Chapter 1717: Jang Ja-yeon

Shilla Hotel, Presidential Suite.

After entering, the girl stood before Zhao Fusheng, bowing repeatedly and speaking rapidly in Korean.

"She's thanking you."

Park Sun-young said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, not particularly surprised, since he had saved her life.

But he was more curious about why the Lotte people were chasing the girl, even sending a director.

After all, if Han Zhenying was a genuine Lotte director, his status would be far from ordinary.

In other words, if it hadn't been for Fan Beibei and Song Qian attracting Zhao Fusheng's attention, the girl would surely have been caught.

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng looked at Park Sun-young and said, "Ask her where her home is, and whether I should send someone to take her back."

Park Sun-young nodded, understanding his intention.

Clearly, her boss didn't want to meddle; having brought her out, it was better to avoid further trouble. Zhao Fusheng had no intention of getting involved in Korean affairs.

But after just a few words, the girl suddenly knelt down.

"What's this?"

Zhao Fusheng frowned, somewhat baffled.

"Um, she says she wants you to help her leave Korea, and she'll repay you like a beast of burden." Park Sun-young's expression was strange as she spoke to Zhao Fusheng.

"What's going on?"

Zhao Fusheng frowned; clearly, there was more to this.

Park Sun-young shook her head: "She won't say, only that she really can't stay in Korea, or she'll die."

"That serious..." Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng's expression shifted, quite astonished.

He could see that many of the bruises on the girl were not fresh but old.

In other words, she must have been beaten before, which was why she was injured.

But the question was, what exactly was going on?

"Here's what you do: get a simultaneous translation headset."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, then said to Park Sun-young.

Park Sun-young naturally knew about that device; once they put it on, everything they said would be translated by the translation system in the earphones.

"Chairman, let me translate instead."

Gritting her teeth, Park Sun-young said.

No matter what, she had to make a choice in this matter. After all, before this, she was just an employee of Hanxing Investment, but if she could earn Zhao Fusheng's trust through this, she would become a core member of the future group.

Sometimes, life's choices are made in an instant.

And in that instant, Park Sun-young made her decision.

She would strive, she would climb upward.

Hearing Park Sun-young's words, Zhao Fusheng smiled.

He knew that Park Sun-young had understood his meaning.

From the very beginning, Zhao Fusheng had vaguely guessed that what this girl wanted to say was most likely related to Lotte. In other words, the secret in her heart probably concerned Lotte's reputation; otherwise, it wouldn't have alarmed Han Zhenying, a director of Lotte Group, to personally come and demand her release.

In such a situation, the more people who knew, the more unsafe it actually was.

Zhao Fusheng had not suggested that Park Sun-young act as translator; in fact, he was giving her a chance to choose. After all, Lotte was one of the top conglomerates in South Korea. If she stood against Lotte, Zhao Fusheng, as a Chinese person, wouldn't care, but Park Sun-young was Korean, and she needed to make a choice.

Facing a conglomerate, not everyone had the courage to fight back.

Clearly, Park Sun-young had just made her choice—or rather, she had chosen the Future Group.

What kind of subordinates do leaders like?

Those who are quick-witted enough to grasp the leader's intentions and have the ability to get things done—such subordinates are undoubtedly the ones that can satisfy and be appreciated by leaders.

Park Sun-young was undoubtedly such a person; otherwise, she wouldn't have been valued by Liang Jingyu and become a mid-level manager at Hanxing Investment, with Liang even grooming her as a trusted confidant.

But all of this ultimately had to be recognized by Zhao Fusheng, after all, he was the true decision-maker at Hanxing Investment.

And Park Sun-young did not disappoint Liang Jingyu's trust. She knew very well what she needed. In South Korea, only at Hanxing Investment could she realize her value and fulfill her ambitions.

"Alright, let her come in with me. Have Song Qian and Beibei go play next door." Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, then said to Park Sun-young.

Park Sun-young nodded, said a few words to Song Qian, and Song Qian and Fan Beibei went to another room, while Zhao Fusheng led Park Sun-young and the tear-streaked girl into the room.

Outside the door, Wu Sijie and Chen Zhen and others stood guard, ready for anything.

"Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Zhao Fusheng sat on the sofa, leaning back, looking at the girl, and slowly began to ask.

Park Sun-young began translating Zhao Fusheng's words as soon as he spoke.

When the girl heard this question, tears streamed down her face again, and she sobbed as she recounted the whole story.

After a long moment, Zhao Fusheng's expression was strange, while Park Sun-young, beyond her shock, was filled with anger.

Those bastards!

Park Sun-young muttered to herself.

Zhao Fusheng's expression was a mix of conflict, surprise, and unexpected emotion.

So it's you...

Looking at the girl named Jang Ja-yeon, Zhao Fusheng sighed.

He finally remembered who this girl was.

In the memory of the time and space that originally belonged to Zhao Fusheng, Jang Ja-yeon graduated from Chosun University and gained attention for appearing in a 'Lego Cookie' commercial, through which she officially debuted in the entertainment industry.

On March 8, 2009, at 4:30 p.m., Jang Ja-yeon was found hanged in her home in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, and died by suicide at the age of 26.

In March 2011, South Korea publicly released Jang Ja-yeon's suicide note for the first time, revealing that she had been forced into prostitution nearly a hundred times for work.

In July 2018, new developments emerged in the Jang Ja-yeon case, including the existence of a special VIP room where beverages were laced with stimulants.

On March 18, 2019, the testimony from the investigation into Jang Ja-yeon's suicide was exposed by the media, implicating both actress Lee Mi-sook and her agent.

On March 18, 2019, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, after receiving reports from the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Interior and Safety regarding Jang Ja-yeon's suicide, ordered police and prosecutors to conduct a thorough investigation. On March 19, the Minister of the Interior and Safety, Kim Boo-kyum, and the Minister of Justice, Park Sang-ki, held an emergency press conference announcing a two-month extension of the investigation period for the Jang Ja-yeon case.

On May 20, the South Korean prosecution's Historical Events Committee released the final investigation report on the Jang Ja-yeon case, stating that it could not verify the truth of Jang Ja-yeon's list and that it was difficult to recommend further investigation.

Jang Ja-yeon's suffering was unimaginably tragic; she was even forced to wear new clothes and entertain dignitaries on her parents' death anniversaries. If she refused, she would be brutally beaten by her agent and agency representatives.

And now, this girl appeared before Zhao Fusheng.

Please, save me! I beg you!

Jang Ja-yeon knelt before Zhao Fusheng, pleading bitterly, speaking in halting Chinese.

Zhao Fusheng frowned and looked at Park Sun-young: 'Ask her where she learned Chinese.'

Park Sun-young, equally surprised, asked Jang Ja-yeon.

After the other replied, she said to Zhao Fusheng: 'She says she met a student from China and picked up a few broken phrases.'

I see.

Zhao Fusheng rubbed his chin, indifferent to whether Jang Ja-yeon's answer was true or false.

Regardless, this seemed like an opportunity for him!

Yes, an opportunity!

A perfect opportunity!

Zhao Fusheng had long wanted to break into the Korean entertainment industry. In fact, he and Liang Jingyu had already been quietly laying the groundwork and extending their reach.

Whether it was the earlier acquisition of SM Entertainment shares or the takeover of Lee Byung-hun's company as a lesson, all were preparations for this goal.

And now, if what Jang Ja-yeon said was true, perhaps the opportunity had arrived for Zhao Fusheng.

Have Liang Jingyu come here.

Zhao Fusheng said to Park Sun-young in a deep voice.

Park Sun-young was startled: 'Chairman, are you planning to...'

Her meaning was simple: was Zhao Fusheng going to go up against the Lotte Group?

Just call him over.

Zhao Fusheng said calmly: 'Since we want to enter the entertainment industry, we have to pick an opponent. Either Lotte Group or SK Group. SK Group has ties to Roh Tae-woo and isn't easy to touch. Lotte started in Japan and is comparatively easier to deal with.'

Alright.

Park Sun-young nodded, understanding what Zhao Fusheng meant.

Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze; in business, one naturally chooses the weakest opponent to tackle.

Between Lotte Group and SK Group, the former was undoubtedly the easier target.

Soon, Liang Jingyu, having received Park Sun-young's call, appeared in Zhao Fusheng's presidential suite.

Chairman, what do you want to do?

Liang Jingyu looked at Zhao Fusheng and asked seriously.

He had just heard Jang Ja-yeon's story from Park Sun-young, and while he sympathized with the girl's tragic experience, he truly didn't understand what Zhao Fusheng intended.

After all, it seemed the whole matter had little to do with Zhao Fusheng. Even if Lotte was hostile, they probably wouldn't dare to do anything to Zhao Fusheng or Hanxing Investment.

After all, Hanxing Investment's partner was Samsung. If pushed too far, with Zhao Fusheng and Lee Kun-hee joining forces, Lotte would be in deep trouble.

Surely, as long as Shin Kyuk-ho and his son weren't idiots, they wouldn't make such a reckless decision.

As for Zhao Fusheng himself, Liang Jingyu couldn't quite grasp his chairman's thoughts. Was he planning to use the Jang Ja-yeon incident to break down certain barriers in the Korean entertainment industry?