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

"This doesn't seem like a sustainable solution. If everyone tries to take advantage of the situation, even the richest man can't afford the disruption," Zhang Youting thought to himself.

"Didn't you hear the words 'limited spots'? You were glued to your phone watching videos all day yesterday. Is it really that good?" Chen Xi tapped his head.

"Wow, this app is great! It has all the pretty girls you'd find on any platform. I wanted to upgrade to VIP yesterday to watch the special channels, but it required real-name authentication. I don't have your ID card here. I'll have to ask Chen Fu to help me register an account."

"Forget it, this is obviously an unregulated software. Be careful it doesn't leak your personal data."

"No way, it's just registering an account..." Zhang Youting scratched his head awkwardly.

Meanwhile, someone else is also conducting research in the countryside.

"This thing is pretty interesting," Zhou Sheng said, stroking his chin as he stood in front of a device that looked like a vending machine.

The assistant next to him asked, puzzled, "Boss, these things are everywhere, what's so special about them? It's just a water-selling device. Look, it's even secured with chains, obviously to prevent theft. I think it's a money-losing business to set up these in the countryside. What farmer would spend money on water for their health?"

“That’s not what I meant, I meant the payment method.”

"What are the payment methods?"

“Look, this machine is different from the payment methods in the city. It has an additional card payment option, and this card isn't a water card, but a product card from the supply and marketing cooperative. That means this card can be used not only to buy water but also at companies under the supply and marketing cooperative. Since we introduced the annual fee, our positive review rate has plummeted. Why don't we change this model…”

Upon hearing this, the assistant's eyes lit up: "Boss, you want to use the new card instead of cash to allow drivers to spend money elsewhere, which can alleviate the company's financial pressure. It is indeed a good idea, after all, subsidies are really too expensive."

Zhou Sheng shook his head: "My goal is to boost Huodudu's logistics market through this. After all, if you want merchants to choose your company for transport, then you also need to let them make money. Cards can't completely replace cash, otherwise, wouldn't the drivers cause a huge uproar? People are transporting goods to make money, not to spend money on you. There are still some things to be changed... Hmm, first, we'll target farmers' high-frequency, short-distance grain transport needs and launch the 'Grain Transport Card,' then we'll talk to the convenience store owners in the villages and have them act as Huodudu's logistics agents, promoting it for us, and we'll give them a 10% commission..."

"Boss, the ads we use on Huodudu are directly matched by the platform, so our advantage is the low price. If we hire agents, wouldn't the cost increase?"

"Let's open up the market first. Consider these expenses as advertising. We won't need these people afterward. Everyone is just getting what they need. There's no employment relationship, so we can terminate the contract at any time."

“But on our way to Shanxi Province, there were trucks all the way there to pick up goods. It seems that Mr. Chen from the day before yesterday is determined to win the market here. Can we win?”

"Their fatal weakness is car charging. What kind of place is this? It's a remote mountain valley. Plus, the roads are far and in bad condition. How much do you think it would cost to install charging stations here? How could a logistics company possibly afford that?" Zhou Sheng was unaware of Huahetong's connection to the cargo-delivering business.

Just as the two were talking, a man wearing a uniform with the Huatong logo walked over: "What are you doing? I've been watching you for a while. Are you trying to steal water? Let me tell you, this equipment has an automatic alarm. If anyone maliciously damages it, I'll receive a message on my phone immediately, and headquarters will also be notified..."

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood. We just want to get some water," the assistant said, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Fetch water? You're not from around here, are you? I've never seen you before."

“We work in Guangdong Province, and now we’ve come back to visit our hometown,” Zhou Sheng explained.

"Oh."

"Hey folks, does anyone buy water here? I've been standing here for ages and haven't seen a single person."

"No today, because the village chief organized a meeting. If I didn't have to watch over the equipment, I would have gone to the meeting too. I heard it can make money..."

"What meeting?"

"It looks like a drone..."

The man took a cigarette from his assistant and told her everything he knew.

Before long, Zhou Sheng arrived at the center of the village.

Several villagers sat on a rock, smoking and discussing the day's events.

Zhou Sheng listened with great interest.

"Boss, your eyes are practically sparkling. You're not thinking of getting into the drone market, are you? It seems like someone's already beaten us to the punch with agricultural drones, and Huatong is even partnering with DJI, which is currently the leader in the drone industry." The assistant observed Zhou Sheng's expression.

"Do you think there's potential in combining drones with logistics?" After a long pause, Zhou Sheng suddenly asked.

"No way, it's too far-fetched. This thing has such a short battery life, and the investment must be huge. It's just wishful thinking."

“No, what that guy said yesterday doesn’t seem to be entirely unreasonable. Cooperation might actually be feasible… but it’s not the right time yet. We’re the weaker party, and we don’t have enough chips on the table…” Zhou Sheng muttered to himself.

He didn't take his assistant's suggestions seriously. What he was doing wasn't ordinary drone logistics; it required a very powerful logistics company to partner with. The other party would provide the transportation capacity, while Huodudu would handle the order matching.

Zhou Sheng thought about it and realized that his idea seemed a bit ahead of its time; with current technology and resources, it seemed impossible to complete. He quickly put the matter aside.

Fan Hongyuan, who was far away in Beijing, applauded Chen Xi's solution after learning about it: "I'll apply for subsidies from above right away. You really have a way with things."

"It sounds easy, but it's actually quite difficult to do. I'm afraid it'll make people envious," Chen Xi said with a wry smile.

Fan Hongyuan, having worked within the system, understood what Chen Xi meant. After a moment's thought, he said, "If we work together on both sides, we can overcome any troubles. There's always a solution to every problem!"

Chen Xi knew that the other party wasn't trying to fool him. Because after the implementation of the rural development plan, Fan Hongyuan urgently needed to produce some results.

Actually, he was the most anxious of all!
"By the way, Hengxiao has already clashed with ABCD in the grain and oil market, and the situation isn't very good..." Fan Hongyuan added.

"As expected, how could the Xu family possibly defeat them? But all of this isn't for nothing; the higher-ups will deal with these foreigners in the future..."

Two months later, in Africa.

Under the scorching sun, a convoy sped along a dusty highway across this ancient continent.

As per his previous agreement with Kosuke Saeki, Chen Xi planned to invest in agriculture here.

This trip is not solely for commercial investment; the Youth Returnees Association also aims to open up trade channels here due to the opening of the Silk Road.

Africa is vast, but not every place is suitable for doing business. Most people are familiar with South Africa, making it a top choice for investment from various countries.

China and island nations have invested more than $50 billion in South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, and other places.

The two countries also have different investment preferences, with very different types of agriculture, mining, and infrastructure, so there is virtually no conflict between them.

These areas are relatively safe, but other places are dangerous.

Conflicts are well-known in regions such as Somalia, northern Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Libya, almost daily.

"Vice President, this order is all up to you."

"Yes, Xiao Chen. My nephew said you're really capable; you've done a lot of big business overseas."

Chen Xi sat in the car, with two people constantly asking him questions behind him. He had heard the same things countless times along the way, and the two of them seemed like broken record machines.

Seeing that Chen Xi didn't speak, the middle-aged man rolled his eyes and said, "Little Chen, once this deal is done, you'll definitely get your share of the kickbacks."

“Mr. Zou, firstly, that should be called an intermediary service fee. Secondly, whether the deal goes through or not depends on you; it only works if you meet their conditions, right? Thirdly, you found this company yourself, and you only told me about it after you boarded the plane. I don’t think the success rate of forcing someone into this is high,” Chen Xi replied, arms crossed.

"Hey, Vice President. The President instructed us before we came that we absolutely must secure the business in Africa. Otherwise, Yang Xiao will laugh at us to death, won't he?" The young man behind him patted the chair, which made Chen Xi frown.

He glanced at the other person unhappily in the rearview mirror.

This Zou Zhi, why didn't he just say he was worried about your business deal falling through? Instead, he had to keep bringing up the association's reputation. He's really cunning.

And his uncle, he kept calling me "Little Chen," acting like I was his nephew, when he was clearly asking me for a favor.

The two who had just spoken were Zou Zhi and Zou Huajian. Zou Zhi was a member of the Overseas Returnees Association. Although he was called an overseas returnee, he had only studied in a small country in Southeast Asia and didn't even speak much English. His uncle, Zou Huajian, was in the engineering materials business and, through some connections, had gotten his company's name on the list, saying he wanted to take advantage of the Silk Road initiative to make a comeback.

"The competition in China has been so fierce these past few years. Look at this place, it's completely undeveloped. No wonder so many people tell me that Africa is full of gold!" Zou Huajian began to pontificate as he looked out the window at the dilapidated scene.

“Mr. Zou, this place isn’t as good as you think. Don’t be fooled by the fact that many areas are undeveloped; if you bring people and money here to build, it will most likely all go down the drain.” Chen Xi laughed at this country bumpkin.

"How could that be? Everyone says foreigners are the most trustworthy. Once a contract is signed, why would I be afraid they won't pay? If they don't pay, I'll sue them. I used to see news reports about people winning lawsuits against big companies, getting hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation! Yes, like KFC and McDonald's..." Zou Huajian then brought up news he had seen in China to refute this.

There are big black men everywhere here.

Still going to court?

They were lucky they didn't punch you twice.

If you piss these guys off, they might just kick you out.

Chen Xi sneered inwardly; he couldn't be bothered to explain.

In my past life, I did business with that black guy before, and he always ripped me off.

Linxi is really unreliable, bringing these two idiots over here, aren't they just dragging us down?

The two people in the back row were chatting and laughing, acting like they were on vacation, which annoyed him immensely.

"Oh, right, Vice President. Aren't you here to discuss business too? You'll be meeting someone else later, right? My uncle also has a friend here, so let's split up for now and meet up later," Zou Zhi suddenly said.

"Don't wander off. It's dangerous here. What did I tell you before we came out? You must stay with me," Chen Xi warned.

He wasn't just saying that offhand; Zou Zhi was a member of the association. If something happened to this guy, it wouldn't be good for his reputation.

"I know." Zou Zhi pursed his lips upon hearing this.

The car quickly arrived at its destination, the Serena Hotel in Tanzania.

Before Chen Xi and his group could even get out of the car, a group of people in uniforms carrying equipment surrounded them at the hotel entrance. They were scanning under the car with their devices, and there were even police dogs assisting.

Through the glass, Zou Zhi stared wide-eyed at the men holding AKs: "Is this some kind of movie shoot?"

"Wow, this looks like it's all bulletproof glass." After getting out of the car, Zhou Huajian stared at the hotel and said.

He works in the engineering materials industry, so naturally he's seen everything.

"These are guards sent by the local government. The elevator has both room key and fingerprint authentication, so you don't need to worry about security. There are also security bunkers underground. If you want to leave the city, we also provide a special armed escort team, which only costs $200 per trip!" The hotel manager, a Chinese man, enthusiastically introduced how amazing the hotel was to them.

In fact, Chen Xi knew that this hotel's security level wasn't the highest. In his previous life, he had seen much more advanced hotels, which not only had biometric access control but also electromagnetic fences, thermal imaging night vision surveillance, and independent helicopter emergency evacuation routes.

Zou Zhi was not the only association member who accompanied them; there were several others as well.

Their reaction after getting off the bus was similar to Zou Zhi's. After all, studying abroad usually takes place in developed and safe countries, and they had basically never seen such a scene before.

"Vice President, you said the hotel security here is strict when we arrived, but I didn't expect it to be this tight. Your uncle's hotel in South Africa must be even more impressive, right? This investment looks substantial; it must make a lot of money every year. I'm even thinking of having my dad open a hotel here." Qian Jiajia got out of another car and quietly approached Chen Xi, asking in a low voice. Her sweet voice was very soothing, like an ice-cold drink suddenly appearing on a hot summer day.

To prevent others from finding out about their relationship, Chen Xi specifically arranged for her to ride in another car, since Qian Jiajia was his surveillance device within the association.

"What's the use of making more money? It's not that easy to bring it back to China. Tell the others not to run around, especially that pair of idiots surnamed Zou." Chen Xi glanced at her as if they were strangers.

"I know, I know, don't be so cold-hearted. They're all staring at those guys with guns!" Qian Jiajia replied with a grin.

Chen Xi was speechless. He only found out that Qian Jiajia was on the travel list when he arrived at the airport. Otherwise, he would never have let a girl go to a place like Africa.

(I've been sick these past few days, with a fever. I have to catch a flight tomorrow morning, so I'll update this chapter first. I only wrote half of this chapter before, and it took me a long time to finish it. Just take a look!) (End of Chapter)