Chapter 484: Outstanding to the Point of Looking Up

The wine was finished and the guests departed; both host and guests had enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

A crowd of people bustled out of the restaurant.

With Ye Xingchi present, Ye Anlan did not dare to drink much, feeling particularly unsatisfied, and clamored to go singing.

Ye Anqi was indifferent, and Tao An followed the crowd.

But Ye Anning knew Lin Sicheng's habits and that he did not much care for such things; the key was that they had just met, and it was not easy to refuse. So, before Ye Anlan could ask Lin Sicheng, she refused first.

The excuse was quite legitimate: "Ye Anlan, I've had a bit too much to drink, and my head is a little dizzy."

"Ye Anning, are you really dizzy or faking it?" Ye Anlan was half-doubting, "Don't be a killjoy, okay?"

"Anning isn't feeling well, then let's not go!" Ye Xingchi pointed at Ye Anlan, "You go home early too!"

Ye Anlan pursed her lips, looking reluctant, but did not dare to say anything.

Glaring at his daughter, Ye Xingchi turned back and shook hands with Wang Qi Zhi: "Old Third, it's not easy to make a trip here, so have a good time for a few days. If you have any difficulties with work, don't stand on ceremony with me..."

As proper relatives, Wang Qi Zhi certainly would not stand on ceremony:

"Fourth Brother, I really do need to ask for your help: our main goal in coming this time is to find some samples of Ming and Qing Export Porcelain, the rarer the better. If we can't find samples, finding some leads will do too.

You know many friends; if possible, could you help introduce us to a few friends who enjoy collecting... if they have overseas connections, that would be even better!"

Ye Xingchi nodded: wasn't this just a simple favor?

He didn't have many other friends, but he really did have quite a few who were into collecting.

And as for overseas Chinese, Guangdong had the most. With relatives connecting to relatives, he could certainly get in touch with a few.

"No problem, Old Third, wait for my word!"

After shaking hands with Wang Qi Zhi, he looked at Lin Sicheng with a smile: "Sicheng, come to the house to hang out sometime. Although my eye for antiques isn't as good as your teacher's, I do have a couple of good things..."

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Alright, Uncle Ye!"

"Fine, then it's settled!"

After chatting a bit more, both sides said their goodbyes, and Feng Sanjiang waved his hand, bringing two business cars over.

Watching them get into the cars, several people waved, seeing the two cars off as they drove onto the road.

Ye Xingchi arranged for a driver to take the three siblings home.

Peng Yanzhi had brought his own driver, so he didn't need a ride. But he knew Ye Xingchi definitely had things to ask him, so he didn't rush to leave.

After seeing everyone off, the two went back into the restaurant and requested a tea room.

It was a semi-outdoor terrace, right by the lakeside, with good scenery, good air, and it was quiet.

After the tea was brewed and the waiter had closed the door, Ye Xingchi picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Peng Yanzhi.

Peng Yanzhi subconsciously took it in his hand, his expression still somewhat dazed.

He had indeed drunk a bit too much; chatting with Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi, he had unknowingly downed another half-jin.

But more than that, the shock Lin Sicheng had given him today was too great: a twenty-year-old young man who, in just over a year, had walked a path that he might not even be able to finish in several lifetimes.

Peng Yanzhi felt as if his own forty-plus years had been lived in vain.

Just as he was lamenting, Ye Xingchi let out a "Huh," interrupting Peng Yanzhi's train of thought.

"Wang Qi Zhi said that next year, or at the latest the year after, Lin Sicheng is expected to apply for the Four Youth... but how old is Lin Sicheng?"

The so-called Four Youth, of course, referred to youth talent awards, but the "youth" here was only relative. If you calculated the average age, it was at least thirty-five or thirty-six.

The peak range was thirty-four to thirty-eight. And how old was Lin Sicheng: twenty-one, twenty-two?

Let alone next year, even ten years from now it might not be possible. Ye Xingchi felt that Wang Qi Zhi had drunk too much and was talking nonsense.

Having drunk a bit too much and with his brain reacting a bit slowly, Peng Yanzhi recalled for a good while before he remembered what the "Four Youth" was.

He nodded: "Director Ye, for Lin Sicheng, this shouldn't be difficult!"

What the hell?

Ye Xingchi was stunned: "Not difficult?"

"It's really not difficult!" Peng Yanzhi thought for a moment, "Did Professor Wang mention that Lin Sicheng has a Research Center?"

Ye Xingchi nodded: "He did!"

Not only did he mention it, he bragged about it for a while.

A school-level Research Center worth five or six hundred million?

How much was the Precision Measurement Research Institute (Nanchang Research Institute) of Zhongshan University worth?

Peng Yanzhi smiled: "At first glance, it does sound a bit exaggerated, but Director Ye, Professor Wang was not lying: this center is indeed worth that much. And it's very likely an underestimate..."

"Because these five or six hundred million are just the preliminary valuation by the National Intellectual Property Center in conjunction with the Cultural Relics Bureau, the Ministry of Culture, and the relevant departments of the Ministry of Education. If you calculate the market value, I wouldn't dare say it doubles, but it could at least go up by thirty to forty percent..."

"Wait..." Ye Xingchi interrupted abruptly, "Old Peng, who did you say did the assessment?"

"The National Intellectual Property Center, and the science and education departments of several ministries..." Peng Yanzhi was particularly surprised: "Director Ye, you didn't know?" I would like to have known, but Old Third Wang didn't say a word about it...

Oh... no, Wang Qi Zhi probably wanted to say it, but I didn't give him the chance.

When talking about this center, I happened to be holding a cup of tea. When Wang Qi Zhi mentioned the specific market value, I happened to take a sip. Hearing five or six hundred million, a mouthful of tea immediately choked my throat, and I almost coughed my lungs out. Perhaps thinking I was laughing at him for bragging without a draft, Wang Qi Zhi didn't continue.

He really hadn't guessed wrong; I was indeed laughing at the time: Old Third Wang, you really dare to brag?

And now, according to Peng Yanzhi, Old Third Wang not only wasn't bragging, but had actually underestimated it?

But that shouldn't be, right?

Ye Xingchi looked strange: "Old Peng, why would Lin Sicheng's Research Center be led by the National Intellectual Property Center and jointly assessed by multiple ministries?" In his impression, only high-tech emerging projects that were in the forefront of technology and top-tier institutions had this qualification.

That center of Lin Sicheng's was at most just a school-level research institution.

Peng Yanzhi thought for a moment: "Because of the project he collaborated on with the Cultural Heritage Research Institute: BTA Slow-Release Technology... this belongs to the emerging material technology in the field of metal Cultural Relics protection.

Let me put it simply: Lin Sicheng's research results belong to the 'Eleventh Five-Year Plan National Science and Technology Support Program' key project, and are at the international forefront... At the current stage, although it is only authorized domestically, in as little as two or three months, or at most half a year, it will definitely be authorized overseas. This must be approved by the National Intellectual Property Center and must undergo on-site inspection and audit..."

Ye Xingchi's eyes widened: international forefront, overseas authorization?

Wang Qi Zhi had indeed talked about this technology, mentioning it in the tea house in the afternoon and again at the dinner table just now. He said it was very powerful, and that Lin Sicheng's research results from just one year were more than what the Cultural Relics Bureau and the Cultural Relics Research Institute had jointly researched for several years.

He was a layman and didn't know much about this, so he naturally held a preconceived notion: it was just a protection technology in the field of Cultural Relics, so niche that it couldn't be more niche; even if it were faster than what the Cultural Relics Bureau researched, its influence would be limited.

But Wang Qi Zhi hadn't mentioned anything about it being at the international forefront at all. If he had, he certainly would have realized the nature of this technology. There are no small matters internationally, let alone catching up to and surpassing the West in the field of scientific research.

Ye Xingchi didn't know much about Artifact Research, but he was in charge of the financial sector and understood the ins and outs of this very well.

Anyone in finance knows how difficult it is to list on the A-share market; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many enterprises going to Hong Kong to list.

But there is a shortcut: technology stocks. One wouldn't dare say it's a green light all the way, but the difficulty is at least halved.

It doesn't even require the enterprise to be entirely focused on technological R&D; it only needs to account for a certain proportion of total investment and total profit.

Of course, this is also very difficult: a market value greater than one billion, with annual profits in the hundreds of millions.

If that cannot be met, satisfying any of the following conditions will also work:

One, possessing internationally leading core technology. Two, winning one of the three major national science and technology awards: Science and Technology Progress Award, Natural Science Award, or Technological Invention Award, and applying the results to the main business.

Three, independently or leading the undertaking of major national science and technology special projects. Four, core products achieving import substitution. Five, forming invention patents for core technologies and industrialization.

Ye Xingchi wasn't sure if Lin Sicheng's technology could meet all five, but he dared to be certain it met at least two:

Independently or leading the undertaking of major national science and technology special projects, and core products achieving import substitution.

Therefore, there is no need to calculate how much profit this patent can create annually through domestic and overseas licensing. Just finding a company seeking to go public and merging it in would be worth several hundred million.

Not to mention, this technology of his is still at the international forefront?

Ye Xingchi was completely stunned: "No... just relying on a university-level laboratory, how did he research it?"

Peng Yanzhi opened his mouth, not knowing how to explain it.

Without any departmental support, without any technical backing, and even without Xida sending a single professor, Lin Sicheng led one Doctor and a few Masters to conquer a difficult problem that national ministries, in conjunction with several major universities, had failed to make progress on for years?

Let alone Ye Xingchi, an outsider, not believing it, even he, an insider, didn't believe it.

The reason Wang Qi Zhi gave was quite sufficient: first by digging through domestic Thesis, then digging through foreign Thesis, then constantly trial-and-error, and finally, with a burst of luck, he stumbled upon it by accident.

But this was nonsense; Peng Yanzhi didn't believe a word of it: if R&D were that easy to handle, out of the country's 1.4 billion people, at least one hundred million would be Scientists. The problem is, it has already reached the stage where the national Property Rights Bureau plans to authorize it externally, which means all necessary audits and inspections have been passed. Could this technology possibly be fake?

"It is indeed quite unbelievable, but the technology is definitely real!" Peng Yanzhi sighed, "This valuation is, if anything, an underestimate!"

Ye Xingchi's eyes went blank: is it only about the valuation?

Ordinary people don't have such strong sensitivity; the most direct and simplest method is to measure it with money.

But Wang Qi Zhi is different, he is even more different: the first thing he thought of was political influence.

As long as it is handled well, this is not just a stepping stone, but more likely, a watershed.

No wonder Wang Qi Zhi spoke so lightly: as long as Lin Sicheng wants to, he can at least get one of the Four Youth talent titles.

If things go well, he might really get one...

Ye Xingchi looked at Peng Yanzhi again: no wonder the usually reserved Old Peng was so excited today. Was it almost like he lost his composure, being so close to Lin Sicheng?

It was just like in a novel, an outer sect elder who had wasted many years suddenly seeing a heaven-sent prodigy emerge.

He would be excited too if he were in his shoes.

As these thoughts turned, Ye Xingchi was stunned for a moment, and then, he secretly said "as expected."

Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law, are they actually serious?

He had heard Ye Anlan say before that Ye Anning seemed to be dating someone. Ye Xingchi was curious for a moment and asked about it.

Hearing that the other party's family background was very ordinary, and crucially that the young man was still in school, Ye Xingchi assumed Ye Anlan was spreading rumors.

The reason was simple: Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law were not that stupid, and Ye Anning was not a romantic fool. Even if it wasn't a perfect match in social status, at least it couldn't be too far off. It wasn't that he looked down on people, but Ye Xingchi knew very well: for families like theirs, a huge disparity in family background would not trigger economic problems, but psychological ones. Such a marriage could not last.

It wasn't that there was no way to make up for it, unless the young man was exceptionally outstanding, so outstanding that he was radiant, to the point where his background could be completely ignored. But one only had to think to know: he was still in school, how outstanding could he be?

Ye Xingchi never expected: could someone really be so outstanding while still a student that they needed to be looked up to?

Thinking as he went, he sat up straight with a "thump" and picked up his phone again.

Peng Yanzhi was confused: "What's wrong, Director Ye?"

"Nothing, I'm contacting a few friends."

As he spoke, Ye Xingchi opened his address book and looked for numbers.

Before, he had only regarded Lin Sicheng as an ordinary junior, roughly the student of his brother's brother-in-law (Wang Qi Zhi).

But this junior was relatively outstanding, a bit stronger than his peers. He also had a relatively good relationship with his niece, and even if they were really dating, it was limited to just two young people.

But now, it had clearly risen to the level of "Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law are likely tacitly approving," or even "already agreed." The key was that this junior was also so outstanding, to the point of being dazzling.

At this point, he could no longer look at him as an ordinary junior. At least, he had to give him a certain amount of attention and the necessary respect. Turning the thought over in his mind, he found the number and was about to dial, but paused: should he ask Third Brother?

But it felt a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill: Ye Anning is just dating someone, why are you, the uncle, acting like there was an earthquake?

Forget it, if it were really necessary, he wouldn't need to ask; Third Brother would take the initiative to reach out.

Of course, the attention that should be given must still be given.

Ye Xingchi dialed the phone, exchanged simple greetings, and said that some relatives from Beijing had come, they were fond of collecting, and asked if they could visit the other party's collection room.

When Director Ye personally asks, one must squeeze out time even if one doesn't have it, and make things convenient even if it's inconvenient.

The other party agreed readily, saying it was fine at any time.

There is no time like the present, so Ye Xingchi set it for tomorrow.

After settling that, Ye Xingchi called Wang Qi Zhi again.

When the call connected, Wang Qi Zhi was a bit confused: he had only mentioned it, and it hadn't even been overnight... oh no, it hadn't even been an hour since they parted, and Ye Xingchi had already handled it for him?

Tsk tsk... this level of importance?

He hurriedly thanked him: "Fourth Brother, it's too much trouble for you to owe a favor this late..."

"What kind of favor is this?" Ye Xingchi didn't care at all, "Old San, tell Sicheng."

Wang Qi Zhi realized belatedly: Haha... was he being overly sentimental?