matter how beautiful the future, what good was it?

When a person is about to die, what use is a beautiful future?

Of course, Zhao Fusheng couldn't show this. After all, he didn't want to be targeted by a group of drug traffickers. Although he wasn't afraid of them, the problem was that he couldn't guarantee they would all be caught. If there was a fish that slipped through the net, he would be retaliated against.

So, when facing Li Ruhai, he appeared very calm. Even when Li Ruhai said he needed to think it over, Zhao Fusheng showed no unusual reaction. Instead, he smiled and nodded: "Mr. Li should indeed think it over carefully. No need to rush."

Li Ruhai smiled. He was actually very happy to have moved Zhao Fusheng, because it meant he finally had a chance to completely clean up his image.

The two walked out of the office side by side, both wearing smiles, which surprised Zhang Qian a little. But he knew this was not the time to question Zhao Fusheng, so he quickly led his men to follow behind Zhao Fusheng.

Since the bosses had finished their talk, there was no need to continue the negotiation. Zhao Fusheng offered to host a banquet, but Li Ruhai politely declined.

"Chairman Zhao, I still have some matters to attend to. I appreciate the thought. Let's hold the welcome banquet when we officially sign the cooperation agreement," Li Ruhai said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile. Clearly, the old fox intended to discuss it with his subordinates.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly and nodded, not insisting: "Alright, in that case, I look forward to good news from Mr. Li."

A watched pot never boils. Since the trap was set, he wasn't worried that Li Ruhai wouldn't take the bait.

Wealth moves people, but more importantly, Zhao Fusheng could see that Li Ruhai had already lost some of his rationality.

Humans are complex creatures, but no matter how deep and unfathomable one's scheming, as long as they have desires, they are bound to make mistakes.

Just like Li Ruhai, if he hadn't been in such a hurry to clean up and go legitimate, he might not have been so easily tricked by Zhao Fusheng.

Watching Li Ruhai and his men get into their cars and leave, Dong Chenxi exchanged a glance with Zhao Fusheng. Neither spoke. After a moment, Dong Chenxi asked, "Chairman, how did the talk go?"

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Not bad. Mr. Li said he needs to think it over. Hopefully, there will be a good outcome."

When they said this, they were standing at the company's main entrance, with a sanitation worker nearby cleaning up trash.

At Zhao Fusheng's words, the sanitation worker paused for a moment, then continued cleaning as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, said nothing more, and led his people back into the company.

After Zhao Fusheng left, the sanitation worker leisurely gathered the trash, picked up his tools, and left the Future Group. He walked to a secluded spot, raised his head to reveal a wrinkled face, and got into a black van.

"Director, there's a situation," the sanitation worker said to Cao Jianguo inside the van. He was, of course, not a real sanitation worker but a police officer arranged by Cao Jianguo to monitor the area.

Hearing this, Cao Jianguo, wearing a leather jacket, frowned: "What's going on? What happened?"

The man repeated what he had overheard from Zhao Fusheng and Dong Chenxi, and finally said: "I think next time they negotiate, we should just rush in and arrest them all. That would be a clean sweep."

Cao Jianguo had kept his cooperation with Zhao Fusheng highly confidential, even within his own department, for fear that a leak might affect Zhao Fusheng. After preparing for so long and finally creating a situation where the enemy was in the open and they were in the dark, he didn't want it to be ruined.

"No need. Continue surveillance," Cao Jianguo said after a moment of silence, shaking his head slowly.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his subordinates, but because secrets were better known by fewer people. The more people who knew, the lower the chance of success. Cao Jianguo understood this all too well.

The investigators exchanged glances but ultimately nodded and followed orders. After all, they were a disciplined force; whether they understood the orders or not, they had to execute them resolutely.

Moreover, they knew that Cao Jianguo had put a lot of effort into this case. Now that Li Ruhai had finally shown up, no one wanted to catch that old bastard more than Director Cao.

"Do you think Director Cao has some other plan?" After Cao Jianguo left, the investigators on surveillance duty exchanged glances and asked casually.

"I don't know. I always feel Director Cao has something else up his sleeve."

"Shut up!" The investigator who had posed as a sanitation worker interrupted them. "No matter what, Director Cao was trained by the master. He has said more than once that he won't let Li Ruhai get away. All of you, stay sharp and don't screw up, understand?"

The expressions on their faces dimmed slightly, but they nodded in agreement.

Little did they know, Cao Jianguo was at that moment sitting in his car, talking to Zhao Fusheng on the phone.

"It's basically settled," Zhao Fusheng said to Cao Jianguo on the phone. "Barring any surprises, it should happen in the next few days."

"Good. I'll make the arrangements here. Once the funds arrive, we'll move in and make the arrests," Cao Jianguo said in a deep voice.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "I won't ask about the specifics of the operation, but I hope everything goes smoothly."

He truly meant it. After preparing for so long, it would be a shame if they couldn't achieve a decisive victory in one battle. Moreover, if they missed this opportunity, it wouldn't be so easy to catch Li Ruhai and the dirty money again.

Cao Jianguo chuckled, a hint of coldness in his voice: "Don't worry. I won't let Li Ruhai get away. I'll catch him myself. I'll make him understand that no one in this world can do wrong without facing punishment!"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. It seemed there was some grudge between Li Ruhai and Cao Jianguo.

But that had nothing to do with him. He was just assisting the police in their investigation. Whatever Cao Jianguo's thoughts were, that was his business.

Hanging up the phone, Zhao Fusheng let out a long breath and turned to Zhang Qian: "Have you made the arrangements on your end?"

Zhang Qian nodded: "Our people have been quietly brought in. If anything happens, they will assemble immediately."

Zhao Fusheng hummed in acknowledgment and said slowly: "Stay safe."

Zhang Qian said nothing, just nodded silently.

In the following days, Zhao Fusheng and Li Ruhai did not meet, nor did they even exchange a phone call. Everything seemed as if nothing had happened. Future Investment continued its business as usual, quietly increasing its holdings of NetEase's US stocks. The stock price was steadily moving toward one hundred dollars.

When Zhao Fusheng learned of this, a smile finally appeared on his face. Because he knew that Li Ruhai must be getting restless.

Sure enough, soon Dong Chenxi received a call from Sun Qian, requesting a second round of negotiations.

At that moment, a great weight was lifted from Zhao Fusheng's heart. He knew that the whole affair was finally coming to a close. Next, he just had to get Li Ruhai to sign the contract and transfer the money into Future Investment Fund's account.

Then, what awaited him would be the judgment of the law!