Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

"This kingdom is my strongest bargaining chip for future influence within the family!" Zhou Mingyu leaned forward, his voice lower but carrying a scorching heat.

"When I truly take the helm of Hengjiu's multi-billion dollar ship one day..." He paused deliberately, letting the enormous number resonate in the silence, "I assure you, the heights you will reach and the rewards you will receive will be a stage that those rule-abiding investment banking elites in glass buildings can never even imagine."

Those who share hardship will surely share wealth.

This series of moves first uses "honesty" to disarm people, then uses "blueprint" to motivate them, and finally ends with "keeping promises," progressing layer by layer to directly address the deep-seated desire for power and wealth in people's hearts.

Jiang Haoran listened quietly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold glass.

Zhou Mingyu's performance was brilliant, full of emotional tension, and his meticulous calculations were cleverly hidden under every bit of sincerity, making it all seem natural.

"So," Jiang Haoran said slowly, his voice as calm as the sea at night, yet it precisely dissected all the glamorous packaging.

"What you need is not to break into the traditional stronghold that your elder brother has built up over ten years and confront it head-on, nor to repeat the new track that your father has already decided on, and become a dispensable executor within the group."

"You need to open up a completely new battlefield with explosive growth potential, and one that can be completely marked by your 'Zhou Mingyu' brand."

"Using a lightning-fast 'blitzkrieg,' before anyone in the family could even react or understand, you established an indisputable authority that belonged solely to you."

"Absolutely right!" Zhou Mingyu slammed his fist lightly on the sofa armrest, as if excited to have found a kindred spirit. "That's exactly what I mean! A 'new continent' that belongs to me!"

"And this new continent, the most realistic and sharpest landing point," Jiang Haoran gave him the final answer, his tone firm and unquestionable.

"It is the commodity investment and hedging business derived from the huge body of Hengjiu Industrial itself."

Zhou Mingyu's breathing quickened almost imperceptibly for a moment. Jiang Haoran's summary was even more incisive and insightful than he had expected, directly pointing out the core engine of his vague conception.

He immediately picked up the thread, his tone carrying the satisfaction of having his strategy clarified and a deeper eagerness: "That's right! Hengjiu Group handles millions of tons of crude oil and chemical raw materials every year. A few points of fluctuation in the spot market translates into a sea of ​​profits worth hundreds of millions or even billions."

"But right now, the hedging department within the group is as rigid as strapping a lifebuoy to a giant ship—only concerned with not sinking, with no intention of braving the waves!"

His eyes sharpened as he outlined the blueprint in his mind: "If we can build a highly skilled 'special forces' unit that is both derived from and transcends the industry, we can not only mitigate risks but also take the initiative, leveraging our perception of the most subtle changes in the industry and our information asymmetry to hunt for huge profits from trends..."

"Therefore, the creation and command of this team will be my strongest and most irreplaceable bargaining chip in front of my father and the board of directors!"

He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain for the "professionals" in the market and a sense of relief at his own judgment: "I've observed too many elites. Those so-called experts are either aloof and arrogant, spouting correct but meaningless platitudes using models and reports; or they've been confined by institutional constraints for too long, long since losing their courage and intuition for all-in bets. Until I saw you..."

He looked directly at Jiang Haoran again, his gaze like a tempered blade, burning and earnest: "That almost instinctive precision in seizing opportunities, that ruthlessness in delving into port workshops to get real data, that solitary judgment that dares to make heavy bets amidst the noise and persevere to the end..."

"This is exactly the 'blade' I've been dreaming of—the one that can tear apart the old order."

"Brother Jiang," Zhou Mingyu's voice calmed, yet carried immense weight, "what I need is a comrade-in-arms who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me on the deck, sharing storms and new continents, not just an excellent sailor who only obeys orders. Are you willing to join me in conquering a world that truly belongs to us?"

The booth was completely silent, and even the background jazz music seemed to linger quietly.

Wang Hao and the others had already held their breath. They understood that what they were witnessing had gone beyond ordinary social interaction and was determining a certain future power structure.

Jiang Haoran remained silent for a moment, and the wine glass in his hand stopped spinning.

This silence was not hesitation, but rather a cold, rapid, and incredibly complex internal deduction under Zhou Mingyu's scorching and oppressive gaze.

Promises? Of course. The other party used the tactic of gaining empathy through family predicaments, igniting passion with grand plans, and then binding him with the "only comrade-in-arms" for ultimate entanglement—a tactic he had mastered in his past life. Now that the roles were reversed, every note was so familiar that he almost wanted to sneer.

Jiang Haoran is shaping Zhou Mingyu into an "investment genius," and the effect is even slightly better than his initial rehearsal.

Zhou Mingyu's recruitment determination, which went straight to the core, was irresistible, and even carried a hint of "eagerness for talent," came more swiftly and resolutely than he had expected.

Indeed, those who ultimately stood at the top of the pyramid in their previous lives possessed a keen sense of human nature and opportunity, as well as the courage to make bets, that should never be underestimated.

If the person sitting here right now were truly the twenty-year-old Jiang Haoran, who possessed only talent but was inexperienced in the ways of the world, he would probably already be overwhelmed by the passion of "being recognized and appreciated" and "creating a great cause together," and would be eager to serve immediately.

Having personally built a multi-billion dollar business empire from the dust in his previous life, and then witnessed its collapse from the top, he had long since stripped words like "absolute trust" and "personal dependence" from the depths of his soul.

Jiang Haoran understood a cruel truth more thoroughly than anyone else: the foundation of a true empire must and can only come from its own absolute control.

The so-called "meritorious service in supporting the emperor" and "trusted ministers" are often just glamorous embellishments when the power structure is stable. Once the storm comes, the first to be abandoned or devoured are precisely these "insiders" who know too much.

Jiang Haoran's journey is to personally define the energy landscape of the next era; it is truly a journey to the stars and the sea.

No matter how magnificent the "kingdom" that Zhou Mingyu described was, in his eyes at this moment it was merely a high-quality platform and an early resource supply station on his grand blueprint.

He saw it very clearly: Zhou Mingyu's "frankness" and "reliance" at this moment were not simply a matter of mutual respect between heroes, but a carefully calculated exchange of resources based on the actual gap in strength.

Zhou Mingyu needs a sharp enough and currently unclaimed "peerless knife" to carve out territory for him within the family group and prove his worth.

Jiang Haoran, on the other hand, needs the "furnace" and "anvil" provided by the other party to temper the first cornerstone required for his future empire.

This is not a traditional master-servant relationship, but a strategic limited cooperation with different goals, consistent stages, and each party getting what they need.