Chapter 524: The Talent Soil of Wanshang

November 18, 2011, Shenzhen.

At 7:30 a. m., Li Yaozong's car entered Longgang Gongye Yuan.

The park was busier than usual. A long line stretched at the cafeteria entrance, and workers carrying trays came and went with smiles on their faces. Some held apples, some held oranges, eating as they walked.

Li Yaozong rolled down the car window and took a look.

"Free three meals have been in effect for two months," He Xiao, sitting in the passenger seat, said, turning around, "The response is good. Logistics statistics show worker satisfaction rose by twenty percentage points."

Li Yaozong nodded.

The car kept moving forward, passing row after row of factories, and stopped in front of a six‑story building. A new sign hung on the outer wall, white background with red characters, reading "Wanshang Creator Academy".

Inside, it was already bustling.

In the first‑floor lobby, dozens of young people were signing in. Some wore backpacks, some carried suitcases, all with looks of anticipation and nervousness. When Li Yaozong entered, a slight stir rippled through the crowd.

"Is that Li Yaozong?"

"Is it for real?"

"The real person looks younger than the photos."

Wang Bo pushed his way out of the crowd and hurried up to Li Yaozong.

"Director Li, what brings you here?"

Li Yaozong looked around.

"The first session has started; I'm here to take a look."

Wang Bo led him inside.

"Today is the first offline training camp; fifty people were selected from across the country. Some shoot food, some teach makeup, some develop games, some lecture on history."

He pointed at the sign‑in wall behind the registration desk.

"Look, everyone has signed in."

Li Yaozong walked over and glanced at the names and online handles.

"Chi Huo Xiao Pang", "Meizhuang A May", "Youxi Lao Zhang", "Lishi Ke Daibiao" …

He smiled.

"Quite interesting."

At nine o'clock sharp, the opening ceremony began.

Wang Bo presided. He gave a brief introduction to the academy's situation, then invited Li Yaozong to speak.

Li Yaozong stepped onto the stage and looked at the fifty young faces below.

"Welcome to the Wanshang Creator Academy."

He paused.

"You are all creators on Fenghuang Broadcast. Some have many fans, some are just starting out. But sitting here today proves one thing— you want to do better."

Someone in the audience nodded.

"The creator's path is not easy. You film and no one watches, you post and get no comments, you grind for a long time with no progress. I know all of that."

He looked at those eyes.

"But I want to tell you, half of the top creators on Fenghuang Broadcast started from zero. If they can succeed, so can you."

Applause rang out.

Li Yaozong waited for the applause to subside.

"For the next three days, the instructors will teach you how to shoot, how to edit, and how to interact with fans. After learning, go back and practice. Once you master it, the platform will give you traffic."

He paused again.

"Three years from now, I hope some of you will stand on a bigger stage and tell those who follow: I also came out of the Creator Academy."

The applause grew louder.

After the opening ceremony, Li Yaozong did not leave immediately.

He sat in the last row and watched the first class.

The instructor was a young man in his early thirties, online handle "Lao Zhang Shuo Che". He has 800,000 followers on Fenghuang Broadcast, specializing in car reviews. Today he taught "How to make car videos look good".

The audience listened attentively; some took notes, some held up their phones to record the screen.

Li Yaozong watched for a while, then quietly got up and left.

At the doorway, a girl ran after him.

"Director Li, may I take a photo with you?"

Li Yaozong stopped in his tracks.

The girl was in her early twenties, her hair tied in a ponytail, her face slightly flushed.

"I do makeup; I have just over two thousand fans. I'm especially happy to have been selected this time."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Study hard."

The girl took out her phone, and the two of them took a photo together.

She looked at the picture, smiling with eyes curved like crescents.

"Thank you, Director Li."

Li Yaozong waved and left.

Two p. m., Wanxiang Dasha.

Chen Feng was already waiting in the conference room.

Li Yaozong pushed the door open and entered; he stood up and handed over a list.

"The first batch of candidates for overseas study has been preliminarily finalized."

Li Yaozong took it over to look.

The list listed twenty people, with each name followed by education, major, years of work, and recommendation reason.

First, Zhang Mingyuan, Tsinghua microelectronics master, four years on the job, core member of the crystal core design team. Recommendation reason: participated in the development of Phoenix Chip No. 2 and No. 3, outstanding performance.

Second, Li Sisi, Peking University computer science doctorate, two years on the job, AI algorithm group. Recommendation reason: has published three top-conference papers, research direction highly matches the company's future layout.

Third, Wang Lei, Fudan materials science master, five years on the job, head of the new materials lab. Recommendation reason: masters core technology, expected to breakthrough next-generation semiconductor materials.

……

Li Yaozong looked at them one by one.

Seeing the last one, he stopped.

"Chen Feng, this Zhang Mingyuan, are you sure he can come back?"

Chen Feng nodded.

"I have talked with him three times. His family is in a rural Hunan village; his parents struggled to put him through school. He said he went out to learn skills, and after learning he will definitely come back."

He paused.

"Moreover, his girlfriend is also in Wanshang, working in software."

Li Yaozong smiled.

"Then that's good."

He closed the list.

"Is the contract drafted?"

Chen Feng nodded.

"Lin Jiawen's side prepared it. After completing studies, serve five years; breach penalty is five times. Sign today, go get the visa tomorrow."

Li Yaozong returned the list to him.

"Before signing, I will meet them again."

At 4 p. m., the twenty people were called to the meeting room.

Li Yaozong stood at the door, shaking hands with them one by one.

Zhang Mingyuan shook hands the hardest.

"President Li, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Li Yaozong looked at him.

"Once you're out there, study well. If you encounter difficulties, you can call the company. Over there we have an office that will help with anything it can."

Zhang Mingyuan nodded.

"I know."

Li Yaozong patted his shoulder.

"When you come back, there will be work for you on the crystal core side."

Zhang Mingyuan's eye sockets were a bit red.

"President Li, rest assured, I will definitely come back."

At 7 p. m., Li Yaozong returned to the office.

On the desk lay several cooperation agreements.

They were cooperation with universities.

First, Tsinghua University, jointly establishing the 'Wanshang-Tsinghua Intelligent Crystal Core Laboratory'. Wanshang invests thirty million, Tsinghua provides venue and personnel. Research results are shared, Wanshang has priority of use.

Second, Harbin Institute of Technology, jointly establishing the 'Wanshang-Harbin Institute of Technology New Materials Research Center'. Wanshang invests twenty-five million, Harbin Institute of Technology handles basic research. Targeted training of graduate students, priority hiring after graduation.

Third, Zhejiang University, jointly establishing the 'Wanshang-Zhejiang University AI Algorithm Joint Laboratory'. Wanshang invests twenty million, Zhejiang provides the algorithm team. Each year they jointly apply for national-level projects.

Li Yaozong signed them one by one.

Upon signing the last one, he paused.

It is the cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Nanomaterials direction, five years, one hundred million.

He picked up the pen and signed.

The next morning, the Wanshang Research Institute unveiling ceremony.

The institute is located in a new building next to the Nanshan R&D Center. Six floors, 12,000 square meters, with laboratories, offices, and meeting rooms all complete.

Li Yaozong stood at the door, looking at the newly hung sign.

"Wanshang Research Institute"

Five characters, black background with gold lettering, written by Li Ping'an.

Chen Feng stood beside him.

"President Li, the first batch recruited thirty-seven people. Twenty-five doctorates, twelve masters. Research directions are five: new energy, artificial intelligence, new materials, quantum computing, biotechnology."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Has the director been decided?"

Chen Feng shook his head.

"Still looking. This person is hard to find. Needs to understand technology, management, and also the future."

Li Yaozong thought for a moment.

"No rush. Better to lack than to excess."

He pushed the door and entered.

Inside the building, renovation was still underway, with workers debugging equipment and researchers moving things. Seeing Li Yaozong enter, someone froze for a moment, then continued working.

Li Yaozong walked up floor by floor.

The fifth floor is the artificial intelligence laboratory. Several young people were debugging servers; seeing Li Yaozong, one of them stood up.

Director Li.

Li Yaozong looked at him.

Who are you?

"My name is Zhou Mingyuan, I work on AI algorithms. I came back from the United States last year."

Li Yaozong was momentarily stunned.

"Back from the United States?"

Zhou Mingyuan nodded.

"I spent five years at Stanford; after finishing my doctorate I returned."

Li Yaozong looked at him.

"Why did you come back?"

Zhou Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"The direction I want to pursue also has opportunities here. Wanshang has invested so much; it lets me work without restraint."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Work hard."

The sixth floor houses the new‑materials laboratory.

A middle‑aged man in a white lab coat was operating at a microscope. He looked up when he heard footsteps.

"Director Li."

Li Yaozong walked over.

"Who are you?"

"Liu Jianguo, I spent twenty years at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Metals. I retired last year and was rehired."

Li Yaozong looked at him.

"Can you still work?"

Liu Jianguo smiled.

"I can. Here I'm freer than at the institute; I can do whatever I want."

He pointed at the microscope.

"This material can be used in next‑generation chips. It's three times faster than current silicon and consumes half the power."

Li Yaozong leaned in to look.

Under the microscope, a thin sheet of material shimmered with a metallic luster.

"Can it be industrialized?"

Liu Jianguo thought for a moment.

"Five years. Within five years we can produce a sample."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Five years—I can wait."

When he left the research institute, it was already noon.

Li Yaozong didn't return to Wanxiang Dasha; he went to the cafeteria at Longgang Gongye Yuan.

He wanted to see how the workers ate.

The cafeteria was crowded, with a long line. Li Yaozong was at the end of the queue, and no one recognized him.

Ahead of him was a young worker in blue overalls, holding a tray.

"What dishes are today?" Li Yaozong asked.

The young worker glanced back at him.

"Red Braised Pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir‑fried greens, and spare‑rib soup."

He pointed to a basket nearby.

"Today's banana dish is quite tasty, thank you Director Li for looking after us workers."

Li Yaozong nodded.

After waiting ten minutes, it was his turn to get a serving.

The aunt serving the dishes had a steady hand, placing a spoonful of Red Braised Pork, a spoonful of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a spoonful of stir‑fried greens, neatly arranged.

"Young man, have a little more," the aunt said with a smile.

Li Yaozong carried his tray and found a seat.

The worker opposite looked up at him briefly, then lowered his head to eat.

Li Yaozong took a bite of Red Braised Pork.

It tasted good.

After finishing, he placed the tray in the recycling area.

Stepping out of the cafeteria, the sunlight was just right.

A notice was posted on the bulletin board at the entrance, red paper with black characters, reading:

"Call for performances for the New Year's gathering has begun. First prize: 5,000 cash; second prize: 3,000; third prize: 1,000. Everyone is welcome to enthusiastically sign up."

Li Yaozong stood before the bulletin board and looked for a while.

Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Fang Wenshan:

"Double the prize money for the gathering."

At eight p. m., Li Yaozong returned to Wanxiang Dasha.

The elevator rose to the thirty‑eighth floor; the doors opened to an empty hallway.

He walked into the office and sat in the chair.

Outside the window, Shenzhen's night was deep.

In the distance, the lights of the South Mountain R&D Center were blazing, and that building of the Wanshang Research Institute was also lit.

He recalled the people he had seen today.

Those young faces in the Creator Academy.

The twenty names on the list for overseas study.

In the institute, Zhou Mingyuan, who had returned from America.

In the cafeteria, the young worker who asked him, "What's the dish today?"

They are all seeds.

Some have just been planted, some are sprouting, and some have already grown branches and leaves.

He did not know what these seeds would grow into.

But he knew that as long as the soil was fertile, the sunlight ample, and the water enough to drink, they would surely grow.

He stood up and walked to the window.

He stood there for a long time.

Then he turned around and walked out of the office.

Tomorrow, there is still more to do.