Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Jiang Haoran's return to Sunan University of Technology felt like stepping from a meticulously operated business battlefield back into the hormone-filled campus of his youth.

The first thing he did was to completely erase his ridiculous relationship with Gao Qian.

The refund incident was like a silent slap in the face, causing Gao Qian to quickly adjust her tactics after a brief moment of shock.

Gao Qian was clearly caught off guard.

Her strategy subtly shifted; she no longer openly demanded information, and her messages became "soft" and "artistic."

Occasionally, when sharing music links, they would add a comment like, "The melody of this song is very similar to the one we heard when we were walking by the lake last time."

Someone posted a screenshot from the movie and asked, "Doesn't this resemble the plot we discussed last time?"

Every seemingly casual remark she made pointed precisely to a corner of shared memories they had, whether real or embellished by her.

She tried to use these delicate threads of "resonance" to pull Jiang Haoran back into the emotional magnetic field centered on her.

I want to make that loosened "resonance" string vibrate for her again.

A faint hint of sarcasm flickered across Jiang Haoran's lips as he watched the video.

The "goddess's favor" that made his heart skip a beat and made him ponder it repeatedly in his past life now only makes him feel like he is watching a clumsy performance with a rough script and a clear purpose.

Jiang Haoran clearly remembered that Gao Qian should have "accidentally" met the student union vice president whose father was a well-known local entrepreneur and made contact with him.

Her current "recovery" is nothing more than a desperate attempt to play hard to get after discovering that her once stable and reliable "simp" had suddenly gone astray and her desire for control had failed.

He even considers giving a perfunctory answer a waste of time.

I have read all messages that are sweet-talking but I will not reply.

When it comes to administrative inquiries that he has to respond to, which are usually school notices forwarded by Gao Qian as the vice class monitor, Jiang Haoran's answers are as concise as a telegram, polite yet cold, completely eliminating any room for emotional elaboration that could lead to misunderstanding.

After several rounds, Gao Qian's "warm breeze" clearly encountered solid ice.

Her initial confusion quickly escalated.

Jiang Haoran, who used to be able to get him to ask questions carefully over a vague post from her on social media, who would rack his brains to make her happy if she frowned even slightly, how come he suddenly seems like a different person?

After the initial surprise came a vague unease, which then turned into a feeling of being offended and embarrassed.

In her dorm room, Gao Qian bit her lip as she stared at the chat box that had stopped sending new messages.

"Playing hard to get?" Gao Qian scoffed, subconsciously checking her newly done nails. "Let's see how long you can last."

Gao Qian adjusted her strategy and began to "accidentally" meet Jiang Haoran in some public places, such as the corridors of the teaching building and the entrance of the cafeteria.

Gao Qian would stop and glance at Jiang Haoran, her eyes deliberately filled with a complex mix of concern and slight grievance—an expression she had practiced many times to best evoke a boy's protective instincts and feelings of guilt.

However, Jiang Haoran's reaction completely stunned her.

His gaze swept over her without pausing, as if passing over any insignificant propaganda poster in the corridor, calm and undisturbed, and his steps did not even slow down in the slightest.

It was a complete and utter indifference, as if she were invisible.

Once, while queuing in the cafeteria, Gao Qian was "squeezed" by the crowd and stumbled, falling right in the direction of Jiang Haoran.

The expected support and concern did not come; Jiang Haoran simply took a quick half-step to the side, as if trying to avoid it.

Stumbling to her feet, Gao Qian froze on the spot, feeling a surge of embarrassment and anger amidst the indistinct gazes around her.

She finally realized clearly that this was not some kind of feigned indifference.

The boy who used to fawn over her had truly and without a trace of regret swam away from her pond. And in such a calm, yet so humiliating way.

A surge of anger, a mixture of immense disappointment, intense bewilderment, and utter contempt, suddenly erupted within her.

Jiang Haoran was completely oblivious to the almost tangible resentful gaze behind him, or rather, he didn't care at all.

He had long seen through these childish emotional games; now, his sole objective was to make money, not Gao Qian.

Jiang Haoran understood the underlying logic of this world better than anyone else: Jiang Haoran knew clearly that when you stand on a high enough mountain peak, the wind will naturally come and the flowers will naturally bloom.

Now, the only thing he needs to do is climb upwards at all costs.

Jiang Haoran focused his energy on two areas and advanced them in parallel.

The most important document is, of course, the report "Multi-dimensional Analysis and Strategy Construction of Soybean Meal Market".

Jiang Haoran transformed the industry information he obtained at the dinner party—"retail investors' restocking sentiment," "port inventory warnings," and "vulnerability of the midstream industry"—into key variables and embedded them into a data analysis model.

Jiang Haoran used his access to the school's database to retrieve paid data streams from multiple industry information agencies, tracking weekly changes in port inventory and the number of days of raw material physical inventory for feed companies. This made the report not only logically consistent but also gave it the "temperature" of real-time data.

When this well-structured, well-reasoned, and detailed risk mitigation report was finally completed, it far exceeded what a college student could produce in terms of industry analysis; it was more like a professional memorandum prepared for delivery to the investment decision committee.

But Jiang Haoran's real intentions went far beyond that.

He keenly realized that this in-depth industry analysis in his hands was itself a stepping stone to unlocking resources at a higher level.

Jiang Haoran extracted the cutting-edge topic of "the structural impact of energy transition on the commodity pricing system" from the report.

In conjunction with key moments in the interaction between policy and the market in the coming years from his past life memories, he compiled a highly forward-looking research framework.

With this framework in hand, Jiang Haoran knocked on the door of Professor Wu Weizhen of the School of Management.

Professor Wu Weizhen is known for his research on industrial economics and capital markets. He has been a strong contender for election as an academician in recent years and has extensive connections in both academia and industry.

Jiang Haoran did not engage in empty theoretical discussions, but instead used the current soybean meal market as an example to accurately deduce how the large-scale substitution of renewable energy systematically affects the long-term marginal cost and price fluctuation paradigm of traditional energy and related agricultural products.

Professor Wu Weizhen's initial reception was merely a routine one, but as Jiang Haoran dissected the matter layer by layer, pointing out several potentially intersecting chains of influence that even he hadn't paid close attention to, his expression changed.

What this undergraduate student is demonstrating is not intelligence, but a terrifying, core-level industry insight.

"Your sensitivity to policy and industry trends is exceptional." Professor Wu Weizhen took off his glasses and looked intently at the outline Jiang Haoran handed him.

"This research direction is very valuable, it's not just empty talk. Are you free next Wednesday afternoon? Let's discuss it in detail."

Jiang Haoran walked out of the office with a calm expression.

He knew perfectly well that Professor Wu Weizhen would play an important role in provincial industrial policy consultation in the coming years, and later become an independent director of several listed companies, wielding immense influence.

The seed planted today may very well grow into a towering tree that can provide support in the future.

All of this is based on his accurate "prediction" of the future.

Every move he makes, seemingly addressing the present moment, is actually laying the groundwork for the future.