Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 20 Patent Agency…

Area C of Nanshan Software Industrial Park.

The midday sun was like a raging fire, relentlessly baking the rows of office buildings. The glass curtain walls were scorching hot, as if they might melt at any moment.

On the street, pedestrians hurried by, walking under the extended sunshades to avoid the scorching heat.

Of course, there are advantages too; there are quite a few pretty young women wearing revealing clothes and carrying parasols.

However, at this time they all looked sickly from being baked by the sun and had little energy.

Chen Mo jumped off the motorcycle. Even though the wind was blowing all the way, the back of his T-shirt was still soaked with sweat and clung to his body in a wrinkled mess.

"Master!" Chen Mo pulled out a twenty-yuan note from his wallet: "Exactly 20 yuan!"

Then, he raised his hand and tugged at his collar, trying to cool himself down a bit, before handing the gray-blue helmet he had put on his head to the motorcycle taxi driver who was leaning against the electric scooter.

The middle-aged motorcycle taxi driver took the helmet, a kind smile spreading across his weathered face. When he opened his mouth, a toothless gum was revealed.

He glanced at the brown paper bag of patent documents that Chen Mo was holding, still warm from the printer, and said with a smile, "Young man! Judging from your posture, you're going to do something big. If it works out, remember to patronize my business!"

Chen Mo smiled and replied, "Alright! Master! Thank you for your kind words. If this really works out, I'll come to you every time I go out!"

Actually, Chen Mo was just being modest; he knew the truth in his heart.

This is a core technology patent that has been proven in the development path of smartphones in later generations, so he naturally maintains the utmost optimism.

After the motorcycle taxi driver rode away, Chen Mo fanned himself with the documents and turned to walk towards the office building covered with company logos.

At this moment, the still-warm kraft paper bag in his arms contained more than 80 A4 sheets of paper printed with patent information.

That was the core patent for the smartphone that Chen Mo had painstakingly compiled by spending three whole hours at the print shop, relying on his memories from his previous life.

The print shop owner rolled his eyes as he watched Chen Mo's satisfied retreating figure, inwardly criticizing him:
That guy finally got out of here! He'd been holed up here for three hours, treating me like some kind of octopus monster! If he hadn't left, my hands would have broken. I'm just trying to earn a meager living, and you think you can kill me?!

Under the watchful eyes of two security guards at the entrance, Chen Mo walked into Building 1, where the white floor tiles were so reflective that his image was clearly visible. The cool air from the air conditioner hit him, and he instantly felt much more refreshed.

Having worked as a factory worker in his previous life, Chen Mo was not intimidated and walked straight to the reception desk in the lobby on the first floor.

Behind the reception desk, two young girls in light blue uniforms stood up in unison, like twin flowers.

The young woman on the left wore a professional smile and asked softly, "Sir! Is there anything I can help you with?"

Chen Mo nodded: "I'm here to apply for a patent!"

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in the eyes of the two girls.

"Sir! What type of patent are you applying for?" the receptionist on the left asked politely.

Chen Mo thought for a moment: "They're probably some patents related to smartphones!" Then he placed the brown paper bag horizontally on the reception desk.

"So you need patents in the field of electronic technology. We need you to submit the relevant materials first, and then we will send you a technical examiner in the corresponding field!"

"Oh!" Chen Mo nodded and pushed the brown paper bag to the left of the reception desk.

The receptionist on the left nodded slightly, extended her beautiful hands, her long, crescent-shaped white nails covering the kraft paper bag, and politely and professionally took away the patent documents that Chen Mo had brought.

"What is your surname, sir?" The receptionist on the left asked Chen Mo politely and methodically, tapping the walkie-talkie lightly with her fingertips.

"Chen!" Chen Mo emphasized simply, "Chen from Erdong!"

"Okay, Mr. Chen! Please wait a moment!" The receptionist on the left said to the one on the right, "Xiao Zhou! Take Mr. Chen to conference room C203. I'll have Sister Shen come and get the documents. Go to the technical department and find Engineer Zhang."

The girl on the right side of the front desk reached out and opened the door to the reception desk, then came out to lead Chen Mo the way.

"Mr. Chen! Please come with me!" the girl called Xiao Zhou said crisply, "The technician in charge of patent review will be here soon!"

Chen Mo nodded and followed behind her at a leisurely pace, still able to faintly hear her voice.

The girl at the front desk was holding a brown paper bag and communicating through a buzzing walkie-talkie, asking Sister Shen across the hall to come to the front desk.

Along the way, Chen Mo looked around the interior of the office building. It was decorated in a very modern style, with various high-tech decorative paintings hanging on the walls.

Soon, they arrived at conference room C203.

Pushing open the door, Chen Mo found that the meeting room was not large, less than ten square meters. There were stickers on the walls that read "Patent Search System Operation Guide", which emitted a faint glow under the soft lighting.

A conference table occupied most of the room, with several chairs placed around it.

"Mr. Chen, please have some water!"

"Okay! You can leave it there for now!"

On the table, Xiao Zhou, the receptionist, placed a disposable paper cup filled with hot water.

The air conditioning in the conference room was on full blast, and the steam from the paper cups rose up, forming a hazy mist.

Chen Mo walked to the table and sat down, staring at the slogan "Patents Protect Innovation" written in artistic font on the cup, with the agency's logo above it.

Xiao Zhou stood there blankly, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes darting around. Without any further instructions from Sasha, she didn't know what to do next.

We can't just leave Mr. Chen here and go back to the front desk ourselves!

Help! What should I do next?!

Hey, shut up! Say something already!

For a moment, the C203 conference room fell silent, with the faint sound of airflow from the central air conditioning ducts overhead barely audible.

Seeing her like this, Chen Mo smiled and came to her rescue.

"You're new to the workforce, right? Don't be nervous!"

Xiao Zhou nodded hurriedly, her voice slightly timid, but she still remembered some of the standard phrases Sasha had taught her: "Yes! I haven't been here long, and I'm not very familiar with the work yet. Please forgive me if I haven't been very attentive!"

Chen Mo waved his hand, looked at the patent search guide on the wall, and said, "Your company must have a lot of people handling patent applications, right?"

When asked about her familiar work, Xiao Zhou seemed to relax a bit and opened up the conversation.

"Yes! We have a lot of customers every day. I'm not very familiar with the reception process, so I'm responsible for showing the customers the way."

Chen Mo picked up the paper cup, took a sip of water, and pointed to the words on the cup: "It's quite an idea to print this slogan on a cup. I've applied for a patent for core smartphone technology, and I hope it will be approved smoothly."

Xiao Zhou asked curiously, "That must be amazing! Mr. Chen, you're incredible!"

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. I hope it will work out!"

(End of this chapter)