Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

As soon as the exam ended, Jiang Haoran boarded the high-speed train back to Zhenjiang.

He sat by the window, closing his eyes to rest, but his mind was already contemplating his next plan.

With the funds from Jiutian Investment in place and the school on summer vacation, I can finally put my skills to good use.

It was already evening when I got home.

Pushing open that familiar iron gate, the aroma of braised pork ribs immediately wafted out.

Chen Fang, wearing an apron, poked her head out of the kitchen, her eyes lighting up: "Haoran's back!"

She hurried forward, grabbed her son's arm, and looked him up and down. "You must be tired from the journey. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Mom, I'm not tired." Jiang Haoran smiled and squeezed his mother's hand. Her hands were rough from years of hard work, but her palms were warm and reassuring.

Father Jiang Jianguo came out from the inner room. Seeing his son, the serious lines on his face softened: "Finished the exam?"

"Um."

"How did the exam go?"

"good."

The conversation between father and son was always brief. But Jiang Haoran saw a clear sense of satisfaction in his father's eyes.

The image of his father's hair turning white overnight after the factory went bankrupt in his previous life overlapped and separated in his mind with the image of the middle-aged man with a straight back in front of him.

During dinner, Chen Fang kept putting food into her son's bowl.

During the meal, Jiang Jianguo talked about the factory's recent situation: "The bosses your uncle introduced have placed some orders, not large quantities, but at least the machines are finally running again."

He paused, his brows furrowing habitually. "It's just that Jiang Tao's case is still under investigation. Old Zhang next door hasn't recovered his hundreds of thousands... What a tragedy."

"Any news from Officer Chang?"

"They came a few days ago and said they'd caught most of the people."

In my past life, this case dragged on for two years before it was finally settled. Most of the money had already been transferred overseas by Zhen Yueting and her gang, and very little of it had been recovered. This time, I reminded them early on, which should have helped to recover a lot of the losses.

After the meal, Jiang Haoran insisted on washing the dishes.

Chen Fang couldn't stop her, so she could only stand at the kitchen door and watch, her eyes full of smiles.

After tidying up, he strolled towards the factory area.

The setting sun gilded the factory buildings. The large characters "Jianguo Machinery Factory" were somewhat faded, but still eye-catching. Pushing open the iron gate, the familiar smell of machine oil wafted out.

The workshop was quiet; the workers had already gone home, and several old-fashioned lathes sat silently in the shadows.

Jiang Haoran ran his hand over the cool surface of the machine tool, his fingertips able to feel the subtle traces left by time.

This land and factory, spanning over a thousand square meters, represents half a lifetime of hard work by my father.

The location is indeed excellent, right next to the national highway, making logistics convenient.

What's even more remarkable is that the factory area is adjacent to a large tract of wasteland, providing ample room for future expansion.

He strolled slowly through the factory area.

The raw material area, the semi-finished product storage area, the simple workers' rest shed... every corner is as familiar as the lines on the palm of your hand.

In my previous life, after the factory went bankrupt, the land was acquired by a developer and a large commercial center was built on it.

Jiang Haoran would fall silent for a long time every time he passed by this place.

But now, everything is different.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Fatty Li messaged me: "Brother Hao, the forum says the USDA export data tonight might be off the charts. Will the market open higher tomorrow?"

Jiang Haoran walked to the old sycamore tree in the corner of the factory area and typed a reply: "There is a possibility of a higher opening. But whether it goes up depends on the attitude of the major funds."

"Then what about us?"

"Hold on for now. If it opens more than two points higher, consider reducing part of your position to lock in profits."

"clear!"

He put away his phone and continued walking in the twilight.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, leaving only a sliver of dark red on the sky. Lights shone from distant apartment buildings, and wisps of smoke rose from their chimneys.

My phone vibrated again. It was my uncle, Chen Jingge, calling: "Haoran, I've made up my mind. I'll resign tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you in Shanghai."

Jiang Haoran stopped in his tracks: "Okay. We'll discuss the details in person when I get back to Shanghai. Uncle, welcome to the team."

He could imagine that his uncle must have been thinking about this for a long time, and now that he had cut off all his escape routes, his mind was made up.

I put my phone away and looked up at the deep night sky. The stars were just beginning to appear, their faint light twinkling.

The real journey has only just begun.

The next morning, Jiang Haoran bought some fruit and rode his bicycle to Officer Chang Hao's house.

Chang Hao was tending to the flowers and plants by the door. When he saw Haoran arrive, he put down the watering can and said, "Haoran, you're here? Come in and sit down."

Jiang Haoran sat down on the sofa: "Uncle Chang, thank you for your concern about my family's affairs."

"It's my duty." Chang Hao waved his hand. "As for you, it's rare to see someone so vigilant at such a young age. That fraud gang was very skilled; if you hadn't discovered it in time, who knows how many more manufacturers would have suffered losses."

The two discussed the case for a while. Chang Hao revealed that the main culprit's whereabouts had been traced, but recovering the stolen goods would be extremely difficult.

"These people had already paved their escape route. As soon as they got the money, they transferred it overseas. By the time we found out, most of their accounts were already empty."

After leaving Chang Hao's house, Jiang Haoran went to his childhood friend Chang Yu's house.

Chang Yu was curled up on the sofa playing video games when he saw Haoran walk in. He immediately threw down the controller and exclaimed, "Haoran! You're finally back!"

The two had been friends since they were little kids. In his previous life, when Jiang Haoran was going through the toughest time of his business, Chang Yu gave him all the 30,000 yuan he had saved from work, without even asking for an IOU.

What are your plans for summer vacation?

"I should find a job. My mom wants me to work as a stocker at a supermarket; it's eighty yuan a day."

Jiang Haoran smiled: "Would you like to take a trip to Shanghai?"

Chang Yu's eyes widened: "Shanghai Stock Exchange? Really?"

"I have some business to take care of. Come with me, stay at my place, and I'll show you around."

"Go! We absolutely have to go! When are we leaving?"

"Get ready in the next couple of days."

"Alright!"

It was already evening when Jiang Haoran left Chang Yu's house. He rode his bicycle slowly, the sun blazing and waves of heat rising from the road.

He thought of Chang Yu from his past life. Later, he ran a small supermarket in his hometown, living a peaceful and stable life. Once, while drinking, Chang Yu said his biggest regret was not venturing out into the world and never experiencing the real world.

Since I have the ability in this life, I'll take my brothers with me to see it.

When I got home, my mother had already set out the meal. It was a simple three dishes and a soup, but all of them were exactly what I wanted to eat.

At the dinner table, Jiang Haoran mentioned that he wanted to go to Shanghai with Chang Yu.

Chen Fang was a little worried, but Jiang Haoran explained gently. The father listened silently, looked up at his son, and his eyes were full of deep trust.

After dinner, Jiang Haoran returned to his room.

High school textbooks were still stacked on the desk, and NBA posters with slightly curled edges were pasted on the wall. Time seemed to stand still here.

He turned on his computer and logged into his futures account.

Soybean meal prices continued to fluctuate wildly at high levels during the day. The forum was filled with near-hysterical fervor, a mix of posts showing off profits, lamenting margin calls, and speculating on the market top.

Jiang Haoran calmly swept his gaze over the numbers and the clamor.

He knew that this months-long extravaganza was about to come to an end. And he had already chosen the time to gracefully exit.

I turned off the computer and went to the window.

Looking beyond the rooftops, not far away, the factory buildings of Jianguo Machinery Factory stand quietly in the sunlight. Further away, where the sky meets the earth, a hazy silver ribbon stretches—that is the Yangtze River, flowing ceaselessly day and night.

This summer, the course of many things will be changed because of him.