I'm reborn and I'm an international student again?

Back in her office, Xu Yun saw a tall man sitting in a chair playing with a fountain pen.

She stormed over, snatched the pen from the other person's hand, and asked, "What are you doing here again?"

The man grinned: "Why can't I come here? I'm a member of the association too."

"Speak your mind!" Xu Yun's attitude was very bad.

However, the man wasn't angry at all. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and slowly said, "You really want to make money, don't you?"

"Making money? Who wouldn't want that?"

"I have a way to make you a lot of money."

"Heh, trying to trick me into investing again. I've been scammed by quite a few people before." Xu Yun became wary.

"You don't need to pay anything."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

“The association has readily available resources that we can utilize; we just need to do a little bit of work…” the man said in a low voice.

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the office door.

"What else do you want to say? Can't you just say it all at once? You're so slow and hesitant when it comes to making money..." Xu Yun said lazily, lying on the chair with her eyes closed.

"Oh? Making money? What kind of get-rich-quick dreams are you having now?" A familiar voice rang out, startling Xu Yun, who was sitting in her chair.

"You... why did you suddenly come?" Xu Yun stammered, secretly slipping an A4 sheet of paper with a picture on it into the drawer.

"It's been a long time since I've been here. Linxi is still in Shanghai, isn't she?" Chen Xi walked over with a smile.

"Yes, I'm a bit tired after a day of meetings." Xu Yun lay back down in her chair.

"What meeting?"

"It was all Zheng Wei's doing. He holds meetings every few days to do some kind of ideological work for us."

"They must have a reason for doing this."

"He said he wanted all associations to respond to the Silk Road initiative, which means we'd be the ones to act as intermediaries and facilitate development. I've seen this project proposed for so many years and there's still no progress; the higher-ups just want us to do our work for nothing. Look, they're building trade zones here, while others are erecting trade barriers over there. By the time we actually pave the roads, who knows, one day..."

Xu Yun made a gesture to cut it off.

Her words weren't without basis. Since the Silk Road was proposed, there has been no substantial progress to date. Many people believe that this national policy is merely a slogan, after all, opening new trade routes requires a huge amount of money and connections.

With so many countries in the world, and those countries sometimes being enemies and sometimes friends, if a lot of money and time are spent opening up new trade routes, and then the global situation changes and these new trade routes are interrupted, the losses would be enormous.

“Yes, you’re right. But the higher-ups will definitely give us some incentives if they let us take the lead. The goal is to achieve results and make others feel that there’s something to be gained, so that they will be attracted to join.” A hint of surprise appeared in Chen Xi’s eyes.

This woman's brain isn't all mush, is it?

"So tell me, how much money can the association make if we participate in this project?" Xu Yun immediately perked up at the mention of money.

Chen Xi pondered for a moment and lit a cigarette: "The more you work, the more you earn. It's similar to running a sales business. The higher-ups' idea is to open up trade routes, break through blockades, and drive overall development. How much money we can make depends on our abilities."

"Where have you been all this time? I haven't heard from you at all, and you don't answer my calls." Xu Yun moved closer to him.

"I went abroad to handle some business."

"Please take me with you!"

"Oh Well."

"What kind of project is that?"

The two got closer and closer until their faces were almost touching.

“Farming!”

"What, farming? These days, the money-making projects are all in finance and technology. How much can you make selling agricultural products?" Xu Yun was just like those young people who had never done business before, her mind filled with things that sounded high-end.

"You've seen how expensive things are abroad; a simple rice bowl can cost a hundred or two Chinese yuan."

"But that's the price after processing; the profit margin on raw materials is very low."

"Don't you have internet access? Go look at how much greenhouse vegetables sell for in America. Besides, even if the profit margin is low, you can still sell in large quantities. With today's advanced productivity, people's consumption is also quite high..."

Chen Xi's words were reasonable and well-founded, which made Xu Yun somewhat tempted. However, she only had so much money on hand, and she couldn't afford to invest recklessly.

Xu Yun tilted her head and looked at him: "Let's talk about the profits from that game first."

"Oh, I'd completely forgotten. I came here today specifically to tell you that the game is generating revenue!"

"Really?" Xu Yun jumped up excitedly, put her hands together and looked at Chen Xi, asking, "How much money can we split?"

"Not much, maybe a hundred thousand or so."

"What? Only a few hundred thousand? I've invested so much money over such a long period. That money would be worth more than that in interest alone."

"Hehe, the numbers are low at first, but it's already a good sign, isn't it? Many projects are losing money hand over fist... Don't worry, wait a little longer, a miracle will happen."

With Chen Xi's reassurance, Xu Yun put aside her disappointment.

After stubbing out his cigarette, he asked, "By the way, how's Yang Dan doing lately?"

Upon hearing the name, Xu Yun smiled and said, "Ha, I heard that this kid's family has run into trouble recently. Apparently, several companies are involved in illegal operations and are under investigation. He's really busy right now..."

"Well, as long as they don't cause me any trouble, it's fine." Chen Xi nodded in satisfaction.

Xinlu City.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Ding is giving us a lot of bonuses. I have no choice but to accept it. We expanded a factory this year and hired a lot of employees. We need money everywhere."

"Mr. Chen, you haven't distributed the money from the first two installments to everyone yet, you always keep making excuses..."

"Um... my company is facing a bit of an emergency and we urgently need money."

In front of the municipal government office building, several business owners were surrounding Chen Yifeng, saying all sorts of things.

Chen Yifeng is a cunning person who often breaks his promises. In fact, some people had been dissatisfied for a while, and Ding Ningwen's appearance now provided them with a reason to withdraw their investment.

"I was always traveling for work before, but now that I have time, I definitely need to get a share of the profits..."

"Hey, isn't this President Chen? What a lively scene!"

Before Chen Yifeng could finish speaking, Yang Dingtian and a man walked over.

Seeing Chen Yifeng in distress, Yang Dingtian was overjoyed, and his voice became much louder. "Hello, Mr. Chen, I am Ding Ningwen, the owner of Yizubao." Ding Ningwen took the initiative to shake his hand.

"Oh, hello," Chen Yifeng replied.

Although he wore a smile, he was extremely unhappy inside.

They've already poached my employees, and now they're coming to say hello.

Hey!
"President Ding is here."

"Ezubao is really good. It has high returns and fast payback. Its daily transaction volume is now among the top three in the world. Even TVXQ has started to help promote it."

"I heard that Mr. Ding is doing quite well overseas as well."

Several executives around Chen Yifeng shook hands with Ding Wenning, and what they had just said seemed to be deliberately meant for Chen Yifeng to hear.

"Haha, isn't overseas development also in response to the Silk Road policy?" Ding Ningwen laughed.

“Of course, Mr. Ding is now a member of the XX Committee of Bengcheng, and has also won the title of one of the top ten Huai merchants. He has countless personal patents, such as the preparation method of biological components of XX biological compound degreasing agent…” Yang Dingtian chimed in from the side.

These bosses like to compare things like this, seeing who has more titles.

"Hehe, Mr. Ding is truly young and promising. My good-for-nothing son is about your age, and he hasn't accomplished anything yet," Chen Yifeng said, bringing up his age.

"Of course, as they say, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's son knows how to dig a hole. It's normal that your son isn't good at it, Mr. Chen, don't be discouraged!" Yang Dingtian joked with a grin.

Chen Yifeng's face turned ashen with anger upon hearing this, but after a moment's thought, he regained his smile: "President Yang, you've been having quite a few troubles lately, haven't you? I heard several companies are under investigation. Has your son already been invited in for questioning?"

"It's all your fault..." Yang Dingtian almost jumped up when he heard this, having his wounds reopened and being the one who started it all.

He rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to make a move, but Ding Ningwen stopped him.

"Oh dear, a boss has to keep a close eye on things. I remember Mr. Yang used to hang out with Mr. Xu, how come he's switched allegiances now? Is he trying to emulate Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms era...?"

"Chen Yifeng, stop making veiled accusations!"

Yang Dingtian couldn't help but shout.

Isn't that tantamount to calling him a traitor who has served three masters?

But then he chuckled again: "Mr. Chen doesn't seem to be doing much better, does he? Now he has another father-in-law. How do you usually address each other? Do you each use your own names?"

"Say less, everyone. This is the entrance to the municipal government office building. Your arguing is really bad for your image." Xu Fu, who had just arrived, stepped in to smooth things over.

"Oh dear, the meeting is about to start, everyone hurry up and go inside." Ding Ningwen pretended to glance at her watch.

"Old Chen, what's going on?" After everyone left, Xu Fu patted Chen Yifeng on the shoulder.

"It's nothing, the dividends will be distributed in a few days, don't worry."

“That’s not what I meant. This Ding Ningwen usually hangs out somewhere else. His sudden appearance in Xinlu is probably up to no good. I heard that the leaders are planning to support his development in Xinlu at this meeting…” Xu Fu said with a worried expression.

"Hmph, just a swindler. With such high returns, what kind of business would he do with the money to offset the interest on the financing? I heard this guy is doing overseas investments, which is obviously to transfer the money out of the country. When the whole scheme collapses, he'll be crying."

"I don't think so. This is advertised by XTV, which means it's highly credible. More and more people will come to invest. Once the funds reach a certain level, Yizubao will be like a bank. As long as Ding Ningwen doesn't mess things up and lose all the money, it will basically be inexhaustible. Because investors all want to enjoy long-term high interest rates, they are unlikely to withdraw their money."

"Hehe, there's nothing in this world that can't be exposed. You see how rich the Xu family is, but you haven't noticed how fast they spend money. I think Ding Ningwen spends even more money than the Xu family. At this rate, even mountains of gold and silver wouldn't be enough to sustain them."

Chen Yifeng sneered and looked at Xu Fu: "By the way, how's Yang Dingtian's food factory doing?"

Xu Fu chuckled and rubbed his hands together: "Hehe, all thanks to your materials, their factory is under investigation, and Uncle Bao and I have seized a lot of market share. But I heard that Yang Dingtian is now betting everything on Three Pine Trees, preparing to go public and raise money. Three Pine Trees has been developing rapidly recently, and I suspect Ding Ningwen is also involved..."

"Sigh, I've been quite busy lately..."

"It's alright, you should take care of the company's affairs first. After all, the returns from Ding Ningwen's side are quite high."

Xu Fu patted Chen Yifeng on the shoulder, and the latter first nodded, then shook his head.

Chen Yifeng has more than one problem now.

Because he doesn't pay much attention to the Huade factory anymore, the situation has become a complete mess, and the people in Germany have long been dissatisfied.

Huajing, oh my god, headquarters.

“Recently, the approval ratings for Zhijie and Zhijie Fantasy have been declining, and the game is in complete chaos. Some players are spreading all sorts of rumors in the world chat, and we can’t even keep up with the banning.” Xing Tian stared at the computer screen with a furrowed brow.

"Is there a major bug in the game that hasn't been fixed?" Chen Xi asked, lighting a cigarette.

"No, according to my investigation, the problem lies with several live streaming platforms."

"That doesn't make sense. Logically speaking, with our game being so popular, they should definitely take advantage of the situation to boost the platform's popularity."

"You're right, they are indeed using us to generate buzz, but in a negative way."

"Ok?"

"Some streamers have gained a large audience by criticizing the game 'Zhi Jie'. As you know, there are many 'armchair gamers' online who just watch game streams for fun and give their opinions to gain some recognition. Those female streamers don't know how to play the game at all; they're just selling their bodies on screen to make money. Unsuspecting players believe what those streamers say and think that 'Zhi Jie' is a trash game..."

“Live streaming requires our official authorization. We’ll sue them if they stream without permission,” Chen Xi said, displeased.

"They didn't stream the Zhijie game live, but they would bring it up from time to time."

"Spreading rumors out of thin air? That makes things even easier."

“It’s not just live streaming platforms doing this; recently, many game reviews and short video apps online have also published articles that are unfavorable to us. I even suspect that other game companies are using this tactic, since our product has taken away a large number of their users,” Xing Tian said, expressing his suspicions.

"Then let's do it, let's subdue them all. Our legal team is so powerful, they're already known as the 'Beijing Pizza Hut' by outsiders. I think they won't learn their lesson until they're faced with the ultimate challenge." Chen Xi smiled.

Kevin's mother, Su Yue, was one of the top four lawyers in Huajing, and over the years she has helped him and Chen Caiyue win many cases.

Although domestic lawyers are not as good as their foreign counterparts in some aspects, they still play a significant role in commercial cases.

"Well, that's the only way." Xing Tian didn't object.

A week later, the authorities convened a meeting in Beijing to bring together senior members of overseas returnee associations from across the country to discuss participation in the Silk Road project.

"Hey, isn't this President Lin? I heard you've been staying in Shanghai lately. Have you been counting your money so much that you've forgotten you even have an Overseas Returnees Association?" Yang Xiao saw Lin Xi, who was about to enter the venue, as soon as he got out of the car and stopped her.

“President Yang is right. Our new project has made a lot of money lately; we’ve been counting money until our hands cramp. But some people are envious of others making big money, so they resort to underhanded tricks. A few days ago, relevant departments often came to our place for chats and tea… However, our company is doing legitimate business. What problems could they possibly find? The Youth Returnees Association is not like some associations that shout patriotic slogans but do shady things behind the scenes, relying on reporting competitors to defeat rivals—purely underhanded tactics. Oh, by the way, I heard that a grant your association applied for has been frozen? Should I ask a friend in the relevant department to help you talk to them?” Lin Xi retorted without mincing words.

Yang Xiao was stunned for a few seconds after hearing this, then angrily retorted, "So it was you who did this."

Because there were many people around, he glanced around before regaining his composure: "Hmph, the innocent are innocent. That money has been unfrozen normally. Thank you for your kindness, President Lin!" (End of Chapter)