Chapter 0988: Unsuccessful Persuasion

Many people like to view doing business as a high-risk endeavor, because in their eyes, it requires fending off open attacks and hidden arrows from all sides, as well as dealing with challenges that arise at any moment.

This statement isn't entirely wrong; after all, the saying 'the marketplace is a battlefield' is no joke. A single misstep can lead to bankruptcy and ruin for many.

So Zhao Fusheng understood his father's cautious attitude well.

If it were him, without the advantage of foresight, he would probably make the same choice.

After all, in his previous life, he loved taking risks, but in the end, every risk he took turned out unsatisfactorily.

There was always some reason or another that became an obstacle to his success. Once, he even joked to Tan Kaixuan that maybe God had cursed his path to success, because why was everything so easy for others but so hard for him?

Tan Kaixuan's answer was that God might have been napping lately.

Now, looking back calmly, Zhao Fusheng had come to understand some truths.

In his previous life, he wasn't cautious when he should have been, always preferring to take risks. But when risks were necessary, he inexplicably became cautious and hesitant.

Character determines destiny—this saying holds a lot of truth.

Similarly, in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, his father had more business talent than he did. At least in dealing with people, without the memories of his past life, Zhao Fusheng felt he was less smooth than his dad.

This wasn't a derogatory term but a compliment.

"Dad, what do you think Ninghai will become in the future?" After a moment of silence, Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked his father.

Father Zhao was taken aback, then his expression turned serious.

Living in Ninghai, he actually knew the city better than Zhao Fusheng. To be more precise, Zhao Fusheng spent most of his time elsewhere, while Father Zhao had always developed his career in Ninghai.

In the past two years, although Ninghai's development was slow, Father Zhao could feel that the city was truly beginning to change.

Whether in terms of the economic environment, people's income levels, or their mindsets, this change was evident.

More importantly, according to the news Father Zhao received, the Ninghai Municipal Party Committee and Government recently planned to intensify efforts to attract investment. In other words, as an old industrial city, they could no longer tolerate falling behind.

Even though Ninghai was only a fourth-tier city, that didn't mean it had to remain below the national average forever.

This was an opportunity!

Father Zhao had realized this early on, which was why Wanda was able to quickly gain a foothold and rise in Ninghai—the local government itself wanted to foster a star enterprise.

Seeing his father silent, Zhao Fusheng knew the old man must know something.

Sure enough, after sitting in contemplation for a moment, Father Zhao looked up at Zhao Fusheng: "Before New Year's, the main leaders from the district came to see me and conveyed the city's intention to support a batch of local enterprises."

"That's great!" Zhao Fusheng was overjoyed, clapping his hands with an excited expression.

In his eyes, as long as they seized this opportunity, his family's company could soar.

In this patch of China, if you ask who has the most influence, without a doubt, it's not the legendary socialist successors or the so-called aristocratic families, but the government.

Government support—in Zhao Fusheng's view, there was no better news than this.

"You little rascal, don't be too greedy." Father Zhao looked at Zhao Fusheng and said earnestly, "You only see the opportunity, but have you considered the risks?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then frowned, understanding his father's meaning.

But in his view, his father was being too cautious.

"Dad, isn't business like this? Risks and opportunities coexist. How can there be a situation where you only gain and never lose?" Zhao Fusheng said to his father. "Since we want to grow the company and the government is willing to support us, let's cooperate. Each takes what they need, tacit understanding—isn't that good?"

Father Zhao didn't answer Zhao Fusheng's question; it was clear he was skeptical of his son's words.

Sighing inwardly, Zhao Fusheng knew that if he didn't pull out his trump card, he probably couldn't persuade his father.

"Dad, have you considered that if things continue as they are, both you and Wanda will eventually hit a bottleneck?"

Looking at his father, Zhao Fusheng said word by word, "Do you think you can still walk away from the business now?"

Father Zhao froze at these words, opened his mouth to say something, but then waved his hand dejectedly and remained silent.

He knew well that his son wasn't joking; he really couldn't turn back now.

The bigger the business grew, the more people depended on him for a living. Even if he chose to sell all his shares, Father Zhao couldn't guarantee that the new owner would treat his old employees well.

A new emperor brings new ministers; doing business is sometimes similar to holding office.

"Try to expand the company, but stay away from risky industries like pharmaceuticals or food. For clothing, food, housing, and transportation, we can focus on other areas," Zhao Fusheng said, looking at his father with a smile.

Clothing, food, housing, and transportation?

Father Zhao frowned slightly: "You mean to increase efforts in real estate development?"

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Dad, are you joking? With housing prices like this, building houses would just mean losing money."

"Then what do you mean..." Father Zhao was puzzled. If not building houses, what did he mean by housing and transportation?

Shaking his head helplessly, Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Ninghai was too isolated. His father simply didn't know or notice certain news; he hadn't realized that housing prices had been steadily rising in recent years.

"Dad, when we get land, we don't have to build immediately. We can acquire the land, hold onto it, and wait for housing prices to rise before deciding what to do," Zhao Fusheng calmly explained some real estate knowledge he had learned in his previous life.

To be honest, he hadn't originally planned to enter this industry, thinking it was too exploitative, essentially taking money from ordinary people.

But on second thought, if his family didn't do it, someone else would. If his father did it, at least the construction quality could be guaranteed, and the buildings wouldn't be shoddy products. Moreover, given his father's character, their real estate projects would likely be priced lower than those of unscrupulous developers.

Real estate itself is a high-profit industry; how much profit to give up to buyers depends entirely on the developer's mood.

Speaking of this, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but admire that Li Ka-shing. When he started in real estate, he invented the concepts of shared area and bare-bones apartments, making a fortune.

It must be said that although businessmen have no bottom line and are money-grubbing, Li Ka-shing was an outstanding example among the most unscrupulous.

To borrow a popular phrase to describe Li Ka-shing, he was truly a ruthless person who debuted in the C position.

Of course, neither Zhao Fusheng nor his father could be as ruthless as him, because, after all, they both had their principles.

"I'll keep that in mind." After listening to Zhao Fusheng, Father Zhao nodded. "But where will the funds come from?"

After all, acquiring land requires money—that's an unavoidable fact.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and glanced at his honest father: "Just get a loan from the bank."

A loan?

Hearing these two words, Father Zhao's expression became quite interesting. He said to Zhao Fusheng, "Why take a loan?"

Clearly, in his way of thinking, taking a loan for business was very risky.

Rolling his eyes, Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to say more. He waved his hand and said, "You should sign up for a training course on business management instead of spending all your time drinking with people. Also, didn't I tell you to hire some senior assistants? I won't explain concepts like debt ratio and net assets to you; you can study them yourself."

Pausing, he shrugged: "The purpose of a loan is to expand our family business and also to free up your capital for other good projects."

With that, Zhao Fusheng stopped talking, clearly feeling he had said all he needed to.

The father-son conversation ended there, after all, this matter was significant, involving no small amount of money, and it would be rash to decide hastily.

Ultimately, Father Zhao still needed to discuss it with his subordinates.

"Alright, you go back now." Father Zhao waved his hand, directly dismissing him.

Zhao Fusheng didn't mind and walked straight out the door. With the serious matters settled, he naturally wanted to go home.

Having finally returned, his mother and Fan Beibei were waiting for him. To him, no matter how big the matter, it wasn't as important as spending time with family.

Of course, on the way back, Zhao Fusheng didn't forget to call Fan Baobao and relay the wedding details to her.

Although she couldn't attend due to work, Miss Fan had invested great enthusiasm in the matter. Zhao Fusheng even almost thought she might be eager to get married.

But fortunately, Fan Baobao's interest in things was always fleeting; he believed she would forget about it soon enough.

"When are you coming back?" Even so, Fan Baobao seriously asked about Zhao Fusheng's return date. For a girl in love, being apart from her beloved was the most unhappy thing in the world.