Chapter 1730 Car Accident

Sharing the spoils—that was Zhao Fusheng's approach to dealing with Lotte.

He knew very well that on Korean soil, trying to take on a top Korean conglomerate was like an ant trying to shake a tree—a highly challenging endeavor.

But conversely, if this matter were left to the Koreans themselves, it might still succeed.

After all, in the current situation, Lotte was being besieged by multiple conglomerates and watched closely by Roh Moo-hyun. One misstep, and they'd either die or be skinned alive.

That was the opportunity for Hanxing Investment.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't say this directly to Wu Sijie; he had to figure it out on his own.

If he lacked that insight, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't have let him leave his side to take charge independently.

Wu Sijie quickly left. Alone on the sofa, Zhao Fusheng tapped his fingers on the armrest, lost in thought.

For now, the matter in Korea had come to a close.

The next issues would be up to Liang Jingyu to handle.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't make all the decisions for him; if he did, what was the point of having him as the head of the Korean region? He might as well go to Korea himself.

“Good luck to you.”

Zhao Fusheng muttered to himself, unsure whether he meant Liang Jingyu or the father-son duo at Lotte.

…

…

With everything delegated to his subordinates, Zhao Fusheng naturally enjoyed his time at home with his family.

Time flew by, and soon it was August.

“Come shopping with us, okay?”

Fan Baobao smiled at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao's father had gone to the company. Li Yuan and Zhao's mother were taking the Fan sisters shopping, and as the only idle person at home, Zhao Fusheng was roped in.

Zhao Fusheng wanted to refuse, but seeing the hopeful look in Fan Baobao's eyes, he helplessly nodded and ultimately didn't decline.

“Alright, I'll go with you.”

Nodding, Zhao Fusheng said to Fan Baobao, “But are you sure you want me to come? If I do, there'll be a lot of people.”

Fan Baobao paused, then remembered that Zhao Fusheng had a large entourage of bodyguards.

Plus her own bodyguards, there would be over a dozen people just for security.

“You… how about not bringing so many bodyguards?”

After hesitating, Fan Baobao said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: “I don't mind. Ask Zhang Qian.”

Fan Baobao immediately fell silent.

Others might be flexible, but Zhang Qian was stubborn. In his eyes, Zhao Fusheng's safety was paramount. Not even Fan Baobao, or his own wife Yang Panpan, could sway him.

“Forget it, I won't go.”

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Fan Baobao, “You go ahead. What's there to shop for? Why not go abroad instead?”

He was serious—taking his parents, mother-in-law, wife, and daughter on a trip abroad.

“Abroad?”

Fan Baobao's eyes lit up, but she hesitated: “But what about Dad…”

“He's not busy now. The company can be left to Uncle Chen and Uncle Hou. Besides, Tan Kaixuan and Xue Yuanfang have shares too; they can send someone.” Zhao Fusheng said calmly. “We're not getting any younger. Money can't be earned all at once. Can't he see that?”

Fan Baobao glared: “What's the use of telling me that? If you've got the guts, say it to Dad yourself.”

Zhao Fusheng gave an awkward laugh.

Of course, he couldn't say that to his father. If he did, the old man would blow his top.

In Zhao's father's view, he wasn't old enough to retire; he could still work a few more years.

“Look at you—you don't dare to go yourself, but you push me. What are you thinking?” Fan Baobao said disdainfully.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: “Then teach our daughter to talk quickly. Have her ask Grandpa to stay with her. See if Dad refuses then.”

Fan Baobao's eyes lit up as she looked at their precious daughter crawling on the bed. She thought Zhao Fusheng had a point.

They say grandparents dote on grandchildren, and that was perfectly true with Zhao's father. He was utterly indulgent with Zhao Xue, not minding even when the little girl peed on him. Once, because the girl cried and didn't want him to go to work, he actually canceled the company's morning meeting.

In Zhao Fusheng's eyes, that was something his father would never do, but it happened anyway.

As Zhao's mother put it, though the little girl couldn't talk, she was the family's ray of sunshine.

Under these circumstances, if the precious granddaughter asked Grandpa to retire and stay with her, it might actually happen.

Seeing Fan Baobao's eager expression, Zhao Fusheng said nothing more.

After seeing the family off, Zhao Fusheng stayed home alone, took out his phone, and scrolled through the news online.

Next year was the Olympics, and that was the hot topic nationwide.

Correspondingly, the country was bustling with venue construction. In a sense, the nationwide Olympic fervor had spurred infrastructure expansion in the capital and many other places.

“The Olympics, huh.”

Muttering to himself, Zhao Fusheng shook his head and said nothing more.

He wasn't a high-level leader, so he didn't have a comprehensive view. Though he didn't understand the significance of such a global sports event, since everyone said it was good, it must be good, right?

After browsing his phone for a while, a bored Zhao Fusheng decided to go out. In truth, he didn't know much about Ninghai's recent development, as his business focus wasn't here.

And frankly, all of Zhao Fusheng's industries, including Future Film and Future Advertising, were mostly in the tertiary sector. Ninghai, in the three northeastern provinces, was already a very backward third-tier city, let alone nationally.

In other words, even if he stayed in Ninghai, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't know which industry to invest in.

Real estate, of course, didn't count.

In fact, even Ninghai's housing prices hadn't risen as dramatically as elsewhere.

It really was a very backward city.

“Chairman, where to?”

Getting out of the car, Wu Sijie asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment: “Let's go see the old man. Check on how he's doing.”

Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well visit his father.

There were three cars in total—the front and back ones for the bodyguards, and Zhao Fusheng rode in the middle.

The cars started slowly and soon hit the road.

In summer, Ninghai's temperature was bearable, much lower than in the capital. Zhao Fusheng had the driver roll down the windows.

It wouldn't hurt to enjoy the breeze.

When they entered the city, the speed slowed down. After all, they were in the city, and hitting someone would be troublesome.

“Chairman, about Hanxing Investment…”

Wu Sijie was speaking when the car ahead suddenly stopped.

“Screech—”

The driver slammed on the brakes, tires screeching against the road. Zhao Fusheng and Wu Sijie were both startled.

“What's going on?”

Chen Zhen instantly rolled up the window and turned to Zhao Fusheng: “Chairman, get down!”

No way!

If there were gunmen or something, it would be trouble.

But it turned out he was overthinking.

“What happened?”

Wu Sijie looked ahead.

He saw a bodyguard from the front car get out and quickly approach their car. When Chen Zhen rolled down the window, the bodyguard said, “There's an old lady lying on the road ahead. We almost hit her.”

Huh?

Wu Sijie was stunned, and even Zhao Fusheng was taken aback.

What was this?

A scam?

Or an accident?

These two thoughts flashed through Zhao Fusheng's mind. Then he said to Wu Sijie, “Come on, let's get out and take a look.”

Wu Sijie nodded and accompanied Zhao Fusheng out of the car, with Chen Zhen and the others guarding him.

Up ahead, Zhao Fusheng saw an elderly woman in a shirt sitting on the ground between a taxi and the Audi carrying his bodyguards.

“Oh, my back, my legs.”

The old woman wailed on the ground as if she were at death's door.

Frowning, Zhao Fusheng asked the driver, “What happened? Did we hit her?”

“No, no, absolutely not!”

The driver shook his head like a rattle-drum: “I didn't touch her at all. She fell on her own while walking. You can check the dashcam.”

Because of Zhao Fusheng's special status, all his cars were equipped with dashcams.

Of course, only in the capital and Ninghai did he have dedicated fleets. Elsewhere, they rented cars.

Frowning, Zhao Fusheng signaled to Wu Sijie.

Wu Sijie nodded slightly and got back into the car.

Regardless, they needed to first see what had happened before deciding how to respond.

“Ma'am, are you alright?”

Zhao Fusheng stepped forward and asked the old woman.

“Alright?”

The old woman looked up, scrutinized Zhao Fusheng from head to toe, and said weakly, “Would you be alright if you got hit by a car?”

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback by her retort and shook his head helplessly.

If it were a young person, Zhao Fusheng might have just walked away. But since she was elderly and in this situation, he could understand her feelings.

“Ma'am, my driver says he didn't hit you,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

He trusted his driver—a straightforward man from the military, an experienced driver skilled at handling emergencies. Generally, he wasn't likely to hit anyone.

“Nonsense!”

Unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng's words seemed to stir a hornet's nest. The old woman's emotions flared up, and her eyes widened instantly.