Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

After the meal, Lin Miaomiao took him to the hotel she had booked.

The drive wasn't long, and the city lights of the night flashed past the car window. The conversation between the two became fragmented and brief, occasionally falling into a silence that was not awkward but rather filled with a certain tacit understanding.

Only the car's music played soothing melodies, as if it were telling them their unspoken thoughts.

The hotel is located in the High-tech Zone, and is clean and quiet.

The car came to a stop, she turned off the engine, and after the low hum of the engine disappeared, an amplified silence instantly enveloped the car. They could hear each other's breathing, lightly mingling.

Lin Miaomiao's hands remained on the steering wheel, her fingertips tapping lightly twice unconsciously, as if she were considering something. She turned her head, light and shadow swirling in her eyes: "Haoran, I'm so glad you could come."

"I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning." His tone sounded a little reluctant. "Let's go check out the R&D center first."

Jiang Haoran hesitated for a moment, looking at the profile of her face softly outlined by the streetlights outside the window, before finally speaking, "Would it be inconvenient for me to visit the R&D center? After all, it's core technology..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Miaomiao's lips curved into a sweet and playful smile: "Haoran, you've provided us with so many crucial suggestions and technical materials, you're practically an outsider now."

She paused, then said with a trusting intimacy, "Besides, our R&D center only handles general-purpose basic processes. The real core formulas and the most advanced processes are in the top-tier laboratories. What I'm showing you is all information you can see."

Her words were straightforward and frank, which completely dispelled Jiang Haoran's concerns.

His hesitation was soothed by her smile and words, replaced by a warm feeling of being completely trusted.

"Okay," he nodded, his voice unconsciously softening, "See you tomorrow."

Jiang Haoran got out of the car, and Lin Miaomiao also got out and naturally accompanied him to the hotel lobby entrance.

The smooth, mirror-like ground clearly reflected the two figures, one in front of the other, sometimes close and sometimes slightly apart, like a silent, gentle pursuit.

Standing under the excessively bright lobby lights, she repeated, "It's settled then, nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

The simple farewell had already been said, and it seemed time to turn and leave, but no one moved first.

The silence of the night spread and fermented among them, as if one could hear some secret expectation quietly pulsating with the rhythm of their heartbeats.

She suddenly looked up and glanced at him quickly. Her tone was gentle and concerned: "The temperature difference between day and night in Kunming is large, remember to wear a jacket tomorrow morning."

Jiang Haoran's heart skipped a beat, a warm feeling spreading through him along with a flutter of excitement. He replied, "Okay. Be careful on your way back. When you arrive... send me a message."

"Mmm." She nodded gently and finally turned around. He stood there, watching her slender yet upright figure walk towards the car, gradually blending into the hazy scene woven by the lights and shadows of the parking lot.

Back in his room, Jiang Haoran drew back the curtains.

The Kunming night sky was starry, and the lights of distant buildings were sparse and soft. He quickly processed a few necessary work messages, then took a hot shower, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

At 8:50 a.m. the next morning, Jiang Haoran was already waiting in the lobby.

He changed into a darker, more casual outfit that allowed for easier movement. Lin Miaomiao arrived on time; today she wore a light gray knit sweater with black trousers, looking neat and refreshing.

After about twenty minutes of driving, we entered a quiet industrial park. The R&D center was a five-story white building with a simple exterior.

Lin Miaomiao swiped her card and led him inside. The first floor was an exhibition hall and office area; it wasn't crowded and the atmosphere was quiet. She didn't linger on the first floor but led him directly to the third floor.

"This is the materials testing area." She pushed open a heavy, soundproof door. The space inside was spacious, filled with various instruments and equipment, and several technicians in white coats were operating them. There was a faint smell in the air, a mixture of ozone and metal.

She walked up to a running device, where the curves on the screen were constantly changing.

"This is our latest ultra-thin silicon wafer pilot line," Lin Miaomiao said, pointing to a multi-wire cutting machine that was running inside. "The goal is to mass-produce silicon wafers with a thickness of less than 130 micrometers. We are currently in the process debugging stage."

Jiang Haoran's gaze fell on the cutting equipment.

The equipment was imported, and he recognized the brand: Meyer Burger from Switzerland, a top-tier company in the industry.

But what attracted his attention even more were the cutting consumables piled up next to the equipment, neatly wound spools of cutting wire, with the Japanese company logo clearly printed on the packaging.

"Is the cutting wire from Shin-Etsu Chemicals in Japan?" Jiang Haoran asked.

Lin Miaomiao looked at him with some surprise: "You can even tell that? Yes, it's Shin-Etsu's top-of-the-line model. We've tested several companies, and so far only their products can keep line consumption and edge breakage rates within acceptable ranges when cutting ultra-thin silicon wafers."

"What about the cost?"

"It's very expensive." Lin Miaomiao sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness. "The purchase price per meter exceeds 1,200 yuan. Moreover, the supply cycle is very unstable."

"Major manufacturers worldwide rely on their products, and prices are rising every year. Delivery also depends on their production schedule. Our technical department has calculated that diamond wire alone accounts for nearly 15% of our ultra-thin silicon wafer production cost."

At this moment, a man in his forties, wearing glasses and a white coat, walked out of the workshop, saw Lin Miaomiao, and nodded: "Director Lin."

"Mr. Li, perfect timing," Lin Miaomiao introduced. "This is Jiang Haoran, the technical consultant I invited. This is Dr. Li Zhiyuan, the head of our thin-film R&D team."

Li Zhiyuan shook hands with Jiang Haoran, his attitude professional but not warm: "Mr. Jiang, do you have expertise in photovoltaics?"

"I know a little bit," Jiang Haoran said calmly. "I was just looking at your cutting wires. Imported wires are so expensive, haven't you considered domestic alternatives?"

Li Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, his expression serious: "I've considered it and tested several domestic companies. But the performance gap is obvious, with poor wire diameter uniformity, uneven diamond particle distribution, and insufficient coating adhesion."

"There aren't many problems when cutting ordinary silicon wafers, but when cutting ultra-thin silicon wafers, the line loss rate doubles directly, and the edge chipping rate is seriously exceeding the standard. We can't afford to delay our current R&D progress, and we dare not take risks with immature products."

"If there were a domestic production line that could achieve 90% of Shin-Etsu's performance at half the cost, would you consider it?" Jiang Haoran asked directly.

Li Zhiyuan paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Mr. Jiang, technological research and development is not just theoretical. The best domestic production line we've tested can only achieve 60% of the performance of imported lines, and its stability is far behind. 90%? No domestic company can achieve that at present."

"What if it happens in the future?" Jiang Haoran continued to ask.

Li Zhiyuan was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "If it can really achieve 90% stable performance and halve the cost, then of course I will consider it."

"The essence of competition in the photovoltaic industry is cost competition, and every bit of cost reduction is crucial. But the prerequisite is stable performance. It's easy to make a few good samples in the laboratory, but to achieve mass production and consistent results is extremely difficult."

The visit lasted for more than an hour. Although Li Zhiyuan had reservations about the domestically produced production line, he explained the technical details very professionally.

Jiang Haoran listened attentively, and his occasional questions were always to the point, causing Li Zhiyuan's attitude to gradually change from initial politeness to seriousness.

As I left the R&D center, the sun was already setting.