Chapter 1280: Journalist? Prostitutor?

To Zhao Fusheng, money was not just a set of numbers; it was his life.

Well, okay, Zhao Fusheng felt that he was just that greedy.

If he earned money by his own ability, why couldn't he earn more?

As for whether he would be asked to pay more taxes, that wasn't a problem in Zhao Fusheng's eyes. He was a patriotic man; whatever the country asked him to do, he would do it (I am a patriotic author, and I welcome tax increases with open arms. Please don't ban me).

Back to the main topic.

Organizing his thoughts, Zhao Fusheng could confirm that he now needed to continue making money, and a lot more at that. Otherwise, the shares he held in these future internet giants would definitely be diluted.

He wasn't SoftBank, backed by the entire Japanese financial conglomerate. What Zhao Fusheng could rely on was only himself.

So making money was urgent.

It wasn't that he wasn't making money now. Both Future Technology and Future Advertising were profitable, and even Future Film and Television's financial statements were actually quite good relatively speaking.

According to the data Zheng Yao had given Zhao Fusheng, Future Group's operating profit for 2004 was nearly 100 million US dollars. If it were a listed company, that would directly ignite the stock market.

For another company, this achievement might satisfy the boss, but for Zhao Fusheng, it was something he couldn't be content with.

Because he knew very well that in the next few years, the amount of capital he needed was simply too large.

"I need to earn more from the Koreans."

Zhao Fusheng muttered to himself and stood up from the bathtub.

Although some might not understand this approach, it had to be said that it was a quick and convenient method that most people wouldn't think of.

In another year, the US subprime mortgage crisis would erupt, and Asian countries closely tied to the US economy would inevitably be affected. The most notable examples were Korea and Japan.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn't know much about Korea's situation. In his impression, the country had many celebrities, the president was an extremely dangerous job, and the entire nation gave off a sense of extreme pride, even to the point of being ridiculous. Of course, there was also the fact that they worshipped their American daddy, and any slightly famous celebrity who had any connection to the US would be called an international superstar.

Also, Guo Degang was right: Koreans wished the whole world belonged to them.

But one thing had to be admitted, even if Zhao Fusheng disliked the country: Korea's film and entertainment industry was truly highly developed. Whether it was idol stars or the output of film and TV production, unless administrative power was used to block them, domestic resistance to the "invasion" of the Korean Wave was not strong.

After all, when our screens were filled with anti-Japanese war dramas, their movies and TV shows were constantly innovating and were indeed a step ahead.

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng took out his phone and dialed Zheng Yao's number.

"Have the Strategic Planning Department prepare a report on the Korean entertainment industry," Zhao Fusheng directly instructed.

"Korea?"

Zheng Yao was startled. "What are you going to do?"

She really hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to be interested in Korea.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and explained his idea, finally saying, "My idea is simple: while there are still opportunities in the Korean market, I plan to go there and make a killing."

Of course, he wouldn't tell Zheng Yao that the subprime mortgage crisis starting at the end of next year would also significantly impact Korea, giving him a chance to profit from it.

Moreover, in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, the Korean entertainment industry was a treasure trove. Rather than letting Korean capitalists make money from the Asian people, it was better to let those long-legged oppas and beautiful goddesses work for him.

Zheng Yao shrugged. "Okay, if you think there's an opportunity, go ahead."

Although she had some doubts about Zhao Fusheng's decision, she didn't intend to refuse.

Zheng Yao actually understood Zhao Fusheng's concerns, and she even saw further than he did.

In Zheng Yao's view, since Future Group had no plans to go public, it had to accumulate a large amount of cash to remain invincible.

As for bank loans, although she didn't say it out loud, Zheng Yao actually didn't like that approach.

After all, if someone wanted to cause trouble and cut off the bank loans, the company would be put in a passive position.

...

...

Zhao Fusheng naturally didn't know Zheng Yao's thoughts, and even if he did, he wouldn't oppose them.

Speaking of which, the entrepreneur Zhao Fusheng admired most so far was Aunt Tao from Laoganma. Her three-no principle—no financing, no listing, no loans—had always been the concept Zhao Fusheng most respected.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, if a company could achieve these three points, it meant the entire company had reached financial independence.

For a modern enterprise, financial independence was undoubtedly very important.

It meant the company wouldn't be constrained by funding or have to worry about unnecessary troubles caused by financial pressure.

Zheng Yao was very action-oriented, or rather, the young people in Future Group's Strategic Planning Department, after seeing Liu Ming's example,

had increasingly strong ambitions. They felt they were no worse than Liu Ming; if he had a chance, why couldn't they?

As for how to make money from the Koreans, in their eyes, it wasn't difficult.

In the eyes of a group of top graduates, business in this world was only of two types: profitable and immediately profitable.

Zhao Fusheng was aware of this situation within the company and even encouraged these people.

Everyone starts their dream with a pure heart, simply and naively craving success. But on the road to chasing dreams, many people forget their original intentions, forget what they once desired, and eventually lose themselves in the torrent of life, their edges smoothed down, becoming those so-called mature and sensible people.

Even if it means being mediocre.

"Are you planning to go to Korea?"

Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng with some surprise.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "I plan to take a look. There are many opportunities there, and in recent years, our relations have been gradually easing. If there's a chance, I should try."

Future Group's current development was going well. Zhao Fusheng's idea was to seize this momentum to make the company bigger and stronger, achieving results both domestically and internationally.

The purpose of this was simple: with achievements came attention, and with attention came preferential treatment.

This wasn't a joke. For many local governments in China, attracting internationally renowned companies to invest locally was a very important political achievement.

No one understood this better than Zhao Fusheng.

"Okay, let Zhang Qian accompany you, and bring a few more people with you," Fan Baobao said to Zhao Fusheng after thinking it over.

After all, it was a unfamiliar place, and they were going to inspect investments; having more people wouldn't hurt.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Not just Zhang Qian, Dong Chenxi will also go. I'll try to finalize things quickly and come back around July."

He paused and smiled. "I still have to take wedding photos with you."

Fan Baobao giggled. "It doesn't have to be domestic. I heard Jeju Island in Korea is very nice; we can go there to take them."

Zhao Fusheng blinked and decided to keep his mouth shut.

"By the way, do I need to notify the media?" Zhao Fusheng asked Fan Baobao after thinking.

After all, Fan Baobao was now somewhat famous. Although not a top-tier or second-tier star, she was at least a third- or fourth-tier celebrity. Such a big event as getting married wouldn't be good if exposed by the media.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng had a really bad impression of media reporters. Not because of their ubiquity or their sharp and mean questions, but because most reporters nowadays would go to any lengths to create news highlights.

Since the 1990s, media reporters were no longer the so-called uncrowned kings. For exclusive news and economic benefits, these reporters didn't care about the truth of the facts; as long as sales could be boosted, they would stop at nothing.

The most obvious example was Michael Jackson, who was destroyed by the media. The media distorted facts and gave one-sided reports. As long as there was a gimmick, they dared to write it, regardless of whether the news was true or what the actual facts were.

In fact, in 1990s China, there was a scammer who openly submitted news about acquiring a certain company to several newspapers in Shenzhen. These newspapers published it without verifying the truth. As soon as the news came out, the company's stock price soared. The scammer happily sold the stocks he had previously bought at a high price and then left.

When the news was confirmed to be false, the stock price plummeted. Those investors who had followed the newspaper reports and bought in were all trapped, suffering heavy losses.

On the other hand, the newspapers that published the fake news got off scot-free.

Hmph.

Why did this happen?

In the end, one word—profit—could perfectly explain everything.

With sufficient profit, anything could happen. Especially now, with the internet developing faster and faster. Zhao Fusheng even knew more clearly that with the development of the internet and the advent of the smart era, clickbait media had become popular worldwide, gradually forming a media culture where facts and truth no longer mattered, and click-through rates and gimmicks became the targets of media pursuit.

Some reporters even went so far as to provoke celebrities for news highlights, because whether the celebrity got angry and hit the reporter or left in annoyance, it was all news.

Of course, if the reporter got beaten, that was even better. Not only could they get the front-page headline, but they could also ensure that public opinion was on their side.

Freedom of the press, after all.

Hmph, long live the great freedom of the press.

The uncrowned king—just that, really.