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

Late at night, a Weibo post went viral and became a trending topic.

The trending topics have completely overshadowed the previously hot news about car manufacturing, and the reason is related to this financial event.

After South Korea announced the signing of a currency swap agreement with a major power, a large number of videos from independent media outlets appeared online.

They talked about things like the Ming Dynasty returning and the scene of all nations paying tribute reappearing. In short, some people felt very proud of South Korea's attitude.

Some people have gone so far as to abstract some of the technologies of the Ming Dynasty, even including technologies that were ahead of their time.

The Weibo post was made by a well-known rich second-generation.

The implication is that these influencers shouldn't deceive themselves by spouting nonsense to boost their self-confidence.

The post also included a picture taken on a street in South Korea.

The photo shows a large group of Koreans marching in the streets, with very radical slogans.

Below the Weibo post was another message: "I was shopping and almost got beaten up. The situation is completely different from what you're saying. Stop spreading these 'spiritual opium' messages online; face reality."

Soon, this rich kid was being criticized.

They said he only knew how to use his father's money to hang out with internet celebrities, that he was good for nothing, that he was involved in e-sports teams and live streaming platforms, and that he was always mocking others online, among other despicable acts.

The rich second-generation is named Shi Cong. His father was once the richest man in China. Just a few days ago, he mocked Dadao Group's car manufacturing business online.

However, the content was later deleted, and some people say that his father made him cancel it.

The reason he was criticized this time was that some people accused him of being unpatriotic and mocked those bloggers who were building national confidence.

Shi Cong naturally didn't tolerate these people. He retorted to each of them, saying that they were just spreading rumors and making things up. He also said that a country's strength cannot be achieved by simply encouraging people with fabricated stories.

However, no one paid any attention to his words, because Shi Cong had been portrayed as a good-for-nothing rich kid in the past.

Some even think that if they were him, they would have become the richest man long ago with their family's money and resources.

The farce continued to escalate and was quite detrimental to Shi Cong.

Chen Xi, upon waking up the next day, naturally saw these news reports.

Linxi had invited Shi Cong to join the Overseas Returnees Association, but he scoffed at it and nothing came of it.

Chen Xi had also read the content online. He had often visited South Korea in his previous life, and the attitude of some South Koreans toward this matter was not like that of a certain country's propaganda. The situation was indeed similar to what Shi Cong had said.

Although Chen Xi also felt that the Ming Dynasty was a relatively powerful dynasty in history, the fact that the Americans brought up this topic this time was not so simple at all.

Some people are still reveling in their past glories, which is not a good thing.

It's like being lagging behind now, but feeling proud of being far ahead a hundred years ago.

in the afternoon.

University of Malaya.

Chen Xi was invited to give a speech here because his previous collaboration with Musk on television has made him quite famous.

However, this only applies to Malaysia, because there are many Chinese people there.

Chen Xi stood under the spotlight in the auditorium, looking at the Chinese faces below the stage.

“It’s quite a wonderful thing to be able to stand here and communicate with everyone. I often think that the Chinese people here have different nationalities and different living environments, but as soon as people in China mention you, the first thing they say is ‘compatriots.’”

Applause erupted from the audience, and many people looked proud.

"This is not only because of blood ties, but also because you have a sense of belonging. Whenever the country encounters a major disaster, you are always there to contribute money and effort. In the eyes of the people in the country, you are truly patriotic."

After the applause subsided, Chen Xi's smile faded, and his tone became serious.

"But when it comes to patriotism, I can't help but ask a question: what exactly is true patriotism? Many people online think that patriotism is about standing in unison, shouting the loudest slogans, and not being able to tolerate any dissenting opinions. But that's not patriotism; that's just emotional venting. True patriotism requires taking concrete actions and, more importantly, daring to speak the truth. If you look at the war history of any country in the world, you'll find a particularly ironic pattern. Before the war even starts, there's often a group of people who jump the highest, shout the loudest slogans, and use the banner of patriotism to find fault with others. But once the flames of war spread and the situation becomes passive, these same people are often the first to back down and become lackeys, leading the enemy the way."

The students below the stage listened intently; the entire auditorium was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"On the contrary, those who usually love to nitpick and write articles in the newspapers every day to criticize this and that are often the ones who grit their teeth and fight to the end when the country is on the verge of extinction. Why? Because those who speak the truth genuinely want things to get better. They see the problems, so they prick the boil."

The truth is often hard to hear, unappealing, and may even be met with criticism and backbiting. People would rather indulge in a false sense of security than open their eyes to the real storms outside. But a nation's true prosperity and strength never comes from self-deception, but from the courage to face reality.

Although my fellow countrymen are far from home, I know that we all share the same homeland in our hearts. As long as we work together, do practical things, listen to the truth, and avoid empty slogans, our land will definitely not be misled by a few empty words. Speaking of speaking the truth, I happened to see a rather interesting trending topic on my phone this morning.” Chen Xi smiled and gestured with his hand.

"There's a pretty famous rich kid in China named Shi Cong. You should be familiar with him; he studied abroad in the US before. This guy usually gives the impression of running an e-sports team and dating internet celebrities—a typical playboy. Yesterday, he posted a photo of himself on the streets of South Korea online."

At the time, a large number of self-media outlets online were frantically reporting on the currency swap agreement signed between South Korea and China. They were exaggerating things like the Ming Dynasty returning and all nations paying tribute, practically bringing out technology from hundreds of years ago to hype it up. This Mr. Shi, however, went and directly smeared real photos of radical street protests in South Korea in their faces, adding a sarcastic comment: "Stop spreading spiritual opium online, face reality."

The students in the audience let out a low chuckle; clearly, some had also noticed the news.

"And guess what happened? He was bombarded with criticism online. A bunch of people jumped out to scold him, digging up his past mistakes and accusing him of debunking something that was supposed to build public confidence." Chen Xi shrugged, a hint of mockery in his expression.

The auditorium fell silent, and many people wore thoughtful expressions.

"This sounds like a joke, but upon closer inspection, it's actually quite absurd. Someone who dares to tear down the fig leaf and make everyone face the reality of the gap is being condemned by a group of people who are indulging in false prosperity, simply because his usual behavior isn't in line with the mainstream ideology. He's doing something truly patriotic and trying to wake everyone up, yet he's misunderstood by the vast majority. If everyone thinks that as long as they hide in their information cocoons and listen to some nice-sounding words, the country will become strong, then what's the point of working hard?"
To everyone here, no matter where you go in the future, be someone who dares to open your eyes and see the world. Even if speaking the truth sometimes makes you seem very out of place, only by truly seeing the gap can our homeland tread the mud of reality and climb step by step to the highest position. I hope everyone will avoid creating false prosperity, and even more so, avoid indulging in the illusions deliberately woven by others. Otherwise, in the end, when reality slaps us down and strips away that glamorous facade, we'll truly only have that pitiful amount of self-confidence left.”

The audience was silent.

Immediately afterwards, someone started clapping.

The applause spread rapidly like a tide, wave after wave, lasting for a long time.

Some young people in the back rows even stood up with tears in their eyes. Because they knew that the man on stage hadn't been trying to sweet-talk them, but had instead torn open a crack in the most realistic world and laid it out before them.

Chen Xi didn't use any prepared speech when he said these words, because at that moment he was only thinking about something from his past life.

Shi Cong is a patriotic person. Some people online mock him for spending so much of his family's money but accomplishing nothing and getting worse and worse off.

But Chen Xi saw a patriotic returnee who wanted to do something to change the status quo, only to find that even with money and resources, he was powerless. In the end, he could only give up and leave for another country. And to be ridiculed by a group of incompetent people who only knew how to shout slogans, he felt utterly miserable.

A few hours later, we returned to the hotel.

Chen Xi's phone was flooded with messages, all from Xing Tian.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Mr. Chen, do you even know what you're doing? I'm trending on social media, and I can't keep up with deleting all the comments." Xing Tian's voice was full of helplessness.

"Of course I know. Do you think I'm wrong?" Chen Xi retorted.

"What you say is true, but it won't change anything. On the contrary, it's just helping others take the blame and attracting attention. Wait, these days, everyone has to hype up a new project before starting one. Do you have a new project to announce?" Xing Tian's mind was racing.

"No, I know a few words won't change anything. But if everyone stays silent, can things still get better?"

"Forehead……"

"Alright, let those people online say whatever they want. Similarly, what they say won't change me." Chen Xi had an indifferent attitude. He had been criticized before when he was working on projects in his previous life, and he just treated those people as nothing.

"By the way, now that the website is up and running, we shouldn't use advertising for some sections anymore," he added.

"Why? My god, the advertising revenue is pretty good right now." Xing Tian was full of questions. "The advertising revenue model is garbage. Paid subscriptions are the way to go. If everyone gets into this habit, what will happen? There will be data manipulation everywhere. In the end, the advertising model will just be the platform colluding with some data manipulators to cheat advertisers out of money. Advertisers aren't stupid, so naturally they won't invest any more money in the long run." Chen Xi shook his head.

Games that rely on watching ads or charging for in-game items will ultimately fail.

Moreover, society as a whole eventually only knows how to get something for free, without actually getting a good experience.

The platform's previous advertising model was just an initial accumulation; now that it's successful, it's natural to discard this worthless model.

However, it can't be said that this model is bad, after all, some major foreign platforms such as YouTube still insist on using it. It's just that Chen Xi feels that this thing is not applicable in China.

"Alright, I'm about to come back. A lot of big things have happened these past few days, and I have to deal with them." After saying this last sentence, Chen Xi hung up the phone.

At this moment, in a hotel near the University of Malaya.

Mr. Zhu was beaten black and blue and was kneeling on the ground; his glasses had long since flown off somewhere.

"Tell me, where's the money?" A young man in a suit slammed his hand on the table.

"We've lost everything," Mr. Zhu said, covering his face as he managed to squeeze out the words.

"You lost it all? You actually used the money to invest? Are you kidding me?" Veins bulged on the young man's forehead.

He was ordered to come and collect the debt, but he didn't expect things to turn out like this.

Billions is no small sum, and now it's gone just like that.

"Heh, you think you can just run away to Dubai after losing all your money? You think you'll be safe there?" The young man lit a cigarette.

"No... I wanted to go over there to raise money to patch up the hole. As you know, cryptocurrency and some shady businesses are emerging there," Mr. Zhu quickly explained.

"What can you possibly do by yourself?"

"I...I also have a technical team."

Late at night, Wang Xianqi was awakened by a sound.

He rubbed his eyes, looked at the technician in the next bed, and then knocked on the open door.

In the living room, several team members who had been sleeping on the sofa were yawning and packing up their things.

"What's wrong? What time is it?" Wang Xianqi checked the time.

"General Manager Zhu called to tell us to move to a new location, saying that a new project has started." The bespectacled man in charge of the technical team on the next bed was also extremely sleepy.

"Oh, then I'll go downstairs for a smoke." Smoking is not allowed in the hotel, and Wang Xianqi's craving for a cigarette suddenly kicked in.

"Alright, pack your things, we'll meet in the parking lot across the street." The bespectacled man waved his hand.

"Hmm." Wang Xianqi took a piss, responded, and then took his backpack and went downstairs.

He was much like his father, Wang Zhi, always traveling light and never packing anything.

The other people in the living room were stuffing equipment into their bags and didn't pay any attention to his going out alone.

Wang Xianqi went downstairs to get his cigarettes, only to find that he had left his lighter at the hotel.

He was too lazy to go back up and get it, so he decided to find a convenience store to buy one.

He wasn't familiar with the area and wandered around for two blocks before finally finding a convenience store.

It's still dark outside, and there are hardly any pedestrians on the road.

Wang Xianqi squatted in the corner next to the convenience store with a cigarette in his mouth and started looking at his phone.

He immediately noticed the trending topics online; his classmate Chen Xi's speech at the University of Malaya had gone viral.

"Sigh~" After watching for a while, Wang Xianqi sighed deeply.

It's unclear whether it's because of the failure of the 3X platform or because they're lamenting the current gap between the two.

After smoking three cigarettes in a row, Wang Xianqi stood up and felt a little dizzy.

He strolled leisurely towards the parking lot across from the hotel, and from a distance he saw the bespectacled man and his team arriving at the parking lot as well.

Wang Xianqi wanted to shout something, but he immediately shut his mouth the next second.

Suddenly, he heard an argument in the parking lot. He slowed down and moved forward alertly, taking the opportunity to hide behind a pillar and peer into the distance.

Several burly men were standing in front of three black minivans in the parking lot, and the man with glasses and others were being violently forced into the vehicles.

Although they resisted, it was to no avail.

The car door was wide open, and Mr. Zhu was sitting inside with a bruised and swollen face, looking at everything with a worried expression.

No matter how the bespectacled man and others questioned him, President Zhu remained silent.

Yuezhou City.

Xu Jia sat in a chair in his study at home, yawning as he had a meeting with Jia Riting on his computer.

"Hey Lao Jia, it's afternoon where you are. You're not going to sleep, but you can't stop me from sleeping too," Xu Jia said, rubbing his eyes.

"The Tesla factory is expected to be completed in two months. When will Hengxiao's car manufacturing catch up with the schedule?" Jia Riting asked while eating pizza.

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon. I have a ton of things to do, I can't just focus on building cars all day. Hengxiao's main business isn't car manufacturing! By the way, what are the prospects for Tesla's first batch of orders in China?"

"Roughly calculated, it's around 20,000 units per month. This depends on the subsidy price, which Musk is currently negotiating. The more subsidies, the better the sales will be."

"Don't you think I played this move brilliantly? I made Dadao Group compete with them for territory, and then we sold high-end cars." Xu Jia smiled and stroked his chin.

"Come on, we're not doing this to make money by selling cars... You're not getting serious, are you?" Jia Riting sensed something was off.

"Hengxiao insists on making the best of everything, and this car is no exception. Although we don't make money from selling cars, this car must be the best!" Xu Jia clenched his fist.

Jia Riting didn't want to say anything more. When he thought about how he still owed the other party hundreds of millions of yuan in investment, he immediately shut his mouth.

Let him have his fun.

Jia Riting felt somewhat helpless.

"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore." Xu Jia glanced at the vibrating phone on the table and quickly hung up the video call.

"Mr. Xu, they're pushing for the construction progress at Xinlu again. But you know how tight the group's finances are..." The assistant's voice came through the phone.

"Don't rush, don't rush. Let's stall for now... we won't have to build the building soon."

"Huh? You're not building anymore?"

The assistant was stunned upon hearing this.

"I received word that Wu Wanrong is about to be transferred. That means we'll have more room to maneuver when the new leader arrives," Xu Jia said lazily, leaning back in his chair. (End of Chapter)