Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Jiang Haoran's recent actions were like deep-sea currents, seemingly calm on the surface. But while Li Pangzi kept quiet, his two roommates had seen it all.

Fatty Li's expression, shifting between nervousness and excitement as he stared at his phone screen, was already quite noticeable.

Moreover, Fatty Li's spending habits have quietly improved recently; he bought a new phone and has become more generous when treating people to meals.

More importantly, his uncontrollable emotional fluctuations when facing his phone screen, as well as the occasional leaks of words like "floating profit," "drawback," and "tenfold," all provide a vague footnote to this inference.

Over time, these fragments of information were enough to piece together an enviable and astonishing fact: Jiang Haoran, who was usually low-key and even somewhat aloof, had probably made a fortune in the financial market, and Fatty Li had also profited from it.

These events, brewing in the cramped dormitory space, eventually transformed into rumors carrying complex emotions, quietly spilling out of the room and flowing into the wider campus social network.

After several twists and turns, the rumor reached the circle of Zhou Mingyu, the vice president of the student union, and had become: "There's a guy in the finance department who probably only invested tens of thousands of yuan and is snowballing it in the futures market. In a month or two, he's probably made more than ten times his initial investment."

If it were anyone else, Zhou Mingyu would probably just scoff and dismiss it as yet another fabricated campus legend.

But he vaguely remembered the name Jiang Haoran.

He remembered this classmate from the same department but a different class. In some recent professional courses, this person did not speak much, but on the few occasions when he spoke up in case analysis or class discussion, his views were always concise, sharp and to the point, and even several strict professors had nodded slightly.

Professor Wu Weizhen seemed to regard him differently, which in itself was a signal.

The contrast between someone who displays remarkable insight in academic settings and someone who is rumored to be reaping excessive profits in the capital market piqued Zhou Mingyu's genuine curiosity.

This, combined with the rumor of "futures profits," creates a contradictory and interesting picture: a student who seems to be immersed in serious academic research, is at the same time a rumored trading expert who lives on the edge of a knife.

Zhou Mingyu decided to meet this "legendary" classmate in person. He specifically inquired and found out that Jiang Haoran usually stayed in a window seat on the third floor of the library at this time, so he went straight there.

The autumn sunlight filtered through the windowpanes, casting warm dappled light onto the large wooden table.

Jiang Haoran was intently studying a global agricultural product outlook report. His notebook was filled with key data and logical deductions, and the English annotations were fluent and professional.

Zhou Mingyu sat down quietly, not disturbing the conversation immediately, his gaze lingering on the report and notes for a few seconds.

His eyes flickered slightly. The accessibility of this report and the depth of its analysis were clearly beyond the reach or comprehension of an average undergraduate student.

Jiang Haoran's focused profile and calm demeanor at this moment were far removed from the image of the impetuous speculators he was rumored to be.

"Jiang, you're working so hard." Zhou Mingyu's voice was gentle, with the comfortable affability typical of student council members.

His gaze swept over the professional report spread out in front of Jiang Haoran, filled with data and charts, and a subtle scrutiny flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Haoran looked up at the sound, and paused almost imperceptibly when he saw who it was. He naturally recognized this influential figure in the student council and the vice president from a prominent family; he was a "celebrity" he had heard of but had never met in person.

He quickly concealed the subconscious surprise on his face, regaining his usual calm, and closed the report in his hand: "So it's Vice Chairman Zhou. I was just taking a look, helping Professor Wu find some information."

"Professor Wu's seminar topic, right? It's about climate and agricultural product supply chains. That's a very good angle. The recent fluctuations in related commodities on the international market are also quite interesting," Zhou Mingyu replied naturally, showing that he was not completely ignorant about it.

"Yes, the fundamentals are very strong, so the fluctuations are naturally intense." Jiang Haoran's answer was also very general, and he calmly met Zhou Mingyu's gaze.

He knew perfectly well that someone like Zhou Mingyu would never come to him to discuss academic matters without a reason.

Zhou Mingyu smiled and leaned back in his chair, relaxing his body: "Speaking of which, some of my family's businesses are also linked to overseas commodities. We rely entirely on imported raw materials. Sometimes, before the ship even docks, the costs on the books can change. So I'm quite sensitive to these fluctuations."

He changed the subject, his tone carrying just the right amount of appreciation, "I've heard your name in several circles recently; you're truly impressive."

He paused briefly, his smile faint yet clear, "I'm Zhou Mingyu. I've been wanting to get to know you properly for a while now." Before the other could reply, he continued casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "If you don't have any plans tonight, how about we go out for a bit? There's a quiet bar on Qinhuai Road; it's peaceful and the drinks are pretty good."

"Zhou Mingyu..."

Jiang Haoran repeated the name softly, his face remaining expressionless, but his mind was racing like a finely tuned gear.

This surname, combined with the keywords "well-off family background," "bulk commodities," "import dependence," and "southern Jiangsu Province," is like a beam of light suddenly shining through the fog, instantly illuminating a vague outline deep in my memory.

Hengjiu Petrochemical. Zhou Jianye.

Although he had been deeply involved in the new energy field in his previous life and had little interaction with these traditional industrial giants, "Hengjiu Petrochemical" and the name Zhou Jianye were coordinates that no one could ignore in the business landscape of southern Jiangsu Province and even the Yangtze River Delta.

Jiang Haoran had long heard of the tough and shrewd private entrepreneur who had repeatedly bought stocks at the bottom of the market during industry downturns, transforming a local refinery into an industrial empire spanning multiple sectors.

And before him stood Vice Chairman Zhou, exuding an air of nobility… The fragments of memory finally pieced together.

Yes, he vaguely remembered that in his previous life he seemed to have heard from a classmate that there was indeed a "Young Master Zhou" from a prominent family in his class, but their life trajectories were completely different at that time and they never crossed paths.

As for those campus rumors about a certain "goddess" that were once intertwined with the name of the person in front of him... a very faint, almost indifferent ripple swept through Jiang Haoran's heart.

The past is gone like smoke. Everyone makes choices based on their own understanding, neither right nor wrong, just different paths. Having lived a second life, he had long since stripped away all these insignificant emotions.

At this moment, all he could see was a clear weighing of pros and cons and a map of resources.

Behind Zhou Mingyu lies not only the massive Hengjiu Petrochemical, but also a vast network of connections and information deeply rooted in the real economy, with tentacles reaching across the energy, chemical, and commodity sectors.

This is precisely the kind of force he may need to leverage or deeply understand when building his own business empire in the future.

A "big fish" with enormous potential value is swimming towards him.

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Haoran looked up and met Zhou Mingyu's seemingly casual but actually observant gaze, a perfectly measured smile playing on his lips.

"Vice Chairman Zhou, you're too kind." His voice was steady, revealing little emotion. "I've heard of your name before."

He closed the book in front of him with a swift and decisive motion, as if he had made a simple decision.

"That 'INTERMEDIO' on Qinhuai Road? I've heard of it; it's definitely a good place to chat." He glanced at the deepening twilight outside the window and naturally steered the conversation forward. "Perfect timing, I don't have anything planned for tonight."