Chapter 293 - 218: The Scent of Money in the Laboratory

Chapter 293: Chapter 218: The Scent of Money in the Laboratory

The restaurant wasn’t far from the university, so there was no need to drive. The two of them headed over on foot.

This was a university town, and it was lunchtime. A parade of young, attractive students walked by, a pleasant sight to behold.

Chen Yuanxing stared at a passing pair of shapely legs for a few extra moments. Just as he was about to be caught, he turned back to Lin Chu and asked with a smile, "President Lin, how come you didn’t bring your secretary today?"

"She had other business at the office."

Lin Chu replied casually.

’She hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet.’

’A first night is more exhausting than digging a cellar. While I’m quite experienced, she was completely overwhelmed.’

’She just couldn’t get up this morning.’

Heh.

’A hero.’

The title came to Lin Chu’s mind again.

The corners of his mouth involuntarily quirked up.

Chen Yuanxing nodded and didn’t press the issue.

He’d only asked because the sight of those legs had brought it to mind. It was just a casual question; getting too interested in another man’s secretary would be inappropriate.

"Professor Su’s lab is right on campus. It’s just past one o’clock. Shall we go take a peek?"

He changed the subject.

"Sure, let’s go."

The afternoon sun filtered through the leafy canopy, dappling the path with light. A gentle breeze blew against them, making Lin Chu feel as if he were back on a college campus.

He couldn’t resist jumping up in a mock jump shot, snatching a leaf from a branch.

Chen Yuanxing saw this and could only shake his head with a smile.

’So... young.’

’Even though I’m only thirty-eight, supposedly a man’s prime, how can I compare to someone who’s twenty-four?’

’The crucial part is, this twenty-four-year-old is so much more capable than I am.’

’Make money!’

’I have to make money, whatever it takes!’

’When a man has money, he can be eighteen forever. As long as his kidneys can keep up, there’s an endless supply of young, beautiful girls to sleep with.’

’Back when I was a board secretary, even though I was a senior executive, my annual salary was less than two million yuan. That was nowhere near financial freedom.’

’I hope this venture is the one that lets me strike it rich!’

’No, not hope. It *has* to be!’

"President Lin, how did you make your first pot of gold?"

Chen Yuanxing couldn’t help asking.

Lin Chu shook his head with a smile. "My dad gave it to me."

Mmm.

’My System-daddy, that is.’

Chen Yuanxing was speechless. "...Uh."

For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. He shook his head and chuckled again. "Give me three minutes. I need to find a bathroom and go cry for a while."

Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh.

’This old Chen... even though he’s thirty-eight, he’s still young at heart. He even knows how to crack a good joke.’

They arrived as they walked, laughed, and chatted.

It was a five-story, standalone building, inconspicuous among the surrounding structures. The security, however, was impressively strict, with access control systems for entry and exit.

A golden sign at the entrance read: "Peng City Low-altitude Flight Laboratory of Peking University (National Level)."

"Can we go in?"

Lin Chu asked with a smile.

"We definitely can’t get in. At least, not right now. I just brought you over to get a whiff of the place. Smell that? This whole entrance reeks of money. This is a trillion-dollar industry, man. We have to build a company worth at least ten billion. We’ll aim to start production in a year and go public in five."

Chen Yuanxing closed his eyes, a look of rapture on his face, radiating an almost romantic-poet-like aura.

Lin Chu: ?

He stared at him, speechless, then couldn’t help but laugh again.

’This guy is something else!’

"Are you trying to sell me a pipe dream? Thanks, but no thanks. I just finished lunch; I can’t stomach a pie that big right now. Speaking of which, where’s that precious nephew of yours? Have him come down and greet us. We came all this way; shouldn’t we at least go inside and take a look?"

Chen Yuanxing waved his hand with a laugh. "We really can’t today. He went to the Capital City for some meeting on behalf of his advisor. He won’t be back for at least five days. But don’t worry, I have everything under control."

Lin Chu: ...

’I really can’t tell if this guy is reliable or not.’

Still, to be fair, Lin Chu knew deep down that a project like this involved far too many moving parts and couldn’t be rushed.

It wasn’t like buying a golf club from a single, cash-strapped owner where the deal closes as soon as the money is wired.

Lin Chu had a feeling this was going to be an extremely complex project.

But that was fine.

’I have plenty of time, anyway.’

A large, complex project like this was a better test of a man’s abilities than simply buying a golf club.

It was a chance to learn the theory while getting hands-on experience—the perfect combination of theory and practice.

...

Behind who knows how many sealed doors.

Inside the laboratory, accompanied by Hao Wenhua, Li Bin was intently touring the facility, his eyes alight with interest.

While the core areas were off-limits, they were allowed into the reception area.

This was the main reason he had come to Peng City.

As a serial entrepreneur, Li Bin had always paid close attention to the trends and currents in new technology.

He hadn’t been in the automotive industry before, but he caught the new-energy vehicle wave, integrated his resources, and took off.

Now, the wave for low-altitude flight vehicles had well and truly arrived.

While this wasn’t the only laboratory in the country researching the topic, it was the strongest in terms of technical expertise and systematic approach.

Standing next to them was Su Chaoyue, a gaunt, gray-haired old man in a blue lab coat.

"Professor Su, Li Bin is a distinguished alumnus of Peking University. He’s here today primarily to look into the low-altitude flight vehicle project."

Hao Wenhua said with a smile, introducing the two.

For a collaboration like this, the university’s opinion was crucial, but the attitude of the man helming the lab was also key. At the same time, Peng City’s stance also had to be taken into account.

After all, the lab had been jointly established with investment from both the university’s and the city’s research funds.

Su Chaoyue looked at Li Bin calmly and asked, "Who are your company’s shareholders?"

Li Bin smiled. "NIO is a publicly traded company. The top six shareholders are myself, Autohome, JD.com, Tencent, Xiaomi, and Hillhouse Capital."

"Publicly traded companies are not acceptable. A background with foreign capital is not acceptable. Even if it’s just an investment stake, it won’t do."

Su Chaoyue stated bluntly. After a pause, he asked, "Have you emigrated?"

The question took even Li Bin by surprise, but he immediately smiled and shook his head. "I have not."

Su Chaoyue added, "Low-altitude flight vehicles involve numerous security factors. The confidentiality and security levels are comparable to those of a military contractor. Any partner will have to undergo a rigorous review. The hard requirements are extensive. You should give it some serious thought."

Li Bin smiled. "Of course, I’m aware of that. Are there any specific criteria I can refer to?"

Su Chaoyue glanced at him and said slowly, "Absolute loyalty to the nation and its people."

Li Bin: ?

He was completely floored.

’This old professor... he’s really something else. Unbelievable.’

"Elder Su, investment is just a normal business practice. Even if you want to strictly limit the entry requirements, you still have to provide some concrete standards, don’t you?"

Realizing Su Chaoyue was stubborn and his words were harsh, Hao Wenhua chimed in with a placating smile to smooth things over.

He hadn’t interacted much with the professor before, but Elder Su had been a candidate for the national academy last year, a position of very high standing. Even Principal Hao treated him with immense respect.

Su Chaoyue glared at him and retorted stiffly, "If someone flies one of these into a building, will you take responsibility?" ℯℯ𝑙.

Hao Wenhua: ...

His brow furrowed. He suddenly realized the terrifying implications.

In civil aviation, with large aircraft, everything is strictly controlled, starting with the pilots themselves.

But these low-altitude vehicles could be flown by almost anyone. They could even be autonomous or remotely piloted. From the very point of production, they posed an inherent security risk.

Not a risk to the vehicle’s own safety, but to public safety.

"We’ll have to wait. Let me think about how to solve this problem on a technical level."

"The lab is currently accepting unconditional donations. If President Li is interested, you’re welcome to contribute at any time."

"They’re tax-deductible, you know."

Su Chaoyue’s tone was still stiff, but a cunning glint flashed in his eyes and was gone.

Hearing this, Li Bin nodded with a smile, instantly understanding this negotiation would not be settled in one or two meetings. He said, "In that case, let me donate five million to the lab in my personal capacity, as a friendly show of support for Professor Su’s research."

Only then did Su Chaoyue’s expression soften slightly.

"See that it arrives as soon as possible. I need to check on my experiment results, so you’ll have to excuse me."

With that, he walked toward the experimental area, and the secure door sealed shut behind him.

Li Bin: ...

Hao Wenhua: ...

The two looked at each other, speechless, their eyes filled with wry amusement.

"Has Professor Su always been this... cantankerous?"

Li Bin asked casually as they walked out of the laboratory.

Hao Wenhua shook his head and sighed. "If it weren’t for that temper of his, he probably would’ve been inducted into the academy a decade ago."

...

Lin Chu and Chen Yuanxing, who were waiting outside, saw Hao Wenhua and Li Bin emerge and immediately came face-to-face.

"Principal Hao."

Chen Yuanxing hurried forward, extending both hands with a brilliant smile plastered on his face. Only after greeting Hao Wenhua did he nod to Li Bin. "President Li."

Hao Wenhua had a vague memory of this former student. He shook his hand and smiled warmly. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just passing by. We were admiring our beautiful campus."

Chen Yuanxing said with a polite smile, not revealing their true purpose.

’Discretion is the key to success, after all.’

’Even though we’re at a disadvantage in terms of power, we’re still operating in the shadows, which is a small advantage in itself.’

He was, of course, perfectly clear on why Li Bin was here.

’When the two of them came out, they didn’t look too happy.’

’Perhaps things didn’t go so well.’

’But no need to rush. I can just ask my nephew about it and find out soon enough.’

After a few more pleasantries, the two groups went their separate ways.

There wasn’t much to talk about. After the events of the previous night, Hao Wenhua had already pegged Lin Chu as a troublemaker—a young man who was too arrogant and needed to be taken down a peg. There was no need to get too close; superficial politeness would suffice.

Of course, he had no intention of trying to control or make things difficult for him.

This was an MBA program, after all. They were all adults.

Besides, Peking University had to maintain a certain level of magnanimity.

Li Bin couldn’t be bothered with small talk either. He was already engrossed in figuring out how to secure a deal with the laboratory.

He wasn’t too broken up about the five million. With a net worth in the tens of billions, it was just pocket change.

It was just...

This whole affair was proving to be genuinely difficult.

He was even considering pulling some strings through high-level channels.

After all, he and President Ma were good friends, and President Ma’s standing in Peng City... well, that went without saying.

...

...