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

"You're a highly educated person, you should know that in any organization, everyone's thoughts can't be completely aligned. Just like when you run a company, do you make all the decisions yourself? There are other shareholders, right? Take foreign countries, for example, even a political party can be divided into left and right wings, and internally, there can be several factions. Ding Ningwen's troubles weren't accidental. Think about it, his Ponzi scheme hadn't collapsed yet at that time... Imagine, if two major shareholders in your company had a conflict, they certainly wouldn't personally intervene, but would send their subordinates to make the moves. When one side falls, the victor proposes negotiations, one of the conditions being the dismissal of the person who attacked their subordinate. If you were the other side, what would you do?" Wu Wanrong said slowly, sipping his tea.

"Well, so after all this time, I'm not just a chamber pot, but also a pawn in your game?" Chen Yifeng understood, and his anger flared even more.

“I advised you back then to quit while you were ahead. Besides, you were doing all legal business, so you could have easily walked away unscathed.” Wu Wanrong shook his head.

“I don’t care about anything else, I have to get back the money I lost at the bank. It’s not a small amount. Why don’t you just talk to the court and let them make a judgment according to the law?”

"I can't interfere with that. You know how things are these days; they're flirting with certain organizations and mediation centers. Yes, just like you said, even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected..."

"What do you mean? You're blatantly robbing me, aren't you? You were able to resolve the traffic police incident last time, so I don't believe I can't handle this one."

"Sigh, I suggest you hand the company over to your son. You're not young anymore, and you love painting, so why don't you retire now and enjoy your retirement..."

"..."

Chen Yifeng was speechless for a moment.

He came to see Wu Wanrong today to resolve a problem, but the other party clearly didn't give him the answer he wanted.

Half an hour later, Chen Yifeng, who had just walked out of the building, became increasingly angry and drove straight home.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a man playing with two children in the house.

"Hey, Brother Chen's back." Wu Yan greeted him with a smile.

"Why are you here? Don't you have to go to work?" Chen Yifeng asked casually, in a bad mood.

"I just wanted to see the kids' artistic talent, so I showed them some photography to cultivate their aesthetic sense... Oh, you don't look too good. Have you been too tired from business lately?" Wu Yan made up an excuse.

"It's a bit tiring. How's your photography lately? Is it making money? It's good to do what you love, but you also need to make a living first."

"Not bad, I make a million a year from live streaming," Wu Yan boasted proudly.

"Let's try a different approach. These days, people call those who make money through live streaming 'online beggars.' It doesn't feel right to link this with art," Chen Yifeng replied dismissively after sitting down.

These words almost made Wu Yan throw a punch at him.

Online beggar?

That's an insult.

But he still suppressed his anger and said, "There's nothing I can do. I'm just an ordinary person from a humble background. I don't have the resources to do anything else."

"Relying on resources to get things done is just an excuse for incompetent people. Was my family well-off back then? Didn't I climb up step by step through hard work?" Chen Yi always tells everyone he meets that he started from scratch.

Wu Yan scoffed inwardly: Everyone knows you built your empire on women; we're all old acquaintances, yet you're still bragging to me.

"Yes, yes, yes." Though he thought it, Wu Yan didn't refute it aloud.

"I can see you've had a tough time. I'm planning to pursue a career in the arts. I think you're quite capable, so why don't you come work for me? It's better than doing some online live streaming. But let me make this clear, I don't have a million to offer you, and I don't think your income is stable either; it's impossible to break a million every year. Coming to me would at least provide a stable and secure job..." Chen Yifeng wanted to hire someone, but he was reluctant to spend a lot of money.

“Okay, since Brother Chen thinks so highly of me, then I’ll help.” Wu Yan thought for a moment and readily agreed.

However, the live streaming can't be stopped; it's our cash cow right now.

As the two were chatting, Zhang Xuan came downstairs.

She glanced at Chen Yifeng on the sofa, said nothing, and went straight to the kitchen to pour herself a drink. She and Chen Yifeng were still in a cold war.

Hmph, you're keeping a long face even when guests are coming over. Who are you trying to impress?

Seeing Zhang Xuan's expression, Chen Yifeng felt even more annoyed.

“Brother Chen, Xuanxuan told me you want to sell the house. You can’t sell it, the real estate market is booming right now. Not to mention first-tier cities, even the prices in Xinlu are skyrocketing, completely crushing places like Jiangcheng, and are already in the top ten or so in the country.” Wu Yan secretly observed the two of them, trying to stir up trouble.

"What do you know? I've been to so many countries around the world, and the housing prices here have risen outrageously. The more outrageous they are, the more problematic they are. What is Xinlu? It's a tiny place. We used to joke that you could cycle around it in a few tens of minutes, and now the housing prices are among the top ten in the country? They're bound to plummet later." Chen Yifeng glared at him.

"Uh..." Wu Yan was speechless for a moment after being rebuked like that.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan walked over with a drink in hand, and without saying a word, turned on the TV and played a news segment she had recorded beforehand.

Since the purchase restriction order was issued, housing prices have risen again after a brief correction, and some locals in Shanghai have even declared on TV programs that "if we don't buy now, we won't be able to buy anymore."

Chen Yifeng frowned slightly as he read the news report.

With the facts laid bare, he could no longer refute them.

“Brother Chen, don’t you think I’m right? House prices will continue to rise. It’s not too late to sell when they’re even higher. It’s not a big deal to wait a little longer.” Wu Yan chimed in.

Chen Yifeng didn't reply. He thought about it and realized that even if he sold the house, he wouldn't get much cash, which wouldn't solve the problem at all.

Since the start of the food and oil war, the prices of food raw materials have fluctuated wildly throughout Asia, leaving processing companies in many small countries in a state of utter chaos.

In addition, the United States suddenly announced plans to raise oil prices, causing the new energy vehicle sector to surge.

However, this has led to a rise in the price of materials used in car manufacturing. The fluctuations are not yet significant and have not attracted much attention.

Two months later, at a hotel in the capital of South Korea.

"This can't go on! Even Hanjin Shipping has filed for bankruptcy. Embargo, embargo... embargo my ass! Ugh!"

"It's not just food; now other raw materials are starting to rise in price. That fat American is actually clamoring to raise oil prices? Our country relies entirely on imported oil; if he does this, won't we have to pay even more?"

Quan Wuhuan and Sun Zhijing complained.

"Korea's grain production is already low, and meat prices are even higher. I've seen people online saying they can't even afford meat anymore and have to eat instant noodles every day. But I think that's not so bad. Our Korean instant noodles are known as the world's best; they're hygienic and convenient, and have always been a staple food," said Simba, a senior executive at Nongshim Group, with a smile. The globally popular Shin Ramyun is a product of this group. Furthermore, the owners of Nongshim Group and Lotte are brothers.

"It's not like the price of your instant noodle ingredients hasn't gone up!" Sun Zhijing glared at him with dissatisfaction.

"The price has gone up, but our production base is in Shanghai, so it's not affected by the market here at all. On the contrary, the higher the price of kimchi and grains goes, the better our instant noodles sell, hahaha!" Simba laughed.

"Hmph, look how smug you are. In today's negotiations, is your Xin family planning to side with that Chinese man?" Sun Zhijing asked.

“That’s right. The one from China has a good relationship with the Xin family, so naturally we have to step in.” Simba nodded.

“I heard that the Chinese guy was very generous and covered up SK Group’s casino project in Jeju Island… Now we should think about how to facilitate this peace talk. If things continue like this, the Korean economy will definitely collapse.” Sun Zhijing rubbed his temples.

He feels extremely uncomfortable sitting in the chairman's seat.

The public vilifies him as a bloodsucking capitalist, but the rising food prices are not his problem at all.

Normally, the government should coordinate with the four major grain traders to control food prices, but now the leader of South Korea is in dire straits, reportedly even on the verge of losing his position. Many tycoons even suspect that this surge in food prices is a scheme orchestrated by the United States to anger the public and install a more compliant person in power.

"Ahem, they've arrived." At that moment, the conference room door was pushed open, and Simba coughed lightly to remind them.

The representatives of the four major grain merchants walked in with arrogant expressions.

The meeting was held in this hotel, and they were staying upstairs, yet they deliberately arrived late, clearly putting on airs.

The man with the hooked nose glanced around and said with dissatisfaction, "Why hasn't Mr. Chen arrived yet? He's really not taking this negotiation seriously."

The Koreans present secretly rolled their eyes: Aren't you late yourself? How dare you criticize others?

"Who said I wasn't here? I was just checking out the convenience store next door. Their instant noodles are selling really well." Chen Xi arrived late, pulling out the chair next to Simba's as she spoke, and sat down casually.

"Mr. Chen, it seems you don't take this negotiation seriously?" the hook-nosed man said coldly.

"Of course I don't care. If you hadn't begged me to come, I wouldn't have wanted to come to this place. It's just rice porridge and barbecue all day long, who can stand it?" Chen Xi replied lazily.

"What do you mean 'we're begging you'? This grain and oil war has dragged on for a while now, and all sides have suffered considerable losses. They've used every means at their disposal. Mr. Chen even used whistleblowing to get the chairman of China Grain Group investigated. That's quite impressive," the other party sneered.

"Don't jump to conclusions. His investigation is his own problem, but why are others unaffected? It's you four who are truly shrewd, not only getting the chairman of Hualiang to do things for you, but also having several association presidents in South Korea work for you." Chen Xi immediately retorted.

"That's simply because everyone understands how to choose! Only by standing on the side of the strong can we secure better development for the group!"

"That sounds nice. Let me guess why you've taken the initiative to negotiate with me: First, the escalating food and oil war has caused you heavy losses, and more importantly, China's edible oil production has broken free of its monopoly, which you can no longer control. Second, global public opinion is increasingly unfavorable to you. Third, the people of South Korea are full of complaints, and the current leader has been trying to break free from American control, even clashing with you last year over the missile issue. Although she later compromised, you know she's difficult to control and want to replace her. But a new leader has to do something practical for the people to see, right? Lowering food prices has become crucial. If we continue this fight, America's plan to completely control South Korea will be difficult..." Chen Xi lit a cigarette and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Since there was no ashtray, he simply folded the meeting documents into a small box to flick off his cigarette ash.

This arrogant act, coupled with the incisive analysis, turned the representatives of the four major grain merchants' faces ashen.

Imagine, a person's carefully planned scheme is completely exposed in just a few words, it's like being stripped naked in public.

"Hmph, all of this is just your speculation. Let's not waste time discussing things unrelated to the negotiations. Let's get straight to the point: Mr. Chen, are you willing to cease hostilities?"

"Ceasefire? The advantage is in my hands, why should I stop? What benefit would a ceasefire bring me? If there's no benefit, I won't give up so easily." Chen Xi grinned.

“What do you mean by having the advantage? Both sides have clearly suffered losses; neither side has gained the upper hand! I propose that we return to our previous state and coexist peacefully. As for your country's edible oil market… we are willing to cede a portion of our share.” The hook-nosed man said this, his face slightly flushed.

The fact that the four major grain merchants took the initiative to make concessions shows that Chen Xi has gained the upper hand in this contest.

"That's all?" Chen Xi blinked.

"What else do you want? Do you want us to completely withdraw from your market?" The hook-nosed man tapped the table, raising his voice slightly.

He already felt utterly humiliated by the concession he had just made, but he never expected the other party to push their luck even further.

“There’s no need to withdraw from our market. What I mean is that Huahetong will share the global market share equally with you from now on.” Chen Xi shook his head.

Competition is essential for a vibrant market. If all four major grain traders were to withdraw, domestic companies might lose their drive and ambition, which could not necessarily be a good thing.

"Do you want to listen to what you're saying?" The hook-nosed man was so angry he was practically fuming.

"How about... one-third? Hehe." Chen Xi held up three fingers and said with a smile.

To be honest, they couldn't swallow even half of it.

"One-third? Can you even supply that much?" The hook-nosed man sneered disdainfully.

"That's none of your concern. Australia, Russia, island nations, Africa, and many Asian countries have already established partnerships with Huatong. Do you think we'll be unable to supply them?" Chen Xi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

“We can’t possibly agree to any of what you’ve proposed. I advise you to think about it carefully.”

"Then let the people here eat instant noodles forever!" Chen Xi turned to look at the others present.

"Huh?" Quan Wuhuan and Sun Zhijing panicked as soon as they heard this.

“I think this is a great suggestion! Our Nongshim Group is planning to launch more flavors of instant noodles in the future and increase production!” Simba clapped and agreed.

No way! This is supposed to be a negotiation, so why is it that in all this negotiation, we Koreans are the ones who suffer?

Sun Zhijing and the others were in a real bind.

Their minds were too slow to process what Chen Xi had just said.

As expected, it was all orchestrated by the Americans! (End of Chapter)