Sail across the sea

Chapter 545 Even old classmates are no longer possible
"Sixth Brother, you're not serious, are you?"

Pan Chang stared at Gao Fan and asked. Clearly, Gao Fan's words were very important to him.

Gao Fan spread his hands innocently and said, "When have I ever lied?"

Wu Zixian also testified from the side: "Old Gao likes to tell jokes in his daily life, but he won't say anything carelessly when it comes to important matters. We all know that."

Pan Chang nodded and said, "That's true. I've always admired Lao Liu's foresight. If Lao Liu also thinks there's still a future in state-owned enterprises, then I'll just stay and work there steadily."

"To be honest, there are all sorts of rumors circulating in society right now, and people in my workplace are also restless, saying they should run away before the ship sinks."

"Did someone else say they tried to salvage the ship before it sank?" Gao Fan asked.

Pan Chang sighed again: "That's right, quite a few people say that."

“There’s no need for us to do this,” Gao Fan advised. “Society is indeed a bit chaotic right now, but I believe in the wisdom of the country and we will definitely get through this. Jumping ship now will definitely lead to regret later. As for those who want to take advantage of the chaos to make a quick buck, they should just pray that they will never be held accountable.”

Pan Chang said, "Lao Liu is right. Actually, my elders also said the same thing. Our country is different from Russia. In fact, my life is pretty good now. As long as I don't compare myself to Lao Liu, I'm considered to have reached a comfortable standard of living compared to others. There's really no need to resort to unscrupulous means like them."

“At the very least, they’re much better than me.” Wu Zixian readily admitted that he was being compared to them.

Pan Chang said that as long as he doesn't compare himself to Gao Fan, he can naturally compare himself to Wu Zixian. If people aren't familiar with each other, such remarks could be offensive.

Pan Chang didn't feel he had spoken out of turn, but instead followed up on Wu Zixian's words, saying, "Eighth Brother, I think you could join Sixth Brother's school. Isn't he building that research institute in Ruizhang? You don't want to pursue a career in government anyway, so what difference does it make where you do scientific research?"
“You’re stuck at Peking University now, spending all your time working on that starch project. According to Lao Liu’s analysis, you probably won’t see any results for at least ten or twenty years. Without results, you won’t be able to get promoted to associate professor and will only be a lecturer for the rest of your life.”

"Instead of doing that, you might as well go and do your research with Lao Liu. I know Lao Liu's character; he certainly won't mistreat you."

Wu Zixian glanced at Gao Fan, shook his head, and said, "No, no, I'll stay at Peking University. Actually, Lao Gao has told me many times that he can build a separate laboratory for me in Ruizhang, and he'll provide the money and equipment if I need them."

"However, Lao Gao runs a business, not a charity. The research topic I'm working on might never generate any economic benefits. I'd feel bad using Lao Gao's resources for nothing. If things go wrong, we might not even be able to remain old classmates."

Gao Fan spread his hands towards Pan Chang and said, "Old Pan, did you hear that? This is what Lao Ba said himself. It's not that I don't care about our classmate relationship. Actually, I'm very optimistic about Lao Ba's project. It's indeed difficult to see results in the next ten or so years, but I estimate that there will be a breakthrough in twenty years."

"It's no exaggeration to say that this project will change people's lifestyles. Once it achieves a breakthrough, its value will far exceed all my current businesses. I want to get a stake in it in advance so that Lao Ba can lead me to success in the future."

“Actually, Lao Gao has already helped me a lot,” Wu Zixian said. “Lao Gao’s company now pays me patent fees every year. I know that the surfactant I helped Lao Gao develop in the past isn’t worth that much money.”

“However, Lao Gao said it was my patent fee, so I shamelessly accepted it. I have no choice; I mainly rely on this money for my research now. If I refused Lao Gao’s kindness, I would really be at a loss.” Gao Fan was about to say something more when he heard footsteps outside the door, and then Chen Chuanlin pushed the door open and came in.

"Sorry, sorry, the meeting ended late today. I'm sorry to have kept you guys waiting."

Chen Chuanlin shook hands and patted several classmates on the shoulder as he spoke.

"It's alright, the boss hasn't arrived yet. We were just chatting." Pan Chang said casually as he arranged a seat for Chen Chuanlin.

"Seventh Brother, what meeting are you attending in Beijing? I heard from Eighth Brother that you've been here for several days," Gao Fan asked, picking up the teapot on the table and pouring tea into Chen Chuanlin's cup.

Chen Chuanlin adjusted his cup with his hand, nodded to Gao Fan, and said, "It's not an important meeting. Actually, the Ministry of Chemical Industry has come up with a new standard and asked chemical design institutes from all over the country to come and learn from it, and they also need to solicit opinions and stuff. No one from our unit wanted to come, so they sent me."

After graduating from university, Chen Chuanlin went directly to graduate school. When he graduated with his master's degree, the job market was not good, and since he had neither connections nor interest in administrative affairs, he returned to his hometown of Xinye Province and joined the provincial chemical engineering design institute.

Of the eight students in dormitory 449, Gu Songtao went to the State Planning Commission, Hu Dongming went to the Finance Department of Muyang Province, and He Xujie went to the Economic Commission of Chibei Province—all abandoning their majors to pursue careers in government. Pan Changqi first worked as an engineer at a petrochemical design institute for several years before being transferred to the company's headquarters, also embarking on a career in government.

All four of them are now at the division-level cadre level. Hu Dongming was recently promoted to division-level director for his achievements in the Fanjiawan phosphate mine project. Gu Songtao, He Xujie, and Pan Chang are currently deputy division-level directors, but they are not far from becoming division-level directors.

The third son, Wang Yan, went abroad to study after graduating from university. Now he has graduated with a doctorate and joined a multinational company. In the eyes of the world, he is in a very successful state.

Gao Fan's situation goes without saying.

The remaining two are Chen Chuanlin and Wu Zixian, both of whom went on to pursue master's degrees after graduating with bachelor's degrees. Wu Zixian earned his doctorate and has just graduated, staying at Peking University's Department of Chemistry. Chen Chuanlin graduated with his master's degree three years ago and went to the Xinye Provincial Chemical Engineering Design Institute. Judging from his attire and the tone of his voice, he was not entirely satisfied.

"What were you all talking about just now?" Chen Chuanlin asked, turning to the group after explaining why he had come to Beijing.

Pan Chang pointed at Wu Zixian and said, "When we talked about Lao Ba, I advised him to go and join Lao Liu, but he said he was afraid that if he went there, he wouldn't even be able to be classmates with his old classmates anymore."

Chen Chuanlin didn't understand and asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that?"

Gao Fan said, "You don't know Lao Ba well. He was very self-reliant when he was in school, and he was always afraid of owing anyone a favor. I wanted to recruit him to our company's research institute. I offered him money and conditions, on the condition that he develops a carbon dioxide-to-starch project in the future and can make a fortune with me. But he insisted that he couldn't generate profits for me and that he couldn't save face."

"I'm not afraid of losing face," Chen Chuanlin said. "Old Gao, if I wanted to work at your research institute, would you want me?"

(End of this chapter)