Chapter 1419: The Game of Adventurers

Hormones dictate that men all have a desire for conquest, especially men in business. In the process of doing business, the most satisfying thing is the desire to conquer. The object of this conquest is, of course, women, but the greatest pleasure lies in conquering the outside world.

Zhao Fusheng naturally had such thoughts as well, but after all, he was no longer a young man in his twenties or thirties. At heart, he was already a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, more steady and mature.

Of course, using another adjective to explain it could also be described as cautious.

Therefore, Zhao Fusheng was not very interested in Lu Jianzhi's proposal.

The capital market is too deep, especially the domestic capital market, which from the very beginning has had various defects. Some people act as both players and referees. Even if Zhao Fusheng had a few more guts, he wouldn't dare to stir up trouble in the domestic financial market.

After making his first pot of gold in the stock market with Tan Kaixuan in the early days of starting his business, Zhao Fusheng had always been tight-lipped about the stock market. Even when Tan Kaixuan previously mentioned wanting to develop in the domestic financial market, Zhao Fusheng stopped him, forcing him to go to the United States instead, which led to Tan Kaixuan's current plan to immigrate.

"Mr. Lu, I'm really sorry, but I'm not interested in your proposal." Zhao Fusheng smiled and, without waiting for Lu Jianzhi to speak, directly refused, "Delong is a very accomplished company, and I have great respect for President Tang and all of you. But I'm truly sorry, Future Group does not intend to venture into the financial market."

Although Future Investment was also investing in some projects, it was all angel investment or venture capital. As for financial products like stocks and futures, Zhao Fusheng at most acquired some stocks of companies he favored and believed would appreciate in the future. He had no interest in other operations.

It wasn't that he didn't know how—after all, having been reborn for so long, he more or less understood the rules. It was simply that Zhao Fusheng wasn't interested in these things.

"Alright." Lu Jianzhi shrugged, quite nonchalant. Zhao Fusheng had politely declined before he could even state his purpose, clearly indicating he didn't want to get involved in Delong's affairs.

Since that was the case, he naturally couldn't force the issue.

"If Mr. Lu wants to borrow some funds, Future Group can help, as a gesture of friendship. But if it's about jointly investing in a listed company, I'm afraid I can't help." Zhao Fusheng didn't waste words and directly said to Lu Jianzhi.

Lu Jianzhi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and nodded: "Alright, thank you for your regard, Chairman Zhao."

Both were smart people. If words were spoken gracefully, then matters should also be handled gracefully. Zhao Fusheng had given Lu Jianzhi plenty of face, so Lu Jianzhi naturally had to be sensible and not make things difficult for everyone.

They chatted for a while longer, and naturally, the host and guests were all pleased.

After the banquet ended, Zheng Yao and Zhao Fusheng saw Lu Jianzhi off, then left by car.

"What's going on?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously. With Lu Jianzhi present earlier, he hadn't been able to inquire. Now he was naturally curious about how Delong's people had suddenly approached Zheng Yao.

Zheng Yao shrugged: "Introduced by a partner, said to be very capable and resourceful. I thought if there was a chance to cooperate, it would be quite good."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and said to her: "How many times have I told you, don't casually get involved with people from the capital circle. These guys are all wolves that devour people without spitting out bones. Take the big shots at Delong, for instance—none of them are easy to deal with. They once toyed with the entire nation's stock investors at their fingertips. If you play with them, you simply can't compete, and you might end up losing everything."

Zheng Yao remained silent, clearly not expecting Zhao Fusheng to have such a strong aversion to capital.

"You." Seeing Zheng Yao silent, Zhao Fusheng knew she hadn't realized the crux of the problem. He said helplessly: "You need to understand, they don't really have much money. It's either borrowed from banks or external loans. So these people can only do business in high-profit industries. And once something goes wrong in such industries, it's one wrong step, then another, and eventually a complete loss. Understand?"

"Well, if that's the case, why do they still do it?" Zheng Yao frowned slightly, puzzled.

After all, she had always been in legitimate business and hadn't had much exposure to these matters, so naturally she didn't understand the ins and outs.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "This is called doing what you know is impossible. Do you believe that even when they know the situation is dangerous, these people will still take risks and keep gambling?"

Hearing his words, Zheng Yao nodded: "I do understand that."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "This is human nature. To be honest, I've always thought that domestic private enterprises sometimes resemble gangs. The founders of those companies are like gang leaders, always carrying a certain roguishness. The enterprises they create are like ancient wandering knights."

"The reason is simple: those people were long restricted within the old system. Once they leave, they feel an extraordinary sense of ease and freedom. The underworld can be seen as an informal organization, a marginal zone, neither here nor there. Private enterprises are the same. In such a structural state, people are quite free, and naturally they choose a life of quick revenge and great happiness, feeling immense joy and spiritual satisfaction."

Zheng Yao looked at Zhao Fusheng helplessly. She found it hard to understand his thoughts. In his words, it seemed that the practices of companies like Delong were even excusable.

"What, you think I'm wrong?" Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked.

Zheng Yao nodded: "I still think their method of making money through legal gray areas is a shady business."

Shady business?

A smile appeared on Zhao Fusheng's lips, but he didn't refute Zheng Yao's words. Instead, he looked out the window.

Some things couldn't be explained. For Zhao Fusheng, having seen all kinds of ways to get rich in later generations, his understanding of the term 'shady' was no longer so narrow.

To be honest, could those self-media public accounts that touted rural feminist ideology all day to trick clicks and views be considered shady?

Could those WeChat sellers who constantly posted about Dubai trips and urged friends and family to buy their products be considered shady?

Could those health product experience shops on every street, selling items worth a few hundred yuan for thousands, like Amway and Infinitus, be considered shady?

If the public doesn't report and the authorities don't investigate, that's the so-called legal gray area.

Though unwilling to admit it, Zhao Fusheng had to say that an upright person really struggles to get ahead. If one doesn't know how to compromise and retreat, they will eventually suffer losses in business.

Of course, Zheng Yao's thinking was normal. Being a good person isn't bad. But Zhao Fusheng still felt that one shouldn't be too kind, because in the end, they would definitely suffer, and suffer greatly.

Xunzi said: Human nature is evil. In Zhao Fusheng's view, this statement had some truth.

In Zhao Fusheng's opinion, Lu Jianzhi's appearance was only a matter of time.

Whether domestically or internationally, cooperation between capital is normal. It would be strange if there were no cooperation.

However, Zhao Fusheng had always believed that Future Group should take a different path. Since he hadn't considered taking the company public, naturally he wouldn't get too deeply involved with capital like Delong.

Zhao Fusheng certainly didn't want a day to come when Fan Baobao, like Zhao Yanzi in her previous life, would be labeled as a 'leek cutter.'

Speaking of which, Zhao Yanzi had suffered an undeserved calamity. She was just an actress; what qualifications did she have to cut leeks? In the end, it was just a game among the big shots behind the scenes.

She was just unlucky, marrying a husband who was a front man, and having high visibility herself, which made her a target.

If you really pressed the issue, there were quite a few actresses in the industry entangled with the capital circle. But these people didn't seek the limelight, unlike Zhao Yanzi, who wished the whole world knew she had connections with the capital circle.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng sighed and shook his head helplessly. They say life is full of disappointments. In his past life, he probably wouldn't have been troubled by these things. Perhaps this was the price of rebirth?