Only after being reborn did I realize how fascinating the world of the rich is.

Time quickly passed to the end of 2008, and as expected, history continued to roll along with its enormous inertia. In order to alleviate economic pressure, the government began to intervene to rescue the market.

The top leadership announced that confidence is more important than gold, and the country will invest trillions of yuan to improve infrastructure. With local support, the actual total investment will reach tens of trillions of yuan.

People were immediately excited, the real estate market began to recover, and housing prices stopped falling and started to rise, rebounding to their original levels in a very short time.

In other words, the property value increased by more than 30% in an instant. Li Xiaofeng's 6 billion yuan investment in 20 billion yuan real estate doubled his net worth and earned him another 6 billion yuan.

At this point, the net assets of the real estate holdings in Li Xiaofeng's hands had reached 120 billion yuan.

With Shanghai and Beijing as the leading cities, real estate prices in various cities are rising sharply, and the sales offices of major developers are once again seeing spectacular scenes of long queues and lotteries for buying houses.

In order to obtain more profits, many developers have also begun to hoard properties, holding onto some of the better-located units in their completed projects, waiting for prices to rise further.

However, Li Xiaofeng knew that the value of his real estate holdings was like a wild horse, and would continue to rise rapidly.

If it weren't for the policy issued by the authorities strictly prohibiting the use of bank loans for real estate speculation, Li Xiaofeng would still have continued to take out loans to speculate on real estate.

Of course, some people will secretly divert funds to real estate through certain channels, but these are people with relatively small amounts of capital. For someone with Li Xiaofeng's capital, the commotion would be too great.

Not only would it severely impact his credit rating at the bank, but it would also affect how his superiors perceived him, making them see him as a profit-driven businessman rather than a socially responsible entrepreneur.

Don't underestimate this seemingly vague idea; it is extremely important for Li Xiaofeng's future.

To put it more formally, it means you need to keep up with the times and understand that all your achievements are built upon the tide of development.

If you choose to go against the tide, the waves of the times will wash you away on the beach, and no one knows where those waves will come from.

If you still don't understand, think back to the big battle between the Red-Clothed Cult Leader and the corporations back then. Why did it all seem like a lot of noise but little action? In the end, nothing even came of it.

Because the authorities had already figured it out by then: the incident with Deer Milk Powder could not be repeated. It was not worth it to ruin such a large company because of a public event, which would seriously affect GDP!

As for health and such, are you dead? You're not dead, so what are you yelling about? The company can just change, so stop making a fuss!

So, later, Ms. Dong publicly denounced a certain brand of air conditioners for false labeling, and then nothing more happened.

So what if the price is slightly inflated? It's not like it exploded. If their price is cheaper, you can just choose not to buy it.

Some grain and oil companies use trucks that transport mineral oil to transport edible oil. They lift the truck high, lower it gently, and then nothing happens.

A shop was caught red-handed for falsifying its ingredient list, but pretended not to see it. The relevant departments strongly supported it and even awarded it an prize. Apart from netizens' condemnation, nothing happened.

Because the economy started to decline at this time, saving this large enterprise meant saving tax revenue, jobs, and GDP. Other things were not so important, since no one was dying.

Of course, there are also negative examples.

For example, a few sheep sold goods online, which brought a lot of tax revenue to the local area and made a great contribution to the local economy. When they encountered some problems, someone would cover for them. But these sheep got carried away and insisted on opening a company in the port area.

In addition to attempting to evade taxes, he is also suspected of transferring his assets overseas.

This is outrageous! Are you trying to fly to the heavens?!

As everyone knows, without the protection of those above him, he was first dealt with strictly according to official procedures, fined a large sum of money, and then was brought down by others.

A certain mobile phone brand is suspected of colluding with foreign countries. Instead of focusing on its own technological research and development, it colluded with an insider at Huawei to steal Huawei's chip technology and hand it over to foreign chip companies in order to curry favor with them and ensure that they continue to supply the top-of-the-line chips.

Chrysanthemum complained and filed a lawsuit. In order to appease Chrysanthemum, the National Security Bureau took action and wiped out the whole group, sending dozens of them to work on sewing machines.

Seeing that the matter had escalated, the research and development company of a foreign chip company in Shanghai directly disbanded its research and development team, destroyed the evidence, and protected itself.

The owner of a mobile phone brand also quickly donated a large sum of money to his alma mater, which can be regarded as a pledge of allegiance.

Once the higher-ups see this, they'll think, "Well, as long as you're obedient and compliant, that's good. You've changed, so you're a good kid. Continue to honestly contribute to the country, and the country won't let you down."

In addition, Chrysanthemum (the company name) should not go too far. It cannot monopolize the market and rely on its strong technological capabilities to squeeze out other mobile phone brands. Everyone should work together and unite against external forces.

A southern province even issued a public official statement: When private entrepreneurs encounter legal problems, they should be spared arrest or prosecution if possible, and given a suspended sentence if possible, with the main focus on lenient sentencing and compliant rectification.

The art of rulership, in essence, is the art of balance. Our ancestors figured it out long ago, and it is a precious cultural heritage left to us.

Now Li Xiaofeng is considered one of the top entrepreneurs in China. The most important thing is not how to make money, but the direction and path forward. He must choose carefully.

The emphasis we often make above on the need for entrepreneurs to shoulder social responsibility is not just empty rhetoric; it tells entrepreneurs that they must bind themselves to the country and society, sharing weal and woe and common interests.

It is the development of this society that has brought you wealth and a high social status. After you have made money, you should know to give back a portion of it to society.

Those insightful old landlords in ancient times also knew to build bridges and roads and help the old and weak!

Only in this way can your wealth and social status be more secure. Don't always think about crooked ways or believe that things are better abroad than at home.

Go abroad and see for yourself, do you really think they have freedom and democracy? No wonder they treat you like a lamb to the slaughter!

Of course, times have changed, and the ways of giving back to society are also different. Especially for the upper class, starting companies and enterprises and raising more hens that can lay eggs is the most important thing.

Therefore, while speculating in real estate, Li Xiaofeng also invested in manufacturing and film and television culture industries, which was something that the authorities were happy to see.

Each additional business he acquires, as long as it generates tax revenue and employment for the local area, will receive greater attention from higher authorities, essentially providing him with an extra layer of protection.

However, Li Xiaofeng was not complacent because the upper echelons were not monolithic; there were factional struggles. If someone thought you were too fat, someone might take a bite out of you for the New Year.

Therefore, if you want to live a peaceful life, it's best not to cross any lines and to keep yourself as clean as possible so that others can't find fault with you.