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

When the passport approval slip came through, Jiang Fan rushed into the office, slammed the document on the table, and didn't say a word.

Chen Ping glanced at it, stood up, picked up the travel list on the corner of the table, and checked the last item.

---

It was raining when I landed in Berlin.

Raindrops slanted against the airport windows, trickling down the edges.

The liaison officer who picked him up was surnamed Wu, in his thirties, wearing a suit jacket over a windbreaker. He nodded to Chen Pingfang, took the luggage, and walked towards the parking lot without saying a word.

The car stopped in front of a gray brick building. Liaison Officer Wu opened the car door and said a sentence in Chinese.

"They're waiting on the fourth floor."

Chen Ping carried his briefcase into the building. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. The corridor smelled of bitter coffee, and the low-frequency sound of machinery came from the crack in the door of a laboratory.

Jiang Fan released the team's personnel profile in advance: The team leader is Song Yue, a Japanese PhD who spent 16 years in Germany and is now a visiting researcher at the Technical University of Munich. He holds 23 core patents, six of which are original breakthroughs in the field of photoresist formulation.

He rejected three domestic agencies, the highest of which offered him eight figures.

Chen Ping pushed open the conference room door at the end of the corridor.

---

Seven people sat on either side of the long table, with Song Yue in the middle opposite them.

He was in his early forties, with slightly disheveled hair, square-framed glasses perched on his nose, and frayed cuffs on his jacket. He didn't stand up, but slightly raised his chin, gesturing for Chen Ping to sit down.

Chen Ping sat down opposite him, placed his briefcase on the table, and began to speak directly.

"Professor Song, before I came here, I reviewed the proposals from the three institutions that you rejected."

"I think I've figured out where the problem lies."

Song Yue placed his hands on the table, waiting for him to continue. The people around him stopped what they were doing.

"All three companies offered an administrative framework, intending to integrate your team into it for unified management and centralized approval of funds."

Chen Ping paused for a moment.

"What you want is to be in charge."

Song Yue moved his finger on the table, but did not reply.

Chen Ping took out a stack of documents from his briefcase, flipped to a page, turned it around, and pushed it in front of Song Yue.

"My solution is to create a completely different architecture."

"Scientists Committee"

"The technical direction, project setting, and experimental plan are all decided by the committee itself, and the administration has no right to interfere. Funding applications go through the committee's internal process and do not go through the administrative meetings of Chipfire."

A younger researcher chimed in, his accent a bit convoluted.

"What about funding approval?"

"National audit intervention."

Chen Ping pushed another document over.

"The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund's special account is subject to post-audit review by the National Audit Office for every expenditure, but ongoing projects will not be halted until the audit is completed."

"Auditing manages money, not technology."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

---

Song Yue scanned the materials from beginning to end, put them down, and did not speak immediately.

The first to speak was a female researcher to his right, with short, ear-length hair and a tightly tucked chin.

Who decides on the committee list?

"You decide for yourselves."

Are there observer seats in the executive branch?

"no."

The female researcher emphasized those two words and turned to look at Song Yue.

Song Yue tapped the edge of the table lightly with his fingers and continued to look at Chen Pingfang.

You said that the administration will not interfere with the direction of technology.

"What if our research findings conflict with the local government's industrial planning?"

Chen Ping placed his hand on the edge of the table and spoke steadily.

"Make way for planning."

"The core of Chipfire Phase II is the photolithography process, and your work is a segment of the entire manufacturing chain that is difficult to replace. Local industrial planning has no right to criticize your research direction."

Song Yue stared at him for a full five seconds, then picked up another stack of documents from the side and placed them on the table without explaining what they were.

Chen Ping glanced at the cover; it was a project announcement from a domestic research institute, stamped with three seals.

Song Yue opened the book and pointed to a page of data inside.

"This is your domestic photoresist test report from last year. It's an immersion process, 193 nanometers, with a yield of 71%."

He moved his finger down a little.

"The formula we have can achieve a yield of over 92% for immersion testing."

"But you haven't solved the EUV problem yet."

Everyone in the conference room looked at Chen Pingfang.

EUV extreme ultraviolet lithography is an unavoidable hurdle in the most advanced process. Song Yue closed the document, placed both hands on the cover, and waited for an explanation.

---

Chen Pingfang wasn't in a hurry.

He opened the side pocket of his briefcase, took out a sealed USB drive, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Song Yue.

"This is the latest batch of EUV light source test data in China, which has not yet been publicly released."

"After you've finished reading this, come talk to me about immersion."

Song Yue didn't take it immediately. He glanced at the USB drive first, then looked up at Chen Pingfang. Two seconds later, he held the USB drive in his hand and handed it to the female researcher.

The female researcher plugged into the laptop, and a page popped up showing a dense set of parameter charts, including peak curves, wavelength calibration, stability tests, and a complete interim report.

The attention of everyone in the conference room was immediately drawn to this.

Song Yue stood up, walked to the female researcher's side, looked down and flipped through two pages, stopping at the third page, and gestured a series of numbers on the screen with his finger.

Another researcher came over, stared at it for a few seconds, and said something in German. Song Yue didn't turn around and replied in English. Chen Pingfang didn't hear what was said, but he saw the researcher straighten up and his expression become tense.

Song Yue sat back down, unplugged the USB drive, and put it back on the table.

He clasped his hands together, stared at the table, and remained silent for nearly two minutes.

The rain outside was getting heavier, flowing down the windowsill and leaving wavy streaks on the glass.

---

"I can look at the agreement."

Song Yue looked up and said very briefly.

Chen Ping pushed another folder over without any further explanation.

Song Yue flipped through the pages slowly, occasionally glancing at the researcher next to him and exchanging a few words in hushed tones. Chen Ping sat and waited, neither urging him nor interrupting.

Turning to the last page, Song Yue picked up the pen, unscrewed the cap, and held it above the signature column.

The pen tip didn't fall.

He stopped there, looked up, and stared at Chen Pingfang.

"Director Chen."

"If the bureaucrats in Southern State want to target our labs, can you stop them?"

The rain outside the window pattered on the tin gutters under the eaves, the sound crisp and clear, carrying into the quiet conference room.

Chen Ping did not answer immediately.

He pressed down the clasp of his briefcase, rested his hand on the edge of the table, and leaned slightly forward towards Song Yue.

"Professor Song, how many years did you spend in Germany?"

Song Yue paused for a moment.

"Sixteen years."

Chen Ping nodded.

"Then you should have seen how many ways a bureaucratic system can block something."

"But you should also have seen what it takes to prevent something from being completely blocked."

He spoke his last sentence very calmly, clearly pronouncing each word.

"The structure of this agreement legally locks out any entry point for administrative intervention. Anyone who wants to touch this laboratory must first find a loophole in the filing terms of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Management Committee, and then there is the joint signature of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the approval document from the provincial party committee."

"I've locked every single one of them."

Song Yue held the pen between his fingers, looked down at the signature line, and didn't move.

The sound of rain came in bursts, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, pouring in through the window and enveloping the entire conference room.

Chen Ping waited.