Chapter 326: Contributing to the Cause
Li Tang, Dai Yingchi, and He Runqi walked leisurely around the campus, paying particular attention to the old library building. From the outside, the library clearly showed its age.
Stepping inside, they noticed that the floors weren't even tiled, just bare concrete. The staircases bore the glossy sheen of being worn smooth from countless footsteps over the years. The windows were propped open by rusty iron bars, many of which could no longer open properly—forcing them risked breaking apart entirely.
Rows of bookshelves emitted the familiar scent of aged paper. However, the old-fashioned radiators were still working well, warming up the room comfortably. The three of them had spent many late nights studying here, especially during exam periods. Right now, just as finals were approaching, the library was packed with students immersed deeply in their books, oblivious to the trio wandering about.
"The desks and chairs are exactly the same as when we used them, and even the bookshelves haven't changed," Dai Yingchi said nostalgically.
"They added a computer lab here," He Runqi whispered as he lifted a curtain to peek inside. Every computer was occupied, some students playing games secretly while others stood behind watching. The closed windows combined with strong heating made the room feel stuffy and cramped.
"It really looks overcrowded here. Building a new library does seem necessary," Li Tang concluded, hands tucked casually in his pockets, after carefully observing the conditions.
"Giving something back to our alma mater feels good," Dai Yingchi agreed sincerely.
"We should always remember our roots," He Runqi added thoughtfully. "When I was a student, I depended heavily on financial aid. Without that, I probably would've starved half the time, making studying impossible."
All three were aligned in their thoughts, so without hesitation, they left the library and headed straight to the teachers' offices.
Seeing his three former students suddenly appear, Professor Zhang Zhongyu jumped up from his chair, surprised and delighted. He hurried over with a big smile, "Why didn't you inform us you were coming?"
"We know our way around," Dai Yingchi chuckled. "I was here a few days ago, remember? You treated me to a meal in the cafeteria. Back then, I didn't appreciate it, but now I realize our school's cafeteria food is really excellent!"
"Professor Zhang, do you still remember me?" He Runqi asked, his round dark face beaming with a bright smile.
"Good to see you again, Professor Zhang—we've collaborated before, remember?" Li Tang added politely.
"How could I possibly forget you three?" Zhang Zhongyu quickly poured tea and dragged chairs over for them. "Sit down and relax. I'll go call some other teachers. Everyone's always saying how proud we are to have taught students like you!"
He ran off and soon returned with several other professors, including Professor Chen Jinan. They reminisced fondly, piecing together memories from their student days, reliving their four years of university life through laughter and heartfelt nostalgia.
Eventually, Professor Zhang got back on topic. "Actually, the school has reached out to you multiple times—not because of us personally, but because the university president and the head of our department noticed your achievements from recent news reports," he said, pointing directly at Li Tang.
Li Tang smiled humbly in response.
"News about him is everywhere now," Dai Yingchi remarked admiringly. "Yet he's still as calm as ever."
"Maintaining composure is key to success," Professor Chen Jinan added. "Your paper on 'The Influence of Ancient Continental Weathering Theories on the Formation of Bauxite Deposits' greatly impacted our research. Thanks to your paper and the discovery of the Yunshang bauxite deposit, guided by your theoretical framework, several new large-scale bauxite deposits have recently been found."
"Really? That's fantastic!" Li Tang was pleased by this news.
"But even with new discoveries, our country's industrial growth means demand for alumina keeps increasing rapidly, making bauxite exploration ever more crucial," Professor Chen continued earnestly. "If you can, put more effort into bauxite exploration—it would greatly benefit the industry."
"Absolutely—I'll definitely do that!" Li Tang promised without hesitation.
Everyone in the room was well aware of Li Tang's capabilities in geological exploration.
Returning to the earlier topic, Professor Zhang continued, "Nowadays, everyone's talking about your status as the country's richest man. You've made quite a fortune through investing in iron ore abroad. When the university president discovered you were one of our alumni, the university office tried reaching out repeatedly but couldn't contact you directly. They asked our department to reach out instead. Knowing I've maintained contact with you all, the dean assigned this important task to me."
"I've been abroad a lot recently, and my phone doesn't always have reception," Li Tang explained apologetically. "I'm sorry—it wasn't intentional."
"We also sometimes struggle to reach him," Dai Yingchi supported his friend.
"We understand," Professor Zhang reassured warmly. "The school's intent is just hoping you might help if you're able. Recently, the university planned a new library building, but funding hasn't been approved. So…"
His meaning was clear—they hoped Li Tang could finance the project.
Li Tang wasn't offended; he found this completely reasonable. Having gained considerable wealth and influence, he felt it was right to help his alma mater.
"I understand," he nodded sincerely. "We just visited the library ourselves—it definitely needs updating to give future students a better study environment."
"But remember, only do what you can comfortably manage," Professor Zhang emphasized kindly. "If you can afford it, great; but don't force yourself. All the teachers will understand either way. Just visiting occasionally already makes us very happy!"
Other professors nodded in agreement. Li Tang was genuinely touched by their consideration.
Having decided, Li Tang explained clearly, "I had two ideas before coming here today."
"Go ahead," Professor Zhang said, pen and notebook ready.
"First, regarding the library, our company management has already discussed it," Li Tang gestured toward Dai Yingchi and He Runqi. "They're both company shareholders. The company will donate ten million yuan to help construct the library."
"That's wonderful news!" Professor Zhang beamed with delight.
"We should name the library building 'Li Tang Hall,'" Professor Chen joked cheerfully.
Li Tang waved his hand humbly, "No need for formalities. This donation is from our company, not from me personally."
"Maybe we should wait for the president and dean to return so you can discuss this personally," Professor Zhang suggested nervously, feeling unsure about such a significant decision. "They're in a meeting right now, but they're rushing back upon hearing you've arrived."
"I wanted to mention this to you first since I might not have time later," Li Tang explained helplessly. "With the New Year coming soon, it's hard to arrange more work right now. After the holiday, I'll be busy with several ongoing projects."
"You certainly have a tight schedule," Professor Zhang agreed sympathetically. "Originally, the school planned a grand welcome ceremony for your visit. But you arrived without any notice, so we weren't prepared at all."
"This is practically an undercover visit," Professor Chen teased again.
"There's really no need for all that fanfare," Li Tang said sincerely. "Like other alumni, I just want to help."
Returning to the point, Li Tang continued, "Besides donating ten million yuan for the library, I have another plan."
"Please tell us," Professor Zhang immediately leaned forward attentively. "I'll note everything down and report back to the university administration. If you have any conditions or requests, please speak up."
"Not a condition, but rather a proposal for cooperation," Li Tang clarified carefully. "Professors here know that our company owns a publicly-listed iron ore firm in Australia. We're currently at a critical stage of mine construction, and very soon, we'll start producing significant quantities of iron ore for shipment back to China."
"You're truly contributing to national development!" someone praised.
"Since our company is new, the iron ore we produce might not initially match the exact requirements of most domestic steel mills' blast furnaces," Li Tang elaborated. "Once our mine operations start, we'll continuously invest in research and development to optimize the iron ore to best suit the domestic market."
"You're planning to invest in metallurgical research on iron ore?" Professor Zhang asked, astonished.
"Yes, it's essential," Li Tang confirmed. "Mining iron ore might seem simple when ore quality is excellent. But several of our deposits require better mineral processing techniques to produce high-quality ore suited for mass market use. I believe technological advancement is key to ensuring our long-term market competitiveness."
The professors immediately buzzed excitedly among themselves. After all, research was precisely their strength. Each year, they established numerous research projects funded by grants. Exploration technology and metallurgy research were already core university activities.
"You came to exactly the right people!" Professor Chen laughed heartily.
"Currently, Win-Win Mining in Australia collaborates with a few universities on research, but that's handled by Fredrick," Li Tang clarified honestly. "Although Australia's exploration and metallurgical technology is globally top-notch, I personally trust our domestic research capabilities more. Therefore, I'd like Win-Win Mining to allocate annual funds to initiate deep, collaborative research projects with our university."
"This is major news!" Professor Zhang gripped Li Tang's hand tightly. "You're truly doing us a tremendous favor!"
Donating ten million yuan to build the library was commendable, certainly worthy of praise. But investing in scientific research was even more impactful—it offered the school long-term, sustainable benefits.
"For something this significant, perhaps wait until the university president returns?" a professor suggested.
"I just wanted to hear your interest first," Li Tang smiled. "Are the professors here interested in joining such research projects?"
"You've come straight to our area of expertise!" they replied excitedly, already eager to get started.
"That's good, then," Li Tang nodded, though he added a note of caution, "Our company hasn't started making a profit yet, so initially, the investment in research won't be huge. However, once our mines start production, we'll definitely invest more than a hundred million yuan annually in beneficiation and metallurgy research."
"Over a hundred million yuan annually?"
"That's fantastic! Our university has over a century of experience in exploration, beneficiation, and metallurgical technology, with abundant scientific research capabilities. Rest assured!"
"On matters like these, please trust your teachers—we can definitely deliver!"
Everyone's hearts surged with excitement at the prospect of securing such generous annual research funding. Such substantial investment would undoubtedly bring tremendous benefits to the entire university community.
In this instant, they suddenly felt that having taught such an accomplished student truly had endless benefits.
"All right, let's not just sit around chatting anymore," Professor Zhang Zhongyu spoke up. He understood clearly that discussing such important matters solely among themselves, the teachers, was of little practical use. Ultimately, final decisions on donations and cooperation needed to be settled between Li Tang and the university's leadership.
"Come on, let's eat," he announced, standing up. "The dean specifically instructed us to treat you alumni with the highest standards of hospitality!"
"The finance department people from the school will be here shortly. Since it's not our money, let's eat heartily. Order whatever you want!" Professor Chen Jinan, typically frugal, also felt generous today.
Originally, Li Tang had considered casually dining in the campus cafeteria—after all, he rarely got the chance to enjoy its familiar dishes. Moreover, he hadn't seen the cafeteria auntie in a while, and he wondered how her Parkinson's symptoms were progressing. However, noticing the teachers' eager anticipation of this special lunch, Li Tang decided to fulfill their wishes.
At a nearby restaurant, not far from the university, they enjoyed an extravagant meal. In the afternoon, the university president and the department dean indeed rushed over hastily without having lunch themselves, eager to sit down and discuss matters directly with Li Tang.
They once again discussed the two main topics from earlier, quickly reaching an agreement amid warm and friendly conversation.
Li Tang, naturally, would not personally oversee the detailed execution of these initiatives. Instead, he entrusted all arrangements to Dai Yingchi.
Regarding the joint research project with the university focusing on beneficiation and metallurgy, Li Tang specifically informed Win-Win Mining. Fredrick also supported this wholeheartedly and indicated that he would soon visit Yanjing to personally inspect the university's research capabilities.
Alice returned to Yanjing slightly ahead of Fredrick.
"Has the investment in Rumble Resources been finalized?" Li Tang directly inquired.
"The contract's signed," Alice replied, studying Li Tang carefully. She always felt this young man possessed some mysterious intuition. "I personally visited the Fraser Range. They haven't even started exploration work yet—there's just some theoretical mineral potential because it's close to the Tropicana gold project. Honestly, I think investing in such a project is extremely risky!"
"Exploration projects inherently carry high risk," Li Tang casually crossed his legs, entirely unfazed. "Invest in ten such projects—if even one hits significant mineralization, it'll all pay off."
"Maybe I just don't understand the technical aspects," Alice sighed, shaking her head. "Still, I suspect this particular project will most likely fail."
"We've invested in so many projects, and not once have we lost money. It defies common sense," Li Tang smiled calmly. "Honestly, losing once wouldn't be a bad thing."
"Fine," Alice found Li Tang's philosophy somewhat incomprehensible. "Fortunately, this investment is small enough that even if it fails, it won't significantly affect our other projects."
"Have you already transferred all five million Australian dollars to Rumble Resources?" Li Tang asked curiously.
"How could I give them the entire amount upfront!" Alice wrinkled her nose, looking stern. "I transferred only one million initially. I asked Kent to examine their exploration proposal, and he told me it wouldn't cost much—one million dollars should be sufficient. If no promising results emerge, I won't release the remaining four million. If they do find something, then we'll discuss it."
"You really do sound like a protective tigress guarding her food," Li Tang laughed cheerfully.
"They'd better not dream of easily tricking money from me!" Alice spoke bluntly.
From Alice's perspective, Carroll from Rumble Resources seemed nothing more than a con man going around deceiving investors. Only someone as young and relatively inexperienced as Li Tang, who hadn't yet encountered enough of the world's dangers and had enjoyed too much success early on, would fall into such a trap.
She considered it her personal mission to guard Li Tang's money carefully!
"All right then, follow your approach for working with Rumble Resources," Li Tang conceded easily.
With the Spring Festival approaching, employees received their annual bonuses, enjoyed company dinners, and gradually began their holiday vacations.
Li Tang and Li Xinqi spent several days shopping in Yanjing, buying plenty of items to bring back home as gifts for his parents and grandparents.
Just before departure, major enterprises such as Haigang Steel, Tangshan Steel, and Hualing Steel actively sought to maintain friendly relationships with Li Tang by sending substantial New Year's gifts.
While other companies merely dispatched assistants or mailed their gifts, Haigang Steel clearly intended to maintain close relations due to their joint exploration project. Qu Yongan personally flew from Haigang City, bringing both holiday greetings and a subtle reminder about the iron ore project. He even brought detailed project documents, clearly hoping Li Tang would carefully study the technical details over the holiday.
"You previously mentioned there's an area in Huizhou Province identified decades ago with very obvious magnetic anomalies, having strong magnetite exploration potential, yet without breakthroughs all these years. Following your advice, we conducted on-site inspections and verified your assessment. However, when we discussed with the Huizhou Provincial Geological Exploration Bureau, we learned they already hold the exploration rights."
Li Tang wasn't surprised. "Can we obtain the exploration rights?"
"When Bureau Director Zeng Yuhua heard you were personally involved, he became very excited," Qu Yongan explained.
"I had excellent cooperation with Director Zeng," Li Tang smiled. "The exploration rights for Shazhai Molybdenum originally belonged entirely to Huizhou Geological Team No.3. Later, we purchased the rights. After our exploration, we discovered a world-class deposit. For that, I must sincerely thank Director Zeng."
Qu Yongan smiled bitterly. "Shazhai Molybdenum is now the largest molybdenum mine domestically—even the largest in Asia! When I mentioned your name, Director Zeng was extremely agitated, lamenting that he shouldn't have sold the rights."
Li Tang chuckled understandingly. From Director Zeng's perspective, losing such a valuable deposit naturally felt painful. Still, Li Tang had no guilt; had the rights stayed with Huizhou's Geological Exploration Bureau, the mine might have remained undeveloped indefinitely.
"We did offer the Geological Bureau future royalty rights upon mine development," Li Tang added calmly.
"Really?" Qu sighed. "Director Zeng adamantly refused to transfer the Nihe iron mine rights. Eventually, we compromised: we established a joint venture—Geological Bureau contributed exploration rights, holding 50%, and we handle exploration expenses, also holding 50%."
"That's acceptable," Li Tang agreed.
Qu Yongan sighed resignedly. "I suspect Director Zeng held tightly to those rights precisely because he heard your name! Exploration has started, and after seven days off for the holiday, work will resume immediately."
"Sounds smooth enough," Li Tang commented.
"Boss Li, when you have time, please visit the site and guide us," Qu Yongan finally revealed his main request, looking anxious. "The Bureau has worked on Nihe for decades, continuously identifying strong magnetic anomalies but never locating the actual iron deposit. No one understands why. Even veteran experts remain stumped."
Magnetic anomalies typically strongly indicate iron ore, so Nihe's elusive deposit became a long-standing geological mystery, heavily monitored by authorities due to iron's strategic importance.
"I'll go right after the holiday," Li Tang promised immediately.
"Without you, no one knows how to proceed," Qu implored, pouring Li Tang tea eagerly. "Please lend us your expertise!"
"We have a contract—I'll fully commit," Li Tang reassured.
Qu visibly relaxed. "Thank goodness! Over the holidays, I won't even rest. If you find any questionable points in these documents, call me anytime!"
"Alright," Li Tang accepted the materials.
"Also, Director Chen Aimin from the Mineral Resources Administration Bureau closely follows our renewed exploration effort. Since you're involved, he joked that if we fail to locate the iron deposit this time, he'll hold us accountable!" Qu added nervously.
"Even Director Chen knows?" Li Tang raised an eyebrow.
"With iron ore matters heating up domestically and internationally, especially given the repeated price hikes and supply manipulations from overseas giants, top officials are already very irritated!" Qu explained.
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