Chapter 401: Tech Guys Are All Real People

"Li Ye, you absolutely can't skip this trip to Xiangshan to see the red leaves!"

"My dear class monitor, I've said it three times—I have something important this Sunday."

"What's going on with you all? Everyone's busy with their own stuff, and the class committee isn't setting an example—how are we ever going to organize group activities again?"

Inside the classroom, Zhen Rongrong was scolding Li Ye in annoyance, because the new semester's group activities had failed to get off the ground.

Just two years ago when they first enrolled, when Zhen the Great Class Monitor shouted, nearly the whole class would show up—climbing mountains, picking fruit, wading in rivers to catch eels, all cheerful and close-knit.

But look now: Chen Xiaoling is going to visit classmates at another school, Pu Xianghe is heading to a dance to find girls, He Dazhuang is straining his brain for writing inspiration. If the class committee members won't participate, how can you expect the others to be enthusiastic?

Li Ye looked at Zhen Rongrong's annoyed face and said patiently, "Everyone's been in school for two years now—you can't expect things to be the same as before, with no distractions."

"If you really want to organize something, you have to give notice two weeks in advance. Even then, getting two-thirds of the class to show up would be a win."

"Fine, fine—I'll tell Xiaoling and the others we're joining next week! Honestly, if you don't cherish this now, after graduation, when you want to get together again, who knows when that'll ever happen?"

Zhen Rongrong turned to find her best friend Chen Xiaoling, and hearing her words, Li Ye felt a deep sense of nostalgia.

Even in the future, with QQ groups and WeChat groups, organizing a class reunion was hard enough—how much harder would it be in the 1980s, with poor transportation and no communication?

Once everyone graduates, some might just vanish forever, never to meet again in this lifetime.

But this week, Li Ye really did have something to do.

Tang Mingtai's research team had been incredibly effective—the improvements to the Changbei-2 sewing machine had exceeded expectations and were now ready for mass production.

With a team this exceptional, Li Ye couldn't let them slip away, so he instructed Tang Mingtai to draft a series of follow-up research collaboration plans.

But a slight problem arose: led by Professor Zhao Xiangchu, the research team felt it looked bad to keep running back and forth as "contract workers" for the Hong Kong side, and wanted to collaborate under their institute's official name.

Neither Li Ye nor the Hong Kong manager Guo Tian agreed—without hesitation, they refused.

Though patent awareness in mainland China was still weak back then, this technology still had clear ownership, and the researchers' sense of responsibility was strong.

But once their institute stepped in officially, the tech might end up serving someone else's interests, and the chance of it being abandoned halfway would skyrocket.

This wasn't just Li Ye being overly cautious—it was simply the culture formed over decades.

In his past life, Li Ye had heard of an incident.

A major machinery plant received a project to develop armor-piercing shells—it took ten years, with heavy annual funding, yet the product never met specs, because once it did, the funding would vanish.

Ten years passed; the original technical requirements were already outdated, but the researchers weren't worried about accountability—there was an institute above them, so what did it matter to them?

The standard process at research institutes was: propose technical requirements, hold meetings, find factories to fund, then when the research was finally done, realize the standards from years ago were already obsolete.

But who would change or raise the standards mid-project? Come on—do you want to destroy everyone's livelihood?

Still, the previous cooperation had gone smoothly, so despite the disagreement, neither side rushed to argue—instead, they agreed to hold a "tea talk" on Sunday to discuss things calmly.

Li Dayong felt Li Ye absolutely had to attend this tea talk, because neither he nor Pei Wenhui nor Hong Kong manager Guo Tian fully understood mainland social dynamics.

Logically, Li Ye, due to his age, shouldn't understand them deeply either—but Li Dayong just felt his older brother could do anything, and would surely resolve this perfectly.

Li Ye thought it over and decided to go observe in person, see how things stood.

If these tech guys were just worried about "bad optics" or their pride, then this was easy to fix.

Face means little next to money, especially when they're trading tech for cash—it's only natural, just need to adjust their mindset.

But if they'd had an epiphany, suddenly seeing eye-to-eye with Li Ye—that would be interesting indeed!

Li Ye wanted to slowly poach talent, build his own tech team, wait for the right moment to use technology to drive the market, and eventually become a tech company that could "choke others."

But if Professor Zhao and his team used his money to grow their own team, then pulled the ladder up and turned the tables—where would Li Ye go to complain?

On Sunday morning, Li Ye and Li Dayong arrived at Changbei Machinery Company in Pei Wenhui's BMW.

After arriving, Li Ye planned to first visit the research workshop—recent upgrades had cost a fortune, including foreign-exchange-funded central air conditioning. As a major shareholder, he had to see the results for himself and judge if it was worth it.

But at the workshop entrance, Li Ye was stopped.

A young man, twenty-seven or twenty-eight, blocked him: "Sorry, comrade, this is a research workshop—no unauthorized personnel allowed."

Pei Wenhui, behind Li Ye, quickly said: "Comrade Wu, this isn't unauthorized—he's our economic consultant, with access to the research workshop."

Pei Wenhui was the invisible "number one" on the Hong Kong side—her word carried weight—but this time, something was odd.

Wu Zuzhang glanced at Li Ye, expressionless: "What's an economic consultant doing in a research workshop? And he's so young—what could he possibly consult on?"

"Wu Yan, what do you mean? Whether he has access is our business—we're grateful you're helping us with tech breakthroughs, but don't get too full of yourselves."

Li Dayong was furious and was about to snap back, but Li Ye held him back with a hand.

Li Ye smiled gently: "Comrade Wu, just a moment—let's follow the rules, alright?"

Then he turned to Pei Wenhui: "Where's my employee badge? The rule says if you have a badge, you can enter, right?"

The employee badge was Li Ye's idea—once introduced, it was wildly popular among technicians because it felt ceremonial.

Especially the technicians' badges—different color, different access rights, different perks—this made Wu Yan, Professor Zhao, and others feel valued.

Don't call it discrimination—it's simply that these technicians deserved it.

If you work overtime until midnight, walk into the cafeteria, show your badge, and the night-shift cook must immediately bring you the menu to order—after eating, just write your badge number down; the cook gets a bonus at month-end based on how many times he served badge-holders.

If a technician's child suddenly falls ill with fever after a week of round-the-clock work, the technician shows his badge to the fleet—they must send a car and driver, and follow the technician's every command.

Any benefit is a reflection of value—those who deliver value deserve the reward.

And Li Ye had his own subtle plan.

For someone like Professor Zhao, fine—but for someone like Wu Yan, once used to this badge, would he ever want to take it off his neck?

Subtle, gradual psychological infiltration is how you truly sink roots deep.

Pei Wenhui, hearing Li Ye, blinked, then said: "Your badge's with Manager Guo—I'll go get it for you."

Guo Tian didn't have Li Ye's badge—of course not—but making one on the spot wouldn't take long.

But Li Ye never intended to wait—he'd noticed Wu Yan's words were dull, but his eyes held a faint, barely perceptible worry and shame; only someone with Li Ye's sharp observation could have spotted it.

After Pei Wenhui left, Li Ye gave Li Dayong a look.

The brothers had once run wild together in Qingshui County—some rough tactics were better left unseen by Pei Wenhui.

"Hey, Wu, today you really embarrassed me. You won't let me in, fine—but you won't let my brother in? We've got to find a place to talk."

Li Dayong grinned wide, wrapped his bear-like arms around Wu Yan, and half-dragged him aside from the entrance.

Then Li Ye slipped silently through the workshop door.

The research workshop had two layers of fireproof, soundproof doors, so the commotion outside didn't reach inside.

Li Ye crept forward quietly, like a stealth player in a game, and soon heard a group discussing.

"Old Zhao, you started this—when we talk to them later, lay out our units' demands, but don't push too hard—whatever happens, it's fine! What a mess this is!"

"Hey hey hey, don't count on me—I've handed out every single bonus to you guys. Now you want to walk out right after getting paid? I, Old Zhao, can't say something so dishonorable."

"Look how they've treated us these past days—I checked: they're treating us like overseas senior researchers."

"We've barely finished the first phase, and now you want to make demands? I just can't bring myself to say it—it's too low."

"Don't talk about bonuses—I told you all not to flaunt your cash like a dog hoarding two ounces of sesame oil."

"But within days, everyone's showing off—now you've made others jealous. You're from institutions—you've got to watch your image."

A weak voice piped up: "If you earn money and don't spend it, what's the point? I earned honest money—let them be jealous! Can they report me? Fire me, then—I'd welcome it!"

"Exactly! Our unit asked how much extra I made—I spat right in their face. Why don't you ask those who sell goods on the street? I'm making money through scholarship, okay?"

"You only care about work, not appearances—but now everyone's cutting costs. Our unit hasn't launched a big project in ages. Our research budget's so small, it barely covers holiday bonuses."

"My unit gave me a clear task: bring back a research project. But I'm terrified to mention it—I'm afraid bringing back a million won't even make a sound."

The chatter made everything clear to Li Ye.

After the Changbei-2 was finalized, Guo Tian immediately awarded them a generous bonus. The two old men didn't hesitate—they split it among their students and juniors.

But within days, the money showed, and a chain of problems erupted.

Back then, research institutes were either rich or desperately poor. Poor ones were truly destitute—researchers who'd spent years studying on meager salaries, cursing heaven and earth, yet solving nothing.

Now suddenly seeing a wealthy outsider—how could you not let everyone have a fat New Year?

But as that researcher said, bringing back a million would just make a sound—nothing unusual.

Research funding had always been poorly managed; if every cent were truly spent on research, that'd be the real oddity.

Li Ye listened for over ten minutes—his heart ached, yet also warmed.

He was warmed: these tech men were genuine—they came with a mission, yet had no intention of swindling the Hong Kong side; they seemed to be just going through the motions, fulfilling formalities.

And he ached: such outstanding technicians, who'd built excellent products despite backward conditions, were living so hard.

True talent must not be wasted.

Li Ye quietly retreated, opened the door, and softly closed it behind him.

He turned and walked to Wu Yan, whose face was flushed, and whispered: "Sorry, Comrade Wu—I only overheard a few words. Pretend you didn't hear anything for now. Wait until after today's talk to decide whether to report to your mentor."

Wu Yan's face changed instantly—from red to pale. He stammered: "You heard everything?"

Li Ye patted his shoulder: "Earning money by your skill isn't shameful. Besides—I'm on your side."

Wu Yan looked at him, confused: "You're on our side? But you're the Hong Kong side's economic consultant."

Li Ye smiled.

"But I'm from the mainland."

(End of Chapter)