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

"Has Carsales reduced its investment in Australia and then invested the money overseas?" Chen Xi has been paying little attention to things in Australia lately, and he feels that Carsales no longer poses any threat to Real-Car.

“No, it seems he’s raised more money.” Oksana shook her head.

"It's true that the more the stock price falls, the more money they can raise," Chen Xi chuckled.

"How was my performance on stage today?" Oksana lay languidly on her side on the down-filled bed, her fingertips lightly tapping her temples, her other hand slowly stroking her silk nightgown. The hem of the skirt rose gently like a mimosa, creating soft folds at the back of her legs, revealing ivory-like, lustrous skin.

“Great! I hope you perform just as well later. Let me see how a professional model performs on the spot!” Chen Xi stood up with a grin.

Day two.

As soon as Chen Xi opened the door, he saw Qian Jiajia standing at the door, holding a laptop in her arms.

"Oh, up so early?" He yawned.

"I knocked on your door last night but there was no response, so I went back home after I saw you were asleep."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to discuss today's negotiations with you. Why are you so sleepy even though you went to bed so early last night?" Qian Jiajia asked, puzzled.

"Ah, I woke up inexplicably in the middle of the night, and then I couldn't fall back asleep."

"Did I wake you up by knocking on the door?"

"That shouldn't be it."

Looking at the apologetic face of the other person, Chen Xi touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly.

He thought for a moment and then said, "It's just business, no need to be so tense. Come on, let me tell you a story to lighten the mood. Imani shot Zou Huajian, but why didn't he die?"

"It didn't hit a vital spot."

"I clearly saw the bullet hit my chest," Chen Xi said, pointing to his left chest.

"why?"

"Because his heart was already in his throat."

"Giggle."

After hearing this, Qian Jiajia covered her mouth and laughed, her previous nervousness completely gone.

The two arrived at the restaurant, and although Qian Jiajia was eating, her eyes were not on the plate.

She put a piece of bacon in her mouth: "Vice President, why are those people over there always staring at you?"

Chen Xi glanced at Norbert not far away and said, "Heh, that fatso was my rival in Australia."

"Why is the woman next to him also staring at you? And her expression seems rather strange."

"Because I'm handsome!"

"..."

the other side.

“Oksana, a model’s career is very short. How about changing careers?” Norbert took a bite of his bread.

"To be your secretary? Boss, you've asked that so many times." Oksana said with a smile in her eyes.

Norbert has said the same thing countless times over the years.

“Although you are a well-known model now, you are also the face of the company. Just like a billboard, if you stop attracting customers, I will replace you at any time. Your living expenses are not small. If you lose your source of income, things like mortgage payments and car loans will become a problem. It would be more suitable for you to choose a stable career. After all, even the most beautiful woman cannot resist the passage of time.”

"If I get old, won't you just find a younger secretary to replace me?"

"Well, that's different. A woman with your qualifications has every chance of becoming my future wife."

"Boss, are you planning to get a divorce? Divorce in Australia is very risky. Do you really think you're capable of remarrying if you leave with nothing?"

"I was just using an analogy..."

Oksana is like a delicious cake that Norbert has been trying to devour for years, but without any success.

In the afternoon, in the meeting room where Norbert had been yesterday.

Thanks to the introductions from Schneider and Fang Haoran, the Minister of Energy was very enthusiastic towards Chen Xi: "Welcome to invest in South Africa!"

After sitting down, Chen Xi got straight to the point: "The main reason I came to South Africa this time is to solve the problems of food and electricity."

“Actually, you weren’t the only one here to discuss investment; some of the discussions also involved agriculture and electricity. But as you know, both investors and governments have limited resources at their disposal.” The Energy Minister took a sip of water.

He was worried that if Chen Xi tried to do two things at the same time, he would end up doing neither of them well.

Understanding the other party's thoughts, Chen Xi raised his hand and gestured to Qian Jiajia.

Qian Jiajia distributed the materials to everyone and then played a slideshow: "Currently, South Africa is overly reliant on food imports. To solve this, we must first localize our staple foods. Wheat and corn are essential products... Regarding electricity, the country's power plants are mainly thermal power plants, most of which were built between the 50s and 70s. Due to the limitations of technology and resources at the time, these power plants generally suffer from aging equipment and low efficiency. Our suggestion is to use distributed wind and solar power stations... Furthermore, we should address agriculture and electricity issues together. That is, an agricultural-photovoltaic poverty alleviation consortium! A bundled investment in corn processing plants, wind farms, and rooftop solar power. A corn cannery needs about 450 workers, and rooftop solar power can cover the entire plant's electricity needs..."

The Energy Minister was very interested in the proposal, but after thinking about it, he frowned: "Do you know why agriculture in Africa hasn't developed over the years?"

“Because this area was once ruled by whites, who allocated more than 80% of the country’s arable land to them. Black farmers lost their land heritage, traditional agricultural knowledge was disrupted, and the small-scale farming economy was destroyed. White farmers planted cash crops (coffee, sugarcane, grapes) on a large scale for export profits, rather than staple foods. This resulted in South Africa’s food self-sufficiency rate being less than 60%. But things are different now. South Africa began to be governed by blacks twenty years ago, and the land is gradually being returned to blacks,” Chen Xi replied.

"Well, another problem is that South Africa's land isn't very suitable for growing crops like corn and wheat. For example, this year there was a large-scale wheat crop failure in East Africa," the Energy Minister explained slowly.

He was referring to the area near Tanzania, where wheat stem rust did indeed break out this year, causing the complete annihilation of traditional varieties.

Chen Xi glanced at Qian Jiajia, who immediately added, "There are many factors that make South Africa unsuitable for growing staple crops. 60% of Africa's arable land is severely deficient in phosphorus, and traditional varieties have weak root systems that cannot absorb deep-seated phosphorus. There are also uncontrolled pests, extinct disease outbreaks, high temperatures that kill pollination, and insufficient rainfall, among others. Therefore, we plan to promote new varieties here, such as drought-resistant hybrid corn and saline-alkali land wheat. With drip irrigation technology, we expect to increase corn self-sufficiency to 80% within three years..."

The Energy Minister looked at Chen Xi with some skepticism: "Is this even feasible?"

“We’ve already tried it in East Africa, and the results were good. You can investigate if you don’t believe me. As for the wheat stem rust you mentioned earlier, it only kills traditional varieties and has no effect on our new varieties!” Chen Xi smiled.

Seeing that the other party was somewhat tempted, Qian Jiajia immediately unleashed her trump card: "These two industries can not only solve a large number of employment problems, but also give the government an excuse to reclaim a large amount of land. In addition, the power outage problem in South Africa has caused dissatisfaction among many citizens for many years. Under pressure from public opinion, the relevant departments will naturally conduct a thorough investigation. It's better to solve it sooner rather than later..."

The fact that bribery led to resource shortages and power outages in South Africa is something many people are aware of, and the Minister of Energy was naturally one of the beneficiaries. In fact, the higher authorities had already called for a thorough investigation, and he wanted to get rid of this burden as soon as possible.

“We will also expand into other businesses in the future, such as solar-powered mobile clinics that can provide electricity for vaccinations in remote villages. We also have automotive businesses in several countries, which we can also develop in South Africa…” Qian Jiajia continued.

However, the Energy Minister was no longer listening to what was said after that; he was currently comparing the terms offered by these businessmen in his mind.

As they walked out of the building, Qian Jiajia asked with some concern, "Vice President, Africa is so chaotic. Are you really that worried about making such a big investment? What if they try to rob us when the business takes off?"

Chen Xi chuckled upon hearing this: "Heh, I don't trust most Black people at all. To gain a foothold in Africa, you need to unite with the local Chinese and white people, since Black people are the most numerous. Almost every country has its own agricultural cooperatives, but Africa doesn't. If you want to change control over these Black people, you have to join forces with white capital."

In his view, these black people in Africa are poor, have low levels of education, and are prone to causing trouble from time to time. To manage these unruly people, you can't let them unite; the situation in Tanzania is a good example. White people have historical experience managing black people in Africa as plantation owners, and although times have changed and democracy is advocated, he still believes this method of governing black people is more effective.

Tanzania.

Zou Huajian, whose body was still wrapped in bandages, was already restless and didn't want to waste time lying in the hospital.

I went with my nephew to the company we had visited before, and thankfully the boss was still alive.

Because he didn't have much money on him, he could only find the cheapest translator.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've been in the hospital these past few days, so it's been inconvenient for me to come and sign the contract. As you know, I almost lost my life trying to rescue the Great Chief," Zou Huajian said ramblingly.

The black boss in front of him gave him a thumbs up: "You are truly a great hero of Tanzania!"

"Haha, then our order..." "No problem, as a hero, you should enjoy some discounts. The new contract will be modified from the previous one. Not only will we increase the purchase volume, but you will also earn an additional 5% profit."

"Great, great! I love doing business with foreigners. Our domestic bosses are so stingy, they practically want you to work for free."

Zou Huajian laughed happily.

He winked at the translator beside him, who whispered, "I've reviewed the contract, there are no problems!"

Zou Huajian cautiously glanced at his nephew, Zou Zhi.

Zou Zhi looked up: "It's about the same as before... about the same..."

His English wasn't good to begin with, so he only understood a little bit of it.

"Happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

Without much hesitation, Zou Huajian reached out and made a deal with the other party.

A week later.

Norbert, who had just learned that his investment application for a project in South Africa had been approved, was happily sipping his drink.

"Boss, I just found out. Chen Xi also passed this time." At this moment, his subordinate hurriedly reported.

"Oh? What project did he work on?"

"Agriculture and electricity."

"Haha, if he can make it work, I'll teach kangaroos how to drive electric cars! Everyone knows why South Africa has no electricity. It's because the coal is being sold off. This kid probably wants to buy the power plants here cheaply and then monopolize South Africa's electricity. Heh, what a pipe dream!"

Norbert laughed so hard that he spilled the wine from his glass.

"Boss, where are we going next?"

"Of course I'm going to South Korea! I'm going to give that yellow-skinned monkey a good dressing down. He used to always be bossing me around, but now the company's all mine."

Norbert was furious at the thought of how Kim Junsu had treated him in the past.

“The South Korean car market is too small. I always felt that acquiring their company would not be a wise move.”

"Idiot, don't be so short-sighted. South Korea has a unique geographical location, with China and Japan on its left and right. We can use it as a springboard to develop in both directions."

"Yes, yes, you really think ahead, boss!"

The subordinates echoed in agreement.

Chen Xi had already returned to China from South Africa by this time.

He heard that a powerful financial boss had come to Xinlu and even came to the company specifically to see him.

Ding Ningwen and Yizubao were very famous in his previous life, so it would be impossible for Chen Xi not to have heard of them.

Given the circumstances of his previous life, Ding Ningwen was already preparing to go abroad, so why did she come to the company to find him?

He still couldn't quite understand this.

Today, the Xinlu Municipal Government held a meeting, and Chen Xi, who had just returned from abroad, was also invited to attend.

Inside the venue, Chen Xi sat next to Chen Yifeng. The two stared at each other, neither speaking for a long time.

Actually, both of them had a lot of complaints they wanted to tell each other. But every time, no matter who spoke up, it always ended in anger, so now they both chose to keep quiet.

"Hey, you two are really funny, father and son. Are you playing the role of wooden figures?" A mocking voice rang out, and the two turned around to see Yang Dingtian.

There was a young man standing next to him.

There were quite a few people at the meeting today, including Shi Danai, who hadn't been there before.

This guy hasn't been doing too well lately. He lost a lot of money on his oil field investments, and the sales of his "Golden Health Wine" were a complete disaster. After all that, Shi Danai has honestly returned to his old profession—gaming and finance.

"Oh, father and son teaming up!" Shi Danai couldn't help but blurt out when he saw Chen Yifeng.

Chen Yifeng glanced at the other person, too lazy to answer.

The meeting began quickly after the leaders arrived.

Because the whole country is currently focused on GDP growth, and Xinlu is the provincial capital, Wu Wanrong immediately addressed this topic: "In the first half of this year, our city's GDP increased by 10.5% year-on-year, accounting for 25.7% of the province's total economic output, ranking among the top provincial capital cities nationwide in terms of growth rate. However, we are also keenly aware that compared with other central cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, Xinlu's economic development still lags significantly behind, with its total economic output only about 60% of that of Qinhuai City. As an emerging city in the Yangtze River Delta integration development strategy, Xinlu is at a critical stage of transformation and upgrading. Although we started late, I believe that under the strong leadership of the municipal party committee and government, with the strong support of all sectors of society, and through the joint efforts of all the people of the city, we will definitely be able to achieve leapfrog development. All of this requires the joint efforts of everyone present!"

As they talked, Wu Wanrong got to the point: "Last time, Yucheng Group signed a cooperation agreement with the local government, planning to invest 1.5 billion yuan to build a big data center in Xinlu. Now let President Ding talk about the specifics."

Ding Ningwen picked up the microphone and said, "Our Yucheng Group is preparing to build Asia's largest financial data center..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi, sitting in his seat, was shocked. He knew about this project in his previous life; it was a complete scam. Ding Ningwen had completely fooled the leaders of Xinlu, and was now trying to abscond with their money.

This project is essentially a ploy to disguise illegal fundraising activities as technological innovation, using popular concepts like internet finance and big data to gain public trust and conceal its Ponzi scheme nature. Secondly, he's planning to abscond with the funds, intending to pull off a clever escape before leaving, making people believe he's still operating within the country.

“This project involves multiple companies. Now, let’s hear what Mr. Yang has to say.” Ding Ningwen gestured for him to speak.

This request was something Yang Dingtian had privately discussed with Ding Ningwen; he just wanted to make a good impression at the meeting. After all, he used to be unable to even attend large conferences, so now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to go on stage and say a few words.

"I am deeply honored to cooperate with Yucheng Group. As an entrepreneur from Jianghuai Province, although my abilities are limited, I, Yang Dingtian, have more ambition than some who are stuck in the old ways. I will also actively respond to the government's call and do my part for the development and construction of my hometown!" Yang Dingtian said this while deliberately glancing at Chen Yifeng, who had a sullen face. He continued, "As an important member of the Yangtze River Delta and one of the four major science and education cities in the country, Xinlu boasts top research institutions such as Huazhong University of Science and Technology. We must not lag behind in the field of technological innovation. Look at the neighboring provincial capital, Wulin, which is already far ahead in the field of big data. We must seize the opportunity of the Yangtze River Delta integration and contribute more to the development of our hometown! There are still many things needed for the project. President Ding invited President Chen to join us before, but President Chen said he would consider it. Quite some time has passed, and I wonder if President Chen..."

"Huh? Me? I have some different opinions regarding Xinlu's development strategy. Urban development is certainly important, but the standards for attracting companies need to be strictly controlled. We should not only look at their economic contributions, but also pay attention to their legality and compliance. In this era of high information transparency, any violation by a company could cause irreversible damage to the city's image."

Users are now practically naked, their personal information being sold to all sorts of industries. Whether a company complies with the law or not is largely related to its management. I remember once when I was a child, I was on my way to school and we encountered a red light, and my father stopped the car and waited patiently.

However, a Mercedes ran a red light at a very high speed. Later, when I got to school, I learned that the car was driven by my classmate Yang Dan's father. Yang Dan then mocked me several times, saying we were cowards for waiting at a red light.

"I wonder if people who don't even follow traffic rules will abide by information protection laws? Mr. Yang just said he's daring, and I don't deny that, because I've seen it all since I was a kid," Chen Xi replied with a smile.

The atmosphere at the scene froze instantly.

"I was asking about General Manager Chen!" Yang Dingtian coughed lightly.

"Am I not?" Chen Xi pointed to himself, looking puzzled.

An eerie silence fell over the meeting room. Yang Dingtian's face was visibly flushed, his suit and tie heaving with his rapid breathing. His clenched fists trembled slightly on the conference table, but he ultimately refrained from lashing out, mindful of the occasion.

The leaders and entrepreneurs seated on both sides lowered their heads and pursed their lips; some pretended to flip through documents, while others used water glasses to cover their mouths. Only the occasional soft coughs betrayed the suppressed laughter they were trying to maintain.

Chen Yifeng turned his head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The young man standing before me, speaking eloquently, was completely different from the son I remembered.

In his memory, Chen Xi was an introverted type who was ruthless and didn't talk much, but now?

Wu Wanrong and other leaders looked rather grim after hearing Chen Xi's words.

Chen Xi understood this as well.

The Xinlu government has already signed an agreement with Yucheng Group, and you still said what you just said at the meeting. Aren't you going against the leader?

But there's nothing that can be done about it; Ding Ningwen is probably going to run away soon. He talked to Wu Wanrong privately, and then the leadership team would have to hold another meeting. Dragging this project along will inevitably make it onto television and become a laughingstock in the eyes of the whole country.

So it's better to bring it up at this meeting; better to suffer sooner rather than later. After all, Wu Wanrong had been quite kind to him before, and he didn't want the other party to suffer. (End of Chapter)