Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The research and development center at Motorola's headquarters in New York is brightly lit.

Since recruiting a group of R&D personnel from Longteng, they have made initial progress in cracking the relevant 2G technologies.

Holding a stack of test reports, the technician strode up to John Mitchell and excitedly said, "President, thanks to the technology provided by the technician we poached from DragonTech, we have a preliminary idea for the design of our 2G base station and related technologies. We expect the signal coverage radius to reach three kilometers."

"Although it's two kilometers shorter than Longteng's prototype, it's enough to meet market demand!" The technician, holding a stack of test reports, strode up to John Mitchell, his voice brimming with excitement.

John Mitchell looked at the data in the report and felt that he finally saw a glimmer of hope.

He then said, "Great! Contact Ericsson immediately and tell them that we can share technology patents."

"We will jointly promote the implementation and standardization of 2G communications! If China's Longteng wants to seize the initiative, we'll set the standards first and shut them out!"

At almost the same time, at Ericsson's headquarters in Sweden.

The CEO is holding a letter of cooperation from Motorola.

"Longteng's technology is indeed leading, but now it depends on who comes out with the product first. Whoever comes out with the product first will have absolute say in the setting of international standards."

The executives in the conference room nodded in agreement.

Soon, a joint statement was issued from the headquarters of the two major telecommunications giants in Europe and the United States.

Motorola and Ericsson will jointly lead the development of global 2G communication standards, inviting global telecommunications companies to participate, but excluding Longteng Electronics.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the global telecommunications industry, and immediately reached the offices of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

The minister looked at the urgent report in his hand with a solemn expression and immediately dialed Li Yu's number.

"Chief Engineer Li, the situation is urgent! Motorola and Ericsson have joined forces. Using the technicians they poached from you, they developed the first generation of 2G technology and are now accelerating the formulation of international standards. They're clearly trying to lock us out!"

Li Yu, on the other end of the phone, said with a serious expression, "I understand. Setting standards is something that can't be done by suppression alone. In the end, it all comes down to who's faster."

"I'm heading to Hong Kong tomorrow to personally oversee the mass production and technological iteration of 2G phones. They want to get ahead, but I'll show them who's faster."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yu turned around and began packing her luggage.

A simple suitcase containing a few changes of clothes and a thick stack of technical documents, nothing else.

Bai Ling saw him collecting clothes and sighed helplessly.

He said worriedly, "Going to Hong Kong again? This time, focus on your technical work and don't put yourself in danger again. You've already taken action both times you've been there."

Li Yu paused in packing his luggage, then turned to look at Bai Ling: "Don't worry, I'll do my best. This trip is for technical work, not fighting. Besides, with the Hong Kong Garrison protecting us, nothing will happen."

Bai Ling then added, "Remember to eat on time when you get there, and don't stay up late all the time. Nannan is waiting for you to come back so you can tell her stories about Hong Kong."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Yu boarded a plane bound for Hong Kong.

The news of Li Yu's departure for Hong Kong was relayed back to New York and Stockholm by Western spies lurking in Beijing almost at the same time he boarded the plane.

John Mitchell received the message while on the phone with Ericsson's CEO.

He jumped to his feet and said into the phone, "Li Yu has gone to Hong Kong! It seems he's going to personally oversee Longteng and accelerate the technology's implementation!"

"Immediately intensify our recruitment efforts! No matter the cost, we must bring Longteng's core technical personnel over! At all costs!"

Ericsson's CEO responded in a deep voice, "I'll give the order immediately! The headhunters in Europe are ready. Double salary, green cards, villas—whatever the offer, they can have!"

For a time, an unprecedented talent poaching storm swept through Hong Kong's telecommunications industry.

Headhunters from Motorola and Ericsson swarmed around Longteng Electronics' factory like locusts, offering increasingly tempting terms.

But Longteng's core technicians are a group of passionate patriotic young people who remain unmoved by these temptations.

Moreover, after the last incident, the treatment of Longteng's technicians and employees is now fully aligned with that of Europe.

The plane landed at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong in the afternoon.

As soon as Li Yu stepped out of the cabin, he saw a military green SUV parked on the tarmac. Company Commander Zhang, dressed in civilian clothes, was standing next to the vehicle waiting for him.

Company Commander Zhang gave a standard military salute. "Chief Engineer Li, you must be tired from your journey!"

"Our superiors have specifically instructed that we are fully responsible for your safety in Hong Kong this time. The car is ready and will take you directly to the Dragon Tech R&D Center."

Li Yu nodded and followed Company Commander Zhang into the car.

The SUV drove smoothly out of the airport and headed towards Longteng Electronics' R&D center.

Li Yu leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, but the emotional value panel in his mind was jumping wildly.

Half an hour later, the off-road vehicle drove straight into Longteng Electronics' R&D center.

As soon as it came to a stop, more than a dozen soldiers in black combat uniforms surrounded it, quickly setting up a perimeter and scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes.

In an office building not far from the R&D center, several foreigners wearing sunglasses were staring intently at the direction of the SUV through binoculars.

One of them, seeing the soldiers standing guard all around, couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! They're so heavily guarded, there's no chance to make a move!"

The other man lowered his binoculars and said in a low voice, "Let's retreat! Li Yu has too many guards around him; a direct confrontation will only expose us. We'll find another opportunity when he goes out alone next time!"

Immediately afterwards, the group quickly packed their gear and left the office building without making a sound.

As Li Yu walked into the R&D center, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He was aware of the spies' existence, of course, but now was not the time.

Upon seeing Lou Zhenhua, Li Yu asked, "How's the production line debugging going? Mass production of base stations and mobile phones must be completed within a month!"

Lou Zhenhua nodded and handed over the report: "Everything is ready! The production line has been debugged and is just waiting for your approval."

"However, Motorola and Ericsson are indeed moving quickly. Their 2G standard draft has already been submitted to the International Telecommunication Union. If we are any slower, we will really be at a disadvantage."

Li Yu took the report and flipped through a few pages: "Passive? They won't be that quick. We can land in a month at most, they're still a long way off."