Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

It was exactly 6:30 when we drove into the south gate of Jinling University.

It was peak time for foot traffic on campus. As the silver sports car passed by the cafeteria entrance, several male students who had just finished eating stopped in their tracks.

In 2012, this Porsche first four-door GT sports car was still a rare sight in the country.

The base model starts at 175 million yuan, while the high-performance version costs over 300 million yuan. The car Jiang Haoran drives has many optional features, so the total cost after all the extras is at least 250 million yuan.

For the vast majority of college students, this is an astronomical figure.

"Holy crap, Palamera?"

"Who is that? A teacher driving such a flashy car?"

"Hey Fu, is there anyone like that at our school?"

Jiang Haoran parked his car in the parking lot next to the Economics and Management Building.

As soon as I opened the car door, I heard a familiar voice behind me: "Brother Hao? You're back?"

Fatty Li, carrying the takeout bag, stared wide-eyed at the silver sports car. Two other boys from his class stood beside him, their mouths agape as they looked at the car.

Jiang Haoran locked the car, turned around and smiled: "You're back."

"This...is this your car?" Fatty Li leaned closer, circling the car halfway around. "It's so cool, a Porsche?"

"It's a company event, just a temporary one," Jiang Haoran said casually.

But nobody believed him. Fatty Li's face was full of doubt, while the other two boys exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock, envy, and a little bit of sourness.

"Haoran, you've really taken off now?" a boy couldn't help but ask. "You said you were going to invest, and now... you're driving this car?"

"I was lucky and caught the right trend," Jiang Haoran said casually.

Fatty Li's eyes were still glued to the car. "How much did this car cost?"

"It's secondhand, not much money." Jiang Haoran said as he walked towards the dormitory building, not wanting to linger on this topic.

Li Pangzi and his friends followed behind, whispering among themselves.

"Absolutely brand new car, look at those wheels..."

"Brother Hao has really struck it rich."

"Of course, their futures account has already..."

The sound faded into the distance.

Jiang Haoran walked ahead, his face expressionless; this reaction was exactly what he expected.

For him, who has been reborn, a sports car is just a means of transportation, but since this young body hasn't experienced it yet, it wouldn't hurt to drive it once.

But he wasn't deliberately showing off; true strength never needs external proof.

Back in his dorm, Jiang Haoran turned on his computer.

The price of the soybean meal 1301 contract hovered around 3500 points. His personal investment account held over 60 million yuan in available funds, giving him even greater confidence.

Jiang Haoran pondered for a moment, then dialed Gu Qiushi's number.

"Dr. Gu, am I disturbing you?" Jiang Haoran asked.

"No, I just finished a project meeting with Dr. Wang." Gu Qiushi's voice was more clear-headed. "Boss, what are your instructions?"

"Yes, there's progress with the funding." Jiang Haoran got straight to the point. "I'm planning to inject 20 million into Qilin Technology in the next couple of days. After that, another 30 million will come in, increasing the company's registered capital to 100 million."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Fifty...fifty million?" Gu Qiushi's voice suddenly rose, filled with incredulous surprise. "President Jiang, are you serious?"

Jiang Haoran said calmly, "Dr. Gu, the company will have significant investments in the future. Registered capital exceeding 100 million is a threshold in the industrial sector."

"Many large state-owned enterprises and listed companies will directly screen out companies with less than 50 million yuan in registered capital when selecting suppliers. If we want to do high-end precision manufacturing, we must first establish a solid reputation."

Gu Qiushi took a deep breath, his voice brimming with excitement: "I understand! With this funding, we can immediately begin construction of the campus laboratory. And at Xinrui Technology, we can place the order for that precision testing instrument imported from Germany!"

"This is just the beginning," Jiang Haoran said. "Kirin Technology doesn't want to be a small-scale processing plant; it wants to become a leader in the photovoltaic industry. The 100 million yuan registered capital is to reassure customers and pave the way for subsequent investments."

He then changed the subject: "Also, that five million should be allocated to Xinrui Technology as soon as possible. Wang Qiming's side needs immediate funding; the equipment and materials cannot be delayed."

"However, now that the money and time have been allocated, you must keep a close eye on the progress."

"Understood!" Gu Qiushi replied decisively. "I'm following up on the progress every week. President Jiang, with this 50 million as a guarantee, I feel much more at ease."

"Dr. Gu, money is not a problem," Jiang Haoran said. "The problem is whether Kirin Technology can spend every penny wisely and whether it can buy us more time."

"You can rest assured about that!" Gu Qiushi's voice was filled with unprecedented firmness. "I will keep an eye on every single expenditure."

"Okay, I trust you. You're in charge of handling all of this," Jiang Haoran said. "However, don't skimp on necessary expenses, and contact us by phone if needed."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Haoran leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the deepening night outside the window.

With the arrangements for Kirin Technology settled, once this round of soybean meal market activity has completely ended, the 30 million in the futures account will be transferred there for subsequent research and development and market expansion.

But his plans didn't stop there; it was time to upgrade the small machining and manufacturing factory at home.

Jiang Haoran plans to invest ten million yuan to renovate the workshop and purchase CNC equipment and testing instruments. The precision parts that Qilin Technology will need in the future can be produced entirely from its own factory.

Only by controlling the key links in the supply chain can costs and quality be kept under control.

More importantly, it is transforming itself to enter the next sector: photovoltaic inverters.

Jiang Haoran recalls that China's photovoltaic industry was in a slump in 2012. Anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations by Europe and the United States hindered exports, plunging many domestic photovoltaic companies into difficulties.

But crises contain opportunities, and at this time, the entire photovoltaic industry chain is undergoing a reshuffle.

Sungrow Power, a future inverter leader with a market capitalization of hundreds of billions, was only established a few years ago and was still quietly engaged in research and development. Meanwhile, foreign brands such as Germany's SMA and the US's Emerson still held the majority of the domestic market share.

However, with the support of national policies and the growth of market demand, domestically produced inverters have begun to emerge. In the following years, relying on cost advantages and technological iteration, domestically produced inverters are replacing imported products on a large scale, gradually breaking the monopoly of foreign companies.

This is an excellent opportunity to enter the market.

Jiang Haoran plans to use Kirin Technology as a holding platform to acquire one or two competitors with technological expertise but facing difficulties, based on the upgrading of his father's factory.

Then, taking advantage of the momentum of localization, we carried out reverse engineering and technological breakthroughs.

He remembers clearly that in the next few years, leading domestic companies will accelerate their overseas expansion: Sungrow Power has built a 3GW production base in India and set up a service center in the United States; Sungrow Power has acquired Emerson's photovoltaic inverter business.

Meanwhile, established overseas manufacturers such as ABB and Schneider Electric will gradually withdraw from this market.

By 2018, Chinese inverter manufacturers will dominate the global market, forming a "dual-leader" pattern with Sungrow Power and Huawei as the core.

Now is the perfect time to enter the market.

The path of real industry is slower, more arduous, and requires more patience than that of finance.

But what truly changes things are those endeavors that are rooted in the soil and require time to grow.