For Chinese people, or rather, for all of humanity, there are really only four paths to choose from in life.
First, politics.
Second, business.
Third, academia.
Fourth, the life of a hermit.
The first one went without saying. 'I don't have the skills, the ambition, or even the qualifications for that.' He filtered that one out immediately.
The second path, business, was what he was already doing. But at this point, there wasn't much room for improvement. It was just a matter of gradual, systematic development. The truly top-tier, core assets all had intricate networks of connections behind them. For him right now, even if he could acquire them, they would become a burden. He'd have to spend a huge amount of time and energy maintaining those relationships.
The third path... 'I'm not smart enough, and I don't have the temperament for it. I graduated from a second-rate university. What kind of academic or scientific research could I possibly do?'
