Chapter 352: 352 Value

Yang Qingqing’s face was quite embarrassed when her boss caught her slacking off during work hours, engaging in other things. She felt incredibly guilty at the moment. Afterwards, she made a tough decision and issued a notice to pause her activities, deciding to focus entirely on her work.

After all, for someone at her level, this job was like a windfall from heaven.

Originally, her plan was to go back to her hometown to work at a research institute related to medicine; she had even prepared her resume.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay in the big city; it was just that the cost of living was too high. Being a recent graduate with no significant background, her salary wouldn’t be very high. The prospect of buying a house here was even more of a luxury.

When Chen Xu found her, she immediately realized this was an opportunity to change her fate. She decided to take the risk because it wouldn’t be too late to go back home if things didn’t work out.

Before signing the contract, she even had lawyers look at it. Many of the terms were harsh, almost like a servitude agreement, but the offered salary was something she felt she couldn’t earn even with her best efforts in the next ten years. Additionally, the salary was to increase annually. She truly couldn’t refuse it.

If she could keep this job, she would be able to buy an apartment downtown within ten years, provided that housing prices did not double.

Thus, she valued this job exceptionally. Unlike Cai Weiyi, who was initially indifferent, she put almost all of her energy into the lab, even giving up her only hobby.

“How’s the progress recently?” Chen Xu, sensing her unease, changed the subject.

Yang Qingqing replied, “There hasn’t been much progress yet.”

“That’s normal; fundamental research isn’t easy. I have enough patience,” Chen Xu acknowledged. He knew from Secretary Jin that Yang Qingqing worked very hard, always being the first to arrive at the lab and the last to leave, as if she practically lived there.

He felt it was necessary to reduce her pressure.

Yang Qingqing knew he was right, but how could she possibly relax? With her skills and qualifications, she couldn’t earn such a high salary anywhere else. In other words, she felt very insecure. Even if she didn’t produce any results, she had to work hard to justify her salary.

She quietly reported the recent progress to him.

Since the establishment of the lab, they had been focusing on one project: researching cancer cells. This project was personally designated by Chen Xu. In the last star-level game they experienced, mankind had nearly conquered all terminal illnesses, including cancer. However, the technological level on Earth was far from that standard; they needed to slowly climb the technological ladder.

Of course, although he couldn’t completely solve cancer, he could introduce some medicinal treatments.

He knew the active ingredients of these drugs and how to manufacture them, but he couldn’t just reveal them outright. There had to seem to be a process of discovery, so they could be rightfully published, patented, and presented in research papers.

This process was crucial, and according to his schedule, the active ingredient should be discovered in about six months. However, with Yang Qingqing working so hard, it might be shortened to four months.

Calculating the time, it was almost due.

After talking in his office, Chen Xu took a round through the lab. After selling patent rights, he had bought a batch of experimental equipment. With Yang Jinxia’s connections, they were second-hand and much cheaper than new ones.

In this lab, he had invested several times more money than in the battery lab.

For him, the battery lab was purely for making money. The pharmaceutical lab, however, was different; he valued it highly.

His own physical constitution was excellent, and he hardly expected health issues even as he aged. But he had family and friends; what would happen if his aging parents got sick?

Thus, he had to be prepared in advance.

Both his parents had mild hypertension, which was currently under control, but it could likely pose an issue later. High blood pressure was too complex an issue for this small lab to tackle on its own.

He needed to earn more money, establish a research center, and collaborate with major hospitals to embark on joint research to come up with viable results.

Otherwise, even if he produced research papers, without clinical case validations to back them, no journal would consider them.

And to achieve all this, besides money, he needed sufficient fame.

You have to eat one bite at a time, walk step by step.

After making a round in the lab and getting a grasp of their work, he didn’t stay long and left.

“Mr. Chen, where to next?”

After getting in the car, the driver asked.

Chen Xu glanced at the sky and said, “Let’s go to Yunxu.”

It was getting late, and the data center was a bit far; traveling there would take considerable time. The flash memory grain production company was similarly distant; the nearest was Yunxu Company.

Although Luo Xiyun was not in the company, there were definitely people on duty, so he wanted to check their progress.

They arrived at Yunxu Company in less than half an hour.

“Excuse me, do you have an appointment?”

Chen Xu was stopped when he reached the reception on his floor; both receptionists had not seen him before. He didn’t make it difficult for them and directly called inside.

Within two minutes, the manager from the product department rushed out, “Mr. Chen, why didn’t you inform us before coming? They are new here and don’t recognize you. Please, don’t take it personally.”

Hearing this, the two receptionists, realizing they had stopped a high-ranking executive, apologized with frightened faces.

“No worries, ignorance is not a sin,” Chen Xu waved his hand and followed the manager inside.

As the receptionists sighed in relief, they whispered among themselves.

The first receptionist, who had just started a few days ago, asked quietly, “What’s the deal with this Mr. Chen?”

The second receptionist, who had been there a few days longer and knew more gossip, replied, “You don’t know? He’s Mr. Luo’s boyfriend and he also has shares in the company.”

“Oh, I see,” the first one said, enlightened. “Why haven’t I seen him here before?”

“He has other ventures; I heard he’s in batteries. He invented some patent and made billions.”

“No way, that impressive?”

“Would our Mr. Luo be interested in him otherwise?” the second whispered, adding, “Do you know our Mr. Luo’s background?”

“No.”

“Ever heard of Tianluo Group?”

“Of course, it’s a major real estate group. I have a relative who works there.”

“Our Mr. Luo is Tianluo Group’s boss’s daughter.”

“Ah–no wonder, Luo’s so young and already starting her own company.”