I'm reborn and I'm an international student again?

"Don't say that. I know all about your Mars colonization scheme. You've inflated Martian currency from worthless to this high price. Once the hype dies down, it'll definitely drop. Mars colonization is just a smokescreen. Once a few well-known scientists expose it, you're finished. But I don't want that to happen either. SpaceX has huge investments, and you don't want to be short of money for rocket fuel in the future, do you?" The fat man put down his Coke and looked at Musk seriously.

"What exactly do you want?" Musk's smile faded.

"I said Mars Coin won't survive in the future because investors' trust in the project will decrease. There are quite a few people in this industry who know the inside story and want to drive up the price to find someone to take over, just like you. To solve this problem, I don't think it's difficult, we just need to..." The fat man deliberately paused.

Musk immediately chimed in: "Like Tether, pegged to the US dollar?"

"No, that would be too costly, and it would be difficult to find someone to take over later. What we need is not a stable cryptocurrency, but a cryptocurrency that can make us money. My idea is to issue a cryptocurrency in my name, called Reliable Coin." The fat man waved his hand, a smug look on his face.

"A reliable cryptocurrency? Are you crazy?!" Musk was taken aback at first, then blurted out.

He simply couldn't understand what was going on in the fat man's head.

He understands issuing a trustworthy coin, but naming it after himself is utterly absurd.

The name itself sounds unreliable.

Although the other party is a leader, in the West, what does a leader mean?

Most people disregard their leaders, have doubts about the value of the dollar, let alone believe in a cryptocurrency that has appeared out of nowhere.

"It's not uncommon for currencies to be issued under people's names in American history. Decades ago, Ansel Tolbert, a furniture store owner in California, issued 'Tolbert dollars,' which circulated locally, stimulated the economy, and are considered pioneers of modern local currency movements. Some rappers have even issued currency with their own names printed on it as fan merchandise. Although it can't be used as real money, it can be exchanged for fiat currency privately. If they can do it, why can't I, the leader of a country,? Don't you think Martian currency sounds absurd? But people still buy it. It's the same with reliable currencies. You never know what will happen if you don't try," the fat man said dismissively.

"Aren't you afraid that this coin won't appreciate at all after its release, ruining your reputation? You might become the most absurd leader in history then," Musk mocked.

“I used to be a businessman, and so were you. What does it matter if a businessman loses face as long as he makes money? Besides, you’ve known me for so long, have you ever asked me to save face?” The fat man spread his hands nonchalantly.

"You're awesome!" Musk was stunned for a while before finally managing to utter this sentence, and he even gave a thumbs up.

Macau area, New Hao Casino.

This is a city that never sleeps; business is far more bustling at night than during the day. Guests are like they're on steroids, tirelessly immersed in the games.

"Boss, the venue has been losing a lot of money lately." In the office, a subordinate was reporting to Lawrence.

Lawrence wasn't too surprised.

In the new district, his establishment was the second worst performing, with most of his customers being people under forty.

As the youngest casino owner, Lawrence has very modern ideas.

The venue and hotel are decorated with a high-tech feel, quite different from traditional competitors. He believes that although customers over forty years old have money, they are mostly seasoned players who have already been repeatedly exploited, and their spending potential is limited.

On the contrary, a novel environment is more attractive to the second generation, who can get money from their families even if they are short of money.

The idea was good, but reality was harsh. The venue had few customers, and daily operating costs were high. If he hadn't invested in Crown in Australia, these losses would likely have been unsustainable.

"Understood," Lawrence replied casually.

"Boss... this situation is a bit special..." the subordinate stammered, hesitating to continue.

Lawrence frowned: "What?"

"Part of the loss this time was due to... fake chips."

"Didn't we just switch to the latest model of chips? Our anti-counterfeiting technology should be more advanced than others."

Just as his subordinate was about to answer, there was a knock on the door, and Ma Yueling pushed the door open and walked in.

“Although the anti-counterfeiting technology for the chips has been updated, the methods haven’t changed, and others can still use sophisticated techniques to break through. The key is that fake chips can be mixed in with real chips at the gambling table, used to spread bets, or resold to others at a low price and then exchanged for cash at the accounting office. The casino can only discover this when it regularly counts the chips, but by then the losses have already been incurred.” Ma Yueling said as she sat down.

"Ah Ling? What brings you here?" Lawrence asked, somewhat surprised.

"I came back today to check on things. I noticed the fake chips downstairs, so I came up." Ma Yueling took a sip of water.

"Do you have a solution?" Lawrence pressed.

“The US has recently developed a smart betting table, one of the core functions of which is real-time chip identification. The latest chips you're using are also sourced from them. Actually, it's not just you having this problem; they're experiencing the same issue over there. Technically speaking, the older chips relied on special light to illuminate anti-counterfeiting marks for verification, while the newer ones have built-in special chips. The new American solution involves embedding sensors in the table. After a customer places a bet, the sensors scan the RFID chip inside the chip, and all data is recorded and monitored in real time by the back-end management system. Once an unidentifiable counterfeit chip appears on the table, the system will immediately alert the administrators, who can then apprehend the person responsible on the spot. I've already brought the equipment over, and it can be installed today,” Ma Yueling said casually.

"Great!" Lawrence snapped his fingers excitedly.

The following day, in the lobby on the first floor.

"Mr. Dong, your room has been arranged. I wish you many wins," a stunningly elegant female public relations officer said with a smile to a middle-aged man.

Public relations in the casino industry is essentially sales, and income depends entirely on performance. The average monthly income is HKD 1 to 3, a slightly better income is HKD 5 to 10, and the top earners can make over HKD 50, with some even earning tens of millions a year.

This Mr. Dong is the owner of a chain of dessert shops in mainland China. He owns several factories and is the leading dessert shop owner in the province.

"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I'll just play around." The man waved his hand and led his assistant to a gambling table, where they sat down. Dong Yuncheng was on a winning streak and soon won several million.

"Boss, this is way more profitable than selling cakes!" The assistant exclaimed excitedly, looking at the table full of chips.

"Of course! My business was doing just fine, but those two foreign girls ruined it, and I suffered heavy losses this month. And that shrew Zhan Zhan, selling things so cheaply, she's insane! Making only a few cents on a cake, is she trying to kill off her competitors? Once I win enough here, I'll go back and open a bunch of new stores, let's see how they compete with me! This is what they call being unlucky in business but lucky in gambling!" Dong Yuncheng was in a great mood after winning money, and he became more talkative.

As Saori stated, the Parisian dessert business model relies on aggressively opening new stores, pre-selling gift cards, and taking out bank loans to maintain cash flow. As long as the cash flow remains uninterrupted, the business can continue until it can no longer sustain itself, at which point it opens up franchising to allow outsiders to take over.

"Ha, I won again!" Dong Yuncheng exclaimed excitedly as he slammed his cards onto the table.

A King and a Nine of Hearts, and you win everything.

Dong Yuncheng was overjoyed to have won a million in this round.

This was his first time visiting a place like this.

He used to refuse when the junket operators at Xinlu tried to get the bosses to join in, because most of his friends lost more than they won, and he was too busy with his own business. If it weren't for the fierce competition between the three dessert brands that caused his company to run into financial difficulties, he wouldn't have taken the risk to gamble.

By now, his gambling table was surrounded by people. Some players loved to join in the fun, while others were just looking to take advantage of the chaos. Dong Yuncheng enjoyed the cheers and encouragement around him, and his bets grew larger and larger.

"Ha, a long run! Fourteen hands already." Gao Jiyuan finally squeezed through the crowd, saw the mountain of chips on the table and the long run notification on the screen, and without thinking, he pulled out a handful of chips and placed his bet. He didn't even notice that today's gambling table was a little different from usual.

Casinos often board up areas for maintenance, a practice that guests have long been accustomed to. No one knew that this area had been replaced with a smart gaming table.

The chips were placed, and the dealer glanced at the inconspicuous monitor next to him, his lips pursing almost imperceptibly.

The next second, the administrator standing nearby nodded slightly.

The dealer understood, pulled open the chip box below, and replenished the chips on the table. This table of customers had won so much that they were running out of chips. Seeing this, the others didn't suspect anything; instead, they chuckled and laughed, saying the casino had really gone broke that day.

Gao Jiyuan wasn't in a hurry. He had recently made a lot of money using fake chips without being caught, and his boldness was growing. His strategy was to keep betting, and if he lost a game, he would immediately switch tables.

Dong Yuncheng seemed possessed by the God of Gamblers today, consistently hitting eight or nine points.

"The boss is amazing!"

"Spirit!"

After winning two more rounds, the other guys next to him who had also won gave him a thumbs up.

Gao Jiyuan also won two rounds, and happily took out another pair of fake chips from his pocket. Just as he was about to put them down, the manager suddenly announced loudly, "The game at this table is suspended!"

He then pointed directly at Gao Jiyuan: "Sir, please don't move."

Gao Jiyuan's heart jumped into his throat.

He tried to stand up, but when he turned around, he saw several security guards pushing through the crowd and walking straight toward him.

"Damn it, what's going on? We were winning so well!" Dong Yuncheng muttered in dissatisfaction, having never encountered this situation before.

"Boss, let's call it a day. We've already won a lot." The assistant quietly tugged at his sleeve.

When gamblers get carried away, they often lose track of the number of chips they have, but their assistant is always there to calculate it for them. The money they've won is already more than ten times their initial investment, far exceeding their expectations.

Seeing the crowd begin to disperse, Gao Jiyuan glanced at his watch and yawned: "Let's go."

More than an hour later, in the office upstairs.

"Boss, we found out. This guy's boss is called Yang Dan," the assistant reported, bringing in the documents.

“Yang Dan? Who?” Lawrence had no recollection of the name.

Ma Yueling tilted her head and thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "It seems... I've heard that name somewhere before?"

“We’ve checked; this person frequently visits the Grand Sun Group,” the assistant explained. The entire Australian area is covered in surveillance cameras, and the data is interconnected, making it incredibly easy to track someone’s movements.

"Big Sun? Andy Lau's men? Well, this little bastard isn't satisfied with stealing business online, now he's trying to pull his leg out of my place and play dirty tricks!" Lawrence was furious.

The online games of the Sun Group have stolen a lot of business from casinos in Australia, and now they're sending people to cheat offline. Lawrence can't stand it anymore.

“I don’t think it’s time to alert him yet. There are too many people involved behind Andy Lau, so we need to plan ahead before taking action against him… But we can deal with Yang Dan.” Ma Yueling shook her head slightly.

“Yes, let’s do it that way.” Lawrence did not object to the suggestion.

This matter had been discussed by various industry leaders before, and it would indeed be inappropriate to rashly take action against Andy Lau now. (End of Chapter)