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

"That's great! You're now trending at number one, the hottest entrepreneur on the entire internet!" Jia Riting exclaimed excitedly on his phone screen.

Musk, however, looked worried: "If I publicly contradict that fat guy now, what if he gets angry and causes me trouble?"

"What are you afraid of? You have so many supporters now! If he were to make a move against you now, would he dare to do it openly? Wouldn't he be afraid of being torn apart by public opinion? Look at all the protest signs on the streets, look at how that fat man's picture has been drawn." Jia Riting said dismissively.

"You make it sound so easy! You're directing things from behind the scenes, and if anything goes wrong, I'll be the one who suffers. Anyone can say nice things, right? You don't know that fat guy at all. I know him too well; he's a complete and utter petty jerk. But this time he really did take a bite out of a lot of capitalists' profits, and a lot of people are furious. I was just pushed out to say a few words of truth." Musk slammed his hand on the table.

“Currently, Chen Xi, myself, and other foreign investors are all suffering losses because of that fat man’s crazy decisions, and some local capitalists are no exception. Of course, that fat man also has financial groups supporting him. This is a game of multiple forces, so don’t be afraid, go for it!” Jia Riting continued to encourage him.

He came here drowning in debt, and just when things were starting to look up, that fat bastard came up with some ridiculous bill that completely stalled his financing plans. Now, Jia Riting is the most anxious, and also the one with the least capital, forced to rely solely on his silver tongue and a head full of ideas to try and make a living.

"So what exactly do we do now?" Musk asked.

"Strike while the iron is hot and keep building momentum! To avoid being crushed, we need to gain more supporters. To win support, we need to showcase extraordinary charisma, cutting-edge technology that will change the world, and a promising future that gives people hope. We need to win the support of all kinds of people, including the homeless. Think about it, if you make a homeless person on the street who is desperate for life feel like God has come to save him with just one sentence, I don't need to say more about the effect..." Jia Riting had already planned it out and immediately sent the plan via email.

“You sound like a charlatan…” Musk couldn’t help but laugh as he listened.

He was naturally introverted, but after spending time with this guy, his personality actually became more lively, and he even started making exaggerated gestures and boasting on television. These were things he would never have done before.

“This is called self-promotion; many bosses over there do this.” Jia Riting didn’t care about being called a “charlatan.” Back in China, the nicknames used to mock him were much worse, such as “Going Back to China Next Week,” “PPT God of War,” and “Accountant Jia.”

Musk smiled and picked up his laptop. His social media comment section already had tens of thousands of messages, some criticizing him, but far more praising him. Thinking about it, perhaps Jia Riting was right; he might actually gain more supporters.

But his smile quickly faded.

A new article popped up:

"We are rebuilding the great American auto industry, and this monkey from South Africa, Musk, is going to give our subsidies to some other country! He promised to build a factory in Ohio, but now he's secretly running off to do business elsewhere. You know, some other country will steal all the technology they want!"
While I demand America First, Musk is harming our national interests. I announced a review of the energy subsidy policy; this money should go to loyal American businesses, not to treacherous companies like Tesla. They accept subsidies from American taxpayers and then take their factories and technology to other countries—it's treason!

I've said it before: the FIRRMA Act was created to combat this kind of tactic. Musk's private deals with other countries must be investigated; he'll hand over all our battery technology and autonomous driving data to them. It's a trap!
Remember, American workers first! We can't let this African opportunist manipulate our system. His rockets can explode, and his promises are worth less than counterfeit money!

It was already late at night, and that fat guy from the Black Palace was still posting online, which showed how angry he was.

Being criticized is nothing to Musk, but the public threat to cancel Tesla's subsidies is a different story.

"What's wrong?" Jia Riting noticed his frown in the video.

"Look at your computer yourself. I didn't expect this petty person to retaliate so quickly." Musk shook his head.

A few minutes later.

"Haha, this guy is really something! A national leader actually arguing with you online, truly unprecedented. Don't be afraid, fight back!" Jia Riting slapped his thigh and laughed.

"Are you crazy? If you really piss him off, how much will Tesla lose without subsidies? Without subsidies, who will buy my electric cars?" Musk thought Jia Riting was simply insane.

"There's no turning back now. If you apologize online, all our previous efforts will have been wasted. The only thing we can do is stand up to him to the end. Think about it, if you dare to confront even him, how can ordinary people imagine it? I estimate that you'll only have more supporters, not fewer..."

"And then what? Wait for Tesla to be sanctioned? Don't forget that my rocket project also has government cooperation."

“Hey, there’s a technique to criticizing people. He criticizes you, so why can’t you criticize him? Remember, you need to elevate yourself and fight back from a moral and other high ground. Everyone has different identities and interests. As long as the fat guy’s actions harm the interests of some people, they will naturally support you. Conversely, your words will also provoke others. Now it’s a matter of who has more supporters…” Jia Riting explained at length, while Musk listened with his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently.

Without further ado, the two of them quickly devised a plan, as time was of the essence.

Soon, Musk's counterattack began:

"It's a shame that some people are still using 20th-century manuals to play political games. Let's do some elementary math:"

The Shanghai factory can reduce the cost of each Tesla by 30%, which means:

Texas workers can drive electric pickup trucks three years earlier.

California young people can afford a Model 3 right after graduation.
More importantly, we want consumers in other countries to pay for American research and development!
Some people would rather American families spend an extra $1 on a domestically produced electric car than see them driving affordable, high-tech products. Is this protecting American workers, or protecting the monopoly profits of certain traditional automakers?

Speaking of technology? It's ironic. While we're opening up all our patents, some traditional automakers are still figuring out how to lobby the government to raise subsidy thresholds. What really needs investigating is: why do some politicians always turn 'America First' into 'certain automakers first'?
P.S.: At least monkeys on the South African savanna know how to share bananas, while some people can't even do basic arithmetic to ensure the public enjoys the benefits of technology.

This reply reignited the online frenzy. People had just recovered from the fat man's comments when they were drawn to Musk's tweet.

Musk's move was brilliant; it directly won over a large number of ordinary people. Who wouldn't want to drive an affordable electric car? Saying he'd cancel subsidies is just forcing consumers to spend more money, isn't it?
Suddenly, some of the people who had originally supported the fat man switched their allegiance to Musk. "Outrageous!" The fat man, lying on the office sofa, slammed his fist on the table in anger. The Coke bottle on the table bounced up and fell over, spilling brown liquid all over the table, but he was completely unaware.

He just wants to yell back right now, even if it means sleeping in the office tonight.

"That liar Elon Musk is making up stories again! His rockets are like firecrackers lit by children; how many explosions have NASA's billions of dollars invested resulted in? Taxpayers' money is burning in flames, and he's still bragging about going to Mars. Look at our magnificent 'Artemis' program, the true power of America!"

This South African speculator knows absolutely nothing about manufacturing. Tesla workers are struggling on the production line while he's smoking marijuana at a club. When I was in power, I insisted on 'buying American goods and hiring American people,' and now he wants to move production lines to other countries. Do you know what that means? 20,000 domestic jobs are disappearing!

By the way, SpaceX's crewed spaceflight contracts are being reviewed. We will no longer entrust national security to a visionary who can't even manage basic quality control. Making America great again means working hard, not throwing money into rockets that explode into fireworks!

The fat man's rebuttal was also powerful. SpaceX's repeated test failures were reported in the news every month, leading many to believe it was a bottomless money pit, and as for going to Mars, most considered it a pipe dream. Now that the leader has made this clear, many secretly agree.

After all, NASA's funding comes from taxpayers, primarily through annual federal government appropriations.

"Let's look at the facts. NASA's investment is a catalyst, but over 70% of SpaceX's R&D funding comes from private financing and market contracts. Our largest investors include the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and Google, and more importantly, we are self-sustaining through commercial launch orders."

The Falcon 9 has achieved its 20th perfect recovery this year, with each launch costing more than 60% less than ULA's rockets. Yes, we've blown up prototypes, but the Apollo program also destroyed six rockets in a row.

Should we abandon the moon landing because of this?

Regarding Mars, our next-generation interstellar spacecraft, the 'BFR,' is under design, and the success of the 'Falcon Heavy' has validated our technological path. The goal is to reduce the cost of a ticket to the price of a house, making the option of an interstellar future accessible to ordinary people.

While some politicians are still campaigning for next year's elections, we are already paving the way for human civilization in the next century. Stifling space exploration is like the medieval church stifling navigation; those who benefit from the status quo are always the enemies of the future.

Under Jia Riting's guidance, Musk launched another counterattack.

The two continued their online battle.

Chen Xi, far away in Xinlu, watched the great battle with great interest.

"That's incredible! Don't these two ever sleep?" He took a sip of his drink and scratched his head in amazement.

"What are you looking at?" Chen Lihua asked curiously from across the table.

"Nothing much, just watching foreign online trolls fight. How's the security company doing?" Chen Xi put down his phone.

"We just finished the memorial service and you're already talking about work. It seems your grandfather was right about you. He's always praised you for being capable since you were little." Chen Lihua gave a thumbs up.

Since being poached from Chen Yifeng by Chen Xi, he has become a completely different person. He used to be the security captain at the auction house, but now he is the manager of a security company, and the difference in treatment is like night and day.

"Hehe." Chen Xi chuckled, without saying anything more.

"The security company is doing well now. According to your plan, we set up training centers all over the country early on. More and more buildings are being built in China, and every community and office building needs to be equipped with security guards. Now, all industries require certification to work, and security guards are no exception. The people we train are distributed to various places, and the company also cooperates with many enterprises, and the profits are quite considerable..." Chen Lihua reported on the recent situation.

Security companies offer a wide range of services, from escorting valuables and providing bodyguard services for the wealthy to security training.

In his previous life, Chen Xi had long wanted to start a security company, but he had never been able to realize it. In this life, he finally got his wish.

Chen Ran had a childhood friend who had also played with Chen Xi since they were young. This friend had once invested in a security company. Even when the national economy was sluggish, he was still able to make money from home. While all industries were declining, security guards' salaries not only didn't decrease but actually increased, with those holding multiple certifications earning particularly high wages.

"It looks good now, but the future will change. Foreign countries don't have as many security guards; they mostly rely on high technology for security. Don't be fooled by the number of street cameras; their security technology in key areas far surpasses ours. Domestic security companies also need to upgrade their technology, for example, by providing security services to enterprises, industrial parks, and even smart cities: deploying IoT sensors, cameras, and drones, connecting to AI algorithm platforms to achieve 24/7 automatic threat identification; using big data analysis of historical crime data, social sentiment, weather, and pedestrian flow to predict security risks in different areas and at different times, and dynamically allocating security resources; with the popularization of IoT, the risk of hacker attacks on physical devices such as cameras and access control systems has surged, and security companies need to provide integrated cybersecurity and physical security penetration testing and protection to ensure that clients' intelligent security systems are not compromised; they also need to provide global close protection, travel security planning, and crisis evacuation plans for multinational corporate executives and their families, including not only personal safety but also intelligence briefings on political, medical, and kidnapping/extortion risks in the destination country. In other words, our security companies need to go international and cooperate with companies in other countries..." Chen Xi explained in detail.

Recalling his previous experience in Africa, he felt this was a huge business opportunity. With so many overseas Chinese businesses facing security risks, the market potential was limitless.

"Going international?" Chen Lihua was taken aback by this idea.

In his view, it was already quite remarkable to be able to expand the business to the special economic zone, let alone to enter overseas markets.

"What's impossible? Foreign security companies can develop into quasi-military scales, so why can't we go out and try our luck? You don't need to worry about competition." Chen Xi waved his hand dismissively.

The internationally renowned security companies he mentioned, such as G4S, Allied Universal, GardaWorld, and Blackwater, are all thriving in their respective fields. Although there are many competitors in the overseas market, each company has a different focus. Some concentrate on physical and electronic security systems, some target the commercial and civilian markets, such as security services for office buildings, shopping malls, and communities, while others specialize in the protection of personnel and facilities in high-risk areas, and even provide military training.

"But what are our core competitive advantages?" Chen Lihua still had doubts.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Initially, we'll collaborate with overseas companies and send our trained professionals there. We can prioritize serving Mandarin-speaking clients; after all, they're compatriots, and communication will be easier. I believe many will choose us," Chen Xi explained calmly. (End of Chapter)