"I've been looking at the economic data, and it seems the development across the planets has been quite good recently," Jiang Ye said. "You're more familiar with the business owners. What's your take on the current situation for enterprises?"
"The current situation isn't great for us, but it's very good for you," Tian Rao said after some thought.
"What do you mean?"
"Recently, there's been a startup boom on Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and the Exile Star," Tian Rao explained. "Newcomers are emerging non-stop, like a fountain. According to the data I've heard, the number of local companies established in the past three months has increased by 400% year-on-year. The shop rents in Binhai City have tripled, and new companies listed on the stock market have doubled."
"Most of the people in our Rich Men's Club are leaders in their respective industries, some even approaching monopolies. With more and more newcomers, we're under a lot of pressure. We're afraid that we old guys will be wiped out by these newcomers in the future," Tian Rao continued. "We're the big fish, afraid of the small fish growing into even bigger fish than us. But you're the owner of the fishpond, so more fish is a good thing for you."
Jiang Ye nodded.
Indeed, he hoped for more intense competition in the commercial markets of various planets, for stronger enterprises to emerge, so that they could form combat power and fight their way to alien planets. As for who was the big fish, and who moved up or down the rich list, Jiang Ye didn't care.
He would definitely protect old acquaintances like Tian Rao; as for the others, he didn't mind who they were.
"I had a plan before, to invest a large sum of money in local entrepreneurs," Jiang Ye said. "I paused this plan at the beginning of this year because the money I allocated was used up. However, the number of entrepreneurs actually increased instead of decreasing, which really surprised me."
"I know what's going on," Tian Rao smiled.
"Tell me."
"The first batch of entrepreneurs you subsidized have matured. There are plenty of billionaires, with clusters in almost every city," Tian Rao said. "However, these grassroots entrepreneurs, who come from common folk backgrounds, tend to have a problem: familization."
"Familization?" Jiang Ye mused.
"When one person succeeds in starting a business, the entire family benefits. All the distant relatives, aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law, and cousins are arranged to hold positions in various company departments. Some large companies split off subsidiaries, with relatives taking charge. These family businesses have incubated the first generation of wealthy families on each planet, and the entire extended family becomes rich," Tian Rao explained. "At this point, as some of the younger generation in the family grow up, they start trying to open their own companies."
Jiang Ye suddenly understood.
So, the startup boom was driven by a wave of second-generation wealthy individuals?
"The second reason, and this is something that makes everyone in our Rich Men's Club very sad," Tian Rao sighed suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Ambitious company executives," Tian Rao said.
Jiang Ye instantly understood.
"Many companies in our Rich Men's Club are experiencing this. When we started our businesses, we had some capable individuals who went through thick and thin with us. They were unwilling to remain company executives for their entire lives; they also wanted to be bosses. So, one day, these capable individuals would suddenly resign and start their own businesses," Tian Rao said. "I have a veteran in new product research under me who resigned at the beginning of this year and has now started his own company, headquartered in Petroleum City."
"Your veteran... what's your opinion on this?" Jiang Ye asked.
"I think it's a pity, but I won't suppress her because we have a pretty good relationship," Tian Rao said. "Besides, her company deals with swimwear, swimsuits, and swim caps, a niche category that targets the market in beach tourist areas. My company doesn't really operate in this sector, so we don't have any conflicts of interest."
Jiang Ye nodded. Although he tacitly allowed Tian Rao to be a leader, he didn't want her to monopolize too aggressively. It was reasonable for small companies to get a bit of the pie.
"Another situation is when extraterrestrial capital uses surrogates," Tian Rao said. "Some alien enterprises can't get approval to establish companies here but covet the market. So, they find a roundabout way, finding a local person to establish a company and then cooperating with that company. In essence, they are wolves in sheep's clothing."
"This has always been the case, and it's hard to manage, difficult to identify," Jiang Ye said. "For many small companies, it's hard to ascertain their background. There are too many puppets."
"Yes, there have been more and more puppets in the last two years. This is because Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and the Exile Star have become famous, well-known planets in the galaxy. Therefore, extraterrestrial capital targeting these planets is hard to guard against, and there are more and more wolves in sheep's clothing," Tian Rao said with a worried frown. "Everyone in our Rich Men's Club agrees that these wolves are the most dangerous. On the surface, they appear to be small entities, but behind them lie vast energy reserves. They are unkillable, their health bars are perpetually long, and then suddenly they become enraged and grow larger, which is quite terrifying."
Jiang Ye burst into laughter. Tian Rao's expression was quite endearing.
"The last reason, we have to attribute it to you," Tian Rao said.
"Me?"
"The reform of average lifespan," Tian Rao said. "This reform has had a tremendous impact, on the level of a supernova explosion."
"This reform only extended everyone's lifespan; it didn't put money into people's pockets," Jiang Ye said. "Although the surgery costs nearly emptied my treasury, this money didn't flow into the hands of the public."
"A longer lifespan stimulates ambition!" Tian Rao exclaimed. "When a person is sick, lying in bed, half-dead, if you ask him if he wants to conquer the world, he'll just say he wants to live. If you ask him about his life aspirations, he'll say he hopes his bowel movements will be smoother today, but not too smooth."
Jiang Ye continued to laugh heartily.
"Only healthy people, with their hormones surging through their veins with nowhere to go, have the urge to start businesses," Tian Rao said. "Many ordinary citizens, who were content with being simple office workers, working themselves to exhaustion every day for a meager salary, thought that their lives were fine as they were and there was no need to stir things up. Decades would pass in a blink, and they'd be in a coffin. But suddenly, one day, an office worker undergoes surgery and can live for two to three hundred years. They become unable to tolerate their current jobs."
"'Am I going to work like this for two hundred years? Two hundred years of overtime, two hundred years of being scolded by my boss?'" Tian Rao chuckled. "Many office workers, in a fit of anger, decide to resign and start their own businesses, betting their entire fortune on a single battle."
"I can understand that. Time changes one's mindset," Jiang Ye nodded. "It's like a poor student taking an exam. Normally, with time running out, they'd skip difficult questions. But if the teacher suddenly says the exam is extended, with an extra ten hours, the poor student will diligently study the difficult questions, trying to earn a few more points."
Jiang Ye stayed at Tian Rao's house for four hours, and they talked non-stop, discussing the business conditions of various planets and future development. After all, Tian Rao was a member of the think tank, and with her perspective, Jiang Ye found it very helpful to hear her opinions.
It was already past midnight when they finished talking. Tian Rao suggested that Jiang Ye stay to rest, as the house was large and had many rooms. Jiang Ye, not wanting to be in a compromising situation, declined the offer and headed home.