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

His surname is Zhao.

The Zhao family that Wang Weidong mentioned before his death, and the mysterious capital that Su Qingwan spoke of, are connected because of this surname.

Chen Ping stood by the river, the evening breeze ruffling the hem of his clothes.

Huajing Technology, Yunding Club, Zhao Family...

These clues, when put together, suggest that the Corefire project was under surveillance from the very beginning.

We can't wait any longer.

We must take the initiative.

Chen Ping took out his encrypted phone and dialed a number he hadn't contacted in a long time.

The sound of the equipment running could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Feed?" a somewhat tired voice asked.

"Engineer Jiang," Chen Ping said, "get ready to hold a press conference."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a trembling voice asked, "That thing... it's done?"

"It's done." Chen Pingfang looked at the lights on the river and said calmly, "It's time to let everyone see."

……

Three days later, in the auditorium of the Nanzhou Municipal Government.

An impromptu press conference was held to release core technologies of Nanzhou Semiconductor.

The invitations were sent out overnight, but the people who attended were all incredibly important.

Leaders from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology and the Development and Reform Commission, several top academicians from Beijing, and even reporters from several foreign science and technology media outlets and some unidentified foreigners were present.

Li Jianguo sat in the first row, his back ramrod straight, his palms sweaty.

The municipal party secretary next to him also pursed his lips and remained silent.

"That kid Pingfang, he's gone too far this time," the Party Secretary said to Li Jianguo in a low voice. "He says we've made a breakthrough in EUV light source technology. Isn't this putting Nanzhou in the spotlight? What will we do if we fail?"

Li Jianguo didn't speak, he just looked in the direction of the backstage.

He was equally nervous, but he chose to trust Chen Pingfang.

Su Qingwan sat in the press section, holding a camera, but her gaze remained fixed on the empty seat on the podium.

Her colleagues were whispering among themselves.

"Have you heard? This press conference was all organized by that new Director Chen. He just sent the vice mayor in and he's already making such a big fuss. Isn't that a bit too high-profile?"

"High-profile? I think he's gone mad! EUV light source, that stuff is harder than climbing to heaven, does he think it's as easy as buying cabbages?"

"Just wait and see how he makes a fool of himself. His boast has backfired, and we'll see how he gets out of this mess."

Su Qingwan frowned as she listened to these words.

Just then, all the lights went out, and a beam of light shone on the stage.

Chen Pingfang, dressed in a dark suit, walked up calmly.

He didn't bring a prepared speech; his gaze swept across the entire room, taking in the expectant, questioning, and gloating looks.

The entire room immediately fell silent.

"Good morning, leaders, experts, and friends from the media."

Chen Ping's voice was clearly transmitted to every corner through the microphone.

"I know many people have questions about this press conference. Why use such a grand name as 'core semiconductor technology' for a local press conference?"

He paused for a moment, then his tone became very forceful.

"Because, starting today, we will break the decades-long technological monopoly in the field of extreme ultraviolet lithography, also known as EUV!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

That's insane!

This is the first thought that comes to almost everyone's mind.

Even several elderly academicians with gray hair couldn't help but frown. It's good that young people are energetic, but they can't speak carelessly.

Chen Ping ignored the commotion below the stage, turned to the side, and reached out his hand towards the backstage area.

"Next, please welcome Mr. Jiang Fan, Chief Engineer of EUV Light Source Technology for our Chipfire Project!"

A middle-aged man wearing a faded plaid shirt, black-rimmed glasses, and messy hair walked out from backstage.

He looked like a technician who spent most of his time in the lab, and there was a hint of unease in his eyes.

Is this the chief engineer?

The murmurs from the audience grew louder.

Jiang Fan walked to the front of the stage and said only one sentence into the microphone: "Seeing is believing, please look at the big screen."

The huge LED screen behind him lit up, and the scene switched to a laboratory full of instruments.

In the middle of the laboratory, a uniquely shaped, silver-white machine stands quietly.

"This is our independently developed prototype of the Zhuiguang-1 EUV light source."

Jiang Fan's voice trembled slightly.

He took out a tablet and tapped it lightly with his finger.

"Now, start!"

hum-

After a slight hissing sound, several blue arcs of electricity lit up inside the prototype, and everyone's hearts jumped.

On the side of the large screen, rows of real-time data began to jump wildly.

Power, wavelength, energy conversion efficiency, stability...

"Power...13.5 watts...and it's still increasing!"

"It's stable! The power is stable at 15 watts!" A knowledgeable young expert in the audience couldn't help but exclaim.

"My God! Look at that wavelength! 13.5 nanometers! The error is less than 0.01%!"

"Conversion efficiency... 4.8%! My goodness, that's back to ASML's level three years ago!"

The meeting room immediately descended into chaos.

Those experts and academicians who had previously been skeptical all stood up at this moment, staring intently at the data on the screen, as if trying to etch the numbers into their eyes.

Li Jianguo and the municipal party secretary also stood up. The two looked at each other, and Li Jianguo clenched his fist tightly.

Su Qingwan forgot to press the shutter button on her camera. She stared with her mouth open at Chen Pingfang on the stage, then at the beam of light on the screen that represented the future.

She finally understood what Chen Pingfang meant by "original intention".

It turns out that the light was his original aspiration.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Jiang Fan pressed the last button.

In the laboratory, a robotic arm precisely delivers a silicon wafer into the beam of light.

A few seconds later, the screen displayed a microscopic image of the wafer after photolithography—clear, sharp, and perfect circuit texture.

It worked!

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

I don't know who started clapping first, but then enthusiastic applause resounded throughout the entire auditorium.

Several senior academicians from Beijing had tears in their eyes. They clapped vigorously and shouted, "Good! Excellent!"

At that moment, all doubts vanished.

Nanzhou, a little-known inland city, shocked the entire semiconductor industry in China and even the world!

As soon as the press conference ended, Chen Pingfang was surrounded by numerous reporters and experts.

Just then, the secretary of the municipal party secretary squeezed in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Chen Ping nodded, pushed through the crowd, and walked up to the secretary and Li Jianguo.

The secretary held a red telephone in his hand, his expression complex. He handed the receiver to Chen Pingfang.

"It's a call from Secretary Zhao of the Provincial Party Committee; he wants to speak with you personally."

Chen Ping took the phone, and a dignified yet gentle voice came from the receiver.

"Is this Comrade Chen Pingfang? On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee, I thank you and your team for your great contributions to the country and Jiangdong Province!"

"The Provincial Party Committee has decided that, effective immediately, Nanzhou High-tech Zone will be designated as a pilot unit for leading science and technology reform in the province. To facilitate the work, Comrade Chen Pingfang, effective immediately, is hereby granted the administrative treatment of a deputy director-general level official, and will be fully responsible for the Chipfire Project and the work of the High-tech Zone!"

After hanging up the phone, there was a deathly silence around me.

Everyone heard what the secretary had just said.

Deputy Director-General level!

This young man, not yet thirty, accomplished in one press conference what many people cannot do in a lifetime!

Chen Pingfang remained calm. He nodded to the Party Secretary and the Mayor, and was about to speak.

A steady voice came from behind him.

"Director Chen, hello."

Chen Ping turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing an ordinary jacket, with a refined face but deep eyes, smiling at him.

Two assistants followed behind the man.

"I am Lin Xiangdong, the person in charge of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund."

The middle-aged man took the initiative to extend his hand.

"The country needs talent like you. Can we talk about the future of Chipfire?"