Chapter 0428: Deeper Meaning

In the era of market economy, no one plays the philanthropist, and Zhao Fusheng is no exception.

To be fair, the tens of thousands of yuan Zhou Wei asked for didn't really pain Zhao Fusheng, though it wasn't trivial; he just didn't want to set that precedent.

Being kind is right, but one really can't be too naive. After all, society always has its complex side. The hardest thing is to hold onto one's bottom line in any environment.

Of course, no one would turn against money.

This wasn't the nineties, when people would reluctantly part with poetry and art. More and more people were falling into the money trap. Though no one said it out loud, the reality of laughing at poverty but not at prostitution truly became the inner写照 of many.

Since Zhou Wei had reached out, Zhao Fusheng had only two choices: either yield or fight back.

Clearly, he didn't intend to yield.

That left only one path to choose.

So Zhao Fusheng asked his father to help investigate just what background Zhou Wei had.

To deal with someone like that, one must know oneself and the enemy; otherwise, all sorts of troublesome people might pop up to cause trouble.

Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically—that was a saying from the great leader, and Zhao Fusheng kept it firmly in mind.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng knew that relying on his own strength to settle Zhou Wei wasn't as easy as it sounded, after all, the man was part of the bureaucratic class.

From ancient times to the present, the common people and officials have been two separate classes. No matter how the ruling class whitewashes peace, in the end, one must acknowledge the truth of the saying 'a higher official crushes a lower one.'

The power of authority is undoubtedly fearsome, especially when unchecked.

Though there was a disciplinary committee, it itself was part of the bureaucratic class, so its oversight was ultimately limited.

As for letting the people monitor officials, that was even more laughable—or to be precise, it was a joke in itself.

Ordinary folks could indeed uncover some problems, but the question was: who would they tell?

The saying 'the character for official has two mouths' wasn't just for show. It wasn't unheard of for a complaint letter to be sent out and, after several transfers, end up in the hands of the accused.

A bottom-up oversight mechanism, without support from the top, is itself just a joke.

And the top, even a dozen years into the future, probably wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

The Koreans like to equate the nation with its people, but even they have to admit that the so-called national power deriving from the people, and the people enjoying state power, without corresponding channels for exercising that power, is just self-indulgence.

People always like to judge things based on their own cognition. When reality exceeds their cognition, their greatest fantasy is nothing more than a so-called sublimation based on what they already possess.

Just like a tenant farmer's fantasy of the emperor's life might be a golden carrying pole—that's the level their cognition can reach. Wisdom can indeed compensate for many things, but when the gap in levels is too great, it's helpless.

Just like now, whether it was Zhou Wei, Zhang Qian, or Zhao Dad and Chen Hai, none of them could imagine how Zhao Fusheng would solve the current problem.

Because their thinking, after all, was quite different from Zhao Fusheng's.

Or, to be more precise, the limitations of the era prevented them from realizing that sometimes even a single report, a piece of news, or a few rumors could change a person's fate.

"Son, if it really doesn't work out, how about I find someone for you?" Father Zhao said to Zhao Fusheng after Chen Hai left the office.

In his view, this was Zhao Fusheng's first time handling matters independently under Zheng Yao, and if trouble arose, it would be hard to explain to Zheng Yao.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly and gently shook his head: "It's fine, Dad, don't worry. General Manager Zheng said she's already made arrangements and just wants me to look into who this Zhou Wei is."

Father Zhao frowned: "Arrangements?"

Clearly, he was a bit puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. After all, this was his own father, so he had to tell him some things: "It's like this: General Manager Zheng has a few friends in the media. They'll be arriving in our Ninghai within a day or two..."

"Reporters?"

Father Zhao's expression changed instantly. In this era, the word 'reporter' was not the same as it would be ten years later.

Ten years later, reporters and prostitutes were essentially the same—as long as you paid, they would sell their integrity without any下限, completely indifferent to the truth of the facts.

This also caused people to lose trust in the news, after all, having seen so much fake news, they naturally became suspicious of real news as well.

But now, in the eyes of ordinary people, reporters represented truth and justice.

So when Father Zhao heard Zhao Fusheng's words, he was completely stunned, never expecting that Zheng Yao's move would be so bold, directly bringing in a group of reporters.

After hesitating for a moment, Father Zhao asked in a low voice: "Well, where are these reporters from?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "There are some from the provincial TV station, the daily newspaper, and the provincial radio station..."

This was what Zheng Yao had reported back to him via text message; Qiu Ming and the others would arrive in a couple of days, and their phone numbers had also been sent over.

"This..."

Father Zhao was speechless for a moment. In his view, Zheng Yao was clearly determined to destroy Zhou Wei.

"Things done are done, matters over are over, and past faults are past." Zhao Fusheng looked at his father and said slowly: "Dad, at this point, things can't stop. Regardless of whether Zhou Wei has someone backing him, General Manager Zheng's intention is to make certain people understand this time that no one is allowed to secretly undermine the business of our Future Advertising."

Father Zhao remained silent for a long time, sitting there frowning, lost in thought.

Zhao Fusheng smiled gently. He felt that his father should have understood his meaning.

After a long while, Father Zhao looked up and said to Zhao Fusheng: "You go back first. I'll help you look into Zhou Wei's matter."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and left his father's office.

Going downstairs, he arrived at the arcade. As soon as he entered, he saw Zhang Qian and his four comrades standing there on high alert. When someone came in, Zhang Qian sprang to his feet. Seeing it was Zhao Fusheng, he waved his hand, and the several companions behind him, who had clearly been on guard, all sat down.

"What, waiting for a fight?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Qian with a smile.

Zhang Qian didn't say a word, but Qian Dongliu beside him spoke up: "General Manager Chen just came to notify us..."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. With him around, Chen Hai would certainly pass the news to them. After all, Chen Hai wasn't stupid; he could still distinguish between his own people and outsiders.