Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 500 - 232: A Shocking Plan - Swallowing an Elephant Whole

Chapter 500: Chapter 232: A Shocking Plan - Swallowing an Elephant Whole

Liu Minghao was particularly happy.

Making money, after all, is nothing to be ashamed of.

But his happiness was not merely for the modest sum of money at hand.

"You know? I’m especially gratified that you could bring yourself to act so decisively," Liu Dalue remarked, a wave of inexplicable envy for Pan Shengwu washing over him.

What incredible luck!

His daughter attends such a lousy university, casually dates someone, and ends up unearthing such a treasure—it’s utterly absurd...

Could it be that keeping feng shui fish is indeed so effective?

The more Liu Minghao interacted with Han Lie, the more unbalanced his mindset became. He finally started resorting to metaphysical explanations, which just went to show how terrifying Han Lie—that cheat-level talent—truly was.

Raising prices was precisely the suggestion Liu Minghao had prepared for Han Lie.

At first, he was truly worried that Han Lie would insist on adhering to some principle, be too concerned about his youthful pride, fail to realize the necessity of raising prices, or be unable to make up his mind.

But in fact, all those worries were needless—Han Lie turned out to be sharper, more decisive, and more ruthless than Liu Minghao had imagined.

In the world of adults, "ruthlessness" is never a pejorative term.

Being ungrateful and unkind is the real issue.

Doing business, engaging in politics, and climbing the career ladder are all essentially about competing with others and ascending.

There are only so many opportunities and positions. If you’re too kind and yielding, neither your salary nor your clout will grow. When your parents fall gravely ill and the family lacks funds, will anyone truly help you out of the blue?

Your parents, wife, and children regard you as their sky. If you are a soldier, you should naturally prioritize your country. But if you are simply a citizen, shouldn’t you take even greater care of your immediate family?

So, what exactly is a man’s sense of responsibility?

Being aggressively enterprising outwardly, clever in planning and daring to compete, while at home, being filial to parents and earnest in educating one’s offspring.

Take it a step further: what kind of man makes a good leader?

Ruthless outwardly, benevolent and just inwardly.

If you lack the wisdom, capability, and boldness to expand and seize opportunities externally, the team that relies on you will see no future. How then can they trust you? And how could they possibly devote themselves wholeheartedly to the team?

All management courses around the world have never taught students the real core of management.

Actually, our ancestors’ "dragon-slaying arts" have made it very clear, in just four characters—

External King, Internal Sage.

The essence of being an "External King" is simple: expand outward, be enterprising, and seize resources. Use benefits to mask contradictions, maintain social mobility, and preserve team vitality.

Being an "Internal Sage" involves distribution, welfare, and security.

The Great Qin Empire collapsed after only two generations precisely because Qin laws were too strict; it was kingly in its outward expansion but harsh in its internal governance.

In times of rapid development, all contradictions can be temporarily eased, hidden beneath the surface.

But as soon as outward conquests cease and the pace of development slows, contradictions like unfair distribution, skewed welfare benefits, and a lack of security for the people’s livelihood immediately intensify across the board.

By comparison, the approach taken in a certain later era was much better. Enough of that.

So, what is the true meaning of "External King, Internal Sage," and how should it be applied in modern society?

It’s very simple—

Lead the team to make the cake bigger. If it’s already at its maximum size, then go seize someone else’s cake. Guide everyone with a vision for the future, constrain them with rules, and guarantee their interests with a fair system of distribution.

See? What’s so difficult about being a department head?

If you don’t get along with finance, find an opportunity to take them on. If you’re at odds with logistics, find an opportunity to take them on. Front-line departments should go directly after competitors.

Establish an external enemy to foster internal cohesion. Divide and isolate those who are insubordinate. Ensure those who cooperate fulfill their respective duties. How simple is that?

The only crucial aspect is maintaining a sense of proportion.

Don’t know how?

No worries. As long as you have the correct core approach, the specific tactics can be learned and honed over time.

Managing a large enterprise requires talent, vision, and a strong inner core. Honestly, managing a few dozen people isn’t that difficult.

But if you truly can’t do it, then it’s best not to push too hard down this path.

The outcome might not be any better than just "lying flat."

...

For Liu Minghao, the greatest gain of the day was witnessing Han Lie’s "External King" side.

Whether the distribution was generous enough could be observed later.

But the fact that Han Lie dared to take action against Gu Yong, possessing both acuity and boldness, displaying maturity and courage—that was truly heartening and called for a grand toast.

Don’t think this was easy.

Liu Minghao had investigated Gu Yong for a full two days, deliberating repeatedly before making the decision to extort him.

But how long had Han Lie even talked with him?

With just a few brief questions, Han Lie had quickly deduced that Gu Yong had no choice but to endure the price hike and possessed the ability to accept it. Then, he decisively made the call to raise prices. Such agility and ruthlessness—did that seem like something a 20-year-old youth was capable of?

Liu Minghao had reached the pinnacle of his own career.

What came next was either to blaze a new trail, rest on his laurels and live off past achievements, or retire to enjoy life—just these three paths.

Liu Minghao was not willing to choose the latter two.

To blaze a new trail, he had neither the energy nor the expertise.

What to do?!

His only option was to turn to investing in people.

The vast majority of angel investors in the country actually operated this way.

They had reached the end of their own paths. They had money, influence, and connections, but lacked the ability and energy to start anew, so they looked for early-stage projects everywhere.

For projects in their infancy, all ideas, creativity, technology, and models were complete nonsense, utterly worthless.

The real value lay in the leaders and the team. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

That’s why, both internationally and domestically, only financing rounds after Series B truly focused on the project’s business model. Angel and Series A rounds were fundamentally about betting on the people involved.

So, what kind of person is worth investing in?

This was a profound subject, difficult to learn and even harder to master.

Until today, Liu Minghao had no clear concept of this.

But from today onward, the standard answer was simply: Han Lie.