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

"Qingqing, where is Xiaodan? She's not answering her phone. Could she have secretly come back?" Yang Dingtian asked his daughter as soon as he returned to his office after the meeting.

"Dad, you should stop those businesses... We've already made enough money." Yang Qing whispered, trying to persuade him.

“Some things aren’t as simple as you think. Look at those big bosses, they all have more money than they could spend in several lifetimes. Have they ever stopped? It’s not like I can stop just because I want to. I don’t want you to get involved in these things because I want you to live a peaceful life from now on. When the time is right, you can take Xiaodan abroad, and I’ll take care of everything else,” Yang Dingtian said with a stern face.

"dad……"

"Alright, let's settle on this for now. We'll contact Xiaodan first, I'm just worried that kid'll cause trouble again." He rubbed his temples in frustration.

Yang Qing didn't want to say anything more, so she left the office and continued to call Yang Dan, but the phone was always switched off.

Yang Dan was busy with his business at that moment.

A few years ago, online lottery was booming, and even big companies like NetEase entered the market.

However, this year, the government issued a decree banning online lottery sales. Almost overnight, all kinds of lottery apps were taken down, and even a legitimate lottery company shut down its online business.

The previously fiercely competitive market suddenly became vacant, and Yang Dan seized the opportunity to consolidate those small lottery websites, quickly achieving a monopoly.

His way of making money is simple: he claims to buy all kinds of lottery tickets from around the world on behalf of people, with various ways to play.

But in reality, they never actually buy tickets.

If a user wins a small prize, the platform pays them out in full. But if they win a big prize, the platform simply shuts down the account. Since the probability of winning a big prize is extremely low, no one has noticed anything amiss so far.

Sometimes, that's just how reality is. The more some people try to restrict capital outflow with rules and regulations, the more others will find ways to circumvent the regulations and operate in the opposite direction.

"Yang Dan, stop for a moment, I need to tell you something." Zou Mihua patted Yang Dan, who was staring at the computer.

"What is it? I'm busy." Yang Dan turned around.

“The casino tycoon in Macau is getting old and his health isn’t good. I don’t think he can last more than a few years. After he leaves, things will definitely be in chaos. His wives and children will fight tooth and nail over the inheritance. I plan to take sides with one of them in advance and push the business to the next level,” Zou Mihua said, revealing his new plan.

"Why do we have to take sides? Aren't we mainly doing online? Why are we suddenly going to do offline?" Yang Dan asked, puzzled.

"We can't squeeze any more profit out of our current clients. We need to develop real big clients: wealthy bosses, celebrities, and government officials. How can these people come to play just by online advertising? We have to make contact offline first and then convert them to online. Besides, haven't you noticed those live streaming machines that offline casinos are using? They're almost identical to our online games. At this rate, this thing will seriously impact our business."

"Then what can I do?"

"I'll be in charge of the Macau area. You go to the mainland and find some people to work as junket operators, bring people here to play, and once they're familiar with the game, guide them online. Of course, don't call them junket operators to outsiders, just say they're public relations..." Zou Mihua gave detailed instructions.

Meanwhile, the credit card incident, which had been brewing for over a year, finally saw some progress.

Despite repeated requests from regulators, banks have launched a series of low-interest loan products and slightly lowered the loan thresholds, but there are still very few applicants.

For most people, the review standards were still too high. Left with no other option, the national team intervened, buying up bank stocks to prop up the market, allowing Chen Xi to cash out at the high price.

Despite making money, Rogers couldn't help but criticize the domestic stock market: "I find it hard to believe that in a country where GDP has grown rapidly for many years, stock market investors have lost almost half of their money."

Generally, GDP growth is considered positive for the stock market, meaning increased total social output and income, which should lead to increased corporate sales revenue and profits. A company's profitability and prospects are the most fundamental support for its stock price. A healthy macroeconomic environment also boosts investor confidence, prompting funds to flow into the stock market in search of higher returns.

However, things seem a little different on our end...

At Huahetong, Chen Xi and Duan Yixiong had a disagreement. Duan Yixiong's earlier proposal to use a backdoor listing and issue additional shares was now rejected by Chen Xi.

"I think President Duan's suggestion is good." Although Wang Zhi was considered to be on Chen Xi's side, he also wanted to monetize his assets quickly, so he chose to support Duan Yixiong.

Wang Xianqi, however, had no particular thoughts.

He was deeply addicted to gambling and completely neglected his work.

"Hmm... this method is feasible, but we can also choose not to do it." Feng Yun's attitude was ambiguous.

A backdoor listing would allow him to quickly recover his losses in the capital market, but on second thought, such an operation might disrupt Alibaba's ecosystem.

Short-term profit or long-term development? He was torn between the two.

"Isn't it too early to talk about these things now? So many of our projects are still in the first phase of investment!" Fan Hongyuan said coldly.

He worried that these people would run away after making their money, leaving behind a mess that no one would take over.

Fan Hongyuan's concerns are not unfounded.

After Huahetong collapsed in its previous life, it was those big factory owners who took over.

News reports often feature stories of companies launching agricultural projects or tech company owners raising pigs and chickens, but in reality, these are all cases where higher-ups designate someone to take over the burden.

This project is even bigger than Evergrande's, and it concerns people's livelihoods, so someone has to step up and fill the hole.

"You promised me that after I injected the environmental protection fund, we would proceed with the listing. Aren't you just lying to me? If it doesn't work out, I'll withdraw!" Duan Yixiong was very angry.

“Okay, then let’s transfer Mr. Duan’s shares to Huaxing.” Wang Tong and Pu Jian spoke almost simultaneously.

"You...you guys..." This sudden betrayal caught Duan Yixiong off guard, even though they were supposed to be on the same boat.

“That won’t do, you have to sell some to me too.” Feng Yun also raised his hand with a smile.

Chen Xi looked at Wang Tong and Pu Jian, feeling somewhat puzzled: everything seemed different from her previous life...

(The internal strife in the previous life involved some things, such as trademarks, domain names, etc., which are quite complicated and difficult to describe in detail, so I will just mention them briefly here.)
"Humph!"

Duan Yixiong was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and stormed out, canceling the meeting altogether. "Now, Huodudu is teaming up with logistics companies like Yuantong, Huatong, and JD.com to fight against us, and the situation isn't looking good. You know, hauling goods is Huatong's lifeblood; if they lose market share in logistics, the consequences will be unimaginable. Especially JD.com, they've already started to plan for the last mile in rural areas..." Chen Xi steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"What? JD.com? We absolutely cannot let them succeed!" Feng Yun reacted fiercely. The two companies were mortal enemies, and he could never sit idly by and watch his rival grow stronger.

"This isn't a big problem. Huaxing Logistics can step in if necessary," Wang Tong said with a smile.

Many people may be unfamiliar with Huaxing Logistics, as it's rarely seen in the market. However, it actually plays a crucial role in the logistics industry.

Unlike SF Express or JD.com, Huaxing does not have a public-facing parcel delivery network, but it operates its goods through efficient resource integration and management.

It's more like a supply chain commander or logistics solutions designer than a simple courier service provider.

Huaxing has comprehensively examined, certified, and integrated thousands of high-quality transportation companies, fleets, dedicated lines, railway service providers, shipping companies, and even airlines across the country by signing contracts and managing a vast network of carriers.

When serving clients, the Huaxing team designs the optimal logistics solution: which route to use Company A's fleet, which area to use Company B's warehouse, and emergency parts to be transported by Air C... Just like the general producer of a blockbuster movie, it may not own the cameras, but it can integrate all the top resources to ultimately deliver outstanding results.

Why are these two people so enthusiastic today?

Seeing that the two CEOs of Huaxing had volunteered, Chen Xi had questions in his mind again.

He had expected the other party to take the opportunity to ask for some benefits, but neither of them made any further statements until the end of the meeting, which made him even more puzzled.

Headquarters of the Overseas Returnees Association

"The Secretary-General is truly amazing! The association's overall profits have increased significantly this year!"

"He's a business genius!"

Over the past year, Chen Xi and Lin Xi have been busy with other matters, and the daily operation of the association has been mainly handled by Xu Yun.

Today, the Overseas Returnees Association's projects span the globe, and it has become a large-scale organization.

Xu Yun sat confidently at the head of the conference room and said, "The association currently has ample funds. Although we have money to expand investments, investments always carry risks. To be on the safe side, I plan to launch a new project. Recently, many companies have approached us, hoping to leverage the Overseas Returnees Association to make overseas investments... We're using other people's money to do things, and we only charge a management fee, so it's basically zero risk..."

“Secretary-General, one of the purposes of the Overseas Returnees Association is to help the country develop. If these companies take their money overseas, they may never be able to come back, right? Doesn’t this go against our original intention?” Qian Jiajia raised a question as soon as Xu Yun finished speaking.

"Qian Jiajia, don't question things you don't understand. How do you know the money won't flow back? If the Overseas Returnees Association makes money, can't it continue to invest in China and stimulate the economy? The old model was completely wrong. How many people in the association were just loafing around, occupying positions without doing anything? Now, performance speaks for itself, and everyone's enthusiasm for work is significantly higher! Think about how many companies there are in China. If the association makes money, member benefits will also increase. Aren't you trying to ruin everyone's livelihood?" Xu Yun retorted sharply.

Many people in the conference room cast dissatisfied glances at Qian Jiajia.

Indeed, Xu Yun's reforms have made many people money; some have earned millions a year just from project bonuses. This new project is clearly lucrative, and Qian Jiajia's opposition is tantamount to cutting off everyone's path to wealth.

"But... the president and vice president haven't agreed yet."

"They're both very busy right now, I'll let them know afterward. Isn't everything running smoothly? If you don't understand, don't offer unsolicited advice. I'm the secretary-general, I have the authority to make arrangements," Xu Yun said coldly, arms crossed.

Qian Jiajia sensed that the atmosphere in the association was clearly off.

In the past, everyone chatted and laughed, and communicated on an equal footing. Titles such as Secretary-General and Vice President were more of a formality.

But nowadays, the Overseas Returnees Association is becoming more and more like a hierarchical company. Xu Yun's attitude just now was like a chairman reprimanding a subordinate, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

There was something else she couldn't understand: Xu Yun used to be like an idiot, but in the past year she seemed like a completely different person.

Although Qian Jiajia didn't know why the association suddenly made so much money, she was certain it wasn't Xu Yun's idea.

An hour later, in a private room at a teahouse near the association's headquarters.

“I’ve already passed on the message. How do I proceed from here? Teach me, I want to learn,” Xu Yun said to Thomas.

She also had her own thoughts and worries about being kicked aside by Thomas in the future, so she wanted to take the opportunity to master some core technologies.

Thomas was fully aware of Xu Yun's intentions, but he didn't refuse. He calmly said, "Cryptocurrency is very popular right now, and many companies are buying and holding it. But they have limited resources, and there are many restrictions in China. We can help them better hold and convert cryptocurrency..."

Xu Yun knew about cryptocurrencies, as they were a hot investment topic at the time, but she knew nothing about how to operate them.

"So what should I do?" So far, she has not personally managed any of the projects.

Xu Yun now considers herself a business expert and is eager to personally manage a project.

"You just need to coordinate personnel and allocate funds, and get the association to cooperate with my work. The truly intelligent people are in management; leave the dirty and tiring work to people like me," Thomas said with a slight smile.

“That’s right, bosses are supposed to be in the office giving orders. I’m going to make money with my brains.” Xu Yun proudly raised her chin.

He's such a complete idiot.

Thomas chuckled inwardly.

"Now that I'm so successful, and everyone in the association listens to me... won't Linxi and Chenxi be jealous of me and try to seize power from me in the future?" Xu Yun thought for a moment and then asked.

Upon hearing this, Thomas's lips twitched slightly.

You've been watching too many palace dramas, haven't you?
That's how women are; they don't focus on doing things well when they're working, they're always thinking about fighting amongst themselves.

"As far as I know, they're all incredibly busy right now. Haven't you noticed they haven't been to the association in a long time? So you need to seize this opportunity to quickly build your own power base and turn the association's core members into loyal followers. Even if those two come back later, the association's senior members won't listen to them anymore," Thomas continued to incite.

"Hmm, you're right. By the way, how did your talk with my dad go last time? You know Hengxiao is such a big company, I don't want to give up like this. But my dad still hasn't let me work for the company, instead he's given my two sons important positions. If this continues, I won't have any chance at all. I only took you to see him because you said you would help me," Xu Yun complained, pouting.

“I’m currently pushing your father to gradually transfer Hengxiao’s funds outwards under the guise of investment. But Hengxiao is, after all, a listed company and is always under supervision; it can’t function without genuine investment. We can conduct investments normally, but when necessary, we can transfer some funds from projects. At that time, this money will become your father’s private property. You’ve put in so much effort, so naturally you’ll get a share…” Thomas slowly revealed his plan. (End of Chapter)