Chapter 1221: The Partner

Zhao Fusheng's call, naturally, was to Dong Chenxi.

“Something up?” Dong Chenxi asked, somewhat puzzled. She had been truly busy these past few days, quietly handing over that three hundred and fifty million US dollars to the national treasury; just this matter alone had her in a fluster.

“There’s a project. Have someone follow up on it,” Zhao Fusheng said to Dong Chenxi. He naturally couldn’t handle this directly. After all, although Liu Qiangdong would later be considered a big shot, for now, Liu Qiangdong was just an entrepreneur. To be precise, he had only achieved a little.

“What project?” Dong Chenxi frowned slightly, asking curiously, “SoftBank’s? Or Ma Xiaoyun’s?”

In her mind, the only projects Zhao Fusheng would have her follow were these few.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: “No, it’s like this…”

With that, he told Dong Chenxi the whole story, finally saying, “Contact Liu Qiangdong as soon as possible. I have no other demands; we won’t meddle in the board or the company’s operations—just the shares.”

He knew his own strengths well. He had a foresight of the big picture, knowing which companies would grow. But the problem was, he didn’t understand operations. After all, not every company’s development went smoothly. Once trouble arose, he wouldn’t know how to make decisions that best benefited the company. For instance, if an employee proposed a suggestion, Zhao Fusheng couldn’t be sure whether interfering would harm the company’s development. So, for those major companies in his memory, his approach was to invest and take equity, then let them develop freely.

This might be the most suitable way.

No help for it. The more Zhao Fusheng understood the butterfly effect theory, the more awed he became.

Although it was just a theory proposed by a meteorologist—that a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America could cause a tornado in Texas, USA—it made Zhao Fusheng realize that from a sociological perspective, a tiny negative link, if not properly guided and adjusted, could bring enormous harm to society. Conversely, a tiny positive mechanism, with correct guidance and a short period of effort, could also create a sensational effect.

Choice has never been a simple matter.

“I understand. I’ll arrange it right away,” Dong Chenxi said softly after hearing Zhao Fusheng out. She also knew that if it weren’t important, Zhao Fusheng wouldn’t have called her specifically. Moreover, this was a project Zhao Fusheng had “snatched” from Han Bin. If they didn’t finalize it quickly, delays might bring unforeseen troubles.

Business is like a battlefield, ever-changing. Dong Chenxi was well aware of this.

Zhao Fusheng naturally understood Dong Chenxi’s meaning and said with a smile, “If there’s a chance later, keep an eye on this company. I think it has great potential.” He didn’t need to say too much; he trusted that Dong Chenxi, who had worked with him for years, would know what he meant.

Hanging up the phone, a relaxed smile appeared on Zhao Fusheng’s face.

How much return this investment in Jingdong would bring in the future, no one but Zhao Fusheng himself could know. Just as no one knew that Huang Guangyu, the founder of the booming home appliance retail chain and the richest man on the Forbes list, would soon end up in prison.

Zhao Fusheng felt no guilt toward Han Bin. By choosing to invest in the game *Zheng Tu*, Han Bin would also make a fortune. This was simply a multiple-choice question with no wrong answer.

Or rather, looking at the development history of domestic enterprises, almost all companies that rose after the reform and opening-up had faced difficult choices.

Take Lenovo, for example. When Lenovo’s development hit a bottleneck, Liu Chuanzhi, later hailed by economists as a market representative, made a startling decision against all opposition.

At that time, Lenovo’s development had reached a stage where direction needed to be considered. Ni Guangnan, the company’s chief engineer and one of its founders with extraordinary influence, strongly advocated for developing chip technology. This idea also gained support from many. But in Liu Chuanzhi’s view, chip R&D would consume massive human, material, and financial resources. Moreover, the investment might not succeed and could fail. It was far better to allocate that large expenditure to marketing.

So Liu Chuanzhi overruled all objections. Seizing the opportunity when foreign brands were flooding the domestic market and nationalism was prevalent, he raised the banner of a national brand, reduced product costs, expanded advertising spending, and even used connections to secure government procurement deals. Through small profits and quick turnover, he established Lenovo’s leading position in the domestic computer industry.

Later, this company, once hailed as the conscience of the nation and heavily playing the emotional card, turned into a company with an American conscience.

But that’s a story for another time.

For Zhao Fusheng, he didn’t think that far. He just felt that having the chance to participate in the development of e-commerce, he shouldn’t miss it.

In fact, not just Jingdong, but also Ma Xiaoyun’s Taobao and Ma Huateng’s Tencent—in Zhao Fusheng’s eyes, they were all old hens laying golden eggs, bringing him countless riches. Even when the day came that his foresight lost its advantage, he could still rely on these investments to remain invincible.

Of course, this thought was the deepest secret in his heart, and Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn’t tell anyone.

…

…

Dong Chenxi was very efficient. Within three days, Jingdong Mall had gained a new shareholder: Future Investment Fund.

Of course, although it held twenty-one percent of the shares, according to Zhao Fusheng’s requirements, Future Investment Fund would not participate in the company’s operations, only in dividends.

“He wants to see me?” Zhao Fusheng sat in his office, asking Dong Chenxi in surprise.

He had just come to work today when Dong Chenxi told him that Liu Qiangdong, the founder of Jingdong, wanted to meet him.

Zhao Fusheng wasn’t really interested in this big shot. Although Liu was an internet tycoon, in Zhao Fusheng’s eyes, he was far inferior to the two Ma dads. If the two Mas were partners in Zhao Fusheng’s view, then Liu Qiangdong was just a high-level employee.

After all, if Zhao Fusheng couldn’t make Jingdong big and strong himself, he wouldn’t bother with this guy at all.

No help for it. Liu Qiangdong’s current wealth was far behind Zhao Fusheng’s; the two were simply not on the same level. Although younger than Liu Qiangdong, Zhao Fusheng didn’t think he had less experience.

No matter how impressive a big shot, before rising to prominence, they were just ordinary people with dreams.

But since Qiangdong wanted to see him, Zhao Fusheng felt he could give him a chance.