"I'm not short of projects; I'm short of cash," Chen Yiyang answered honestly.

Both of the factories in Sao Paulo and Tula City were acquired for free.

However, the subsequent investments were terrifyingly large.

Chen Yiyang has to exhaust all his current cash and monthly income just to sustain these two factories.

And there's a major problem.

Currently, Chen Yiyang's largest sources of income are both from gaming companies.

One is Strategies of the Three Kingdoms, and the other is a game exported to the Middle East.

The problem is, gaming revenue is not very stable.

It's possible to earn hundreds of millions in the first half of the year, but then experience a sudden drop in revenue due to unforeseen events in the second half.

Therefore, Chen Yiyang needs a very stable source of income at the moment.

Upon hearing Chen Yiyang's lack of funds, Zhao Rui immediately halted their investment conversation and started talking about other miscellaneous topics instead.

At the end, they finished eating and drinking.

As Chen Yiyang came out of the private room with his accountant, he happened to run into Zhang Yuling.

"Hey, wasn't the seminar already over? Why are you still here," Zhang Yuling asked, surprised to see Chen Yiyang still at the hotel.

"I don't recall you being at today's seminar, so how did you know I was attending it?" Chen Yiyang recollected today's seminar, indeed not seeing Zhang Yuling.

"I don't have the qualifications to attend such high-level meetings. I just booked a private room here to host a meal. As for how I knew you were attending the seminar, well, it's because you've been in the Imperial Capital for days without contacting me. I had to check if you were too busy," she joked.

"You're funny," Chen Yiyang smiled, knowing she was just teasing.

"But actually, I do have something I need to discuss with you," he remembered the Tula City officials had asked him to help sell fructose and rapeseed oil.

But before he could say anything.

Someone approached and warmly greeted Zhang Yuling.

"Hello, Zhang! Long time no see."

"Hello, and you are?" Clearly, she didn't recognize him.

Chen Yiyang glanced over and saw it was Zhao Rui, who had just treated him to dinner.

"I'm Zhao Rui. We briefly met a month ago when I was with Mr. Wang," Zhao Rui explained obsequiously.

"Ah, I remember now. Nice to see you," Zhang Yuling said, clearly not recalling Zhao Rui, but exchanged pleasantries regardless.

Zhao Rui, sensing her disinterest, quickly exchanged a few words with Chen Yiyang again before leaving.

"How did you get to know someone like that?" Zhang Yuling curiously watched Zhao Rui leave.

His approach wasn't surprising to her.

Despite not being a millionaire, Zhang Yuling had high social standing as a top-level broker.

Let alone the now-famous Zhang Yuling, who had gained fame for facilitating Chen Yiyang's acquisition of Fei Peng Automobile shares.

Even when she was working at her uncle's studio, she still had a social status significantly higher than someone like Zhao Rui.

So she wasn't puzzled by Zhao Rui's approach, but rather why Chen Yiyang knew him.

"I managed to get a meal off him," Chen Yiyang explained what he had been up to that day.

"Oh, you," Zhang Yuling laughed, "Spent too long abroad with few social connections? You've come back wanting to make a bunch of new friends?"

"Perhaps," Chen Yiyang didn't deny her words.

He spent most of the past few months abroad. Honestly, despite all luxury experiences, everywhere he looked, there were just foreigners.

Other than his accountant, he had no one to relax and chat casually with.

Upon his return, he felt eager to make some new friends, just to chat with, without any interests involved. Just pure conversation.

"But as for Zhao Rui, it's best if you keep your distance," Zhang Yuling suddenly warned.

"He's a scammer?" Chen Yiyang asked casually.

Zhao Rui's behavior of manipulating others at the dinner table had indeed made him seem like a scammer.

"Kind of right, but also not entirely," said Zhang Yuling, who was heading home.

So she and Chen Yiyang, along with his accountant, went straight to her villa in the Imperial Capital.

After pouring a glass of red wine for Chen Yiyang, they sat by the floor-to-ceiling window to chat.

"There are many like Zhao Rui in the Imperial Capital. Instead of calling them outright frauds, it's more like they're a mix of scammer and entrepreneur, making their identity complex.

When they become frauds depends on the moment they plan to flee."

"Could you elaborate?" Chen Yiyang was intrigued, having never encountered such people before.

"These are people who, although moderately wealthy due to their family background, lack the means to start a business. They have high emotional intelligence, knowing some truly rich individuals but not high enough status to be their associates.

In their entrepreneurship ventures, they borrow heavily, accumulating enough to merely present a facade of richness.

At this point, they move to populous cities like the Imperial Capital or Shanghai, where even the most well-connected people still don't know many affluent individuals.

They then rent lavish houses, luxury cars, and frequently visit upscale places, mingling with newly wealthy individuals like those who became rich through property demolitions or hit a sudden jackpot in business ventures.

They'll take them around to enjoy the high life and experience the circles of wealth.

Once these people truly believe they're dealing with genuinely wealthy individuals, they'll present a simple plan saying, 'We have a project that doesn't need investment, but since I like you, I'm willing to let you join in.'"

"Got it," said Chen Yiyang, cutting in, "So Zhao Rui plans to scam some money and run?"

"Wrong. They're not planning to run immediately," said Zhang Yuling, "Their entrepreneurship is real, so is starting a company.

They'll deceive just enough capital to start, invest in the project, get it off the ground, and then use this project to keep pulling in further investment.

If the project eventually succeeds, they'll take away the majority of shares and profits. It's like starting a business with someone else's money. Then, they just distribute a tiny dividend to others."

"And if they fail?"

"Once they fail, they become full-fledged fraudsters, borrowing as much as possible domestically before fleeing abroad. That's why I said they straddle a line between scammer and entrepreneur.

Usually, they inevitably fail at their entrepreneurial ventures, leading to an almost certain end of fleeing with the scammed money.

It seems he's desperate enough to deceive a few million from a video blogger, indicating his entrepreneurial project is likely nearing collapse and he's preparing to flee."

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