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

"So what's your purpose in attending this manufacturing conference? Is it to exchange ideas with our new energy vehicle companies? If you ask me, don't get your hopes up too high. Those people's ideas might just overturn your understanding," Chen Xi thought for a moment and then offered a word of advice.

“Like other conglomerates in Japan, Toyota pursued a comprehensive development strategy in the 1980s. They wanted to independently manufacture all the components for a single product. This was partly due to the prevailing business empire mentality among Japanese corporate leaders, and partly because they aspired to surpass the United States and become number one in the world. However, handling everything in-house meant huge investments and dispersed resources, which in the long run could lead to a lack of specialization. Times are changing, and companies need to reform. That's why I went to the manufacturing conference—to see if there were any suitable cooperation opportunities…” Terashigeki explained the purpose of his trip.

From pursuing a vertically integrated, full-industry-chain model in the 1980s to shifting towards an open and collaborative global ecosystem today, the island nation's manufacturing strategy has undergone a profound transformation over the past thirty years. While the closed-loop model of the 1980s ensured quality control and supply chain security, it gradually revealed its drawbacks of high costs and slow innovation in the wave of globalization and specialization.

From the 1990s to the early 21st century, major conglomerates entered a phase of selection and concentration. By spinning off non-core businesses, such as Denso and Aisin Seiki, to enable them to participate in global competition, they have cultivated many world-class suppliers.

Now, facing the wave of the four new trends in the automotive industry (electrification, intelligentization, connectivity, and sharing), this is no longer a situation that any single company, not even Toyota, can handle alone.

The rise of Tesla and the explosive growth of China's new energy industry chain both reveal one fact.

We must embrace cooperation and build an ecological alliance.

Chen Xi initially thought the other party was going to see Musk, but then he thought: he had already given his name, and Musk had publicly asked for him, but Terashige Shu had no reaction, which meant that he had not seen the news at all.

Huajing, headquarters of the Overseas Returnees Association.

"You've all probably seen that recent news about the bank, right? Depositors' money just disappeared, and they couldn't even win a lawsuit—it's tantamount to outright robbery! Currently, various overseas returnee associations are developing rapidly, among which our Youth Overseas Returnee Association has the largest membership and is expanding the fastest. The policies have been constantly adjusted over the years, as everyone has witnessed. So, where will our association stand in the future? Compared to Yang Xiao's side, we don't have an advantage in terms of faith support. If the association wants to stand strong, we must let the higher-ups see our value and demonstrate our irreplaceable nature. Nowadays, domestic companies are expanding overseas, and overseas investment first needs to solve the problem of capital flow. If money can't go out, what's the point of talking about investment? I've already reached agreements with several financial institutions worldwide..." Xu Yun spoke eloquently in the conference room.

Linxi, who rarely attends meetings, remained silent.

He couldn't quite understand the woman in front of him anymore. This idiot was now talking about political beliefs, which made him feel very unreal.

Then look at Chen Xi, who spends all his time using association resources to pave the way for his own company, never showing up at meetings, completely a hands-off boss... Thinking of this, Lin Xi was furious.

Musk's public invitation to Chen Xi on television a few days ago made him even more jealous.

I am clearly the most dazzling star among the returnees!
"President, what do you think?"

"Oh? Oh, that's good."

Lin Xi, who was lost in thought, was interrupted by Xu Yun. He hadn't heard what she said at all, but in order to maintain his image, he could only nod casually in agreement.

These days, the card-swiping service is frequently inspected by various departments, leaving him with no time to attend to association affairs. Fortunately, Xu Yun has been handling things well recently, which has relieved much of his pressure.

"This incident of bank deposits disappearing has had a terrible impact. Many business owners are worried that their money will vanish, causing the price of cryptocurrencies to rise further... In addition, most people on the internet do not sympathize with that unfortunate business owner, but instead applaud and think that capitalists deserve to lose their money. Everyone can think about what kind of current situation and future this reflects..." Seeing that Lin Xi was absent-minded, Xu Yun was secretly pleased and continued to talk on and on.

Meanwhile, in an office not far from the Overseas Returnees Association, Chen Yifeng was talking with several people, his face extremely grim.

"Look at the mentality of people these days! My money was taken away by the bank, shouldn't everyone condemn the bank together? Why are most people just making sarcastic remarks? My money is gone, is it my fault? Is it my fault to have money? Is being a boss even more wrong? What kind of bullshit resentment towards the rich is this!" Chen Yifeng slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Old Chen, it seems your tactic of using pressure to manipulate public opinion isn't going to work. These days, there's a widespread resentment towards the rich. Reforms and opening up allowed a small group to get rich first, but most people didn't keep up. When you were rich, they were envious; now that you're down on your luck, of course they'll laugh at you. It's like someone who didn't get into university suddenly hearing that someone else got expelled—they're secretly happy about it," a bespectacled man said with a chuckle.

“That’s right. My employees always think that if the boss earns 100 million, he should give them 10 million. Now, people online often say that capital is setting up schemes, and many young people blame all their setbacks on rich people.”

"This is not a good sign. One person starts a commotion, and everyone follows suit. Some people might use this as an excuse to attack large corporations. Just think, people applaud Old Chen for losing a billion or so. If a group with a market value of hundreds of billions changes hands one day, wouldn't these people be jumping for joy? What will they say then? They'll definitely say that these capitalists deserve it, that they must have used shady means to make so much money, and that they must be severely punished."

"Heh, to be honest, this is just a game of wealth redistribution. Banks are merely tools for recovering wealth; today it's a bank, tomorrow it could be something else. I've heard that now, if a cryptocurrency transaction exceeds a certain amount, your bank card will be frozen, requiring various proofs to unfreeze it. Also, in the area where Ding Ningwen was arrested, many new industries have sprung up, and recently people in several provinces have fallen victim to these scams... Well, the money doesn't disappear; it's just being transferred in a different way..."

After the bespectacled man finished speaking, the other three also spoke in succession. The last person's words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Well, how about we stop here for today? I have to rush back to attend the World Manufacturing Convention." Seeing the heavy atmosphere in the office and everyone falling silent, Chen Yifeng got up to say goodbye.

“Okay, then let’s get together again when we have the chance.” The bosses stood up and exchanged pleasantries with Chen Yifeng.

These are all Chen Yifeng's old classmates, and now they are all CEOs of large corporations, considered top figures in the domestic business world.

"Oh right, I saw on the news the other day that Musk publicly said he wanted to meet someone named Chen Xi. Old Chen, is he your son?" The bespectacled man suddenly remembered this.

"Um... I guess it's just a coincidence of names. My son doesn't build cars, much less rockets!" Chen Yifeng laughed awkwardly.

He never connected his son with Musk.

While these business owners are all considered prominent figures in China, they still pale in comparison to globally renowned entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. Musk's net worth has now surpassed $200 billion, a significant increase from $100 billion at the beginning of the year—more than double in less than a year. At this rate, it's practically skyrocketing. As for Tesla, its market capitalization has already exceeded $500 billion. If it successfully builds a factory in Shanghai and spends a few more years expanding into the Chinese market, its market value will likely surge again.

Therefore, Chen Yifeng concluded that the Chen Xi that Musk was looking for was just someone with the same name as his son, and most likely a scientist!

After all, the salaries of domestic researchers are generally not high, and many talents have been poached by developed countries in recent years. This Chen Xi is likely a technical expert who is crucial to Tesla's future development.

He just wanted to get back to Xinlu as soon as possible to attend the conference. Huade was still the leader in the domestic machine tool market, and he couldn't possibly miss this world-class, first-ever manufacturing conference. Ever since the bank swallowed his money, Chen Yifeng's original focus on finance had begun to waver. Now he felt that real industry was the safest bet; factories, equipment, land—these things wouldn't just disappear into thin air.

Australia.

"Yang Dan, what are you looking at and laughing like that?" Zou Mihua couldn't help but ask when he saw Yang Dan laughing so hard while holding the newspaper.

"This Musk said he wants to meet someone named Chen Xi, who has the same name as my arch-nemesis! I'm wondering if that guy will think he's looking for him and stupidly go there, only to be laughed at. Just thinking about that scene makes me laugh!" Yang Dan put down her newspaper and slapped her thigh with laughter.

"What if it really is him?" Zou Mihua blinked.

"How is that possible! I heard that guy has gone into agriculture now. A farmer, you know? How could he possibly be associated with a tech giant? Did Musk meet with him to sell him a tractor?" Yang Dan laughed, clutching her stomach.

"Um... Did you find a solution to what we talked about last time? The live streaming business in casinos is booming right now, which is seriously impacting our online business. We originally planned to take advantage of this opportunity to acquire those poorly managed small factories and then negotiate with the big players, but now even the small factories have installed new live streaming machines, and their business is picking up again..." Zou Mihua smoked a cigar, his brows furrowed.

"Don't rush, I haven't been just loitering around various entertainment venues lately, I've been doing research." Yang Dan sat up straight and lit a cigarette.

"What are you researching? I'm warning you... don't do anything reckless..." Zou Mihua looked puzzled.

He understands researching online business, but what about researching offline business?

Are you trying to cause trouble?

Smashing machines, interfering with technology, and engaging in cutthroat competition are not uncommon occurrences in casinos worldwide. In the end, those who cause trouble often meet a tragic end, usually spending several years in prison.

Zou Mihua's first thought was that Yang Dan was trying to tamper with the live streaming equipment. But the casino was riddled with cameras, and no small action would escape detection. What if those big shots found out about him...? Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

Don't be fooled by his current wealth; compared to those local tycoons and American gambling conglomerates, he's nothing.

"Don't worry, I won't cause any damage. I just discovered a loophole!" Yang Dan saw his worry and quickly waved her hand.

"Vulnerabilities? Even if there are vulnerabilities, it's still unacceptable! If it's something that harms the interests of the casino, even if it's just making money by exploiting a vulnerability, they have plenty of ways to deal with you. In Las Vegas, someone used a slot machine vulnerability to make millions of dollars. Although it's not considered cheating with a virus, the casino has the right to unilaterally interpret the terms..." Zou Mihua shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, my method will make the online business more profitable. The more live streaming machines they have, the more we earn. And it won't affect their profits; it's a win-win situation." Yang Dan chuckled.

"Oh? Tell me."

“You can’t take photos in casinos, and you can’t put your phone on the table when playing cards in the market. You even have to get up and leave to make a call. But there are no such restrictions on the live streaming machine. I even found a phone charging port on it, which means that casinos allow players to use their phones while playing. Because the live streaming machine is just a display device, and the dealer is elsewhere, players have no way to interfere or cheat with their phones.”

"continue."

"I want to use our online business to help players place bets offline and take a cut. We've tried betting on behalf of others before, but it didn't work because it was all done in unlicensed small casinos, and players didn't trust it. But what about licensed casinos like those in Australia? We can secretly communicate with players via mobile phone, place bets for them, and they can watch the screen simultaneously. Of course, as you just said, casinos have rules, and this will definitely be stopped if discovered. But the casinos also make money by helping people place bets. They might not refuse this kind of additional revenue. Just in case, we can be careful and only secretly record the screen, not continuously, pretending it's a video call. The casinos can't interfere with that, right?"

"Where are the people to act as intermediaries? How many people are there in the Australian region..."

“Those people running all sorts of businesses in casinos haven’t been doing so well lately. With the crackdown on illegal currency exchange and their bank cards frequently being frozen, they’re not making any money. We can totally hire them to solve our manpower problem… I call this an airdrop!” Yang Dan snapped his fingers.

"You're a genius! Okay, let's do it!" Zou Mihua felt more and more that it was feasible, and rubbed his hands excitedly.

With the Macau gaming licenses about to be redistributed, he had previously tried to gauge the opinions of several group chairmen, but they all looked down on him, saying that he was "just a king of the hall, yet he dared to dream of sitting at the table and eating," which clearly meant that he was only fit to be a dog that could only scavenge on the ground.

Zou Mihua was seething with anger, but he was also well aware of the gap between himself and those big shots.

However, he had a new plan. Since he had no chance of winning a gambling license, why not support a promising newcomer instead?
As the saying goes, a helping hand in times of need is the most precious. With his current financial resources and business network, helping the right person obtain a gambling license should not be difficult.

A few days later, in Xinlu City.

"This World Manufacturing Convention is crucial for New Germany, everyone must take it seriously! Huade will definitely be there, we must defeat them! If we achieve ideal results, I will give everyone a big bonus!" Chen Caiyue was giving a pep talk.

Compared to Chen Yifeng, Chen Caiyue is probably the ideal boss in the eyes of her employees.

She is generous with money and offers excellent benefits. She will help employees when they are in trouble, and she will not severely punish them for work mistakes, at most she will say a few words.

But other bosses, including Chen Xi, might not think he's suited to be a boss.

Just as the old saying goes, "A kind heart cannot command an army," there's a reason why it has survived to this day. (End of Chapter)