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

Following the repercussions of the previous financial crisis, South Korea, under pressure, announced a visa-free policy to a certain major country.

Although the legal tender has stabilized for the time being, public opinion both at home and abroad has only intensified.

Media outlets around the world are reporting that South Korea is trying to break free from American control and switch sides.

Island nations, on the other hand, constantly fawn over their big brother to prove their loyalty, for example, in the area of ​​agricultural products.

Since Kosuke Saeki stepped down, the new chairman has failed to withstand the pressure, allowing American agricultural products to be imported into the country.

This resulted in significant losses for local farmers.

However, these island nation politicians don't care at all; they think that South Korea is the biggest problem compared to these issues.

The conflict between the kimchi-producing country and the island nation quickly escalated into a confrontation between two major powers.

The Black Palace.

Inside the oval office, a few slender rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps in the blinds.

The blond fat man grabbed a report covered in red crosses, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it forcefully into the wastebasket in the corner.

"Did South Korea sign off on that additional military spending bill?" He straightened his collar, his wide red tie swaying on his shirt.

The aide adjusted his glasses, his gaze falling on the graph on the tablet.

"The other side is still playing games. Seoul claims that the current financial situation has led to a tight budget, and is even implying that neighboring countries are willing to offer a lower-cost regional security solution."

“Traitors! They’re flirting with their neighbors. These guys have forgotten who’s guarding their border. Now they’re trying to renege on their debt with such a lame excuse? Tell me, what’s your plan to teach that kid manners again? I want him to know that in this playground, if you don’t listen to the owner, you won’t even get any rides.” The blond fat man stared at his advisors.

The staff member in charge of trade stepped forward first and spread a thick document on the desk.

“We can invoke Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Under the pretext of national security threats, we can impose punitive tariffs on their automobiles, steel, and aluminum. South Korea is a typical export-oriented country; if we cut off these two items, their employment and GDP will immediately collapse.”

"The Treasury Department's exchange rate report is ready. As long as we label them a currency manipulator, we can not only restrict their companies' investments in the US, but also launch even harsher financial sanctions. Their current fiat currency is barely maintaining balance; with just a slight push, that string will snap," another aide wearing gold-rimmed glasses added.

“We can let the island nation be the one wielding the knife. Since they’ve been so loyal with agricultural products lately, we’ll give them some special privileges. Let them control the export of core semiconductor raw materials like photoresist and fluorinated polyimide. Semiconductors are the backbone of South Korea, but their equipment and material patents are all ours. If we cut off those lifelines, Samsung and SK Hynix will be in shock within three months.” The chief strategy officer lowered his voice.

“That’s a good idea. Let the island nation fight on the front lines, and we’ll collect the debts from behind. That’s how we do it. Tell them that if they want security, they have to pay an equal price. Either they sign this military spending bill, or they watch their factories turn into piles of scrap metal.” The blond fat man let out a low laugh, grabbed a thick pen, and drew a circle on the blank space of the military spending bill.

An hour later, in the Black House press briefing room.

The rapid clicking of camera shutters was like a torrential downpour, and the flashes of the flashlights created a blinding white sea.

The blond, chubby man walked up to the solid wood podium bearing the national emblem.

"Look at those so-called allies. We've sent the best lads in the world, spent astronomical sums of dollars, and provided them with the highest level of protection in the world. Nobody has given more than us, absolutely nobody."

And what happened? They turned around and shook hands with those with a long history of bad behavior! This is a disaster, a complete betrayal! Some think they've found a new patron, that they can kick us aside, and don't even want to pay their bodyguard bills. But I must warn certain arrogant little countries: open your eyes wide! You are making the worst deal in history; you are jumping into a bottomless pit of fire!

Go look at the place they're rushing to join now. Our great America earns wealth all over the world, bringing foreign money back to give back to our workers and our communities. We've made our people richer than ever before! But what about them?
Look at those people's faces! They are frantically squeezing the blood and sweat of their own people, emptying every last penny from their pockets, and then using that money to lavishly spend around the world, buying so-called international reputation and pretending to be good people! How dare you entrust the security of your country and the fate of your descendants to a regime that can sacrifice its own people without batting an eye?
Good luck to you. You'll regret this, and that day will come soon. When that day comes, you'll come crying back to this door. Believe me, no one knows better than me what a true protector is, and no one knows better than me how to punish treacherous liars.

The blond, fat man shrugged, ignoring the boiling questions erupting from the audience, and strode into the backstage corridor.

Back in the office, the fat man first ordered two bottles of Coke, then looked at the man sitting in the chair next to him.

"Eron, what did I say just now?"

"I can tell you're not as happy as you were when you were a businessman; your neck is all red with anger," Musk commented pitifully as he drank.

"No, no, no, the happiness I feel right now is something you can't imagine. Power is more alluring than money; now I can do whatever I want!"

"The first-ever image of a black hole has been released, have you seen it?" Musk changed the subject.

"I don't have the energy to pay attention to such trivial matters. I'm more concerned about whether there are aliens that can bring benefits to America."

"The visualization of black holes, the ultimate mystery of the universe, has sparked a global fascination with science. Now, any major breakthrough in the universe or deep space is automatically associated with my name. When the black hole image went viral, a lot of discussion on social media automatically brought up Mars colonization and SpaceX. Tesla has benefited from this premium of influence from a technology leader, and its stock price has skyrocketed!"

What are you trying to say?

"Our Marscoin has gone up, even faster than your ReliableCoin!" Musk cheered, spreading his arms wide.

However, the excited expression he expected did not appear on the fat man's face.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" Musk asked, puzzled.

"This kind of wealth harvesting is too slow. My previous idea was to manipulate the capital market through my words or actions as a leader and profit from it. At the time, I felt like a genius!" The fat man stretched out a hand and shook it.

"And now?"

"Now I realize that there are even more talented people than me."

"Who is that?" Musk asked, looking puzzled.

The blond fat man's previous actions were simply unprecedented and will never be repeated.

You can make a fortune simply by spouting nonsense in front of the media and then changing your mind a few days later.

Even Buffett sighed inwardly, realizing he was just a greenhorn. What other method could make money faster than this?
"Heh, these operations are time-consuming and costly, and they also affect my family's image. In the end, it's all about profiting through some business means. If you look at world history, you'll find one thing: it's faster to steal than to make money. Look at how the United Kingdom rose to power. Don't look at me like that; I learned all of this from another great power."

The fat man grinned as he looked at Musk's somewhat wary expression.

"So what do you want to do..." Musk asked nervously.

His thoughts were written all over his face: "You're not going to rob me, are you?!" "What are you going to do? Even robbery needs a plausible reason, a legitimate cause. Relax, these domestic tech giants are our own moneybags; I'm not going to smash our own plates. We should be pointing our guns at those outsiders. That big country across the Pacific taught me the best lesson. They always talk about risk prevention and regulatory intervention, bleeding all kinds of funds dry. We can totally adopt that approach, and conveniently cloak it in an guise of absolute righteousness." The blond fat man rested his chin on his hands.

Musk put down his cup, his brow furrowing slightly: "What are the specifics of their explanation?"

"National security, and tax audits. You can put anything into those two baskets. For example, the internet businesses that major countries invest in here, and those internet software with hundreds of millions of daily active users. I only need to sit in this chair and issue an executive order claiming that their equipment has backdoors, or accusing them of massive tax evasion. These multinational corporations will only face a dead end. Either they will be forced to transfer their shares to American consortia at scrap metal prices, or they will face direct capital freezes and complete shutdown."

Musk gasped.

"Once the bill is passed, we'll loudly announce to the world that this move is to weaken the infiltration of malicious foreign capital and to protect the privacy, energy, and jobs of the American people! Those lower-class voters won't think we're blatantly robbing them; instead, they'll see us as heroes who saved the country, and their votes will rain down on me like a blizzard. Hundreds of billions, even trillions, of high-quality assets will be transferred without lifting a finger. Elon, compared to this ultimate way of harvesting the entire industry chain, the price differences you earn by typing on a keyboard in the financial market are just like a child's pocket money." The blond fat man spread his arms, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath, as if greedily savoring some flavor in the air.

Just like Buffett, Musk felt that when it came to making money, they businessmen were all greenhorns compared to this fat man in front of them.

"So who are you planning to target first?" Musk was still somewhat worried about his business, especially since he had just mentioned that Tesla's stock price had surged.

"Of course, it's the most profitable industry right now—cryptocurrencies!"

"How do I rob this? No, I mean how do I legally confiscate it!"

"Remember the Mexico-China border wall incident? The security department has found out who was behind it. It's those rats living in the shadows, making their fortunes on the dark web. Their shady businesses all rely on cryptocurrency trading and money laundering. We've now located the world's largest dark web and arrested some of its leaders. However, while the organizer is clever, he forgot that the United States has an intelligence network all over the world. Catching him is only a matter of time. Now, what I need to do is fatten up the biggest fish in front of me and then bring it out of the pond."

"What do you mean?"

"The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange."

The fat man snapped his fingers.

"What is the charge?"

Musk scratched his head.

"Recently, authorities arrested several Asians and discovered that these individuals didn't have any business in the United States. Their houses and cars seemed quite ordinary, but strangely, money kept appearing in their bank accounts. According to US law, immigrants must fill out forms detailing all their legal income. The IRS investigation revealed that all this money was obtained illegally in their home countries, converted into cryptocurrency, and then cashed out in the US. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was one of their partners, or rather, an accomplice..."

The fat man revealed his entire plan without holding anything back.

Musk broke out in a cold sweat; he had just been gloating over the slight increase in the value of his Martian currency.

Compared to this guy who was trying to take the whole pot away, he's just too green.

"Aero, do you know why I'm telling you so much?"

"why?"

"Because I think my staff are all idiots, I need someone as capable as you to help me. As long as you come, just name your desired position."

"..."

New House.

“Leo, we’ve been friends for so many years. Now you’re telling me that Germany wants to terminate its cooperation with Huade? You’ve watched Huade grow step by step to where it is now. How can you be so heartless? Have you already reached an agreement with Chen Caiyue? What Xinde can offer, Huade can offer too.” Chen Yifeng was on the phone trying to persuade him.

"What? I didn't focus on running the business? I only got into finance to take Huade to a higher level. Look at all the tech companies these days, aren't they all doing the same thing? Look at me, I haven't gone public yet, isn't that to keep the company afloat? Otherwise, I would have cashed out and been enjoying a comfortable retirement like everyone else." He tried his best to explain.

"Knock knock." The phone had just been hung up when there was a knock on the office door.

The person who came was Chen Caiyue, who is now the second-in-command at Huade.

"Mr. Chen, you are aware of Huade's current situation. What do you think of the previous proposal?" Chen Caiyue first poured a cup of tea for her boss, then sat down and asked nervously.

Chen Caiyue's proposal was to hand over the factory to him, or rather, to lease the Huade brand to him. Then, Chen Yifeng would receive dividends every year. In essence, Huade would have a new owner, but Huade, the land, the factory, and the patents would still belong to Chen Yifeng.

Chen Yifeng had initially been reluctant, but now he simply had neither the mind nor the time to deal with Huade's affairs. The more businesses he had, the busier he became.

However, upon further reflection, back then, when Zhang Zongchang expanded his territory and military to dominate a region, didn't he still have to obediently follow Zhang Zuolin's lead and obey his orders?

That doesn't seem like a bad thing.

"Let me think about it..." Chen Yifeng was still somewhat hesitant.

"Buzz." At that moment, the cell phone on the table rang.

Chen Yifeng picked it up and was immediately furious; the caller was his ex-wife.

Seeing that her boss's expression was off, Chen Caiyue immediately got up and left.

After the office door closed, Chen Yifeng pressed the answer button: "What do you want to call me for?"

"Oh my, who made President Chen so angry?" Chen Caiyue tried hard to suppress her laughter on the phone.

"Who else could it be? My second factory was just robbed, and now the main factory is also being targeted. Leo just called me and said that Germany wants to terminate our cooperation. Isn't this all your doing?" Chen Yifeng slammed his fist on the table and roared.

"Foreigners are always meticulous and serious in their work, and this applies to their choice of partners as well. Some people don't look for their own shortcomings, but instead blame others for stealing their clients. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"

"Did you call today to mock me?"

"I don't have the time for that. My son asked me to pass on a message to you."

What was he trying to say?

"He said, 'Be careful of Chen Caiyue. Handing Huade over to outsiders is worse than handing it over to us. Nobody cares about Huade's future; they only care about money...'"

Chen Caiyue's voice turned serious. (End of Chapter)