Chapter 2273: Saving the Joker

"Arrange it as soon as possible."

Zhao Fusheng said to Dong Chenxi, "Once Kalanick replies, release the news."

"I know."

Dong Chenxi nodded and laughed, "I always feel like you're scheming against someone."

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily but ignored her comment, waving his hand for her to leave.

In truth, he wasn't scheming against anyone; even James wasn't in his considerations.

Zhao Fusheng knew that Uber would develop well and reach a market value of tens of billions of dollars, but in his memory, the company's expected valuation was far more than that.

He didn't recall the specifics, but the valuation might exceed a hundred billion dollars, then drop below the issue price on the listing day, and gradually decline until it was halved.

Under these circumstances, Zhao Fusheng considered not increasing his stake like Alibaba, but how to invest to maximize his profits.

Honestly, seed and angel rounds were just the beginning; the real game was in the crucial Series B and C rounds.

If he could still hold a certain number of shares by then, making a profit would be easy.

Of course, that required a sucker to take the bait.

That was why he didn't go through James for this.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn't fully trust James.

Future Investment's sustained profitability was partly due to Zhao Fusheng's accurate foresight, leveraging his prescient advantage to aid the company's growth.

The other, most important reason was the mutual trust between Dong Chenxi and Zhao Fusheng; their relationship was solid, unlikely to crack.

But as for James, Zhao Fusheng didn't really trust him.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, the saying "those not of our race are bound to be of a different mind" held truth. After all, hearts are hidden behind bellies. These foreign professional managers loved to bite the hand that fed them, clean out the boss's money, and then multiply their personal assets tenfold.

Such things had happened too often in America before.

He recalled that when the Japanese invested in Sony Music, they encountered a similar situation: the highly paid professional manager colluded with competitors, took kickbacks, and made money for himself.

Within a few years, the manager pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars, while the company's losses were incalculable.

Zhao Fusheng would never allow such people around him.

...

...

Soon, Dong Chenxi received Kalanick's reply.

They agreed to the deal.

But according to Kalanick, they needed Zhao Fusheng to invest under the name of Future Investment to signal their status in Silicon Valley.

After all, as one of Facebook's earliest investors, Future Investment's endorsement was highly beneficial among internet professionals in Silicon Valley and Europe.

Dong Chenxi moved quickly; three days later, she had everything done.

"What's going on?"

After seeing the announcement, James was stunned.

What the hell was happening?

Why, out of the blue, had things turned out like this?

"Zhao, what do you mean?"

James gritted his teeth and called Zhao Fusheng.

As a senior executive at Sequoia Capital who had been dealing with Zhao Fusheng, he had Zhao's contact information.

Zhao Fusheng laughed, "Mr. James, I can invest a hundred million dollars in your fund, but for the Uber project, I think it's better to invest personally."

"What?"

James was dumbfounded, never expecting Zhao Fusheng to say that.

"Don't worry, James, I mean what I say."

Zhao Fusheng said, "You should know my character."

James fell silent.

He understood that Zhao Fusheng wasn't lying.

The guy was, to put it bluntly, a madman!

No!

In the investment world, Zhao Fusheng, though not a madman, was certainly no saint.

That was clear from how he had unhesitatingly abandoned Twitter.

Of course, swapping Twitter for Samsung shares might seem like a loss, but many Wall Street tycoons thought Zhao Fusheng had actually profited.

Given Samsung's influence in South Korea and Zhao's ownership of a Korean company, overall, he hadn't lost but gained.

After a long pause, James said to Zhao Fusheng, "Alright, I agree."

"Ha, happy cooperation."

Zhao Fusheng laughed.

...

...

After resolving James's issue, Zhao Fusheng felt much more relaxed.

Recently, in the US, he spent his days either reading news or enjoying life in his mansion.

When bored, he even watched a movie.

"The Dark Knight."

Directed by the great Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, who played the villain Joker.

"This movie is good."

After the film, Zhao Fusheng said to Liu Yiming, who accompanied him.

"Yeah, I think the Joker was really well acted."

Liu Yiming nodded.

"Indeed."

Zhao Fusheng smiled, "He probably saw himself as the Joker."

"What?"

Looking at Zhao Fusheng strangely, Liu Yiming didn't understand at all.

Zhao Fusheng glanced at the poster outside the cinema and said calmly, "I once read a question: how evil can people be?"

"At the time, I thought there might be a type of person who doesn't want something as logical as money."

"They can't be bought, intimidated, reasoned with, or negotiated with. They just want to see the world burn."

He paused and shrugged, "The Joker is that kind of character."

"Psychopath? Antisocial personality?"

Liu Yiming, knowledgeable, offered examples.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, "In principle, yes. Such people, who crave chaos, act impulsively, seek stimulation, lack empathy and responsibility, are typical psychopaths."

"Their common traits are antisocial behavior, no empathy, no remorse, no fear. The Joker is exactly that."

This was Zhao Fusheng's honest opinion; he had read Batman comics.

In the comics, the Joker is the top villain, Batman's archenemy, a classic antisocial madman.

He has no superpowers but often uses themed props like razors, marbles, jack-in-the-boxes, cigar bombs, and poison gas, proving his extraordinary intelligence and unpredictable mind.

A character with no logic, only evil—that was the Joker Zhao Fusheng saw in the movie.

He had to admit, Heath Ledger's performance elevated the Joker to a new level. His Joker differed greatly from the comic original; he took risks and succeeded.

These superhero characters hold significant places in American hearts, akin to our feelings for wuxia.

What was the Joker Americans knew?

In terms of character feel, ignoring details, it was like Jack Nicholson's version: grinning, cartoonish weapons, noisy dance music as background, gentlemanly, giving up seats to ladies, elegant and charming, an aristocrat at heart.

Heath Ledger subverted that image. No funny weapons or exaggerated cartoons, less formalism, no elegance, no gentleman.

He presented a darker, bloodier, more sinister, direct, and capable grassroots blue-collar villain.

As he said in the film, he was "the Agent of Chaos." In the comics, the Joker was once called "Clown Prince of Crime." One is an Agent, the other a Prince—the stylistic difference is stark.

"Trust me, this movie will become a classic!"

Zhao Fusheng smiled at Liu Yiming, "No one may play the Joker better than Heath Ledger."

Liu Yiming agreed and casually said, "Looks like his future is limitless."

In his view, it was true; with such great acting, the actor surely had a bright future.

"Maybe."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head but said nothing more.

He felt the Joker's acting seemed too real.

As if he himself were the Joker.

But some things he couldn't say or guarantee.

So he pretended not to hear Liu Yiming's comment.

Back at his residence, Zhao Fusheng sent Liu Yiming to rest, held a glass of red wine, and stood on the balcony looking at the night view.

If he remembered correctly, Heath Ledger got too deep into his role, fell into depression, and eventually died.

As for the specifics, he really couldn't recall.

"A good actor."

Zhao Fusheng swirled his glass and muttered to himself.

He hesitated whether to help Heath Ledger.

Depression is hard to cure, but a change of environment might help the patient.

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng dialed a number he hadn't called in a long time.

"Zhao, is it really you?"

A pleasant female voice answered, tinged with surprise, clearly not expecting his call.

"Yes, Scarlett, long time no see."

Zhao Fusheng said to Scarlett Johansson.

The woman on the other end was naturally Scarlett Johansson.

They hadn't contacted each other for a long time, only occasionally texting.

Zhao Fusheng knew she liked him, but some things weren't for him to do.

At this point, his feelings for Fan Baobao were clear, so naturally, he couldn't get involved with her.

But for a woman who liked him, he wouldn't directly cut off contact.

That was probably a common flaw in men.

"Long time no see."

Scarlett Johansson was delighted, "Is there something? I saw in the news that a company you invested in is going public soon."

She was referring to JD.com.

Such news was popular in American media, especially since Zhao Fusheng had many investments in the US.

"Are you free?"

Zhao Fusheng said, "Let's meet sometime."

"Sure."

Scarlett Johansson, now known as Black Widow after starring in "Iron Man 2," nodded eagerly like a girl.

If anyone saw her expression, they'd find her face full of smiles.

"I'm at the villa, you know."

Zhao Fusheng smiled.

He had consulted her when buying this estate.

But back then, it wasn't just her; Robert Downey Jr. was also there.

Now, both had achieved fame and recognition across America.

Especially Robert Downey Jr., who had completely turned his life around with the "Iron Man" series, becoming a famous Hollywood actor.

...

...

Hanging up, Zhao Fusheng smiled, finished his wine, went back to his room, turned on the TV, and watched.

There were many TV channels in the US, both paid and public. Zhao Fusheng didn't like news, as it was unreliable worldwide, so he switched to entertainment news.

Sure enough, most entertainment news covered the success of "The Dark Knight," full of praise for Heath Ledger.

Reporters even chased after him, hoping for an interview.

But unfortunately, they all returned disappointed.

Heath Ledger refused all interviews.

"He really got too deep into the role."

Zhao Fusheng nodded to himself.

With that thought, he fell asleep.

The next afternoon, the phone rang; Scarlett Johansson had arrived in Los Angeles.

He sent Liu Yiming to pick her up and greeted her with a smile, "Welcome, Scarlett."

"Thank you, Zhao."

Scarlett Johansson walked up to him and gently hugged him.

A wave of fragrance hit him; she was truly a seductress.

Feeling the softness, Zhao Fusheng subtly released her and said, "Come, let me show you around my estate."

Scarlett Johansson noticed his slight fluster and smiled inwardly.

This man was still so interesting.