Chapter 161 It’s Over!

It was still the familiar study and the familiar scene, but this time the protagonist was changed to Old Man Chen.

As for Professor Wu, he took Chen Fei out. Knowing that Su Chen was going to leave Xi'an today, he specifically requested to have lunch at his house at noon as a farewell to Su Chen.

Of course, it was also to make room for Su Chen and Old Man Chen to talk about certain topics.

Old Man Chen glanced at the black device on the table that was flashing a green light, then turned his gaze to Su Chen and asked, "Friend Su, do you really have a controllable nuclear ahem~ subsequent formula?"

He originally wanted to ask directly, but when he thought that those words were too shocking, Old Man Chen consciously chose to be vague.

Su Chen did not answer his question immediately. He took a sip of the teacup and saw that Old Man Chen was a little uneasy before he slowly said, "It doesn't matter whether I have it or not. What matters is what you think, Professor Chen."

"We all know there is no free lunch in the world. There are not many things that you can do without paying and yet want to gain something."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Su Chen's words were very straightforward. If you, old man Chen, don't express your attitude, it's impossible for you to know the truth of the matter.

Old Man Chen fell silent upon hearing this. He had been quite anxious these past two days, and often wondered whether he would follow Old Man Wu and follow Su Chen in the future.

But he knew that the research on controlled nuclear fusion could not be accomplished by one person alone. The cost of the initial research alone was in the billions. He did not quite believe that Su Chen had such ability.

"My dear Su, do you know how important controlled nuclear fusion is to the country?"

Before Old Man Chen could finish his words, Su Chen raised his hand and interrupted him, "Don't use the interests of the country to kidnap me. Since everyone knows its importance, Professor Chen still wants to make people hand over the technology with just one sentence."

"Isn't that a bit whimsical?"

"Besides, if I have this technology, can I not contribute to the country? Do I have to hand over the technology to experts like you to be considered patriotic?"

"Sir, times have changed. It's no longer the era where you can make contributions just by talking. What matters now is actual actions!"

Su Chen's words made old man Chen's face turn red. He also understood that what he said just now contained some moral kidnapping implications, but his original intention was good and it was all for the faster development of the country.

It is precisely because Su Chen knows this that he sat down and discussed this issue in detail with Old Man Chen. If it were those crappy experts, do you think Su Chen would pay any attention to them?

Old man Chen was silent.
He also knew that Su Chen came to Xi'an this time just for Old Man Wu. Now that everything was settled and he had tried everything there was to do and eat in Xi'an in the past two days, he also knew that after Su Chen left today, they would probably never see each other again.
A three-legged frog is hard to find, so is it also hard to find an expert in nuclear engineering technology?

Old man Chen knew that if he missed this opportunity, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room besides Su Chen's calm tea drinking were old man Chen's gradually becoming heavy breathing.

After a long time, Old Man Chen looked at Su Chen and asked, "Friend Su, I want to ask how much research expenses I can get every year if I join your research institute!"

Old man Chen's words stumped Su Chen. The reason was very simple: the controlled nuclear fusion technology was already available. It just needed someone in this field to review the technology from beginning to end.

As for the research cost mentioned by Old Man Chen, Su Chen had no idea.

Should I just tell Old Man Chen that you are the top tool I’m looking for and that you don’t need to research anything, as long as you master this technology thoroughly?

I'm afraid that as soon as he said this, what will greet him is the "cataract" that Old Man Chen has had for decades.

After a little thought, Su Chen said with a slightly raised mouth: "You can rest assured about the funding. The annual research funding is at least in the hundreds of millions."

Su Chen did not lie to Old Man Chen about this. He planned to invest at least one third or even half of the funds rewarded by the system in that research base.

It is said that good things should be kept in the family. How could the hundreds of civilian technologies obtained by Su Chen be left to gather dust in the system warehouse? These technologies will be gradually realized through the research base.

When Old Man Chen heard what Su Chen said about the research funding of at least hundreds of millions every year, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. You know, the school's research funds are getting less and less, and the main reason is that there are more projects.

No matter whether it is useful or useless, as long as the information is good and people can see the money-making potential, they will find ways to seek research funds.

Old man Chen is also an upright and stubborn person. He doesn't want to do anything crooked, so naturally his research funding is not as much as others, and sometimes he even gets blocked.

If there were hundreds of millions of research funds every year, so many things could be done. How could old man Chen not be happy?

Su Chen also noticed the change in Old Man Chen's expression, and after thinking about it, he decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Professor Chen, if you believe me, perhaps controlled nuclear fusion technology will be realized in your hands in the future."

"Huh?" Old man Chen couldn't help but open his eyes wide and stare at Su Chen, as if he wanted to see some secret from his eyes.

Su Chen, however, had a calm expression on his face, as if he didn't notice the old man Chen's sharp gaze. He held the cup of tea and sipped it calmly.

"Squeak~" The door was opened, and the voices of Professor Wu and Chen Fei were heard from the door.

The two were talking and laughing, and seemed to be getting along quite well.

Professor Wu walked to the door of the study and took a look inside. Seeing the two people in silence, he smiled and joked, "I hope I didn't disturb you."

These words were actually asking Su Chen how things were going and whether he needed his assistance.

Su Chen smiled and glanced at the old man Chen sitting opposite him, and said softly: "We just finished talking, you came back at the right time."

Professor Wu nodded when he heard this, looked at Su Chen and then at Old Man Chen who was in deep thought, and probably guessed what was going on, and then said, "Okay, I'll go cook first, and I'll let you taste my cooking skills at noon today."

"Okay, okay~ Then I'll trouble Grandpa Wu." After saying that, he shouted loudly to the outside, "A Fei, go to the kitchen and help Grandpa Wu."

"Okay~" Professor Wu's smile widened.

Professor Wu was very pleased with Su Chen's words. If for no other reason, he could tell from the way he addressed him that Su Chen treated him as one of his own.

After a while, the sounds of washing vegetables and pots came from the kitchen.

After weighing the pros and cons, Old Man Chen finally made up his mind. He looked up at Su Chen and said firmly, "Mr. Su, I'll trouble you from now on."

Hearing this, Su Chen's eyes flashed with excitement. He smiled and stretched out his right hand and said, "Welcome Professor Chen to join us!"

"Snap!" Old man Chen didn't hesitate and directly held Su Chen's hand.

It was this handshake that created the world's most advanced nuclear research institute in the future.

"Hey, Mr. Wu is from Sichuan?" Su Chen asked curiously as he looked at the classic Sichuan dishes on the table.

"I am a legitimate son-in-law from Bashu, and my wife is from there."

As if he had thought of something, Mr. Wu's face was also filled with a happy smile. This reminded Su Chen that he seemed to have not seen the families of the two old men in the two times he came here, so he immediately asked: "By the way, are your families not here?"

Old Man Chen and Professor Wu looked at each other and shook their heads in tacit understanding.

After the two of them explained, Su Chen finally understood what was going on. Both of their spouses now live with their son.

The reason is actually very simple. Sometimes the two old men are too busy to spend time with their family, so they simply let their spouse live with their son and have good care of him or her.

Su Chen also considered the issue of their separation, and specifically asked the two old men if he needed some arrangements so that the whole family could live together. As for the children's work, they didn't have to worry about it, as Su Chen had solved it all.

I thought I would get thanks from the two old gentlemen, but unexpectedly, both of them rejected Su Chen's kindness.

The reason is very simple: when family members are around, mistakes are bound to happen, and some trivial matters at home may affect the progress of the research.

At this moment, Su Chen finally understood how high the awareness of these older generations was.

Everyone enjoyed the meal very much, talking and laughing, and Professor Wu even teased Old Man Chen from time to time.

Su Chen also heard some unknown past events from the two old men, which opened his eyes.

When Professor Wu talked about the semiconductor circle, Su Chen suddenly thought of another semiconductor expert from Harbin Institute of Technology whom he had picked out before. He wondered if Professor Wu knew him.

After finding a suitable opportunity, Su Chen asked out of his curiosity.

"Wei Xiuwen from Harbin Institute of Technology? Why are you asking about that old guy? He is still a long way behind me in semiconductors!" Professor Wu said confidently.

But he realized something was wrong when he thought about it. He blinked and looked at Su Chen and asked, "You don't want to recruit that old guy, do you?"

Even Old Man Chen standing by gave him a puzzled look, as if Old Man Wu was not enough for him.

Su Chen nodded heavily. "Mr. Wu, you have read the previous document and you should know that there are too many things in it. If you are the only one leading the team to research, it will take at least a year and a half to achieve mass production."

Professor Wu also agreed with this. After all, he could only study one item at a time, which would definitely take a lot of time. He also knew that achieving mass production one day earlier would bring more benefits to many industries.

"Do you mean you want to poach him through me?" Professor Wu asked tentatively.

Su Chen did not hide anything and directly told the story of how he selected the two of them from dozens of people, and also stated that he wanted to recruit them from the very beginning.

Professor Wu showed no emotion when he heard this. He knew that what Su Chen said was true, and immediately said that he would take care of this small matter. After all, he and Wei Xiuwen had a complicated relationship and they had collaborated on many large projects together before.

"Hahaha~ Mr. Wu, I'll leave this matter to you." Su Chen also wanted to have some free time so that he wouldn't have to make a special trip to Ice City.

"Don't worry, I will definitely bring the person to you when the time comes!" Professor Wu said, patting his chest.

When Old Man Chen heard this, his eyes rolled rapidly, as if he could also recruit a few experts in nuclear engineering to assist him.

After the meal, the three of them chatted for a while, mainly to ask Professor Wu and others to arrange their affairs as soon as possible.

If you encounter any problem that cannot be solved, call him in time to deal with it, and don't waste time on trivial matters.

At around 1:30 in the afternoon, Su Chen said goodbye. He had already arranged a flight for 3 p.m., and it would take another hour to get to the airport. If he was delayed any further, he would probably not be able to return to the capital until tomorrow.

After watching Su Chen and the other two drive away, Old Man Chen turned to look at Professor Wu beside him and asked, "Old Wu, do you think our decision is right or wrong?"

Professor Wu did not answer him immediately, but recalled the catalog information that Su Chen had shown him before. In addition to the 10nm chip, 7nm and 5nm were also mentioned.

Especially for the 5nm level, there are only a few words, but he can see that these levels of chips are systematic, which means that as long as the 10nm chip is thoroughly studied, the rest can be slowly studied out.

He also guessed in his heart that Su Chen already had mature technology, but he was just unwilling to believe that Su Chen could use the full set of technology.

Professor Wu came back to his senses, patted his old friend on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you will thank yourself for this decision in the future."

"Okay, please hand over all the things in your hands as soon as possible. I still need to recruit some people for Mr. Su." After saying that, Professor Wu turned and walked towards the corridor.

Old Man Chen stood there in silence for a moment, then he muttered softly, "Now that we have made the decision, we can't think about it anymore. We should think about how to recruit a few more people to help."

Imperial capital, courtyard house!

"Hey, Brother Chen, how come you're here so quickly?" As soon as Su Chen walked into the middle courtyard, he saw Xiao Chen lying on his recliner playing with his cell phone.

After Su Chen landed at the Imperial Capital Airport, he sent a message to Xiao Chen saying that he was back, and also asked about the progress of the security matters.

Xiao Chen looked at Su Chen who came in and Fade Chen who was carrying a lot of bags behind him, curled his lips and said unhappily: "Your eldest master Su has spoken in person, how can I not move faster."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen guessed that Xiao Chen was most likely scolded by Old Man Xiao. He pulled a stool over and sat next to him, took out a cigarette box and handed it to him, "Did you make Old Man angry again?"

"It's all because of the cigarette you gave me. The old man found out right after I got back. He thought I was the one who instigated you to take advantage of him. Not only did he teach me a lesson, he also confiscated the cigarettes!"

"Just tell me whether I should be angry or not?" Xiao Chen looked at Su Chen depressedly.

Su Chen knew the meaning of these words. It was simply to make Su Chen take responsibility.

"That's fine~ I'll take one with me when I go back later, that should be fine!"

Hearing this, Xiao Chen's face was no longer depressed. He smiled and patted Su Chen's arm and said, "You are worthy of being my good buddy."

"By the way, didn't you go out to recruit people? Why are you back?" Xiao Chen was also a little curious about Su Chen's return. Logically speaking, Su Chen would be away for at least a week, but he came back in three or four days.

"I'll come back naturally when I'm done with my work!" Su Chen felt a little proud when he said this.

Xiao Chen was also shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly asked about the whole story. When he learned that Su Chen actually asked Professor Wu to help him poach people, he was also impressed by Su Chen's stupidity.

"I came here today to tell you something. The security personnel you mentioned earlier are already in place. Can you find time to go and take a look?"

"Huh? Everything is in place so quickly. Didn't you say it would take half a month?" Su Chen did not expect Xiao Chen to move so quickly.

"It's just a phone call from the old man."

Su Chen did not expect that Mr. Xiao would pay attention to such a small matter. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Where is the person now?"

"The old place, the training camp in the suburbs."

(End of this chapter)