When I am reborn, I just want to be a top student

Liang Song stayed in Eindhoven for a full ten days.

The locations in ASML's headquarters building that once displayed cross-sectional diagrams of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines have now been replaced with structural diagrams of synchrotron radiation light sources from the lithography factory, while the blue and white windmill logo remains.

But every employee who walks into the building knows that this flag has gone from being a totem of the monopolist to a signboard for the acquired company.

The orchid that has been growing for over ten years at the lobby reception is still there, and the gardener comes to water and prune it as usual, as if nothing has ever happened.

Aside from the fact that the Dutch girl at the front desk had her name tag lanyard replaced with the Galaxy Technology star track logo, she looked down at it several times and felt that the new lanyard was lighter than the old one.

The handover went more smoothly than expected.

It's not because there's no resistance, but because everyone knows this deal isn't an option, it's a must.

ASML's lithography machine production lines will be shut down in an orderly manner and transformed into overseas maintenance centers and parts supply bases for lithography factories.

The existing lithography machines operating around the world will not be retired immediately. Their maintenance services will be incorporated into Galaxy Semiconductor's after-sales system, allowing them to continue operating at a lower cost and with a faster response time.

Previously, sending an engineer from the Netherlands to TSMC to repair an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine would cost hundreds of thousands of euros, including airfare, accommodation, and processing fees. Spare parts also had to be airlifted from Europe. One repair could cost as much as buying a Porsche.

Now, Tangdu's remote diagnostic center uses AI to predict faults, and local maintenance stations only need to send people to replace parts, reducing costs to a fraction of what they used to be, and changing response time from being calculated in days to being calculated in hours.

A large number of ASML's core patents were permanently licensed to Galaxy Semiconductor at a reasonable price. The technical standards that are still valid will be rewritten, using the process routes of the lithography plant as the benchmark.

It's not about abolishing, but upgrading. The existing patent pool contains a lot of valuable technological accumulation, from motion control algorithms for the workpiece stage to compensation models for alignment accuracy. These technologies, when applied to the synchrotron radiation light source system in the lithography factory, can help raise the stability of the next generation of light sources to a new level.

Most employees chose to stay.

After Liang Song finished explaining the transformation plan in English at the employee meeting, the audience remained silent for several seconds.

Then people started clapping, not the enthusiastic, cheering kind of clapping, but a quieter kind of applause, with uncertainty but a willingness to try.

It was like a group of crew members who had been tossed about in a storm for too long finally seeing their captain produce a new nautical chart. Although they didn't know where the new route would lead, they at least knew that the ship wouldn't sink.

An optical engineer who had worked at ASML for twenty years stood up.

His name tag was worn white at the edges, and it had his name and a much younger photo printed on it.

He said that his previous job involved polishing the lens surface to the atomic level and controlling the coating error to the nanometer level. Each lens went through dozens of processes from blank to finished product, taking several weeks. "Now that lithography factories don't need lenses anymore, is my skill obsolete?"

Liang Song looked at him and answered directly: the skills wouldn't be obsolete. Although the mirror system in the lithography factory didn't need lenses, the beamline control of the synchrotron radiation source required optical components of the same precision. His skills weren't obsolete; they just needed a different application. If he was willing, he could apply to be transferred to Tangdu headquarters to participate in the research and development of the next-generation light source system.

The engineer sat down and said something to his colleague next to him in Dutch. The colleague patted him on the shoulder.

Later, Liang Song realized that what he meant was, "My wife has always wanted to visit China, and now she finally has a reason."

Another software engineer who had worked at ASML for over a decade stood up, his voice hesitant.

He said he's been working on real-time control software for lithography machines, a very low-level embedded system where the code runs directly on the microcontroller inside the machine. Now that the lithography factory's control system uses GalaxyTech's own technology stack, where can his coding experience still be applied?
Liang Song told him that Galaxy Semiconductor was expanding its R&D center in the Netherlands, not as an affiliate of ASML, but as the core of its European research institute for the lithography factory. This institute would be responsible for the simulation modeling and control system development of the next-generation synchrotron radiation light source, requiring a large number of engineers with real-time embedded systems experience. His code wouldn't be wasted; every line of control logic he wrote would be ported to the new platform.

The engineer's expression relaxed considerably as he sat down. The person next to him whispered something to him, and he nodded, a slight smile finally appearing on his lips.

When Liang Song's presentation popped up on the encrypted terminal, Wang Donglai was in his office reviewing the official production line commissioning plan for Wanwusheng.

The briefing consisted of only a few sentences: the handover was completed, the employee retention rate exceeded 90%, the patent licensing agreement was signed, the maintenance network integration plan will be drafted next month, and the location of the European Research Institute has been selected in the Eindhoven Science Park, just a few streets away from ASML's original headquarters, making recruitment convenient and commuting easier for existing employees.

Finally, I added a personal comment: The French fries in the cafeteria here are really awful. Could we transfer a chef from Tangdu?

A faint smile appeared on Wang Donglai's lips as he picked up his stylus and wrote two words: Approved.

Then he added: "The chef was transferred from the staff canteen of the Yinhe Supermarket Tangdu No. 1 store, and one of the noodle-making chefs was brought over as well, since the Dutch have never eaten proper knife-cut noodles." Additionally, the European Research Institute's budget was submitted as a separate report, bypassing the regular approval process, allowing civil engineering and equipment procurement to proceed simultaneously, with the construction period compressed as much as possible.

When the news spread around the world, South Korea's daily newspaper devoted an entire front page to analyzing the predicament of Samsung and SK Hynix, with a striking headline: "When ASML falls, the production capacity of Chinese lithography factories will directly determine the pricing power of global memory chips and logic chips. Our two giants are now standing at someone else's doorstep."

TSMC has not issued any official comment, but supply chain sources say that TSMC has quietly sent a technical team to Tangdu to investigate the capacity matching solutions for its lithography factory. This is not for procurement, but to ensure that its advanced processes will not suffer from a vacuum in equipment maintenance due to ASML's transformation.

When asked about ASML's acquisition at a closed-door tech salon in Silicon Valley, Nvidia's John Huang gave a one-sentence answer: "I never comment on other people's deals; I only care about the computing power density of the next generation of GPUs."

However, according to people at the scene, after he finished speaking, he paused for a few seconds and then added, "However, if the lithography factory can reduce my chip costs to half of what they used to be, I will also consider taking some of my foundry orders away from TSMC."

What truly silenced the entire Wall Street was the quarterly report received by BlackRock and Vanguard's LPs.

The report contains only a few lines about ASML, but each line is like a scalpel, precisely dissecting the essence of the transaction: Galaxy Technology acquired 51% of ASML's shares for 15 million RMB, and the remaining 49% of the reserved shares were transferred to Galaxy Semiconductor's strategic holding platform. ASML's original shareholders will enjoy dividend rights proportionally within the platform, but will no longer have voting rights on ASML's operational decisions.

In other words, ASMA is still alive, but its soul has changed hands.

The price paid by the acquiring party, when calculated, was only enough to buy a not-so-large apartment in Midtown Manhattan.

During an internal conference call, Horn was questioned by an LP: "You flew to Tangdu and waited for two days, only to bring back fifteen million Chinese dollars?"

He paused for a few seconds, then replied with a single sentence: "If you had been sitting in that reception room, you would have signed it too."

The other party's anger could be felt even through the phone line, but Horn didn't argue further, because he knew any explanation would be futile in the face of Wang Donglai's statement, "Time isn't on your side." Meanwhile, as the ASML acquisition shook the global semiconductor industry, another event was quietly unfolding in Tangdu in a completely different way.

The document, which Wang Donglai had signed in the "Scheme Confirmation" section, was distributed to every employee's terminal through the internal office system.

The basic salary for all employees has been increased by no less than 10%, the meal allowance has increased from tens of yuan per day to more, the housing allowance has been doubled, the long-term incentives for core positions have been significantly increased, special funds for the construction of talent apartments have been allocated separately, and the coverage of childcare stations for employees' children has been expanded from the High-tech Zone to the whole city.

The first to react was Lao Zhou from Xinghuo Express Tangdu Distribution Center.

The middle-aged man, who had been driving trucks for twenty years, squatted beside the conveyor belt, counting the numbers for his meal allowance and housing subsidy several times on his phone screen. He stood up, dusted off his pants, and said something very simple to Xiao Li, who was unloading goods next to him: "When I used to drive a truck for myself, I chewed betel nuts every day to stay awake, afraid of falling asleep, afraid of being penalized, and afraid of not being able to pay my loan next month. Now the company even considers how much I spend on food each meal."

Xiao Li is a newcomer who just came from a small county in southern Jiangxi. He has only been working there for a few months and is still in the stage of accompanying drivers.

He read the notification several times, chuckled at the screen, and startled his colleague who was sorting goods next to him.

Old Zhou patted him on the back of the head and said that this was just the beginning. With the quarterly performance bonus and the year-end bonus, the amount he would receive would only be more.

Xiao Li scratched his head and said, "I originally planned to work for a year or two to save some money and then go back to my hometown to open a courier point, but now I don't want to go back."

At the morning meeting of the Tangdu branch of Pinhaofan, the station manager, Sister Liu, projected the plan onto the TV screen and read it aloud point by point.

When rider Xie Tao, standing in the front row, heard that his base salary had increased by 10% and his meal allowance had risen to several tens of yuan per day, his fingers unconsciously clenched at the edge of his sleeve.

He recalled the years he worked for Huangtuan, when he would wake up every day owing the station several hundred yuan. The car was rented, the battery was rented, the uniform was bought by himself, and the insurance was deducted from his salary every month. He already owed a lot of money before he even started running orders.

That winter, he ran for several days in a row in the rain and snow. His arthritis flared up, and his knees swelled up badly. The stationmaster didn't even offer a word of concern, only asking if he could continue running.

Later, he switched jobs to Pinhaofan. On his first day of work, he signed a labor contract. The HR person explained to him one by one how to pay for the five social insurances and one housing fund, what the commercial insurance covered, how to get the base salary, and how the subsidies were issued. It took almost an hour.

He initially thought it was a scam, and after receiving his first paycheck, he counted the numbers on the bank's text message several times before he dared to believe it.

Now the company even includes the cost of how many meals he eats each day and where he lives. He suddenly feels that this job is no longer a stepping stone, but something he can do for a lifetime.

After Sister Liu finished reading, she added: "The company also said that the quarterly performance coefficient will be increased, and running steadily is more valuable than running fast."

Xie Tao lowered his head and quickly wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve.

At the Yinhe Supermarket Tangdu No. 1 store, Zhao Mingyuan was inspecting the fresh food section when his phone was suddenly surrounded by several employees.

An auntie who had worked in the deli section for almost two years held up her phone and asked him if the housing subsidy had really doubled. After receiving confirmation, she didn't smile, but just wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

She said that she used to work elsewhere, standing for more than ten hours a day, and couldn't even pay her social security contributions in a month. Now, even the housing subsidy has doubled. She plans to discuss with her husband about buying a house in Tangdu and bringing their child from their hometown to attend school.

A young employee wearing glasses next to her did the math for her: her base salary would increase by 10%, her meal and housing allowances would double, plus the company's social insurance and housing fund contributions, quarterly performance bonuses, and year-end bonuses. Given the current housing prices in Tangdu, if the couple worked at Galaxy Supermarket, they could save enough for a down payment in a few years.

After listening, the aunt was silent for a while, carefully folded the inventory list in her hand and put it into her pocket, only saying two words: It was worth it.

In the training room of Galaxy Energy's Gui'an factory, Zhu Guigang saw a notification on his phone as soon as get out of class ended.

He rose from a factory worker with only a junior high school education to his current position as a maintenance technician, with his salary increasing several times. This time, his base salary has been raised by 10%, and his meal allowance and housing allowance have also increased.

He recalled his days working in an electronics factory in Dongguan, tightening screws. He earned 2,800 yuan a month, worked two shifts of twelve hours a day, lived in a ten-person dormitory, and ate the cheapest food in the canteen. After several years, he hadn't saved a penny and had even developed a host of health problems.

Later, he heard that Galaxy Technology was recruiting, so he signed up with a try-it-out mentality. As a result, he signed a contract, paid social security, and received a monthly salary of more than 4,000 yuan, without losing a single penny.

What surprised him even more was that the company also offered free training courses. They taught technical skills, and after completing the course and passing the exam, he could be transferred to a maintenance technician position with a salary increase of over a thousand yuan.

He studied for half a year, passed the exam, and is now a formal technician in the maintenance team, with two apprentices under his command.

He read the notice three times, then sent a voice message to his wife: "The company has raised salaries again, and the meal allowance and housing allowance have also increased. Send more money home this month. Buy the kids a new down jacket and some good tea for Dad."

That's how Tangdu became more and more lively day by day.

On the streets of the High-tech Zone, people in different colored work uniforms converge into a moving galaxy during the morning and evening rush hours. The dark blue uniforms belong to Xinghuo Express, the bright yellow uniforms belong to Pinhaofan, the gray uniforms belong to Yinhe Supermarket, and the silver-white uniforms belong to technicians on the Yinhe Energy production line. Each uniform has the star track logo printed on the left chest.

They rode the company-issued shared electric bikes along the wide bike lanes, their baskets filled with packages, takeout boxes, and discounted fruit they had just bought from the supermarket.

People queuing at roadside breakfast stalls held their phones, the screens displaying newly received salary adjustment notices.

While waiting in line, someone made a phone call back home, whispering, "Mom, wages have gone up again here. I'll send you extra next month. Tell Dad to take that old cough to the county hospital to get it checked out, don't delay."

Someone checked the numbers on their phone screen several times, then looked up and stared at the skyline of the High-tech Zone for a long time. On the tallest building, the star trail symbol slowly rotated in the morning light, like a silver badge inlaid in the sky of Tangdu.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, the tulip garden in front of ASML's headquarters remained quietly submerged in the cold January rain of the Netherlands.

Christopher stood by the office window, watching several workers downstairs replacing the company sign at the main entrance.

The old blue and white windmill was carefully removed and replaced with a new nameplate that read "Galaxy Semiconductor European Research Institute" in both Chinese and English.

His hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly, then he raised the cup and gently touched it to his reflection in the glass window. (End of Chapter)