Volume 1, Chapter 293
…This doesn't need Gu Jiangang's argument; since ancient times, emperors have pondered these questions. None of them... Emperors didn't want to live long, didn't want longevity. Qin Shi Huang sent five hundred boys and girls to the Eastern Ocean to search for immortal mountains and elixirs, seeking the elixir of immortality. Even with the wealth and resources of his entire nation, he still couldn't prolong his life. In the end, the dream of immortality remained nothing more than a legend, a flower in a mirror, the moon's reflection in water!
Gu Jiangang is nothing more than someone with a bit of money. He might not even be as powerful as families like Wei Haihong and Zhou Xuan. What can he do in the face of fate, which is beyond human control?
It was only during this childhood, in the face of such a situation, that Gu Jian suddenly realized that he was still just an ordinary person, someone who would grow old and die just like everyone else, and someone who couldn't take anything with him after death!
Yes, no matter how vast or powerful his vast business empire was, at this moment, it couldn't buy him even a single extra day of life. If, just if, he could exchange money for life, he would gladly give up everything he had for ten more years—no, even just one more year. He would gladly give up everything he had for just one more year of ordinary life!
Zhou Xuan looked at these people. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself; a casual remark had left them stunned and bewildered. He wouldn't ponder such foolish questions. There were no gods in this world. No matter how much one thought, a person is still a person, and everyone must die. Since death is inevitable, one might as well live freely and happily while alive—that was the purpose.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but smile slightly again, because he remembered a song that Zhang Yimou and Xiao Shenyang sang together. In it, Zhang Yimou sang in colloquial language: "His eldest uncle, his second uncle, they're all his uncles. All his uncles!"
That's such a classic line, yes. No matter who you are—man, woman, old, child, president, prime minister, princess, prince—you all die. The outcome is the same; you all die!
A maid in her forties knocked on the door and entered the room with tea. After setting the tea on the table, she bowed and left.
Gu Jiangang thought for a moment, then said to Gu Zhonghuai, "Second brother, invite Brother Wang and Brother Song to the banquet. I'll chat with Mr. Zhou and then come over!"
Gu Jiangang's words clearly indicated that he wanted to have a private conversation with Zhou Xuan. Mr. Wang and Mr. Song understood and quickly got up. Gu Zhonghuai and the other two bowed to Zhou Xuan before leaving the room.
Gu Jiangang called Gu Yuan out again and instructed him to close the door behind him. Gu Yuan didn't say much. Although the old man no longer cared about family matters, he was still the head of the family. As long as he was alive, the Gu family would remain under his control.
Only Gu Jiangang and Zhou Xuan remained in the small living room. It was then that Ran Xuan noticed Gu Jiangang's appearance.
Although this old man is ninety years old and his hair and beard are all white, he has obviously had a high quality of life in recent decades. His skin is smooth and clean. Mainly because he is so old, time has not left too many marks on his face, but he has an imposing and domineering aura!
Now that there was no one else around, Gu Jian said with a smile, "Little Zhou, I just wanted to chat with you. Hehe, you don't mind chatting with this old man, do you?"
“Of course I don’t mind, Mr. Gu. I’m not a big fan of crowds or noise. Just sitting here chatting is fine!” Xiao Zhouxuan said with a smile, glancing at Gu Jiangang’s wheelchair. She then asked, “Mr. Gu, what’s wrong with your leg?”
"It's an old ailment." Gu Jiangang shook his head and said with a wry smile, "When I was young, I spent too much time on ships to build this business, exposed to wind and water, which gave me severe rheumatism. It used to hurt whenever it was windy or rainy, but about five or six years ago, the rheumatism in my legs flared up, and I couldn't walk anymore. For the past few years, I've been living in a wheelchair. It's inconvenient. I'm an old man who likes to walk around in quiet places, but this..." Heh, what a predicament!
"Rheumatism?" Zhou Xuan pondered for a moment. He had never treated a patient with rheumatism before, and he didn't know if ice energy could cure it. But logically speaking, it shouldn't be a problem. Rheumatism, no matter what, couldn't possibly be more severe than cancer or Old Li's body riddled with shrapnel. But this was a disease he had never encountered before. How to treat it, whether it was curable, all required time to understand. Of course, before even considering treatment, he also needed to think about whether he should treat it at all, and whether it would bring him any benefits or harm.
Although Zhou Xuan is not a bad person, he is not so kind as to help just anyone. This world is too big, with too many things to do, such as birth, aging, sickness, death, joy, and sorrow. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't possibly manage them all. Moreover, even if he wanted to, he would have to be willing to help, which would require him to make an appropriate choice.
Should we treat Gu Jiangang?
Zhou Xuan was thinking this in his heart, but Gu Jiangang, of course, had no idea what Zhou Xuan was thinking. He never dreamed that Zhou Xuan was such a remarkable person who could help him cure his illness. Seeing Zhou Xuan's thoughtful expression, he chuckled and said, "Little Zhou, hehe, don't think about such things. To be honest, this old man has lived so long, it's only because God has been kind to me. Life is full of surprises, and things are rarely perfect. Building such a family fortune and having a large family is something I'm already content with!"
"Old Gu, you seem to have a very open-minded attitude," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.
“You can’t be too hard-pressed to let it go. People have to live their lives, they have to keep going,” Gu Jiangang sighed, then paused and added, “Xiao Zhou, I kept you here because there’s something I want to discuss with you… this…”
Zhou Xuan asked in surprise, "What is it?" Gu Jiangang had something to discuss with him, but Zhou Xuan couldn't figure it out.
Gu Jiangang pondered for a moment, looking at Zhou Xuan. He had a strange feeling. Zhou Xuan looked to be only in his early twenties, and didn't seem like a particularly cunning or scheming person. But Gu Jiangang had a feeling that Zhou Xuan was someone with similar experience to him, and unconsciously, he had come to regard Zhou Xuan as someone of the same level and importance. This was quite strange.
After a moment's hesitation, Gu Jiangang, recalling the enormous gift Zhou Xuan had given him, made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Little Zhou, it's like this. Our Gu family's business is mainly in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Pacific, primarily shipping. However, in the last ten years or so, we've also invested in catering, entertainment, real estate, and so on. Our investments in mainland China have exceeded five billion yuan. Judging from the profit ratio over the last ten years or so, shifting our focus to the mainland is of paramount importance."
Zhou Xuan nodded. Although he was new to the business world, he understood the situation in mainland China. The mainland market was a huge pie that all businessmen, both domestic and foreign, wanted a piece of, and had enough to eat. The 5 billion yuan investment the Gu family made in mainland China might seem like a large investment at first glance, but the Gu family's main business was shipping, and their total assets exceeded 80 billion Hong Kong dollars. In that sense, 5 billion yuan was actually nothing. With the current economic downturn abroad, the greater the investment in mainland China, the higher the profit. If the Gu family didn't fully commit to developing the mainland market, a decline was inevitable.
Gu Jiangang wanted to talk about the internal funding, but he understood that since ancient times, if a merchant wanted to open up a new market, they had to establish solid relationships with officials. Don't think money can buy everything. Offend someone in the upper echelons of the government, and they can destroy you with a single word!
This is why Gu Jiangang specifically instructed his son and grandson to always maintain alignment with the authorities and not to be preoccupied with short-term gains or losses. The Gu family had already earned enough money; enough for their descendants to live on for generations. The most important thing about making money was to earn ten parts, keep three for yourself, and distribute the remaining seven parts to the workers who earned the money for you and to your connections with officials. If you keep seven and give away three, it becomes unbalanced. If you earn ten parts and keep ten, then your family fortune will likely collapse.
"Xiao Zhou, this is what I'm thinking!" Gu Jiangang carefully considered how to say it most appropriately. He was speaking slowly, but not hesitantly.
“I want to expand the Gu family’s investments in the mainland, but shifting the focus of the family business requires a lot of detailed analysis and consideration. Before that, I sent my eldest son, Gu Yuan’s father, Gu Zhongnian, to Beijing to investigate and see what projects would be more suitable for investment.”
Gu Jiangang pondered, saying that the primary reason he sent his eldest son, Gu Zhongnian, to the capital was to pave the way and build connections. Gu Jiangang had specifically instructed his son to cultivate good relationships with high-ranking officials in the capital. However, relationships aren't built overnight. These days, everything requires intermediaries to act as matchmakers. No matter how much money you have, waving it around in front of high-ranking officials won't guarantee they'll take it. They'll have to consider whether they have the fortune to enjoy it. Don't take the money and end up in jail—you get the benefits but no enjoyment!
"If Xiao Zhou is interested, he might consider investing in a stock."
"Gu Jiangang stared at Zhou Xuan and slowly said, "Of course, I don't want you to invest any real money. You just need to be a nominal shareholder. In your words, it's like taking a 'dry share,' I heard from Gu Yuan. Little Zhou and Young Master Wei Haihong are also like brothers, and Old Gu would like to ask Little Zhou to act as a go-between and tell Young Master Wei to also take a 'dry share.' Little Zhou, what are your thoughts on taking a 'dry share'?"
Gu Jiangang's words were clearly an offer of easy money to Zhou Xuan, but Zhou Xuan was no longer the ordinary laborer he was six months ago, no longer the country bumpkin struggling for a meager monthly salary. Now, money was just a string of numbers in a bank account to him. Gu Jiangang's words held no appeal for him. Besides, these "phantom shares" weren't just given to him like that; someone invested, and he didn't get shares for nothing. There's no such thing as a free lunch. As a shareholder, he'd have to step up when the company ran into trouble. Business dealings, industry and commerce, taxes, workers, disputes—there are countless troubles. Things that money can't solve require someone like him to step in. That was Gu Jiangang's point. Crucially, Zhou Xuan wasn't involved in officialdom. He found it troublesome even to use connections in government for his own affairs, let alone for someone else's! (To be continued)
Volume 1, Chapter 294: Pride
The old man offered Zhou Fu such a tempting gift, mainly because it was a birthday present from Chuanmu Zhou!
This guy casually tossed away a treasure worth hundreds of millions; just for that kind of magnanimity, Gu Jiangang was impressed. Someone with that kind of attitude couldn't be an ordinary person, and it was worth betting on.
Gu Jiancai's initial plan was to invest 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, and he would use about 15% of the shares to lure Zhou Xuan and Wei Haihong. If Zhou and Wei split these 15% shares, each of them would have shares worth about 750 million Hong Kong dollars. Subtracting the value of the jade carving that Zhou Xuan gave him, let's say 350 million Hong Kong dollars, his shares would still be worth more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars. This gift was not insignificant. Wei Haihong would simply receive this many shares.
However, don't be envious or jealous. That's just how the world is. Everyone's abilities are different, and what they get and can bear are also different. You can't expect a farmer to have the same economic value as a graduate from a prestigious university. Of course, this is not to look down on or despise farmers; it's just that everyone has a different perspective.
Gu Jiangang certainly won't waste his money. With Wei Haihong and Zhou Xuan as his backers, the company will at least avoid many pitfalls. This will allow the Gu family to gain far more in the future than they have invested.
"Old Gu, haha, I can't agree to this. To be honest, Zhou Xuan didn't expect Old Gu to pull this stunt. It was quite unexpected. Before, he would laugh when a friend gave him a hundred yuan, but ever since he obtained the Ice Qi ability, Zhou Xuan's luck has taken a dramatic turn for the worse."
Gu Jiangang was quite confident. He made a move involving billions of yuan, something only someone of his status, wealth, and ambition could do. Ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of it. Usually, corrupt officials sometimes refuse bribes, not because they don't want to be greedy, but because the amount of money isn't attractive enough to them. If you're not tempted by a hundred yuan, what about a million? Or even ten million?
Gu Jiangang threw away 1.5 billion yuan like that. Anyone who could resist that would be inhuman!
But Zhou Xuan, he's still just a human being, not a god. Yet, his resistance to the temptation of money is incredibly strong, simply because he no longer wants money!
Let alone Gu Jiangang's 750 million shares, in New York, Fu Tianlai gave Zhou Xuan 70% of the Fu family's assets, which is worth 15 billion US dollars, or more than 100 billion Hong Kong dollars. But Zhou Xuan was never tempted, and has even forgotten about it completely. He has never remembered that he has a net worth of hundreds of billions. Fu Ying has never taken it to heart either. She is a person of a calm and easy-going nature and has never valued money. Money is important, but enough is enough. Zhou Xuan's ability and the money he has earned are enough for her and her family's expenses. There is no need for him to put himself in the world of money and fame.
Zhou Xuan is someone who hates trouble. He would rather not earn the money than manage a massive, world-class economy. In his heart, he wants to live happily with Fu Ying and his family, travel around the world, and make money whenever he needs it. He doesn't need to use his Ice Qi to earn a fortune. He doesn't need to use his brain cells or deal with too many things. That's what life is all about, not having to face a tangled mess of problems every day. Fu Ying is also that kind of person.
For Fu Ying, simplicity is happiness. When her cousin Johnny set a trap to harm her family, Fu Ying went back for the sake of family and her family. If it were just for money or the Fu family's business, she would never have returned to New York!
How could Gu Jiancai possibly lure such a person with money?
Moreover, Gu Jiangang hadn't expected it. He also didn't know that Zhou Xuan's true wealth and assets were far greater than those of the Gu family, but Zhou Xuan, the Fu family's son-in-law with a hidden identity, was unknown to the world. Therefore, Zhou Xuan wasn't considered a very famous person, unlike people like Wei Haihong, who were protected and whose identities restricted media coverage.