Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1161 Director Liao's Massacre, Fang Yan Accepts the "Contract of Indenture" (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

Director Sun took a deep breath, his fingers irritably flipping through the pages of the report in his hand, making a rustling sound.

He glanced at Vice Minister Qiu, whose expression was somewhat stiff. He had been able to argue his case before, but Hu Daohu said that as long as they could produce three new drugs that met European standards, Europe would be willing to invest an additional two million US dollars.

This hit the nail on the head; anything else is pointless.

Export earnings are a core economic strategy, and the substantial amount of foreign exchange generated instantly elevates the project's earning potential and strategic value by more than one level.

At that time, foreign exchange was in short supply. Any project that could reliably earn foreign exchange, especially those of the size of $200 million, was a top priority for the country.

If Vice Minister Qiu opposes expanding talent recruitment for this project, wouldn't that be tantamount to blocking the country from earning foreign exchange? He can't afford to wear that label.

The fact that "foreign capital is backing up" immediately boosts the project's reliability and shuts down any doubts about "insufficient resources."

Previously, Director Sun had questioned whether the research institute's "site and equipment could accommodate so many people," saying that resources were limited and he worried that expansion would be a waste. However, when Hu Daohu mentioned that there was a $200 million investment specifically for building an internationally certified laboratory, the most critical resource problem was immediately solved.

This shows that foreign investment has helped solve the hardware issues for the project, and Director Sun's claim of "insufficient resources" is now completely untenable.

Vice Minister Qiu remained silent, perhaps because he didn't know what to say at that moment.

Seeing that his superiors were not speaking, Director Sun could only lower his head and try to think.

Seeing that expression, Fang Yan and the others could tell that he was clearly undergoing an intense internal struggle.

After about ten seconds, the serious expression on his face softened slightly, revealing a sense of frustration.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Vice Minister Qiu, then over Vice Minister Li and Director Liao opposite him, and finally landing on Fang Yan and Lao Hu.

Then his tone became slightly more urgent and direct than before:

“I’ve been thinking about it… like this, Lao Li, Lao Qiu,” he subconsciously skipped over Director Liao and went straight to the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Health, “fifteen might not be a safe bet for such a large project…”

"Hmm, you can continue..." Minister Qiu narrowed his eyes and said to Director Sun.

Director Sun paused slightly, then swallowed his words, seemingly considering his wording, his eyes fixed on the keywords in the Fang Yan report such as "rich product line," "breakthrough in regulatory barriers," and "multi-field collaboration."

Finally, it was said that:
"But forty, or even thirty, is still beyond our current coordination capacity. The impact is too broad, and the local backlash would be huge. I think, how about 20?"

"This is the limit I can squeeze out within my authority!"

"no!"

Almost as soon as Director Sun finished saying "20", Vice Minister Li interrupted him decisively.

Vice Minister Li said:

“Old Sun, this isn’t a market for haggling! Twenty isn’t even enough for the basic layout! Comrade Xiao Fang made it very clear before, this is a hard target, and we can’t have any fewer!”

"Thirty?!" Director Sun's voice rose involuntarily, clearly showing his reluctance. "Old Li, you're making things difficult for me..."

Vice Minister Qiu finally put away his signature smile, picked up the pencil on the table, and lightly scribbled a few lines on the blank corner of the report, whether he was calculating or deliberating was unclear.

He gestured to Director Sun with his eyes and said:
"Twenty is indeed a bit low. Let's put it at twenty-five, everyone can be understanding."

Director Liao then said:
“Thirty, no less. If you think it’s hard to explain, I’ll handle it. If other units have any problems, let them come to me. I’m thick-skinned and can take a scolding!” “At worst, I’ll give them an explanation at the big meeting.”

These words left the two speechless.

Director Liao's words, to put it bluntly, meant: "I'll take full responsibility for this, so don't worry about any complaints from the local authorities." In reality, it was just a different way of putting pressure on them. On the surface, he was taking on the work himself, but in fact, he was forcing them to stop procrastinating.

Director Liao is in charge of overseas Chinese affairs and investment and economy. He directly staked his political reputation on this, which is tantamount to saying that this project is the most important thing.

If there were any complaints from the locals, the higher-ups would take care of it. Now, Qiu and Sun had no way to refuse.

Director Liao even deliberately mentioned "self-criticism at the conference," which is a serious political statement and escalated the matter to the point of accusing the leadership of making a mistake in decision-making.

If Qiu and Sun continue to object, it would be tantamount to pushing Director Liao to the point of accountability, which, according to the logic of officialdom, is no different from political suicide.

The seasoned veteran, employing a strategy of retreat as a means of advance, began a killing spree.

At this moment, Deputy Director Li said:
"Old Liao, you're exaggerating. Two million US dollars is equivalent to one-thousandth of the country's foreign exchange reserves. With such a large foreign exchange earning project, who would dare to cause you trouble?"

After saying that, he turned to Deputy Director Qiu and said:
"Old Qiu, you'd better give us your opinion!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Qiu could only smile and say:

"Oh, it's not that serious. We're all on the same side, so we can talk things over. If anyone's going to get scolded, it'll be me! How can we let Comrade Liao go?"

After stating his position:
"Sigh... well... thirty it is!"

He looked at Director Sun, his tone shifting to one that was more persuasive:
“Old Sun, when we send the letter, we should be more careful with our wording, emphasizing that this is a key national project and that units with high cooperation will receive priority support in the future… That way, everyone can save face. Comrade Fang’s project has a real prospect; if it achieves results and generates foreign exchange, it will benefit everyone, and everyone will understand.”

Seeing that his superior, Vice Minister Qiu, had nodded, Director Sun opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words, "20 is the limit."

His expression was still not good, but his confrontational stance had clearly weakened, turning into a kind of hesitation before acquiescence.

"Alright..." Director Sun let out a heavy sigh, his brows still furrowed, looking at Fang Yan with a pain as if his flesh had been cut off. "Thirty it is! But there are a few conditions that need to be made clear first!"

"Director Sun, please speak!" Fang Yan responded immediately, his heart finally at ease. Thirty, although ten fewer than the expected forty, he knew in his heart that this was the best solution under the current circumstances, achieved only after Vice Minister Li and Director Liao argued their case and Vice Minister Qiu finally nodded in agreement.

Director Sun thought for a moment and said:

"First, Comrade Fang Yan, the project's chief person in charge, must sign a letter of responsibility, guaranteeing that the $200 million investment will be secured within three years. If the project is ruined due to technical shortcomings, the research institute will not be allowed to add another staff member within three years."

"Secondly, for professional talents transferred from local areas, the research institute has to pay for all the salaries and benefits paid by their original units. In addition, they have to make up for the original units by 20% of each person's monthly salary. This is called 'talent borrowing compensation'."

After hearing these two requests, Fang Yan pondered for a moment.

The first is to transform the pressure to generate foreign exchange into personal responsibility. If it fails, the dialect will bear the risk of professional reputational damage, such as being held accountable for "wasting national resources."

The second approach involves shifting the economic costs of personnel coordination to research institutes, alleviating the financial pressure on ministries, and appeasing local units by replacing political commitments with economic compensation.

A few seconds later, Fang Yan nodded and said seriously:
"Okay, I agree!"

P.S.: That's all for today. Please come early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)