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

"Mr. Chen has only recently returned from abroad, so as the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' there's no need to dwell on that. Today's meeting is mainly to discuss the big data center issue. Since it's a financial data center, the clients are naturally financial institutions. All financial companies, large and small, rely on banks, so serving them is essentially serving us. But we're always uneasy about storing data with external institutions. To strengthen cooperation, it's necessary for banks to participate in joint development. This involves not only financial investment but also, for data security, multi-party joint supervision..." Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, someone seized the opportunity to throw out their prepared remarks.

“That’s right, the Xinlu Municipal Government has already agreed. Actually, this meeting wasn’t really necessary, but out of respect for President Chen, we’re still letting him know. But then again, if President Chen refuses to cooperate, this big data center will just be an empty shell. If banks don’t get involved, which other institution will dare to cooperate with you?” another person chimed in.

"Looks like I have no choice but to agree?" Chen Xi shrugged.

The bank representatives exchanged glances, their faces beaming with smug smiles.

“It seems there’s no other way. I talked to Aba and Penguin before I came here, and they are also interested in the big data center. How about this, whoever offers the highest price, I will transfer most of my shares to them.” Chen Xi pretended to be angry.

“The price is negotiable. Banks have no shortage of funds, and taking over the whole thing is not a problem,” one person replied confidently.

You said it yourself, so don't blame me for being ruthless.

Chen Xi chuckled inwardly.

The atmosphere in Wu Wanrong's office was equally somber.

He did not attend the meeting between Chen Xi and the bank; instead, he was discussing matters with several other people.

"Mr. Xu, you have money to help the poor everywhere, so why don't you have money to build houses? Didn't you say you wanted to give back to society and the country?"

“Boss, I have no choice. Hengxiao is such a large company now, with projects all over the country. Poverty alleviation donations are just paving the way for future development, you should understand that. I need projects and money to build the building.” Xu Jia’s face was full of worry.

"Leaving aside the Hengxiao Central Building, what about your Hengxiao Sunshine Peninsula in Qilin City, the International Plaza in Xinlu, and several other projects in Jianghuai Province? The report below says there have been work stoppages and delayed deliveries..." Wu Wanrong tapped the table.

"Please let me explain, sir. Hengxiao Sunshine Peninsula is in Mr. Yang's hometown; he's the one who brought me to the project. But as you know, it's a large-scale cultural and tourism complex, encompassing residences and a theme park, with an investment of 120 billion! The budget for the Hengxiao Center Building is less than 20 billion. I was just trying to withdraw the funds to focus on building the center first, wasn't I? As for projects in other cities… things are different now. Workers' wages must be paid on time, and their benefits must be better. I'm a legitimate entrepreneur, not a bloodsucker capitalist. I offer top-tier treatment to my employees, and the quality of the buildings is absolutely top-notch…"

"So, after all this talk, you're saying you're broke?"

"No, that's not it! Hengxiao Investment has far too many projects, and we have to allocate funds step by step. It's not that we're not building, but rather that we're building slowly and systematically. We'll let those with the necessary conditions and needs go first, using those projects to drive others, and we'll analyze each case individually. Regardless of whether we start early or late, we'll do everything we can..."

"Alright, alright, I'm just asking you, when will these projects in Jianghuai Province be completed? I have no interest in things in other provinces." Wu Wanrong waved his hand impatiently.

"I'll do it as soon as possible!" Xu Jia assured him, but did not give a specific timeframe.

"Now let's talk about the integration of chips, displays, and automobiles." Wu Wanrong stopped elaborating and got to the point.

"Chip-Display-Auto Integration" refers to the integration of integrated circuits, new displays, new energy vehicles, and artificial intelligence, which is currently the hottest industrial direction in Jianghuai Province.

Wu Wanrong's strategy is clear: use leading companies to drive the industrial chain. Whether it's Changxing, Future, or Lianbao, they are all industry leaders. By introducing core enterprises, he aims to drive the entire industrial chain to cluster and form the "Xinlu Model".

On the other hand, the entire province is developing in a coordinated manner. Each region is leveraging its own strengths to develop differentiated strategies in areas such as new energy vehicles, auto parts, and rail transit, thus complementing the industries of Xinlu.

Now that Evergrande has also ventured into car manufacturing, Wu Wanrong naturally called the Xu family to discuss the matter as well.

"This project is fantastic! Industry leaders from all walks of life are gathered here. If each company contributes its most expertise, wouldn't the combination create the perfect new energy vehicle? Hengxiao started as an engineering company, but now it has also joined the ranks of car manufacturers. In terms of technology, we can't compare to everyone here, but Hengxiao has plenty of capital! If Hengxiao Auto can integrate everyone's technology, then it will have no rivals in the country, no, in the world!" Xu Jia's eyes lit up as he spoke confidently.

Everyone, including Wu Wanrong, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of their mouths.

This guy was just saying he was having cash flow problems, but the next minute he's bragging about how much cash his company has. He's just spouting nonsense.

"Everything else is negotiable, but the biggest shortage right now is batteries. We'll discuss his cooperation with Tesla after President Chen finishes his meeting. Let's talk about Hengxiao Auto's advantages first. Building cars isn't just about money, and most new energy vehicle companies are currently operating at a loss..." The boss of Changxing Group shook his head.

"President Chen? I know him well! You just asked what advantages Hengxiao has? President Chen is our advantage! We're practically family, he might even be my son-in-law someday. So what Hengxiao can offer is money and batteries!" Xu Jia clapped his hands with a laugh. Seeing his shamelessness, everyone present twitched at the corners of their mouths again.

After one hour.

"That's roughly the situation. What do you all think?" Chen Xi said, his mouth dry, and took a sip of tea.

“Everyone knows about Mr. Jia’s situation. His Ferragamo project… to be honest, I’m not very optimistic about it,” said Li Weibin, the boss of Future Auto, after a moment of contemplation.

"Didn't nobody have any faith in Future Cars back then? But it's doing well now," Chen Xi retorted with a smile.

Li Weibin blushed and retorted, "But I'm originally in the automotive industry, while President Jia has never been involved in this field. I've seen Ferrari's materials; frankly, it's just PowerPoint presentations for car manufacturing, everyone understands that."

"Farago will be launched as an independent sub-brand of Tesla, just like Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, positioned at the high end and making up for Tesla's shortcomings. Just like Mr. Xu said, as long as each company contributes its best parts, wouldn't the combination create the most perfect new energy vehicle?" Chen Xi explained calmly.

The implication is clear: as long as the technology is in place, anyone can build it and it will take off.

"But Mr. Jia is still heavily in debt. Who can guarantee that he won't misappropriate the funds and technology after receiving them to fund other projects to pay off his debts?" the president of American Kangning Group China questioned.

“I believe in Mr. Jia on this point! Mr. Jia’s character and ability are beyond reproach. Which boss hasn’t encountered difficulties? Although he is abroad, he has still publicly stated that he will repay his debts, and this attitude deserves recognition. If it were someone else, they would have hidden away long ago after owing so much money. As for his ability, I don’t need to elaborate on Mr. Jia’s financing methods, right? He was able to raise start-up capital from scratch abroad, and now he has even established Farago. This shows that American investors believe in him…” Before Chen Xi could answer, Xu Jia, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

Everyone rolled their eyes inwardly.

Didn't you just say you wanted everyone to combine their best skills for you?
Why are you suddenly speaking up for Jia Riting again?

We're speaking up for you, and you've already turned against us.

"Mr. Xu, I remember Mr. Jia also asked you for funding to build cars. Now he's abroad, and your money is long gone. How can you still trust someone like that?" Li Weibin retorted, his tone somewhat displeased.

He had previously sought financing from Jia Riting for Future Auto, but was rejected. Now that Jia is down on his luck, he naturally wants to take the opportunity to kick him while he's down.

“What’s that little bit of money? Think about it another way: if you don’t support him, how will he make a comeback and pay me back? It’s like owing money to a bank. If the bank freezes your card and restricts your spending, making it impossible for you to leave your house, how will you earn money to pay off your debt?” Xu Jia laughed.

It must be admitted that the Xu family's words make sense.

If you cut off someone's path to survival, who will have the ability to turn things around?
Li Weibin was speechless and could only lower his head and stop arguing.

He was actually quite frustrated. Back then, he had worked himself to the bone to raise funds for Future Auto, only managing to scrape together a small amount, while Jia Riting could rake in huge sums of money with just a few PowerPoint presentations. This disparity made him feel like a fool.

After the meeting, Chen Xi was pulled into Xu Jia's car.

"Young Chen, could you include me in that project you're working on with President Jia and Musk? Yunyun called me about it before, but that girl's thinking is too simplistic; she doesn't understand the ins and outs. I was busy at the time, so I let her decide for herself. But today, as soon as I heard you're going to collaborate with President Jia, my interest immediately jumped! Just think, the four of us joining forces would be like the Four Heavenly Kings! What business couldn't we do?" Xu Jia patted Chen Xi on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

Chen Xi chuckled inwardly.

He had long suspected that the old fox had ulterior motives, and sure enough, he spoke to him privately afterward.

"What can President Xu offer?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.

"With Hengxiao's size and my connections in China, what can't I offer?" Xu Jia leaned back in his chair, his face full of confidence.

(Just a quick update. I've been quite busy these past few days and haven't been in the mood to write much. My loan was withdrawn, and now I'm in debt. I just listed my house online for sale, and this afternoon I'll look at a few apartments to rent temporarily. Then I plan to find a job to settle down for a while, write some books, and solve my basic needs first... In the book, I wrote about Boss Jia. I went from laughing at Boss Jia to understanding him. These past few days I've been thinking about whether I should become Boss Jia, but in the end, I decided against it...) (End of Chapter)