Chapter 2283: Decision

Robert Iger was a businessman, and since he was a businessman, he was naturally no fool.

He knew very well that he needed to make a choice.

After weighing the pros and cons, he had to make the most correct decision.

To choose Zhao Fusheng, or Harvey Weinstein.

As for why Zhao Fusheng disliked Harvey Weinstein, was it because of Scarlett Johansson, or something else?

That actually didn't matter.

It was just a reason or an excuse.

This point was clear to both Zhao Fusheng himself and Robert Iger.

But regardless, Zhao Fusheng's behavior on this occasion still made Robert Iger lose face. After a while, he left with his Disney subordinates.

Zhao Fusheng was not in a hurry either. He casually let Liu Yiming have the room cleaned up again.

“Zhao, are you targeting Weinstein because of Scarlett?”

Kevin Feige was relatively familiar with Zhao Fusheng, so he took the initiative to ask.

“What, do you all think I’m doing this because of Scarlett?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Kevin Feige.

“No, I mean, if you want to go after him, I’ll start rallying those willing to cooperate with us.”

Kevin Feige showed a rather sycophantic smile and said to Zhao Fusheng, “I know, in your East, such things are absolutely intolerable.”

Ah?

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback at first, then understood what Kevin Feige meant.

Clearly, he had misunderstood his relationship with Scarlett Johansson.

Helplessly shaking his head, Zhao Fusheng wanted to clarify, but then thought that if he did, it would actually be a bad thing for Scarlett Johansson.

You see, precisely because her relationship with him was misunderstood by the outside world, she avoided many unnecessary troubles after becoming famous for playing Black Widow.

Otherwise, a sexy creature like her would never lack men hovering around her.

Although Zhao Fusheng himself didn’t plan to have anything happen with her, the thought of the sexy and beautiful Sister Scarlett being taken by some powerful old men...

Well, imagining that scene made Zhao Fusheng feel very unhappy.

Men are all like that.

What they can’t have is the best, and if they can’t have it, they don’t like others having it either.

“Heh, can it be done?”

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng glanced at Kevin Feige and asked in a low voice.

He had never noticed before that this guy had the potential to be a lackey.

Kevin Feige chuckled: “It might be hard for others, but if you’re willing, it’s not a big problem.”

This was the truth. Zhao Fusheng was not an ordinary person; he was a bona fide super-rich man. In other words, he was a big shot at the very top of wealth. As long as Zhao Fusheng let it be known that he wanted to deal with Harvey Weinstein, destruction would surely await him.

The reason was simple: no one would risk offending a super-rich man to provoke Zhao Fusheng, especially over something that wasn’t a huge deal.

People are selfish.

In the face of interests, everyone instinctively chooses to protect themselves and maximize their own gains.

Of course, heroes are an exception.

That’s also why those heroic figures are respected by everyone—because they can always make surprising choices.

“Then let the word out.”

Zhao Fusheng said calmly.

He needed everyone to know what the consequences were of angering him.

…

…

The party ended quickly.

Of course, for Zhao Fusheng, he certainly wouldn’t stay there.

With a grand party and people coming and going, the place definitely needed a good cleanup.

Moreover, he also needed to carefully consider how to resolve the matter with Alibaba.

Fortunately, Zheng Yao reacted quickly. After careful study, the strategists in the strategic planning department finally decided that Future Group would hold its position on this matter.

“Hold its position?”

Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised.

“Yes.”

Zheng Yao said slowly: “This isn’t just my opinion. Dong Chenxi’s team also discussed it, and they came to the same conclusion as we did.”

“Why?”

Zhao Fusheng asked, puzzled.

“If Ma Xiaoyun pushes for delisting, although we might need to invest more capital, overall, our shares won’t decrease, and they might even increase. If our shares really do increase, that could be a good thing.”

Zheng Yao smiled: “Haven’t you always felt we have too few shares?”

Zhao Fusheng nodded at her words, agreeing with her.

Regardless, if it really could increase his stake in Alibaba as Zheng Yao said, that would indeed be a good thing.

Others might not know, but Zhao Fusheng was well aware that Alibaba’s shares would definitely appreciate.

And Ma Xiaoyun, that ambitious guy, would never allow the company’s shares to remain unlisted forever.

The current delisting was just preparation for a future re-listing.

Anyone who believed him would be a fool.

After all, our dear Teacher Ma was the best at spinning tales.

Looking at the entire Chinese business circle, apart from Jia Bu Si, no one could spin tales better than Teacher Ma, not even those few richest men.

Their level was far too inferior.

“Let’s wait and see.”

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and finally said.

He could only consider it this way. No matter what, playing it safe at this point couldn’t hurt.

…

…

Dong Chenxi soon arrived at Zhao Fusheng’s place.

Her purpose was naturally also about Alibaba, but she had a different idea from Zheng Yao. She felt that Future Investment could take this opportunity to scale back its investments.

“Aren’t you planning to reduce the scale of investment?”

Dong Chenxi said to Zhao Fusheng: “I think we can give up this portion of equity in exchange for more benefits.”

Alibaba’s development momentum was good. Anyone with a bit of sense could see that this company would surely develop well, so many people would probably be tempted.

“Do you think, when it comes to money, how much is enough?”

Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked Dong Chenxi.

Dong Chenxi was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. "What's wrong? Of course, the more of this stuff, the better."

She found it a bit baffling. Doing business was naturally about making money, and since it was about making money, the more profit the better. Otherwise, if costs outweighed gains or even led to losses, only a fool would chase profits.

But she was already used to Zhao Fusheng's behavior; every now and then, he would get all artsy.

Over time, Dong Chenxi felt she was becoming immune.

Seeing her reaction, Zhao Fusheng gave a wry smile.

He wasn't stupid. Dong Chenxi's reaction and answer clearly showed she hadn't taken his words to heart.

With a sigh, Zhao Fusheng said seriously to Dong Chenxi, "What I mean is, can you consider the possibility of us staying put?"

"Staying put?"

Dong Chenxi's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Clearly, she wasn't satisfied with Zhao Fusheng's suggestion.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and explained to her, "Think about it. We've invested in so many companies now. If for every promising company we like, we have to maintain our current equity stake, how much money do you think we have to invest?"

"Huh?"

Dong Chenxi's expression shifted slightly. She naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

"For any company, during its startup phase, before going public, or even after going public, changes in equity are inevitable. If our focus is on investment, not on management or operations, then I think we don't need to do too much."

Zhao Fusheng said calmly to Dong Chenxi, "At the very least, I think, given our current share of equity in Alibaba, we don't need to worry about any unusual moves from Ma Xiaoyun. We just need to guard our own turf."

"What do you think?"

As he spoke, Zhao Fusheng looked Dong Chenxi in the eye.

Dong Chenxi was silent for a long time, not saying a word.

She understood Zhao Fusheng's words, and even after he finished speaking, she thought of even more things.

Of course, since it involved the operational thinking of future investments, she certainly wouldn't blurt it out.

"Let me think about it."

Dong Chenxi hesitated for a moment, then said to Zhao Fusheng, "But I think you should still be more cautious."

In fact, she had already accepted Zhao Fusheng's suggestion, but she just needed some time to confirm it.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked Dong Chenxi, "How's Liu Qiangdong doing?"

Rather than worrying about Alibaba, he was actually more concerned about Jingdong Mall.

Although he knew that Jingdong Mall had developed well after going public, who could say for sure about the future?

At the very least, Zhao Fusheng felt it was better to remain vigilant toward that guy Liu Qiangdong.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's question, Dong Chenxi smiled. "What can he do? With his IPO imminent, the people he needs to please are no longer us."

Zhao Fusheng gave a knowing smile. He naturally understood what Dong Chenxi meant; clearly, she was very dissatisfied with some of Liu Qiangdong's recent behavior.

"Don't mind him."

Zhao Fusheng said indifferently, "As long as he doesn't try to dilute our shares now, don't interfere with his actions."

"Why? Are you really planning to gradually sell off all your shares in Jingdong Mall?"

Dong Chenxi asked, somewhat puzzled.

She still couldn't figure out the logic.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. "We're investors, not really planning to manage Jingdong Mall. Let Liu Qiangdong do whatever he wants; it's none of my business. I just think, since he's going public, and the stock appreciation in my view can't surpass Tencent Technology or Alibaba, why should I keep holding on?"

A single word enlightened her!

Zhao Fusheng's words made Dong Chenxi realize where her previous misconception lay.

All along, Dong Chenxi often felt that there was some difference in thinking between her and Zhao Fusheng.

But she could never quite pinpoint where that difference lay.

Was it Zhao Fusheng's lack of ambition?

Or was she too aggressive?

Now, hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Dong Chenxi finally understood.

It wasn't that Zhao Fusheng lacked ambition, nor that she was too aggressive; it was that the two of them had fundamentally different views on the essence of investment.

She preferred to be more involved in the companies she invested in, thinking that since she invested, she should care about their development and consider all aspects.

But Zhao Fusheng was different.

In his view, the purpose of venture capital was to make a profit.

So, since his investments had already yielded substantial profits, it was necessary to let go.

In other words, knowing that he had already obtained generous returns, Zhao Fusheng had little interest in continuing to invest in some enterprises.

That was the essential difference between Zhao Fusheng and her.

Or rather, it was a difference in two operational philosophies.

"We're not Buffett."

Zhao Fusheng said calmly, "He can hold Coca-Cola shares for many years because he plans to make more money from it, and he doesn't invest casually. But we're different. The development of the internet is just beginning. There will be many more projects like Jingdong waiting for us to invest in. Then what will you choose? To pick up sesame seeds and lose the watermelon? Or to make a painful sacrifice?"

Zhao Fusheng's question hit Dong Chenxi like a club.

It made her instantly realize the problem.

Seeing her expression, Zhao Fusheng smiled but said nothing more. Instead, he waved his hand to let Dong Chenxi leave.

She no longer needed him to educate her.

What she needed was time and space to think carefully.

"Has Miss Dong left?"

Watching Dong Chenxi's retreating figure, Liu Yiming entered and asked Zhao Fusheng in a low voice.

"Mm."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Let's get ready too. We'll return to China next week."

"So soon?"

Liu Yiming was slightly startled. He had thought Zhao Fusheng might stay in the United States a while longer.

After all, he had been quite comfortable there recently.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and shook his head. "Enough. If I don't leave soon, I'm afraid I'll be pinned down."

"Ahem..."

Liu Yiming decisively chose to shut up.

On matters like this, he had no say, as it was the boss's private affair.

As they say, plans can't keep up with changes.

Zhao Fusheng had originally planned to return to China in a week, and Liu Yiming had even arranged for a private jet to pick him up.

But unfortunately, this plan was ultimately disrupted.

Zhao Fusheng did get on a plane, but the destination was not China—it was Italy.

Li Yuan was ill.

And seriously ill.

Her health had never been very good. In previous years, because of Zhao Fusheng's business, she had received convalescent care. But this time, unexpectedly, a cold nearly required a ventilator.

Fan Baobao was terrified and called Zhao Fusheng directly.

Without a second word, Zhao Fusheng flew to Italy.