Chapter 1225: The Journey Home

Tan Kaixuan ultimately accepted Zhao Fusheng's suggestion.

Being open to good advice is an essential quality for every successful person. Don't believe the inspirational鸡汤 from those big shots, like insisting on your confidence in the face of difficulties.

If that were true, why didn't Ma Xiaoyun stick with translation?

At the end of the day, fate's most beautiful and most agonizing aspect lies in its uncertainty.

Tan Kaixuan's thinking was simple: the reason he had come this far was largely because he had always taken Zhao Fusheng's advice seriously. Since it hadn't failed him before, he might as well keep it up.

After careful consideration, he decided to shift his investment focus away from financial markets and target the domestic market instead. As for the US stock market, in Zhao Fusheng's words, if the subprime mortgage crisis hit, the money they were making now might not even cover the losses. They weren't Japanese, so why feed the Americans?

Tan Kaixuan fully agreed. No one knew better than him that the current US economy, seemingly prosperous, was actually like an illusory bubble that could burst at any moment.

After Zhao Fusheng first raised the issue of the subprime mortgage crisis, Tan Kaixuan paid close attention to related news. After secretly consulting several economists and market researchers, he was startled to find that Zhao Fusheng's assessment was actually conservative. The report predicted that within a year, by the second half of 2005, the US economy would run into trouble.

After hearing Tan Kaixuan's words, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but smile wryly.

This was indeed interesting news. It seemed that his little butterfly effect had triggered some changes.

But Zhao Fusheng didn't take it seriously. He wasn't Trump; whether the American people were living in misery had nothing to do with him.

What he needed to consider now was more about finding business opportunities and ensuring that the Future Group could enter those industries smoothly.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng envied those predecessors who had traveled through time. They always seemed to land in an era suited to them, unlike him, who could only rely on the last chance of the internet to accumulate capital.

Though many were reluctant to admit it, in the early 1990s, with the start of state-owned enterprise reform, the phrase 'the state retreats, the private sector advances' benefited many.

Future assessments of this 'state advances, private sector retreats' were undoubtedly positive, as a free and competitive market environment was what the national economy needed under market economy conditions.

But in this process, to be fair, Zhao Fusheng believed that no matter how those big shots tried to whitewash it, certain problems couldn't be covered up.

Simply put, at that time, many entrepreneurs who rose with the tide acquired state-owned assets at very low costs, either by inheritance or theft.

Using state-owned assets as collateral for bank loans, then contracting those same assets—this kind of 'empty-handed white wolf' trick was not news in 1990s China; it was quite common.

When big shots look back, they like to talk about how hard they worked starting their businesses, but that's just a subjective replay of their past. In fact, most of them, in that era when all order was overturned, all values questioned, and all bottom lines dissolved, held resources that others couldn't match.

This principle holds true across time and cultures.

Gates often tells people he dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft, working nonstop for two to three weeks. But he never mentions that Microsoft's first big order came from IBM, and Gates's mother was IBM's chief director.

Then there's Warren Buffett. In his autobiography, he says he entered the New York Stock Exchange at eight, becoming a stock market tycoon through talent and self-study, but he doesn't mention that his father was a congressman. When he went to the exchange at eight, his father held his hand, and the exchange's boss personally received them.

As for the domestic crowd, needless to say, whether real estate tycoons or future national brands, without connections and background, how could they have started businesses in those impoverished times? Even the protagonist of a certain inspirational story, whose daughter was detained abroad, had a deputy provincial-level father-in-law. And the real estate tycoon in Shenzhen who married an unknown actress—need I say more?

Even 'ordinary family' Ma Huateng had his father, who drove a Mercedes, handle his finances at the start of his venture.

Having risen and fallen in his past life and now riding the waves in this one, Zhao Fusheng had reached a conclusion.

It's not that having connections guarantees huge advantages, or that these big shots lack ability. But in terms of background, having a strong backing is certainly not a bad thing for one's development.

Someone like him, with his background, was already behind at the starting line compared to them.

Zhao Fusheng used to not understand this. He thought that with sufficient funds, he could do whatever he wanted. But now he realized that sometimes, money alone couldn't navigate the business world.

At the very least, without Ye Jing's connections, Zhao Fusheng couldn't guarantee that 'A World Without Thieves' would pass the review committee. Without Xue Yuanfang's presence, Cao Jianguo probably wouldn't have been so polite, let alone return the interest on the previous $15 million loan.

Though many dream of starting businesses in a fair environment, there's always a gap between ideals and reality. If there were no difference, people wouldn't yearn for dreams so much.

By the same token, Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan, having come this far without background, naturally hoped for even better development in the future, and thus were even more cautious.

Introducing Tan Kaixuan to Xue Yuanfang was all Zhao Fusheng needed to do; the rest was out of his hands.

Xue Yuanfang had access to the most powerful patron for the next twenty to thirty years, and Tan Kaixuan had money. Their cooperation was a perfect match.

As for Zhao Fusheng himself, he was content with his current life and hadn't considered becoming a red-dish merchant.

With matters in the capital mostly settled, Zhao Fusheng took the delighted Fan Beibei and returned to Ninghai by train.

'Brother, why don't we fly?'

Fan Beibei leaned against Zhao Fusheng's chest, asking curiously.

'Flying isn't safe,' Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

He hadn't been so concerned before, but after his mother repeatedly insisted, he got used to it.

But on second thought, it made sense.

Safety first—there was no harm in that.

'Brother, if you marry sister, will you stop loving me?' The little girl suddenly looked up and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was stunned, staring at her in disbelief: 'Where did you hear that?'

If he remembered correctly, he had never mentioned marrying Fan Baobao to Fan Beibei. Even when they discussed getting married next year, she wasn't home.

'I heard sister talking to Mom on the phone,' Fan Beibei blinked her big eyes, looking seriously at Zhao Fusheng. 'Brother, please don't abandon me, okay?'

Children's world is simple. In her understanding, if her sister married her brother, he would stop loving her.

Zhao Fusheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Helplessly, he patiently explained to the little girl that even if he married Fan Baobao, life would be no different from now. She would still live with them.

That was inevitable. In Zhao Fusheng's view, he and Fan Baobao wouldn't have children anytime soon. If Fan Beibei stayed in the capital for school, he wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of her. After much thought, he would have to do it himself.

Holding the little girl, Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt that having a child sooner might not be a bad idea.