Chapter 1932: If Money Can Solve It, Is It a Problem?

Zhao Fusheng wasn't joking with Liu Yiming.

He really couldn't stay here for many days.

The Future Group had a mountain of matters awaiting Zhao Fusheng's decisions, so naturally he couldn't linger here too long.

But Zhao Fusheng still tried to stay a few more days.

Chen Shijie's remains had not yet been found.

It wasn't that the location was unknown, but rather that where he had been, there was no possibility of rescue.

At this time, the main focus of disaster relief was searching for survivors.

"Chairman Zhao, thank you so much."

A leader from Sichuan Province, upon learning Zhao Fusheng's identity, sought him out specifically to express gratitude.

Although these days it wasn't fashionable to judge people by their status, given Zhao Fusheng's wealth and position, even if he was just putting on a show by donating and personally coming to the disaster area as a volunteer, it was still worthy of respect.

But Zhao Fusheng didn't have so many thoughts; he said seriously, "Governor Lin, I'll say this plainly: the Future Group will do much more in the reconstruction of Suying."

Then, pointing at the ruins before him, he added, "One of my best friends is here. I hope he can see this place thrive again."

"Alas..."

Governor Lin also sighed.

He naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant and had learned of Chen Shijie's deeds; he could only say that fate was truly beyond words.

"Chairman, a call from the capital."

At that moment, Liu Yiming walked over and said quietly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded to Governor Lin, took the phone, and said, "This is Zhao Fusheng."

"There's a disaster relief charity gala the day after tomorrow. Do you want to come back and attend?" Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng frowned. "What would I do there? Get the supplies shipped here as soon as possible."

"I know. I mean, maybe Baobao could attend," Zheng Yao said slowly over the phone. "This time, units and individuals that donate generously will go on stage to receive awards."

"You mean, let her show her face?" Zhao Fusheng asked in surprise.

Zheng Yao nodded. "Chen Shijie's matter and her marriage to you—I think we can reveal both together. It would feel natural."

As a mutual friend of Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao, she knew that Zhao Fusheng had always hoped Fan Baobao could face others' gazes with ease.

After all, marrying a wealthy man wasn't a glorious thing for an actress.

Generally, actresses who marry rich men are easily labeled as gold diggers and criticized.

If they ride in luxury cars, they're accused of flaunting wealth.

If they keep a low profile, they're said to be mistresses climbing up.

Clearly, in Zheng Yao's view, this disaster relief gala was undoubtedly a good opportunity.

"Alright."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "You can decide."

"News from Liang Jingyu: Samsung and CJ Group plan to donate a batch of supplies to the disaster area," Zheng Yao suddenly said. "It seems Lee Kun-hee and Lee Meng-hee are doing you a favor."

"Heh, regardless, since they're willing to offer timely help, that's a good thing," Zhao Fusheng said.

Though he knew the Lee brothers were doing it for show, honestly, Zhao Fusheng felt that anyone willing to lend a hand at this time was doing a good deed.

No matter their motives or past grievances, those who helped now deserved thanks.

It was like those celebrities—no matter what they'd done, as long as they were willing to open their wallets, it was a good thing.

Of course, there were also those who just wanted to fish for fame, donating a paltry sum just for show.

To such people, Zhao Fusheng could only say they might not understand what it means to settle accounts after the autumn harvest.

He wasn't moralizing, but he felt that if you donated a mere thirty or fifty thousand, you might as well not donate, since everyone knows roughly how much celebrities earn.

"How's the mood at the company?" Zhao Fusheng thought of something and casually asked Zheng Yao.

"Pretty good."

Zheng Yao nodded. "The employees are very supportive of the company's decisions, especially your giving leave to Sichuanese employees to visit their families. Everyone thinks the company is very humane."

Zhao Fusheng sighed. "That's all we can do."

That was his honest feeling; faced with disaster, there really wasn't much he could do.

...

...

May 17th, the capital.

Future Group headquarters.

With Zheng Yao at the head, all the group's top executives were present.

"This just came in: the state has officially declared May 30th to June 1st as national days of mourning, with flags at half-mast and entertainment suspended..."

After calmly reading the announcement, Zheng Yao continued, "Also, for tomorrow's charity gala, the boss won't attend, but the boss's wife will be there in person."

"Really?"

"Is that... appropriate?"

For a moment, the meeting room buzzed with discussion; everyone was surprised.

They knew the chairman was low-key, but no one expected him to be this low-key.

"Also, Miss Dong and I from the group will go."

Taking in everyone's reactions, Zheng Yao said calmly, "This time, our Future Group will become the enterprise that donates the most in all of China."

"Well..."

Hearing Zheng Yao's words, everyone exchanged glances, but out of deference to her authority, no one dared to speak up.

After she finished arranging the details for tomorrow's gala and the company's preparations, Xue Yuanfang quietly found Zheng Yao after the meeting.

"Did you report this to the chairman?"

Xue Yuanfang asked Zheng Yao directly.

Although Zheng Yao was the company's CEO, Xue Yuanfang knew she wouldn't have made such a decision without Zhao Fusheng's approval.

"Of course."

Zheng Yao smiled. "What, are you afraid I acted first and reported later?"

Xue Yuanfang shook his head with a wry smile. "You know that's not what I mean."

"Then what are you worried about?" Zheng Yao asked, puzzled.

"At these disaster relief galas, state-owned enterprises usually steal the spotlight. Is it appropriate for us, a private company?" Xue Yuanfang said slowly, looking at Zheng Yao. "Besides, although we announced a donation of 100 million, that's clearly not enough. What if someone on site offers more? What do we do?"

He paused, hesitated, then said seriously, "Moreover, if we give 100 million this time, what about next time? If something else happens and the media asks us about it, what do we say?"

It had to be admitted that Xue Yuanfang's considerations were very thorough.

Or rather, what he was considering was exactly what Zhao Fusheng had mentioned to Zheng Yao earlier.

"Then we'll just give more money."

Zheng Yao smiled at Xue Yuanfang. "The chairman's view is that if money can solve it, it's not a problem."

"Huh?"

This time, it was Xue Yuanfang's turn to be dumbfounded.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he never expected such an answer.

"Wait, did he really say that?" Xue Yuanfang stared at Zheng Yao, bewildered.

Zheng Yao nodded. "I raised these issues with him before, but he thinks that if money can solve it, it's not a problem, since he's not short of cash."

"..."

Xue Yuanfang felt a pang in his heart.

The problems he'd been pondering for so long were apparently not problems at all in the other's eyes.

Come to think of it, that was really the case.

As a top executive of Future Group, Xue Yuanfang had a fairly clear idea of just how much money Zhao Fusheng had.

For example, would Bill Gates go bankrupt?

The answer was clearly no.

Why?

Because his wealth had reached a level tied to the global economy.

Not that his wealth could influence the global economy, but rather that as long as the global economy didn't collapse, Bill Gates and Microsoft wouldn't go under.

Zhao Fusheng's wealth, though less than Bill Gates', was essentially the same in principle.

Whether it was the company shares he held or the current development of Future Group, everything was thriving.

Although it seemed he had donated a lot this time, Xue Yuanfang knew that the speed of spending money was far slower than the speed of making money.

It sounded ridiculous, but that was the fact.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Fusheng might not even have time to spend the increase in his wealth from this month before his wealth increased by another few billion the next month.

"Alright, stop worrying about that."

Seeing Xue Yuanfang lost in thought, Zheng Yao smiled and said, "I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead."

Xue Yuanfang nodded; he naturally understood that Zheng Yao wanted to talk about Fan Baobao attending the disaster relief gala.

After all, Fan Baobao was pregnant and had a special status.

Being both a celebrity and Zhao Fusheng's wife, this identity meant she would inevitably be under the media's spotlight.

In such a situation, if anything went wrong, setting aside the identity issue, Xue Yuanfang knew he couldn't face Zhao Fusheng on a personal level.

"The security issue—you need to coordinate with the organizers," Zheng Yao said, exactly on this matter.

"That's easy."

Xue Yuanfang nodded. "I'll have someone put in a word later."

After all, as a member of the Xue family, he had that much face.

Moreover, Fan Baobao's situation was special; she represented not only Future Group but was also Zhao Fusheng's wife.

"Also, tomorrow, once the gala ends and we become the largest donor, you need to follow up on the subsequent media coverage," Zheng Yao said slowly.

That was the top priority!

After all, if the money was spent but the news coverage didn't keep up and no one knew about it, it would be wasted effort.

Xue Yuanfang nodded. "Don't worry, I know what to do."

As the head of the company's public relations department, he was well aware of the importance of this matter.