Reborn in 1989: Posing as a Returnee to Become a Middleman

[Period Drama + Border Trader + National Strength + Snatching Opportunities + Unrestrained Wish Fulfillment]

He Yan Zhou woke up to find himself back in 1989, a year when gold seemed to lie everywhere.

His pockets were emptier than his face was clean, but in his hand was a foreign-currency certificate for 100,000 US dollars, which he had happened upon in his previous life.

To invest this enormous sum in the domestic market and make it look legitimate, He Yan Zhou boldly gave himself a secret identity: an elite Stanford graduate returning from abroad!

Just how coveted was an overseas student with a Western education in the late 1980s?

Local officials treated him as an honored guest, foreign trade permits sailed through, and banks practically chased him down to offer interest-free loans!

With this impressive facade, He Yan Zhou went on an absolute rampage.

With one hand, he raised the banner of the border traders, swapping unsold domestic canned dog meat for heavy machine tools and Tu-154 airliners from the Soviets.

With the other, he went on a spree overseas, sweet-talking and tricking his way into smuggling the Soviet Union's top scientists and Western lithography machine blueprints back to China.

Years later, Western capital was furious after being hit with sanctions:

“He Yan Zhou! We checked every record at Stanford, and there's no trace of you! You're a complete fraud!”

Facing a sea of reporters and cameras, He Yan Zhou flicked away his cigarette ash, pointed to the sprawling Jiuzhou Heavy Industries complex and domestically built aircraft carrier behind him, and smiled faintly.

“That's nonsense. The CIA deliberately destroyed my student records to stop me from returning home to serve my country! Don't believe me? Ask the people in charge if they recognize me.”

A powerful official: “Who dares spread rumors about President He? He's a cornerstone of our nation's strength!”