Chapter 1326: Not Believing in Pies Falling from the Sky

Mr. Lu Xun once said: I am not your father, so why should I teach you to be clever?

This saying is most apt in the business world.

Many people, after being deceived, always complain that others are dishonest or lack principles, but the question is, why should others give in to you?

Once upon a time, the people of China were still relatively simple; their values and worldview were at a relatively uncomplicated stage. But as the period of social transformation began, people's values started to fracture, romanticism rushed headlong toward materialism, and the focus of attention was no longer personal ideals and national destiny, but the anxiety and contradictions of surviving in modern society.

Zhao Fusheng loved poetry, but he always felt that since Hai Zi, who wrote 'Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming,' left this world, China no longer had a pure poet.

With such thoughts, whether in business or in life, Zhao Fusheng did not easily trust others.

Whether it was James or Ma Xiaoyun, in Zhao Fusheng's view, they were just cooperation partners. If there was profit to be made, they cooperated; if not, they became opponents.

Mr. James, I believe you should know that I am a person who values friends greatly,” Zhao Fusheng said to James with a smile. “The previous cooperation with Shengda Technology gave me a good impression of Hongshan Capital. So I think, this time, if Hongshan Capital is interested, perhaps we could join forces.”

James did not speak, his brows tightly furrowed. He was not a young lad in his twenties; he could not be easily persuaded by a few words from Zhao Fusheng. Although what Zhao Fusheng said was tempting, James knew very well that the funds involved were enormous. Even he could not decide lightly; he needed to report to the headquarters of Hongshan Capital.

I need to consider this.

After a long while, James looked up at Zhao Fusheng and slowly said.

Clearly, he had taken in Zhao Fusheng's words, but he was still hesitating.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled lightly, neither urging James nor even showing any intention to persuade him further. He nodded and gestured for James to drink his coffee.

The seed had been planted. Zhao Fusheng did not know if it would take root and sprout, but he was certain that with such a big cake laid out, anyone with greed in their heart could not refuse.

Were Hongshan Capital and James the kind of devout Buddhists who ate vegetarian and chanted sutras?

The answer was clearly no.

These capitalists would do anything for profit, even inciting war if necessary. Despite Americans always liking to flaunt freedom and democracy, in reality, they are the biggest and most rogue nation in the world.

In the time that followed, Zhao Fusheng and James chatted aimlessly, even talking about Facebook, which was all the rage among young people in Europe and America. In James's words, young Americans nowadays would be laughed at if they didn't have a Facebook account.

If I remember correctly, the largest shareholder of Facebook should be you, Mr. Zhao?” James asked with a smile, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. This was not a secret in Silicon Valley; it was just that no domestic media had ever paid attention to it. When Facebook went public or successfully raised funds, many people would be shocked.

I never expected this!” James exclaimed sincerely, smiling. “When I first heard the news, I was a bit surprised, but now it seems Mr. Zhao truly has exceptional foresight. To use a common saying, this must be 'preparing for a rainy day,' right?”

Zhao Fusheng accepted the praise without reservation, but inwardly he sneered.

There is no hatred without reason, nor love without reason in this world. If James brought up Facebook for no reason, Zhao Fusheng would not believe it unless he had ulterior motives.

You flatter me, Mr. James,” Zhao Fusheng said with a faint smile, glancing at James. “At the time, I just thought social networking sites might have a market. To be honest, even I didn't expect Facebook to develop so quickly. Of course, that's all thanks to Sean Parker and Mark Zuckerberg; I'm just an investor.”

No matter what sweet talk James fed him, Zhao Fusheng was determined not to be fooled. Facebook was developing rapidly, and he was sitting pretty. Even if James had any ideas, he had no choice; sometimes, one had to bow under circumstances.

Watching Zhao Fusheng calmly play along with him, James sighed inwardly.

This young man was truly a prodigy.

Facebook's development speed was no longer a secret in Europe and America, especially in the investment world. Everyone knew that this social networking site would only become more valuable.

Not long ago, Facebook's users officially surpassed ten million, and it was said that Mark Zuckerberg was planning to launch a high school version.

This news was known only to a few, but James was naturally one of them.

Although the social networking site was not yet large-scale and could not be called the number one in the United States, in the eyes of many seasoned investors, Facebook's potential was enormous.

And this young man before him was the second-largest shareholder after founder Mark Zuckerberg. Rumors had it that he had single-handedly funded all of Facebook's investments to date.

What did that mean?

It meant that even over Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, Zhao Fusheng had significant influence.

The information James received from Hongshan Capital's headquarters was that the company was optimistic about this social networking site and was interested in investing.

That is to say, if Facebook continued to develop as it was, then perhaps one day, James or his colleagues would have to try to persuade Zhao Fusheng to agree to sell or dilute his shares.

Frustrating, wasn't it?

As a businessman, especially one in investment, watching opportunities slip away and only being able to sigh afterwards was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

Moreover, James, an elite who always looked down on others, had previously believed that there were no outstanding financial talents in the East, especially in China.

But now, Zhao Fusheng's appearance forced him to admit that this guy's keen insight and vision were even sharper than his own, a seasoned veteran.

What should one do when encountering a powerful opponent?

James was truly torn.

People are like this; they always get tangled up in difficult choices. What James was considering now was whether Zhao Fusheng's proposal was beneficial to Hongshan Capital.

Or, if he cooperated with Zhao Fusheng this time to jointly deal with Yahoo and Ma Xiaoyun, would Zhao Fusheng give him face on the Facebook project?

After a long silence, James slowly raised his head, showing a smile to Zhao Fusheng: “Hongshan Capital has always been watching Facebook's development. I hope we can cooperate in the future.”

Clearly, this was a condition.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly: “Thank you for Hongshan Capital's attention to Facebook. I have always believed that for Facebook to grow, it must cooperate with capable companies.”

His greatest advantage was his foresight. In the original history, Facebook's financing target was Hongshan Capital.

So James's hint just now was meaningless in Zhao Fusheng's eyes; he would just go along with it.

As for whether Mark Zuckerberg would be unhappy about this, Zhao Fusheng was not worried, because that guy had no choice anyway.

This was no joke. Hongshan Capital's reputation in the American investment world was like that of Li Chaoren or Huo Daheng in China.

For example, if an entrepreneur suddenly learned that Li Chaoren planned to invest in his company, what kind of scene would that be?

The answer was obvious: no one could refuse such a good thing, like a pie falling from the sky.