Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

After everyone left, the office became quiet.

Chang Yu then scurried over from the corner sofa and tugged at Jiang Haoran's sleeve: "Haoran... no, Brother Hao... President Jiang! This... this is really your company?"

Jiang Haoran was tidying up the documents on his desk, not even looking up: "Otherwise what?"

"But we..." Chang Yu's eyes widened, pointing to the dazzling skyline outside the window, "How did you... end up running off to Lujiazui in Shanghai, the most prestigious area in China, opening an investment company and becoming a boss?"

"Are you still the Jiang Er Gou I know, the one who went fishing with me in the river in junior high and whose pants got washed away?"

He abruptly took a step back, clasped his hands together, and made an exaggerated gesture of submission: "Godfather! From today onwards, you are my godfather! Take your child and let him take flight!"

Jiang Haoran was amused by his silly antics: "Stop with the nonsense. How am I any different from before? I still have two eyes and a nose."

Chang Yu stared at Jiang Haoran, whose demeanor had changed drastically, and muttered, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels like you've become a completely different person. However, this demeanor doesn't seem out of place sitting here at all."

"I've had an epiphany, okay?" Jiang Haoran joked half-heartedly, his tone relaxed. "Now, your brother here is an investment genius. Don't worry, I promised to show you the world, I'll definitely take you on a wild ride..."

He suppressed his smile and said seriously, "The company just opened these past two days, so there's a lot to do. You can have fun on your own. If you're free this afternoon, you can go out and stroll around the Bund or the City God Temple."

Chang Yu immediately straightened his back and patted his chest: "I promise I won't embarrass my godfather!"

Jiang Haoran shook his head helplessly and glanced towards the door: "Do as you please, and call Li Wenqiang in while you're at it."

A moment later, Li Wenqiang pushed open the door and walked in.

Jiang Haoran gestured, "Wenqiang, let everyone familiarize themselves with the environment this morning. In half an hour, please have the three analysts come over."

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open, and two men and a woman walked in one after the other.

"President Jiang." The three stopped.

"Sit down." Jiang Haoran pointed to the sofa opposite the desk.

The three sat down as instructed, their posture upright, their eyes fixed on Jiang Haoran.

"I'm pretty direct," Jiang Haoran said bluntly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "First, tell us your names, what you did before, and what your areas of expertise are."

The man with glasses was the first to react, adjusting his glasses: "Understood, Mr. Jiang. I'm Zhao Lei, a stock analyst, previously mainly responsible for fundamental stock research."

"Lin Wei, stock analyst, specializing in research on consumer and electronics industries," the short-haired woman replied, speaking at a steady pace.

"Sun Zheng, futures analyst, specializing in futures and commodities," the middle-aged man said calmly.

"Okay, I understand. Before you leave work, each of you should submit a concise research report to me, outlining your views on the current market. Focus on one or two sectors that you believe have the most potential." Jiang Haoran nodded. "Go back and prepare."

This straightforward request caused the three of them to pause slightly.

The three got up and left, exchanging a knowing glance as they went outside. The young boss was clearly testing their capabilities.

Around 5 p.m., Jiang Haoran reviewed the reports submitted by the three people one by one and nodded in satisfaction.

Zhao Lei's report focuses on consumption upgrades, and analyzes leading companies in industries such as home appliances and food and beverages. The data is detailed and the framework is complete, but the viewpoints are conventional.

Lin Wei's report provided an in-depth analysis of the TMT sector, outlining specific opportunities in the mobile internet segment, demonstrating the effort she had put in.

Sun Zheng's commodity reports are the most professional, providing a combined technical and fundamental analysis of recent fluctuations in commodities such as chemicals and building materials.

All three reports are above the baseline, with solid data and clear logic. Although they lack truly insightful independent observations, they are sufficient as implementation tools.

He doesn't need every analyst to be a genius.

Jiang Haoran makes all the investment decisions himself. What he needs are tools who can accurately understand and execute the requirements and help him efficiently collect and verify market information.

"Have them come over again," he instructed his assistant, Li.

A moment later, the familiar knocking sounded again.

"Enter."

Jiang Haoran placed the three reports flat on the table and looked up at them.

"You've done a good job on the groundwork, keep it up." He set the tone first, then changed the subject.

"In addition to macro research reports, starting tomorrow, Lin Wei and Zhao Lei, the two of you will work together to conduct in-depth research on the infrastructure sector, especially listed companies related to farmland irrigation and large-scale water supply projects. I need detailed stock selection, fundamental analysis, historical trends, individual stock risks, and policy trends for the entire sector."

He turned his gaze to Sun Zheng: "You continue to follow up on commodities, focusing on the chemical and building materials supply chains. Daily briefings are essential; report any unusual developments immediately."

The office was quiet, with only the faint sound of the air conditioner vents.

Jiang Haoran leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Zhao Lei and Lin Wei, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I'm giving you a week. I need to see an actionable list of potential investment targets, as well as a preliminary position allocation plan."

"Pay special attention to those stocks with state-owned enterprise backgrounds that have been consolidating at the bottom for many years. These types of companies should be analyzed separately."

"Understood!" the three responded almost simultaneously.

Stepping out of the office, Lin Wei gently closed the door before lowering her voice to say to Zhao Lei, "It seems like we've passed the first hurdle... but the boss's goal seems particularly clear."

Zhao Lei pushed up his glasses and walked towards his workstation: "Young bosses are all confident. But having clear goals is a good thing. We're just here to do the work. We're not afraid of bosses with clear thinking; we're afraid of bosses who go about things in a haphazard, disjointed way."

He paused, his voice lower, "And did you notice that he specifically emphasized 'state-owned enterprise background' and 'years of bottoming out'—that's too suggestive."

As he spoke, he subtly pointed upwards towards the ceiling.

Lin Wei nodded thoughtfully.

Even the wealthy and powerful CEO Zhou is a hands-off manager, and they all vaguely guess that this young CEO Jiang might be a "second-generation" with a powerful background trying out entrepreneurship.

Sun Zheng walked at the back, not participating in the discussion, but his eyes were filled with deep thought.

Jiang Haoran leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the Lujiazui skyline. The glass curtain wall reflected the afterglow of the setting sun, and the whole city was slowly lighting up.

He clearly remembers that in the second half of 2012, the economy faced downward pressure, inflation declined, and monetary policy was set to become looser.

To support economic growth, increased infrastructure investment has become a key measure, with farmland irrigation and high-standard farmland construction receiving specific policy support and funding.

This market trend won't be as volatile as futures, but it will be stable enough to provide him with a solid foundation for his industrial blueprint.

That's how the first investment direction was decided.