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

"Mr. Duan, there was a news story a few days ago that you probably missed. It was about someone pushing an electric scooter into an elevator, and the scooter caught fire while it was going up, resulting in everyone in the elevator being burned to death. There are many similar news stories... I bet that in the future, most residential communities will ban electric scooters from elevators, making it difficult to charge them at home." Chen Xi pointed to his phone.

"Not a short time has passed, and the policy to ban student loans that President Chen mentioned last time hasn't materialized yet." Duan Yixiong began to change the subject, which was actually what he wanted to say; the previous remarks were just a prelude.

"Almost there, almost there, it's not time yet."

"Alright, then let's wait and see."

After saying that, Duan Yixiong leaned back in his chair.

“The company’s initial investment was enormous, so we need to think about how to generate returns in the short term. President Chen has already set a good example. Everyone is welcome to share their ideas.” Fan Hongyuan smiled and looked around at everyone.

At this moment, Wang Xianqi was sitting on the chair at the very end, looking down at his phone.

Wang Zhi glared at his son and gently tapped the table.

Startled, Wang Xianqi quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket. He looked around in a panic, his eyes meeting Fan Hongyuan's.

Fan Hongyuan raised his hand at him like an elementary school teacher, his eyes conveying a sense of urgency to answer the question quickly.

Glancing at his father's disapproving expression, Wang Xianqi could only steel himself and say, "Have you all noticed a new company lately—Pinduoduo? Their business model is to attract consumers with low prices. Users can ask their friends and family to help them cut prices and thus achieve low-cost shopping... Why can't we apply this to selling agricultural products?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Hongyuan's face immediately darkened. He suppressed his anger and said, "Do you know how low the prices of agricultural products are right now? Many farmers haven't used mechanized farming because they don't have enough land and it's not worth it, and secondly, they're unwilling to use it. We've been promoting loans in some impoverished areas, but no one is willing to lend to us. Pinduoduo is cutting prices so drastically; if they cut prices like that, the farmers probably won't be able to survive."

“But nowadays everyone talks about small profits and quick turnover; they can’t afford not to adapt to the market,” Wang Xianqi retorted.

"Small profits and quick turnover make money for large farmers and agricultural enterprises, but ordinary farmers will be ruined. If we want farmers to live a good life, we can only raise prices and make sure that the money they receive is substantial." Fan Hongyuan wasn't just saying this to Wang Xianqi, but to everyone present.

It's not that Fan Hongyuan cares so much about farmers, but rather that the policies concerning agriculture, rural areas, and farmers have been continuously emphasized and improved by the country for many years. If anything were to go wrong, his political career would be over.

"Under the current market conditions, my country's agricultural product price formation mechanism does indeed face structural contradictions. On the one hand, the small-scale farming model results in weak bargaining power for farmers, and there are real obstacles to the promotion of mechanization. On the other hand, the trend of consumption upgrading requires the establishment of a more reasonable value transmission channel. President Feng didn't come to the meeting today because he was busy inspecting the operation of Hippo Fresh Food Store. The prices at Hippo Fresh Food Store are not cheap, and the majority of customers are middle-class. Once everyone gradually gets used to these prices, we will raise the prices of grain in other places a little bit. However, this is a strategy made under the condition that the overall economic environment is relatively good. If one day the economic environment deteriorates and people's consumption downgrades, then there will be more complaints. Leader, you should be prepared for this," Chen Xi joked.

In his previous life, he had joked with Fan Hongyuan in private, and he felt that this leader was quite easy to get along with.

"That's not a problem. Domestic grain prices are mainly determined by market supply and demand, and the government regulates them through macroeconomic policies. As long as the price increase isn't too outrageous, it's fine..." Fan Hongyuan didn't take this seriously.

Large-scale farmers are producing too much grain right now. Even with the strategy of "small profits but quick turnover," a large portion of their fruits and vegetables will still expire and have to be disposed of. Perhaps they should learn from island nations and directly raise prices, making farmers wealthier on average.

“I think it’s better to take the financial route, promoting a futures + insurance model. In major soybean producing areas, we can guide farmers to lock in forward prices through futures companies and purchase price insurance at the same time. For example, farmers in a certain county can use soybean futures contracts on a commodity exchange to receive compensation of XX yuan per ton when prices fall. Cotton growers can also purchase put options, which will automatically trigger compensation when the market price is lower than the target price. We should also develop an order-based agricultural loan, such as vegetable bases partnering with banks to issue loans using Hippo Fresh purchase contracts as collateral, with interest rates 1.5 percentage points lower than ordinary business loans. There’s also the need to upgrade agricultural insurance…” The three representatives from Huaxin Group began to express their opinions.

The projects they mentioned were all beneficial to their own company. Fan Hongyuan neither objected nor agreed after listening, only saying that they would discuss it later.

Everyone knows how murky the domestic insurance industry is; even city dwellers struggle to navigate insurance companies, let alone farmers. Their suggestions reveal a clear underlying issue.

After the meeting, Chen Xi found Wang Xianqi.

"What are you doing? You've been looking down at your phone the whole time. Did you meet up with another girl?"

He said that because Wang Xianqi really liked to pick up girls. Even though he already had a girlfriend, he still had many other girls in contact with.

"No...no way." Wang Xianqi waved his hand. "My dad needs to see me, I have to go." Suddenly remembering something, he said this and hurriedly left.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Chen Xi shrugged.

An hour later, the Youth Returnees Association.

"Haha, we've really struck it rich this time. More and more people are using their cards, and we're almost out of POS machines." Linxi sat on the sofa with a happy expression.

Most people own several POS machines to avoid having all their transactions recorded at a single merchant, which could give banks an excuse to lower their credit limits. POS machines that accept card payments are popular due to their low transaction fees and ease of use, and sales are steadily increasing.

"Hmm? How come so many people are cashing out?" Chen Xi asked, looking at the documents in his hand.

"Isn't it all because of Yizubao? These people deposited the money they got from cashing out their credit cards into Yizubao, and the returns were far greater than bank interest. Who wouldn't want to make money while lying down?"

"not good."

"What's wrong with it? I think it's excellent."

Chen Xi's whisper left Lin Xi feeling bewildered.

"Don't you have any doubts about Ezubao's high returns?"

"What's the big deal? It was recommended by XTV. Are you worried about it being a flop? That's none of our business."

"When the system collapses, all this money is gone. How will they cover the losses on their credit cards? When banks start chasing debts, it will create a domino effect, and fewer and fewer people will use our POS machines. No, I should say that the number of people using credit cards nationwide will decrease."

Chen Xi's words startled Lin Xi, who had been beaming with joy, and she suddenly stood up.

"so what should I do now?"

"First, all banks suddenly raised their risk control levels, directly judging cardholders as maliciously withdrawing cash, and demanding that they quickly replenish their cards or their credit limits be reduced or their cards blocked. Second, before Ezubao collapsed, they quickly provided solid evidence to their superiors to report it, preventing their funds from being completely transferred out. If the process is followed, investors will recover a portion of their funds..."

Both methods are extremely difficult to implement. The reason Ezubao was able to grow so large wasn't because Ding Ningwen was exceptionally talented, but rather because of the convergence of interests from multiple parties. Bringing it down will not be an easy task.

Furthermore, getting all banks to collectively raise their risk control levels is simply impossible. "Isn't that just nonsense? Can you order all the banks to do that?"

"I can't do it, but there are definitely people who can."

Chen Xi gave a wry smile.

He did know who could accomplish this task, but given their status, how could they possibly meet with him?
"There's nothing we can do about it now, that's a problem for the future. Who knows when Yizubao will collapse? I heard you did quite well in Africa this time, a lot of people in the association made deals. But what happened to Zou Zhi? How could you lead a team that resulted in someone's uncle getting injured and hospitalized?" Lin Xi still asked about Zou Huajian.

After all, Zou Zhi was considered one of his men.

"Heh, it's a miracle that guy even survived. I just arrived at the airport and you suddenly dumped two unruly guys on me. What could I do?" Chen Xi shrugged.

“I called Yang Xiao yesterday. Their factory in Tanzania suffered significant losses, while we made a fortune, hehe.” Lin Xi was quite pleased with herself when she thought about it.

"Why are you so happy? I heard the other teams didn't do very well," Chen Xi suddenly poured cold water on the situation.

He wasn't the only one leading the Silk Road expedition this time; other countries also had their own leaders, and even Xu Yun personally took part in the effort.

He knew exactly what kind of fool Xu Yun was. Qian Jiajia had inquired around for him and found out that after she left, she took the members to various tourist attractions every day to play and take pictures, and one member even got lost. As for the theft and being scammed, he couldn't be bothered to ask about it in detail.

"Hehe, Xu Yun... let's keep her in the association next time. The others don't have much experience either, they'll get used to it after a while..." Lin Xi smiled awkwardly.

The thought of Xu Yun posting all sorts of selfies in group chats and on Weibo every day after she left made him furious.

"Clap, clap." Speak of the devil, and he appears. Xu Yun strode in, her high heels clicking as she pushed open the door.

She pulled down her sunglasses, glanced at Linxi sideways, and asked, "Why did you suddenly call me back? I haven't finished playing... I haven't finished my business yet."

“It’s not suitable for you to be out in the wind and sun. It’s much better to have air conditioning in the office. I’m often busy with business in Shanghai, and someone has to keep an eye on things at the association.” This wasn’t the first time Lin Xi had dealt with Xu Yun; the two had argued several times before. He had finally come to the conclusion that you should never argue with this woman, because he was no match for Xu Yun.

"Yeah, that's true. I've been running around a lot lately, and my skin has gotten a bit darker." Xu Yun responded and sat down on the sofa, then pointed to her fair arms.

Chen Xi and Lin Xi exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile.

This woman is truly extraordinary...

"Let me tell you, this time I ran into Yang Xiao's gang. Those stubborn guys actually provoked me, and I beat them so badly they had to change hotels..." After sitting down, Xu Yun began to talk non-stop about her achievements.

Chen Xi looked at this woman and couldn't help but feel speechless. If her father hadn't been from the Xu family, he probably would have been beaten up long ago.

"By the way, I heard you encountered war in Africa. That's such a pity, I've never seen a war in my life!"

"Um... if you had been there, I probably wouldn't have made it back."

Chen Xi gave a casual reply.

Zou Huajian was already giving him a headache; if Xu Yun were added to the mix, he wouldn't even dare to think about it.

“I saw a lot of new business models during my trip abroad. Have you heard of BNPL?” Xu Yun began to show off.

Linxi shook her head.

"It's short for Buy Now Pay Later, which means buy now and pay later! It's a new business model promoted by Affirm, a company founded by the co-founder of PayPal. I think it can be promoted in China, as it can stimulate people's consumption."

What Xu Yun was talking about wasn't unheard of in China in her previous life; Taobao had launched a "buy now, pay later" model.

While Affirm's BNPL did indeed lead to a surge in sales for merchants, a large number of people subsequently chose not to pay.

As a result, this buy-now-pay-later model caused Affirm to lose hundreds of millions of dollars every year, and this situation continued for 10 years before it began to improve.

However, domestic e-commerce platforms are cunning and profit from the risk-free increase in sales volume through BNPLs. They directly shift these losses onto merchants, ultimately leading to a large number of merchants choosing to quit.

Buyers can fabricate or falsely report issues such as product damage or dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the "7-day no-reason return policy" is nothing more than an unfair contract clause imposed on merchants by the platform.

Chen Xi felt it was best to avoid doing things where he got all the meat while others didn't even get a sip. He shook his head and said, "I often see news reports of trucks overturning on highways, with villagers rushing to grab the goods. If this model were implemented, the result would be predictable. However, this model is suitable for domestic companies going global. Cooperating with foreign BNPL platforms can greatly increase sales and reduce risks."

“What’s wrong with doing it? Look at Pinduoduo, which recently appeared. Isn’t it just copying the American model from a few years ago? And look at Alibaba and Tencent, aren’t they all copied and then modified?” Xu Yun said indignantly.

Indeed, Pinduoduo's model is actually copied from the American cross-border e-commerce platform Wish and Groupon. These two companies were established several years ago, and Pinduoduo combined the two and adapted them to suit the domestic environment.

"I'm not short of money right now, so I don't want to be scolded, haha!" Chen Xi touched his nose.

“I think young people nowadays just like to get things for free; they feel like they’re losing out if they spend even a penny more. If we don’t go for low prices or pay-first-use-later strategies, fewer and fewer people will consume our services,” Xu Yun added.

"Then think about it the other way around. Isn't it all because of the big companies that people are like this? If this continues, it will be hard to change. It's like free online movies. Users want to watch videos and get them for free, while platforms want to make money from advertising. In the end, users get used to it and stop spending money, businesses stop advertising on the platform because they can't make money, the platform can't provide free movies to users because it has no money, and companies will cut wages and exploit workers because they're not doing well. Then it's all just mutual complaining..." Chen Xi lit a cigarette.

"As long as we make our own money, why should we care about others and society? We're not government leaders!" Xu Yun didn't understand what the other person was thinking.

Not only did she not understand, but even Linxi, who was standing next to her, couldn't figure it out.

"Making a lot of money in China isn't a big deal. The real skill is not only making money, but also having the opportunity to spend it," Chen Xi said, shrugging. (End of Chapter)