After his rebirth, Lin Chaoci had considered all kinds of ways to make money.
Buying Bitcoin, picking stocks, real estate, the internet...
Reality, however, was brutal.
Bitcoin wouldn't be released until 2008 or 2009. He couldn't buy any now even if he wanted to.
Stocks were even more awkward. In his previous life, Lin Chaoci had entered government service, where regulations prohibited him from trading stocks.
Besides, even if he had been allowed to trade, Lin Chao Ci wouldn't have known how. He hadn't majored in finance. All he remembered was that liquor, real estate, heavy metals... would skyrocket in the future.
But he had no recollection of exactly when they would rise or fall.
As for real estate, Lin Chaoci needed to avoid any appearance of impropriety. He knew which areas of Haikou City would be slated for demolition over the next few years.
But if he bought properties there in advance and then resold them at high prices, what would people think once word got out?
Everyone would assume that Lin Chaoci and his father had worked together from inside and outside the government to pocket state assets.
Making money mattered, but his father's political career mattered more. As long as his father remained secure, there would be plenty of ways to make money later.
Lin Chaoci didn't want any rumors damaging his father's reputation.
So even if he went into real estate, he would buy land elsewhere, primarily to avoid suspicion.
As for the internet, Lin Chaoci wasn't an expert, but he had money. He could hire people with doctorates and master's degrees to do the work for him.
Still, he had only just started, and his operation was little more than a makeshift outfit.
The easiest option, though, was to hitch a ride: invest directly in companies guaranteed to become huge in the future, quietly wait for them to take off, and happily collect money behind the scenes.
Taotao, Pinxixi, Dami, Qiandu... even a small investment now could easily yield returns thousands of times over down the road.
"Oh, right. Alimama, Qingdu, Soumao, and Wangzhu all seem to be looking for funding lately. But Alimama already has a bit of a name for itself, and it needs tens of millions of dollars. I don't have that much cash on hand right now, or I'd definitely invest!"
"As for Qiandu, Soumao, and Wangzhu, they're still virtually unknown. If I remember correctly, their first funding rounds only needed a little over two million dollars each. That's a reasonable price. I can afford it!"
Having remembered several more companies that would become huge in the future, Lin Chaoci immediately got moving and sent someone to find the phone numbers of the three companies' founders.
"Damn it, I wanted to coast through life, but I still have to handle everything myself! No, I need to find a pretty, obedient secretary!"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot that scatterbrain! She should still be studying at Political Science and Law University right now. I'll lure that scatterbrain over to be my secretary! Hehehe!"
Lin Chaoci thought of Fang Miaoke, the stubborn, ditzy young woman who had been one of the five women at his hospital bedside.
Fang Miaoke had come from a poor rural family. She spent all her time studying and had very little confidence in herself.
When she first entered the workplace, every team had rejected her. In the end, Lin Chaoci had taken her in. At their first meeting, she had kept her head lowered, so insecure that she even stammered when she spoke.
Having grown up in the countryside, she hadn't known how to use a computer or print documents. The old hands in the office couldn't be bothered to teach her, telling her to figure it out and learn on her own.
As a result, she had repeatedly made mistakes at work.
Fortunately, Lin Chaoci had felt responsible for her and taught her, guiding her patiently.
She had been endearingly clueless, like a white lotus untouched by the world, clean and pure.
She had also been like a mangosteen tree in a storm, resilient, upright, and unyielding. If she didn't know how to do something, she kept learning. Even when her hands were rubbed raw and bleeding and she wore her body down, she never gave up.
Her hard work had paid off. In his previous life, she had long since become a mayor capable of holding her own.
"The sooner I find her, the sooner I can retire! Then whenever there's work, my secretary can do it..."
"I remember her saying that her father died this summer because he couldn't afford treatment. They were very close. Without her father's support, how could a girl from the countryside ever have made it to university?"
"If I change that tragedy and save her father, she should smile more. She won't have to cry silently in the middle of the night, shedding tears all alone!"
Lin Chaoci immediately arranged for someone to look for Fang Miaoke at Political Science and Law University, making it his top priority.
Even investing in Qiandu, Wangzhu... was pushed below it.
That showed just how much Lin Chaoci cared about his woman.
After he had dealt with the documents and matters at the company that required his personal attention, the day was nearly over.
The sky had gradually darkened. He checked the time and found that, before he knew it, it was already past five in the evening.
"Time to clock out! Even if there are more documents, I'm not working overtime! I'm not repeating the mistakes of my previous life. If I can lie down, I'm sure as hell not standing!"
Lin Chaoci stretched.
Perhaps because his constitution had improved after his rebirth, he hadn't felt tired at all despite spending several hours reviewing documents.
He stepped out into the office area.
Lin Chaoci discovered that none of the employees had left. Every one of them was working overtime, diligently earning money for him, their boss.
Lin Chaoci felt as though he was turning into a heartless capitalist. The corner of his mouth twitched. After a moment's thought, he told everyone, "Stop for a moment and listen up. From now on, overtime is prohibited at our company unless it's absolutely necessary!"
"And if you do work overtime, you'll receive triple your regular pay! You're working your hearts out for me, and I won't let you lose out!"
How much money could he squeeze out of these workers anyway? Lin Chaoci didn't care about that little bit.
An investment in practically any of those companies could earn him hundreds or thousands of times his money. Why would he need to exploit these workers?
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Am I hearing things?"
Everyone in the office froze. They looked at one another, wondering whether they had misheard.
Since when had any boss been so kind and generous?
He actually wouldn't allow employees to volunteer for overtime? And if they did work overtime, he'd pay them triple?
It sounded like something out of a science fiction movie. No one could quite believe it.
"What are you all standing around for? Go clock out. Are you waiting for me to personally escort each of you downstairs?"
Knowing they were having trouble taking it in, Lin Chaoci spoke to them in a joking tone.
When their boss repeated himself, everyone heard him loud and clear.
"Wow! He's really letting us leave!"
"Boo-hoo, what kind of angel of a boss is this? He's way too kind!"
"Damn, I swear this company is my home from now on. I'm staying for life! As long as the work doesn't kill me, I'll work myself to death!"
All the employees cheered excitedly, chanting their boss's name. Quite a few had tears in their eyes, and some even felt ready to give their lives for the company.
The employees began saving their documents, then eagerly swiped their cards and clocked out one after another.
A few who had been slacking off and hadn't finished their work looked sick. They had planned to finish everything during overtime, but who could have imagined that this company would abolish overtime...
Watching everyone else leave, those few slackers ground their back teeth in envy.
Lin Chaoci had notified Uncle Li in advance, so Uncle Li had already brought his car downstairs and was waiting. Lin Chaoci got in and headed home.
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