Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

The figure of "fifty billion" was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, creating a completely different and huge ripple in the mayor's office, which was originally tense and filled with the emotional entanglement between father and daughter.

Lu Yang felt a slight sense of relief, knowing that he had made the right bet.

Meeting Xu Changping's scrutinizing gaze, he nodded resolutely, his tone carrying unprecedented solemnity and confidence: "Absolutely true, Uncle Xu. The eight-inch wafer fab in Singapore is a bridgehead for our Century Group's overseas expansion, but the domestic market is the foundation for the future of our Century Group and even the nation's semiconductor industry. I hope this new fab will be completed as soon as possible, and if possible, we will do our utmost to ensure that its technological content is no less than 0.75μm, meeting the specifications of an eight-inch wafer fab."

Xu Changping leaned forward slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Lu Yang: "Location? Source of technology? Policy requirements? Feasibility of implementation? I need details, Lu Yang. You need to understand, this is not a game."

His questions were precise, swift, and to the point, instantly shifting the atmosphere from personal grievances back to a professional investment negotiation table.

As mayor, he was all too aware of the weight of this investment.

At the time, 5 billion was enough to reshape the industrial landscape of a city, creating at least thousands of jobs and generating an immeasurable supply chain effect.

Moreover, setting aside the eight-inch wafer size, the 0.75μm chip dicing process alone far surpasses most of the 1.0 to 1.25μm and above chip dicing processes that are already mature in mainland China.

If this project is successful

This will undoubtedly propel China's semiconductor industry to a new level in its pursuit of catching up with developed Western countries.
As the saying goes, "Benefits in the present, merits for generations to come."

Lu Yang took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't back down now and had to have something to say. So he quickly formed a plan in his mind and began to improvise:
"Uncle Xu, first of all, the location has not yet been finalized. Our consideration is that the location of the new wafer fab must first be a core area with good industrial support, talent reserves and transportation and logistics advantages."

Hengcheng, a pearl of southern Hunan and an important town in the Southern Mountain region, connects the north and south and radiates east and west. It possesses a rich industrial foundation and developing scientific and educational resources, making it a natural focus of our investigation.

He cleverly drew a circle around Hengcheng, but did not seal it off completely.

"As for the source of technology, our initial plan is to share some technology platforms and experience with Century Microelectronics in Singapore. More importantly, we will actively introduce mature equipment manufacturers and core process engineers from Europe and the United States through the Li family's network in Singapore."

The young master of the Li family has already promised to do his best to assist in communicating with Western semiconductor companies, opening a loophole for us to obtain the necessary import qualifications for high-precision instruments.

We firmly believe that while technology transfer presents challenges, the success of the Singapore project, the Li family's mediation, and the immense appeal of the Chinese market to international manufacturers significantly increase the chances of success.

Lu Yang described the future.

His words were so persuasive, it was as if a modern wafer fab had already sprung up before our eyes.

He discussed the urgency of domestic chip production, how this would fill the gap in high-end manufacturing in China, drive the upstream and downstream industrial chains, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and even change the regional economic landscape.

The blueprint is grand, and the prospects are enticing.

Xu Changping listened intently, his fingers unconsciously stroking the table, his eyes sparkling with the brilliance ignited by the grand plan—a natural desire of an official for significant achievements and the long-term development of the region.

Lu Yang's description is precisely the path to industrial upgrading that he envisions.

However, when Lu Yang frankly added, "Of course, Uncle Xu, I must clarify that the technology transfer is still in the preliminary communication stage. Mr. Li from Singapore is actively mediating, and the final result will take some time..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the flame that had been ignited by the blueprint in Xu Changping's eyes dimmed instantly, as if doused with cold water, and then turned into a deep and complex emotion.

He slowly and heavily leaned back in his wide chair, letting out a long sigh, tinged with endless weariness and a hint of barely perceptible regret: "Ah... time... communication and mediation..."

He looked up, his gaze falling on the city lights gradually illuminating the twilight outside the window. His tone became unusually calm, even somewhat desolate. "Lu Yang, your plan is excellent, truly excellent. If only it had been a few months earlier, no, even just a month earlier… sigh…"

He paused, then turned his gaze back to Lu Yang, with an expression of appreciation and a sense of candor that came after the dust had settled: "Originally, if this matter had succeeded, before I left, it would have been a truly generous gift for the people of Hengcheng, a foundation of industry that could support long-term development."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "The organization has already spoken with me. I will be transferred out of Hengcheng soon."

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Transferred? Uncle Xu, you've been promoted?"

"That's it."

Xu Changping's lips curled into a faint, unenthusiastic smile. "Going to the neighboring province, Luzhou, the provincial capital, is a lateral transfer, which is considered a promotion, but you should know that the environment there is much more complicated..."

There was a brief silence in the office.

The city lights outside the window reflected on Xu Changping's face, creating a play of light and shadow.

Hengcheng was where he had served for four years. He originally wanted to leave a gift for Hengcheng before he left, but he also knew very well that Hengcheng was simply not capable of handling the 50 billion semiconductor project on its own.

Even if he were to forcefully push this project forward, and even disregarding the fact that the guy on the other end was being evasive, the project currently exists only on paper, in our imagination, and we still have to wait for an uncertain answer.

Even without these...

Xu Changping got up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant Hengshan Mountain in the south: A 50 billion yuan project, no matter where it is completed and put into production, must have a powerful figure backing it. Otherwise, who knows how many monsters and scoundrels will come smelling the fish and try to take advantage of it to line their own pockets.

If he were to forcefully push for this project to be located in Hengcheng...

Once he is transferred on his own.

I'm afraid... it will only harm the people behind me.

As the city lights began to twinkle, the scattered light fell on Xu Changping's refined yet weary and desolate profile, reflecting the complex emotions of a father and an official who had shed his domineering demeanor.

Xu Changping turned his gaze away from the window and back to Lu Yang.

The surging anger had subsided, replaced by a scrutinizing gaze, tinged with an indescribable complexity. Only the soft ticking of the wall clock remained in the office, as if measuring the depth of the silence.

After a long silence, Xu Changping spoke slowly, his voice deep and clear, devoid of any trace of his earlier thunderous rage, yet carrying an even heavier force that struck straight to the heart: "Lu Yang, my daughter Siqi..."

Lu Yang's heart leaped into his throat, and he instinctively straightened his back, bracing himself for any criticism.

“That’s enough.” Xu Changping simply waved his hand, a deep helplessness and a barely perceptible hint of compromise on his face. “What’s done is done. What can I, as a father, do, being thousands of miles away? I just hope you remember one thing: Siqi is stubborn. She’s made up her mind about you, even about the child… You must treat her well. They are strangers in Singapore. When you have time… go and see them more often. The child… can’t be without her father by her side.”

This entrustment, which was almost like "accepting one's fate," was like a soft knife, making Lu Yang feel even more guilty and burdened than his previous angry rebuke.

His throat tightened slightly, and he nodded vigorously: "Uncle Xu, don't worry! I, Lu Yang, will never let Siqi and the children down in this life. I will do everything I can to ensure they live a peaceful and happy life. I will also visit Singapore often!"

"it is good."

Xu Changping responded with only one word.

After saying that one word, his gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto Lu Yang's eyes as if trying to pierce his soul. "I'll believe you about Siqi for now. But on another matter, Lu Yang, you must give me a definite answer, a promise!"

He leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on the desk, and an aura of decisiveness and authority emanated from him once more. His voice was firm and unwavering:
"That wafer fab plan you just mentioned—five billion, eight-inch, 0.75μm process—whether it's still on paper or just a pie in the sky, I, Xu Changping, as a Chinese official and a citizen who longs for the revitalization of our national industry, implore you! No, I demand you! No matter what, at any cost, you must make it happen! Make it happen!"

Xu Changping's eyes burned with an almost obsessive sense of mission: "Not enough money? Raise more! Technological bottlenecks? Break through them by any means necessary! Even if the costs are sky-high, even if we suffer huge losses in the early stages, as long as it can be implemented, as long as it can truly improve our semiconductor technology and lead the current domestic level by two or three generations! Its significance far exceeds your profit and loss on paper! It is laying the foundation for our national industry, filling the gaps on the road to catching up with the Western powers! This concerns the fate of the nation, and whether we can stand tall in the future!"

After saying these tough words, he earnestly spoke as an elder: "Child, you must understand that money is just a number to you, but if you can use it to realize some value in life, then it is not just a simple number."

He hoped that Lu Yang could understand his good intentions.

After saying these words.

Without waiting for Lu Yang to say anything, he took another deep breath, as if using all his strength, and uttered that "unreasonable request." His voice was low, but every word struck Lu Yang's heart like a hammer:

"If... if you can really build this factory, and it does indeed meet the specifications you promised, then, Lu Yang, for the sake of the time I, Xu Changping, helped you in Hengcheng, for the sake of my daughter and granddaughter, and for the sake of... for the sake of this land's needs, build it in Luzhou!"

Xu Changping's gaze was intense, filled with an unyielding determination: "When I, Xu Changping, go to Luzhou, I will do my utmost to establish a firm foothold! If this factory can truly be located in Luzhou, then I will be its biggest backer!"

This is the most important project during my tenure as Xu Changping!
I assure you, as long as I am in power, I, Xu Changping, will be the first to object to anyone who dares to have any crooked thoughts, try to take advantage of it, or try to trip it up!

I'm willing to risk my reputation and my position to be the tiger blocking my way and the wall blocking the wind!

You just focus on developing your technology and concentrate on catching up with international standards. I'll take care of everything else.

He is already fifty-four years old this year, and he will retire to the second line after serving a maximum of two more terms. If he can accomplish such an earth-shattering thing at the end of his career, then what does it matter if he bears some infamy, some accusations of nepotism, or even accusations of power-money transactions from those with ulterior motives?

Xu Changping's words struck Lu Yang's heart like a heavy hammer, each word echoing silently in the empty mayor's office.

The request to "build it in Luzhou," and the promises that followed—"to risk my old face, to risk my position," "to be the tiger blocking the way, the wall blocking the wind"—carried a father's entrustment, an official's persistence, and a nation's expectations, weighing heavily upon us.

A heavy silence fell over the office, heavier than ever before.

The wall clock ticked away, its sound so clear it was almost jarring, measuring the frozen moments of time.

Lu Yang's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

He knew this was not a simple choice, but a heavy commitment burdened with multiple shackles.

An investment of five billion and world-class technological barriers are like walking on a knife's edge.

He wasn't very confident at all.

But could he refuse?
The man in front of me is Xu Siqi's father, and the maternal grandfather of his newborn daughter.

I had just resigned myself to entrusting the future of my daughter and granddaughter to them.

This familial bond, tinged with helplessness and compromise, entwined his heart like invisible vines.

More importantly, Xu Changping's obsessive sense of mission to catch up with the national industry, and his burning desire for "lasting achievements," deeply stung Lu Yang.

He recalled the excitement he felt when he drew up the blueprint, and his grand ambition to catch up with the Western powers.

If even the person in front of him is willing to gamble the end of his political career, how can he only care about the immediate business risks?

“Uncle Xu…” Lu Yang’s voice was a little hoarse. He took a deep breath, as if he wanted to engrave that heavy promise into his heart and then exhale it as strength.

He raised his head and met Xu Changping's eyes, which were burning with expectation and determination, without the slightest hesitation or avoidance.

"I promise you." The four words, clear and powerful, fell like metal on the ground in the quiet office.

Xu Changping's tense body relaxed almost imperceptibly, and the almost extinguished flame in the depths of his eyes leaped and rose again because of this promise.

He stared intently at Lu Yang, waiting for him to continue.

"This factory, eight-inch, 0.75μm process, I will definitely build it." Lu Yang's tone was resolute, carrying a sense of do-or-die determination. "No matter how difficult, no matter the cost. I'll overcome the hurdles of technology import! I'll shoulder the financial pressure! You're right, this concerns far more than just those cold, hard numbers on the books." (End of Chapter)