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

"Oh? The goods I need to deliver aren't just grain, but also appliances and daily necessities. Your vehicle looks good, but it doesn't seem to meet the requirements. You know, appliances are very easy to break, and besides, large items like refrigerators and washing machines are heavy for this vehicle..." Chen Xi said, staring at the other party's old-fashioned bicycle.

Because the cargo can only be placed in the back seats of this vehicle, it cannot carry much cargo at all.

"That's not a problem at all. I've already saved up some money and I'm planning to modify the bike. I'll extend the back seat so I can fit larger items. When I'm not carrying cargo, I can also give people rides to earn money, and I can take my wife and kids out shopping..." Ao Debiao exaggeratedly made various gestures towards the back of his bicycle, as if he were describing some amazing invention to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi looked at the other person with surprise: "You don't look that old, yet you already have a wife and children?"

"Of course, I'm over twenty. I have two kids now, which is considered late marriage and few children in our village. My wife is a well-known beauty in the village..." Audrey spoke of his family with great enthusiasm.

A scene immediately flashed through Chen Xi's mind: a burly Black woman and Audrey in bed...

He shuddered and banished the horrifying image from his mind.

"Alright, work hard. You won't be shortchanged on your wages, and there will be appliance bonuses for outstanding performance!" Chen Xi promised the black men a rosy picture.

"Home appliances? I've wanted a TV for a long time."

"I want a refrigerator."

Several Black people cheered upon hearing this.

But soon, they lowered their heads again.

Houses in the north are probably all occupied now, so where would there be room to put appliances?
Seeing what they were thinking, Chen Xi waved his hand and said, "Don't be so discouraged. The international situation is constantly changing, and there might be good news in a few days. Besides, you can settle down elsewhere with the money you make. A safer place is more suitable for your family."

The black men nodded after listening.

That's true. As long as you have money in your pocket, isn't it the same wherever you go?

As night deepened, the clock hands quietly pointed to nine o'clock.

The scorching sun that had baked the earth during the day had long since lost its edge, and the temperature was slowly dropping like the receding tide. The palm leaves in the hotel garden swayed gently, making a soft rustling sound.

Qian Jiajia stood at the door and couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps rising on her arms. She instinctively hugged her arms; the temperature difference between day and night was quite significant. It had been so hot in the afternoon that one wanted to crawl into an ice cellar, but now, wearing short sleeves, she felt a bit chilly.

The security personnel on duty stood outside, their gun barrels gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"What the hell? Why aren't they back yet?" Chen Xi sat on the sofa, smoking with a sullen face.

Several people were robbed, scammed, and robbed during the day. Those two idiots surnamed Zou, who knows what they've been up to, haven't returned to the hotel yet.

“Vice President, the people here are really wicked. We saw some pitiful children, so we gave them some money, but we were scammed…”

"Yes, I was sitting in the car taking pictures with my phone when someone reached out and snatched my phone, then immediately disappeared into the crowd..."

"I was eating at a restaurant, and my wallet was gone after I finished. The owner even accused me of trying to dine and dash. Luckily, Qian Jiajia came to my rescue..."

Several people in the association complained all night. They were all international students and were considered well-informed, but they were completely fooled when they came here.

"There's no way around it. There's a saying that bad people come from poor and remote places, and this is obviously referring to this place." Chen Xi exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Vice President, you're so experienced. How have you always handled these kinds of situations before?" someone asked.

Chen Xi thought for a moment: "The first option is to pretend to fight and scare them away. You need to be firm. The softer you are, the more they will bully you. Most scoundrels are just paper tigers. In fact, they are also afraid of conflicts with foreigners, after all, it involves diplomacy. Besides, it would be very troublesome to encounter someone with connections... The second option is to run away, run as fast as you can. If you stay and argue with those guys, you're doomed..."

Chen Xi hadn't mentioned the third possibility, which was actually taking action against the other party. Most Chinese people are too timid when they're abroad, which is why they're always bullied.

Upon hearing this, no one spoke.

Compared to those burly, large Black men, their physiques didn't seem to intimidate them at all. And when it came to running, how could they possibly outrun those natural athletes?

At this moment, Qian Jiajia walked over with her phone, complaining, "I called several times, and they all said they were on their way."

"It's good that no one is missing. Everyone, if you're tired, go back and rest." Chen Xi waved his hand.

Those two guys surnamed Zou actually took Song Siming with them when they went out. If anything happens to all three of them, I doubt anyone will dare to lead a team after him.

About ten minutes later, several jeeps drove into the hotel. Chen Xi looked at the cars outside and glanced at the hotel manager in surprise.

The latter, with his large belly, trotted out and enthusiastically opened the car door: "Dear guest, are you satisfied with the fleet's service?"

Zou Huajian got out of the car with a gloomy face, pointed at the manager and said, "I'm satisfied with your mother..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw Chen Xi standing at the door. He swallowed his words and then put on a smiling face.

“Wow, Africa really is a land of gold. My old friends are all doing quite well here… Oh dear, I’m a bit late. Xiao Chen, were you waiting long?” Zou Huajian deliberately glanced at his watch.

"Did you leave the city?" Chen Xi asked with a stern face.

The hotel manager had mentioned that they offered armed vehicle pick-up and drop-off services outside the city when we arrived.

"I haven't gone far, I haven't gone far. I'm back now. Little Chen, don't be so nervous. Your Uncle Zou has been traveling all over the country for so many years, and I'm perfectly fine." Zou Huajian walked into the hall with a smile, pretending that nothing had happened.

"Coming back so late, things probably aren't going to be peaceful. Look at Zou Zhi's face, he's almost crying." Chen Xi raised the corner of his mouth and pointed to the young man behind Zou Huajian.

“He’s just a little carsick! You know, these are all dirt roads, very bumpy,” Zou Huajian said, his face slightly flushed. However, he quickly noticed that the hotel manager was chatting happily with the black men who had protected them during the day.

This made Zou Huajian so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

Damn it, I got ripped off today.

A trip for $200 is a total rip-off!

Zou Huajian immediately recalled the events of the day.

The three of them rode in a jeep out of the city, chatting and laughing all the way.

“Look at all these dilapidated houses, they’re full of business opportunities. I can just bring any construction team here and they’ll make a fortune,” Zou Huajian said from inside his car.

"Uncle, if we close this deal, we'll be rich!" Zou Zhi's eyes were full of excitement.

"It seems like you can't make money building commercial housing here. People's living standards aren't high. I heard that the only profitable projects here are factories and the like..." Song Siming poured cold water on the two of them.

"Xiao Song, you should broaden your horizons. Look at South Africa, it's much richer than here, every place is developing. If you don't build some nice buildings, why will rich people come here?"

"Uncle Zou, you've been to South Africa?"

“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard about it from friends. It’s just like in China. Even the poorest places will be developed, right…” Zou Huajian tried to explain.

Just as he was launching into his long speech, the car suddenly stopped in front of a checkpoint.

The Black man in the front passenger seat suddenly turned around and grinned at Zou Huajian: "Boss, it's time to pay." "Pay? Pay what?" Zou Huajian was completely bewildered.

"The money to get through the checkpoints."

"This isn't a tollbooth, why do you need to pay? Why didn't we have to pay at the previous checkpoints?" Zou Huajian frowned.

On the way here, we passed through several checkpoints, and the driver only exchanged a few words with the other party before letting us through.

"That money was paid in advance by us. We thought it would be enough, but the price has recently gone up."

"Didn't we agree on $200 when we came out?"

"That's for travel expenses; toll fees are separate."

"I TM..."

Zou Huajian wanted to get angry when he heard this, but after looking at the weapon in the other person's hand, he swallowed his curses.

"I won't pay this money. You can either turn around and go back." Zou Huajian crossed his arms and closed his eyes to rest.

At that moment, several black men with guns at the checkpoint outside the car came over immediately after receiving a signal from the driver. One of them knocked on the back window.

Zou Huajian was startled and shakily rolled down the car window.

The other person pointed ahead and rattled off a bunch of gibberish in a language he couldn't understand. But Zou Huajian knew this guy wanted money.

Left with no other choice, he could only take out a few bills from his wallet.

He thought paying once would be the end of it, but he encountered several more obstacles. After all that back and forth, he finally ran out of cash before returning to the hotel.

Not long after, the manager had some food brought over, saying the meal was free. Zou Huajian, who was eating, glared at the manager, but the manager just smiled and didn't say anything.

Not wanting to lose face, Zou Huajian could only bury his anger in his heart. He looked at Chen Xi beside him and said, "Little Chen, my business..."

“Want to talk business? Sure. I can help you, but you and Zou Zhi shouldn’t run around like that again.” Chen Xi raised his eyes.

"Of course, no problem." Zou Huajian nodded readily.

He's been swindled out of all his cash today, where would he get the money to run around?
In this small town, ATMs don't support cash withdrawals from domestic bank cards, so he plans to have his nephew borrow some money from someone first.

Two days later, in Zou Huajian's room.

"I really didn't expect this business deal to go so smoothly. It seems Chen Xi has a lot of resources," Zou Zhi said excitedly, holding a document in his hand.

"What ability does he have! We found this company; he just talked a bit, he's basically a translator. On the way back yesterday, he even mentioned some kind of brokerage fee to me, how shameless... As the saying goes, the more you work, the more you earn, I think this brokerage fee should be discounted. Making millions just by saying a few words, this money is too easy to earn..." Zou Huajian curled his lip, a cigarette dangling from his hand, his ulterior motives completely exposed.

"Uncle, you mean..." Zou Zhi was stunned.

"Didn't I just say that he didn't put in much effort? Why should we pay him so much? This job could be done by any translator for just a few thousand dollars."

"This isn't a good idea. If word gets out, how will I be able to work in the association?"

"What are you afraid of? Can't you use your brain? The contract hasn't been signed yet. Just tell that guy surnamed Chen that our calculations were wrong and that we won't make any profit from the terms they offered. Then sign the contract with that company privately... That's how it's done in China. Xiao Zhi, you haven't been out of school for long, you still need to learn more about the real world!" Zou Huajian said earnestly.

Many people in China often talk about "social experience," but in this era, the term "social experience" has long lost its original meaning.

At dinner parties, there are always people who pat their chests and impart their so-called high emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills: how to get the client drunk at the dinner table, how to hide traps in the contract, and how to use persuasive language to entice consumers.

In the office, seasoned veterans patiently demonstrate how to shirk responsibility and pass the buck to colleagues. Even university career guidance courses have begun teaching interview techniques on how to lie without being caught.

'Social experience' simply refers to how to scam others or how not to get scammed.

Some people proudly claim to have extensive social experience, but if Chen Xi heard this, he would think it was a tragedy for society because trust between people is getting lower and lower.

Is it like flaunting "I've been fooled more times than you've eaten salt" as an achievement in life? It's twisting "not being gullible" into some kind of survival wisdom.

People read through three pages of negative reviews before ordering takeout, record the entire taxi ride, and check a potential partner's credit history before meeting them on a blind date... People treat every stranger like a thief, yet they euphemistically call this neurotic vigilance "social experience."

Zou Zhiyi heard that no one would know, and that many people in China did the same thing, so he didn't say anything more.

It's several million dollars, who wouldn't want to save that much?

However, the two were so excited that they were talking quite loudly, unaware that someone outside the door was pressing their ear against the door and listening to everything.

Chen Xi was in his room, holding a laptop and watching the news. He wanted to see what the attitudes of the north and other countries were.

According to his understanding, Africa is a place where no region seems peaceful. Unless you are a large corporation with a powerful armed force for protection, you are very likely to be taken advantage of.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong." Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Chen Xi stood up and opened the door, only to see Qian Jiajia looking around like a thief.

Before he could speak, the other person ducked and slipped into the room.

"What's wrong?" Chen Xi found it somewhat amusing.

Qian Jiajia was a bit different from the girls he had known before; she was rather quirky and mischievous.

"Oh dear, I just went to Zou Zhi's room and overheard some things that are not good for you, Vice President," Qian Jiajia said, gesturing wildly.

What are you going to do there?

“Zou Zhi said yesterday that he had run out of money and asked me to borrow some. I told him that the association would cover his food and lodging, and that he could just come with us. But he insisted on keeping some money for himself, so I went over to give him the money…”

"Oh, continue." Chen Xi nodded.

So Qian Jiajia recounted exactly what she had overheard. After finishing, she waved her little fist and said, "That Zou Huajian is really a scoundrel. He made you do the thing first, and then he went back on his word."

Chen Xi didn't react much after hearing this. He shrugged and said, "It's nothing. It's common in China. It's good if one or two out of ten transactions are completed. Real estate agents are a good example. After the buyer and seller meet through the agent, they will secretly make the transaction, which saves them two agent fees."

"So what do you plan to do? Go directly to confront them?" Qian Jiajia asked.

"I'm not that free. Actually, they found this company themselves. I just used my connections to help them out." Chen Xi shook his head.

"Using connections doesn't cost money, I just can't stand people who break their promises." Qian Jiajia crossed her arms and pouted.

"Hehe, let them go sign the contract. It's not as simple as they think. I met with the people from that company yesterday, and they're no pushovers either. Consider it a dog-eat-dog fight..." Chen Xi suddenly laughed. (End of Chapter)