Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 116 Technological Guardian - Liu Mingzhen

At the arrival hall of Pudong Airport, Lei Jun greeted him with open arms.

"Mr. Chen! Since we parted ways in Shenzhen, you've pulled off another big heist!"

Behind him were two men: Bai Qilin, wearing a plaid shirt, was a little dull, while Lu Shiwa, dressed in a sharp suit, nodded slightly to Chen Mo.

Lei Jun had just arrived from Shenzhen, and after talking with Gao Tong, he had to go behind closed doors to develop a new machine.

"Mr. Lei is quick on his feet too!" Chen Mo smiled and shook hands with the two. "The top product manager and R&D director in Shenzhen, your new phone hasn't even been released yet, and you've already assembled the perfect duo?"

He feigned distress: "My orange R&D team is still nowhere in sight!"

Lei Jun patted him on the shoulder: "President Chen, don't be modest! Orange 1 is selling like hotcakes in rural towns, and we've also secured Nietzsche's direct sales channels. Why are you pretending to be an outsider?"

"Who doesn't know that you, Mr. Chen, handle everything from marketing and technology to product development? Aside from having children, what don't you know?"

"Haha~" x5
Amidst laughter and cheers, the group walked toward the convoy.

The crystal chandelier in the private room was dazzling.

Chen Mo took a sip of tea: "I have an appointment with Ms. Lu from Morgan Stanley at the Bund Source at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Lei Jun immediately raised his glass: "President Chen! I'll remember this favor!"

As Chen Mo left to go to the restroom, Lei Junfeng suddenly leaned over and asked him a question.

"Attorney Lin, have you never thought about starting your own firm? Someone as skilled as you, who is well-versed in both Chinese and American patent and business rules, is wasting your talents by staying in a patent company."

Lin Junfeng lightly twirled the teacup with his fingertips and said with a smile, "I am honored by President Lei's kind words, but the time is not yet ripe."

The sound of the doorknob turning came, and Lei Jun instantly switched to a smiling face.

"Mr. Chen, you're back just in time! Try this place's drunken crab!"

next day
Bund Source, a high-end coffee shop.

Soft jazz music flows through the air, and outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a bustling view of the Huangpu River.

Chen Mo introduced Lei Jun to Lu Qingyue, who had been waiting for him.

"Miss Lu, this is Mr. Lei Jun, CEO of Lei Jun's company," Chen Mo introduced.

"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Lu!" Lei Jun's polite tone carried a hint of barely perceptible eagerness.

After the two were seated and exchanged brief pleasantries, Lei Jun explained his purpose.

"Ms. Lu, I'm taking the liberty of asking Mr. Chen to make this connection because I need your help. I'd like to establish direct contact with a powerful VP at Gaotong's North American headquarters, and I hope to bypass Mr. Wang from the Asia-Pacific region!"

Chen Mo added at the opportune moment, "Mr. Lei's new project requires the most crucial chip support, and time is of the essence. We hope Ms. Lu can act as a bridge."

Lu Qingyue picked up the exquisite bone china coffee cup, took a small sip, glanced at Lei Busi and Chen Mo, and then nodded calmly.

"Mr. Lei, I can help you with this. I will arrange for someone to communicate with the North American side."

Lei Jun's face immediately lit up with joy, and he thanked him repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Lu! You've been a great help! Also, I'm currently preparing to start a business in the smartphone industry. If Morgan Stanley is interested in our seed round, they are welcome to come to Beijing to inspect my team at any time."

Lu Qingyue nodded slightly: "We will pay attention to President Lei's project, however..."

She changed the subject and looked at Chen Mo: "I have some things I'd like to discuss with Mr. Chen alone. What do you think, Mr. Lei?"

Lei Jun immediately understood and very tactfully got up.

"Understood, understood! You two chat, I have some other plans. Mr. Chen, Ms. Lu, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Only Chen Mo and Lu Qingyue remained sitting opposite each other at the coffee table.

Lu Qingyue put down her coffee cup and got straight to the point, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

"Mr. Chen, if I may be frank, your scientific research talent, especially your keen insight in the field of batteries, is truly impressive. Gaseous lithium batteries are a technology that has the potential to change the global energy landscape. Why not concentrate all your efforts and resources on Yuancheng New Energy?"

Her gaze was sharp, as if she could see right through people's hearts.

"Human energy is ultimately limited; it's too difficult to succeed in every field."

Chen Mo smiled, a hint of sharpness and a touch of amusement in his expression.

"What if? What if I get lucky and succeed on every track?"

Lu Qingyue did not accept this assumption; she was clearly not there to debate the possibilities with Chen Mo.

She gracefully took a document from her briefcase and pushed it in front of Chen Mo: "Mr. Chen, take a look at this."

Chen Mo picked up the document with a puzzled look. The cover read "China's Equipment Department's Second Batch of Equipment Procurement White List for 2010".

He opened it, and inside were densely packed company names and product lists.

"Miss Lu, what's going on?" Chen Mo raised his eyebrows, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Mr. Chen! Look carefully. Item 25!"

Lu Qingyue's finger lightly tapped on the document.

Chen Mo's gaze followed her direction and quickly moved downwards. When he saw that familiar name, his pupils contracted slightly.

【25. Yuancheng New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. - Gaseous Lithium Batteries - Procurement Code: CND2010895499】

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly turning sharp as knives as he stared intently at Lu Qingyue.

"Miss Lu, where did this list come from?" His voice deepened, carrying a scrutinizing tone.

Although the two are familiar with each other, he will not be polite if the other party does not abide by the rules of our country, even if he is from Morgan Stanley.

Lu Qingyue met his gaze, a confident smile still playing on her lips.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen. According to the 'Regulations on Competitive Procurement of Equipment' in China, except for specific qualification information involving core national secrets (such as Level 1 and Level 2 confidentiality qualifications), which will not be disclosed to the public,"

According to regulations, procurement shortlisting information for ordinary private enterprises should be made public and transparent, but...

She paused for a moment: "Ordinary businesses and individuals rarely pay attention to these things on their own initiative."

Chen Mo then realized that he had overreacted and felt a little embarrassed.

He picked up his coffee and took a sip to calm himself down, deciding to stop beating around the bush.

"I see, I misunderstood. So, Miss Lu, what is your intention in showing me this?"

Lu Qingyue leaned forward slightly, exuding an even more professional and assertive aura.

"President Chen should be well aware of what it means for Yuancheng's name to appear on this whitelist."

"This basically means that the path for foreign institutions like Morgan Stanley to directly invest in Yuancheng New Energy is no longer viable."

Chen Mo was actually slightly relieved, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he revealed a just-right hint of regret.

"That's such a pity. Yuan Cheng can only express his regret to Miss Lu and Da Mo."

“No need for regret!” Lu Qingyue raised an eyebrow slightly, with a calm and composed air about him: “President Chen, we have a second way of cooperating.”

"Oh?" Chen Mo put down his coffee cup, pretending to be all ears: "I'd like to hear more details."

Lu Qingyue's voice carried a highly seductive and persuasive quality.

“I know Mr. Chen is wary of foreign capital, which is normal. But we are a long-term investor and not as aggressive as Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley can patiently wait for Yuancheng to grow, and what we can bring to Yuancheng is far more than just initial funding.”

In Chen Mo's eyes, Goldman Sachs is a wolf, brazenly displaying the fangs of capital, while Morgan Stanley is a hyena, always ready to perform anal surgery on you from behind.

"We can provide strong resource integration capabilities!"

"For example, helping Far Orange acquire the most advanced silicon-carbon composite anode material technology from Japan's Sanyang, the most advanced ceramic coating membrane technology from South Korea's Sanjing, the precise laser welding and packaging equipment from North American company A124, and even the core algorithm BMS from Germany's Siemens to optimize the battery management system."

"Imagine what kind of qualitative change would occur if these world-leading technologies were integrated into your gaseous lithium battery?"

Her vision was incredibly compelling.

"This could truly make gaseous lithium batteries the dawn of a new energy era!"

And we at Morgan Stanley can help Far Orange become the 'Standard Oil' (petrochemical trust) of this new era, the 'Edison Electric' (electricity monopolist) of the new energy field, and the rule-maker!
And you, Mr. Chen, will become the godfather who ushers in this new energy era; the title of 'Father of Gaseous Lithium Batteries' will be etched into the history of human technological civilization!

Lu Qingyue talked for a long time about helping this and that, making it sound like Morgan Stanley was doing charity work. To put it bluntly, he was just secretly using Yuan Cheng and Chen Mo to make empty promises and then exploit them.

Chen Mo admitted that the scene Lu Qingyue described made his heart race.

If those cutting-edge technologies could be applied to gaseous lithium batteries, a leap in performance would be almost inevitable.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement—so what if we can't compete with the Level 2 and Level 3 system development? There's still Level 4 and Level 5 development!

He refused to believe that Yuancheng's future couldn't be supported by its own "research and development." "Miss Lu's vision of the future is very tempting!" Chen Mo's voice returned to calm: "However, since Yuancheng has already entered the Equipment Department's procurement whitelist, then the capital cooperation with Morgan Stanley is probably truly a case of being destined to miss out."

"Moreover," he paused, his gaze firm, "my positioning of Yuancheng has always been very clear."

"It's not some new-era standard oil, nor is it an energy giant. Its core value lies in serving as a 'helper' for Orange phones, providing the most crucial battery support to ensure Orange phones' competitiveness in the market. That's all!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Qingyue's eyes, as if she hadn't expected Chen Mo to so readily reject such an opportunity that could change the world.

She further argued, "President Chen, being included on the whitelist isn't an absolute ban on foreign investment. It's just an unspoken rule, not a hard and fast rule. As long as we handle things properly and conduct emergency public relations..."

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs hold a special position among domestic and foreign investors. They were among the first foreign financial institutions to obtain domestic securities qualifications by acquiring a batch of "highly promising" domestic stocks and securities. There are unspoken rules that allow for such flexibility.

“No need, Miss Lu!” Chen Mo interrupted her directly, his tone gentle but leaving no room for argument.

He stood up: "I am very proud that Yuancheng's gaseous lithium batteries have been recognized by the country and included in this list. This at least proves that I can make a small contribution to the country's development, and that's enough!"

Chen Mo extended his hand to politely say goodbye.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Lu, for the coffee and suggestions today. If you ever come to Shenzhen in the future, please remember to contact me, and I will definitely do my best to be a good host."

Lu Qingyue looked at Chen Mo's outstretched hand, then glanced at his calm yet unusually firm eyes, and finally stood up and shook hands with him politely.

Chen Mo nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to leave the coffee shop.

Lu Qingyue stood there, watching Chen Mo's tall figure disappear through the door, and fell silent for a moment.

The aroma of the coffee seemed to have faded somewhat.

She gently stroked the whitelist file, and for the first time, she began to doubt her own psychological profiling team.

Their analysis of Chen Mo seems to be a bit too biased.

This man's reaction today was far more complex and resolute than he had shown in the past.

At the Shenzhen National Laboratory, the electrically operated folding doors slowly opened.

Chen Mo drove in in a black Mercedes-Benz S600 (W221), rolled down the window, and revealed his hand as he handed over the pass.

As Old Wang from the security office swiped his card to let the car through, he couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the gleaming luxury vehicle.

"Wow, Mr. Chen is really something! Last time he came, he was squeezed in the back of a small truck hauling supplies, and now he's driving a Mercedes-Benz!"

Old Wang's tone was full of amazement and a hint of envy.

Chen Mo smiled, didn't say much, and found a parking space to park.

He came today to pick up his senior colleague Liu Jiping, who had been training in the lab for almost half a month.

To reach the main laboratory building, you need to pass through a long connecting corridor.

Just around the corner of the connecting corridor, Chen Mo heard familiar voices—it was Senior Sister Liu and Professor Jiang talking in hushed tones.

Their conversation was clearly transmitted:

Liu Mingzhen: "Teacher Jiang, Ningde is moving very fast. They missed the 'nitride' path for oranges and are now betting everything on 'sodium ion' solid-state batteries. President Zeng has personally visited you three times to ask you to come out of retirement. Are you really going?"

Professor Jiang's voice carried a complex mix of emotions, including regret and a renewed fighting spirit.

"Yes, Ning has really gone all out this time. Let's not talk about my past grievances with President Zeng!"

Professor Jiang once publicly criticized Ningde, an industry leader, for the risk of thermal runaway caused by its "energy density-only" approach. Ningde's efforts in the industrial sector directly marginalized his "sodium ion" technology, forcing Professor Jiang to return to research institutions.

The feud between the two parties was resolved after President Zeng made three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage.

"I've been researching sodium ions for half my life, and I thought I'd have to keep it all to myself. But now I have this opportunity. So what if I'm 58? It's time to take a chance!"

"I promised President Zeng that I would take charge of their sodium-ion solid-state battery project."

Liu Mingzhen paused for a moment, his voice low.

"With your departure, the position of director of the third laboratory will be vacant. I thought so."

Professor Jiang sighed: "Mingzhen, I know your abilities and expectations, but I also regret that someone was parachuted in from the institute."

Liu Mingzhen adjusted his glasses, his tone becoming calm and firm.

“Professor Jiang, you know my goal is to become the first female academician candidate born in the 90s in China before I turn 35. Time is too precious for me.”

"Since there is no suitable position or room for development in the laboratory, I have received a formal invitation from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China to serve as a professor. Today, I have come to say goodbye!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo, who was hiding behind a pillar in the corridor, felt his heart leap into his throat!
Senior Sister Liu Mingzhen—she's a true research giant in the field of materials energy science!
Yuancheng's laboratory is currently lacking such a pillar; Xu Mingyuan's energy is focused on management, while Senior Brother Liu is still developing.
If we could persuade Yuan Cheng to continue improving the gaseous lithium battery, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

Without further hesitation, he immediately stepped out from behind the pillar, his face displaying just the right amount of surprise and enthusiasm.

"Teacher Jiang! Senior Sister Liu! What a coincidence!"

Professor Jiang and Liu Mingzhen both turned to look at him, somewhat surprised.

Chen Mo strode forward, first politely greeting Professor Jiang, then looking intently at Liu Mingzhen.

"Senior Sister Liu, I overheard a bit earlier that you're going to the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. That's such a pity! A top talent like you is exactly the kind of talent that Yuancheng is looking for!"

"Senior sister, would you be interested in considering working for Yuancheng as the head of our battery lab? You can name your own requirements. Yuancheng will fully support your research and do everything in its power to help you achieve your dream of being elected as an academician!"

Liu Mingzhen looked at Chen Mo, who had suddenly appeared, and a scrutinizing look flashed in her almond-shaped eyes. She did not answer immediately.

Chen Mo knew that enthusiasm alone wouldn't work; he had to deliver something tangible.

He said sincerely, "Senior sister, I know your concerns. It is indeed more difficult for candidates from enterprises to be elected as academicians than those from universities and research institutes. The proportion is smaller, the age is also older, and there are even fewer women. These are all problems."

Liu Mingzhen nodded slightly; this was one of her biggest concerns.

“Since Junior Brother Chen is aware of this, he should also know that the independence and value of the scientific research achievements I have made in the company are easily questioned during the academician selection process.”

"Moreover," she glanced at Chen Mo, "gaseous lithium batteries are your field. Even if I achieve something, the spotlight will inevitably be taken away, which is not the best option for me to compete for academician."

Chen Mo immediately said seriously, "Senior Sister, you are mistaken!"

First, although there are many candidates from universities and research institutes, the competition is extremely fierce. You may be a genius, but the other candidates are equally outstanding.

Secondly, if you join, I can assure you that you will be the sole and absolute head of the independent laboratory, with complete autonomy over scientific research.

Besides providing you with the research and technical directions you need and sufficient funding, I and the management of Far Orange will never interfere with your specific projects, nor will we deprive you of any credit or authorship of your research results.

All your achievements at Far Orange Lab will be clearly engraved with your name, Liu Mingzhen.

What Yuancheng aims to do is clear all obstacles for you, provide the best platform, and let your talent shine!

These words directly address Liu Mingzhen's core demands—an independent platform, undivided research results, and the possibility of becoming an academician candidate.

She is an extremely intelligent and goal-oriented person who quickly weighs the pros and cons in her mind.

While the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) follows the traditional path, the competition is fierce. Starting as a professor is a long way off from becoming an academician.

Although Yuancheng is low-key, it is backed by the rapidly developing new energy sector in China, and Chen Mo's promise has given it an independent kingdom-like laboratory and full support.

She adjusted her glasses, her sharp gaze fixed on Chen Mo, as if to confirm the sincerity in his words.

A few seconds later, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she extended her hand to Chen Mo.

“Junior Brother Chen, you are good at seizing opportunities and persuading people. Okay, I promise you. I hope that Yuancheng can truly become a help to me in achieving my goals, just as you said.”

Chen Mo was overjoyed and immediately grasped Liu Mingzhen's hand tightly.

"Senior Sister Liu! Welcome to Yuancheng! You will never regret your choice today!"

Liu Mingzhen, one of the "Seven Tech Guardians" of the Orange Group, makes his debut as the leader of Orange's No. 1 Divine Weapon.

Protector of Far Orange Technology: Liu Mingzhen
Education

University of Bristol: Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (first in the entire department, the king of exam papers who crushes top students).
Cambridge University: Master of Industrial Systems Manufacturing (While others complete a master's degree in three years, she earned all the credits in one year, making it a "fast-track master's program").
Niu Jing University: PhD in Photovoltaics (graduated in three years in a flash; advisor: Is this even possible for a human to achieve?)

[Scientific Research Achievements]

Nature Energy's triple whammy: three core papers shattered the field's ceiling, and the proposed "microscopic energy release from flat heterostructure materials" was selected as one of Nature's Top Ten Breakthroughs of 09 (top 3 in global citations; the webpage's download volume was even more popular than celebrity gossip; Zhai: What is the webpage?).

26 years old, head of a core research group at the Shenzhen National New Energy Laboratory, and a senior researcher in the third laboratory. (Salary: 40-60 RMB)

One of the youngest doctoral supervisors in China, a true rising star in scientific research. (What? You're not my junior!)

Looking at Chen Mo and Liu Mingzhen's clasped hands, Professor Jiang's eyes were filled with complex emotions, which eventually turned into a soft sigh and a sense of relief.

Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams. At least, this girl from the show has found a place where she can freely showcase her talents.

　Writing a concise chapter takes me ages to figure out. I wrote from 19:30 PM to 02:30 AM after get off work, sorry about that! After writing like this for a few days, I felt dazed during the day at work, as if I were separated from the world by an air membrane. Now I write normally, occasionally writing some more suspenseful plots concisely, otherwise I can't keep going like this!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)