Chapter 1301: A Promising Talent

The process of life is a process of struggle. Even if you have no goals, you still need to toil for your own sustenance. The stronger a person is, the more they hope for a powerful opponent. Emperors and generals without rivals are lonely; those tedious official documents, year after year, day after day, will wear away all your passion.

Thus, those mighty emperors, in their later years, often become tyrannical and cruel, largely because life has lost its purpose.

Zhao Fusheng did not wish to lose his drive one day, so he had always been diligently seeking a direction forward.

Looking at the young girl not far away, chatting with her family, Zhao Fusheng blinked. This girl seemed to be a movie star, but he couldn't recall her name.

However, seeing the crowd slowly gathering around her, it was clear she was quite famous.

"Let's go, let's eat first."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and instructed Hu Donghai and the others behind him.

Hu Donghai and the others naturally had no objections; whatever the boss said, they would follow.

Thus, the group left the train station and headed straight outside.

Speaking of which, South Korea was indeed a place where talents were hidden. Hailing several taxis outside the station, Zhao Fusheng surprisingly found a driver who could speak English. After communicating with him, he asked him to call another car, and the group headed to the best hotel in Gwangju.

Since they were traveling, they naturally wanted to stay at the best hotel.

Soon they arrived at the hotel. Zhao Fusheng, who had paid the fare, got out of the car with Hu Donghai and the others and went to the front desk.

"Hello, we need a Chinese translator." Stating his request in English to the front desk, Zhao Fusheng then led Hu Donghai and the others to a sofa to sit down.

True to being the best hotel in Gwangju, a translator soon arrived at the scene, accompanied by the hotel's lobby manager.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The translator was very polite. He was young, likely a foreign student from a nearby university working part-time.

"Find me a tour guide. Money is no issue." Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Judging by your accent, you're from the Northeast?"

"Yes, I'm from Binzhou." The translator rubbed his hands and introduced himself to Zhao Fusheng: "How about me? My name is Zhang Tao, I'm studying abroad here in Gwangju."

"Alright, you're hired." Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. "500,000 won a day, as my tour guide and translator."

Zhang Tao was overjoyed. He only made 2 million won a month working part-time here, but Zhao Fusheng offered him 500,000 won a day—an astronomical price.

At that moment, in Zhang Tao's eyes, Zhao Fusheng was no longer a person but a walking vault.

"First, settle in and find a place to eat." Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Zhang Tao.

It wasn't that he trusted this fellow countryman completely, but this trip to Gwangju was just for leisure and relaxation, so his mood was different. In other words, a person's state of mind is often closely related to how strong their sense of purpose is. If one has no desires or demands, there's no need to worry about others harming them.

Conversely, if you always have this or that thought, you have to be constantly wary of those around you. This is probably the principle behind 'the innocent man is guilty of possessing a precious jade.'

Zhang Tao naturally made arrangements in a flurry. Soon, Zhao Fusheng and his group were settled in their rooms: five people, three rooms. Zhao Fusheng had one room to himself, and the four bodyguards shared two rooms, one on each side of Zhao Fusheng's room.

After taking a shower, Zhang Tao came to knock on the door, saying he had booked the best Korean meal at the hotel and invited Zhao Fusheng to come down and taste it.

Zhao Fusheng didn't refuse. Since he intended to enjoy the scenery, he naturally wanted to savor the local specialties.

But when he saw the array of delicate and slender dishes before him, he couldn't help sighing along with Hu Donghai and the others.

"This is Korean food?"

Zhao Fusheng blinked and asked Zhang Tao.

Zhang Tao was startled, thinking something was wrong, but then realized that this boss, like himself, was from the Northeast and was probably used to the generous portions back home. He explained with a smile: "Boss, Korean food is like this, similar to Japanese cuisine—it looks good, but the portions are small. Koreans usually eat grilled meat."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, suppressing a smile, and said to Hu Donghai and the others: "Alright, let's just have a taste for now, and later we'll go eat some grilled meat."

Everyone naturally had no objections, and they began to carefully sample the dishes.

Although the portions of Korean food were small, the taste was acceptable, and the dishes were colorful and aromatic. However, according to Zhang Tao, even ordinary Koreans rarely had the chance to eat such a lavish Korean meal. On one hand, it was too expensive; on the other, although South Korea's food industry was well-developed, Korean cuisine was mostly low-end, while mid-to-high-end dining was dominated by Western and Japanese food. As for this highest-grade Korean meal specially designed to showcase Korean characteristics, restaurants usually wouldn't prepare it.

But in Zhao Fusheng's view, this level of cuisine was at most comparable to some home-style dishes in China, with the only merit being that it was beautifully presented.

"How is the development in Gwangju?" During the meal, Zhao Fusheng chatted casually with Zhang Tao.

"It's okay, I guess. Since Roh Moo-hyun became president, he's bound to give some preferential treatment to this place." Zhang Tao shrugged. "Gwangju is known as the stronghold of the democracy faction."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then understood that Zhang Tao was right.

In a small country like South Korea, the presidency was a hot potato. Whoever took the position had to face a choice: whether to cozy up to neighboring China or to their American daddy.

As he recalled, that Ms. Park would later be elected president with an approval rating of over half the public—quite impressive—but she was eventually impeached, removed from office, and sentenced to prison. Although this was due to poor choice of friends, it must be said that it was also related to her capricious and fickle foreign policy.

In the early days of her term, Ms. Park was very close to China, even personally attending China's National Day military parade, ushering in a honeymoon period in bilateral relations, with frequent exchanges in both culture and economy.

But unexpectedly, a few years later, the same person directly overturned her previous diplomatic strategy, turning instead to the embrace of the American daddy and actively helping the US prepare to contain China's development.

Riding the fence?

Biding one's time?

Hmph.

China was not a parent that spoiled its children. Xue Yuanfang's uncle appeared gentle and refined, but in his bones, he inherited the toughness of the older generation. Faced with such a policy from South Korea, he struck back decisively. Once the Korean Wave restriction was imposed, South Korea's economy was instantly crippled, with the tourism and entertainment industries hit hardest, almost regressing overnight to pre-development levels.

Of course, that was in the future. For now, Ms. Park was still leaning toward China.

"By the way, you're from the Northeast. Why did you come to study in South Korea?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously.

"I have a relative working here who said the wages and benefits are good. My family thought it over and sent me here. I study and work part-time, planning to work here after graduation." Zhang Tao explained to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. This was probably the early wave of Korean drifters.

In fact, in later years, many Chinese people liked to work abroad, with Japan, South Korea, and Singapore being the most popular, followed by scenic spots like the Maldives and Saipan. Chinese people were quite numerous there.

In the end, it was because wages in these regions were high. Earning money there and spending it back in China was like a coder with a monthly salary of ten thousand returning to a county where the average wage was a thousand—a veritable tycoon's return.

"Boss, what business are you in?" Zhang Tao asked Zhao Fusheng curiously.

He was genuinely curious. This boss seemed only a few years older than him, yet he had several bodyguards by his side, clearly of no ordinary status.

Someone willing to spend 500,000 won a day to hire a guide and translator was rare even in China.

Although Zhang Tao was young, he had been abroad for two or three years. Unlike those young people who relied on their parents to eat, drink, and have fun in college, he had been working hard to earn money here. In his view, a boss of this caliber would only come from the chaebol families in South Korea.

As for China, he really couldn't think of anyone who would have such an air.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. This Zhang Tao was quite interesting to him. First, he was from the Northeast, a fellow countryman in a way, which naturally gave him a sense of affinity. Second, this man knew his boundaries; he handled everything assigned to him well. Even just now, he hadn't intended to sit down for the meal until Zhao Fusheng invited him.

Capable and knowing his place—such qualities were rare among young people of his age.

Although Zhao Fusheng himself was young, due to certain reasons, he had long ceased to see himself as a young man.

"What business do you think I'm in?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Tao with a smile.

Zhang Tao was startled, then shook his head: "I'm not sure, but I think you're in big business. However, this trip to Gwangju seems like a spur-of-the-moment vacation."

"Oh?" Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, looking at Zhang Tao with some surprise: "How do you know?"

Zhang Tao smiled shyly, then said: "You only brought four people, all bodyguards, without a translator or a tour guide. It's clearly a decision made on a whim. After arriving, you first found a place to rest, then asked me about the situation in Gwangju. Obviously, you've never been here before and came here just for fun."

He touched his head, a bit embarrassed: "I'm just guessing. If I'm wrong, please don't mind."

Zhao Fusheng exchanged a glance with Hu Donghai, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

He hadn't expected to come across such a promising talent.