The Way of Restraint

Liu Shi’s conversation with his daughter Liu Xiaoguo was difficult for an outsider to follow, but Su Jie could vaguely discern the underlying thread.

There was a man named Wen Ting, presumably Liu Xiaoguo’s boyfriend, fiancé, or even husband, who was now working at Hedao Group.

None of this had anything to do with Su Jie initially, but when he heard about the acquisition of Haoyu Film and Television, he immediately became alert.

He had studied Haoyu Group very deeply—no one, he believed, knew Haoyu better than he did.

Haoyu Group’s core businesses were divided into real estate, film and television, gaming, live streaming, sports, health supplements, news media platforms, mobile phone brands, commercial software development, artificial intelligence, big data, and more.

These assets were interconnected, forming a complete ecosystem.

For example, real estate was now a sunset industry, but most of what Haoyu Group developed were shopping plazas with integrated dining, entertainment, and cinema chains—which supported its film and television operations. It had also invested in Minglun Martial Arts Academy, turning it into a large-scale talent pipeline for film and television, while simultaneously supplying talent to Haoyu Sports and selling Minglun’s health supplements.

Additionally, film and television could promote games, creating a synergy between film and gaming. The news media platform could control certain public opinions. As for the mobile phone brand, that was a genuine window to consumers.

Haoyu phones currently had decent market sales, with their share steadily increasing.

As for commercial software development and AI/big data technologies—these were the foundation of the entire group and its future. A company without its own core technology could never be competitive.

With this complete industrial chain in place, Haoyu Group had become a monster, continuously expanding. Though it had not yet threatened Mingxia or Hedao Group, it had already become a potential rival.

Among these, film and television was the most critical piece of Haoyu Group’s industrial chain.

Without the film and television division, the entire group’s operations would stall in many areas.

In Su Jie’s view, Haoyu Film and Television would never sell to Hedao Group, no matter the price. Otherwise, all of Haoyu’s aggressive moves—investing in Minglun Martial Arts School, hosting competitions, running advertisements, selling supplements—would be utterly meaningless.

By instinct, Su Jie felt that something was wrong.

The problem lay with this man named Wen Ting.

The current head of Haoyu Film and Television was Feng Qiancang—the man the outside world dismissed as a playboy, always out partying, fooling around with actresses and internet celebrities. In reality, he was extremely shrewd in business, often biting off a chunk of meat from his opponents in negotiations, never having lost a deal.

So it was not just Su Jie—even Liu Shi found it hard to believe that Wen Ting could pull off this acquisition.

“Dad, you’ll know once you go back and see for yourself,” Liu Xiaoguo said.

“If he can actually close this acquisition, then I have no problem grooming him. The shareholders will also recognize his contributions,” Liu Shi was silent for a moment. “Very well, I’ll return to China first and take a look at this specific acquisition proposal. You two go out for now. Let me talk with Su Jie alone.”

Liu Xiaoguo frowned. She did not understand why Liu Shi wanted to talk with Su Jie. But she and Liu Guan left anyway.

The room was once again left with Liu Shi and Su Jie.

“You and Haoyu are sworn enemies,” Liu Shi said. “You have a very clear understanding of Haoyu Group’s business model. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have organized Diandao Martial Arts to disrupt their Haoyu Cup competition. They spent a great deal of effort on that cup—hiring foreign referees at high prices and even bringing in Liu Long. Their real goal was to use Liu Long as a stepping stone for someone else to rise to fame, creating a sensational effect. But you messed it up—Liu Long still took the championship, and there was no headline at all.”

“That’s right. Liu Long was always an undefeated champion. A win was expected—only a loss would have been explosive news. And whoever beat him would have shot to fame immediately,” Su Jie nodded.

“Then tell me, would Haoyu sell its film and television assets?” Liu Shi asked. “This time, they’re offering to sell their cinema chains, film and television, and even Haoyu Sports to me as a package.”

“Absolutely impossible. This is the most important link in Haoyu’s overall strategy—the equivalent of their cardiac artery,” Su Jie shook his head. “If they sold it, the group would lose a vital component, and their other operations would be difficult to sustain. Even if they were desperate for cash right now, they couldn’t sell—they’d have to hold on at all costs. Besides, Haoyu is not short of money. Their cash flow is very healthy. Their recent games are selling well, with monthly cash flow exceeding one billion. Their films are practically guaranteed hits—every martial arts film they make opens up new overseas markets. I’ve studied their financial statements in detail—there’s still plenty of room for growth. If they sold now, it would mean Feng Shoucheng had water in his brain.”

“This is indeed suspicious.” Liu Shi nodded. “Then take a look at Wen Ting for me. He’s my daughter’s fiancé. She met him while studying abroad—a Harvard PhD. Both his parents died when he was young; he worked while studying to put himself through school, then got into university and went abroad. He was my daughter’s senior. He’s been with the company for three years now and has done very well—every project has been extremely successful. Here are his files—you can take a look.”

“This is your family matter,” Su Jie frowned.

“Though it’s a family matter, the acquisition concerns Haoyu Group—and that does have something to do with you, doesn’t it?” A smile appeared on Liu Shi’s face. “I know you’ve always wanted to take on Haoyu Group, to bring it down. But with your current power, you can’t shake a group that size. So you’ve been trying to leverage bigger forces—like me, like Xia Shang. Unfortunately, Xia Shang doesn’t think much of you. I know Xia Shang—we’ve been rivals for years. He’s not interested in anything mystical or esoteric, which is why trying to meet him is useless. The most important thing between people is mutual affinity. Take me—I like Tai Chi, so I can see your value.”

Liu Shi’s assessment of Su Jie was quite clear-eyed.

Su Jie had never underestimated Liu Shi’s wisdom either.

He admitted openly, “Yes, I’ve been trying to persuade you to take on Haoyu and the Feng family. It’s not just my personal matter—it’s actually in your interest too. Haoyu will be your biggest threat in the next ten years. No exceptions.”

“Feng Shoucheng is a capable man. His three sons are all talented too. But in my view, that’s about all there is to it,” Liu Shi said.

“The forces behind them are the truly terrifying part,” Su Jie said. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what those forces are. If my intuition is right, this assassination attempt on you is probably connected to Haoyu as well. In fact, you’ve already seen how Haoyu has been advancing step by step, building deep foundations, pressing forward relentlessly with massive backing. That’s why you’ve been applying commercial pressure on Haoyu from many angles. Mingxia Group is doing the same. But the harder you squeeze, the stronger the pushback. If I’m not mistaken, if Xia Shang went abroad, something similar would happen to him. But he doesn’t have a capable protector by his side. Whether he’d survive an assassination attempt—I think it’s quite uncertain.”

“Oh?” Liu Shi was intrigued. “Then looking at his physiognomy, do you think he’s facing a calamity?”

“I told you, though I’ve studied physiognomy, I never use it for superstition or fortune-telling. The future has multiple possibilities. I can’t see it clearly, I can’t predict it accurately, and I don’t want to predict it,” Su Jie said. “Actually, you don’t want anything to happen to Xia Shang either. You two are competitors, maintaining a kind of commercial balance in the country. It’s like two factions of ministers in an ancient court—fighting each other—but if one side truly brings down the other, then the victor isn’t far from death either.”

“You’re so young, yet you understand this so clearly.” Liu Shi sighed. Through his conversation with Su Jie, he had come to fully recognize the young man’s worth. “If you were my successor, I could rest completely assured.”

He actually said this.

“I’m better suited to research. Business isn’t really my forte. Besides, you’re the one who wants to retire and focus on Tai Chi cultivation to reach the highest realm. With your example before me, how could I waste my life on such things?” Su Jie waved his hand.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Liu Shi said. “The more wealth a person has, the more social resources they command, the faster they progress. You know that for longevity, the most important thing isn’t cultivation—it’s technology. And what is technology? Technology is burning money. You can’t deny that, can you?”

“Of course I acknowledge that. That’s precisely why I need to find a balance,” Su Jie said. “Take me, for example—I collaborate with Larry on research. He needs my data and my research capabilities; I need his equipment. That way, I have money and can still devote myself fully to the work.”

“You could say your pursuit and your choices have aligned perfectly, without wasting any time.” Liu Shi had fully understood Su Jie’s intentions. “So I won’t try to persuade you otherwise. But we can still be friends.”

“That’s certainly possible,” Su Jie nodded. “More importantly, I’m useful to you—at the very least, I can save your life in dangerous situations. Of course, I hope you can cultivate to the Living Dead realm. That way, your own ability to navigate fortune and misfortune would increase dramatically.”

“Can this kind of cultivation be bought with money?” Liu Shi asked directly.

“Not yet,” Su Jie said. “Physical fitness can be bought—the best supplements, the most precise minimally invasive surgeries, the best AI coaches, even mechanical arms to correct your movements. But psychological quality has no good aids yet. That can only come from within. Perhaps in the future, technology will make breakthroughs in brain science, but for now, it hasn’t reached that stage. So no matter how much money and resources you have, it’s useless.”

“This is precisely the avenue for ordinary people to climb the social ladder,” Liu Shi said. “If technology really advances in the future, wealthy resource-holders could just take a single injection and become exceptional—physical ability, intelligence, lifespan, immunity all greatly enhanced—then ordinary people would have no way to compete.”

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