Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

It was already evening when I left the laboratory building.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the buildings, bathing the entire campus in a golden glow.

Jiang Haoran stood in the square in front of the building and glanced back at the window of the fourth-floor laboratory.

The place was brightly lit; Sun Zhigang's team was probably still discussing the details of the experimental plan.

Now, he has built a bridge with his own hands.

On one end is cutting-edge research in the ivory tower, and on the other end are the real needs of industry. What he wants to do is to bridge this gap and transform knowledge into tangible productivity.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Gu Qiushi: "The equipment procurement list has been confirmed, and the bidding will begin next week. Wang Qiming's first payment has arrived; they bought a used coating machine and have started trial production."

Jiang Haoran replied, "Okay. Any equipment the lab needs will be paid for first, as long as Professor Sun signs off."

After thinking for a moment, he dialed Gu Qiushi's number again.

The call was answered quickly: "President Jiang?"

"Dr. Gu, things have started up in the lab," Jiang Haoran said as he walked. "Professor Sun's team has better execution than expected, and their technical roadmap is very clear. The key now is to deeply integrate the lab research with Kirin Technology's engineering capabilities."

"I understand what you mean." Gu Qiushi's voice was very serious. "I was thinking during the meeting today that our two engineers shouldn't just passively cooperate; they should get involved earlier."

"For example, in addition to academic indicators, the screening criteria for coating materials should also include an assessment of 'mass production feasibility.' Some materials may perform well in the laboratory, but they may not work when scaled up to the production line."

"Yes, that's the idea," Jiang Haoran praised. "To achieve 1+1 greater than 2, we need to break away from the traditional model of 'research and development in the lab, production in the factory.' From day one, we must guide research and development with an industrial mindset."

"I'll make the adjustments right now," Gu Qiushi said. "We'll have Engineer Wang and his team spend at least three days a week in the lab, not to supervise, but to learn and integrate. At the same time, the doctoral students in the lab will also come here regularly to see what a real production line looks like and understand cost and process constraints."

"That's a good arrangement," Jiang Haoran said.

Jiang Haoran walked to the parking lot, opened the car door and got in: "Dr. Gu, the laboratory and Qilin Technology are not just clients and contractors, but comrades-in-arms in the same trench."

"Professor Sun and his team excel at making breakthroughs from 0 to 1, while we excel at scaling up from 1 to 100. Only through deep integration can we truly transform technology into products and market competitiveness."

"I completely agree." Gu Qiushi's tone carried a hint of excitement. "President Jiang, today's meeting was worthwhile. I felt a long-lost drive. It's like I've returned to when I was a doctoral student, feeling like I could overcome any challenge."

"Then let's keep it this way." Jiang Haoran smiled. "Inform the team that I need to hear a complete collaborative work plan next week. The technical approach, resource allocation, and timelines all need to be detailed to the point of being actionable."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Haoran started the car. He had arranged to go back to his hometown in Zhenjiang with his uncle today. He needed to have a serious talk with his parents.

The silver Panamera drove out of the campus and merged into the evening rush hour traffic. The highway journey from Nanjing to Zhenjiang takes an hour and a half.

Jiang Haoran drove smoothly, watching the scenery rushing past the window, pondering how to start the conversation.

The battle in finance has come to an end, but the game in industry has just begun. And this step—the deep integration of industry, academia, and research—may be the most crucial move in the entire strategy.

It's not just about providing funding; it's about ensuring that cutting-edge research carries the seeds of industrialization from day one.

But all of this must start with the most basic step: making parents understand what he is doing, why he can do it, and why he should do it.

The streetlights lit up one after another, and the traffic on the highway stretched into the distance like a ribbon of light.

Soon the car exited the highway and entered Zhenjiang.

On a late autumn evening, the Zhenjiang East Suburb Industrial Park appeared somewhat desolate.

The roadside was lined with old factories. Jiang Haoran slowed down, and his silver Panamera stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated surroundings.

After turning two corners, the rusted iron sign of "Jianguo Machinery Factory" came into view.

The factory gate was wide open, and a few electric tricycles and old bread carts were parked sparsely in the yard. Several old workers were squatting at the gate smoking, and when they saw the silver sports car approaching, they all looked up at the same time.

Jiang Haoran slowly drove the car into the yard and parked it in the open space in front of the factory.

The car body gleamed with a warm metallic sheen in the setting sun, creating a stark contrast with the old-fashioned lathe next to it, which was covered in oil stains.

Chen Jingge arrived just then, and the BMW slowly drove in and stopped beside him.

Jiang Jianguo, who was debugging an old punch press in the workshop, heard the noise, wiped the oil off his hands, and came out.

When he spotted the silver sports car gleaming in the afternoon sun, he stopped abruptly. Chen Fang, who had just come out of the house, was also stunned, her hand, which had been gesturing for him, frozen in mid-air.

"Haoran?" Jiang Jianguo looked at his son getting out of the driver's seat, then at the car, his brows furrowing deeply, forming a deep frown.

"Dad, Mom." Jiang Haoran closed the car door, the key dangling lightly between his fingers.

Several experienced workers still in the workshop gathered around upon hearing the commotion, curiously examining the car. "Haoran's back? This car... it's really impressive, is it yours?"

"It's the company car, just for a short trip," Jiang Haoran replied with a smile, his tone casual.

He walked to his father's side and naturally put his arm around Jiang Jianguo's broad but slightly stiff shoulder. "Uncle just arrived too. Let's go inside and talk."

Jiang Jianguo didn't ask any more questions, but just gave his son a deep look before turning and walking into the house.

But that usually serious face was now filled with doubt and worry.

The living room was filled with the aroma of food.

Chen Fang prepared a table of dishes that Jiang Haoran loved to eat: glistening and tempting braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass topped with tender ginger shreds and bright green scallions, and a clay pot of chicken soup with wisps of steam rising from it.

But she was clearly distracted; when setting out the chopsticks, her hand slipped and she almost knocked over the teacup next to her.

Jiang Jianguo sat in the main seat, silently drinking tea, his gaze occasionally sweeping towards the conspicuous sports car in the courtyard outside the window.

They had only taken a few bites of food when the subtle tension in the air could no longer be concealed.

Chen Fang's lips moved, but she couldn't hold back any longer. Her voice was filled with barely suppressed urgency and worry: "Haoran, tell Mom the truth, what happened with that car outside...? Where did you get the money, or was it someone else's car?"

Jiang Jianguo put down his teacup and looked at his son.

Jiang Haoran knew it was time.

He put down his chopsticks and sat up straight: "Dad, Mom, there's something I need to talk to you about."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary: "I've made some money recently, a considerable amount."

Jiang Jianguo's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse: "How much did you earn?"

"Tens of millions."

In an instant, the air in the living room seemed to be sucked away and frozen.

The chopsticks in Chen Fang's hand fell onto the table with a "clatter".

She was completely unaware of what was happening; she just stared wide-eyed at her son, her lips trembling slightly uncontrollably, her chest heaving, but she couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

"Several...thousands...millions?" Chen Fang finally found her voice, but it was barely a whisper. "Haoran...you...you're not joking with Mom? This...how long has it been? How did you, a student...earn so much?"

"You...you didn't do anything you shouldn't have, did you?" Her voice suddenly rose in the last half of the sentence, filled with a mother's instinctive fear and panic.