Chapter 513: When People Move Upward, Water Flows Downward

There were eight of us when we arrived, but we became eleven on the way back.

Lin Sicheng splurged a little and booked business class for everyone.

A group of people pushed their luggage and swarmed into the departure lounge. Ye Anning held her suitcase with one hand and typed on her phone with the other.

Wang Qi Zhi glanced over, saw the words "leave request," and ground his teeth as if he had a toothache:

"Ye Anning, didn't you say when we came that you were going to follow the company to Hong Kong for the autumn auction? So you're not going now?"

Ye Anning's gaze drifted: Never mind the Hong Kong autumn auction, she hadn't even really attended the Guangzhou auction; she had just shown her face and signed in.

"What's the point of me going alone?"

"So you mean you want Lin Sicheng and me to accompany you?"

Ye Anning looked delighted: "Uncle, really?"

Wang Qi Zhi glared at her: "Really your head!"

Lin Sicheng couldn't even spare the time for Malaysia and Japan, so where would he find the time to attend some auction?

"Go back to Xijing and do your job properly!"

Ye Anning wrinkled her nose, then rolled her eyes: "Uncle, what do you think about me transferring to Beijing?"

"Transfer if you want to!" Wang Qi Zhi said dismissively, "It just so happens that Youjian will be in the seventh grade by autumn."

In the future, Lin Sicheng would spend more and more time in Beijing. When necessary, Wang Qi Zhi would also transfer over. Before long, Ji Wangshu and Ye Anning would have to come too.

It was going to happen sooner or later anyway, so it was better to transfer early than late.

"Then should I change my unit?"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: So that's what she was waiting for here?

"Don't tell me, if you have the ability, go tell your mom and dad!"

Ye Anning pouted: If I dared to tell them, would I still be begging you?

But it was still early, no need to be too anxious.

"Uncle, when does Lin Sicheng's Center open?"

Wang Qi Zhi shook his head: "It won't be that fast, anyway."

They needed to rent a building, acquire equipment, and hire people.

Everything else was easy to handle as long as there was money. The key was the people: this wasn't Xijing, and certainly not Xida, which was relatively closed-off.

Beijing was a place where dragons and snakes mingled; if you didn't keep your eyes peeled, it was very easy to invite a thief in.

Even if someone was introduced by an acquaintance, it wasn't safe.

The more he thought about it, the trickier it seemed. Wang Qi Zhi turned around to look for Lin Sicheng.

He was sitting in the back row, with Zhao Xiuneng next to him, saying something with an earnest expression.

No need to guess, Zhao Xiuneng was definitely egging Lin Sicheng on: Junior Brother, since we're doing this, let's do it big. Bring everything that needs to be brought, and make it comprehensive. You don't need to worry about money; if it's under a hundred million, I won't even blink...

Zhao Xiuneng had been saying these things for several days in a row.

But Lin Sicheng had yet to agree.

Human energy has its limits: the setup in Xijing couldn't just be abandoned, and if they spread themselves too thin in Beijing, how could they manage it all?

He still felt it was better to take things one step at a time.

"Senior Brother, don't be in such a hurry. Once we get to Beijing and rent a place, we'll discuss it again!"

"I'm not in a hurry, I'm just afraid you'll forget!"

"Don't worry!"

As they spoke, Wang Qi Zhi walked over and gave a rough explanation.

Lin Sicheng, however, was as steady as Mount Tai: "Teacher, actually, the problem of personnel is the easiest to solve."

"How do you solve it, by transferring them from the school?" Wang Qi Zhi frowned, "The school won't agree, will they?"

They certainly wouldn't agree: it was one thing for you to fly off on your own, but you also want to pull away the backbone of the Xida Center?

Then what would the school do?

"No need to pull them from the school, but we can borrow them from other units!" Lin Sicheng was exceptionally confident, "Whichever unit we cooperate with, we borrow staff from that unit."

"For example, Palace Porcelain: we are launching the project jointly with the Forbidden City. As soon as it enters the formal stage and research begins, we borrow people from the Forbidden City. We can even use the Forbidden City's venues and equipment directly..."

"The same logic applies: if we cooperate with the Cultural Relics Research Institute, we borrow people from them. We'll sign detailed contract terms and keep detailed research records, so whether it's the leadership or academic rights, everything will be guaranteed."

"We only need to hire some basic assistant staff, such as research assistants or laboratory technicians. These people won't have access to core data, so there's basically no possibility of technical leaks..."

Wang Qi Zhi was lost in thought.

Cooperating with the Forbidden City and the Cultural Relics Research Institute using this model was certainly no problem.

Firstly, the integrity of Director Lu and Dean Ma was solid, and secondly, Wang Qi Zhi was quite familiar with both units. If there were any disputes, he would at least know who to go to for a resolution.

Thirdly, the level of support from the Archaeology Department and the Cultural Heritage Department for Lin Sicheng: as long as Wu Hui and Xiao Heng were not transferred, there would basically be no such thing as academic disputes.

"But Lin Sicheng, if you cooperate with other units, or worse, if we launch an independent project, what will you do then?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Teacher, we don't even have a business license yet. Even if we were fast, it would take three to five years to qualify for an independent project, so it's too early to think about that. Therefore, at the current stage, we will definitely focus on technical affiliation."

"If it's in the category of Craft Restoration, we'll cooperate with the Forbidden City, or Xijing and the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. If it's in the category of protective materials, the Cultural Relics Research Institute is the first choice, followed by the school. If it's in the category of Artifact Restoration, it should naturally remain at the school. Of course, we can also apply directly and be guided by the Archaeology Department and the Cultural Heritage Department... These units have high enough and comprehensive enough qualifications, and the processes are familiar: whether it's project initiation or verification, it will be much faster. More importantly, there are enough experts, and they are professional enough!"

"If it were other units, the application cycle alone would be two to three times longer. If they get stuck during the verification process, are you going to research the project or not?"

Wang Qi Zhi finally understood: this Center in Beijing would still have Lin Sicheng as its core. As long as he was there, there would be no shortage of projects, and no shortage of units to cooperate with.

Whoever they cooperate with, they ask that unit for people.

But he still felt it was a bit like a shell company, the kind that makes a quick grab and leaves.

Lin Sicheng explained further: "Teacher, a research center is very expensive. Even for light-asset, natural, or social science-based cultural and museum centers, the initial investment is in the tens of millions."

"The later costs are even higher. If it's a cross-category research center, the annual expenses are also over ten million. But the channels for generating revenue are very, very narrow. Those that can achieve full profitability are basically concentrated in the field of cultural relic protection materials."

Other types of institutions either hang a sheep's head and sell dog meat: calling themselves research centers while actually only doing cultural relic composition analysis (antique instrument appraisal). Or they undertake projects that state-run institutions cannot handle through affiliation and cooperation."

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned for a moment: "Isn't this just a hired gun?"

"That's not wrong, but there's a better-sounding term: technical outsourcing!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Just like our BTA Slow-Release Technology with the Cultural Relics Research Institute!"

Wang Qi Zhi suddenly realized: In this project, isn't Lin Sicheng the Cultural Relics Research Institute's hired gun?

The only difference is that Lin Sicheng has absolute leadership and authorship rights, and enjoys 100% of the practical results, including the subsequent academic and political influence.

But this is what he deserves: he researches the results completely and then packages them for the Cultural Relics Research Institute, which is more akin to a technology transfer.

The Cultural Relics Research Institute is in a desperate rush; without Lin Sicheng even having to bring it up, they were the first to agree to many terms where they only contribute effort and ask for no return.

Including the Palace Porcelain in cooperation with the Forbidden City, it is actually the same model: Lin Sicheng has already completely restored the craftsmanship and even successfully test-fired it; the cooperation with Director Lu is at most just putting a Forbidden City skin on this project.

Lin Sicheng just added one more co-author, but the benefits he received were too numerous: declaration, project initiation, grading, verification, implementation of results, technology transformation... and so on.

He doesn't need to worry about any of this; the Forbidden City can handle it all for him, and the speed is lightning fast.

At most, Wang Qi Zhi follows along to run errands, visiting a few departments and delivering a few documents.

But it is not without its downsides.

Wang Qi Zhi frowned: "What if, I mean what if, there is a rift one day? Or even worse, if Director Lu and Dean are transferred elsewhere and replaced by new leadership, shouldn't this be considered?"

"Precisely because I've considered it, I need to travel light!" Lin Sicheng said half-jokingly, "So I can run away nimbly when the time comes!" Wang Qi Zhi froze, letting out an "Eh": Is that really it?

Buying fewer pieces of equipment and hiring fewer people means less to lose and less severance pay to hand out when the time comes.

Zhao Xiuneng sat to the side, looking completely bewildered: No... you two, we haven't even opened for business yet, isn't it a bit early to be considering closing down and packing up?

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Senior Brother, it's just an analogy!"

"Then if we are borrowing people, or even borrowing equipment, how is the cost calculated?"

What Wang Qi Zhi is worried about is whether the partner units will try to extort them: I outsourced the technology to you, but you end up using my venue and my people, so how is that cost calculated?

Lin Sicheng, however, is not worried at all: "Teacher, don't worry, that won't happen!"

Actually, there is a deeper reason he didn't mention: the reason Department Head Wu and Department Head Xiao suggested he establish a Research Center in Beijing lies first in the "He-Imitation Porcelain" and "BTA Slow-Release Technology."

The research cycle for these two projects is very long, at least three to five years, and maybe eight or ten. Although Lin Sicheng is confident there won't be any problems, the two leaders always felt that his model of staying in Xijing and occasionally coming to Beijing to provide guidance was too slow for the progress.

Lin Sicheng does research in Xijing and does research in Beijing, so why can't he just move to Beijing?

Secondly, although the two leaders didn't mention it, Lin Sicheng could guess: the Archaeology Department and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department are both exploring a "State + Private" cooperation model: for example, the Archaeology Department and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department use state-owned institutions like the Cultural Relics Research Institute and the Forbidden City to fund private institutions to research specific academic topics. They can also set up special funds, with state-owned institutions and private institutions establishing joint laboratories to initiate projects together.

It can even be technical outsourcing, where the state-owned institution gains the reputation and the private institution gains the profit.

Or even direct bidding.

In fact, as early as the beginning of the new century, the two ministries had already started doing this, mostly choosing to cooperate with universities, but the results were always unsatisfactory. It wasn't until Lin Sicheng's BTA Slow-Release Technology and Palace Porcelain appeared out of nowhere.

The goals of the Archaeology Department and the Cultural Heritage Department are simple: can this model be replicated?

It doesn't require the terrifying high efficiency of Lin Sicheng: he only used one year from start to finish for a material technology that caught the attention of internationally renowned academic institutions.

And how long did the units under the Cultural Relics Bureau take before? The longest one took twelve years.

Those porcelain kilns in Shanxi are even more exaggerated: the Shanxi Cultural Relics Bureau looked for them, the National Cultural Heritage Administration looked for them, and the Forbidden City even sent expert groups to investigate. But they searched for nearly forty years and didn't even find a trace.

And Lin Sicheng only used four months...

It also doesn't require his incomprehensible and unbelievable low cost: a school-level laboratory plus a few inexperienced Masters students. The total cost is less than one-tenth of the Cultural Relics Research Institute.

If they could increase the efficiency of existing state-owned institutions by half and compress costs by half, the leaders would wake up laughing in their dreams.

But Lin Sicheng knows very well that his high-efficiency, low-cost research model has no replicability at all.

Because he is copying from the answer key.

Although those kilns in Shanxi relied more on his own abilities, the problem is that these abilities also came from the accumulation of his previous life. It is approximately equal to copying as well.

Therefore, if he doesn't participate personally, it will be as slow as it always was, and as expensive as it always was.

Rather than letting the leaders think he is hiding something, it is better to open it up and let them see.

Believe it or not, as long as Lin Sicheng gives the word, whether it's the two departments, or the Forbidden City and the Cultural Relics Research Institute, they would send people to him at lightning speed. Whichever laboratory he wants to use, he can use. He wouldn't even have to pay a single cent.

Because in the eyes of the ministries and these units, Lin Sicheng is completely contributing to the country.

But to be honest, no matter how they look at it or how they learn, it's useless.

This isn't a math problem: different problems can use the same problem-solving approach; once you learn it this time, you can use it next time.

This is a natural and social science research project; specific research plans and experimental paths are only suitable for specific academic topics.

It is highly exclusive, and can even be called "unique." Even if you learn it this time, you might not encounter the same type of topic for eight or ten years. So for Lin Sicheng, there are no downsides, but a whole bunch of benefits.

There is free manpower, free venues, and free equipment. And he can get extremely high praise: he is so selfless that he is raising someone else's child, how could the evaluation not be high?

The key is: strong and continuous support from superiors.

Just like this time: if there was no cooperation with the Forbidden City, no cooperation with the Cultural Relics Research Institute, and no Palace Porcelain and BTA projects, but instead he stayed in his own little corner of the school, what would the final result be?

Even if the school used all its strength, don't even think about getting Customs to loosen their grip by even a fraction. Even if Lin Sicheng is right, it would still be useless.

The items would be confiscated as they should be, and Hu Hai would be sentenced as he should be.

Because the system has inertia.

To be realistic: if Lin Sicheng wants to realize greater ambitions, he must have a broader and more solid platform.

And a tougher background.

People move to higher places, water flows to lower places.

Of course, he isn't leaving just like that, cutting everything off: the World Heritage Application project is only at the City Level, and even if it goes smoothly without a single bump, it will take three years to succeed.

The Artifact Restoration side still needs to be done, at least until the college successfully establishes the new discipline.

What's more, he hasn't even finished his Master's degree yet...