Chapter 1268: Little Calculations

Zhao Fusheng ultimately chose to follow the advice.

He was a businessman, not a philanthropist.

While he certainly hoped to do something for impoverished areas, Zhao Fusheng knew very well that no matter how much he did, few would remember his kindness; they would only mock him as a rich fool with more money than sense.

Such was the truth of the world: most people were ordinary and selfish, and those who understood gratitude and repaid kindness were still a minority.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng trusted Liu Ming's judgment, after all, he was a think tank hired by Zheng Yao at a high salary.

Under forty, a PhD from the US, dressed in a suit and tie, wearing glasses, with sharp and confident eyes, neither humble nor arrogant in his smile and speech, not groveling at all because Zhao Fusheng was his boss, but rationally analyzing the situation for him. Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Liu Ming's current demeanor forced him to acknowledge that Liu Ming was right.

You see, people themselves do not emit an aura, but they can convey information through changes in their eyes and expressions, allowing the recipient to perceive shifts in emotion.

"Alright, let's do it your way then." Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Liu Ming.

Regardless, since Zheng Yao hadn't called him, it seemed she also agreed with the plan proposed by the Strategic Planning Department.

Some things didn't need to be spelled out; everyone could understand on their own.

"Also, Chairman, I'd like to suggest that if you want the future development of the group to go more smoothly, you should terminate your cooperation with Lawyer Cheng Gong as soon as possible." Seeing Zhao Fusheng nod in agreement, Liu Ming brought up another matter.

Zhao Fusheng was startled and looked at Liu Ming with some confusion: "What, is Lawyer Cheng incompetent?"

Liu Ming shook his head helplessly: "It's not that he's incompetent, but he's not suitable for our company. Personally, I suggest that Lawyer Cheng can serve as your personal lawyer to handle some legal issues for you, but for the group, we'd better cooperate with internationally renowned large law firms."

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng wanted to refute Liu Ming, but upon reflection, he closed his mouth.

The reason was simple: what Liu Ming said was correct.

An ordinary lawyer follows standard procedures in court, going through the routine of litigation and mediation. Simply put, they appear in court, state their client's claims, and the court decides according to the law whether to grant them. Mediation, on the other hand, depends on the parties' willingness. In simple terms, such a lawyer doesn't even need a team; just an assistant to handle miscellaneous tasks.

For example, Zhang Wei from 'iPartment' is an assistant lawyer responsible for such matters.

But in the legal profession, not everyone is like that. There is another type of top-tier lawyer, known in the industry as 'da zhuang,' or senior barrister.

To put it bluntly, the biggest difference between these senior barristers and ordinary lawyers is that they take the client's interests as the highest principle.

To achieve their client's goals, these senior barristers are even willing to break the law. In their minds, justice and righteousness are unimportant; only professional ethics matter.

Or to be more precise, in the eyes of these senior barristers, nothing is more important than their client's interests.

Even if their client is not a good person, the senior barrister will find a way to make the client appear innocent. Of course, the client only pays the money; how their legal advisor achieves the goal is not something these wealthy clients inquire about.

Liu Ming's suggestion to Zhao Fusheng was to find a qualified senior barrister as the group's legal advisor, rather than continuing to have Cheng Gong and his third-rate firm handle the company's legal affairs.

This wasn't burning bridges; it was because Cheng Gong and his team truly could no longer handle the increasingly large legal matters of the future group.

Zhao Fusheng actually understood this, but he still hadn't expected Liu Ming to bring this up to him.

Giving Liu Ming a deep look, Zhao Fusheng suddenly smiled.

"You're not bad."

Zhao Fusheng nodded at Liu Ming: "You know how to seize opportunities."

By now, if he still couldn't see that Liu Ming was deliberately trying to catch his attention, he would have lived two lives in vain.

The logic was simple: if he were merely a think tank, Liu Ming wouldn't need to say so much; he could tell Zheng Yao, and she would adopt his opinion as well.

But he chose to say it in front of Zhao Fusheng, clearly indicating that Director Liu was not content with being just an analytical think tank; he wanted to take charge, gain the attention of his boss Zhao Fusheng, and be promoted.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't unhappy about this. As the boss, it was good that his subordinates had ambition and wanted to climb up; otherwise, if everyone only knew how to be submissive, how could the business continue to grow and strengthen?

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Liu Ming let out a long breath and said with a wry smile: "Chairman, to be honest, I have no choice. The Strategic Planning Department is a good place, but I really want to succeed, to stand out."

A middle-aged man past thirty saying such things didn't surprise Zhao Fusheng, nor did he look down on Liu Ming for currying favor with a young man nearly a dozen years his junior. A real man isn't ashamed to humble himself; what's truly shameful is a grown man unable to support himself, his parents, and his family.

"I understand." Zhao Fusheng glanced at Liu Ming and said calmly: "I can give you the opportunity, but whether you can seize it depends on you. If you fail, I think you know what the consequences will be."

"Chairman, rest assured! I know what to do!" Liu Ming gritted his teeth and said seriously to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, said nothing more, stood up, patted Liu Ming on the shoulder, and left.

As for whether Liu Ming could handle things well, Zhao Fusheng actually didn't know.

When he was very young, his grandfather told him that judging people requires time; only after spending a long time together can you know a person's true character.

Zhao Fusheng didn't quite understand at first, but as his business grew larger in this life, he gradually grasped the old man's meaning.

People wear countless masks in this world. A vicious criminal might have one or two people who are extremely important to him and would go through fire and water for him at a critical moment. And a righteous gentleman might, in a moment of lapse, stab you in the back.

So often, there's no need to overthink relationships between people. A few friends are enough; most are just casual acquaintances. Only through the test of time can you determine whether a person is good or bad.

The same goes for managing subordinates in business. No one can guarantee that the people they employ are pillars of talent. Even Zhao Fusheng, a reborn man, couldn't guarantee that his decisions were always correct.

But the thing is, he could give this person a chance to try. Even if he failed, the loss wouldn't be crippling, but if he succeeded, the returns could be substantial.

This is actually the same principle as venture capital.

After all, business always involves gains and losses.

…

…

Leaving the investment matters for Liu Ming to negotiate, Zhao Fusheng went to see Wang Zhen in person and told him about Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong's plan to adapt the incident into a movie.

Wang Zhen was initially hesitant, but after Zhao Fusheng talked about the senior's story, he finally convinced him. In Zhao Fusheng's words, such a good person as the senior should not remain unknown.

Then, Zhao Fusheng left Chen Shijie's phone number with Wang Zhen, telling him to call Chen Shijie if anything came up, and then left Dahong Village.

As for Yu Feihong, she was staying with the foundation staff to oversee the construction of the Hope School and wouldn't leave easily. Chen Shijie had already taken up his new post as the director of the Beitong County Public Security Bureau, so only Old Jiang returned to the capital with Zhao Fusheng.

"Why didn't you stay?"

Sitting on the train, Zhao Fusheng asked Jiang Wen curiously.

Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng with a puzzled expression: "What would I stay for?"

"Aren't you going to write the script? Don't you need to do interviews and experience life?" Zhao Fusheng said.

Jiang Wen burst out laughing, looking at Zhao Fusheng as if he were absurd: "Come on, are you kidding me? I have to go back and discuss it with Ye Jing first before I start writing. What if he disagrees? Are you going to use your authority as the boss to pressure him?"

Blinking, Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Of course not. Since I said he's the general manager of Future Films, I definitely won't interfere with projects he disagrees with."

"Then why are you wasting your breath?" Jiang Wen spread his hands: "So, I need to go back and discuss it with Ye Jing first, then come to Sichuan."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, finally understanding what was going on.

"By the way, are you and Baobao getting married in August?" Jiang Wen suddenly remembered something his wife Zhou Yun had mentioned during a phone call and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Her mother and my parents want us to get married soon, have a child first. Then if she likes acting, she can come out and act; if not, she can hold a position in the company and do what she enjoys."

Jiang Wen nodded: "I think that's good. After all, your status is different. Having an heir early is a good thing."

That was true. For someone of Zhao Fusheng's wealth, having an heir as early as possible was undoubtedly beneficial for stabilizing the company.