After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

The phone call ended, and the private room was eerily quiet.

Jiang Fan's excited shout still seemed to echo in everyone's ears.

The device's circuitry is connected... and it can actually run!

What does this sentence mean?

The students present weren't stupid. Combining the photos Chen Ping had just shown and the things he had said, a chilling thought popped into their heads.

That dismantled scrap metal, that field they looked down upon, was actually being developed into a project by Chen Pingfang!

Zhou Kai's face turned pale instantly, and his wine glass trembled. His prized sports car and his position as a bank vice president were nothing compared to the phrase "national-level semiconductor industry chain."

Squad leader Li Wei was filled with deep regret. He had organized this gathering today to curry favor with Chen Pingfang and build some connections for himself, but he hadn't expected to make a mistake in his flattery and offend Lu Yuan instead.

Looking at Lu Yuan, who was still wearing a plaid shirt and whose face was flushed with excitement, Li Wei suddenly understood.

He pursued power and money, and he could never understand what Chen Pingfang and Lu Yuan pursued.

Chen Ping put away his phone without even looking at the others. He patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, his voice steady: "Pack your things and come to the High-tech Zone Management Committee to see me tomorrow. I'll have Zhang Chao wait for you at the entrance."

"Okay!" Lu Yuan nodded vigorously, his eyes shining brightly behind his glasses.

Chen Ping turned and left without stopping.

As Chen Pingfang walked to the door, Li Wei's trembling voice came from behind him: "Pingfang... Director Chen... this meal..."

Chen Ping stopped walking and simply said one sentence.

"Record it in Lu Yuan's account, I'll give it to him later."

The door closed.

Inside the private room, the group of people looked at each other awkwardly. They glanced at the bookish guy in the corner, whom they had just mocked, and suddenly felt a completely different way of looking at him.

……

Three days later, in Nanzhou High-tech Zone, at the Xinhuo Industrial Park.

The previously deserted industrial park has been thoroughly cleaned today. A huge red banner hangs above Factory Building No. 3, reading "Inauguration Ceremony of Nanzhou Chipfire Semiconductor Co., Ltd. and Groundbreaking Ceremony of the National Semiconductor Core Equipment Joint Laboratory".

There were no flowers, no red carpet, and not even many media outlets were invited. Those present, besides the main leaders of the High-tech Zone Management Committee, were the technical backbone and veteran employees who remained at the Chipfire Industrial Park.

But the atmosphere at the scene was both serious and exciting.

At 10 a.m., several black Audis with Beijing license plates drove into the park on time.

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man in a dark suit and gold-rimmed glasses stepped out, surrounded by a group of people. He looked very knowledgeable.

He is Li Wenbo, the vice president of Huaxin International.

The leaders from Nanzhou who accompanied him immediately greeted Li Wenbo with beaming smiles.

"Mr. Li, welcome, welcome! Your personal visit is such an honor for Nanzhou!"

Li Wenbo merely shook hands with them politely, but his eyes were constantly searching for someone in the crowd. When Li Wenbo saw Chen Pingfang standing calmly at the front of the line, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over and extended his hands.

"Comrade Pingfang, we've finally met." Li Wenbo's voice was filled with admiration. "I've read your report. Remarkable! Truly remarkable!"

This scene left the city leaders standing nearby completely stunned.

What kind of place is Huaxin International? It's the leading company in China's semiconductor industry! Someone of Li Wenbo's stature is usually received personally by the provincial governor. But now, his attitude towards Chen Pingfang is as warm as if he were meeting an old friend.

Chen Ping shook hands with him firmly: "President Li, welcome to Corefire."

The simple ceremony began quickly.

Chen Pingfang, as the host, stepped onto the makeshift stage. He didn't have a script; his gaze swept across the audience, where he saw pairs of eyes filled with expectation yet also some unease.

"Today, let's not talk about the past, let's only talk about the future."

"I hereby announce that, with the approval of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, the Nanzhou High-tech Zone Management Committee will lead the bankruptcy reorganization of the former Xinhuo Industrial Park, using 120 billion yuan of non-performing assets as initial capital, and formally establish—Nanzhou Xinhuo Semiconductor Co., Ltd."

As soon as he finished speaking, a restrained round of applause rang out from the audience.

The 120 billion yuan debt was transformed into the assets of the new company through a debt-to-equity swap. No one understood this operation, but they knew that the biggest pressure weighing on their heads was gone.

"Next, please welcome Mr. Li Wenbo, Vice President of Huaxin International, to speak."

Li Wenbo walked onto the stage and bowed to the audience, a gesture that stunned everyone.

"This bow is on behalf of Huaxin and all Chinese semiconductor workers to pay tribute to our comrades who are sticking to this place."

Li Wenbo's voice, transmitted through the microphone, resonated throughout the entire park.

"Many people want to know, why would Huaxin International invest in a project that has already failed and is burdened with billions in debt?"

Li Wenbo paused, then his voice suddenly rose.

"Because here, there is a spark!"

Li Wenbo turned around and pointed to Factory Building No. 3 behind him.

"With the joint approval of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Huaxin International will collaborate with Nanzhou Xinhuo Semiconductor to establish the 'National Semiconductor Core Equipment Joint Laboratory' here! Huaxin International will initially invest 2 billion RMB and provide all technical support!"

"As for the lab's first core project..." Li Wenbo's gaze sharpened as he swept across the room, "it's about conducting comprehensive reverse engineering and technological breakthroughs on the core components of the lithography machine we obtained from overseas through special channels!"

Suddenly, the entire scene erupted in chaos.

Everyone was stunned by the news.

Joint laboratory? State approval? Reverse engineering?

That shady piece of equipment, that huge trouble that could ignite everyone at any moment, was transformed into a core research asset of the national-level laboratory in just a few words from Li Wenbo!

That's a brilliant tactic!

All the technicians' eyes were red with excitement. They could finally openly study that equipment!

After Li Wenbo finished speaking, he stepped off the stage and handed it back to Chen Pingfang.

Looking at the trembling, excited people below the stage, Chen Ping was deeply moved. He took a deep breath and picked up the microphone.

"The future of Chipfire depends on technology."

Chen Ping's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed precisely on the last row. There stood an elderly engineer with gray hair, wearing faded blue work clothes.

"Now, I am announcing the first personnel appointment at Chipfire Semiconductor."

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone held their breath.

"Jiang Fan, former chief engineer of the Chipfire Industrial Park, is hereby appointed as chief scientist of Nanzhou Chipfire Semiconductor Co., Ltd., and concurrently as director of the joint laboratory!"

In an instant, everyone's eyes and cameras were focused on that corner.

Jiang Fan froze, standing there blankly, as if he hadn't heard Chen Pingfang's words. His colleague next to him gave him a hard push before he came to his senses.

Chief Scientist? Laboratory Director?

Jiang Fan had only heard of these two positions in top research institutes and multinational corporations. He had spent his entire life as an old engineer, tending to the workshop, tightening screws, and drawing blueprints.

Jiang Fan looked at the young figure on the stage, and saw the trust and encouragement in the other person's eyes.

A surge of heat suddenly welled up from my chest to my eyes.

All the grievances I've suffered over the years, the resentment in my heart, and the dreams I've always held onto all surged up at this moment.

Jiang Fan slowly walked onto the stage, step by step. His legs and hands were trembling.

Chen Pingfang personally handed him a gold-embossed letter of appointment.

Jiang Fan accepted the letter of appointment and turned to face the audience. Flashbulbs blared on his aged face as he looked at his old comrades, who, like him, had spent half their lives here, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Jiang Fan gripped the microphone tightly, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

The entire place was quiet, except for the sound of camera shutters and the old man's suppressed sobs.

Everyone knows that in Nanzhou, a good day for technicians was brought about by this young man.