Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

"Brother Jiang Tao," Jiang Haoran spoke up, "may I take a look at this contract?"

Jiang Tao's eyes flickered for a moment, then he smiled and said, "Of course, Xiao Ran is a college student, she knows more than us."

He handed the contract to Jiang Haoran, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Jiang Haoran's gaze fell on the contract, quickly scanning the terms—just like in his previous life, the contract only specified the delivery time and quantity, but not the quality standards and acceptance process, and the payment would only be made "within three days after the prepayment is received," which was clearly a trap.

Jiang Haoran took the contract and pointed to one of the clauses, saying, "Brother Jiang Tao, it says here that 'the remaining payment will be made after the goods are delivered,' but when the payment will arrive is entirely up to them. Also, the quality standards and acceptance procedures are not clearly defined. What if they say our products are substandard and refuse to pay us?"

Jiang Tao pushed the contract towards Jiang Jianguo again, deliberately pressing his fingertip heavily on the copper futures mortgage form next to it, the red seal standing out starkly against the white paper.

His tone was so confident it was almost honeyed: "Uncle, take a closer look at this red seal—Hengtong Company is a foreign trade company under a Suzhou state-owned enterprise. They have a five-year exclusive supply agreement with agricultural machinery dealers in Southeast Asia, and their annual export volume alone exceeds 100 million yuan. How could they possibly be short of this small advance payment from us?"

He paused, deliberately lowered his voice, and said in a reassuring tone, "Besides, big companies all do this. Giving payment terms and holding back payments is industry practice. But their sincerity is evident—this million-dollar copper futures pledge is a reassurance for us."

"Even if something unexpected happens, this mortgage certificate can be redeemed directly. They can run away, but they can't hide. We're guaranteed to make a profit."

"Once you sign the contract today, I'll call the equipment supplier over this afternoon to coordinate. The raw materials will be delivered to the factory first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll deliver the 5,000 sets of gears by the end of the month. Once we receive the first payment, the money we advanced will be immediately back!"

Jiang Jian was struggling internally, his knuckles turning white from the force.

His son's doubts, Jiang Tao's confident demeanor, and the "million-dollar" mortgage certificate were like a lifeline, pulling him back and forth between "taking a gamble" and "being cautious," making him hesitate to put down the pen.

"Uncle, don't hesitate, I'm doing this for your own good!" Jiang Tao leaned forward, his voice low but urgent. "Hengtong is pressuring us for production capacity, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten this order."

"Look at this equipment quote. It's 30% cheaper than the market price. We've already advanced 200,000 yuan for the equipment, and the profit from just one order will double. It's a sure-fire way to make money!"

As soon as Jiang Tao finished speaking, Zhen Yueting, dressed impeccably, chimed in. She took out a neatly printed document from her exquisite handbag and gently pushed it in front of Jiang Jianguo with elegant and efficient movements: "Director Jiang, you may not know this, but the agricultural machinery market in Southeast Asia is currently booming. Last year alone, Hengtong's sales to agricultural machinery dealers in Vietnam and Thailand reached 2 million yuan."

She pointed her finger at the chart on the document, her voice gentle yet clear: "Look at this data. The demand for agricultural machinery in Southeast Asia will continue to grow at a rate of 20% over the next five years. Our orders are booked until the second half of the year and we still can't finish them all."

"We're entrusting this order to you for two reasons: first, we trust Mr. Jiang Tao's recommendation and his expertise; second, we want to cultivate a long-term supplier. If this batch meets our standards, we plan to entrust you with orders for nearly 10,000 gear sets every year. Even doubling your factory's capacity won't be enough."

As she spoke, she smiled gently: "Don't worry, our legal department is working on a supplementary agreement regarding the quality standards and acceptance procedures in the contract. We'll sign a letter of intent today to secure the cooperation, and the supplementary agreement will be sent to you tomorrow."

She looked at Jiang Haoran with a hint of understanding in her voice and said, "The issues that Xiao Ran is worried about are actually standard procedures in industry cooperation. As a legitimate company, Hengtong would never be ambiguous about these details."

"Think about it, Director Jiang has been in the machining business for so many years, and his reputation for craftsmanship speaks for itself. How could we possibly use 'substandard' as an excuse? What we want is a long-term, stable partnership, not a one-off deal."

She looked at Jiang Haoran with a hint of amusement in her voice, even with a touch of approval: "Young man, you're so young, yet you're more meticulous than many seasoned businessmen. It's especially rare that you can notice these details in the contract."

Changing the subject, she looked at Jiang Jianguo again, her tone returning to calm and professional, "But rest assured, these are all standard procedures for industry cooperation. Since Hengtong wants to do long-term business, we will never be ambiguous about these key aspects."

"Director Jiang has been in the machining business for decades, and his craftsmanship is renowned in our area. We chose to cooperate with you because of your reliability. How could we possibly use 'substandard' as an excuse? We want a long-term, stable partner, not a one-off deal."

These words not only addressed Jiang Haoran's previous doubts but also offered Jiang Jianguo a promise of "long-term supply." Jiang Jianguo picked up the documents and repeatedly flipped through them. Looking at the dense "market data" on the documents, his previously tense lips gradually relaxed—Zhen Yueting's professional and frank demeanor completely dispelled most of his doubts.

Jiang Haoran suddenly chuckled softly, raised his hand and clapped lightly. The applause was particularly jarring in the quiet office: "What a wonderful performance! Such a sincere and heartfelt speech. Director Zhen, with your eloquence, it's a waste that you're not at LeEco."

He still vividly remembers the "ecosystem scam" that shocked the business world in his previous life with LeEco. LeEco relied on the PPT story of "ecological synergy" to stuff all the unrelated fields such as mobile phones, cars, televisions, and film into the empty talk of "ecological closed loop". It used the empty promise of "disruptive innovation" to deceive investors into throwing money at it while owing suppliers billions of yuan in payments.

Those manufacturers who were trapped by the promise of "long-term strategic cooperation" either staked their entire fortune on expanding production or provided upfront funding for LeEco's manufacturing. In the end, they were met with the collapse of LeEco's financial chain, the founder's departure to the United States, and the tragic situation of factories closing down and bosses running away. This is exactly the same as the factories in Jiangnan and Jiangbei provinces that have been ruined by fake orders.

The current Hengtong scheme is nothing more than a disguise for "foreign trade orders." Zhen Yueting's "explosion in the Southeast Asian market" is essentially no different from LeEco's "automobile industry revolution" back then; Jiang Tao's "100 million copper futures mortgage certificate" is just as fraudulent as the pie in the sky that LeEco painted with "equity pledge".

They all use a seemingly promising story to package their core purpose of "fraudulently obtaining advance payments," and even their deceptive rhetoric carries the same "professionalism" and "urgency."

Jiang Tao's face turned pale instantly. He had clearly not heard of the yet-to-be-released "LeEco will return to China next week" joke, but he was chilled by the mocking tone. He opened his mouth to retort, "What nonsense are you talking about! What do you mean by a wonderful performance? Your dad and I are discussing serious matters."

Zhen Yueting's eyes narrowed suddenly. Jiang Haoran's words were like a needle, making her heart clench. She subconsciously gripped her handbag tightly.

Jiang Haoran stood up and walked to the table. His gaze swept over the mortgage slip, and he tapped the edge of the table lightly with his fingertip: "Unfortunately, no matter how wonderful the performance, it can't be compared to a fake mortgage slip."

Jiang Tao's face stiffened, and he was about to retort when the office door was suddenly kicked open with a "bang," and hurried footsteps carrying a cold and stern aura rushed in.