Dream Walker: Feng Shui Master Bai Ya

Mr. Che, the boss of the screw factory, praised Shang Muchen's plan highly. He gave Shang Muchen a thumbs up and laughed, "As expected of Master Shang, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

To be honest, I've been troubled by this "Climbing the Mountain Goat" sculpture for several days.

If I put it at the company entrance, people will gossip and say I'm being too flashy.

If I put it at the back door, when friends from the industry association come over, they will say that I look down on the gifts everyone gave me and scold me for being too arrogant.

It would be too big to place in an office building, and would look too out of place.

In short, it looks awkward no matter where you put it.

"Placing it at the entrance of the R&D center is such a smart choice. No wonder you're a feng shui master; it's a brilliant idea!"

"Not at all, you flatter me! You could have thought of something this simple."

"Yes, Master Shang, don't be so modest."

In our mechanical industry, there's a classic anecdote—

In the early 20th century, Ford suffered a significant loss due to a motor malfunction that caused a one-day production stoppage.

After a careful inspection, Steinmetz drew a line on the motor casing and instructed the workers to open the motor and remove the 16 turns of coil.

Once the machine was back to normal, he demanded a reward of $1—equivalent to several years' income for an average worker at the time.

Faced with skepticism, his price list became iconic: "Draw a line: $1; Know where to draw the line: $9999."

Master Xiaoshang, your idea today is exactly the same as Steinmetz's circle drawing back then.

Sometimes, inspiration is more important than hard work. A simple answer is right there, but people can overlook it for a long time. This is quite common in our industrial R&D process, haha.

"Don't leave tonight, Secretary Luo, I'll treat you to drinks!"

Unable to refuse the hospitality, Shang Muchen, following the arrangements made by General Manager Che of the screw company, dined with General Manager Che and several other company executives at the most upscale hotel near the industrial park.

During the meal, Mr. Che asked enthusiastically, "Master Shang, judging from your age, you're not married yet, are you?"

"No." Shang Muchen smiled demurely.

"Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"Got it."

"Oh," Mr. Che chuckled, "Where are you from?"

"A local, pursuing a PhD at Yanji University, not yet graduated."

"Wow, what a high achiever!" Mr. Che nodded repeatedly. "No wonder he's a business tycoon; the women he chooses are all exceptional individuals."

What did you study?

"We're in the same industry, the same mechanical field, though I don't know much about it myself, haha," Shang Muchen said with a shy smile.

"Mr. Che, to be honest, I'm a liberal arts student, and I have the utmost respect for experts like you in science and engineering."

My girlfriend's advisor, Professor Eileen, has always been very...

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Che, who had been listening to Shang Muchen's conversation with a smile, froze when he heard him mention "Professor Eileen." "Master Shang, your partner's mentor is Eileen?"

"Oh? You know her?"

"Absolutely! Eileen is my senior. She was one of the top geniuses in our school back then, an extraordinary person. She'll become an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering sooner or later!"

"No wonder you're called Master Xiao Shang! Your partner's mentors are all such impressive figures!"

Mr. Che's words drew frequent nods of agreement from several other company executives at the table. Another vice president, wearing glasses and appearing to be in his fifties, also remarked:

"Eileen is my senior in the same class. She's an incredibly talented genius; none of us can keep up with her train of thought."

Hearing the conversation among the guests, Shang Muchen scratched his head and said, "Wait a minute, Mr. Che, if I may be so bold, you look to be at least fifty years old, don't you?"

"Not only that! I'm sixty today."

"Is Professor Eileen your senior?"

"Yes, she's a year ahead of me, but she should be younger than me," Mr. Che nodded.

"She can't be that much younger! Judging from her appearance, she's at most thirty years old!" Shang Muchen asked, speechless.

"How could she be thirty?" Mr. Che laughed. "She's definitely no less than fifty-five this year."

Another vice president, who wore glasses, chimed in, "I'm fifty-three years old today; Eileen is definitely older than me."

"Good heavens!" Shang Muchen exclaimed in shock, "I've seen her several times, and I thought she was only in her early thirties."

She's so well-preserved!

"Hmm! If you say she's young, that's not surprising..." Mr. Che lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Do you know who Eileen's husband is?"

Shang Muchen shook his head.

Mr. Che lowered his voice further and whispered to Shang Muchen, "Eileen's husband is rumored to be Ning Yinxiao, a high-ranking official in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau!"

"Oh..." Shang Muchen didn't understand. Professor Eileen looked young. Who was her husband? What was their relationship? He didn't know who Ning Yinxiao was either.

"What the hell?" Mr. Che realized Shang Muchen hadn't understood him, so he continued tapping the table lightly with his index finger and whispered seriously.

"The 901 Institute under the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau researches all sorts of outlandish technologies related to aliens and otherworldly transmigrators, including technologies like immortality."

"Really? My God, isn't that an urban legend?" Shang Muchen's eyes widened in shock.

"Ha, you said it yourself, Senior Ai looks decades younger than her actual age." Mr. Che, emboldened by the alcohol, patted Shang Muchen on the shoulder with a laugh.

"Master Xiao Shang, there's everything in this world, aliens, time travelers, you name it!"

Back in the day, when I traveled to Qingming Mountain in the Donghua Mountains, I even saw immortals at Qingming Temple, the kind who could fly.

Legend has it that an old Taoist priest named Wang Dayu once lived there and subdued a fox spirit…

Mr. Che started bragging, fueled by the alcohol.

As for aliens, Shang Muchen genuinely believed in their existence, since one of them lived in his own home.

Shang Muchen couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he recalled Jilibeng's face, so engrossed in his phone.

Since aliens exist, and Professor Eileen has the secret to maintaining her youthful appearance, perhaps she really does possess some kind of extraordinary technology.

If only this technique could be passed on to Liu Qingyang, everyone wants their wife to stay young and beautiful forever.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Shang Muchen felt lightheaded, his head was itchy, and his vision was a little blurry. In his daze, he vaguely saw Liu Qingyang seemingly struggling to drive a huge machine, climbing up a bottomless pit.

She was stuck on a rocky corner, unable to go up or down, and was a little panicked, calling out to Professor Eileen for help.

After taking a sip of wine, Shang Muchen felt a little tipsy. With a quick thought, he released an invisible force, imagining himself as a superhero who could fly and escape into the earth, carrying Liu Qingyang back to the ground from the deep pit.

Mr. Che patted Shang Muchen enthusiastically, pulling him back to reality from his daydream.

"Master Shang, drink well and eat your fill!"

Upon hearing this, Shang Muchen understood that the other party was about to leave, so he tactfully said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Che!"

I have to get up early tomorrow, so I won't bother you any longer tonight. Let me raise a glass to Mr. Che and all the other executives present, wishing you all good health!

After the meal, Mr. Che arranged for a driver to take Shang Muchen back to the city. Secretary Luo handed Shang Muchen a gift bag containing cash.

Shang Muchen didn't count, but estimated it should be tens of thousands of yuan. After some polite words, he brought it up.

Before parting, Mr. Che held onto Shang Muchen's hand tightly, refusing to let go, and enthusiastically instructed him repeatedly that in addition to the cash thank-you gift, there was also a sample of special screws in the gift bag, which he asked Shang to pass on to Professor Eileen as a marketing gesture.

Shang Muchen repeatedly agreed and politely parted ways with Mr. Che.

By the time Shang Muchen boarded the car for the return trip, it was already dark. He felt dizzy and nauseous from the alcohol.

In a daze, he fell into a hallucination again.

In his mind's eye, he vaguely saw Liu Qingyang piloting a huge machine in a deep and wide tunnel, wielding four massive mechanical arms, wrestling hand-to-hand with a comical but strong red-haired giant.

This is really interesting...