Chapter 4145

Hou Chang laughed and said, "I hope it can be just as you say; this is all thanks to your blessing!"

Su Xinghui said solemnly, "Don't say that. I just came up with a few ideas; the actual management was all done by you personally."

Hou Chang said, "Fine, let's not talk about this. Let's eat. Today, just the two of us brothers will have a meal alone; there's no one else."

Su Xinghui nodded. He and Hou Chang sat down at a dining table. Hou Chang pressed a button, and before long, people began to serve the dishes.

The banquet dishes Hou Chang arranged today were not too numerous, but they were all very exquisite. The ingredients were top-tier, and there were both Chinese and Western-style dishes. The portion of each dish was not too large, totaling over a dozen items. The chefs he hired were, of course, top-tier as well, and the dishes they prepared were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, making one's mouth water just by looking at them.

Hou Chang introduced the names of these dishes to Su Xinghui, as well as the origins of the ingredients, from French fleur de sel, truffles, and foie gras, to Iranian caviar, to domestic bamboo fungus and icefish, and of course, the best hairy crabs of the season.

Su Xinghui smiled bitterly and said to Hou Chang, "Alright, let's just eat. Don't introduce them anymore. If I knew the price of this table of food, I would have a psychological burden while eating."

Hou Chang laughed heartily again. He nodded and said, "Fine, then I won't introduce them. Just eat as you please. We won't talk about price, only about the taste and the mood for eating."

The ingredients for these dishes were all top-tier, and each one was expensive. If the price of this table of food were known by troublemakers, they could definitely concoct an article smearing Su Xinghui. Eating such a table of food—how corrupt! This would be evidence of collusion between Su Xinghui and Hou Chang, the official and the businessman.

In reality, few people knew the true relationship between Su Xinghui and Hou Chang, and they also didn't know how many gifts from Hou Chang and the Hou family Su Xinghui had actually refused—gifts that would be enough for a person to live a life of luxury for a hundred generations.

And for Hou Chang's net worth, what did such a meal count for?

Actually, even Su Xinghui was not someone who couldn't afford this meal; one of his paintings was worth at least several hundred thousand.

Hou Chang stopped introducing the dishes to Su Xinghui. They didn't have anyone serving them on the side either; the two of them poured their own wine and began to eat and drink slowly.

After Su Xinghui had a drink with Hou Chang, he asked, "Chang, how many people are winning the Hanhai Science and Technology Award this time? Who are the winners?"

Su Xinghui was still quite interested in this result. He knew that those who could win the Hanhai Science and Technology Award must also be the top Chinese scientists.

This result was naturally kept confidential before the award ceremony, and it was a very strict confidentiality; otherwise, tomorrow's award ceremony would have no meaning. Of course, Hou Chang would not keep it secret from Su Xinghui.

Hou Chang said, "At tomorrow's award ceremony, there will be ten winners of the first Hanhai Science and Technology Award. Among them, there are two winners of the Physics Award, one winner of the Mathematics Award, and in addition, there are also two winners each for the Biology Award and the Geography Award..."

Hou Chang reported the names of these ten winners to Su Xinghui. Sure enough, these people were all top Chinese scientists familiar to Su Xinghui. Among them, some were foreign nationals of Chinese descent, and some were Chinese citizens still doing research work domestically. This ratio quite well reflected the gap in level between domestic scientific research work and similar research work abroad.

Of course, among these foreign nationals of Chinese descent, two were currently working at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute, and the scientific research achievements they made could also be considered domestic. In addition, among those Chinese citizens, one was also working at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute. From this point of view, the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute could currently be considered quite effective and had achieved a great deal.

Su Xinghui said, "Then you have to pay out 100 million in prize money alone this time."

Hou Chang smiled and said, "What is 100 million? As long as results can be produced, I would be happy to pay out 1 billion at once."

Hou Chang was not boasting. With Hanhai Science and Technology's current strength, paying out 1 billion a year really didn't count for much. If taking out this money could allow China's scientific research to produce more results, Hou Chang wouldn't even blink.

He had been in the technology enterprise business for so many years, and now that he had reached this level, his state of mind was completely different from that of ordinary people. He was now more concerned with major events at the national and ethnic level. If the country is strong, then Hanhai Science and Technology is strong; this is mutually reinforcing.

Su Xinghui raised his wine glass and said, "Come, let's have a toast to those words of yours!"

The two finished this glass, and Hou Chang began to introduce the scientific research achievements of this year's Hanhai Science and Technology Award winners to Su Xinghui.

The Hanhai Science and Technology Award was mainly aimed at young scientists. Generally speaking, the winners were scientists under fifty years old. Those scientists at the academician level did not participate in such selections. Therefore, the scientific research achievements of the winners this time were still quite inferior to Nobel Prize-level achievements, but their achievements were already enough to attract the world's attention among young scientists.

They also represented the future of China's scientific community. At this time, receiving such a weighty award was also a huge encouragement for them. Who could say that there wouldn't be a few Nobel Prize winners among them in the future?

Su Xinghui didn't quite understand some of the scientific research achievements; after all, he was not a person in the scientific community. But he had heard of some achievements and knew the weight of these scientific research achievements. It was a pity that there were still several scientists who were foreign nationals of Chinese descent, and their achievements did not belong to China. This was truly regrettable.

Su Xinghui said, "It would be great if we could get those people to return to China."

Among these foreign national scientists of Chinese descent, as many as five had educational backgrounds in China. Most of them chose to go abroad for further studies after finishing university in China, then stayed abroad and acquired foreign citizenship. Among them, several were top talents who had won gold medals in the International Mathematical, Physics, and Chemistry Olympiads.

Even those who didn't win an award this time were many top talents. This time, they had all come to Baozhou to attend this award ceremony.

The loss of these talents really made Su Xinghui feel very pained.

Hou Chang also said with a stern expression, "Yes, it would be great if we could get them to return to China. Our Hanhai Science and Technology has also done a lot of work, hoping to keep them in China. We will provide them with the best research conditions, provide the most generous treatment, and let them each lead a top laboratory. From the construction to the operation of the laboratory, they will be in charge. I only provide the funds and do not interfere with the specific operations."

For a big shot of Hanhai Science and Technology like Hou Chang to be able to do this was really not easy. He only provided funds and the most relaxed conditions just to attract these people back to China. Such conditions could not be said to be ungenerous, nor could they be said to lack sincerity.

Su Xinghui asked, "Have they agreed to stay in China?"

Hou Chang said, "Currently, only two have hinted that they would consider it; the others haven't said anything. These past few days, I have let those people visit the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute, let them visit some places that can be opened to the public, and then communicate and interact more with Zhang Xueliang and Cheng Chen. I hope Zhang Xueliang and Cheng Chen can persuade them."

Zhang Xueliang and Cheng Chen were the two foreign national scientists of Chinese descent currently working at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute, and they were also winners of this Hanhai Science and Technology Award. One was a physicist and the other was a mathematician, and they had also made major scientific research achievements at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute.

They were both gold medal winners in the International Physics and Mathematics Olympiads back in the day. After graduating from the best universities in China, they went abroad for further studies, finished their master's and doctoral degrees in the United States, and stayed to work in American scientific research institutions. A few years ago, Hanhai Science and Technology attracted them back to China with the greatest sincerity and the most generous treatment. Now they were each in charge of a laboratory at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute.

They were able to make major scientific research achievements at the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute, and their experiences had many similarities with those of the other foreign national scientists of Chinese descent. Therefore, Hou Chang letting them lobby those foreign national scientists of Chinese descent would presumably be twice as effective with half the effort.

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "This approach of yours is correct. I believe it will be effective. Now the Hanhai Science and Technology Research Institute can be considered a top scientific research institution. As long as you can provide the best scientific research environment, they have no reason not to return."

Hou Chang said, "I hope so. If we can keep a few people this time, then my painstaking efforts will not have been in vain."

Su Xinghui raised his glass and said, "I believe everything you do will be rewarded!"

Hou Chang and Su Xinghui looked at each other and smiled, raised their glasses, and drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp.