Chapter 348: 348 Are you busy?

Reflecting on the past few months, Cai Weiyi still felt as if he were dreaming.

With a groundbreaking paper that shook the industry and brought him both fame and fortune, he used to dare to think of such achievements only when daydreaming.

Now, all of it had become reality.

Moreover, the impact of the paper exceeded his imagination.

He had inquired secretly, Mr. Chen made eight billion with that patent, a number so staggeringly high it was beyond his comprehension.

The immense capital it moved illustrated just how influential that patent was.

At the onset, the media’s irresponsible reporting, as well as the major battery companies keeping things under wraps, meant his name wasn’t well-known.

As the battery companies launched new batteries and started promoting them, citing their cooperation with the lab, they inevitably mentioned him.

From that point, fame found him, at least in the industry, and he became a true celebrity. Many of the titans he had once looked up to now took the initiative to call and make contact with him.

Even his alma mater reached out, inviting him to give a lecture–a privilege reserved for the most successful alumni. He had never imagined such a day would come for him.

One could say his life had undergone revolutionary change. After receiving the bonus from Mr. Chen, he now had a net worth of several million and a raise in salary, achieving his dream of buying a car and a house ten years earlier than expected.

He would never forget how he came to possess everything he now had.

Well aware of his own capabilities, he cautiously interacted with the big players in the industry and even declined his alma mater’s invitation with excuses, fearing he’d show weakness in front of others.

During this time, he shed his past attitude of just getting by and truly immersed himself in learning, studying professional materials in addition to his regular work.

The more he learned, the more he realized his level was inadequate. As a result, he clung even tighter to Mr. Chen’s coattails.

Among the few assistants in the know, some believed Mr. Chen was just lucky. When he heard such comments, he merely chuckled.

He vividly remembered how Mr. Chen’s seemingly harsh demands during his interview had seemed excessive. At the time, he wondered if Boss Chen actually expected the lab to achieve any results.

Looking back on the whole process, it seemed that from the beginning, Mr. Chen was quite certain of producing results.

As to why Mr. Chen didn’t publish the paper himself, passing the chance for fame to him, he didn’t know and didn’t dare to ask.

He also didn’t dare share any of the oddities with anyone. In any case, all he had to do was hold tight to Mr. Chen’s coattails.

Thus, he didn’t answer the question from the assistant, who was also a junior in school, but merely warned him, “You must always maintain adequate respect for Mr. Chen.”

Lin Lei replied reluctantly. Even without Cai Weiyi’s admonition, he wouldn’t go out of his way to offend the benefactor who paid his salary.

…

Around 9 a.m., Chen Xu came downstairs, taking Cai Weiyi and the others with him to the meeting venue.

The meeting, organized by several major battery companies, was held in an auditorium at a prestigious university.

Upon entering the campus gates, Chen Xu couldn’t help but look around curiously; he had dreamed of attending this university in high school. Unfortunately, his grades had been too low, making it a mere pipe dream. He never imagined that his first visit would be for a meeting.

At the venue, Chen Xu took his seat and began sending messages to Bai Jinxuan on WeChat.

The meeting was somewhat dull for him; his attendance was primarily to maintain a presence and ensure his interests were protected.

In the future, he would have to deal with such matters more and more.

The meeting soon started, and he didn’t pay much attention. The talk of establishing standards was essentially just a way to divvy up the market. Lacking significant influence, he knew it was impossible for him to claim a larger share of the profits.

Only when he introduced his lithium-air batteries would it be time to set the rules of the game.

In any case, this was a positive development for the entire battery industry. The enterprises willing to push this forward would benefit not only the battery industry but all related businesses as well.

For example, standardizing charging ports would allow a single charging station to service all electric car models, undoubtedly spurring faster growth.

Moreover, if negotiations were successful, the standards established by these battery companies could form an alliance of interests. If extended globally, they could reap substantial profits, assuming other countries accepted the standards.

That was something for them to negotiate.

For most of the meeting, Chen Xu was messaging in text mode, because voice messaging was inconvenient during an ongoing session.

Secretary Wen and Cai Weiyi, sitting beside him, listened attentively to the speakers, not daring to let their gaze wander. The boss could afford distractions, but they had to pinpoint the division of interests–essential homework.

At noon, the meeting broke for lunch, and Chen Xu slipped out to explore the campus.

His college had been a polytechnic with a small campus, not even as large as his high school’s. Now at one of the top universities in the country, he wanted to take a good look around.

He passed many students along the way and couldn’t help feeling envious. Anyone who could get into this school would have been considered a top student back in his high school days.

He had attended a key provincial school, and from his cohort, only one person got into this university. Not from his class, he couldn’t even recall that person’s name.

After wandering the campus for an hour, thinking the meeting might be about to resume, he headed back to the auditorium.

The afternoon session proved just as tedious. Chen Xu idly used his phone; Bai Jinxuan was recording a program in the afternoon, which could take hours. Luo Xiyun was in a meeting, and Yang Jinxia was inspecting a flash memory chip production line. Everyone was busy.

[It seems I need to make more friends.]

Thinking this, he opened his contacts and began scrolling–some he hadn’t contacted in ages, others he wasn’t very familiar with. Suddenly, he paused at a name.

It was Cao Ningning’s WeChat, added after he last dropped her off. They hadn’t spoken since.

He sent a message, “Are you busy?”

Seconds later, a reply came, “At school, it’s lunch break. Looking at my phone right now.”

So, Chen Xu started chatting with her.