Chapter 226: The Career Is Developing |
At Xingnan University, in the laboratory.
A middle-aged man with a scraggly beard and hair that had already turned partially gray sat at a computer typing away.
Behind him, a man about thirty-something in a crisp gray suit sat on a swivel chair, speaking helplessly:
"Old Zheng, we've known each other for so many years. I wouldn't do you wrong. Just nod your head, tell me how much more funding that AI development needs, and I'll go talk to the company leadership as soon as I get back."
"I'm just a technician. This isn't my responsibility."
Zheng Qiu silently tapped at his keyboard without looking up.
"Then give me the contact info of the boss behind you, and I'll talk to him."
"That's not my responsibility either."
The man in the suit stood up and patiently explained:
"But he never interferes with the technical stuff."
"Of course he doesn't when you're still developing it. He's invested so much money, and once this AI hits the market, if it loses money, what do you think he'll do to you when his funds run short?"
The man in the suit earnestly tried to persuade him:
"You also know the company behind me. It's a major domestic corporation with deep pockets. They'll give you technicians the greatest autonomy."
Zheng Qiu stopped typing, glanced at him, and said with amusement:
"Do you actually believe that yourself? The industry is evolving so fast. My voice AI is just the first to test the waters. More and more similar products will pop up afterward."
"I don't believe that when that time comes, a big corporation will still let me focus solely on perfecting the technology."
The man in the suit sighed:
"That's just how the market works. The same goes for the boss behind you. They all want to turn that money-eating beast in your hands into a cash-printing machine."
"Why else would he invest so much in you?"
Zheng Qiu was silent for a moment:
"This AI was developed by me and my student. I can't make the final call entirely on my own."
Hearing this, the man in the suit broke into a grin:
"I know, and that other one, the undergrad genius named Zhang Shuo, right? As long as you agree on your end, he'll be even easier to handle."
Zheng Qiu closed his eyes and let out a long sigh:
"We only handle the tech. All our current funding comes through the help of Xiao Zhang's friend. When Xiao Zhang gets here later, you can ask him."
The man in the suit beamed. This was a done deal!
A little while later, a sharp-looking young man pushed open the door and walked in:
"Teacher, did you call for me?"
"Mm. He wants to discuss something with you."
Zheng Qiu pointed at the suit-clad man, whose face was plastered with a smile.
"Truly, such a talent at a young age! When Old Zheng and I were your age, we were still talking about which girls were cute, and you've already developed such an impressive AI."
When he saw Zhang Shuo, he immediately started showering him with praise.
"My advisor led the project. I just carried out the tasks he assigned me. It wasn't that hard."
Zhang Shuo said.
The man in the suit waved his hands repeatedly and said with a smile:
"You're too modest, kid."
Zhang Shuo didn't know how to respond for a moment. Then he remembered a high-EQ answer he'd seen recently.
When you don't know how to answer, just agree with the other person's viewpoint.
So he nodded:
"I think I'm pretty modest too."
The man in the suit froze for a moment. Geniuses were bound to be a little arrogant—that was normal.
"Haha, you're quite a funny kid."
"I think I'm pretty funny too."
"... ..."
Zhang Shuo looked at the expression on the man in the suit's face and felt like he'd messed up.
The book said that praising others could ease the tension, so he added:
"Actually, you're pretty funny too."
"... ..."
Zheng Qiu sighed. Xiao Zhang was good at everything except talking. He looked at Zhang Shuo:
"He's here to discuss the AI. Mainly, he wants to talk to the friend who's been investing behind you."
Looking for Jiang Linyuan?
Zhang Shuo paused for a moment, then asked:
"What does he want with him?"
"Just to discuss some matters. It won't affect your research."
The man in the suit said with a smile.
Zhang Shuo thought for a moment, then looked at Zheng Qiu and asked:
"Teacher, does this have to do with the AI entering the market soon?"
"That's right."
Zheng Qiu nodded.
"Teacher, over the past half year, my friend has been putting in a solid chunk of money. And now you're thinking about kicking him out? What are you thinking?"
Zhang Shuo asked.
He might have low emotional intelligence, but he could still distinguish right from wrong.
"It's not about kicking him out. It's about negotiation and cooperation."
The man in the suit quickly explained.
"Teacher, my stance is the same as Jiang Linyuan's. If he disagrees, then I'm sorry, but I won't agree either."
Zhang Shuo ignored the man in the suit and looked at Zheng Qiu.
Zheng Qiu met his gaze:
"Your teacher's stance is the same as yours. If your friend disagrees, then nothing else will be discussed."
If it were possible, he'd rather just quietly work on the tech himself.
Zhang Shuo called Jiang Linyuan, and the call was picked up quickly.
"You're calling me on your own? Does the AI project need more money?"
"No. Someone's come to try and steal the fruits of our labor."
"It's not stealing! It's cooperation! Negotiation!"
The man in the suit yelled helplessly from the side. Young people always saw things in black and white—why had he already been labeled as the bad guy?
"Don't even talk about it."
Jiang Linyuan said.
"Alright."
Zhang Shuo nodded and was about to hang up.
"Wait, wait, wait! Let's talk! We can discuss any terms!"
The man in the suit shouted anxiously.
They hadn't even said anything yet!
"Put me on speaker."
Jiang Linyuan said, and Zhang Shuo did as he was told.
Seeing there was still room for discussion, the man in the suit immediately breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain:
"Listen to me. This AI has been promoted as a priority by higher-ups. In the future, we'll definitely need to keep pursuing quality and strive to become the leader in this industry. More products will emerge later on."
"If you want to maintain quality while securing the top spot, you need sufficient capital. Our company here..."
"Alright, are you worried about funding?"
Jiang Linyuan cut him off directly and asked:
"Zhang Shuo, is your advisor there?"
"He is."
"Good. Then let me be clear. Don't worry about the money. I'm not going to micromanage this AI. All you need to do is research and focus on the tech. I don't care about the profits."
Jiang Linyuan's calm voice came through the phone, surprising both middle-aged men present.
The man in the suit asked, baffled:
"Not chasing profits? Then what, you're just throwing all that money away?"
"None of your business. I like doing it this way."
After saying that, Jiang Linyuan hung up the phone directly.
The man in the suit was dumbfounded. You're not after money? Then why invest so much? Were you an idealist or what?!
He looked at Zhang Shuo:
"Is your friend's family very wealthy?"
Zhang Shuo thought for a moment:
"Average."
Average my ass! Even the initial investment alone wasn't something an ordinary person could afford!
Damn it! How could someone like this exist—spending money without even thinking about making it back, right?!
If not money, then what? Ideals? Or... people?
Wait, people?
The man in the suit froze at that thought and looked at Zhang Shuo:
"Are you and your friend really close?"
"Average."
Average my ass!
I bet your buddy who's supposed to share the hardships with you is actually planning to share your hardship for you!
The man in the suit was fuming with frustration. If the negotiation had failed fair and square, he could have accepted it. But being shut down like this left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Forget it, Old Zheng. If your boss changes his mind later, feel free to contact me again."
He shook his head and left.
"Teacher, your friend?"
Zhang Shuo asked.
"Yeah. Known him for many years. After graduation, he jumped straight into a big corporation, while I stayed in the public sector."
Zheng Qiu smiled and added:
"He doesn't have any ulterior motives. Even though he's in management now, this visit was really just to pass along a message from someone else."
"Teacher, about this voice AI—I remember you said you developed it to replicate your daughter's voice. Why are you treating it like a commodity now?"
"It's hard to reconcile ideals with reality."
Zheng Qiu sighed:
"Xiao Zhang, thank your friend for me."
"Teacher, you should say that to his face."
...
On the other end, Jiang Linyuan hung up the phone and lay back in his car.
Someone was eyeing this AI? He just wasn't short on money!
Once it was done, he'd give his future father-in-law, who'd helped broker the deal, some results to boast about. That was victory number one.
With the school anniversary coming up, Xingnan having a young entrepreneur like him would make the vice principal proud. That was victory number two.
And he'd have some social standing himself. That was victory number three.
All in all, it was like Qin Shi Huang hitting a power line—winning so hard it was shocking.
But this was still just small-time stuff...
Jiang Linyuan scrolled through his phone. There was a message from Zhang Zhu:
"A while back, the company was short on funds, and Haile Biotech's original research team was poached by Xu Corporation."
"I'm planning to recruit some research talent recently. As for the team leader, I've got a few résumés here. Want to take a look?"
After returning to Jinling, he'd signed a contract with Zhang Zhu not long after and officially become Haile Biotech's majority shareholder.
But Jiang Linyuan didn't have time to manage things. Most of the work was left to Zhang Zhu.
The only thing he truly cared about was the company's research progress. After all, this was about medicine.
Jiang Linyuan glanced at the résumés Zhang Zhu had sent.
The credentials were impressive—doctorates from Ivy League schools, research experience at major corporations.
But actual achievements worth mentioning were few and far between. Either they lacked extensive management experience, or they were hard to be satisfied with.
"Aunt Zhang, isn't there anyone more outstanding?"
"Domestically renowned researchers all have their own fixed teams. They're hard to poach."
"Then how did Haile Biotech's original team get poached?"
"... Do you think a company struggling with cash flow counts as 'renowned'?"
This Auntie Paranoid! Still daring to talk back to her boss!
Zhang Zhu's message continued:
"Our company's scale and research conditions make it hard to attract top-tier talent."
"What about raising the salary?"
"The cost is too high, and besides, they'd be hard to manage. You should know the principle of 'a small temple can't hold a big Buddha.'"
Jiang Linyuan thought about it. She had a point. The report he needed had to be handed to someone he could control.
"Don't worry about this. Leave it to me."
"Alright. Oh, by the way, the photos you took of Juntang are really nice. Thank you."
What a random thing to say.
Jiang Linyuan put his phone to sleep and thought. A research team? Weren't there plenty of people in the domestic system?
In the public sector, salaries were relatively low, management had issues, and worst of all, getting a project approved was a nightmare—you had to match foreign benchmarks to succeed.
For Haile Biotech, which had no clear benchmark, recruiting from research institutes was the best option.
It wasn't like he could wait until Haji Yao was able to write that report, right?
If Haji Yao couldn't do it, he'd start with her advisor! He'd scoop up her entire academic circle!
