Chapter 1297: Equity Incentive

Are there fools in the business world?

The answer is obvious: no.

Those who thrive in business are all sharp operators. When competing for power and profit on the same level, they naturally square off for a contest. But when the gap is wide, one must quickly choose sides, show weakness, and hold back, lest others seize the advantage and leave you with nothing. In today's society, it's all about who is faster—the fast fish eats the slow fish, and this holds true in business as well.

Kim San was no fool. He knew full well that Future Entertainment had approached him with an astronomical annual retainer of 1.8 billion Korean won not just for legal advice.

They also needed him to act as a bridge.

In short, this money was like buying a horse's bones with gold. His task was to seize the opportunity they offered and reap greater returns.

No joke—1.8 billion won a year. Kim San, though a renowned lawyer in Seoul, knew he wasn't worth that much. If they just wanted him for litigation, they wouldn't need to pay so much.

So, they had other motives.

What motives?

Naturally, his network of connections in Seoul.

That was perfectly normal. If they hadn't valued his connections, they wouldn't have needed to hire him for billions of won a year.

"Representative Liang, thank you for your company's trust. I believe Kim San will be the most suitable partner for Future Entertainment," Kim San said with a smile to Liang Jingyu.

Liang Jingyu nodded. "I think so too."

He was quite pleased inwardly. He hadn't expected that Kim San, just as the chairman had predicted, would agree so readily to cooperate.

Thinking of this, Liang Jingyu couldn't help but glance at Zhao Fusheng. His boss was truly remarkable to have thought of using such a method to rapidly expand the company's network.

After all, Kim San had been a police officer and prosecutor for many years, and was now a prominent lawyer in Seoul. The connections such a person held were not to be underestimated.

Now that Future Entertainment had won over Kim San, it would undoubtedly be easier to break into the Korean market.

Zhao Fusheng watched Kim San and Liang Jingyu chatting amiably, but his expression remained unchanged. The reason was simple: he was thinking.

Before meeting Kim San, Zhao Fusheng's understanding of him was limited to paper documents, so he had made the decision to buy a horse's bones with gold, hoping to use this opportunity to enter Seoul's circles.

But now, Zhao Fusheng suddenly had a bold idea.

"Old Liang, ask him if he would be willing to become a shareholder of Future Entertainment with a five percent stake," Zhao Fusheng said slowly to Liang Jingyu.

Hearing this, Liang Jingyu was taken aback. Future Entertainment had a registered capital of 100 million RMB. A five percent stake, compared to an annual salary of 10 million, was much less in numerical terms.

What was the chairman up to?

But regardless, since Zhao Fusheng had proposed it, he translated the words to Kim San.

In his heart, Liang Jingyu felt that his boss's suggestion was an unnecessary complication. The man had already agreed, so why bring up shares?

But what surprised Liang Jingyu even more was that after he made the suggestion, Kim San didn't get angry. Though his expression turned serious, his attitude became more cautious.

"Representative Liang, please tell Chairman Zhao that I will give this matter serious consideration. Could I have two days?" After a long pause, Kim San said politely to Liang Jingyu.

Clearly, he was taking Zhao Fusheng's earlier proposal seriously.

Liang Jingyu frowned. He was a true professional with considerable skill in business management; otherwise, Dong Chenxi wouldn't have let him serve as the representative director of Future Entertainment, which in China would be the general manager of a branch.

Seeing Kim San's reaction, and recalling Zhao Fusheng's two proposals, Liang Jingyu had a rough idea. He smiled slightly and said to Kim San, "Mr. Kim, to be frank, I personally disagree with the boss giving away company shares, as shares differ from salary. But since the boss values you, I still hope you will consider it carefully."

Then he translated Kim San's words to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. Kim San's reaction was entirely within his expectations; it would have been strange otherwise.

After all, what he had offered was not just a check, but a long-term meal ticket.

Then, under the astonished gazes of the lawyers at Kim San's firm, their usually proud boss personally escorted the two guests from China downstairs and warmly bid them farewell.

If not for the familiar figure being their longtime boss, the lawyers might have thought they were seeing things.

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

Watching the convoy of Zhao Fusheng and his team disappear into the distance, a tall woman beside Kim San asked curiously.

She was very beautiful, exuding an air of sharp competence, dressed in a white business suit, and had been following Kim San all along.

Jinshan chuckled softly, glanced at his only daughter, and said, "Haijing, do you know why our Jinshan Law Firm has always been able to claim only the title of the sixth largest law firm in Seoul?"

Kim Haijing was startled and somewhat bewildered: "Isn't it because we lack sufficient funds?"

Shaking his head, Jinshan did not answer his daughter's question. Instead, his gaze fixed on the motorcade gradually receding from his sight, and he murmured to himself, "This chaebol from China is no ordinary person."

...

...

The question that puzzled Kim Haijing naturally also intrigued Liang Jingyu.

However, compared to Kim Haijing's utter confusion, Liang Jingyu had a bit more insight.

Sitting in the car, Liang Jingyu said to Zhao Fusheng, "Chairman, are you planning to bring Jinshan on board with us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng glanced at Liang Jingyu and nodded with satisfaction: "I thought you might not see through this."

Liang Jingyu smiled wryly: "After all, I have a master's degree in business management. I should be able to figure that out, don't you think?"

This was true; the guy had majored in finance in college and later, out of boredom, minored in business management.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, somewhat agreeing with his words.

Liang Jingyu was a capable person; the only thing he lacked was perhaps his grasp of human nature and his understanding of the actual situation in South Korea.

But that was a minor issue, forgivable.

Moreover, if he were truly perfect and flawlessly attentive to every detail without needing Zhao Fusheng's concern, then Zhao Fusheng would instead feel somewhat worried.

After all, no one is perfect. If a person truly appears flawless, it can only prove that deep inside, they harbor a huge secret.

This point was beyond doubt.

"You're right. I am indeed considering bringing Jinshan onto our ship," Zhao Fusheng said slowly to Liang Jingyu.

"Why Jinshan?" Liang Jingyu was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. "Paying them so much in consulting fees every year should be enough."

In his view, an annual legal consulting fee of 1.8 billion won was already quite high.

"Those are two questions." Zhao Fusheng laughed and said casually, "Jinshan is the sixth largest law firm in Seoul. The reason they've never been able to break into the top five is precisely because they lack the backing of a powerful conglomerate. Jinshan himself is capable and well-connected, but he's not ruthless enough. Sometimes he takes cases he knows he'll lose, which shows he has principles. So this person is exactly what we need."

"And what about the shares?" Liang Jingyu pressed.

"Simple. If we give him shares, it means this becomes his own business." Zhao Fusheng said with a faint smile.

Liang Jingyu was taken aback, then understood Zhao Fusheng's intention—he planned to completely tie Jinshan to their ship.

"Not just Jinshan, you too, Old Liang. As the company's representative director, you have two choices: take a salary or take dividends from shares." Zhao Fusheng glanced at Liang Jingyu and said.

"Me?"

Liang Jingyu instantly lost his composure.

Everyone has ambition, and he was no exception. He had left a stable life back home and fought tooth and nail to come to Korea as the representative director, with the goal of expanding the market and, naturally, advancing further.

It's often said that ambition is the driving force of human progress—there's some truth to that.

But Liang Jingyu also knew that in front of Zhao Fusheng, he had little room for scheming. His boss, who had built his business from scratch, couldn't have gotten this far without real skill.

Moreover, here in Korea, he was a stranger in a strange land, a genuine newcomer. Without the support of headquarters, he couldn't even establish a foothold.

So Liang Jingyu had never considered asking for shares.

Self-knowledge is precious. Better to take things slowly than to be greedy and overreach. As long as he could break ground in Korea, benefits would come in time.

By managing Future Entertainment steadily, step by step, and growing it gradually, headquarters would eventually make a move to appease him.

In Liang Jingyu's view, that was the best strategy.

But he never expected that after proposing to give shares to Jinshan Law Firm, Zhao Fusheng would voluntarily offer him shares as well.

Was his boss really this generous?

Wasn't he afraid that Liang Jingyu would mess up Future Entertainment?

At that moment, Liang Jingyu suddenly felt trusted. He thought Zhao Fusheng had an eye for talent and had recognized his abilities.

Little did he know, Zhao Fusheng was just planning ahead.