The unparalleled talent of the country started from Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 295 A promise is a promise
If all else fails and there's a shortage of oil domestically, Wang Duoyu will sell this $10 billion worth of crude oil back to China at cost price.

In this way, the money was successfully transferred into the country.

We'll decide on the specifics later.

In short, having so much crude oil in hand is much better than holding US dollar cash.

The second direction is to invest in listed companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, especially listed companies in Japan and the United States.

ExxonMobil, DuPont, AT&T, General Electric, and other companies are all large corporations that experienced rapid growth in market capitalization during the 1980s and 90s.

As for why they don't invest in companies like IBM, Apple, Motorola, and Microsoft, is that even a question?

Wang Duoyu is already sharpening his knives to target the pigs and sheep. Even if they have formed the ACIM Alliance, they cannot stop the siege from high-tech companies such as Huashun Company, Nebula Supercomputing, Huaxin Company, and Zhuoyue Technology.

Therefore, Wang Duoyu would not allow Maple Leaf Holdings' financial companies to invest in companies like Motorola, as they were destined to be unable to maintain a high market value.

Conversely, when it comes to market capitalization growth, companies like Sony, Toshiba, and Toyota are the leaders.

The third option is to acquire a foreign car company.

The target has been selected: either Porsche, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, or Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc. Which one to choose depends on whether we can reach an agreement.

These three directions alone are enough to divide up the entire 17.8 billion US dollars.

Moreover, Wang Duoyu has other projects that require spending money, such as highway construction projects, the introduction of high-speed rail technology, and the recruitment of highly skilled personnel.

Let's start with the highway construction project, which is the more than 400-kilometer route from Bingcheng to Dahonggou Village.

There was no such thing as highways in this era, at least not in China.

Therefore, Wang Duoyu can only make a rough estimate of the cost per kilometer of highway construction.

However, considering the construction costs of later generations and the price levels of this era, Wang Duoyu believes that the cost of building one kilometer of highway is approximately four to eight million RMB.

The major expenses are land acquisition and demolition fees, design standards, and material costs. Labor costs are actually not as high, as the counties and cities along the route will arrange personnel to help.

All we need to do is provide food for the workers who are helping out, and perhaps we can give them a red envelope (cash gift) after the project is finished.

Therefore, based on a construction cost of four to eight million, and a distance of 473 kilometers, the total cost would be between 1.89 billion and 3.78 billion RMB.

Based on the previous donation of US$79 million from Wang Jianchao, Zheng Baoyin, Qu Haiping, and the other three individuals, this amount is equivalent to RMB 270 million.

Based on this calculation, Want Want Group will need to contribute between 1.62 billion and 3.51 billion RMB. Even if the project funding reaches 4 billion RMB, it will still require 3.73 billion RMB.

However, the total cost shouldn't be that high. We'll figure out the specifics later.

The steel bars can be imported directly from abroad, but we need to import more petroleum for asphalt; otherwise, there might not be enough.

Cement, sand, and other materials are sourced locally. In the past few years, several cement plants and sand factories have been established in Harbin.

This is a huge project, but if this highway can be built, it will definitely benefit the local area.

When the highways were being built in the 1980s, Wang Duoyu could almost foresee that many people would be cursing in the newspapers: "What a waste of money!"

So, we'll need to figure out exactly how to do it.

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting."

Inside the meeting room, Wang Duoyu delivered a concluding speech:
"You've all done a fantastic job. Don't dwell on the past; the most important thing is what to do in the new year!"

"Those who did well last year should not be arrogant, and those who did poorly should not be discouraged."

"Over the next few days, I will have one-on-one talks with each of you based on your individual circumstances. Meeting adjourned!"

As soon as the words "Meeting adjourned" were uttered, everyone immediately began to applaud.

One-on-one conversations were rare in the past, but things are different now.

As the Want Want Group grows larger and larger, even Wang Duoyu, with his super brain, will feel tired.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and able to handle these matters efficiently.

But he can no longer just give advice casually as before; he must give targeted advice now.

Otherwise, it's easy to go off track.

For example, this time, Yuma Apparel encountered a major problem.

The $666 million in global overseas revenue seems impressive, but the problems are actually quite obvious.

When Yuma clothing stores were spread across overseas markets around the world, advertisements were everywhere. Although they didn't spend as much money as Yuebu in inviting celebrities, they still spent a lot of money to invite celebrities to promote their products.

The celebrity effect is very obvious in this day and age, especially for some very popular celebrities, whose impact on sales is obvious.

Now that we've encountered a problem, we need to solve it.

That afternoon, before Wang Duoyu could even discuss the issue of Yuma Clothing with Zheng Baoyin, Liu Deben called.

It was Yuan Youlan and others who wanted to meet with him.

"Um, Secretary, you two can meet. I'm busy right now, so I won't go over."

He hasn't mentioned yesterday's birthday yet, but he's too lazy to talk about it now, mainly because he doesn't have the time.

"Duoyu, they're all here to see you, not me. Just meet with them."

Despite Liu Deben's repeated attempts to persuade him, Wang Duoyu had no choice but to make time to visit them.

The reason why Yuan Youlan and the others wanted to see him, and why Xia Huarong and Zhang Yuebin didn't rush back to Shanghai, was to have a chat with Wang Duoyu.

Wang Duoyu's suggestion earned them so much foreign exchange; how could they not be grateful?

But gratitude isn't just about saying it; it requires action and showing it.

In the conference room of the administration building, Wang Duoyu pushed open the door and entered. Yuan Youlan, Qi Xingbang, Xia Huarong and others all stood up, clapping and paying their respects as if welcoming a hero.

This scene startled Wang Duoyu, who quickly stopped and told them to stop.

"I've met all of you leaders, so we're all acquaintances. You all know what kind of person I am, so let's skip this formality, okay?"

Wang Duoyu was indeed a little scared; this scene was not suitable for him.

Qi Xingbang immediately spoke first:
"Professor Wang, if it weren't for your suggestion, to be honest, Kunming wouldn't have earned 90 million US dollars this time. That amount of money is a huge help to Kunming."

Upon hearing that Kunming had only earned 80 million US dollars, Wang Duoyu was immediately astonished: So little?

But he quickly realized that Kunming didn't have much money, or more accurately, it didn't have much foreign exchange.

Investing in the appreciation of the Japanese yen requires capital, and it must be in foreign currency.

At that time in the 1980s, the whole country was short of foreign exchange, and it is estimated that only Harbin Institute of Technology was not short of foreign exchange.

Kang Yumin, Xia Huarong, Yuan Youlan and the others looked at Qi Xingbang in surprise. Although they all knew that life in Kunming was tough, they did not expect it to be this tough.

Qi Xingbang was actually satisfied with the foreign exchange earnings of 90 million US dollars.

In 1985, Kunming's GDP was 4.18 billion RMB, ranking 32nd among all cities in China.

Lanzhou ranked 31st with 4.35 billion RMB. Cities like Changzhou, Xuzhou, and Yancheng ranked higher than Kunming.

Therefore, Qi Xingbang was naturally very happy when faced with an extra income of 90 million US dollars.

"I'm happy as long as I can help."

Wang Duoyu smiled and agreed, and Xia Huarong and the others chimed in with their own words.

After exchanging pleasantries, they quickly got down to business. Yuan Youlan and the others expressed their gratitude and asked if Wang Duoyu had any other suggestions.

Gratitude was the key point, but advice was their most important objective for the trip.

To Wang Duoyu's surprise, Yuan Youlan and the others actually gave him a 'report', explaining in detail how much foreign exchange they had earned in the past few months, following the advice he had given them.

Registering a company in Hong Kong is much easier for Yuexiu than for companies like Shanghai Chengtou.

Currently, Yuexiu Group holds US$2.16 billion, half of which has been invested in the Japanese real estate and stock markets.

Half of the funds remain untouched.

I learned from Yuan Youlan that Yuexiu Company was so successful that it earned more than 1.5 billion US dollars than Shanghai Chengtou.

It’s incredible!

Throughout the conference room, everyone turned to look, especially Xia Huarong and Zhang Yuebin, who had never expected that Yuexiu Company would be more than 600 million US dollars higher than them.

Otherwise, why be so ruthless?

"We don't know how to express our gratitude. Just saying it isn't enough, so..."

"Although Professor Wang, the research projects you are in charge of are not short of funding, our Yuexiu Company will still donate one hundred million US dollars to you. We hope Professor Wang will not refuse."

Yuan Youlan spoke again, and his domineering and generous manner stunned Xia Huarong, Kang Yumin, Qi Xingbang and others.

Holy crap, that's a hundred million US dollars! He just donated it like that?

Wang Duoyu was stunned for half a second, then shook his head and said:
"We lack funds, but Guangzhou needs them even more for development. So please don't donate to us. Mutual assistance is only natural. We just hope our relationship will grow closer in the future."

Hearing this, Xia Huarong and the others were full of admiration. Yuan Youlan and her group had really made a killing this time.

After all, Wang Duoyu's rejection of Yuexiu Company's $100 million donation was a recognition of his own abilities.

"Of course, our relationship will definitely become closer, but we will donate this money. Please rest assured, Professor Wang, we mean what we say, and you don't need to worry about this."

Yuan Youlan said with a serious expression:

"This involves confidential information, so I can't say more here, but Yuexiu Company will definitely keep its word."

A promise is a promise!

Yuexiu Company will definitely do that, after all, they still hope that Wang Duoyu can give them a better suggestion.

Xia Huarong, Kang Yumin, Qi Xingbang and the others didn't know what to say, especially Qi Xingbang, who said that they had only earned a total of 90 million US dollars.

But now, Yuexiu Company has donated 100 million US dollars without hesitation. How can this be compared?
To say I'm not envious would be a lie.

"Alright, since you're so kind, then I'll thank Mayor Yuan on behalf of all the researchers for your generosity," Wang Duoyu said with a smile.

Is the Mach 5 fighter jet project short of funding?
Of course they're short of money!

Does Dawning supercomputer lack funding?

It's not that we're short of money, but the more the merrier.

Often, many research projects are delayed not because of insufficient funding.

However, if there is a sufficient budget, then no matter how many people are needed, we can definitely get them.

As long as there are people, they will eventually be able to overcome these limitations, achieve technological breakthroughs, and complete the project.

Perhaps the Mach 5 fighter jet project can't attract foreign research talent, nor can the Dawning supercomputer, but other projects can.

For example, some projects that are at the forefront of scientific research but do not have such high confidentiality requirements, such as some optical projects.

Therefore, Wang Duoyu did not actually refuse the 100 million US dollars donated by Yuan Youlan and others.

After Yuan Youlan finished speaking, Xia Huarong and the others followed suit and expressed their willingness to donate money.

But this time, Wang Duoyu refused.

Many people were present, including Jiao Zhenyu from Shangri-La, Guan Chonggui from Beijing, Pan Hongxu from Tianjin, Qiu Xianzhang from Xiamen, and Kang Zhiping from WLMQ.

These people had all taken Wang Duoyu's advice over the past few months and actually used foreign exchange to speculate on Japanese yen.

For example, CITIC Securities and China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC), both based in Beijing, earned US$880 million and US$790 million respectively.

Logically, both of their companies should have been established ten years later, but in this timeline, they were established ten years earlier.

And it was stronger than other companies from the start.

Pan Hongxu represented Tianjin Bank, which made a profit of US$450 million.

Qiu Xianzhang reported that their Xiamen Securities and BOC Xiamen Trust had achieved profits of 360 million and 280 million respectively, in US dollars.

Kang Zhiping represented WLMQ, which earned US$580 million through the London financial market.

These companies, large and small, combined have profits exceeding seven billion US dollars.

And this doesn't even include the revenue from Bingcheng Bank and Jianghai Securities in Harbin, as well as from Changchun and Shenyang.

Bingcheng Bank earned roughly the same amount of money as CICC, around US$790 million, while Jianghai Securities made a slightly larger profit, reaching US$1.12 billion.

Because Tong Jianwei and his team were bolder, had more confidence in Wang Duoyu, and were more willing to invest, their revenue was more outstanding.

But no matter how amazing it is, it can't compare to Yuexiu Company.

Yuexiu Company in Guangzhou, that's truly amazing.

The two companies in Changchun and Shenyang earned 700 million and 600 million US dollars respectively, which is not a lot, but it is definitely not a small amount either.

Wang Duoyu did a quick calculation and found that this part of the profit exceeded 10.2 billion US dollars.

Then consider the $19.5 billion earned by Maple Leaf Holdings' financial companies and the $6.8 billion earned by Lotte Group.

In just over three months, these domestic companies have earned a whopping 36.5 billion US dollars.

Although the funds under Maple Leaf Holdings are all accounted for internationally, and the registered capital is managed by the islands, namely the UK and France.

However, these funds are all over the world, especially in several Swiss banks, so it's very difficult to investigate them.

From this perspective, of Maple Leaf Holdings' $19.5 billion, $10 billion went to the Saudi Empire and was hidden away as oil.

A significant amount of capital has also flowed into the US and Japanese stock markets and has not left the market.

It's difficult to investigate, and currently, it appears to be international capital, often mistakenly identified as British and French capital.

In other words, only the $10.2 billion earned by Yuan Youlan and his associates, and the $6.8 billion earned by Lotte Group, which is affiliated with Harbin Institute of Technology, will be considered as profits earned by domestic capital.

Wall Street capital, Japanese zaibatsu, British aristocracy, and others were originally there to sit at the table and eat the meat, dividing up the huge cake.

What should have been a multi-billion dollar pie could have yielded hundreds of billions, or even trillions, in profit with a single slice.

As a result, a larger slice of the pie, worth approximately 20 billion US dollars, has been taken by Britain and France, while another 17 billion US dollars has been won by Chinese capital.

My aunt can tolerate it, but my grandmother can't!
With so much money missing, there's definitely an investigation to be conducted.

Wang Duoyu certainly knew that Wall Street capital would be furious after taking such a large share of the profits, but no matter how much they investigated, it would be difficult for them to find out the truth.

Mutual suspicion is inevitable, and with Wang Duoyu releasing so many smokescreens, they're well on their toes.

After Kang Yumin and his team finished their report, the applause in the conference room ended, and Wang Duoyu finally spoke:
"First of all, congratulations everyone, you've all made a lot of money, but I need to pour some cold water on your enthusiasm."

"I just did a quick calculation, and you've made a total of 10.2 billion US dollars. I don't know if there are any other cities pulling strings behind the scenes."

"But judging from the current situation, you've made so much money, especially Yuexiu Company. Those hungry wolves from Wall Street will definitely be eyeing you."

"The current international foreign exchange market is indeed very active due to economic globalization, with daily capital flows exceeding hundreds of billions of US dollars, and even reaching two or three hundred billion US dollars."

"But you need to understand that you directly made tens of billions of dollars from this, even though it was spread out over the past three months, it's still very easy for someone to target you."

Hearing Wang Duoyu's words, Yuan Youlan and the others were somewhat surprised. After all, what was wrong with doing financial trade and fair competition?

Qi Xingbang and a few other leaders who didn't make much money remained relatively calm.

After all, those financial giants certainly wouldn't target them, since they themselves don't have much money.
"Therefore, you must be more discreet and cautious with your future investments, and try your best to avoid being discovered."

Wang Duoyu knew this was difficult, but it had to be done, especially for Yuexiu Company.

Everyone understands the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Moreover, Yuexiu Company is registered in Hong Kong, making it even more vulnerable to attacks.

As for how to proceed, Wang Duoyu believed that Yuexiu Company would definitely have very professional personnel to avoid such unnecessary troubles, so he didn't need to worry about it too much.

What Yuan Youlan and the others were more concerned about was the investment direction that Wang Duoyu was about to discuss.

"Thank you for the reminder, Professor Wang. We will pay attention." Xia Huarong nodded solemnly and said, "However, could we consult you about our next investment direction?"

Wang Duoyu hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

Because he must have had ulterior motives.

Previously, Maple Leaf Holdings' investment focus was mainly on oil, stocks, and Japanese real estate, in addition to acquiring automobile companies.

But that's Want Want Group after all, and it's Wang Duoyu's private company, so of course he'd lean more towards Want Want Group.

As for companies like Yuexiu Company, well, let them do whatever they want.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Wang Duoyu said with a smile:

"I've already given you all advice before, and I believe you all have your own judgment. I'm confident you can all do your best."

"The Japanese real estate and stock markets are bound to rise; this is the trend for the next few years. Just remember that."

"Gold prices will continue to rise, but the increase won't be significant, because the current depreciation of the US dollar won't last long. Of course, oil prices will continue to fall, but it's hard to say exactly when they will rise, as that depends on when Saudi Arabia stops its quantitative easing."

After a brief analysis, Wang Duoyu prepared to end his meeting with them for the day.

Yuan Youlan and the others knew that Wang Duoyu was busy, so they didn't bother him any further.

For the next few days, Wang Duoyu spent his time chatting one-on-one with Zheng Baoyin and others, and didn't do anything else.

It wasn't until a week later that he made the necessary arrangements and could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After that, he took Liu Xiaoli and the others outside to go ice skating and have a snowball fight, allowing them to relax for a good day.

Of course, Liu Xiaoli was already pregnant, so she just went out to take a look and didn't do much.

Pregnant women also need to move around and can't stay cooped up at home all the time.

Especially now in January, the coldest time of winter, when we've already been staying home for so long, we should definitely go out and get some fresh air.

After a happy and relaxing day, it was January 16th in the blink of an eye. Wang Duoyu went to the secretary's office and found Liu Deben.

"Old Liu, I'm here to talk to you about something. It's like this, some of my relatives, they travel abroad a lot, you know, and they've made a little money."

"They said it's always a hassle to go back to their hometown, so they want to build a highway from Harbin to their hometown, Dahonggou Village."

"I've come to discuss this with you, to see if Harbin Institute of Technology should get involved in this matter. If not, I'll have them contact Secretary Tong and his team directly."

Liu Deben was greatly surprised when he heard this.

Liu Deben knew very well what a highway was like, especially an asphalt highway, which was even more expensive to build.

This would require an investment of at least two to three billion RMB.

In an era when most workers' wages were only fifty, sixty, or seventy or eighty RMB, investing two or three billion RMB to build a highway more than four hundred kilometers long could indeed benefit the local area.

But this is too extravagant.

Besides, there aren't many cars!

Was it necessary to build such a good highway?

It was absolutely necessary for Wang Duoyu, but not for Liu Deben.

"Duoyu, why don't you reconsider? This isn't a small amount of money."

"Old Liu, don't worry, the funds are almost ready. It's okay if Harbin Institute of Technology doesn't participate, but donating some money is fine, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Deben was both amused and exasperated.
"That definitely won't work. Your highway project isn't toll-free. After the donations, Harbin Institute of Technology won't earn anything. That's unacceptable."

The largest investor is undoubtedly Want Want Group.

The Want Want Group must have gained all the fame.

What good is it for Harbin Institute of Technology to get involved at this point?

Donating too much hurts your wallet, donating too little won't bring you any fame, so why bother donating at all?

"Fine, you miser!"

Wang Duoyu pursed his lips and didn't insist.

He turned around and left Harbin Institute of Technology, heading to the Harbin Municipal Government office compound.

Tong Jianwei, Kang Yumin, and Zhao Guobin were very surprised by Wang Duoyu's visit and immediately invited him in with great enthusiasm.

After serving tea and water and exchanging pleasantries, Wang Duoyu got straight to the point.

After he finished speaking about the expressway project from Bingcheng to Shuanghe County, Zhao Guobin was the first to object:

“Professor Wang, you are so willing to help us, and this is a road construction project that benefits people's livelihoods, so in principle I shouldn't object. But Professor Wang, an asphalt highway is too extravagant and completely unnecessary.”

"The total number of cars in the entire Heilongjiang province is probably less than 200,000 at most. Building such a highway would cost two to three billion RMB, not to mention there aren't that many cars."

In the original timeline, in 1985, Heilongjiang Province had only 140,000 cars, less than 150,000.

But this time and space has increased considerably, with at least 190,000 vehicles.

The reason is simple: it involves companies affiliated with Harbin Institute of Technology, as well as the Want Want Group.

In addition, the presence of foreign companies such as Motorola and Nintendo has significantly increased the number of cars in Harbin.

Putting aside other factors, just considering the current middle and senior management personnel of Want Want Group, each person has at least one car.

Zheng Baoyin, Wang Jianchao, and others each owned more than one car.

In addition to the imported cars provided by the Want Want Group itself, they also purchased several other cars on their own.

Take Ferraris and other supercars as an example. Zheng Baoyin and his team really wanted to buy them, but they found that once they bought them, they could only drive them on a few asphalt roads in Harbin. They couldn't drive them on any other roads.

We can't just buy these cars and leave them at home, can we?

Therefore, they still strongly support the construction of the expressway from Bingcheng to Shuanghe County.

"Executive Zhao, what you said makes a lot of sense. So when do you think we should build the highway?"

Wang Duoyu never expected that Zhao Guobin, who was in charge of attracting investment, would be so short-sighted; it really surprised him.

"There is no need for this for at least the next ten years."

Upon hearing Zhao Guobin's resolute deduction, Wang Duoyu smiled and then looked at Tong Jianwei and Kang Yumin.

The latter two were also not very supportive, and Wang Duoyu was very disappointed upon hearing this.

He immediately said:
"What if this highway were entirely funded by our Want Want Group?"

hiss!
Tong Jianwei, Kang Yumin, and Zhao Guobin all gasped in shock.

Can Want Want Group come up with that much money?

In 1984, Want Want Group's total global revenue was US$1.3034 billion, while its total domestic revenue was RMB975 million.

Even if Want Want Group's revenue increased significantly in 1985, even if it quadrupled, it would still only be revenue, not profit.

Even if it was profitable, the fact that Want Want Group could earn 2 billion RMB in profit in 1985 was already incredibly impressive.

"Duyu, may I ask what the total revenue of your Want Want Group was in 1985? Did your profit exceed 3 billion RMB?"

After a pause, Tong Jianwei continued:

"Even if you have profits exceeding 3 billion RMB, you shouldn't use it all to build such a highway. It's completely unnecessary. You should focus your efforts on other construction projects."

"The investment cost of one expressway could easily build several ordinary roads of the same length."

Wang Duoyu shook his head and said:

"Right now, highways may seem completely unnecessary, but in reality, within a few years, the economic benefits they bring will be unparalleled by other roads."

"In addition, our Want Want Group's total revenue this year is RMB 1.28 billion in the domestic market and USD 3.324 billion in the overseas market."

He didn't mention the revenue of Maple Leaf Holdings, since that amount of money was too large to be discussed publicly.

Zheng Baoyin, Xue Lisheng, Qu Haiping and others were also given a gag order by Wang Duoyu. Only senior management personnel of Want Want Group were allowed to know about this, and no one else was allowed to know.

It's worth noting that the total profit of Maple Leaf Holdings' sixteen financial companies is US$19.575 billion.

This is total profit, not total revenue; they are two completely different things.

However, as soon as Wang Duoyu finished speaking, Tong Jianwei, Kang Yumin, and Zhao Guobin were all dumbfounded, their expressions completely out of control.

The revenue figures in the domestic market are decent, barely acceptable, but the overseas market has achieved a total revenue of 3 billion US dollars, and the profit must have exceeded 1 billion US dollars, right?

Based on the current exchange rate, the profit exceeds 3.5 billion RMB, and the profit in the domestic market must also exceed 500 million RMB, or at the very least 300 to 400 million RMB.

If we round it up, then Want Want Group earned at least 4 billion RMB in 1985.

No wonder they're so arrogant, actually offering to fund the construction of a highway.

Two years ago, Wang Duoyu was not very willing, but this year he took the initiative to propose it and even asked Want Want Group to fund all the expenses.

Goodness, what a boastful tone!

However, Want Want Group does indeed have such strength.

"Okay, we support you!"

Kang Yumin suddenly spoke up:
"Professor Wang, although I don't understand, I support you. I will do my best to support you and ensure that every penny of your funds is used for this highway."

Tong Jianwei remained silent, but Zhao Guobin also shared his opinion.

At this point, of course we should support Wang Duoyu's decision, because it is more beneficial than harmful to Bingcheng.

Regardless of whether the highway itself is actually useful, the Want Want Group invested two to three billion RMB to build this road, and ultimately Harbin will benefit from it.

It has many benefits for promoting the local economic development of Harbin.

Although using this money to build ordinary gravel roads or cement roads could allow for the construction of several roads of the same length, which would actually benefit Harbin more.

The problem is, it's definitely not feasible for Harbin to pay for this money itself.

Despite the fact that over the past few months, Bingcheng Bank and Jianghai Securities have made a total of 1.91 billion US dollars investing in the Japanese yen overseas.

The problem is that the money has already been allocated. In addition to keeping some funds to continue generating more money, it also needs to be invested in other projects, such as the construction of urban infrastructure services in Harbin itself.

Nineteen billion US dollars seems like a lot, but in reality, it would be very difficult for Tong Jianwei and his team to use that money to invest in more than four hundred kilometers of gravel or cement roads.

After Zhao Guobin finished expressing his opinion, Tong Jianwei also expressed his support.

At this point, the three giants of Harbin reached a consensus, and Wang Duoyu achieved his goal.

Want Want Group was responsible for funding, financial auditing and supervision, as well as the procurement of some materials. In Harbin, Kang Yu-min personally took charge as the leader of the project team and formed the leadership team for the expressway project.

The specific construction contractor was not a local construction company in Harbin, but rather a company that competed for the contract from construction companies across the country.

Therefore, this requires cooperation with construction companies in places like Shanghai, Beijing, or Guangzhou.

Why not search locally?
Because he didn't trust Wang Duoyu, he didn't want to create a highway that was just a vanity project.

Spending money but not getting a high-quality highway is a recipe for disaster.

Wang Duoyu wanted to directly ask the construction companies from Harbin Institute of Technology to help with the construction, but the problem was that they were simply too busy to keep up.

Because Harbin Institute of Technology's new campus is still under construction and renovation, and there are other projects in Harbin, none of these organizations have available time.

Otherwise, Wang Duoyu wouldn't have known to have to find construction companies from all over the country.

The project can start now, and Wang Duoyu will definitely pay attention to this, because he returns to his hometown of Dahonggou Village for holidays such as the Spring Festival and Qingming Festival.

And most importantly, many employees of Want Want Group frequently travel between Harbin and Dahonggou Village.

This is because many of Lao Wang's relatives work at Want Want Group, as do many villagers from Dahonggou Village, Qingshan Township, or Shuanghe County.

Therefore, these people are all supervisors.

On the other hand, Want Want Group has long established a relevant reporting and supervision mechanism. People can report any related issues, and there is a fee for reporting.

Once verified, the whistleblower will receive a reward, and their rights will be protected; the information related to the whistleblower will not be made public.

After the highway project, Wang Duoyu's life finally returned to peace.

At this time, the Spring Festival was not far away.

The final exam week at Harbin Institute of Technology was drawing to a close, but on the 22nd, Qiu Chengtong and his classmates came to see Wang Duoyu to discuss their papers.

"Professor Wang, you seem to have been unusually quiet for the past six months. You haven't published a single paper. To be honest, how much have you been hiding?"

Charles Feufman was the first to speak out, expressing his "great dissatisfaction" with Wang Duoyu's failure to publish any papers over the past six months.

"Yes, Professor Wang, your students have published more than twenty papers in the past six months, and several of them are of very high quality."

These are Daniel Gray's words, not a accusation, but they do express doubt and confusion about Wang Duoyu's work recently.

David Bryant Manford also said with a smile:

"I'm just an old man they dragged along to make up the numbers. To be honest, I'm not really interested in why you haven't published any papers, but I respect your choice."

"However, I hope that when you communicate with us, you won't hide anything from us."

Wang Duoyu looked at the group of people and smiled:
"David, do you think I hid anything from our previous conversation?"

Is he hiding something?
No, absolutely.

Why would he hide it from David Bryant?

Since the other party wasn't a scholar researching the functor hypothesis, he had no reason to hide it.

Recently, Wang Duoyu has been very busy and hasn't had much time to devote to the research on the functor conjecture.

It was only after finishing the highway construction project that he finally had some free time.

But his leisure time isn't entirely leisurely.

It can only be said that he is putting into practice the concept of balancing work and rest.

The passing of both Lu Jiaxi and Hua Luogeng had a profound impact on Wang Duoyu.

He even felt that the reason he traveled to this time and space in his previous life was probably because he was too anxious and a workaholic in his previous life.

"Let's not talk about that, Professor Wang. We're not here to interrogate you, but to have a discussion."

John Milnor interrupted:

"When you last visited the Institute for Advanced Study, you mentioned to me about nontrivial and irreducible representations, whose corresponding Artin L-functions are holomorphic functions."

Wang Duoyu had previously visited the Harbin Institute of Advanced Studies and spent several days exchanging ideas with the people there, including discussing the holomorphic function with John Milnor.

"So, do you have any new ideas now?" Wang Duoyu immediately asked, grabbing the large blackboard next to him and starting to write formulas.

Robert Langlands, Shing-Tung Yau, Charles Feifman, and others immediately listened intently.

(End of this chapter)