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

The police officer leading the team quickly stepped forward and flashed his badge in front of the man.

"We are from the Judiciary Police. You are currently suspected of multiple serious crimes, including establishing and leading a criminal syndicate, illegally operating cross-border entertainment, and rice laundering. Please come with us immediately to assist in the investigation." The officer in charge read out the contents of the arrest warrant with a blank expression.

The man's previously arrogant expression froze instantly, and his right leg, which had just stepped out of the car, stopped abruptly in mid-air.

"You can talk to my lawyer if you have any questions. I have a very important meeting to attend right now." The entertainment tycoon forced down his panic and tried to reach for the car door.

“The lawyer is already waiting at the station. This time, the arrest warrant was issued directly from the mainland. Let’s go.” Two plainclothes officers stepped forward decisively and firmly pressed down on the target’s shoulders, one on each side.

Looking at the flashing police lights around him, the man could only give up in despair and let the handcuffs lock on his wrists.

The meeting was still going on in Huahetong's conference room.

"In this era of turbulent world, no one can remain untouched. There will always be a small group of people who, with their audacity or sheer luck, consider themselves to be the trendsetters of the world. At that height, all they see is overwhelming wealth and power, but a moment's lapse in concentration, and below lies an abyss. In truth, how to navigate the future can be fully understood by simply flipping through the piles of old books filled with stories of rise and fall."

People these days are either blinded by the illusion of prosperity or they've seen through the game and are caught in a dilemma. Take what Mr. Feng just mentioned about changing the banking system, for example. You complain about people charging fees to act as intermediaries between banks and customers, thinking these middlemen deserve to die.

But if we really adopt the e-commerce model like Taobao and completely break down the middle layer, then an infighting price war will instantly erupt across the entire industry. At that time, whether you're in finance or in the real economy, everyone will be bleeding each other dry to grab that pitiful amount of existing business. This kind of self-destructive approach will only ruin the entire ecosystem in the end..." Wang Tong continued to offer his insights.

"Mr. Wang, there's a habit among Chinese people: they flock to whatever industry seems to make money quickly. After the reforms, everyone went into business, drawn by the speed at which money could be made. But in the end, these businessmen sadly discovered that the little money they had painstakingly saved was nothing in the face of power."

So these people tried every means to be elected as representatives or committee members, desperately trying to climb into that circle. If this social structure doesn't change at its core, even if you swapped the identities of merchants and farmers, the outcome would be the same. I've seen some online commentary on certain things, quite insightful, only to be labeled as troublemakers by certain leaders. Actually, if you peel back the layers, the class system hasn't been broken down in these thousands of years. In other words, although the order of class names has changed, the core logic of power allocation and resource sharing remains the same.” Chen Xi sighed.

"Mr. Chen, your statement is extreme, a typical example of Western binary thinking, always trying to see things in black and white. What you call the allocation of resources through power, in our context, is called the unity of macro-control and social responsibility. You need to understand that pure capitalist logic is profit-driven and ruthless. Without a higher-dimensional force to balance things and to provide a safety net for the vulnerable, society would truly become the bloodbath you described."

As for your points about identity swapping and class logic, that oversimplifies complex social governance. Our current system aims for the greatest common denominator among all social strata. Whether you're a merchant, a farmer, or what you call a scholar, everyone performs their duties within this framework. The comment you labeled a "troublemaker" likely stems from seeing only localized friction, failing to grasp the overall coordination.

"President Chen, when looking at problems, we need to look at the big picture, at how we've gotten here over the past few decades, instead of digging into old papers to find some kind of cycle." Wang Tong regained control of the conversation.

Although he did not directly refute Chen Xi's characterization of power, he perfectly justified the exercise of power by using the concepts of social responsibility and macro-control, and incidentally labeled Chen Xi as someone who did not have a comprehensive view of the issue.

"Mr. Wang's label of macro-control is indeed airtight, theoretically flawless. But between theory and practice, there are countless people involved in implementation. You say it's to provide a safety net for vulnerable groups, and no one will refute that initial intention. But once this system is in operation, are all those who specifically allocate resources truly selfless saints? In reality, the tighter this safety net is woven, and the more detailed the rules are, the more those working on it will have to revolve around the rules, rather than around the market."

Capital's pursuit of profit is indeed ruthless, but in a fair fight, victory or defeat rests entirely on one's own shoulders. Once a higher-level force intervenes, it easily becomes a situation where one is both referee and player. Often, the so-called coordination and balance degenerate into complex approval processes and meaningless internal friction. In order to survive within this framework, everyone wastes a great deal of energy and wealth on appeasing the rules.

These invisible friction costs have long since drained the vitality that should have been used for production. If the price of pursuing the greatest common denominator is that those who truly do the work will encounter obstacles everywhere, while those who are only responsible for stamping documents will remain high and mighty, then is this kind of regulation actually protecting the livelihoods of those at the bottom, or is it just a net used to consolidate their own power? Mr. Wang, this is not some Western theory; this is a ledger that everyone knows perfectly well.

Even assuming those who stamped the documents had no fault of malice, the visible hand is now overreaching. It tries to control the bottom line, and it also micromanages things it shouldn't. It's like a heavy truck speeding along at high speed, with one person holding both the steering wheel and the accelerator, and no one around to apply the brakes. This absolute control without any boundaries or checks and balances may seem efficient on the surface, but it's a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. If a misjudgment is made, everyone on board will have no chance to save themselves, which is definitely not a good thing for our overall operation.” Chen Xi smiled.

"Mr. Feng, what were your ideals in the past?" Wang Tong didn't respond to the heavy truck's comment, but turned to look at Feng Yun sitting next to him.

"To be a teacher," Feng Yun replied, leaning back in his chair.

"What about the original one? Or rather, the whole picture of how we've come this far?" Wang Tong picked up the pen on the table.

"At first, I wanted to be the head of a translation agency to make a living. Later, as the business grew, I thought about becoming a business godfather who would disrupt the industry. But in the end, I still think being a teacher is the most stable job," Feng Yun replied after thinking for a moment.

Wang Tong nodded, then turned his gaze to the other side: "What about President Chen?"

"At first I wanted to be a detective, then I wanted to be a policeman, and now I'm a businessman. Maybe I'll choose to write books in the future." Chen Xi picked up his water and took a small sip.

"That's right. Your ideals are all different, and your thoughts change at each stage. If I were to randomly grab an adult on the street today and ask him why he's so determined to get into the system and become the person who stamps documents, he would most likely tell you it's because of the good benefits and job security. As for his desire to wield some power, everyone tacitly agrees and doesn't mention it. But if you were to ask a child who is still in elementary school, he would definitely stand up straight and tell you that he wants to serve the people when he grows up."

The meeting room fell silent, with only the faint sound of the air conditioner running.

"Mr. Chen, that answers your question about heavy trucks. Everyone in this system started out as a kid who shouted 'Serving the people.' But after struggling in the world for a long time, the pressure to survive and the desire for profit have made people more and more complicated."

You think that hand is reaching too far, that there's no backup. But have you considered what if this vehicle is filled with brilliant individuals who once dreamed of becoming business tycoons, wanting to overturn everything? Without enforced boundaries to suppress these ever-expanding desires, this vehicle wouldn't even need the steering wheel to fail; it would be torn to shreds halfway by those vying for resources. We all started as innocent children. Since human greed cannot be controlled, only absolute rules and enforcement can provide a safety net. So-called regulation is never about preventing freedom; it's precisely about preventing the boundless selfishness of the adult world.

These words transformed Chen Xi's description of a system lacking checks and balances into the last line of defense against human greed, elevating the issue to a philosophical level of social governance and instantly rendering the original sharp criticism futile.

Feng Yun, who was standing to the side, felt that the other party had deliberately shifted the focus away from the people and power, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Chen Xi smiled first, then said seriously, "President Wang's words certainly portrayed the posture of a protector perfectly, making one want to applaud this profound sense of mission. But I have a small logical question. President Wang said that everyone grows from a pure child into a greedy adult, so rules are needed as a safety net to guard against that boundless selfishness. But the question is, aren't the hands that hold the rules and step on the gas pedal also made up of adults? If human greed cannot be restrained, then what filters out the selfishness in the blood of those sitting in the driver's seat, thus becoming the absolutely neutral braking device you described, one that only acts for the good of everyone?"

Let's take a giant like Huaxing Group as an example. Everyone knows Huaxing's top-level structure; its sole shareholder is in the core office. In our context, every penny of that office comes from the masses, representing the interests of all. Since the ownership of this heavy truck ultimately belongs to the people, it's, in terms of ownership, public ownership. Whether they're laborers, farmers, or business owners like Mr. Feng, legally they are all minority shareholders of this truck. Since they are shareholders, why should they only sit in the back and be at the mercy of the driver's cab, instead of having a secondary brake installed beside them, watching the dashboard together?

From an economic perspective, this is called the principal-agent dilemma. The public are the principals, and the person in the driver's seat is the agent. Mr. Wang's current logic is that the agent believes the principals are all potential lunatics and saboteurs, so they must be deprived of their right to be behind the wheel. But what if the agent himself drives while fatigued, or tries to drive the car into a private garage for his own selfish purposes? Are the owners in the back of the truck just supposed to watch helplessly as the car overturns into a ditch?
True social governance philosophy should not be about forcibly suppressing one selfish desire with another, but rather about allowing all stakeholders to compete and check each other within the rules. Businessmen, workers, and farmers, being part of the masses, should have channels to participate in applying the brakes. Giving all control to an unsupervised driver, under the guise of ensuring safety, is the greatest insecurity. Because this is not only about preventing selfishness, but also about erasing society's inherent capacity for self-correction…

The meeting lasted a long time, and when it was adjourned, Feng Yun called out to Chen Xi, who was about to leave.

"Chen boy, why are you wasting so much breath on them? They're different from us; everything they say is just to protect their own interests, right?" Feng Yun shook his head.

"President Feng, you started this by talking too much, why are you blaming me? Speaking of which, President Park just told you not to talk nonsense, did you listen?" Chen Xi blinked.

"You mean complaining about the banks? I'm not stupid. Look at how they were criticizing me at the meeting today. If I were to go around spouting nonsense outside, wouldn't I get roasted to death? How many banks are there in the whole country? Hahaha." Feng Yun laughed so hard he bent over.

He just felt that Chen Xi had lost his mind. Didn't he know what he could and couldn't say?

Although he used to make outrageous remarks on television, part of it was just to attract viewers.

"Oh, by the way, your old man's run into some trouble lately. He tried to get revenge by swindling the bank, but he ended up getting swindled himself. Now he's lost his factory, and I heard the bank has documents to take it away." Suddenly remembering something, Feng Yun rattled off a string of words.

"Uh..." Chen Xi was busy with a lot of things right now, and didn't have time to care about Chen Yifeng's bad luck. He could only scratch his head awkwardly.

"Alright, I won't say any more. I'm going to have tea with Dadao Group later... Oh, right, they've started making electric cars too. I was thinking of seeing if Huahetong could use their products in the future..." Feng Yun patted Chen Xi on the shoulder.

Feng Yun and the person from Dadao Group were old acquaintances; the two had worked together before.

Da Dao's products are top sellers on Taobao. A private equity firm associated with Feng Yun also invested in Da Dao, which means that Feng Yun is also a shareholder of Da Dao.

Inside the police station, the chairman of the Da Taiyang Group was lounging in his chair.

“This isn’t the mainland; the legal system is completely different, and the jurisdiction is different too. It doesn’t seem right for you to arrest me with an arrest warrant issued in the mainland.” The man crossed his arms and looked at the middle-aged law enforcement officer in front of him.

"No one can save you from the crimes you've committed. Don't give me any pointers on the legal system; I know more about it than you do!" The middle-aged man said sternly.

"What crime have I committed? All those things you just listed are just things you've forced upon me. Let me tell you a story and you'll understand." The chairman shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Long ago, there was a large family. There were two brothers in the family, the eldest and the second, and the two branches of the family were engaged in the same business. At first, the eldest brother's shop was in a good location and had a good reputation, and all the money in the city flowed to his shop. The second brother saw this and was anxious, so he hired a very capable manager to take over the business."

This shopkeeper was truly remarkable. He not only understood business but also knew how to move it online, allowing customers to spend their money without leaving home. Within a few years, the second son's family had earned more money than the eldest son's family. But the world's resources are finite; if the second son scooped up an extra spoonful, the eldest son's share would naturally decrease, resulting in less profit for the head of the household.

The eldest brother's face changed the moment he saw the ledger. Instead of thinking about how to run his shop well, he felt the manager had broken ancestral rules and stolen his thunder. So the eldest brother flipped the table and had the manager locked in the dungeon. "This isn't about family law or royal law; this is pure jealousy of others making money—a classic case of being a sore loser. You agree, sir?" The man stared at the middle-aged law enforcement officer, his smile meaningful.

The middle-aged law enforcement officer snorted coldly.

"You told a good story, comparing yourself to that shrewd shopkeeper. But you forgot the most important point: every penny that shopkeeper earned was hollowing out the family's foundation. In the boss's eyes, this kind of business isn't competition, it's a treacherous cancer. You think the boss is overturning the table, but actually, he's cleaning house." The middle-aged law enforcement officer slammed the arrest warrant heavily on the table.

"Cleansing up the ranks depends on whether the guys below agree. The profits I bring in are clearly visible in the accounts."

"The numbers on the books can't hide the mess underneath. Since you like telling stories, I'll tell you later how that shopkeeper who got arrested ended up vomiting up everything he'd eaten in jail." The middle-aged law enforcement officer straightened up and waved to his two subordinates behind him. (End of Chapter)