Chapter 2129: Under Heavy Reward

"That's it, I'm satisfied."

Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to say more and directly said to Tom, "Contact the owner as soon as possible and see how he wants to handle the transaction—whether with securities or cash."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng added, "As for the price, for every ten million dollars you save below three hundred million, I'll give you a bonus of five hundred thousand dollars."

"Huh?"

Tom was stunned.

What did this mean?

According to this logic, if he could drive the price of the estate down to two hundred million, he would get a five-million-dollar reward?

He looked at Liu Yiming, somewhat incredulous.

Liu Yiming nodded, knowing the boss had little patience, and handed Tom his business card: "Mr. Tom, this is my card. You can contact me later, and I'll handle this matter."

"Okay."

Tom was a bit dazed but still nodded and took the card.

As Zhao Fusheng's group left and sat in the car, Scarlett Johansson asked him in confusion, "Zhao, why did you offer him such a reward?"

She paused, a little embarrassed, and said, "A bonus of five hundred thousand dollars is too high!"

That was true. Even though real estate agents made good money, the reward Zhao Fusheng offered was too tempting.

After all, if Tom really managed to lower the price to two hundred million, wouldn't that mean Zhao Fusheng would have to give him a five-million-dollar bonus?

That was higher than her current salary!

To be honest, Scarlett Johansson was a bit jealous!

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and asked Scarlett Johansson, "Scarlett, do you think this reward is high?"

"Of course."

Scarlett Johansson nodded: "You may not know, but if you buy this estate, he'll already get a substantial commission—at least over two million dollars. Plus the bonus you're giving him... my God, that's too lucrative!"

Clearly, the future goddess was not yet the multimillion-dollar-per-film, billion-yuan-a-year tycoon; she was just an artistic young woman earning two or three million dollars per film.

And now a real estate agent might earn more than she did—her mood was understandable.

"I think I roughly understand what Mr. Zhao means."

Robert Downey Jr. said to Scarlett Johansson.

"Huh?"

Scarlett Johansson was taken aback and looked at Robert Downey Jr. in surprise.

She hadn't expected Robert Downey Jr. to understand Zhao Fusheng's thinking.

"It's actually simple."

Robert Downey Jr. chuckled and explained, "Although Mr. Zhao offered a bonus of five hundred thousand dollars, there's a condition: Tom has to save him ten million dollars first."

He shrugged: "It's a math problem. We all know that even with the economic crisis, the price of this house won't drop below one hundred fifty million dollars. In other words, even if the price drops from three hundred million to one hundred fifty million, Mr. Zhao would only need to pay seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in bonuses, but the price would be halved. Isn't that the best outcome?"

Scarlett Johansson was a bit surprised, but upon reflection, it was exactly as Robert Downey Jr. said.

If Zhao Fusheng paid seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to buy the estate for one hundred fifty million, why wouldn't he?

So this was business.

With that thought, Scarlett Johansson looked at Zhao Fusheng: "Zhao, is that what you meant?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Then he said to Robert Downey Jr., "Mr. Downey is very clever."

Indeed, what Robert Downey Jr. said was exactly what Zhao Fusheng had in mind.

For him, this estate really suited his tastes—both in terms of building area and facilities, he was very satisfied.

As for the price, honestly, if not for the economic crisis, Zhao Fusheng thought it might even sell for three hundred million.

But that was the issue.

Knowing that the global financial crisis was ongoing, if the owner wanted to sell the estate, it meant he needed money.

These days, only those who didn't lack money chose not to sell their properties. Since he chose to sell such a luxurious estate, it only proved that the owner had encountered some difficulties and hoped to raise some funds.

Zhao Fusheng was not running a charity. In other words, no matter what trouble the owner of the Chuckwagon Estate was in, it had nothing to do with him. Zhao Fusheng only cared whether he could buy the estate at the lowest possible price as a gift for his wife and children.

There were too many people and things in the world worthy of sympathy and help. Zhao Fusheng was not a god and couldn't attend to them all. All he could do was try to make his own family happy.

Besides, he couldn't be bothered with the lives of American businessmen, which was why he offered such a high reward.

If he could really negotiate the price down to one hundred fifty million dollars to buy the place, it would undoubtedly be a win for him.

So, although Tom thought the bonus was high and that he had made a good deal,

in fact, for Zhao Fusheng, he wasn't losing out at all.

You might think you've gained, but for a true superior, as long as he achieves his goal at the lowest cost, it's not a loss.

It could even be considered a gain.

After all, for such a large estate, as long as his business didn't run into trouble, Zhao Fusheng felt that keeping it for enjoyment was quite nice.

In a bustling metropolis, having such a private space was something anyone would yearn for.

Even though Zhao Fusheng's vision and mindset were now incomparable to his previous life, deep down he was still an ordinary person who longed for beautiful things.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such a reaction upon seeing the estate.

In the end, he liked the Chuckwagon Estate.

……

……

They returned to their住处 by car. Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson each went to rest. Zhao Fusheng had promised to take them to dinner that evening, and after the meal, the two would leave.

Although they didn't mind staying a few more days with Zhao Fusheng, he felt it was inappropriate to keep them and delay their earning opportunities.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng had other matters to attend to.

"Chairman, if you need cash, should I contact Miss Dong directly?"

Liu Yiming asked Zhao Fusheng after Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. left.

After all, it was a substantial sum.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Handle it through Future Investment. Also, tell Dong Chenxi to expedite the establishment of the offshore trust fund. Future Investment should keep a low profile from now on."

"Okay, I understand."

Liu Yiming quickly nodded, naturally understanding what his boss meant.

His boss always preferred to keep a low profile and disliked being in the spotlight.

After dinner, Robert Downey Jr. was the first to leave, followed by Scarlett Johansson, who was also preparing to go.

"Zhao, how about I stay with you for a few more days?"

The charming Scarlett said with a smile to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng felt a slight regret but smiled and said to her, "No need. You have your work; you don't need to delay for me. When production starts on 'Iron Man 2,' I'll come to the U.S. again."

"Really?"

Scarlett Johansson's eyes lit up at this: "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course not."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head: "Disney will soon acquire Marvel, and then we'll launch the后续 works of the 'Iron Man' series. As the actress playing Black Widow, you can't refuse to appear."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep the time for you."

Scarlett Johansson beamed with joy and left satisfied.

Watching her retreating figure, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and let out a heavy sigh.

Some things are best left unspoken. Once that thin layer of paper is pierced, everyone becomes awkward.

It was the same between him and Scarlett Johansson.

Being friends was best. If it turned into a romantic relationship, Zhao Fusheng really wouldn't be comfortable interacting with the goddess of his past life.

He wasn't Durant; he didn't have the habit of drinking others' bathwater.

Speaking of which, it seemed that young Durant was still playing basketball in Oklahoma and hadn't joined the Golden State Warriors. After all, at that time, Durant still had the words 'loyalty' and 'dreams' in his heart.

But after too many trials, he realized that relying on himself alone couldn't overcome the mountains of the Warriors, Lakers, and others to win a championship.

So he made the choice he thought was most suitable.

If you can't beat your opponents, join them and become teammates.

As it turned out, the Splash Brothers plus the Death Star basically swept the league.

In a commercial league, what's the point of talking about loyalty?

It's just a joke.

Not everyone is like the Spurs' Big Three, foolishly taking pay cuts.

But even so, the French sports car was traded at the twilight of his career.

Fans sometimes are ridiculous, always thinking that stars demanding high salaries or changing teams is disloyal.

But have they considered that for players, once they pass their prime, will the team show them 100% loyalty?

When they grow old and weak, lose their athletic ability, and are kicked out, where is the team owner's loyalty to the star then?

In a commercial society, talking about feelings is a bit foolish.

It's better to keep relationships clear and commercialize them.

Just like the relationship between doctors and patients, teachers and students.

Some people always like to put a sacred halo on professions like doctors, teachers, and police, as if sacrifice and dedication are everything. Admittedly, these professions are indeed hard, but aren't other professions hard?

A job: the person doing it works hard and conscientiously, does their own work, and earns their salary.

There's no need to measure everything by moral standards.

The more this happens, the more ordinary people develop excessively high expectations for these professions. Once expectations aren't met, certain wrong thoughts and impulses arise.

Sanctifying certain professions while not providing enough protection for them—that's the real crux.

It's not something that can be solved by a group of netizens expressing their sense of justice online.

Zhao Fusheng only understood this point much later.