At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Li Xiao closed the system panel and didn't rush to touch Luo Tiangong.

It's easy to recruit a key figure, but Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing needs to be able to support itself and not put its entire lifeline on the shoulders of one person.

A complete engineering team cannot be assembled by just a few top technical experts. A cross-disciplinary, hard-tech project like StarBee requires a far more complex talent pool than StarLan Technology.

He opened a new document on his computer and disassembled Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing's human resource structure again. From

Drawing from top to bottom: The top layer is system architecture and cluster scheduling, which requires someone like Luo Tiangong who can have a comprehensive grasp of everything; below that are mechanical structure design, motor control and embedded systems, vision and sensor fusion, testing and reliability, production engineering and supply chain management.

There are five directions, and each direction must have at least one backbone member who can stand alone; otherwise, no matter how many people are below, it will be in vain.

But having only core members is not enough.

The core team is responsible for paving the way, and those mid-level engineers who can tighten screws, draw engineering diagrams, write low-level drivers, and monitor the production line are the ones who truly transform products from blueprints into something that can run, be manufactured, and be delivered.

In the later stages of a project, it's not about who's smarter, but who does the work more meticulously.

So Li Xiao wasn't thinking about who to poach, but rather what kind of structure to build.

DeepBlue Factory focuses on chassis and motion control, but with only six people, it's far from enough.

Luo Tiangong's old team excels in scheduling algorithms and system integration, but they may not be experts in mechanical mass production and supply chain engineering. What Xingfeng needs as a third leg is a manufacturing engineering team that has actually worked in factories and knows how to turn R&D prototypes into mass-produced products.

There was actually another team hidden in the list that Son Jae-kwon had given earlier.

Li Xiao flipped back to the beginning of the document, his gaze landing on a name called Qiming Precision. This team came from a precision manufacturing company in Suzhou, which originally made non-standard automated production lines for auto parts manufacturers. There were seven people in the team, including mechanical, electrical, PLC, and MES specialists.

The team leader is Peng Yue, 42 years old, a local from Suzhou. He has worked at the company for more than ten years but has never been promoted because he is unwilling to take sides.

They are currently doing equipment upgrades for several small factories in a town under Suzhou, and they are making a hard living.

Li Xiao checked the compatibility between this team and Xingfeng in the system. The score was not low, and it complemented Luo Tiangong's softer team perfectly.

He sent a message to Son Jae-kwon:

"Add Peng Yue's team from Suzhou as well. Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing needs three teams: Shenlan, Luo Tiangong, and Peng Yue. One team will work on the chassis, one on the systems, and one on the production line. None of them can be missing."

Sun Zaiquan replied quickly: "Understood. I haven't had direct contact with Peng Yue, but the headhunter should be fine."

The headhunters Sun Zaiquan was talking about are not the ordinary HR professionals who post a job on a recruitment website, screen a few resumes, and schedule an interview.

At Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing's level, the construction of the core team has moved beyond the logic of open recruitment.

Truly capable engineers are rarely found in the job market. They are either being held back by their current employers, bound by non-compete agreements, or extremely cautious about changing jobs.

To pull these people out of their original soil, we need hunters who specialize in finding high-end technical talents.

On the last day of the final exam week, the campus of Huaqing Business School was filled with students dragging their suitcases toward the school gate.

Winter in Jianye is damp and bitterly cold. The leaves on the sycamore trees have all fallen, leaving only grayish-brown branches shivering in the cold wind. When Li Xiao came out of the examination hall, Zheng Hao was leaning against the railing of the third-floor corridor, smoking and humming a song.

Li Xiao glanced at him: "Where's Lin Miaomiao? Isn't she with you?"

Zheng Hao pursed his lips, his tone as casual as if he were saying the cafeteria food was bad yesterday:

"She wants to come back to Jiangyang with me for the New Year, but I'm not that crazy. Bringing her back to meet my parents? That would change the whole thing. We can have fun, but let's not make it too formal. I told my dad I'd go back by myself, without mentioning her."

He paused, then added.

"She's quite attentive; last night she even asked me how many people are in my family and what my parents like. I gave her a few perfunctory answers and hung up. This woman is smart, but lately she's been pushing her luck."

"You've spoiled them by taking an inch and then a mile." Li Xiao put his hands in his coat pockets and walked down the stairs.

Zheng Hao followed behind him, stubbed out his cigarette in the trash can at the end of the corridor, his voice carried on the wind:

"I do spoil her, but there's a limit to everything. Miaomiao is fine with spending money and buying bags. But if my mom asks me why I brought a female classmate home for Chinese New Year, what am I supposed to say? That I hired a cellist at the arts school? My dad would beat me with a mop handle. Dating is fine, but don't let it become an infiltration of our lives. She doesn't understand this principle. She always thinks that just because she lives with me, she's really part of our family."

Li Xiao chuckled and offered no further comment.

He didn't intend to interfere in the matter between Zheng Hao and Lin Miaomiao.

Zheng Hao may seem carefree, but he actually draws a very clear line in his mind.

He can tell who's serious and who's just for fun.

Girls like Lin Miaomiao are smart, pretty, and resourceful, but they're too impatient. When they're in a rush, they'll reach across the line.

If you get past that, it'll just cause trouble.

"So you really plan to break up with her after the New Year?" Li Xiao asked.

"We'll see if we break it off or not." Zheng Hao opened the car door and got in. "She's been quite obedient these past few months. As long as she doesn't bring up meeting my parents or getting a marriage certificate every day, I'm willing to date her for a while longer. Anyway, we live close by, so it's convenient to meet up. Most importantly, she's beautiful."

Li Xiao smiled.

Zheng Hao is the only son of the Zheng family. His family has a building materials business in Jiangyang, and they have benefited from Lansheng's profits over the years.

If Lin Miaomiao is only after money and a comfortable life before graduation, then there's nothing wrong with that. But if her appetite grows bigger and she wants to use Zheng Hao to climb the social ladder through the Li family in Jiangyang, then that's a different story.

But it's still early.

No matter how good Lin Miaomiao is at handling things, she's just a sophomore in college and can't cause any trouble.

Zheng Hao reclined the chair halfway, rested his head on his arm, and half-closed his eyes:

"Let's not talk about her for now. I'm going back to Jiangyang for the holidays, and I have to go see my dad first. The old man keeps nagging me lately, saying that I've been away from home since I went to university, and I don't even call home once."

Li Xiao didn't expose him.

Zheng Hao has indeed been living too wildly in the past six months. After moving out to live with Lin Miaomiao, he has hardly attended any classes, played a lot of games, and frequently posts pictures of his nightclub Ace of Spades and newly acquired limited-edition sneakers on his WeChat Moments.

Zheng Guodong started his business in building materials in Jiangyang. He spent half his life dealing with construction sites and drinking parties, and he couldn't stand this kind of spoiled brat attitude the most.

Zheng Hao knew the truth in his heart, but he stubbornly refused to admit it.

"You know my dad's temper. I'll definitely get a scolding when I get back. But it's okay, my mom's here. He'll just yell at me a couple of times, he won't dare to actually hit me." Zheng Hao rolled down the car window a crack, and as the cold wind blew in, he hunched his shoulders and closed the window again.

"Brother Xiao, what are your plans after you return to Jiangyang? Are you going to the industrial park or going home first?"

"Let's go home first," Li Xiao said. "My mom made soup, we have to go back."