Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

The office of the university's talent development center was somewhat cold and damp in the winter.

When Jiang Haoran knocked on the door and entered, Director Wang was intently reading a document.

There were many materials piled on the desk, and several display boards stood against the wall, with photos of the "Challenge Cup" competition from the first half of the year posted on them.

"Director Wang, you wanted to see me?"

"Jiang Haoran, come, have a seat." Director Wang took off his glasses and pulled out a notice stamped with a red seal from the pile of documents, pushing it over.

"Good news. The results of the school-level competition for your diamond wire cutting technology project are out, and we'll be submitting it to the provincial competition."

Jiang Haoran received the notification.

It was a notice from the Provincial Department of Education and the Provincial Department of Science and Technology regarding the provincial finals of the College Student Entrepreneurship Competition, and the project name "Qilin Technology" was prominently listed in the attachment.

"Next Monday, Jinling University main campus, on-site defense." Director Wang picked up his thermos and took a sip of tea.

"The competition format has been adjusted. The core team members are now four, plus the mentor. Your original list only had two people, so you need to double-check it and submit it before the end of the day."

"Four people..." Jiang Haoran thought quickly.

This project is actually being promoted by the company he founded, but participating teams need four students to register.

"Professor Sun Zhigang will continue to be the mentor, is that necessary?" Director Wang asked.

"No need, Teacher Sun has always been very supportive."

"That's good. You can finalize the team members as soon as possible. They can be from nearby universities, as long as they are college students."

"The provincial competition has a very strong judging panel, with leaders from the Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Securities Regulatory Bureau, as well as many investment institutions from within the province. This is a great opportunity for our university student entrepreneurial team." Director Wang paused, looking at Jiang Haoran.

"I've carefully reviewed your project materials. The path is very solid, and you have a great chance of winning. Prepare well."

"Thank you, Director Wang," Jiang Haoran replied.

After leaving the administration building, Jiang Haoran walked to a sheltered spot on the side of the building and took out his phone.

He dialed Li Jiangshan's number first, and the phone rang three times before being answered. The background noise was loud, like it was in a cafeteria.

"Brother Hao? What's up with the call?"

"Hey Fatty, where are you right now? I've got something good for you."

"Brother Hao, I'm in the cafeteria, I'm heading back to the dorm right away."

"Okay, see you at the dorm."

Back in the dorm, after waiting a while, Jiang Haoran said to Li Pangzi, who had returned, "I started a business and signed up for the school's entrepreneurship competition. Now we've made it to the provincial competition. The team needs four people, and you're one of them."

"Me?" Li Jiangshan's voice clearly faltered for a moment. "I didn't do anything... I just played games in the dorm."

"You helped me organize the initial market data and wrote the project introduction. Besides," Jiang Haoran said casually.

"You're my brother, that's enough. Feel free to do whatever you want with the presentation. You'll be in charge of organizing the cost calculation and financing plan sections in the PPT."

"You're really letting me participate? That's the provincial competition..."

"I'll take you flying," Jiang Haoran said. "But we need to prepare seriously for the provincial competition. Let's meet up at the teaching building this afternoon."

"Okay! Thank you, Brother Hao." Li Jiangshan happily agreed.

The second call was to Zhou Mingyu. He answered after one ring.

"Haoran, what's up?"

"What have you been up to lately, Young Master Zhou? If you're free, could you lend your support at the provincial entrepreneurship competition?" Jiang Haoran got straight to the point.

"The business project I invested in has made it to the finals, and we need four people. I was thinking of bringing you along. You've never experienced something like this before, have you?"

Zhou Mingyu laughed on the other end of the phone: "The God of Wealth has spoken, so I'll support him."

"Haha, it's mutually beneficial." Jiang Haoran chuckled. "There are bigwigs from the Provincial Securities Regulatory Bureau and industrial capital on the judging panel. It won't hurt for you to show your face."

"I'll send you the time and location. We need to review the materials this afternoon, and we'll meet at 3 PM."

Zhou Mingyu pondered for a moment: "Okay, see you then."

His last call was to Bai Xiwei.

The background was very quiet when the call connected.

"Senior Jiang?"

"Xiwei, Qilin Technology has made it to the provincial entrepreneurship competition. The team is still short one person and we'd like to invite you to join. Gu Qiushi, whom you recommended, has been a great help," Jiang Haoran said directly.

Bai Xiwei seemed somewhat surprised: "First of all, congratulations on making it to the provincial competition. Talent needs to be put to good use. I'm also quite interested in the provincial competition, but I don't think I can be of much help?"

Jiang Haoran's voice was steady: "You're so smart, there's nothing difficult for you, just organize the data."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Okay, I... what do I need to do?"

"See you at the teaching building at 3 PM," Jiang Haoran said.

"Okay." Bai Xiwei's voice became clearer. "I'll be there on time."

A makeshift team was quickly assembled in this way.

He walked to the management school's teaching building, found a quiet classroom, and began organizing his materials.

In the afternoon, Li Jiangshan arrived first, carrying a gaming laptop, his face still looking a little sleepy and dazed.

Jiang Haoran sent him the compiled financial and marketing materials: "Pay special attention to the parts highlighted in yellow. You must thoroughly understand the logic behind the cost calculations. The judges might ask why this depreciation period is used, and why this is the percentage of marketing expenses."

Li Jiangshan scratched his head, opened the document, read a few lines, and his eyes slowly focused: "This data... is quite detailed."

"Otherwise, how can I take you flying?" Jiang Haoran patted his shoulder. "Do a good job."

Zhou Mingyu arrived promptly at three o'clock, dressed in a casual suit and carrying a leather notebook.

He quickly skimmed through the core sections of Jiang Haoran's prepared project proposal, circling a few points: "The sensitivity analysis here regarding the investment return cycle is insufficient. If the judges press for details on downside risks, a more specific buffer plan is needed."

He looked up. "Let me add to that. Also, we need to practice the tone and rhythm during the presentation."

A short while later, Bai Xiwei arrived.

She was wearing a light-colored wool sweater, her long hair was tied up, and she was carrying a backpack that looked like it was full of documents.

She took out a timeline of photovoltaic technology development and a comparison chart of the technology routes of major domestic and foreign manufacturers that she had compiled. The paper was covered with notes.

"I've put together a simple summary; please take a look and see if it's helpful."

Jiang Haoran took the pages and studied them carefully for two minutes. The structure was clear, the key points were highlighted, and even the critical technical nodes and possible alternative paths were marked with different colored pens.

"Very useful." He looked up at Bai Xiwei. "I'll leave this part to you to summarize."

"The key point is to explain why diamond wire cutting is now the key to cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the photovoltaic industry, and what kind of chain effect the breakthrough in domestic production will bring."

The four of them sat together and began to divide the work and work together.

Jiang Haoran oversees the overall framework and industry logic, Zhou Mingyu strengthens the investment perspective and business persuasiveness, Bai Xiwei solidifies the technical background and industry depth, and Li Jiangshan is responsible for making the financial data and market analysis sound real and credible.

Professor Sun Zhigang came by in the middle of the day, listened to their initial division of labor, and nodded: "The overall structure is already very good. The key is the on-the-spot reaction, so we can rehearse more."

It wasn't until after 9 p.m. that the initial division of labor and material sorting came to an end.

Li Jiangshan yawned as he packed up his computer. Zhou Mingyu glanced at his watch and said, "Let's meet again tomorrow afternoon, that should be about right."

Bai Xiwei silently photographed all the materials and saved them to her phone, then said softly, "I'll optimize the technical analysis section a bit more tonight."

After seeing them off, Jiang Haoran remained alone in the empty classroom.

He reviewed the final round again and memorized the names of the key departments and organizations on the judges' list several times.

Outside the window, the campus streetlights lit up one after another, spreading out warm yellow light in the cold night.