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

"Then I will definitely give my family a full refund! My brother and I do business with a clear conscience and will never sell counterfeit goods!" Zhang Yun patted his chest forcefully, making a loud thud.

"These days, online shopping and live-streaming e-commerce are all about low-price strategies. If you drive prices down to the lowest possible level to attract attention, how can you force factories to guarantee quality? Besides, once you become really famous, the capital behind you will come knocking. At that point, for the sake of performance-based agreements and financial reports, your personal ideas will be nothing. To put it another way, even if you two brothers continue to work independently, who can guarantee that you won't get arrogant once you make money? How many companies treat quality like royalty in the early stages, only to treat consumers like fools later on? Aren't there countless examples of this?" Chen Xi stubbed out his cigarette and stared at the thin, dark-skinned young man in front of him through his sunglasses.

Zhang Yun was completely bewildered by this barrage of questions.

He opened his mouth, his neck turning bright red, but he stammered for a long time without managing to squeeze out a single word.

"Alright, I saw your energetic performance just now, and it certainly grabbed attention. I'm just reminding you a bit. Live-streaming e-commerce isn't about making a fortune by acting silly in front of the camera. You can get the initial wave of traffic by being attention-grabbing, but to make a living from this, you ultimately need conscience and integrity."

After saying that, Chen Xi ignored the two brothers who were standing there and got into the black Mercedes.

The car door closed, and the taillights drew a red arc in the night, leaving Zhang Feng and Zhang Yun standing in the cold wind, staring blankly at the cigarette butts on the ground and the rough carrying pole.

"Who is this person...?"

"do not know."

"His words just now seemed to touch my soul."

"You're overthinking it. How could we possibly sell counterfeit goods? Don't listen to the nonsense people outside are spouting..."

The two brothers shook their heads and then began packing their things.

In the car, Chen Xi sat in the passenger seat, and Zhao Lingshan asked curiously, "I just thought you were planning to recruit them!"

"Ha, I have no interest in that," Chen Xi said, looking out the window.

"Do you think they can become popular?" Saori asked.

"If you mean hype, then they're only famous online. Who knows them offline?" Chen Xi recalled the situation of the two people in his previous life.

They are indeed very popular in the live streaming community, but in reality, even local taxi drivers have never heard of their names.

In short, everything was created through hype.

"So do you think live-streaming e-commerce is a good thing or a bad thing?" Jin Nana also became interested.

"It's a double-edged sword. If we ban it outright, the benefits are obvious. The most direct impact is the recovery of physical stores. Shops on both sides of the street can regain customer traffic, and mall rents can stabilize. This is equivalent to opening up the capillaries of the city's commerce, which can preserve a large number of stable jobs at the grassroots level." Chen Xi tapped the edge of the car window lightly with his fingers.

“And then there’s the pricing power of those factories. Da Jiangnan has suffered from this before, they all ended up working for the platform.” Zhao Lingshan interjected, her hands gripping the steering wheel.

“That’s right. Right now, top livestreamers are using their massive traffic to squeeze manufacturers like crazy, making the lowest prices online the norm. If livestreaming sales are banned, brands can regain control over pricing. Once profit margins recover, companies will have money to invest in product development instead of pouring all their funds into simply buying traffic. At the same time, this will also squeeze out the bubble of consumerism. Many people impulsively place orders in livestreaming rooms, leading to the current high return rate. Without this kind of hype, impulsive consumption will decrease, and societal transportation costs and packaging waste will drop significantly.” Chen Xi nodded.

"It sounds like banning it is all a good thing? Why doesn't the higher-ups do anything about it?" Saori leaned closer to the passenger seat.

“It’s not that simple. A blanket ban would be like artificially cutting off advanced tools of productivity, which would lead to economic slowdown. The essence of live-streaming e-commerce is products finding people. Many people originally had no intention of buying anything, but they were stimulated to buy by the scripts of the hosts in the live-streaming room. Once the ban is issued, this huge amount of incremental consumption will evaporate directly, leading to a further weakening of overall domestic demand.” Chen Xi shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.

"Isn't this just about saving people from wasting money?" Jin Nana blinked.

“Spending less money means another group of people won’t make money, which is a chain reaction affecting the entire industry chain. First, the volume of logistics and express delivery orders will plummet, and a large number of deliverymen will face the risk of unemployment. Second, manufacturers will lose their channels for quickly clearing inventory, and the backlog of goods will cause their cash flow to break down instantly, directly dragging down the upstream. Third, cloud service providers, live streaming software development companies, and tens of thousands of MCN agencies that depend on this ecosystem will all collapse.” Chen Xi held up three fingers.

A brief silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the soft rustling of tires rolling over the asphalt.

"So, these livestreamers aren't going to collapse anytime soon. The snowball of capital has already started rolling, and even if we want to regulate them, we can only gradually put them under the shackles of rules, rather than kicking the table over." Chen Xi shook his head.

"If you're so pessimistic about this industry, why did you go down to take a look just now? Did you go to watch those girls wiggle their butts?" Saori asked again.

"How can those tacky girls be as pretty as you? I just had surgery and I don't want to go blind again," Chen Xi said with a grin.

"You've got a sweet tongue!" Saori smugly replied, then asked, "You still haven't told me what you're going down there for!"

“I just took a look around, and these people are making a mess of things. If they all start selling products and something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?”

Chen Xi posed a question, and the three women immediately fell silent.

They seemed unaware of which department was in charge of managing the streamers; the platform, for the sake of traffic, would only promote them and not eliminate them.

"Actually, besides a few official departments like the State Administration for Market Regulation, there are quite a few that can be linked to the live streaming industry, like Duan Yixiong's Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Association. For example... the Advertising Association..."

"Hmm? You want to start this association? And then follow Duan Yixiong's example?" Jin Nana raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not that free. Huade's second factory is gone now. What if the main factory also disappears one day? What if my unreliable old man is suddenly forced to retire and has nowhere to go? What will he do then?"

"I remember your dad used to be a nominal president of the advertising association, but your uncle probably wouldn't bother with such things." Zhao Lingshan recalled for a few seconds; she knew Chen Yifeng quite well.

"Haha, that's not necessarily true. They might even become neighbors someday... What if my dad complains that the neighbors are too noisy someday..." Chen Xi suddenly laughed, thinking of something. (I won't repeat myself here, I already complained about it two years ago... I think it was in chapter 609.)
Chen Yifeng, who was being teased by his son, was sitting in the factory's studio working on his ink splash painting.

"If I were to look at you again, would I still feel anything? How pure I was back then, without makeup... Beep beep beep... Uh uh uh..." Xu Fu sat on a small stool, humming a song. After waiting for a while, he finally couldn't help but say, "Hey Old Chen, aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you think of my painting?" Chen Yifeng asked, shaking his head.

“How could I possibly understand it? I can’t understand my son Xu Song’s songs at all. Just like that other singer, I can’t even hear or remember the lyrics. I forget them halfway through. He told me that I have no artistic talent. But now he’s a well-known singer in mainland China. I think you can do it too!”

After Xu Fu finished speaking, he gave a thumbs up.

"I always said Xiaosong would become an artist when he was little, unlike my own brat... He won a small award in painting and then gave up... Calligraphy, musical instruments... In the end, he accomplished nothing. So, you have to persevere in whatever you do! Only by persevering to the end can you win!" Chen Yifeng grinned.

"Old Chen, I can't hold on much longer! Qiaqia is about to go public, where am I going to find spare money to invest with you? Old Xu and I are family, don't talk to us like you're trying to fool outsiders, okay?" Chen Shubao scratched his head.

Like Xu Fu, his buttocks ached from sitting so long, watching Chen Yifeng paint for half a day.

"Look at Huade, they developed earlier and are better than you. Why haven't I gone public? It's because there are no benefits to going public. Can you outmaneuver the CSRC... and those people? You can still give orders in the company now, but wait a few years after you go public. You'll either be overwhelmed with problems or your words won't carry any weight. In the end, the company might even become someone else's..." Chen Yifeng snorted.

“Old Chen, we didn’t come here to listen to your grand theories. Now your financial company has made enemies with the banks and the people in the compound, and many businesses outside know about it. Even if you invest money, it will be very difficult to get it back. Why don’t we split up and go do something else…” Xu Fu tapped the table with his hand.

Most of the other shareholders have withdrawn, except for Xu Fu and Chen Shubao, who have stayed until now because of their past friendship with Chen Yifeng.

“Old Chen, my son is a singer now. There’s no one to inherit my business, so I want to leave some money behind…” Xu Fu added.

"Alright, alright, I got it. Go ahead, everyone. Don't come back and say you want to invest after I've made some money. You guys don't even trust my judgment? I bought a few projects in Jeju Island before, and I can make hundreds of millions just by reselling them in a while, hmph..." Chen Yifeng put down his pen, put his hands on his hips, and spoke up.

"Hey, Old Chen. With our current relationships with the whole world, you're still going to engage in buying and selling... What if you lose money?" Uncle Chen rolled his eyes.

"This shows that you misjudged the international situation. After the THAAD incident, they're now trying to break free from our big brother's control and coming to cling to us. Jeju Island will soon be back to its former glory of booming tourist numbers..."

“Those Koreans are just like the Australians. Today they call you big brother, tomorrow they'll curse you. They're always switching sides, you can't trust them at all!” Xu Fu was just trying to give him some good advice.

"Hmph." Chen Yifeng didn't listen and remained persistent.

After the two left, he looked at the clock on the wall again.

It's already 9 p.m., but he still shows no sign of wanting to go home.

What can I do at home?
Did you have a fight with Zhang Xuan?
Pretending to coax a daughter who isn't his own?

The thought of this made him angry, and he decided to spend the night at the factory.

His office was large, and it even had a bedroom. Before he divorced Chen Caiyue, they often argued, so he lived at the factory.

"That fat bastard Wu Yan, is Zhang Xuan blind? What do I lack compared to this guy? Why did he betray me!" Chen Yifeng opened Weibo and started cursing as he looked at the various comments Wu Yan left under Zhang Xuan's Weibo post.

I'm rich and more handsome than him. Aside from being a bit older, I'm nowhere near as good-looking as Wu Yan. That Chen Caiyue guy…wanting to take over my brand…no way.

Zhang Xuan is trying to scam me out of my money... No way!
The bank and the management company teamed up to take away my factory... No way!
Why is everyone so mean and against me?

why?
Chen Yifeng lay on his bed in the bedroom, staring blankly at the ceiling light.

He picked up his phone, wanting to complain to someone, but found that there was no one around who could listen to his troubles.

In the past, he could at least vent to Chen Kaiwen about some things that happened. Although Huang Jingfang was on his side, talking to her was like talking to a robot.

Now that his father is gone, Chen Caiyue has divorced him, his eldest son doesn't want to talk to him, and his youngest son can't understand what he's saying.

Chen Yifeng felt like he was all alone now.

Meanwhile, a frenzy is sweeping through capital markets across the ocean.

Tesla officially announced that its Shanghai Gigafactory has begun mass production of the Model 3, and the new Model Y has also started global pre-sales.

Immediately afterwards, a bombshell announcement hit the financial world: the Model Y would not be sold in a certain major Asian country, and the market share in that region would be directly taken over by Evergrande Auto.

This special edition car, based on the Tesla platform, will undergo a comprehensive upgrade and enhancement of its interior and space by the Hengxiao team.

The news had been circulating before, and now that it has been confirmed, Tesla and Evergrande's stocks were immediately driven up to their daily limit by massive buy orders.

On the financial news channel, the director cut to a video call between Xu Jia, chairman of Hengxiao Group, and Elon Musk.

"This collaboration between Tesla and Hengxiao is a perfect match in the new energy vehicle sector! Mr. Musk is responsible for the cutting-edge underlying technology, while Hengxiao is responsible for transforming the vehicle into a mobile luxury palace. A powerful alliance, invincible." Xu Jia sat upright in his large executive chair, adjusted his signature red tie, and spoke eloquently with a radiant face.

"Awesome! Xu's team's understanding of large sofas and top-quality genuine leather is beyond imagination. This will definitely be a super-sized product that will ignite the East." Musk said, holding a mug on the other end of the screen.

"Hengxiao and I owe our success today entirely to the country's favorable policies and the inclusiveness of society. Without this great era, there would be no Xu family today. Our foray into car manufacturing is not for profit, but for serving the country through industry and giving back to the people with real high technology! Hengxiao plans to give back to the people of our country first, and in the future, Hengxiao's electric cars will be driven by people all over the world..." The Xu family straightened their backs, repeatedly bowing to the camera, adopting the most humble posture.

At the same time, the Black House press conference room was also bustling with activity.

In response to the previous incident of damage to the border wall between Mexico and Colombia, the Black House officially released the results of its investigation, pointing the finger at a transnational dark web organization and border criminals for joint provocations.

"We've already caught a bunch of mid- to high-level criminals. Listen, nobody knows more about the dark web than me, and nobody knows more about the border wall than me! Those gangsters and drug dealers hiding in the gutter, and those awful illegal immigrants, they're stealing our jobs and destroying our communities! Those fake news media outlets that say the wall is useless are utter nonsense. We're about to launch a comprehensive crackdown on all black and gray industries! I'm going to issue a global arrest warrant. I'm going to sweep all that trash out the door, let the American people live a good life, and make America great again! Remember, only I can do this. It's great, it's perfect!" The blond fat man pursed his lips, slammed his hand heavily on the wooden podium, and spittle flew everywhere under the spotlight.

These simple and blunt remarks instantly ignited the fervent emotions of the American people.

People who have long suffered from zero-dollar shopping, drugs, and street gangs urgently need a strong cleanup campaign, and support across the United States has seen an unprecedented surge.

"Leader! Did you suddenly issue a global arrest warrant today to divert attention and suppress the major news this morning? Did that dark web organization reveal the truth?" A reporter wearing black-rimmed glasses suddenly stood up from the back row, raising his recording pen high.

Just a few hours ago, a bombshell dropped in the overseas internet community.

A flight manifest involving a private island this year has been completely declassified, revealing the names of numerous wealthy individuals, tycoons, and high-ranking American officials, pointing directly to clandestine underage transactions.

The data packet even contained several top-secret videos.

Footage shows several political and business tycoons secretly funding an unethical longevity experiment on a medical ship in the high seas north of Australia, with several live samples clearly visible, strapped to an operating table.

This directly confirms the numerous unsolved cases of tourists mysteriously disappearing along the northern coastline of Australia in recent years.

"Nonsense! This is all complete fake news! This kind of thing simply doesn't exist!" The blond fat man slammed his hand on the solid wood podium, and the microphone emitted a piercing whistling sound.

"Leader, have you been threatened by some financial groups? Did they order this arrest warrant? Have you been to that island?" the reporter persisted.

"Go to the island? I'd just have a Coke and leave, I wouldn't do anything else. I have important national affairs to attend to, that's all for today." The fat man impatiently tugged at his red tie, turned and strode towards the backstage corridor.

The reporters below the stage immediately erupted in chaos, with a large number of them carrying cameras and microphones and rushing forward, trying to shove their microphones at them.

Several bodyguards in black suits quickly stepped forward, spreading their arms to form a human shield, effectively blocking the flashing lights and the crowd below the steps.

The neighboring country, Canada.

In front of an old apartment building, several burly men in black windproof jackets exchanged glances.

The leader took a miniature electronic demolition tool with a probe from his pocket and attached it to the slot of the electronic lock.

With a soft buzzing sound, the heavy security door popped open a crack.

The men quickly drew their sidearms and took turns providing cover as they sneaked into the living room.

The room was dark, with dozens of computer monitors arranged in a dense array emitting a bluish light, and the roar of the computer fans filling the room.

A blond man holstered his sidearm, strode to the control panel, and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

As soon as the progress bar at the bottom of the screen popped up, a blinding red light suddenly flashed inside the computer case.

Immediately afterwards, the screens on all the monitors flickered, and the normal code that filled the screen turned into a chaotic waterfall of numbers cascading down.

"Damn it, the underlying data has triggered the automatic destruction command!" The blond man, sweat beading on his forehead, roared at his companion behind him.

"Unplug the network cable immediately and cut off the main power!" The burly man in the lead decisively gave the order, turned around, opened the casing of the distribution box in the corner, and directly shut off the power.

The indicator lights in the room's hallway went out instantly.

But the computer monitors on the table were still blindingly bright, the garbled text scrolled faster and faster, and the fans were running at their maximum speed, emitting a piercing whistling sound.

"Damn it, this system is connected to a separate homemade generator. Hurry up and go to the back room to find it and smash it!" The leader kicked over the cabinet next to him and rushed into the bedroom inside with a gun in hand.

Malaysia.

Inside a sea-view room with heavy curtains drawn, Dark leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the encrypted phone in his hand.

Three bright red warning pop-ups appeared on the screen in succession, indicating that the connection had been interrupted.

Dark frowned.

This is the third data node to be taken down this week.

At this rate, it's no longer safe for me to stay here; I need to find another place quickly.

He initially thought that the intelligence agencies in the United States were all incompetent, but he found that he was wrong.

The other party traced the trail all the way from the United States to Canada, arresting several high-ranking members of the dark web along the way.

Although these managers did not know his identity, once the data was compiled, the investigative capabilities of those intelligence agencies would likely reveal who he was.

Dark glanced at his phone again and suddenly remembered something a man had said long ago.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head again.

The other party said they could save his life in a critical moment.

Now is not the most crucial moment; we should save our opportunities for later… (End of Chapter)