Starting From the Chip in 1991

Chapter 59 Applying for Patents

Hearing Su Yuanshan make it so clear, Zhang Jianjun realized that if he still didn't understand, he wouldn't even deserve to be sitting there.

Without any further hesitation, he nodded and smiled:

"Alright, I'll start preparing as soon as I get back."

"It's not super urgent.

As long as you can get it up and running by the second half of the year, it's fine," Su Yuanshan added casually.

The two of them then chatted a bit about the current state and future development of Zhongxin, and they also discussed the prospects of the VCD market.

Zhang Jianjun seemed very interested in the VCD, but since Su Yuanshan hadn't offered him a piece of the pie, he knew better than to show any ambition.

"In the end, it's all about technology," Zhang Jianjun sighed.

Su Yuanshan smiled.

It was clear that the rapid growth of Yuanchip and Zhongxin over the past half year had left a deep impression on Zhang Jianjun.

Yuanchip, of course, needed no explanation — but he had personally witnessed Zhongxin, starting from a small factory in Jiangyin, grow into a company with an annual output value of over one hundred million yuan.

By market economy standards, it was now valued at over five hundred million — a "large" enterprise.

And all of this had stemmed from just a few small chips that Yuanchip had invested in.

It had taken less than three months for Yuanchip to create miracles from scratch.

...

Luohu District was very close to Hong Kong.

That afternoon, Su Yuanshan and the others crossed the border and checked into the hotel they had booked in advance.

Compared to the mainland, Shenzhen already had the beginnings of a modern city — skyscrapers and countless factories.

But in front of Hong Kong's overwhelming modernity, Shenzhen still looked embarrassingly primitive.

Standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the twenty-first floor, overlooking the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Sun Xihui — taking her first step outside the provincial capital — finally revealed a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Su Yuanshan, holding a cup of coffee, leaned on the other side of the window and watched her reflection on the glass.

He was quite satisfied with her performance — she had handled herself very well along the way, without showing the slightest nervousness.

No one would have guessed that she was just a small-town woman stepping into an international metropolis for the first time.

"Hong Kong may only rank third among the Four Asian Tigers," Su Yuanshan said lightly, sipping his coffee,

"but last year their GDP reached nearly 90 billion U.S. dollars.

By contrast, all of China's GDP was about 380 billion.

This little speck of land generated about a quarter of our entire nation's output."

Sun Xihui turned around, biting her lip, her face filled with confusion:

"How did they manage it?

Is it because of... capitalism?"

"Haha, you should ask the professors at the Academy of Social Sciences about that,"

Su Yuanshan chuckled and took another sip of coffee.

Then he said seriously:

"Hong Kong's rapid rise happened only in the past twenty years.

Twenty years ago, our GDP was about 100 billion, and Hong Kong's was just 4 billion — about 4% of ours."

"The reason they developed so fast is simple:

The surrounding environment stabilized, making it suitable for doing business.

Especially in the past decade, after we started reforming, Hong Kong became our bridge to the outside world.

Even if they only managed to pluck feathers as geese flew by, it was enough to raise an entire textile industry."

"Look at us — we're setting up a branch office here precisely because Hong Kong remains our best gateway to Southeast Asia and East Asia.

It's not about ideology — it's about opportunity."

Su Yuanshan smiled, his gaze gentle as he watched the thoughtful Sun Xihui:

"So don't be afraid, Sister Sun.

We're here to make money with technology.

The people downstairs — they're flipping real estate, playing stocks, doing finance, becoming comprador traders —

they're doing middleman tricks."

"Not to brag," he said, smiling wider,

"But give it twenty years — just twenty years — and our domestic GDP will be so big that these so-called tigers and dragons will be calling us daddy."

Sun Xihui couldn't help but giggle.

She touched her face self-consciously and muttered:

"Twenty years... I'll be old by then."

Seeing her slightly pitiful expression, Su Yuanshan teased:

"That's why you should find a husband while you're still young.

Otherwise, your kid will grow up missing a father figure."

"And where am I supposed to find one?"

"In the company, of course!"

Su Yuanshan joked, sipping his coffee.

"Our employees are all pure and innocent — perfect husband material."

Sun Xihui rolled her eyes and began tidying up the coffee table:

"Come on.

In the whole company, the only ones older than me are Tang Wenfang...

oh, and your dad and your uncle."

"Pfft..."

Su Yuanshan couldn't help it — he accidentally sprayed half his mouthful of coffee.

"I..."

Sun Xihui looked up, both shocked and furious,

barely managing to swallow back the curse words that were about to burst out.

Standing there in her white, knee-length down jacket, now splattered with coffee stains, she looked like a polka-dotted snowman.

"I..."

Su Yuanshan blinked innocently:

"You gave me the impression you wanted to be my mom."

"F**k! When did I ever say that?!"

Sun Xihui exploded, practically growling.

Seeing the situation getting dangerous, Su Yuanshan dropped his coffee cup and bolted from the room.

...

In the neighboring room, Pan Xiaojun happened to be coming out, holding a folder.

Hearing that Su Yuanshan had pissed off Sun Xihui again, Pan Xiaojun wisely decided to steer clear.

"But really," Pan Xiaojun said, laughing as they sat down in the hallway lounge,

"Sun-jie is beautiful.

She's just a little older, and divorced too."

"That's your prejudice," Su Yuanshan rolled his eyes at him.

"So what if she's divorced?

She's only thirty. That's still young."

"... Thirty is young?"

"Of course!

Don't you think she's way more attractive than those teenage girls?"

Pan Xiaojun blinked for a moment, then scratched his head sheepishly:

"Maybe my tastes aren't as refined as yours.

I still prefer the younger ones."

"Philistine," Su Yuanshan said, resting his head against the wall, chuckling to himself.

He realized he still hadn't mentally adjusted to his own age —

Every time he wrote letters to Ye Rudai, he felt like he was raising a daughter.

They chatted idly for a while longer.

When they figured Sun Xihui had cooled off, Pan Xiaojun went over to knock on her door.

Sure enough, she had already changed into a different outfit.

Apart from glaring at Su Yuanshan twice, she showed no signs of holding a grudge.

After all, professionally speaking, Su Yuanshan was still her boss —

and emotionally, she had always treated him like a mischievous little brother.

The three of them sat down to discuss the next day's tasks and itinerary.

After coordinating with Chen Jianguo's team, they returned to their rooms for the night.

...

The next morning, Pan Xiaojun and Sun Xihui went to handle company registration paperwork.

Su Yuanshan stayed behind in the hotel room, waiting until around ten o'clock, when finally there was a knock at the door.

It was Chen Jianguo and Lin Yonggu.

"Senior Brother, Director Lin," Su Yuanshan greeted them warmly.

"Shall we go down to the cafe, or just talk here?"

Lin Yonggu glanced around the spacious suite and smiled:

"This place is nice.

Let's stay here and just order some drinks."

Su Yuanshan was happy with that suggestion —

After all, this was a meeting about technical and project progress, not a business negotiation, so there was no need for formality.

They sat down around the coffee table.

Su Yuanshan looked closely at Chen Jianguo.

He was no longer the silent, transparent figure who used to sit quietly in a corner of his father's office.

Now his eyes were bright, his demeanor confident.

Su Yuanshan felt completely reassured.

Smiling broadly, he asked:

"Senior Brother, do you have good news for me?"

Chen Jianguo smiled slightly.

Exchanging a glance with Lin Yonggu, he opened a folder.

"We have two new technologies.

We need your help to file the patents."

Su Yuanshan inhaled deeply and opened the folder without a word.

The first title read:

"A Method for Manufacturing a Photomask."

(End of Chapter 59)

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