King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

February 29, 1992, 2 p.m.

Zhou Yuguang was sitting in his study, reviewing a timing analysis report for the [Pangu II] FPU.

The telephone on the desk rang!

"Old Zhou! It's me! Mingyuan!"

Li Mingyuan's voice on the other end of the phone was slightly trembling, "Come to the ACL main lab immediately! It's extremely important! It's a matter of utmost urgency!"

Zhou Yuguang's heart skipped a beat: "Old Li? What's the rush? Can't it be tomorrow?"

"No! Now! Quickly!"

Li Mingyuan's tone was agitated, "I still need to notify other people, I can't talk to you anymore!" He then hung up the phone.

Zhou Yuguang put down the phone, his brows furrowed.

Li Mingyuan is usually a calm and composed person, so this loss of composure is unprecedented!

He grabbed his coat and wrapped it around himself, then shouted to his wife and daughter in the living room, "Urgent matter at the lab!"

He rushed out of the house, mounted his old bicycle, and headed straight for Tsinghua University.

At this moment, Zhang Wei and He Fan, having finished watching Stephen Chow's "Fight Back to School," walked out of the Caishikou Cinema.

The two arrived at a roadside stall. He Fan was about to ask the stall owner to make two bowls of wontons when Zhang Wei's pager went off.

Zhao Lin's message was displayed on the screen:

"Head to the ACL main lab immediately! Professor Li is calling an emergency meeting to convey important instructions!"

Zhang Wei was taken aback!

He Fan looked at the bewildered Zhang Wei: "What's wrong?"

Zhang Wei nodded: "It was Teacher Li, who said he wanted to convey the spirit..."

He Fan immediately gave him a push: "Then why aren't you going? What are you waiting for? There must be some huge news!"

Upon hearing He Fan's words, Zhang Wei immediately turned around.

He Fan called out from behind him, "It's too late, let's get some noodles! I'll wait for you to come home so we can have a late-night snack together."

Inside the ACL large laboratory.

When Zhou Yuguang arrived, Li Mingyuan and Zhao Lin were already there.

"Old Li, what's up? Why so late at night..."

"It's something very important, you'll find out soon enough!"

Zhou Yuguang surrounded Li Mingyuan, saying, "I rushed over here, couldn't you at least give me a hint?"

Li Mingyuan waved his hand: "No, let's wait until Lin Wei and Zhang Wei arrive before we talk about it."

Zhou Yuguang pressed on: "Then tell me first, is it good news or bad news?"

Li Mingyuan ignored Zhou Yuguang, walking back and forth in the laboratory with his hands behind his back, his eyes seemingly burning with fire.

Just then, Lin Wei and Zhang Wei walked into the laboratory one after the other.

"Alright! Everyone's here, close the door!"

After Li Mingyuan finished speaking, he took out several A4 sheets of paper without a formal letterhead from his bag.

It is clearly a handwritten manuscript.

The door was closed, isolating the outside world.

Li Mingyuan's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Comrades,"

His gaze swept across the room, his tone serious, "Having received instructions from General Manager Chen and Engineer Su, I am here to convey to you the spirit of a speech that is extremely important and of epoch-making significance."

"I should have conveyed this to you tomorrow morning."

"But then I thought, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight, so I might as well drag a few others down with me, so that you won't be able to sleep either."

"Right now, you're probably thinking I, Li Mingyuan, have gone completely mad..."

"It doesn't matter! Once you've heard the message, you should all thank me for letting you hear it sooner."

"Hey Lao Li, when did you start being so slow and indecisive?"

Zhou Yuguang was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

"Stop talking nonsense... Just get to the point!"

Li Mingyuan's face immediately turned serious: "Alright! Then I'll get down to business."

"Before I formally convey this message, I want to emphasize the discipline: the following content is not to be disseminated outside of your immediate vicinity."

"In a few days, everything that needs to be made public will be in the newspapers and on television, so don't take notes. Do you all understand?"

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's words, the people present exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with doubt and tension.

"What's wrong? Did you all hear what I said? Don't spread this outside. Anyone who leaks the news will be punished for violating discipline."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded vigorously.

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath, picked up the handwritten manuscript, and stopped keeping everyone in suspense.

He looked at everyone excitedly and said in a deep voice, "Alright! Listen carefully now! Do you understand...?"

Zhou Yuguang was listening intently when he heard Li Mingyuan say this, and he immediately became furious!

"Old Li, where the hell did you get all this nonsense from? If we knew, would we need you to relay it?"

Li Mingyuan smiled dismissively and continued, "From January 18th to February 21st... he delivered a series of important speeches along the way..."

Swish!

The air in the conference room froze instantly!

Everyone held their breath!

Li Mingyuan continued, "Especially during those ten days from January 19th to 29th..."

At this point, he glanced at everyone again and asked, "Guess what he said?"

Zhou Yuguang could no longer hold back!

"You fucking old Li! What are you keeping me in suspense for?"

He stood up and rushed to Li Mingyuan, reaching out to snatch the handwritten manuscript from his hand.

Li Mingyuan quickly leaned back on the lab bench, tucking his handwritten manuscript behind his back, and loudly read aloud:

"Without developing the economy and improving people's lives, there is only one path: death."

"The basic line must be maintained for a hundred years and cannot be shaken."

Li Mingyuan's voice trembled, yet it carried an unprecedented sense of power.

"The core spirit includes: 'Be bolder and faster in reform and opening up! Once you've identified a clear direction, be bold in trying and venturing into it!'"

……

"For socialism to gain an advantage over capitalism, it must boldly absorb and learn from all the achievements of human civilization."

"Absorb and learn from all the advanced management methods and practices of modern socialized production in countries around the world, including developed capitalist countries."

...

After Li Mingyuan finished speaking in one breath, the laboratory fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone turned their surprised gazes toward Li Mingyuan.

At this moment, Li Mingyuan's face was filled with astonishment as he looked around at everyone...

What happened?

The scene before him was completely different from what he had expected!

Why are they all so dumbfounded?

Zhou Yuguang stepped forward and grabbed Li Mingyuan's arm tightly: "Old Li, do you dare swear to God? Did he really say that?"

This time it was Li Mingyuan's turn to be furious: "You fucking let go of Lao Zhou! You've pinched my arm so hard it hurts."

"Isn't that obvious? Do you think I, Li Mingyuan, would make this up? Or did the higher-ups make it up? Who would have the audacity to say that?!"

...

"That was awesome!"

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's words, Zhou Yuguang immediately released his grip.

He jumped up like a child, clapping enthusiastically: "That was awesome!"

Li Mingyuan laughed and waved his hand, gesturing for Zhou Yuguang to sit down.

"Hey, this is more like it. I thought you guys had all been kicked in the head by donkeys."