Chapter 1723: Each Trying to Outwit the Other

Shin Kyuk-ho and Lee Kun-hee were old rivals.

Or rather, the open and covert struggles between chaebols like Lotte and Samsung had never ceased.

After all, South Korea is a small country with a small population. For these chaebols, although they could expand abroad, the domestic market was their main battleground.

Lee Kun-hee was well aware of Zhao Fusheng's calculations. He was clearly telling him that he intended to leverage Samsung's influence.

After all, when Samsung and Future Investment had cooperated before, Samsung had gained the upper hand.

Yes, it was taking advantage.

A deal involving sixty percent of Twitter shares, three billion dollars, and two billion dollars' worth of Samsung equity—Samsung had undoubtedly made a huge profit.

Lee Kun-hee had taken the bait, and now he had to pay for his actions.

This was no joke. As Lee Kun-hee had said, in the eyes of Koreans, Hanxing Investment was definitely seen as Samsung's partner. So if Zhao Fusheng made a move on the Korean cultural industry, whether it was Lotte or other companies, they would believe that he had made that decision with Samsung's tacit approval or even covert assistance.

What did that mean?

It meant that whether Lee Kun-hee liked it or not, he was already tied to Zhao Fusheng's chariot.

In that case, why bother hiding and wasting words explaining to others?

Just step forward and participate directly.

That way, Samsung could at least get a piece of the pie and reap the maximum benefits.

In the eyes of a businessman of Lee Kun-hee's caliber, there were no allies—only eternal interests.

Since Zhao Fusheng offered him greater benefits, he would naturally choose to stand with Zhao Fusheng.

As for Shin Kyuk-ho?

Hmph, Lee Kun-hee had never had any goodwill toward that old man.

"Make arrangements. Go talk to Zhao Fusheng."

Lee Kun-hee thought for a moment and said to Lee Boo-jin, "As for the specifics and what connections to use, have Director Kim handle it. This time, we'll support him."

"Huh?"

Lee Boo-jin was startled, then looked at her father in surprise: "Father, don't you want to reconsider?"

"Reconsider what? If I hesitate any longer, he'll probably go to Choi Tae-won or your cousin to cooperate." Lee Kun-hee said indifferently.

Whatever evidence Zhao Fusheng had obtained through Jang Ja-yeon, he was certainly confident enough to carve out a share of the Korean cultural industry and make an impact.

Under these circumstances, hesitation would mean losing a substantial profit.

That was not in Lee Kun-hee's nature.

He had never been one to give up on profits.

"Okay, I understand." Lee Boo-jin nodded repeatedly.

Her father had made himself clear. If she still didn't know what to do, she would have failed the trust and training Lee Kun-hee had given her over the years.

……

……

An hour and a half later, Lee Boo-jin appeared again at the Shilla Hotel.

This time, her destination was the presidential suite where Zhao Fusheng was staying.

"Sister Boo-jin, it seems you've already reached a decision, haven't you?"

Zhao Fusheng said with a smile, looking at Lee Boo-jin sitting across from him.

Lee Boo-jin gave a wry smile and shook her head helplessly: "Fusheng, you really are a master of scheming!"

At this point, she had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was indeed formidable. With this one open strategy, he had cornered her family. Even her father, Lee Kun-hee, had to cooperate with Zhao Fusheng along the path he had laid out.

Although there was an element of her father going along with it, Lee Boo-jin felt that if she were in Zhao Fusheng's position, she would never have thought of such a plan.

The saying 'Comparing people can drive you crazy, comparing goods can make you throw them away' really had some truth to it.

"Sister Boo-jin, you're wronging me."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head: "I never scheme against my friends. I always keep in mind that everyone should share in the benefits."

The implication was that if the Lee family didn't value profits, they could choose not to cooperate with him.

Lee Boo-jin shook her head and didn't dwell on the topic.

She wasn't stupid; knowing Zhao Fusheng's meaning and still arguing would be asking for trouble.

"My father has agreed to your proposal." Lee Boo-jin looked at Zhao Fusheng and said calmly, "Now can you tell me exactly how you need us to cooperate?"

She paused and added meaningfully, "And I'm very curious: what gave Miss Jang Ja-yeon the confidence to do this?"

She was genuinely curious. In Lee Boo-jin's eyes, although Jang Ja-yeon's plight was pitiable, she couldn't understand how a minor actress who had been exploited could provide Zhao Fusheng with the leverage to win.

"Sister Boo-jin." Zhao Fusheng's smile faded as he looked seriously at Lee Boo-jin: "I think you might have misunderstood. I don't necessarily need Jang Ja-yeon to take on Lotte or SK Group."

"What?"

Lee Boo-jin frowned, looking at Zhao Fusheng in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected him to say that.

Did this guy have another card up his sleeve?

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly. He knew that people from these big families had a different way of thinking from someone like him, who came from an ordinary background.

Take Lee Boo-jin, for example. In her eyes, a person's value was probably measured entirely by whether they could create benefits for her.

Although she had once chosen to marry for love, now this eldest daughter of the Samsung Lee family had likely forgotten her original intentions. What she cared about more was profit—tangible things.

If it couldn't bring practical benefits, Lee Boo-jin probably wouldn't choose to help even if she knew about Jang Ja-yeon's situation.

This might seem cruel, but in reality, it was the same not only in Korea but also in China and elsewhere.

Often, the reason our hearts grow colder and more ruthless is that things don't concern us.

When something doesn't concern us, most people choose to ignore it.

But Zhao Fusheng clearly couldn't do that.

"Sister Boo-jin, I'd like you to help send Miss Jang Ja-yeon to China. I'll arrange for people there to protect her, give her a new identity, and let her start a new life." Zhao Fusheng said calmly to Lee Boo-jin.

After a moment's thought, he smiled: "As for the evidence, well, sometimes I think witnesses aren't always necessary."

"Huh?"

Lee Boo-jin frowned slightly, looking at Zhao Fusheng with confusion. She didn't understand what he was up to. Wasn't he targeting Lotte because of Jang Ja-yeon?

Zhao Fusheng didn't explain further. In fact, even in his previous life, the Jang Ja-yeon incident hadn't had any real impact on Lotte. She was just a trigger.

Despite being given many labels and even being made into a movie, the truth was that Lotte's chaebol status wouldn't be affected in the slightest by someone as insignificant as her.

Life isn't a movie, a TV drama, or a novel.

People often say that justice never arrives late, but that's nonsense!

Because those delayed justices are never known to the public; the truth often fades away with time.

After time passes, no one remembers what happened.

"Fusheng, are you joking?"

After a long silence, Lee Boo-jin looked at Zhao Fusheng seriously.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Sister Boo-jin, do I look like someone who likes to joke?"

Then he smiled and said, "Jang Ja-yeon said she has a diary recording the names of the big shots she entertained. In my opinion, that's not important because they won't admit it anyway, don't you think?"

"Just a diary?"

Lee Boo-jin was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, without video evidence, such a diary is meaningless."

As a seasoned player, Lee Boo-jin understood that Zhao Fusheng was right. Without video evidence, relying solely on a diary to bring down Lotte was nonsense.

Moreover, there was no clear evidence linking Lotte to the matter.

"So what do you plan to do?"

After thinking it over, Lee Boo-jin asked Zhao Fusheng.

That was the key question. Since Zhao Fusheng had proactively proposed cooperation, he must have a complete plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't act without reason.

He was never the type to shoot without a target.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "Nothing much. Just have Samsung's newspapers and media expose this matter."

"Huh?"

Lee Boo-jin was stunned: "That's it?"

"Yes, that's it." Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded: "You have to understand, we are the attackers, and Lotte is the defender. As the attacker, whatever we do, as long as we win, it's success. The defender, on the other hand, is constantly weighing whether to give up some benefits, isn't that right?"

After hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Lee Boo-jin fell into thought.

Although she wanted to refute him, she had to admit that his words seemed to make some sense.

As the attacker, any small success was a victory. As the defender, Lotte not only had to be constantly vigilant against our attacks but also carefully consider where our attacks were coming from.

"And after that, what do you plan to do?" After a moment, Lee Boo-jin asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment before saying, "Nothing much. Just wait for Lotte to make its move."

"What?"

Lee Boo-jin looked at Zhao Fusheng in astonishment. She had never expected him to have such an idea.