Chapter 1910: How to Deal with Corrupt Elements

When people are in a bad mood, they tend to do something else to divert their attention.

Just like Fan Baobao, when she's in a bad mood, she goes shopping.

As for Zhao Fusheng, when he's in a bad mood, he likes to eat.

Though he said the law knows no favor, discovering that an old employee who had been with him since the entrepreneurial days had financial problems naturally put him in a bad mood.

So Zhao Fusheng dragged Zhang Qian along to eat at a street stall.

In April, the capital's weather had already warmed up, and by night, barbecue stalls appeared on the streets.

“Let's stop here.”

Near the company, Zhao Fusheng said to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian nodded and made a tactical gesture. The bodyguards who had been following them scattered, quietly protecting Zhao Fusheng.

These people were professionals and naturally understood what his gesture meant.

“You never let your guard down, do you?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Zhang Qian.

He didn't mind, to be honest. Zhao Fusheng didn't think anyone would dare kidnap him in the very heart of China's capital.

This wasn't Hong Kong, where even Li Ka-shing's eldest son could be kidnapped.

This was China's capital. With a net worth of tens of billions, if he were kidnapped, where would the relevant authorities put their face? Not to exaggerate, if word got out, it would affect China's reputation. After all, if even someone with so much wealth couldn't be safe, what would ordinary people think?

Besides, this was the capital.

What idiot terrorist would choose to cause trouble here? That would be like the birthday boy hanging himself—deliberately seeking death.

But since Zhang Qian was concerned for his safety, Zhao Fusheng, though unconvinced, said nothing.

“Safety first.”

Zhang Qian didn't agree with Zhao Fusheng's words and said solemnly, “A man of wealth should not sit under a hanging eave. You've read more than I have, so you should understand this better.”

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Seeing his expression, Zhao Fusheng knew the guy was about to repeat himself.

He was really tired of Zhang Qian's lectures, so he quickly clasped his hands in a plea for mercy.

They ordered barbecue and started eating.

Zhao Fusheng didn't drink, and neither did Zhang Qian. They just ate and chatted.

“I heard you're launching a few more projects?”

Zhang Qian ate slowly but steadily, with a good appetite. Barbecue seemed like just an appetizer to him.

Zhao Fusheng, on the other hand, didn't eat much. Hearing Zhang Qian's question, he nodded and smiled, “Make sure the Supervision Department sends people to follow up. I don't want anyone playing tricks in the projects.”

Zhang Qian naturally understood his meaning.

Each new project required at least tens of millions in investment. Not counting film and TV production, just the film studio alone needed several hundred million in initial investment. With such large projects, if someone wanted to line their pockets, problems could easily arise.

That's why Zhang Qian's people needed to keep a close watch.

To put it metaphorically, if the Future Group were a kingdom, then the various subsidiaries were the six ministries and independent provinces. People like Dong Chenxi, Liang Jingyu, and Dong Guoxiang were the feudal lords and ministers. Zheng Yao was the prime minister.

Zhang Qian's Supervision Department was the Censorate, the Eastern and Western Factories, and the Imperial Guard, specifically tasked with monitoring these people on behalf of Zhao Fusheng.

It wasn't that Zhao Fusheng didn't trust Zheng Yao and the others. They had shares in the company and had known him for years. He had faith in their integrity.

But the problem was, you couldn't guarantee everyone would be like them.

Even Zheng Yao herself couldn't guarantee that all thousands of employees in the Future Group would be as loyal to Zhao Fusheng as she was, or that they would all be trusted by him.

There would inevitably be black sheep, some unpleasant characters.

In such a situation, the creation of a supervision department became necessary.

As for how Zhang Qian ensured his own people wouldn't cause trouble, Zhao Fusheng didn't ask too much. He had his own methods, but overall, the department under Zhang Qian's leadership was more effective than when it was under Dong Guoxiang.

“By the way, I'm planning to introduce a policy.”

When they were almost done eating, Zhang Qian suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

“What policy?”

Zhao Fusheng asked with interest. Zhang Qian was usually as quiet as a gourd, having been taciturn for years by his side, but today he was quite talkative.

“From now on, if someone from the Supervision Department sent out verifies a corruption case in a subsidiary, I'll apply for a bonus for them,” Zhang Qian said to Zhao Fusheng.

“Huh?”

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

A bonus?

What did that mean?

“For example, if someone from the Supervision Department is sent to Jiang Wen's crew and finds that someone in the crew embezzled five hundred thousand, they would get one percent, that is, five thousand yuan as a reward,” Zhang Qian said calmly.

“Well...”

Zhao Fusheng frowned: “What if they discover this and split the money with that person? Wouldn't they get more?”

Zhang Qian shook his head: “If you were them, would you safely take five thousand yuan, with the chance to investigate a bigger case next time and get a larger bonus, or would you risk being caught by privately dividing the money, and if something goes wrong, be implicated?”

Zhao Fusheng fell silent.

Damn, that was really hard to answer!

A thousand readers see a thousand Hamlets; a thousand people naturally have a thousand ideas.

Everyone is an independent individual, so the human heart is often the hardest to grasp.

In this situation, Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Zhang Qian's method was actually quite good.

“Alright, let's try it first.”

After a long while, Zhao Fusheng looked up and said to Zhang Qian, “At least it's a solution.”

Zhang Qian smiled and nodded: “Actually, most people aren't greedy. They don't have the guts to break the law.”

Having served in the military, he knew this best.

Xunzi said human nature is evil; Mencius said it is good. But human nature—where is there good or evil?

From birth, we are ignorant. At the moment of birth, everyone is the same, just a blank sheet of paper.

What is a blank sheet of paper?

A blank sheet of paper means understanding nothing, knowing nothing.

Neither good nor bad exists.

But as the environment changes over time, people gradually learn and form their own judgments.

Take those bratty kids, for example. At the age of a few or even a dozen, they might vandalize public property or hurt others.

People always say they're just children, lacking judgment, unable to tell right from wrong.

But the question is, even a six- or seven-year-old child, if their family seriously tells them not to do something, will they remember?

A child in elementary school, if their family tells them not to hit or scold classmates, and that they'll be punished if caught, will they remember?

Anyone with a bit of sense knows that some things aren't because the child is young, but because the adults don't teach.

It's even more so for adults.

As Zhang Qian said, most people's instinct is to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. A rational adult wouldn't choose to risk breaking the law to privately divide stolen money when they could safely take a bonus.

Only those who watch too many TV dramas and movies think everyone is an adventurer.

In real life, most people are very ordinary.

A wife, children, and a warm bed—that's the ultimate pursuit for these people.

In fact, many people toil hard in the capital for over a decade, with the ultimate goal of buying a house there and becoming a true capital resident.

During that time, they have countless opportunities for windfalls, but they dare not reach out recklessly.

The reason is simple: they know that reaching out means embarking on a path of no return.

Being a bad person isn't that simple.

“What you said is true.”

Zhao Fusheng laughed and nodded to Zhang Qian.

He agreed with what Zhang Qian said. Reason could be argued from any side.

Besides, he understood the principle that water too clear has no fish.

Even the ruling party couldn't eradicate such problems; the Future Group could only do its best.

…

…

“By the way, are you really not planning to have children now?”

When they were almost done eating, Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian was stunned and looked at Zhao Fusheng speechlessly: “Boss, shouldn't you be concerned about company matters?”

A big boss caring about such gossip—Zhang Qian was exasperated.

Zhao Fusheng laughed and began to coax Zhang Qian: “You know, since becoming a father, I've realized how adorable children are. Let me tell you...”

Blah blah blah, a whole lot of words came out. Zhao Fusheng even admired his own eloquence.

Zhang Qian looked helpless and could only sit there silently listening to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng actually knew it wasn't easy to fool Zhang Qian.

Fooling people also required a certain level.

Those who could sell crutches might not be able to sell the Y2K antidote. Those who could sell the Y2K antidote might not be able to sell Bitcoin.

Try selling Bitcoin to a security guard?

Ha, dream on!

They wouldn't even know what blockchain was. Who were you fooling?

It was the same with Zhang Qian. For him, marriage meant family and responsibility. So Zhang Qian wouldn't easily decide to get married.

Because he knew that once married, he would have to bear even more.

In Zhang Qian's heart, marriage and having children were major events.

Zhao Fusheng knew that too, so after saying a few words, he stopped.

They chatted a bit more and were about to leave when a few figures approached from not far away. One of them was being supported, apparently drunk.

Frowning slightly, Zhang Qian quietly moved to shield Zhao Fusheng behind him.