Zhongshan Villa, ten minutes to seven in the evening.
Xu Fangjuan and Chen Guangming sat in the living room, their faces beaming with joy, watching CCTV-1.
"It'll be on the news tonight, right? Not tomorrow, I hope."
"Don't worry, it'll definitely be tonight. It's such a big event."
"No way, I have to share such a big event in the WeChat group."
Although Xu Fangjuan was barely literate, under Chen Guangming's continuous training, she was quite skilled with smartphones.
She had earlier given each of her relatives a mobile phone, and then created a WeChat group.
The group name was "A Loving Family".
Chen Pingjiang's uncles and aunts were very interested in new things and got the hang of them quickly.
They often sent emoticon images they found from who knows where, or shared health and wellness news in the group.
Among them all, Xu Fangjuan was naturally the most sought-after.
However, she was very clear-headed and never showed off luxury homes or similar things in the family group.
But today Xu Fangjuan really couldn't resist.
She pressed the voice intercom button and said,
"Today, a certain leader came to inspect Pingjiang Company. Everyone remember to watch CCTV-1 later, it's going to be on the news."
Immediately after, Chen Pingjiang's aunt also sent a voice message:
"Really? Oh my, Pingjiang is truly amazing, he's truly bringing glory to our ancestors."
The eldest uncle also commented:
"A leader's inspection carries different weight. This isn't a treatment you get just by having money, but represents broad social recognition within the country."
"This is probably equivalent to the ancient iron charter. That's incredible!"
"..."
Everyone chimed in, one after another, and soon the WeChat group became incredibly lively.
Xu Fangjuan, with a beaming smile, turned on the speaker function and listened to each message carefully.
"It's starting, it's starting."
Chen Guangming also perked up and sat up straight.
After a familiar piece of music played on the TV.
After the male and female anchors finished their opening remarks, the female anchor began to report:
"This morning, Comrade XXX inspected the headquarters of Renren.com and Orange Technology, accompanied by Comrade XX."
The scene shifted, and the on-site footage was broadcast.
Xu Fangjuan saw Chen Pingjiang's figure at a glance.
It was mainly because he was easy to recognize, as he was the youngest.
"Quick, look!"
On screen, Chen Pingjiang respectfully accompanied the leader and smiled as he introduced the company's organizational structure and entrepreneurial journey.
Usually, Xu Fangjuan never watched the news, but today she watched with unusual enthusiasm, wishing she could stretch her eyes into the TV.
"Fangjuan, Pingjiang is so handsome and tall."
"Standing next to the leader, he wasn't nervous or stage-frightened at all."
The same scene also appeared in other families.
Yan Liming and his family of three also gathered around the TV, watching the news.
"Old Yan, where are you? How come I don't see you at all?"
Yan Liming smiled self-deprecatingly:
"Don't you see what ranks of people are here? How could I be qualified? The camera lens wouldn't even be on us."
"Pingjiang is still extraordinary."
Li Yuhua looked at her son-in-law, finding him more pleasing the more she looked.
After speaking, she nudged the intently watching Yan Yan with her elbow:
"When are you two planning to get married? I'm a bit worried now. I'm telling you, don't take this lightly. A guy like him is one in a million, and he faces countless temptations every day."
Yan Liming shot a dissatisfied glance at his wife:
"What nonsense are you talking to our daughter?"
Li Yuhua was a little defiant:
"I'm not talking nonsense. The female university students who just joined our newspaper have incredibly high standards. They don't think much of ordinary guys and usually ignore guys who pursue them. But men with good conditions in all aspects become the prey of these female university students. They ask them out to movies, send flowers to guys on Valentine's Day. Tsk tsk, it even makes me cringe to see it."
"That's normal. Most men looking for a wife tend to be compatible with those of a lower or similar status, while women looking for a partner always look upwards."
Li Yuhua said:
"That's right. They completely disregard those who like them and swarm towards excellent guys' pockets, even creating friction among themselves in private. That's why I'm telling your daughter to be more vigilant. If you can get married, do it as soon as possible. Their enthusiasm makes even me cringe."
After Li Yuhua finished speaking, she glanced at her daughter and found that Yan Yan hadn't listened at all, still watching the TV without blinking.
At this moment, Yan Liming slowly said:
"There's probably no place for me in the city anymore. To avoid suspicion, my next step might be to take a position in another city within the province."
"Has the Organization Department talked to you?"
Li Yuhua, who had seen a lot of the world, wasn't surprised.
"Not yet, but I feel it's coming soon."
Although Chen Pingjiang's rise was due to his own efforts, it was still necessary to avoid suspicion.
When Chen Pingjiang's capabilities were still ordinary, or when Yan Liming's position wasn't high, no one paid attention.
But at this day and age, it's an unavoidable topic.
Even if both of them truly have a clear conscience, or even if Dongjiang City was begging Renren.com and Orange Technology, if their relationship, after many twists and turns, gets spread online and is exploited by someone with an agenda, it might very well become gossip news.
It would be bad for Chen Pingjiang, for Yan Liming, and for the Dongjiang City government.
"In my opinion, if it really can't be helped, Old Yan, you should just retire. You're already old and still have to run around everywhere. I wouldn't be at ease if you went alone, and if I go with you, my job would be difficult to manage.
It's not like my personnel records can be transferred too, right? Most importantly, you're retiring this year anyway, and then you'd have to come back. If we both leave, Yan Yan won't even have a hot meal when she comes home."
Suddenly, Yan Yan, who was next to them, interjected:
"I'm fine, I can cook for myself."
Yan Liming looked at his beloved daughter with a fatherly gaze and remained silent.
He knew very well in his heart that the reason he was able to be promoted so quickly was 99% because of Chen Pingjiang.
It's just a pity that Chen Pingjiang had brought him up, but now he had to send him away.
If he didn't leave, the outcome would only be stagnation, or even being transferred to the CPPCC or People's Congress to use his remaining influence.
Yan Liming naturally didn't want this.
What man doesn't have dreams?
After working hard for so many years and reaching this position, who would be willing to give up easily?
But if he left, he truly couldn't bear to leave the place where he had worked and lived for most of his life.
......
Ge Bingyi, who had just arrived home for dinner, complained upon hearing the sound from the TV.
"Can you please stop watching these family ethics dramas about extended relatives? They're absolutely anti-intellectual, stirring up family conflicts and gender antagonism, and making young people afraid of marriage."
Ge's mother rolled her eyes:
"At this time slot, this is the only thing worth watching. It's all news."
"Watch CCTV-1."
"What's so good about the news?"
"Just switch to it and you'll know. Today, roads were blocked everywhere in the city. I asked someone and found out that a leader from above came to Dongjiang to inspect Renren.com and Orange Technology. The news is probably showing it right now,"
Ge Bingyi urged.
"Ah, is Shishi's mouth so tight? She didn't tell me either."
"Didn't she not come back yet? How could she tell you?"
The timing of switching channels was just right, and they could still see it.
Looking at Chen Pingjiang's agile figure in the news, Ge's mother sighed and shook her head:
"What a fine young man, it's a pity he doesn't belong to Shishi alone."
"Just be more open-minded. To be honest, even if it were as you wished, it might not be a good thing. That young man is too exceptional, he was not born to be confined by one person, and he is destined to achieve great things. Sentimental attachments and being overly domestic don't suit him."
Ge's mother shot a dissatisfied glance at her husband:
"Why do you always side with outsiders?"
Ge Bingyi sighed:
"I'm just stating the facts. You don't do business, so you don't know his influence. Those wealthy families are as deep as the sea; they care about matching family status. Do you think marrying into one would necessarily make her happy? As long as he's good to our daughter, that's enough."
Although she still felt a little uncomfortable, Ge's mother had to admit that her husband was right.
Suddenly remembering something, she asked:
"I asked Shishi, but she wouldn't say. That Sho... what does his family do?"
"Probably a leader in the city,"
Ge Bingyi said.
"Oh,"
Ge's mother realized,
"No wonder then. If there's anyone to blame, it's you, the father, for not working hard enough. If you were a bigger official, it would be great."
Ge Bingyi opened his mouth, but was choked speechless.
It took him a long while to retort:
"If you put it that way, I can only say you're too naive. There are countless sons-in-law of leaders, but how many of them turn out like him? At his level, apart from a little help at the beginning perhaps, it's even entirely thanks to himself."
......
Chen Pingjiang naturally didn't know about these amusing incidents happening in the elders' homes.
After a day of busyness, he finally dared to take a breath, and a great weight was lifted from his heart.
He had spent most of the day accompanying the leader and hadn't even had time to eat.
By now, he was past feeling hungry.
After getting into the car, he thought for a moment and said to Li Fu:
"Go to Xinyuanli Community."
During today's meeting, Chen Pingjiang made some introductions, and the leader also gave some instructions.
When asked if he had any other thoughts, Chen Pingjiang said:
"The future of the chip industry is crucial, and our country is almost starting from scratch in this regard. If we cannot be self-sufficient, there's a good chance that in the near future, we will face the risk of being choked. Our company has already made some arrangements in chip design, whether it's mobile phone chips or CPU/GPU.
However, in advanced process chip manufacturing, we feel powerless despite our willingness. The investment is simply too large, and the risks are equally terrifyingly high. If there can be some talent or other support at the national level, that would be best."
The manufacturing capability for advanced process chips is what Chen Pingjiang is most concerned about.
In comparison, disputes between WeChat and the three major telecom operators, localization of mobile phone components, and proposals for new energy vehicles are all trivial.
With or without him, the country can solve them.
Only chips are a full-fledged national destiny war, a high-tech war!
Even if the performance of CPUs/GPUs is a bit weaker, at least we can still catch up.
Huawei HiSilicon's Kirin and Ascend are the best examples.
But if we don't have our own wafer fabs and ASML's lithography machines, our necks will be firmly choked, and even breathing will be a luxury.
Fortunately, Chen Pingjiang's current status is extraordinary, and his words carry significant weight.
His suggestions also received attention from the leader.
The national-level mobilization Chen Pingjiang hoped for didn't necessarily mean asking for a large amount of subsidies.
Although wafer fabs require a lot of money, it's ultimately not a one-time investment, but a phased and batch-by-batch process.
He could entirely cash out through stocks, or earn it; if that failed, there was always loans and financing.
What he hoped for was that domestic universities would prioritize cultivating talents in relevant fields, plan ahead for the R&D and production of lithography machines, and foster the localization of related industrial chains in advance.
For example, the silicon wafers, also known as simply wafers, used to manufacture chips.
Their raw material is silicon, extracted from common sand. The more advanced the chip, the higher the purity requirement for the silicon wafer.
From a global perspective, the silicon wafer market is primarily dominated by five major giants: Japan's Shin-Etsu, SUMCO, GlobalWafers, SK Siltron, and Germany's Siltronic.
They account for over 86% of the market share.
Another example is CMP polishing materials; this field is monopolized by American and Japanese companies.
Photomasks, photoresists, electronic gases, and wet electronic chemicals are also largely monopolized by the US and Japan.
No matter how capable Chen Pingjiang is, he cannot independently research and produce every component of a chip; it must be a national strategy.
(End of chapter)