Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

Chapter 124 High-Level Meeting

Three days after the press conference, Jiang Yu's original plan was to fly to Shenzhen to visit several potential investee companies and have initial contact with the Huawei team.

However, at 8:30 a.m., just as he sat down in the VIP lounge at the Capital Airport, Chen Jingming rushed over and whispered in his ear, "Boss, the plans have changed. I just received two phone calls, and we may have to cancel our trip to Shenzhen."

Jiang Yu looked up: "What's going on?"

"The first call came from a friend at the National Development and Reform Commission, who subtly revealed that the leader in charge of economic work had seen the report on your press conference, was very interested, and wanted to 'find time to hear the thoughts of young people.'"

Chen Jingming lowered his voice, "The second call was even more direct. It was from the General Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology, saying that the Vice Minister in charge of high technology hopes to have a discussion with you tomorrow morning."

Jiang Yu put down his coffee cup.

He was well aware of the significance of these two invitations.

"What's the specific time?"

"Nothing's decided yet, they said it depends on your schedule," Chen Jingming said. "The implication is that the sooner the better. I guess they've probably already discussed it with you."

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment.

It was unusual for high-ranking government officials to take the initiative to meet with private business leaders at the beginning of 2009.

Young tycoons like him, who "suddenly emerge," are more likely to attract attention or scrutiny.

"Let's cancel our trip to Shenzhen," he decided. "We'll rebook our tickets and go back to the city. Also, please contact Zhou Mu for me. If the higher-ups want to hear our thoughts, we need to be better prepared."

"Understood." Chen Jingming immediately took action.

An hour later, Jiang Yu returned to his office at Wanda Plaza.

The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright dappled patterns on the oak floor.

He stood by the window, looking down at the bustling Chang'an Avenue below, pondering the significance of this meeting.

It is both an opportunity and a test.

If he were just an ordinary wealthy man, the higher-ups might not have paid so much attention.

However, his statements at the press conference—establishing a billion-dollar fund, focusing on investing in innovative companies in China and the United States, and emphasizing serving the country through science and technology—touched some sensitive nerves.

In early 2009, China had just weathered the first wave of the global financial crisis.

The four trillion yuan stimulus plan has been launched, and the pressure to transform and upgrade the economy is enormous.

The top leadership urgently needs to find new growth points and "vanguard" leaders who can lead China to break through technological blockades.

Jiang Yu and his Chasing Light Holdings entered the spotlight in such a high-profile manner at this very moment.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhou Mu arrived, looking travel-worn.

He came directly from the airport, even dragging his suitcase into the office.

"Old Jiang, what's the situation that's so urgent?" Zhou Mu put his computer on the desk, grabbed a bottle of mineral water and gulped down a few mouthfuls. "The higher-ups might want to see us," Jiang Yu said succinctly. "Two leaders in charge of the economy and technology."

Zhou Mu's hand froze in mid-air, the water in the bottle sloshing around: "You mean—that kind of 'high-level'?"

"Yes." Jiang Yu nodded. "So we need to prepare. What questions might they ask? What should we say? To what extent should we talk about it? These all need to be carefully considered."

The three sat around the conference table.

Chen Jingming has prepared several documents: a business introduction, technology layout, investment list, and future plans for Zhuiguang Holdings.

"First of all, we need to be clear about one thing," Jiang Yu began, "This meeting is not for reporting on our work, but for exchanging ideas. What the higher-ups want to hear is not how much money we've made or what projects we've invested in, but our assessment of the future and our suggestions for the development of science and technology in China."

Zhou Mu's eyes lit up: "So you're talking about trends and directions?"

"Yes," Jiang Yu said. "And we can't just say nice things; we have to tell the truth, talk about the problems, and discuss the challenges, especially in areas where we might be 'held back' by technology."

Chen Jingming hesitated for a moment: "Boss, aren't some things a bit too sensitive? Like chips and operating systems, everyone knows there are problems, but in public—"

"Therefore, it's important to strike a balance," Jiang Yu said. "From an entrepreneur's perspective, we discuss market judgment, technological trends, and..."

It discusses international competition. It avoids policy evaluations and specific departmental involvement, focusing solely on facts and logic.

For the rest of the day, the three of them stayed in the conference room, repeatedly rehearsing possible questions and answers.

Based on his memories from his previous life, Jiang Yu outlined several key milestones in global technological development since 2009:

The widespread adoption of smartphones, the explosive growth of mobile internet, cloud computing becoming infrastructure, artificial intelligence moving from the laboratory to application, the new energy revolution, and breakthroughs in biotechnology —

And key areas of US-China technological competition: chip design, chip manufacturing, lithography machines, operating systems, and industrial software.

"How big is the gap between us and the United States in these areas?" Chen Jingming asked.

As the technical lead, Zhou Mu is the most qualified to speak on this: "In chip design, the gap is about five years. Our research shows that there are companies like Huawei HiSilicon, but their ecosystem and toolchain are lagging behind; in chip manufacturing, the gap is more than ten years, and the most advanced processes are completely dependent on TSMC; in lithography machines, the gap is twenty years, and ASML monopolizes the high-end market; in operating systems, the gap is mainly in the ecosystem. Technically, we can catch up, but user habits and the developer ecosystem will take time; in industrial software, the gap is comprehensive, from CAD to EDA, which is almost monopolized by Europe and the United States."

These numbers are cold and cruel.

Jiang Yu wrote a line in his notebook: "The direction of pursuing light: cloud computing, AI, and chips."

He circled the word "chip," thought for a moment, and wrote next to it: "Start with investment, begin with design, and plan for manufacturing in the long term."

At 3 p.m., I received a call from the General Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology, officially confirming the meeting time: 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

"It's a very high-level meeting." After hanging up the phone, Chen Jingming said, "It's rare to meet a private entrepreneur at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse."

Jiang Yu took a deep breath: "Then we need to be even more prepared."

At 8:20 a.m. the next morning, Jiang Yu's car drove into the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

In early spring, the lake at Diaoyutai is still covered with a thin layer of ice, and the willows on the shore have already sprouted tender buds.

.

The car drove slowly along the tree-lined avenue and finally stopped in front of a classical Chinese building.

A staff member dressed in a dark suit was already waiting at the door.

He looked to be in his thirties, wore glasses, and had a serious but polite expression.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang, this is Xiao Li from the General Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The leader is already waiting for you, please follow me."

Jiang Yu dressed relatively formally today: a dark gray suit, a white shirt, and a dark blue tie.

Chen Jingming and Zhou Mu followed behind him, both dressed formally.

After passing through a long corridor, you arrive at a spacious reception room.

The interior is simply and elegantly furnished with mahogany furniture and traditional Chinese ink landscape paintings on the walls.

The most eye-catching feature is an entire wall of bookshelves, filled with all kinds of books and documents.

There were already four people sitting in the reception room. When they saw Jiang Yu come in, they all stood up.

"Comrade Jiang Yu, welcome, welcome." The speaker was an elderly man around sixty years old, with gray hair and a sprightly demeanor. Jiang Yu recognized him as the Vice Minister in charge of science and technology, surnamed Zhang, whom he had seen in the news.

"Hello, Minister Zhang." Jiang Yu stepped forward and shook hands.

"This is Director Wang from the National Development and Reform Commission," Minister Zhang introduced a man in his fifties standing next to him. "Director Wang is in charge of the High-Tech Industries Department and is very interested in your 'Chasing the Future Fund'."

"Hello, Director Wang."

"This is Director Zhao from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, who is in charge of promoting integrated circuits," Minister Zhang continued. "This is Academician Liu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an expert in the field of semiconductors."

After shaking hands with each other, everyone took their seats.

The staff served tea, and then the secretary left, gently closing the door behind her.

The meeting room fell silent.

Minister Zhang picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and smiled, "Comrade Jiang Yu, first of all, congratulations! It's not easy to achieve such great results at such a young age. We watched your press conference; it was very well done, showing vision and passion."

"Minister Zhang, you flatter me," Jiang Yu said modestly. "I just did what I should do."

"No, that's not an overstatement," Director Wang said, his tone gentle yet firm. "Your 'Chasing the Future Fund,' a billion-dollar fund dedicated to investing in innovative companies, shows a great commitment. We'd like to know, why did you make this decision?"

After all, there are many ways to make money through investing, so why choose the most difficult path?

This question is very direct and crucial.

Jiang Yu sat up straight and answered earnestly, "Director Wang, this actually stems from my own entrepreneurial experience. When Zhou Mu and I started our business, the biggest challenge was the lack of money and resources. We knew the direction was right, and the technology was feasible, but we just lacked that first pot of gold." Later, we succeeded by sheer luck, and I wondered, how many teams in China are like ours back then, falling short of success just before dawn because of a lack of support?

He paused, then continued, "As for why we chose innovation investment, it's because we believe that technology will be the driving force behind the world's transformation in the next ten or twenty years. Technological progress requires someone willing to pay for uncertainty and invest in long-term value. We've made some money with Light Chaser, and we have the responsibility and the ability to be that person who pays the price."

Minister Zhang nodded and looked at Zhou Mu: "Comrade Zhou Mu, you are the technical lead. From your perspective, what are the current global trends in technological development? Where do our opportunities lie for China?"

Zhou Mu was clearly a little nervous, but after all, he had a technical background, and he immediately became confident when talking about his professional field.

"Minister Zhang, I believe we are currently at the intersection of two technological waves. The first is the full-scale explosion of mobile internet, with smartphones changing everyone's lifestyle; the second is the transition of artificial intelligence from theory to application, which will reshape all industries."

He spoke with increasing fluency: "China's opportunity lies in the fact that we have the world's largest market, the most complete industrial chain, and the most diligent engineering team. In terms of Internet applications, we have already begun to take the lead; but in terms of underlying technologies, such as chips, operating systems, and algorithm frameworks, there is still a significant gap. If we can make up for these shortcomings, China has every possibility of taking a dominant position in the next round of technological revolution."

Academician Liu nodded repeatedly as he listened: "Xiao Zhou's points are very insightful. So, in your opinion, how should we address these shortcomings?"

This is a very technical and sensitive issue.

Zhou Mu glanced at Jiang Yu, and after receiving an approving look, continued, "Academician Liu, I believe we need a multi-pronged approach. First, the country should increase investment in basic research, which is a long-term strategy; second, enterprises should strengthen applied research and development, using the market to drive technology; third, and most importantly, we need to cultivate and retain top talent. What we lack most right now is not money, but talent."

"Well said," Minister Zhang praised. "Talent is indeed key. Comrade Jiang Yu, I heard you have a large team in Silicon Valley and have recruited quite a few Chinese engineers?"

"Yes," Jiang Yu replied. "Our North American company has over two hundred employees, 80% of whom are Chinese. We have a 'Return to China' program," offering competitive salaries, equity, and research freedom to engineers willing to return to China. In the past year, we've already attracted over thirty top talents through this program."

"Very good." Minister Zhang was taking notes. "Now, I'd like to hear your specific predictions for the future. If you were to predict which technologies will change the world in the next five or ten years, what should we focus on most?"

Jiang Yu had been preparing for this question all night.

He cleared his throat and began to explain.

"Minister Zhang, Director Wang, Academician Liu, Section Chief Zhao," Jiang Yu's gaze swept over everyone present, "From an entrepreneur's perspective, I believe there are several certain trends for the next ten years."

He raised his first finger: "First, smartphones will become ubiquitous, becoming like an external organ of the human body. This is not just a simple communication tool, but a central hub connecting people with information, services, and each other. Several new trillion-dollar markets will emerge around smartphones."

Director Wang seemed thoughtful: "We share that assessment. But where do you see our opportunities in this area?"

"In application innovation and the industrial chain," Jiang Yu said, "Chinese internet companies have already demonstrated amazing creativity in applications. Products like QQ and Taobao will become global phenomena in the future."

"What about the core chips?" Director Zhao suddenly asked. "The most valuable part of a smartphone is its chip, and we still rely on Qualcomm and MediaTek for that."

This question gets to the heart of the matter.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath: "This is the second trend I wanted to talk about. Chips will become the oil of the digital age. Whoever controls advanced chips controls the future."

He continued, "In the next ten to twenty years, from smartphones to autonomous driving, from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, all technologies will be built on chips. And the chip industry chain is extremely complex, with extremely high technological barriers at every stage, from design tools to manufacturing equipment to materials and processes."

"Our current situation is," Jiang Yu's tone turned serious, "we can still keep up with the design, and I've heard that Huawei HiSilicon is doing quite well; but manufacturing is completely dependent on others. The most advanced manufacturing processes can only be outsourced to TSMC and Samsung. And the core equipment for chip manufacturing, lithography machines, is only produced by ASML in the Netherlands, which has the most advanced EUV lithography machines. Moreover, due to the Wassenaar Arrangement, we cannot buy the most advanced ones."

The reception room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone present was aware of these circumstances, but it was still astonishing to hear them so clearly articulated by a 26-year-old private entrepreneur.

"You mean," Minister Zhang slowly began, "that chip manufacturing is our biggest weakness?"

"It's a fatal weakness," Jiang Yu bluntly stated. "If one day TSMC stops manufacturing for us and ASML stops selling us equipment, our mobile phones, servers, and even all electronic devices will become scrap metal. This is not alarmist talk, but a possible reality."

Academician Liu sighed deeply: "Xiao Jiang is right. I've worked in this field my whole life, and this is the most heartbreaking thing for me."

It's not that we lack technology or talent; it's that we haven't had enough time or experience.

"Therefore," Jiang Yu changed the subject, "I believe we must act now. We can't wait any longer, we can't hesitate any longer. The chip industry requires long-term investment, it requires enduring ten or twenty years without making a profit, and it requires the full support of the nation."

Director Wang leaned forward: "So, what do you think private enterprises can do in this area?"

"There's a lot we can do," Jiang Yu said. "First, companies like LightChain can start by investing in and supporting domestic chip design companies, providing them with funding, market access, and talent. Second, we can invest in the upstream of chip manufacturing, such as semiconductor materials and equipment components. These areas have relatively lower technological barriers, but they are equally crucial. Finally, we can acquire key technologies through overseas mergers and acquisitions, which are not yet strictly regulated. Of course, this requires government support because the West scrutinizes such mergers and acquisitions very strictly."

Minister Zhang took careful notes, nodding occasionally.

Jiang Yu continued to elaborate on the third trend: "Third, cloud computing will become the infrastructure of the digital economy. In the future, computing power will become a public service, just like electricity. In this field, we started almost at the same time as the United States, and we have the opportunity to catch up or even take the lead."

He mentioned Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and also LightChaser's own Light and Shadow Cloud.

"Fourth, artificial intelligence will change everything. From speech recognition and image recognition to natural language processing and decision optimization, AI will permeate every industry. And the core of AI is algorithms, data, and computing power. We can develop algorithms, we have an advantage in data, and computing power comes back to the chip issue."

Jiang Yu took a sip of water and summarized, "So, if I were to pinpoint the key areas of focus for Light Chaser's future development, they would be three: cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and chips. We're already working on the first two, and for the third, we'll start with investment and gradually delve deeper."

He fell into deep thought in the reception room.

After about a minute, Minister Zhang put down his pen, looked up, and said, "Comrade Jiang Yu, some of what you said today has been discussed internally, and some of it is even more insightful and incisive than we thought. I'm very curious, how can a young person like you, who comes from a special effects background, have such a profound understanding of hard technologies like chips and lithography machines?"

Jiang Yu had anticipated this problem.

"Minister Zhang, this may be related to my experience." He replied calmly, "When I was an exchange student at the University of Southern California, I took a course in semiconductor physics; after starting my own business, I forced myself to study fields such as chips and AI because I wanted to invest in technology companies; more importantly, I have many friends in Silicon Valley who work at Intel, Nvidia, and ASML. From them, I felt the cruelty and urgency of technological competition."

This explanation is reasonable.

Director Wang suddenly asked, "President Jiang, if the country wants to make progress in the chip industry, where do you think it should start?"

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment: "I think we should proceed in three steps. The first step is to concentrate our efforts on overcoming the challenges of mature manufacturing processes (45nm—)."

The first step is to address the "whether or not we have it" issue (32nm), ensuring self-reliance and control in key areas such as defense and industry. The second step is to seek differentiated breakthroughs in advanced process technologies (below 28nm), such as chiplet technology and advanced packaging, using system-level innovation to compensate for single-point deficiencies. The third step is to develop next-generation technologies, such as carbon-based chips and quantum computing, striving for a leapfrog development.

"What about the time?" Director Zhao pressed.

"For mature processes, we should see results in three to five years; for advanced processes, it may take ten years; and for next-generation technologies, it requires more than fifteen years of planning," Jiang Yu said cautiously. "This requires immense patience and determination."

Minister Zhang glanced at his watch; the meeting had been going on for an hour and a half.

He stood up, and Jiang Yu and the others immediately stood up as well.

"Comrade Jiang Yu, you've had a very fruitful day." Minister Zhang shook hands with Jiang Yu. "The vision, courage, and passion of you young people are very inspiring to us older comrades. The Ministry of Science and Technology will pay attention to the Chasing the Light Future Fund and will provide support within the scope of policy. We will seriously study your ideas about chips."

"Thank you, Minister Zhang," Jiang Yu said sincerely. "It is my honor to contribute to the country's scientific and technological development."

"Furthermore," Minister Zhang added, "regarding what you discussed today, this is for internal communication only and should not be disseminated externally for the time being. Some things are best left unsaid; we just need to know them."

"clear."

Stepping out of the reception room, the spring sunshine was just right.

The ice on the lake has begun to melt, creating shimmering ripples.

Once inside the car, Chen Jingming let out a long sigh of relief: "Boss, my palms were sweating from nervousness just now."

Zhou Mu wiped his forehead and said, "Me too. But boss, you spoke so well today, especially the part about chips. I was really excited listening to it."

Jiang Yu leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

He knew that today's meeting was just the beginning.

Although the news of the meeting at Diaoyutai was kept strictly confidential, it still spread within a very small circle.

That afternoon, Jiang Yu received several phone calls.

The first was Mr. Wang's assistant at Wanda: "Mr. Jiang, Mr. Wang heard that you met with the leaders today, and he specifically asked me to inquire whether you are free to have dinner together tonight. Mr. Wang said he has some important matters he would like to discuss with you."

The second one is Mr. Shen from Sequoia Capital: "Jiang Yu, I heard you went to Diaoyutai State Guesthouse today? That's incredible! I'll treat you tonight, let's have a good chat."

The third thing that surprised Jiang Yu even more was a phone call from Huawei's CEO Ren Zhengfei's office.

"Hello Mr. Jiang, this is Xiao Chen from Mr. Ren's office. Mr. Ren saw your speech at the press conference and greatly admired it. He would like to invite you to come to Shenzhen sometime for a visit and in-depth discussion."

Huawei! HiSilicon chips!

Jiang Yu immediately replied, "Please tell President Ren that I am very honored. I will arrange a time next week to pay him a visit."

Behind these invitations are signals that Jiang Yu and Zhuiguang Holdings have entered the mainstream spotlight.

It was already 11 p.m. when I got back to the apartment.

He took off his suit, changed into his home clothes, made himself a cup of tea, and sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

From this vantage point, the nights in BJ have a unique charm.

The CCTV building in the distance looks like a shining giant, while the traffic nearby flows like a galaxy.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message from Liu Yifei: "Are you asleep? Are you very tired today?"

Jiang Yu replied, "I'm still awake. I met some important people and discussed important matters today. How about you? How was the magazine shoot?"

"Everything went smoothly, but I miss you a little." Liu Yifei sent a cute emoji. "Jiang Yu, I saw the comments online, and a lot of people are speculating about our relationship. When do you think we can go public?"

This question made Jiang Yu silent for a while.

He typed: "Yifei, give me a little more time. There's too much attention right now, and if we go public, you'll face a lot of pressure. Let me handle this situation first, and once the Chasing the Future Fund is officially launched, we'll find a suitable time, okay?"

"Okay—I understand," Liu Yifei replied. "Then promise me that no matter how busy you are, you'll have dinner with me at least once a week."

"I promise you. I'll book a restaurant this Saturday night."

"Pinky promise!"

After chatting, Jiang Yu felt much more relaxed.

He walked to his desk, turned on his computer, and began to organize his thoughts from the day.

He recalled his past life, the painful moments when he was held hostage, Huawei's hardships, and SMIC's efforts.

In this life, he has the ability to change some things.

Maybe it can't change everything, but at least it can make some things happen sooner and more smoothly.

Outside the window, the city lights gradually went out, but the core area of ​​the CBD remained brightly lit.

In those high-rise buildings, there are countless others like him, working tirelessly through the night towards a certain goal.

Jiang Yu turned off the computer and went to the balcony.

A gentle breeze blows through the spring night, carrying a hint of coolness, but also the breath of life returning to normalcy.

He recalled Minister Zhang's final words at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse today: "Comrade Jiang Yu, China needs entrepreneurs like you. You have vision, technology, and passion. Keep up the good work, and the country will support you."

He understood the weight of those words.

This is not just a polite remark, but a form of recognition and expectation.

My phone vibrated again; it was a text message from my mother: "Xiaoyu, I saw you on TV today. Take care of yourself, don't overwork yourself. Your dad said he's proud of you."

A few simple words brought tears to Jiang Yu's eyes.

He replied, "Mom, I'm fine. Take care of yourselves too. I'll come back to Wuhan to see you this weekend."

After sending the text message, he went back inside.