Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 29 Misdirected Documents

The summer sun of Shenzhen slanted into the living room. Xu Mingyuan looked at the city skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, his fingers unconsciously stroking the keys to his new house.

He bought the house less than six months ago and originally planned to bring his wife and children from North America to live there after his company stabilized, but now he has to sell it.

The real estate agent was dressed in a sharp suit, and the tips of his leather shoes gleamed on the off-white cashmere carpet in the living room.

He smiled and handed over the assessment report: "Mr. Xu! You have a good eye. This location is now a newly planned commercial area in Shenzhen. I conservatively estimate it can sell for 150 million to 180 million."

Xu Mingyuan paused, his hand holding the report trembling, his voice tinged with surprise.

"It was only 120 million six months ago."

The agent nodded and pointed to the subway line under construction outside the window.

"Look, the planned transfer station is right downstairs. In two years, this apartment..."

He suddenly stopped talking, noticing that Xu Mingyuan's brows were slightly furrowed, and quickly changed to a gentler tone.

"Of course, if you're in a hurry to sell now, you can list it for 160 million and it will be sold within a week."

The clock in the living room ticked away. Xu Mingyuan stared at the empty TV wall, realizing he hadn't even properly decorated his new home yet.

He waved his hand bitterly: "Then please hang it up!"

The agent keenly sensed the dejection in his tone, and without lingering any longer, quickly packed up the documents.

"Okay, Mr. Xu, then I'll list it for sale at 160 million. I'll let you know as soon as I have any updates. Goodbye!"

The door closed so softly it was like a feather falling to the ground. Xu Mingyuan slumped onto the sofa, staring blankly at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

160 million!
After deducting the shortfall from the partners' withdrawal of investment, the remaining money was not even enough to keep the company running for three months.

He was staring blankly at the blank wall in the living room when his phone vibrated on the coffee table.

He glanced at the screen and saw the caller ID displaying "Professor Jiang," took a deep breath, and answered the phone.

Professor Jiang's voice seemed to carry the composure unique to a laboratory mentor.

"Mingyuan! I've heard you've been having a lot of trouble lately. BTD is working on solid-state batteries. Perhaps I can help you connect with them and discuss a technology collaboration?"

Xu Mingyuan gripped the sofa armrests tightly. The wind outside the window whistled through the mesh window, and he heard his voice choke slightly.

"Haha! Teacher Jiang! I'm so grateful to you!"

Professor Jiang, his former teacher, was willing to offer help in his time of need, which moved Xu Mingyuan to the point of being at a loss for words.

After hanging up the phone, he immediately dialed the company secretary's number.

"Xiao Zhang! Go to my office and mail that battery information document to me. I'll send you the contact person and address via text message later."

Ten minutes later, the secretary stood in front of Xu Mingyuan's desk and immediately saw the document in the center that read "A New Type of Gaseous Lithium-ion Battery Production Process Path".

She hurriedly stuffed the documents into the same-city parcel bag given to her by the courier. As she turned around, the wind she stirred up lifted a corner of a report on the right side of her desk, and she could vaguely see the words "Verification Report of Solid-State Battery Cathode Material" on the cover.

The courier responsible for same-city delivery received the secretary's package and immediately began delivering it to her.

The Shenzhen National Key Laboratory of New Energy is located in the heart of the science park. The silver-gray buildings resemble a series of precisely arranged battery modules, surrounding the main laboratory.

The photovoltaic panels on the exterior wall of the main laboratory gleam with a deep blue luster in the sunlight, exuding a sense of technology.

The glass windows of the surrounding buildings reflect the blue sky and white clouds, and through the windows, you can vaguely see researchers in white protective suits moving around in the corridors.

Professor Jiang's office is located in a corner on the third floor of the main laboratory building. Two potted green plants are placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and several research manuscripts that have been revised again and again are on the desk.

Beside him, besides the professional books on the bookshelf, there was also a complete set of three rosewood teaware and a tea set. When Professor Jiang had free time to rest, he liked to quietly brew and enjoy tea. At 3:15 p.m., the red phone inside the security room rang: "Professor Jiang! You have a same-city express package."

Professor Jiang took off his reading glasses and rubbed his temples.

He had just finished a phone call with the technical director at BTD, who showed a subtle interest in Xu Mingyuan.

Back in North America, Xu Mingyuan studied under Richard Harding, a leading figure in the field of solid-state batteries, and he himself holds a PhD in materials science from MIT. He is a rare talent in the field of solid-state batteries.

Now that BTD is starting to expand into the solid-state battery field, its technical director will naturally be interested in talents like Xu Mingyuan who have expertise in solid-state batteries.

Even if the other party doesn't accept the offer, BTD wouldn't mind cooperating if they could demonstrate certain technical capabilities. Let's take it slow and build a foundation of mutual trust first.

In reality, this was Professor Jiang's naive idea. The technical director on the other end didn't care who Professor Jiang was introducing; he still wanted to meet him and give face to this dual academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

As Professor Jiang walked through the corridor, he encountered several graduate students carrying experimental equipment and casually asked about the latest test data for sodium ion cathode materials.

He is a staunch opponent of ternary (polymer) lithium batteries and has publicly criticized Ningde, the industry leader in lithium batteries, for its "energy density-only" approach.

Hmm! 25 years later, Ningde actually announced that it had taken the path of sodium-ion solid-state batteries. It has to be said that this was a boomerang.

There are two impossible triangles in the battery industry: one is battery technology, and the other is battery industrialization.

Battery technology aspects: energy density, charging speed, and cycle life.

In terms of battery industrialization: performance, cost, and safety.

High-energy-density fast-charging lithium batteries inevitably result in low cycle life.

High-performance, low-cost lithium batteries inevitably raise safety concerns.

At that time, the only large-scale lithium mining area in China was Haiqing Salt Lake.

In 2010, unlike later years when China controlled more than 60% of the world's lithium mines, its patents in the industrial chain and deep processing accounted for nearly 90% of the market share.

This is already unparalleled globally, placing it in an absolute leading position.

Currently, China's lithium battery industry does not hold such a prominent position globally. Professor Jiang's opposition to lithium batteries, fearing being held hostage by others, and his advocacy for the development of low-pollution sodium-ion batteries, cannot be considered wrong.

However, with the nation and most domestic battery companies clearly betting on lithium-ion batteries, Professor Jiang, who insisted on developing low-pollution sodium-ion batteries, gradually fell out of favor in the national laboratory.

Of course, due to the later dispute between Ningde and BTD regarding solid-state battery routes, Professor Jiang still has a chance to return to the mainstream.

However, now that lithium battery circuitry is a done deal, Professor Jiang feels he has no chance, which inevitably makes him somewhat frustrated.

He now realizes that sodium-ion batteries have no future, but he still wants to give Xu Mingyuan, his former student, a helping hand.

Mingyuan is a stubborn boy. Years ago, when he came to my office to have tea with me, he was from the north, so I couldn't leave his teacup there. Professor Jiang, on the other hand, is from the south.
Then, with bloated bellies and the urge to urinate, the two of them drank tea for the entire afternoon.

In the end, this stubborn young man became Professor Jiang's prized student. After graduation, Professor Jiang personally recommended him to study at Masheng University of Technology, hoping that he would surpass his teacher.

Now that Xu Mingyuan has returned to China to start his business, he has encountered setbacks. It's unclear whether there's anything of value in his documents.

It's worth noting that BTD also has many experts in the field of solid-state batteries. If Xu Mingyuan can't offer something of value, they might not be willing to cooperate with him.

Cooperation—that must be based on equal technological capabilities.

"Look! Professor Jiang is here!" Old Wang from the security office pointed to the deliveryman.

"Hello, sir! This is Jiang Huaijin. Where's the package?"

In front of the metal cabinet in the security room, the deliveryman checked the tracking number and handed the document he had retrieved from the secretary of Yuantu New Energy to Professor Jiang.

(End of this chapter)