Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 424 This guy's name is Musk, and he's a fraud.

As the local official of Dongcang County, it's impossible that Gu Yushan would come to my door on New Year's Eve for no reason.

Gu Yushan sighed and said, "It's like this, the new section of the expressway is going to pass through our county, but the expressway company only left one exit for our county. We tried to persuade them no matter what we said, but it was no use. The neighboring counties all have three exits, but they only gave us one. Isn't this bullying?"

Cheng Yi smiled helplessly and said, "Chairman Gu, I'm not familiar with the Expressway Group, so I'm afraid I can't help with this toll station issue."

Gu Yushan quickly said, "President Cheng, the major shareholder of Handong Expressway Group is Handong Construction Engineering Group. I saw in the news that you often attend events with General Manager Li of Handong Construction Engineering Group. Could you try to get General Manager Li to put in a good word for us? Our county really needs an expressway. We're not greedy, just give us two exits. Many industries in our county desperately need an expressway. One exit will probably cause a huge traffic jam."

Gu Yushan's secretary also looked at Cheng Yi with anticipation. They had been waiting since morning for this very thing.

The Handong Expressway Group is so wealthy and powerful that it doesn't even consider Dongcang County a threat.

After a moment's thought, Cheng Yi said, "Alright, I'll give it a try."

Cheng Yi took out his phone and dialed Li Chengxuan's number.

"Happy New Year, my little brother!" Li Chengxuan's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone.

Li Chengxuan is currently riding high. As the newly appointed general manager, he attends events of all sizes every day, from annual meetings of various chambers of commerce to government meetings. He is always present at any event he can get his hands on.

This is also where Li Chengxuan's cleverness lies. He knows that his network of connections is too weak, so he is like a sponge, not letting go of any opportunity to improve himself.

"Brother Li, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor," Cheng Yi said directly, without beating around the bush.

"Hey, let's not talk about trouble. Just let me know if you need anything," Li Chengxuan said with a smile.

Cheng Yi said, "Are you familiar with the Handong Expressway Group? Here's the thing, our county is currently getting an expressway, and we'd like to apply for an additional toll station. Our county mainly relies on animal husbandry, so we depend too much on the expressway."

"Huh? Brother, aren't you from Jingzhou?" Li Chengxuan asked in surprise.

Cheng Yi's reputation in Jingzhou was so great that many people, including Li Chengxuan, thought he was a local.

After all, outsiders wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

“My hometown is Dongcang County, Lanling City,” Cheng Yi replied.

“Oh, so it’s Dongcang County. I understand now.” Li Chengxuan said, “This is how it works. Usually, the county pays part of the cost of the highway before they leave an exit. But Dongcang County is too poor. They didn’t contribute any money to build the highway. The highway group left an exit for them out of humanitarian concern. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even have an exit.”

"Brother Li, can you help me think of a way to add another exit?" Cheng Yi said with a smile. "If the county has an exit, won't the economy improve? If the economy improves, we'll have money to pay for the next highway construction."

“One won’t do. You’ve already asked, so we should add at least two.” Li Chengxuan laughed and said, “I’ll contact the Expressway Group right now.”

"Okay." Cheng Yi didn't say thank you and hung up the phone quickly.

"President Cheng, how is it?" Gu Yushan looked at Cheng Yi with a nervous expression.

Cheng Yi said, "They said they'd add two more openings for us."

"President Cheng, thank you so much." Gu Yushan grasped Cheng Yi's hand tightly and said excitedly, "On behalf of the 41 people of Dongcang County, thank you!"

Gu Yushan's secretary chimed in, "I think we can name one of the toll booths after President Cheng, and call it Cheng Yi Toll Booth."

“It’s feasible, absolutely feasible,” Gu Yushan agreed. “I’ll issue the document as soon as I get back.”

"Hey, hey, please don't!" Cheng Yi quickly stopped him, "I was just helping out, you don't need to do this at all. Besides, if we name it Cheng Yi Toll Station, people who don't know the inside story will think that I'm the one collecting the tolls."

Cheng Yi's joke made Gu Yushan and his secretary laugh.

Gu Yushan said gratefully, "President Cheng, then let's not name the toll station. You can be our economic advisor for Dongcang County, right?"

"Yes, yes, thank you for your guidance, economic advisor." The secretary chimed in, "Our county is currently developing an economic development zone. If President Cheng could provide some guidance, our economic development zone would be a sure thing."

Gu Yushan and his secretary echoed each other, speaking in a dazzling and eloquent manner.

This left Cheng Jianshu and Chu Yue'e completely bewildered.

Is their son really that amazing?

These two people in front of me are the ones who will decide the fate of Dongcang County.

Putting aside Gu Yushan, the young man in the jacket next to him must have an extraordinary status. When they came, the arrogant director of Zhongjing Subdistrict Office accompanied them and fawned over the young man.

But now? This young man is behaving even more obsequiously than the director.

"President Gu, let's not stand here. Why don't we go inside and have a cup of tea?" Cheng Yi said politely.

Gu Yushan was well-versed in the ways of officialdom. As long as the host asked the question "or not?", it meant that he didn't want it.

He quickly smiled and said, "No, no, Mr. Cheng has come back from a long journey and must need to rest. We won't disturb you any longer."

Gu Yushan exchanged a few more pleasantries with Cheng Yi before leaving the courtyard, glancing back every few steps.

Cheng Yi saw Gu Yushan and the other person off at the gate and watched them drive away.

At this moment, Cheng Yi experienced something he had never experienced in his previous life.

That is the thrill of touching power.

He solved a problem that the entire Dongcang County couldn't resolve with just one phone call.

While reflecting on his experience, he also secretly reminded himself not to get carried away.

After all, it's a double-edged sword; if used improperly, it can bring enormous trouble.

Cheng Yi returned to the courtyard only after Gu Yushan's car disappeared from sight.

"Xiao Yi, what exactly are you doing out there?" Chu Yue'e looked Cheng Yi up and down, her eyes full of suspicion.

These past two months have been incredibly frustrating for them.

The important figures in the county visited them every day, showering them with concern and gifts, leaving the elderly couple somewhat bewildered.

It's just a charity pioneer award, what's so special about that?

Cheng Yi said, "I set up a campus network at Handong University, mainly for university students."

"Aren't you going to run an internet cafe anymore?" Chu Yue'e asked curiously. "Internet cafe? Even a dog wouldn't run one." Cheng Yi shook his head and said, "I'm a student from a prestigious university, and I'm also the acting chairman of the student union at Handong University."

Upon hearing that Cheng Yi was closing down his internet cafe, Chu Yue'e and Cheng Jianshu felt a sense of relief.

It's good that it's not open anymore; that kind of thing isn't run by good people.

"What is the acting president of the student union?" Chu Yue'e asked.

Cheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "Simply put, it means the most outstanding student in the university."

"The most outstanding student?" Chu Yue'e and Cheng Jianshu looked at each other, they really wanted to believe Cheng Yi's words, but after all, he was their own son.

While it is excellent, it certainly doesn't deserve the title of "best".

Chu Yue'e and Cheng Jianshu firmly believed that this kid must have used some means to deceive the school's teachers to get the position of acting chairman. After all, this kid hadn't told the truth much since he started university.

Nevertheless, Chu Yue'e and Cheng Jianshu were quite pleased to see their son's success.

Their apartment has three bedrooms and a living room, which is many times more spacious than their previous apartment. When Cheng Yi returned to his room, he found that all his old things were still there, and nothing was missing.

Having been reborn for so long, every time Cheng Yi returns to his room, he feels a sense of being torn apart by the passage of time.

"Xiao Yi, why don't you go to Du Baojun's house later?" At this moment, Chu Yue'e walked into Cheng Yi's room carrying two gift boxes and said, "After all, it was Du Yusheng who helped you. Even if you don't open an internet cafe with him anymore, you can't forget this favor."

"No need, right?" Cheng Yi smiled and said, "Du Yusheng and I get together quite often now."

"You child, don't you know any manners? Du Yusheng is such a big boss, and he always brings gifts to visit us whenever he comes back." Chu Yue'e was unhappy.

Cheng Jianshu chimed in, "That's right, you're so rude. Otherwise, Du Yusheng wouldn't be able to become a big boss. Look at you, you don't even have the most basic manners."

Cheng Yi quickly explained, "It's not that I don't want to go, it's that Du Yusheng won't let me. Uncle Du is a very busy man in the county now, how could he have time to receive me?"

Cheng Yi's words silenced Cheng Jianshu and Chu Yue'e.

Indeed, the Du Baojun of today is not the same Du Baojun of the past.

Previously, Du Baojun was just an ordinary employee of the county construction company, but now he is the chief economist of the county construction company.

The number of people visiting Du Baojun's home every day is more than ten times that of his family.

Cheng Yi said, "A gentleman's friendship is as light as water. I don't need Uncle Du to do anything for me, so why would I want to cause him any trouble?"

"Well... if you and Du Yusheng have already reached an agreement, then it's up to you." Chu Yue'e wasn't the type to bring gifts; she simply wanted Cheng Yi to maintain the relationship.

"Is Cheng Yi back?" Jiang Aiguo's voice rang out in the courtyard at that moment.

"Your Uncle Jiang and his family are back." Chu Yue'e said with a smile, "Your Uncle Jiang has bought a lot of New Year's goods these past few days. Come on, let's see what he bought this time."

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Cheng Yi saw Jiang Aiguo instructing two workers to carry boxes down.

The box contained all sorts of fireworks; judging by the quantity, it must have cost at least tens of thousands of yuan.

"These are mine, help me carry them to our yard." Jiang Yuxi walked back and forth beside the truck, pushing aside the fireworks that belonged to her.

"You're something else, kid." Jiang Aiguo walked up to Cheng Yi, patted him on the chest, and laughed, "You've seen a lot of things now. Let's have a drink tonight, just the two of us, and see if your alcohol tolerance has improved."

"Okay." Cheng Yi laughed, "My alcohol tolerance has increased at least tenfold."

"So you can drink a bottle of beer?" Jiang Aiguo asked, feigning surprise.

As night fell, Cheng Jianshu called Cheng Jianmin and others, and had a New Year's Eve dinner with Jiang Aiguo's family.

The New Year's Eve dinner was quite long. At first, they praised Cheng Yi a few times, but after a few rounds of drinks, the group of old men started to care about the situation in Iraq.

Looking at the joyful scene, Cheng Yi couldn't help but think of his older brother, Cheng Jian.

His older brother hasn't been able to come back for the Chinese New Year for the past two years.

After Cheng Jian went to the Netherlands, Zhang Bao handed over the intelligence and network of contacts he had gathered to Cheng Jian, and then went to the Middle East as planned.

Zhang Bao's current identity is, after all, that of a Chinese citizen, so he cannot have too much contact with Cheng Jian.

In that year, Cheng Jian established himself in the Netherlands. In 2002 alone, Cheng Yi invested 43 billion yuan in Enze Capital without having to pay a single penny of dividend tax.

This alone demonstrates the advantages of registering a company in the Cayman Islands.

Many people have heard about tax cuts in the Cayman Islands, but they are not clear about what taxes are being cut. Some even believe that companies registered in the Cayman Islands do not need to pay taxes or pay very little tax in their home country.

Actually, all of this is completely wrong.

The biggest advantage of registering in the Cayman Islands is that it exempts you from dividend tax. Only if your company is registered in the Cayman Islands can it attract overseas capital; otherwise, you can only seek investment from domestic capital.

In addition, if a company has business operations overseas, it can avoid many unnecessary tax burdens in various countries, which is why the country supports multinational companies registering in the Cayman Islands.

These companies cannot avoid taxes in their domestic operations. For example, Momo Internet Cafe has to pay 37% business tax every year, and that is after the tax reduction in Jingzhou City.

Enze Capital already enjoys a high reputation in Europe, and its internal investment management team is also excellent. They only need to follow Cheng Yi's guidance to invest, and that will be enough.

Cheng Jian is Cheng Yi's spokesperson.

During this year, Enze Capital invested in many technology companies, including Fairchild Semiconductor, SK Hynix, NXP Semiconductors, KIOXIA, and Cirrus Logic, through capital operations.

However, they are merely making short-term investments in the capital market and are not considered shareholders of these groups.

Nevertheless, Enze Capital still gained the trust of these companies. After all, Enze Capital's aggressive acquisition of shares in these companies in the capital market also caused their stock prices to rise steadily.

In addition to these big-name conglomerates, Enze Capital also invested in several struggling research institutions as instructed by Cheng Yi. These institutions were all focused on science fiction and research topics that were unlikely to yield results in the short term.

In particular, SpaceX, a space exploration company, has given many of Enze Capital's investment geniuses a real headache.

This company is obviously a scam at first glance. Its founder, Elon Musk, is a complete fraud.

(End of this chapter)