Chapter 1974: A Difficult Choice

Chinese entrepreneurs can sometimes be quite crazy.

Zheng Yao knew this well.

Zheng Yao remembered a story Zhao Fusheng once told her.

It was about Jiang Wei, the boss of the once-famous Feilong Health Products Company in Northeast China.

Jiang Wei rose to prominence in the 1990s. This boss, who made his fortune in health products, had once been a neighbor of a certain big-name errenzhuan performer who liked to dress up as a farmer.

At that time, newspapers, television, and radio in the three northeastern provinces were flooded with his advertisements.

His product was called 'Yansheng Hubao Ye' (Elixir for Prolonging Life and Protecting Vitality). Its ingredients fully embodied the profound essence of traditional Chinese medicine: male silkworm moth, ginseng, deer antler, Chinese chive seed, donkey kidney...

Yes, donkey kidney.

Its advertising slogan went like this: According to the latest scientific intelligence from the United Nations Health Organization, the main sign of human aging is sexual aging or sexual decline. Therefore, resisting and preventing sexual aging can prevent human aging, altering and delaying various aging characteristics.

Yansheng Hubao Ye rapidly activates the organs involved in sexual function...

Jiang Wei's usual marketing strategy was to first launch a carpet-bombing advertising campaign, then send out a massive sales team to distribute the products.

A widely circulated myth of his performance was that in 1991, the year his company was founded, profits reached four million. In 1992, profits doubled to sixty million.

By 1993, his profits exceeded two hundred million.

In that era, a large number of entrepreneurs, successful or failed, emerged in China.

Human nature, desire, and capital suddenly had the opportunity to collide head-on. Countless extremely crazy events were instantly generated.

In 1995, Jiang Wei went to Hong Kong to seek a listing.

In his words, one reason was to raise funds, and the other was to gain fame.

But when he arrived in Hong Kong, the investment bank immediately raised a host of questions, and he couldn't answer more than half of them.

A few remarks directly pinpointed Feilong's fatal weaknesses.

Short-sighted strategy, unsustainable; products could lose popularity or even become obsolete at any time; the sales team was fragmented; strong family influence; obvious management loopholes...

The words were not without reason. Because Feilong Group had a female vice president whom even Jiang Wei himself had to respectfully address as:

Mom!

Jiang Wei was too straightforward. He immediately terminated the listing and then published an announcement in the newspaper: Feilong Group entered a period of restructuring.

A comprehensive overhaul of operations, personnel, and structure; all business was suspended. Dealers and retailers dared not even stock goods.

This directly led to the collapse of Feilong's market sales system.

Jiang Wei went into seclusion to study, saying he needed to seriously cultivate himself. Naturally, that female vice president—his mother—was forced to step down.

Two years later, Jiang Wei felt that the restructuring was mostly complete and prepared to re-enter the market with Feilong.

He found a journalist for an in-depth interview and gave him all the company's materials.

This included a piece Jiang Wei himself wrote, 'The President's Twenty Major Mistakes,' and later he wrote a book called 'The Merchant's Hospital.'

At the time, priced at twelve hundred, Jiang Wei himself estimated that it could sell at least three hundred million copies.

Well, Zheng Yao remembered seeing it at a used book stall a couple of days ago—fifty yuan for two copies, both brand new.

To be honest, Zheng Yao was afraid that Zhao Fusheng would become the next Jiang Wei.

After all, Zhao Fusheng's current state did seem a bit crazy.

Wouldn't it be better for us to list domestically?

After a long while, Zheng Yao looked up and asked Zhao Fusheng, 'Think about it: given our financial situation, listing domestically would be easy. Especially on the ChiNext board—I've inquired, and it should be fine.'

And then?

Zhao Fusheng said calmly, 'And then, what will happen to the Future Group companies? You know better than I do.'

Zheng Yao fell silent at that.

She naturally understood that China's stock market was ultimately different from foreign ones.

China's stock market is highly speculative. For example, the turnover rate in China's stock market is as high as 1,000% annually, while in the US and European markets, it's often only around 200%.

The reason for this is simple: Americans see the stock market as a place for investment and don't have excessively high expectations. They are very satisfied with an annual return of one-fifth.

Due to the high speculative component in China's stock market, stock index fluctuations are very large, creating the illusion for many that the stock market is very profitable. It is precisely because of these sharp rises and falls that foreign investors find opportunities; thus, whenever the gains are too large, it's hard not to sell.

In this situation, the difference between Future Group companies listing in China versus abroad is significant.

But the problem is that once a company goes public, it encounters various issues, which is why Zhao Fusheng has been hesitating all along.

I'll think it over some more.

Zheng Yao finally couldn't make a decision and said seriously to Zhao Fusheng.

Alright.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. 'But let me be clear: Future Film will definitely list in Hong Kong.'

Having painstakingly laid out his film industry plans, Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn't keep it in China.

You...

Zheng Yao looked helpless.

She knew that Zhao Fusheng still wasn't giving up.

Forget it, do as you wish.

In the end, Zheng Yao reluctantly nodded.

She also knew that Zhao Fusheng's character was such that once he decided something, he wouldn't change.

Since that was the case, she might as well let him be.

...

...

By the way, what are you going to do about Huayi?

Zheng Yao then remembered something and asked Zhao Fusheng, 'You're not really planning to acquire Huayi, are you?'

No need.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. 'Let's wait until they go public.'

...

Zheng Yao was speechless. She could see that Zhao Fusheng was a petty person.

According to his reasoning, now wasn't the time to settle accounts with Huayi; after Huayi went public, he would definitely find a way to secretly screw the Wang brothers.

Alright, forget about that.

Zhao Fusheng said to Zheng Yao, 'I'm thinking of sending Wu Sijie to Korea after he finishes building the film studio. What do you think?'

Korea?

Zheng Yao was startled, then frowned. 'You don't trust Liang Jingyu?'

It's not that I don't trust him.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. 'I just think we should put a few more people over there.'

Though he didn't say it directly, Zheng Yao understood his meaning.

Clearly, he still wanted to limit Liang Jingyu's power.

After all, no matter what, Liang Jingyu in Korea now seemed somewhat like a distant emperor.

Actually, I think we could consider listing Hanxing Investment.

Zheng Yao thought for a moment and then said to Zhao Fusheng.

Listing?

Zhao Fusheng frowned but ultimately rejected Zheng Yao's suggestion.

Better not.

Zhao Fusheng said, 'As for listing, we can try it domestically, but it's best not to list Hanxing Investment.'

China was one thing, but as for Korea, Zhao Fusheng truly couldn't trust it one hundred percent.

Not to mention anything else, in a country controlled by chaebols from top to bottom, both judicial and financial institutions are subtly shadowed by the chaebols.

Under such circumstances, Zhao Fusheng would have to be crazy to agree to list Hanxing Investment in Korea.

If someone pulled a fast one, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng felt that Hanxing Investment's capital situation was good, so there was no need to test the waters in the stock market.

If he wanted to list, he could just list one of his subsidiaries.

But Zhao Fusheng's words made Zheng Yao realize that he was indeed planning to adjust the management of his companies.

I'll arrange it right away.

After thinking for a few minutes, Zheng Yao nodded to Zhao Fusheng. 'We can't let Wu Sijie go alone.'

Since they were sending Wu Sijie to Korea to become a counterbalance to Liang Jingyu, he would need some assistants.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. 'You decide.'

This was Zheng Yao's responsibility. He only gave instructions; how to carry them out was for Zheng Yao, the CEO, to figure out.

Take charge but not clean up—that's the boss's way.