Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

We chose a local restaurant near the apartment for dinner. The private room wasn't big, but it was quiet.

After all the dishes were served, Jiang Haoran poured Chen Jingge a cup of tea and asked, "How are you feeling on your first day, Uncle?"

"It feels... a little unreal."

Jiang Haoran picked up a piece of braised pork: "How so?"

"I carefully reviewed the company structure and funding agreement this afternoon." Chen Jingge put down his chopsticks, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the edge of the table. "Zhou Shao's 30 million was real money deposited into the company account. I previously thought you were just doing small-scale operations, like a student startup studio."

He paused, then looked at Jiang Haoran, "This young master Zhou... who is he? He just invests 30 million without a second thought, and then becomes a hands-off boss. This kind of boldness is unlike that of an ordinary rich second generation."

"He's my college classmate," Jiang Haoran said casually. "His family is in the energy and chemical industry, and they have considerable assets. He trusts my judgment and is willing to take the risk."

"Is it that simple?" Chen Jingge raised an eyebrow.

"It's that simple." Jiang Haoran took a sip of tea. "He trusts me, and I'm responsible to the company. That's enough."

Chen Jingge remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

He recalled his time working in a state-owned enterprise, where there were layers of approvals and reports on everything. There was no such straightforward approach as "if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them."

"There's something else," Chen Jingge said, carefully choosing his words. "I walked around the company a few times today, and besides the few traders and analysts, there was only one administrative staff member, Xiao Li. What exactly should I do? I can't just sit around drinking tea and reading newspapers all day, can I?"

Jiang Haoran put down his chopsticks, his tone becoming serious: "Uncle, you've come at just the right time. Do two things these next few days: First, clarify the accounts. Arrange to transfer the 300,000 yuan in operating funds that Young Master Zhou advanced in the first two days. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; rules must be established from the beginning."

"Second, hurry up and recruit people. Xiao Li was brought by General Manager Zhou, and we'll have to return him in a while. We need to find a reliable person for the finance department, with priority given to those with experience in finance at large companies. We can take our time to find HR and reception staff, and we can outsource cleaning services. The company is just starting out, and you'll be in charge of many details."

He looked at his uncle, his words carrying a sense of entrustment: "Once these things are sorted out, I'll leave the daily operations to you. I can't be here every day after school starts, and the company needs someone who can keep things under control and someone I can trust."

Chen Jingge paused, his fingers moving slightly. He understood the weight of his nephew's words—this wasn't just giving him a job; it meant placing him in a position to "guard the rear."

"The pressure is immense," Chen Jingge said with a wry smile. "I used to only manage my own studio, but now I suddenly have to oversee such a large company..."

"You can do it," Jiang Haoran said confidently. "You have a better grasp of the accounts than I do, and you're also very adept at dealing with people. All you lack is experience in managing larger operations, but you'll gain that with practice."

These words were spoken casually, but Chen Jingge was shocked.

He suddenly realized that his nephew, whom he had watched grow up, had somehow developed the confidence to "judge people" and "use people."

"Alright." Chen Jingge picked up his teacup, using tea instead of wine. "I'll give it a try. If I really can't handle it, you'll have to cover for me."

After dinner, the three parted ways. Chen Jingge drove home, while Jiang Haoran and Chang Yu walked back to their apartment.

At night, Lujiazui is brightly lit, and the skyscrapers of the financial center look like giant, glowing building blocks.

Chang Yu walked along, looking up at the scenery and making "tsk tsk" noises.

Back in the apartment, Chang Yu kicked off her shoes and slipped into the second bedroom.

Soon, the clatter of keyboard and mouse clicks filled the air, mixed with his excited growl: "Go! Heal me!... Beautiful! The number one Ghost Swordsman in Southern Jiangsu, do you admit defeat?"

Jiang Haoran poured himself a glass of water in the living room, and shook his head and chuckled as he listened to the game sound effects leaking through the crack in the door and Chang Yu's shouts.

Youth is wonderful. He recalled his college days, when he was just as carefree, playing League of Legends all night long and arguing fiercely over the outcome of a ranked match.

Who would have thought that, given a second chance at life, I would have to shoulder such a heavy burden in my early twenties?

However, thinking of the expectations of those around him and the regrets in his memory that had to be reversed, Jiang Haoran's gaze hardened.

He drank the water in his glass and went into the bedroom.

The next morning at nine o'clock, Chang Yu was still fast asleep in the guest room when Jiang Haoran stepped into the office on time.

Walking to his desk, he first spent half an hour flipping through the day's China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News, and several financial weekly publications.

The policy trends and data changes revealed between the printed words corroborated his memory of the context.

After reading the newspaper, he opened his laptop and logged into his futures account.

Before coming to Shanghai, he had already transferred five million yuan from his personal account to the company account of Jiutian Investment, completing the investment.

The account's total equity is currently around nine million, and available funds have exceeded five million.

The price of soybean meal futures contract 1301 is still fluctuating at a high level, but the volatility has increased significantly.

Jiang Haoran calmly placed a few sell orders. His position decreased by another two hundred lots, bringing his total open interest down to two thousand lots.

The investment direction for the stock market has been clearly defined: the water conservancy and infrastructure sector.

However, regarding futures, he judged that soybean meal still had a small tail end to the rally, and although the risk was high, the profit was still considerable.

At 9:45, he got up and left the office.

Walk through the quiet common office area to a frosted glass door at the end of the corridor.

A prominent sign on the door reads: "Restricted Trading Area, No Entry Without Permission."

Jiang Haoran swiped his card to enter.

This is a room of about 30 square meters, with the curtains drawn and the light soft.

Six large screens hang on the front wall, displaying real-time indices, exchange rates, and commodity prices from major global markets.

Below, there are four professional trading tables arranged side by side, each with three to four monitors.

At this moment, only four traders are on duty, sitting at their workstations.

Upon seeing Jiang Haoran enter, the two immediately put down their phones and stood up: "President Jiang."

"Sit down." Jiang Haoran walked behind them. "Get the company's futures account."

Two of the futures traders were typing rapidly on their keyboards.

"Inject ten million yuan into the main account." Jiang Haoran looked at the screen. "From today onwards, I will issue all the specific position building targets, prices, and timings. No one is allowed to operate without my instructions."

"Today's goal is to gradually establish long positions in soybean meal futures (1301 contract) at relatively low levels. Buying 1500 lots is sufficient. The position building should be slow and discreet, avoiding attracting market attention."

He paused, then added, "After you've established your position, you can buy low and sell high according to your own trading habits to profit from intraday price differences. Just keep your position at 1500 lots by the close."

"Understood, Mr. Jiang," the two traders replied in unison.

Jiang Haoran stood there for a while, watching the numbers on the screen change.

The price of soybean meal 1301 is hovering around 3980, with trading volume shrinking.

"Let's start with a small order to test the waters," he concluded. "Today's goal is to establish a base position of 1000 lots."

After leaving the trading room, Jiang Haoran sat down in his office chair and looked out the window.

The new company's first battle has been planned, but the futures and stock markets need time to develop and we need to patiently wait for the key milestones to arrive.