Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

"First, the leaders of each department in the ministry give reports, summarizing last year and outlining this year's policies; this sets the tone. Then, each office takes turns speaking, discussing their plans and assigning tasks; this is the implementation."

"We also have to intersperse discussions on safety in production, organizational discipline, and ideological awareness... The whole process takes until noon."

The head of the logistics department also chimed in with a smile:

"There will be smaller meetings after the main conference. Your research department is a priority this year, and Director Lin might even need to keep you behind for a private discussion after the main conference."

As they were talking, the meeting room door was pushed open again.

Several department-level leaders walked in with a calm and composed gait.

The room, which had been filled with the sounds of conversation, fell silent in an instant, with only the soft rustling of pages turning.

Director Lin sat down in one of the main seats, his gaze habitually sweeping across the room, pausing almost imperceptibly when he passed Liu Guangqi.

The meeting officially began.

……

As it turned out, the predictions of those department heads were quite accurate.

As they expected, the year-end meeting lasted a long time. The task deployment process proceeded step by step, with reporting, planning, and assurances... a series of steps that took the time to pass by unnoticed.

In response, Liu Guangqi gradually shifted from listening attentively to no longer scrutinizing every word.

He worked in the research department, and most of the department's routine tasks didn't fall to him. Therefore, this meeting wasn't particularly relevant to him—everything had been agreed upon long ago, and the details were so clear that they didn't need further explanation.

This is like Liu Guangqi being one of the top students in a class, and most of the miscellaneous tasks are none of his business.

He just needs to maintain his excellence and stay ahead...

That's enough.

As for the specific task allocation? That's not his concern.

His mission is singular: to maintain an absolute advantage in R&D technology and to make the CNC machine tool brand shine even brighter.

Therefore, Liu Guangqi didn't record anything. Director Lin would naturally contact him if he had any arrangements, and he would simply follow orders.

So while everyone else in the meeting room was engrossed in writing and taking notes, Liu Guangqi's thoughts had already drifted far away.

……

The meeting lasted a long time.

When it was the turn of the housing management office and other familiar departments to report, Liu Guangqi did listen attentively for a few minutes, but after those parts were finished, his mind wandered elsewhere.

"Based on the current progress, mass production of ten CNC machine tools should not be a problem."

"But……"

"To fully meet the needs of all the downstream factories, even forty or fifty units might not be enough."

There is no definite answer yet regarding when the new machine tool workshop will be put into use.

"The development of other types of high-precision machine tools should also be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

A series of difficult problems flashed through his mind.

Soon, Liu Guangqi had a plan in mind.

He secretly decided that once this meeting ended, he must immediately return to his department and convene an internal meeting to finalize the research direction for the next stage.

The technical researchers under my command, after being tempered by this research and development practice, now have a significantly different level of understanding of the machine tool field compared to the technical staff during the Red Star Factory era.

The machinery industry is a broad field, and individuals may have different areas of focus when studying it.

At least in the past few months, the technicians in the research department have followed him from tackling the challenges of each component to witnessing the assembly and debugging of the entire machine, and have laid a very solid foundation in both theory and practice.

Back when I was training technicians at the Hongxing Factory, I often had to break down and explain a single point of knowledge repeatedly, and the trainees would still need a long time to digest it. Even my juniors at Tsinghua University always felt that I was lacking something.

The people under my command now are different—those who made it into the department are already the elite, one in a hundred. With a little guidance, they can learn by analogy and be guided into the deep waters of CNC machine tools for further training, which will undoubtedly be twice as effective with half the effort.

Tap, tap.

A light tapping sound came from the desktop.

Liu Guangqi suddenly snapped out of his daze and abruptly raised his head.

The logistics director's face stopped right in front of him, his half-smile conveying a sense of "I caught you red-handed." He lowered his voice and said with a hint of mockery, "Comrade Liu Guangqi, it's time to snap out of it."

"The meeting ended a long time ago," he continued, his tone relaxed. "What are you thinking about now? Put it aside for now. Director Lin seems to have something to discuss with you."

After speaking, the logistics director leisurely screwed the lid on his teacup and strolled out of the conference room.

Liu Guangqi then looked up in surprise—the conference room, which had been packed a moment ago, was now mostly empty. He glanced at his watch; the hour hand clearly pointed to 11:50.

The entire morning passed just like that.

He rubbed his throbbing temples and smiled bitterly to himself: he had originally planned to have lunch with his wife, but now all his plans had fallen through.

Liu Guangqi stood up and casually tidied the empty table in front of him, but his thoughts were racing.

On the first day of work after the New Year, Director Lin personally summoned him, which must have been something important.

Is it the final list of equipment for the new workshop that needs to be finalized? Or is there a dispute over the allocation of orders among several downstream factories, requiring him, as the technical lead, to coordinate and balance things out? Or... is there another more urgent task?

Despite his many questions, he didn't slow down at all and followed Director Lin out of the conference room.

The sound of Director Lin's leather shoes hitting the ground echoed in the corridor, steady and clear, stretching forward.

Director Lin remained silent.

Liu Guangqi followed behind, not wanting to ask any more questions.

They thought they were going back to the director's office, but at the fork in the corridor, Director Lin turned and headed straight for the most spacious office in the ministry building.

Liu Guangqi had only seen that heavy mahogany door from afar during some large meetings.

—This is the office of the Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Liu Guangqi's heart suddenly tightened.

"Come in." Director Lin pushed open the door and gestured for him to enter first.

The moment I stepped into the office, an invisible sense of oppression enveloped me.

Unexpectedly, not only the minister of their Ministry of Machine Building was sitting in the room, but even the vice minister was present.

Facing the two superiors, Director Lin did not take a seat, but stood solemnly beside the desk with a serious expression.

This is quite a sight...

Liu Guangqi felt a chill run down his spine, vaguely sensing that things were far from simple. For the two highest-ranking leaders in the ministry and his direct superior to simultaneously display such expressions, it must be something of great importance.

He subconsciously wondered: Was it a bit out of place for a mere deputy director like himself to stand in such a setting?

But he immediately suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into his head—since Director Lin had brought him here personally, this matter must be related to him.

Could there be a problem with the mass production of CNC machine tools? Or has the policy support promised by higher authorities suddenly changed?

"Comrade Guangqi, please sit down." The minister's voice remained calm as he gestured to the chair opposite him and then gently pushed a document forward.

"Take a look at this first."

Liu Guangqi composed himself, stepped forward, sat down, and took the document, still warm from the minister's fingertips, with both hands.

His gaze quickly swept over the cover—the document was transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and a translation was already attached.

Of course, even without a translator, he could understand the original text without any difficulty.

Understanding it is one thing, but the surprise in my heart is another: CNC machine tools are not even fully deployed in the production workshop yet, so how did they suddenly become related to the Ministry of Foreign Trade?

As he turned to the first page, a few lines of striking black text instantly captured his full attention.

[Letter Regarding the Proposal from the Russian Side to Purchase High-Precision CNC Machine Tools]

Russian bear?

Purchasing CNC machine tools?

Liu Guangqi's breath hitched, and his gaze quickly swept downwards.

The content was short, but every word felt like a heavy hammer blow, crashing into his mind.

From the perspective of the Russian bear—

They hope to purchase dozens of high-precision CNC machine tools developed by him.

Purchase price: 3 million per unit.

Three million!

Liu Guangqi's eye twitched suddenly.

These bears are really generous... This price is many times higher than the cost he originally estimated!

This doesn't seem like a purchase; it's more like giving away money for free.

However, when he saw the last line about payment methods, a sudden realization dawned on him.

Payment method: Debt offset.

It turned out to be the case.

In the past, importing a standard precision machine tool from neighboring northern countries or the West would cost several hundred thousand yuan. Even purchasing the most advanced models barely reached the million-yuan mark. The five-axis heavy-duty CNC machine tool developed under Liu Guangqi's leadership boasts world-class performance, with a processing efficiency comparable to two imported three-axis machine tools. Even so, considering all costs and technological premiums, the maximum price could only reach two million yuan. Even factoring in the hidden technological value and the developers' hard work, the price would still not exceed three million yuan.

But the quote from the north was shockingly high. The price for just one machine was nearly three times that of a high-end machine tool. This wasn't just a normal markup; it clearly demonstrated the true value of this machine tool in the eyes of discerning buyers. What made Liu Guangqi suspicious was the urgent urgency the northerners seemed to have—their CNC machine tool workshop hadn't even finished its foundation, and orders from various ministries were already booked for the next three months. Where had these northerners gotten their hold of the deal?

Not only did they come upon hearing the news, but they also offered an irresistible price. A thought suddenly flashed through Liu Guangqi's mind, and he looked up at the minister opposite him, his gaze inquiring: "Sir, there's something I don't understand. How did they know we'd developed CNC machine tools?"

The question was direct, yet necessary. This machine tool had only completed all testing and been declared a successful product at the end of last year, with the news strictly controlled within a very small circle. Yet, on the first working day after the Spring Festival, the order was already on the minister's desk. This speed is faster than a rocket; what it signifies is clear to everyone.

"We're investigating too." The superior slowly blew away a few tea leaves floating on the rim of his cup, seemingly having anticipated this question. "Our initial assessment is that the information leaked from Tsinghua University."

"Shuimu?" Liu Guangqi was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile. His alma mater was involved, so there was nothing he could say. No one was to blame; this research project was far too large, involving numerous professors from various colleges. Shuimu University, in particular, as a crucial link in the technological breakthrough, had always maintained close academic ties with scholars from the north. In such a semi-public technical exchange setting, who could guarantee that a single word wouldn't be overheard by someone with ulterior motives? It could only be said that the other party had incredibly sharp ears and acted too quickly, intervening the moment they sensed a hint of trouble.

"Those people have noses sharper than hunting dogs," Director Lin said coldly from the side. Now, he no longer felt any affection for the North, only strong resentment—a sentiment shared by most Chinese people today.

The superior put down his teacup, a smile still playing on his lips. "A keen nose just means our stuff is good enough. They're willing to offer this price because they know we're short of foreign exchange and, more importantly, we need a channel to help us clear our debts." He tapped the price list lightly. "Anyway, they don't actually have to pay in cash; they can deduct it directly from our outstanding debts. A higher figure makes our books look better, and it shows their sincerity—why not? As long as we can get the first batch of mass-produced machine tools before anyone else, this deal is still a huge profit for them."

These words made Liu Guangqi completely understand the crux of the matter. It turned out the other party was using an old IOU as a new check, spending money that should have been repaid without a second thought. Realizing this, he casually asked, "Sir, so why did you call me here today?"

The superior smiled and said, "Shuimu University is your alma mater, we all know that. But the blame for the technology leak can't be pinned on you. Since this thing was successfully developed, it was meant to be seen by the world anyway." The minister's voice was calm and gentle, as if he was deliberately trying to reassure him and prevent him from bearing unnecessary burdens. "It's not a big deal that they got wind of it so quickly; it was just a matter of time."

The air in the office was almost still, with only the sound of knuckles tapping lightly on the desk. The vice minister's brows were deeply furrowed, clearly preoccupied with the current predicament—the equipment that his own ministries were eagerly awaiting, and the orders that the northern neighbor had placed despite its foreign debt, weighed heavily on his shoulders like two mountains.

Liu Guangqi, who had been standing quietly to the side, spoke up at this moment.

"Boss, in my opinion, this matter doesn't necessarily need to be such a dilemma."

The minister's gaze suddenly shifted, carrying an inquisitive tone.

Liu Guangqi met that gaze and said in a calm tone, "We just need to stick to one principle—our own development must come first, and the demands of our neighbors should also be taken into consideration."