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

The news that Century Group announced it would invest 15 billion RMB to establish a joint semiconductor laboratory with top universities across the country, and pledged to invest no less than 8 million RMB in R&D annually thereafter, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge wave.

The public opinion field was in complete uproar.

This news dominated the front pages of almost all major mainstream media outlets and financial newspapers across the country.

There were those who praised it, and those who were shocked, but there was an overwhelming wave of doubt and sharp criticism.

For example, a well-known commentator from the Southern Economic Observer analyzed the situation with a calm and incisive style:

"Century Group's move is incredibly bold and ambitious. However, the semiconductor industry is a 'money-devouring beast' that is both capital- and technology-intensive and requires long-term, massive investment."

The initial investment of 15 billion yuan is already astronomical, and the subsequent annual investment of 8 million yuan is an even heavier burden. For a private enterprise that started with traditional strengths in real estate and investment, this is tantamount to depleting its substantial reserves accumulated from its property foundation to gamble on an uncertain future. The risk is so great that it could cripple the entire group's cash flow and trigger systemic risks.

We admire their dedication to serving the country through industry, but we must be more wary of the potential operational difficulties they may bring.

Even more vehemently, an independent financial expert known for his outspokenness wrote an article in the influential *Caijing Weekly*, clearly expressing his support:

"Using up all the property? Dragging the group to ruin?"
How short-sighted!

Century Group's move is an attempt, as a private enterprise, to fulfill the responsibilities of a state-owned enterprise or even a national team! It is filling a crucial link in the national strategic industry! Its significance has long transcended commercial profit and loss itself.

Regardless of ultimate success or failure, the courage to invest heavily in basic research and development in an era when core technologies are controlled by others demonstrates a commitment that benefits both present and future generations! Its immense contribution deserves to be recorded in the annals of China's private economic development!

However, even more jarring voices came from overseas.

A PhD graduate from a prestigious university, who often prides himself on his "international perspective," published strongly worded articles in an overseas Chinese-language newspaper and on several emerging domestic portal websites:

"A massive investment of 15 billion? A joint laboratory?"
It sounds like a grand narrative, but it's actually empty and meaningless!

This is nothing short of grandstanding, unrealistic ambition, and sensationalism! Leaving aside whether the promised follow-up investments can be delivered (which I have serious doubts), even if real money is poured in, what then? Compared to the billions of dollars invested in R&D by international giants and the decades of accumulated technological gap, this amount is a drop in the ocean, a pure waste of precious funds and social resources!

Catching up with international advanced levels?

That's wishful thinking!

Instead of investing this money in doomed "vanity projects," it would be better to donate it to impoverished families in the southwestern mountainous areas to improve their lives. This would be a true social contribution!
The young boss Lu behind Century Group is nothing more than a self-proclaimed expert who seeks fame and fortune! A true role model for private entrepreneurs should be like Mr. Liu of Lianxiang, grounded in reality, market-oriented, and leading his company to international success!

This article was like a poison gas bomb, instantly igniting a wider debate.

"Sheepdog"

"If you kneel for too long, you won't be able to stand up."

A barrage of fierce rebuttals, including those citing "technology comprador mentality," flooded the internet.
"Who says we can't catch up? The intelligence of people of Asian descent is among the best in the world! We Chinese are absolutely no less capable than anyone else! We were able to develop the atomic and hydrogen bombs and satellites under such difficult conditions, so why can't we catch up in semiconductors?"

"To pit R&D funding against poverty alleviation is either foolish or malicious! Only by developing strong core technologies can we create more wealth and fundamentally solve poverty! Without technological self-reliance, donating more money is just treating the symptoms, not the root cause!"

"Lianxiang? It's just an assembly plant! What core technology did they get in return for trading market access for technology? Mr. Liu's approach won't save China's chip industry!"

"This PhD, if you're so 'clear-headed,' why don't you stay abroad and serve your foreign masters? Coming back to pontificate, do you think it's easy to swindle money from your fellow countrymen?"

Online, various forums and BBS are ablaze with heated debates. Supporters and opponents of Century Group, supporters of independent research and development, and advocates of "making is worse than buying" are arguing fiercely, with all sorts of accusations flying around, forming a nationwide war of words.

As the person at the center of the storm, Lu Yang naturally saw these newspapers and heard these discussions.

He sat in his office on the top floor of the Century Tower, several newspapers with diametrically opposed viewpoints spread out on his desk, his expression calm and composed, with even a faint smile playing on his lips.

Secretary Lu Nini stood aside, fuming, her eyes slightly reddening as she looked at the harsh comments, especially the personal attacks on Lu Yang for "seeking fame and fortune."

"Brother! Look at what these people are saying! They're completely distorting the truth and are ungrateful! We've invested so much real money in research and development, what do they know? All they do is type and spout nonsense! Are you just going to stand by and do nothing about them? At least issue a statement to clarify things!"

Lu Nini's voice was filled with grievance and anger, and she felt deeply indignant for Lu Yang.

Lu Yang picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and his gaze swept over the glaring headlines and bylines in the newspaper before finally settling on the vibrant skyline of Shenzhen outside the window. He said calmly:

“Nini, remember, ‘The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind.’ What we’re doing is groundbreaking, touching on too many interests and challenging too many perceptions. Some will praise us, and naturally, some will slander us. The war of words will never end, and we can’t win it. Explain? Explain to whom? Explain to those who don’t believe we can succeed and whose opinions are dictated by their own self-interest? It’s just a waste of breath.”

He put down his teacup, his tone carrying a calm, overarching confidence: "Ignore the noise. Let the dust settle. Time will tell. What we need to do now is focus on building the lab, getting people together, and spending money wisely."

Lu Yang's confidence stems from his absolute control over his own strength.

Outsiders can only guess how much cash flow Century Group has, but he knows it perfectly well.

The "reserve funds" of the core plot of Gangcheng Digital Port are sufficient to cover the huge investment of 15 billion yuan this year. The 9 million yuan profit just handed over by Century Investment, which is led by Chen Fan, has relieved the urgent need and ensured that the group's cash flow remains abundant.

If you stick with it for a year or two, it's not a problem at all.

Moreover, he holds far more than just VCDs, a business that, while no longer boasting exorbitant profits, still steadily contributes to his profits.

He has already sensed the next big opportunity that could disrupt the industry and bring explosive growth, and he is certain that it is just around the corner.

A few days later, Lu Yang left the company early, which was unusual for him, and returned to the villa on the hillside.

Today is Lu Xin'er's birthday, and the warm atmosphere of the family dinner has long since dispelled all the outside world's troubles. The restaurant is decorated with childlike fun, and a huge birthday cake is adorned with number candles representing Lu Xin'er's age. The soft lighting reflects Yin Mingyue's gentle smile and Lu Xin'er's excited, rosy cheeks.

"Xin'er, come here, let Daddy cut the cake for you." Lu Yang smiled, walked around behind his daughter, bent down, and covered his daughter's small hand holding the plastic cake knife with his warm big hand.

Just as he was guiding his daughter's little hand toward the cake, his gaze inadvertently swept over her pink earlobe.

A small, white object with a string attached was inserted into her ear.

Lu Yang's movements suddenly stopped!
That thing…it’s so familiar! It was all the rage in my past life, becoming a symbol of a generation’s memories!
"Dad, what's wrong?" Lu Xin'er noticed her father's pause, looked up at him with her big eyes full of confusion.

"Xin'er," Lu Yang's voice carried a hint of urgency, as he gently pointed to his daughter's ears, "Are those headphones you're wearing? And is there something else in your pocket? Can you take it out and let Daddy see it?"

"Oh! This!" Lu Xin'er suddenly realized, and happily took out a square, silver-gray object about the thickness of an arm from her shirt pocket, and handed it to Lu Yang like a treasure.

"This is a birthday gift from Aunt Wei to Xin'er! It's called a Walkman! It has lots and lots of great songs on it! Aunt Wei said that the sound is really clear when you listen to it with these headphones on!"

Lu Yang grabbed it in his hand; it felt slightly heavy, and the plastic casing had the texture of the industrial era.

The front features simple play/pause, fast forward, and rewind buttons, while the side has a volume control wheel and an inconspicuous lanyard hole.

Turn it over, and there's a label on the back, clearly printed with the brand logo and model number—a brand that wasn't exactly a top brand in his memory, but at this moment represented the future of "portable music."

MP3 portable player!
A surge of electricity instantly coursed through Lu Yang's spine!

So, this thing already exists! And it's already in his home, a birthday present for his daughter!

The floodgates of memory were suddenly opened.

He vividly remembers how Apple revolutionized the music industry with the iPod, ultimately paving the way to the iPhone's dominance.

Although the brand and model I have are far less sophisticated and feature-rich than the future iPod, and are significantly larger and heavier, its core logic is already mature. It uses a small flash memory chip to store digital music files, completely breaking free from the physical media constraints of tapes and CDs!
This marks the quiet beginning of the era of portable digital music playback!
A huge, brand-new consumer electronics boom is brewing and about to explode!
"What's wrong, honey?" Yin Mingyue asked with concern as she watched her husband holding the small machine, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, remaining silent for a long time.

Lu Yang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and a gentle smile reappeared on his face. He gently placed the MP3 player back into his daughter's hands: "It's nothing, Xin'er. Dad just suddenly thought of a... very good idea."

He ruffled his daughter's hair. "Come on, let's continue cutting the cake! Today is Xin'er's big day!"

He took his daughter's hand again and steadily cut the first slice of cake.

His face showed a father's loving kindness, but in his heart, a raging fire of ambition to conquer new battlefields had already been ignited.

The laughter and joy of the family dinner continued, but Lu Yang's thoughts had already pierced through the roof and flown toward the enormous changes that this small box was about to trigger.

The next morning, Lu Yang arrived at the Century Group headquarters on time.

His face showed no signs of hangover or fatigue; on the contrary, he looked radiant.

Instead of returning to his top-floor office, he went directly to the group president's office on the second-to-last floor.

"Sister Wei Shu, are you busy?" Lu Yang pushed open the door and entered.

Wei Shu, who was reviewing documents, looked up and saw Lu Yang. She was a little surprised, but immediately stood up: "Boss? So early? Is something the matter?"

Without wasting words, Lu Yang took out the silver-gray cube that had stirred his heart last night from the inside pocket of his suit and placed it on Wei Shu's large desk.

"Huh?" Wei Shu picked up the device and recognized it at a glance. "Isn't this the MP3 player I gave to Xin'er? What's wrong? Does Xin'er not like it? Or... is it broken?"

She was puzzled, wondering why this small gift would appear on her boss's desk.

Lu Yang's eyes gleamed with the light of a hunter spotting his prey. He pointed at the machine, his voice resolute: "Sister Wei Shu, this isn't about good or bad, or whether you like it or not. This is the 'brilliant idea that suddenly came to mind' I told you about yesterday! This is the huge business opportunity I've discovered!"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone filled with unprecedented excitement and certainty:

"Look at it, it's small and portable, completely eliminating the bulkiness and inconvenience of cassette tapes and CD players. It can store dozens or even hundreds of songs, so you can listen to them anytime, anywhere. What does this represent? It represents a revolution in music consumption! It represents a super trend in the consumer electronics field for the next few years, or even more than a decade!"

"Just imagine, with the widespread use of computers, the digital music resources on the internet will explode! Just imagine how strong the demand for personalization and portability is among young people! Just imagine the potential market of billions of users worldwide!"

Lu Yang spoke faster and faster, his thoughts crystal clear: "There are already similar products on the market, but they are all still very basic, bulky, with limited storage, mediocre sound quality, and high prices. This is our opportunity! Century Group has strong supply chain integration capabilities, a nationwide sales network, and... crucially, financial strength!"

He pointed sharply to the core of the Walkman: "And the key to all of this lies here—storage! Flash memory technology! It determines the machine's capacity, size, and power consumption, directly impacting user experience and product competitiveness! Whoever masters advanced, stable, high-capacity, and low-cost flash memory technology and supply will seize the absolute high ground in this about-to-explode market!"

Lu Yang stared intently at Wei Shu and issued a clear instruction: "Therefore, the most urgent task now is not to rush into producing complete machines to follow the trend, but to seize the core upstream technology! Immediately use the group's resources to find, screen, and contact all companies in China that have flash memory technology R&D capabilities or related patents! Especially those small and medium-sized technology companies with solid technical foundations and potential but may lack funds or market access! There is only one goal: to acquire or take control of a company that truly masters core flash memory technology! The sooner the better!"

As Wei Shu listened to Lu Yang's passionate analysis and decisive decision, her gaze quickly shifted from initial doubt to seriousness and agreement.

She was an iron lady with an extremely keen business sense, and immediately grasped the core of Lu Yang's strategic intentions!
Control the source, seize control of the vital points!
She solemnly picked up the small MP3 player, as if shouldering a heavy burden for the future, and said in a deep voice, "Understood, boss! I will personally deploy it immediately! There are many companies in China that do storage-related technologies. Although there may not be many top-tier ones, those with a solid foundation and potential can definitely be found if we look carefully! I will personally oversee this matter!"

Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction.

The storm in the public sphere had not yet subsided, and the blueprint for the semiconductor laboratory had only just begun to unfold. At this very moment, a brand-new industrial layout, sparked by a birthday gift to his daughter and capable of generating a massive cash flow, had already clearly taken shape in the mind of the leader of Century Group. (End of Chapter)