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

"Comrade Chen Xi, it's a pleasure to see you again." After a long separation, Jia Riting immediately cracked a joke and gave a proper salute.

"Oh my, I thought Mr. Jia would be corrupted by the sugar-coated bullets of capitalism after going to the other side of the ocean. I didn't expect he still cares about his homeland." Chen Xi also teased him in the same tone.

"How could that be! I'll go back as soon as I raise the funds. LeShi is such a big company, and it's waiting for me to manage it." Jia Riting rubbed his nose.

"If you ask me, you might as well not come back. I heard the employees have been quite comfortable while you were gone," Chen Xi said with a smile.

“That won’t do! I came to America for business adjustments only; I will never abandon the domestic market. Now everyone online is saying I fled to escape debt collectors. Do you think I’m that kind of person? These people love to spread nonsense. When you’re successful, they praise you as a successful entrepreneur and call you ‘Dad’ in private. But once you encounter difficulties, they kick you when you’re down and say you absconded with the money.” Jia Riting became more and more agitated as he spoke.

That statement isn't entirely without merit.

Looking back on my past life, which of those entrepreneurs on the rich list wasn't treated like a god?
But once a company runs into problems, its former admirers turn on them with harsh words.

"So what are your plans now? You're teaching Musk to say those misleading things in the media, and you're also getting me to work with him, making it known to everyone..." Chen Xi continued to tease.

"Of course, we should all work together to make big money!"

"Whose money are we making?"

"We want to make money from both fools and smart people. We want to make money from America and the whole world!" Jia Riting said confidently.

It must be said that Mr. Jia is indeed an extraordinary person.

Regardless of what others thought of him, Chen Xi felt that this person was truly extraordinary.

Putting aside those bizarre financing methods, Chen Xi knew he couldn't even match that unwavering confidence.

"What, you don't believe me?" Seeing that Chen Xi remained silent, Jia Riting became somewhat anxious.

"I believe you, Mr. Jia, if you say you can climb to the sun, I'll believe you."

"Reaching the sun is not impossible. If Musk puts in a little more effort, it's not impossible."

"But how can we get up there in such hot sun? Don't tell me we're planning to land at night."

"That's right! Don't let the laughable sound fool you, some people will definitely believe it. There's no shortage of anything in China, except for a lot of fools. If we manage things properly, the money we raise will be astronomical."

"What do you plan to do with so much money? Borrowing money involves paying interest, so you need high-profit projects to cover financing costs and ensure the company's survival."

"This requires us to integrate the strengths of our three projects. My idea is..." Jia Riting took out a plan he had prepared long ago and began to speak eloquently.

Half an hour later, Musk closed his laptop and asked, "Tell me, what do you really think about electric cars? I always felt you were a bit dismissive of them."

"No, that's not it. It's just that electric cars are indeed not as good as gasoline cars right now. For example, if you're driving a Tesla and it gets rear-ended, according to Tesla's safety design, damage to the battery pack will automatically cut off the power, rendering the vehicle unable to move. If the car behind catches fire, the Tesla can only wait there and perish in the flames along with it. But gasoline cars don't have this problem."

Let's talk about other issues. Electric vehicles now have far too many functions, such as autonomous driving. Leaving safety aside, just the fact that automakers can lock electric vehicles at any time means that while those who buy gasoline cars are called owners, those who buy electric vehicles are simply called users. It's as if the car isn't truly yours. Although gasoline cars can also be remotely controlled, the problem can be easily solved at a repair shop, but this is much more difficult with electric vehicles. Even if it were solved, the automakers would definitely cause trouble…” Chen Xi bluntly pointed out the common problems with current electric vehicles, not just those from domestic brands, but those present in most brands.

"So you still agree to cooperate with me?"

"Who doesn't want to make money? You make it sound like you're sacrificing yourself for technology. I'm just responding to the call."

"Ha ha!"

The two smiled at each other.

Just then, Chen Xi's phone rang.

Seeing that it was Fan Hongyuan calling, he answered instinctively and said, "Boss, what are your instructions?"

"Instructions? How dare I instruct you! Look at what Huahetong has done! I just got a severe scolding from my boss..." Fan Hongyuan, who is usually good-tempered, was like a powder keg today.

"At your level, there are very few people who can discipline you. It looks like I'm in big trouble this time."

"I've already told you what happened, why aren't you worried at all? Do you know how serious this is?"

“I understand. But Huahetong has a cooperative relationship with farmers, just like the supply and marketing cooperative; it’s not a superior-subordinate relationship. We only provide loans, farm tools, etc., to help farmers improve their livelihoods. The subsidies are issued from above; how they farm and how they receive the subsidies have little to do with us.”

"What's the point of telling me all this? Do you think the boss will listen to my explanation? The boss is very angry today and said he will send the relevant departments to investigate."

"Investigate, of course we should investigate thoroughly, it would be best to investigate everyone."

"What do you mean by that?" Fan Hongyuan sensed something was amiss.

“There are so many farmers across the country, and less than half of them cooperate with Huahetong. What happened today is definitely not an isolated case. Think about it, with so much land and so many farmers, how many similar situations exist overall? Who are the people who didn't cooperate with Huahetong supplying their grain to?” Chen Xi asked rhetorically.

"You mean..."

“Yes. This matter needs to be investigated, but can it really be investigated thoroughly? Hehe.” Chen Xi chuckled.

After hanging up the phone, he turned to Musk and said, "Hey, you've come all this way to invest here, you might not be used to it later."

"how do I say this?"

"Although we are both market economies, we emphasize public ownership as the mainstay, while you focus on private ownership. We are deeply involved in areas such as industrial development and market regulation, while you mainly regulate indirectly through macro policies. In other words, Tesla will receive nanny-like services after building its factory in Shanghai, and will achieve miracles in terms of land supply, power infrastructure, and approval processes, which is unimaginable in your administrative system."

Conversely, you also have to accept some constraints, or rather, limitations. Just like why I partnered with JAC to manufacture batteries, relying solely on technology brought from America simply wouldn't be enough to develop it in a short time. Therefore, if you cooperate with me, the actual situation might be different from what you expect; be prepared.

"..."

Outside the convention center.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I? Musk really did meet his son, right?" Chen Caiyue asked with a proud look on her face.

"Hmph, so what? He's still too young and doesn't know how to develop in a low-key manner. He'll suffer for it later." Chen Yifeng sneered.

As a father, no matter how old he is or how successful his children are, he always feels that he is the most capable one. "Heh, I think you're just too proud to admit it. I heard you're a bit short on cash lately. Did your new wife run off with all your money? I've always said that young girls these days are very shrewd. If they didn't marry an old man like you for your money, would they marry you for your strength and virility?"

"I think you're just envious and jealous. I'm doing very well now, with a son and a daughter, and I take painters out to sketch whenever I have free time. I live a very carefree life."

"Hehe, then you can just keep fantasizing."

Seeing her ex-husband's pride rising again, Chen Caiyue chuckled, waved her hand, and turned to leave.

a few days later.

What was bound to happen has finally happened: Huahetong is under investigation by relevant departments.

"Tell me, how did you fraudulently obtain subsidies?" A man in uniform sat opposite Chen Xi.

"We at Huahetong are only responsible for assisting farmers; what they do is none of our business," Chen Xi said, taking a sip of tea.

"Don't give me that. These are just your usual excuses to shirk responsibility. Our investigation found that many farmers who fraudulently obtained subsidies said that Huahetong taught them, saying that it's more profitable to get subsidies than to farm. Think about it, you provide loans, they buy some plastic pipes, spray some paint on the ground, and they can make money from both ends. Who wouldn't want to make money so easily? You even use the banner of supporting agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. Do you have any conscience?" The man's tone was stern.

"After investigating for so long, do you have any evidence to prove that someone from Huahetong specifically taught it? Words are not enough. Some farmers will lie in order to distance themselves from the matter."

"You're the company head, who else should we talk to if not you?"

"Looking for me? That's fine. But if you really want to be impartial, then investigate everyone." With that, Chen Xi took out several file folders and pushed them forward.

"What is this?" the man frowned.

"See for yourself," Chen Xi said, continuing to leisurely sip his tea.

The man opened the file folder; inside were reports and photos.

The more I looked, the more frightened I became.

"If spraying paint in the fields is considered egregious, then what about impersonating farmers from other provinces to steal agricultural machinery, or putting finished crops in the fields to pretend to harvest them? There are so many farmers across the country, and now more people are cooperating with Chinese companies than with Huahetong. We've only just opened up the northern market; what about the south and the west? You say we're egregious, but what about these companies? I think we need to investigate them all!" After the man had looked at the situation for a while, Chen Xi put away his lazy expression and asked seriously.

"We will investigate this thoroughly and will not let any of the corrupt elements get away with it." The man's confidence was clearly lacking.

"That would be best. We at Huahetong will never shirk our responsibilities if there are any problems, and we will punish those who deserve it." Chen Xi nodded.

However, this was just a formality; he knew the other party wouldn't actually handle it according to regulations. The companies involved were special, with a wide scope and many connections. If they were to be severely punished, it would definitely make the news, which would be a slap in his own face.

After seeing them off, Chen Xi watched their departing figures, knowing that this matter was not over and that these people would come back to cause trouble sooner or later.

Soon, Chen Xi convened an emergency meeting.

"President Chen, I heard that the company is under investigation by relevant departments. What exactly is going on?" Duan Yixiong asked as soon as he sat down.

Because it was an emergency meeting, Feng Yun, who was far away, was unable to attend.

Chen Xi looked around and observed everyone's expressions before speaking: "Some farmers were caught cheating on subsidies by the inspecting leaders, and they insisted that it was Huahetongjiao."

"Oh dear, this is no small matter. These farmers are so mean, they're throwing all the dirty water on us." Duan Yixiong said indignantly.

"Which industry doesn't receive subsidies these days? Appliances, new energy vehicles, healthcare, education, construction... everyone does. I don't think this is a big deal; it's just bad luck that it got caught. If they really investigated the entire industry, it would take years. The higher-ups are just giving a warning, don't be too nervous." Cao Zhi, who often dealt with officials, waved his hand.

What he said makes sense; subsidy fraud exists both domestically and internationally. Chen Xi recalled a country that once offered subsidies for waste disposal, but a certain company received the subsidies and simply dumped the waste into the desert.

“But this time is different. It’s a high-ranking leader personally inspecting the area. It’s not so easy to fool him.” Chen Xi shook his head.

"So, what does President Chen plan to do?" Duan Yixiong asked.

“We need to investigate internally as well. The farmers say they were instructed by us? Then let them point out who instructed them.” Chen Xi snorted coldly.

He looked at Wang Xianqi: "You are in charge of the company's personnel. Compile a list of the personnel you will send to assist the farmers and give it to me."

"Oh." Wang Xianqi nodded, but his eyes secretly glanced at Duan Yixiong. Seeing that the other party was not looking at him at all, he lowered his head again.

"President Wang, President Pu, you are in charge of rural financial loans, and we need your cooperation in organizing loan information." Chen Xi then looked at the two people beside him.

"What does subsidy fraud have to do with loans? There shouldn't be any problems with the loans, right?" The two looked puzzled.

“Now some people are impersonating local farmers across provinces to defraud farmers of agricultural machinery, which means they may also be using fake documents to defraud loans. If problems arise, the bad debt rate could be alarmingly high. Moreover, we can compare the documents to identify those who are defrauding farmers of agricultural machinery,” Chen Xi explained.

The two were startled.

The lending business has been operating for a long time, and according to the financial industry's performance targets, normal lending cannot be completed at all.

Therefore, it is common for people to obtain loans by falsifying documents. This is an industry norm, and banks usually turn a blind eye as long as the principal and interest are repaid on time.

But this time is different. Since the other party dared to scam agricultural machinery, they're likely to scam the loan as well and not repay it. If they can't even distinguish between loans within the same province and loans across provinces, recovering the money will be very difficult.

"Mr. Wang, could you go and communicate with the relevant departments and the supply and marketing cooperative? I got a severe scolding from my boss a few days ago." Chen Xi then looked at Wang Zhi, who nodded without saying a word, which was considered as agreement.

"What about me?" Seeing that he hadn't been assigned any tasks, Duan Yixiong couldn't help but point to himself.

Everyone else received a task except him, which made him feel like he was being excluded from the power circle.

"Yes, there is indeed a tricky problem that needs to be handled by President Duan, and it can only be solved by you."

"Oh? What's the trouble?" Duan Yixiong unconsciously straightened his back, instantly feeling that he was very important.

“We recently received an inquiry from another department about a number of merchants using discounted corn purchased from the Huahetong e-commerce platform as a substitute for charcoal and other fuels. They believe this practice is not environmentally friendly and hope we can cooperate in rectifying it. As the president of the Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Association, Mr. Duan has extensive connections and resources in this area, so it's most appropriate for you to coordinate and resolve this issue.” Chen Xi looked at him with a smile.

"..." (End of this chapter)