Chapter 72

"Absolutely not?"

This was the first time Liu Zaishi had heard Liu Zaitian talk about these matters, so he was instantly surprised.

"Yes, to my father, I was like a fledgling at that time. Although I could survive well under his protection, I lacked the ability to soar in the sky on my own." Nodding, Liu Zaitian understood his father Liu Yu's perspective, which led to his subsequent actions.

"So, to prove to him that I had my own strength, I exchanged all the money I had earned with him, but I took a portion as commission. Then, while managing and investing his funds, I earned my own salary. After three years, I gained the right to establish a subsidiary on my own."

Listening to Liu Zaitian's slow narration, the people present felt as if they were listening to a legendary novel. The only difference was that the protagonist was sitting right in front of them.

"At that time, I invested all the funds I had into the operation of this subsidiary, then began to build my own investment team, and used my spare time to learn other languages, including English, while continuously reading to enrich my knowledge and information."

"Finally, when I had absolute strength, I obtained all the shares of this subsidiary and separated it from my father's investment group. In early 2005, I passed the master's degree test in economics at Harvard. With this, I gained my father's recognition and returned to South Korea in May of that year."

After listening to Liu Zaitian, the people finally had a slight understanding of him. However, while marveling at Liu Zaitian's genius, they became even more curious about why he chose to become a comedian.

"Actually, before returning to South Korea, I had considered my future work. Should I continue as an investor? Or an entrepreneur? Or just be a jobless person? But after much thought and serious consideration, I decided to stick to the ideal I had set for myself when I was young. Or, to put it another way, a job I had always wanted to do since childhood—comedian!"

"But..." At this point, Liu Zaitian looked at Liu Zaishi, "Brother gave me strong opposition at the time. He didn't want me to enter this field. But I, who was well-prepared, wouldn't easily give in. Thus, I ended up participating in 'Infinite Challenge.'"

"Although he strongly opposed it verbally, when I really made up my mind, Brother started taking me to all kinds of gatherings. I knew his purpose very well, and for this, I really have to say thank you to my brother!" Standing up, he bowed respectfully to Liu Zaishi.

As someone who usually disliked owing favors, Liu Zaishi rarely attended various gatherings besides regular program performances. But at that time, to help him meet more people, he took him around tirelessly. Those days made Liu Zaitian understand his brother's care even more.

"Although everyone praised me on the surface, I knew what they were thinking inside. This is completely normal. Even the brothers here, when they received the invitation to appear on the show, must have had their own concerns."

Everyone nodded lightly, as they were already very familiar with each other.

"But now, with our current achievements, we should have gained a bit of recognition. Whether you think I'm arrogant or crazy, I still believe that 'Infinite Challenge' has the potential to become a national-level variety show, and I will work hard for this. Here, let's forget the past, focus on the present, and look to the future!"

"I yearn for glory because I hate failure. Now, for my somewhat arrogant ideal, I hope everyone can give me a hand!"

Saying this, Liu Zaitian slowly raised his glass.

"Of course, who else but my brother!" Smiling, Liu Zaishi raised his glass, or rather, his drink!

"Cheers!"

"Zaitian, I'm really looking forward to you!"...

Bang! Bang! Bang!...

A series of crisp clinks echoed in the fried chicken shop.

No empty words can match actual achievements. Although they had initial unease and anxiety, when they saw the show's ratings improve day by day, they became more and more convinced of Liu Zaitian's confidence.

The heartfelt words continued. After listening to Liu Zaitian, the people present gained a new understanding of him. Although they still had questions, they knew that the things he couldn't say were definitely not for public disclosure, so they didn't press further.

At this moment, Liu Zaishi spoke, "To be honest, during the filming of 'Infinite Challenge,' many things were very painful for me. Take our Zaitian, for example, although he was the show's planner, his comedic skills were initially at a novice level. Every shoot was fraught with criticism. As for HaHa and Hong Joo, HaHa sometimes made jokes that seemed disrespectful to seniors in the eyes of the audience, leading to constant criticism. And Hong Joo, who was seen as crazy, was actually just being simple, but was misunderstood by many. Seeing these things, I was really heartbroken."

Everyone present understood what Liu Zaishi was saying. As 'Infinite Challenge' became more popular, various criticisms never ceased.

This is a common phenomenon in every country, but especially in South Korea, where the existence of ANTI (anti-artist groups) often amplifies issues and harms some artists. This is one of the reasons for the immense pressure on Korean artists.

Following Liu Zaishi, HaHa said, "Everyone, I have to go to a very important place in 2007, but to be honest, my family's situation is really bad. I'm sure everyone knows this, and I'm very grateful for everyone's help. Especially Zaitian, as a brother, I don't know what to say. Really, I mean it, in daily life, I can't laugh under so much pressure, but recording 'Infinite Challenge' makes me feel happy. Because of Zaitian, Brother Zaishi, Brother Myungsoo, and everyone else, this is a place that comforts my soul."

"But now..." As he spoke, HaHa's eyes slowly turned red, but he still looked at everyone seriously, "I don't know what will happen, and I can't rely on Zaitian's support forever. When I leave, I will really miss everyone, really... really..."

Tears finally streamed down HaHa's face, and to avoid showing his tears to everyone, he stood up and walked out the door.

"HaHa is really suffering inside," Liu Zaitian said softly, looking at the back of the person standing outside. "The burden of the whole family is on his shoulders, and he will face military service this year. As a brother and a wealthy person!" At this point, Liu Zaitian shook his head and smiled bitterly, "The only thing I can do to help HaHa is to ensure he doesn't have to worry about his family's life during his military service."

HaHa's real name is He Dongxun. Although born in Germany, his parents are Korean. After his birth, his mother took him and his sister back to South Korea, leaving his father in Germany to continue running the business. Although his father is an entrepreneur, the family's living conditions were not good. His mother, a writer, had only fame, and the family's livelihood in Seoul depended entirely on HaHa. This was the main source of his pressure.

After a while, HaHa returned from outside.

By this time, it was already around 4 a.m. Since this was not a regular shoot and the time was indeed late, Liu Zaishi slowly began to wrap things up.

"HaHa, Hong Joo, Zaitian, Heng Dun, Brother Junho, and Brother Myungsoo, no matter what, we've been through a year together, with laughter, tears, pain, and happiness. Everyone... has worked hard!"

Finally, with a round of applause from everyone, the shoot came to an end.

When the program was broadcast, the production team aired the entire content without any editing.

Instantly, the heartfelt words among the group not only made the audience marvel at the friendship among the seven members of 'Infinite Challenge' but also sparked various discussions.

The most concerned and the most influential public reaction was all centered around Liu Zaitian.

One was the real financial status revealed by Liu Zaitian's childhood experiences. According to Liu Zaitian's account, his assets could not be limited to just the JS company. This naturally aroused the curiosity of countless people about how much Liu Zaitian's assets were and who his father was. However, due to JS's consistent positive image and Liu Zaitian's humble and positive image, there was not much criticism.

The other was Liu Zaitian's self-disclosure of his strong lack of security. This made many of his female fans feel even more sympathy and affection for him.

As for Liu Zaitian's so-called arrogant declaration to make 'Infinite Challenge' a national-level variety show, it did not cause much of a stir. On the internet, most netizens expressed their anticipation.

Clearly, over time, the public had come to recognize Liu Zaitian's planning abilities.