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

After hanging up the phone, Chen Pingfang stared at the blacked-out phone screen, his finger slowly tracing the edge of the screen.

AetherX acted even faster than he expected.

Three days later, AetherX posted an announcement on its official website. The announcement was presented in a very polite manner, but the gist of it was that "due to major technical adjustments to its core product line, the supply of AX-9000 series high-end industrial control chips to Nanzhou Province, China, has been suspended. We will notify you when the supply will resume."

Less than two hours after the announcement was issued, Chen Ping's office phone started ringing non-stop.

The first call came from Ma Guoliang, chairman of Ruichi Technology, a large automotive electronics manufacturer in Nanzhou Province.

"Director Chen! The AX-9000 is the core of our vehicle control system! Our inventory is only enough for forty days. After forty days, all three production lines will have to be shut down!"

Ma Guoliang's voice was so loud that the telephone receiver was vibrating.

Chen Ping didn't hang up. Ma Guoliang was still shouting on the other end of the line when the second phone line lit up again.

It is Zhao Yiming, the general manager of Nanzhou Optoelectronics.

"Director Chen, we just secured a military order, with a delivery date of two months. AetherX is now cutting off supplies, and we'll have to pay 300 million in penalties alone! 300 million!"

The third, the fourth, the fifth.

In one morning, the heads of seven core manufacturing companies made a series of phone calls to exert pressure. Some made phone calls, some waited directly at the entrance of the Department of Industry and Information Technology, and others used their connections to get to Governor Liu Mingyuan's office.

Everyone was saying the same thing: the company was going to fail.

At 2 p.m., Chen Ping took the initiative to organize an emergency meeting.

In the conference room on the sixth floor of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the heads of seven companies were all present. Ma Guoliang sat at the front, his suit jacket unbuttoned and his tie crooked, looking very anxious. Zhao Yiming leaned back in his chair, holding a financial statement in his hand, the paper soaked with sweat from his palms.

When Chen Ping walked into the conference room, the buzzing discussion inside hadn't stopped yet.

He sat down in the main seat and pushed the teacup in front of him to the side.

"Are you done talking?"

Chen Ping uttered a single sentence, and everyone fell silent.

Ma Guoliang was the first to stand up, cleared his throat, and adopted a posture of complaining.

"Director Chen, we support the Chip Spark Program and endorse the province's decision. However, businesses need to survive! We've used the AX-9000 for eight years; all our processes, testing standards, and customer certifications are built around it. You want me to switch? It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't!"

Several executives nearby nodded in agreement.

Zhao Yiming also stood up.

"Director Chen, to be honest, we all saw the Chipfire EDA demonstration the other day, and it was indeed very impressive. But EDA is a design tool, not the same as the control chips we use. It doesn't solve our current problem!"

Chen Ping didn't say a word, letting them pour out their grievances.

After the last person finished speaking, the conference room fell silent again. Everyone looked at Chen Pingfang, waiting for him to offer a solution or make a compromise.

Chen Ping stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote two words.

Work has been suspended.

Ma Guoliang almost jumped up from his chair.

"Work halted?! Director Chen, are you kidding me?!"

"I'm not joking." Chen Ping put down his marker, turned around, and said, "Starting tomorrow, all production lines of your seven companies involved in the AX-9000 chip will be shut down."

The meeting room erupted in chaos.

"Are you crazy?!"

What will happen to the tens of thousands of workers?

"Director Chen, you're leaving us no way out!"

Chen Ping waited for the commotion to subside, then stood still in place.

"Work has been suspended, but there are new arrangements."

He picked up a stack of documents that had been prepared on the table and had his secretary distribute them. Each document had the words "CoreFire Compatibility" printed on its cover.

"Starting tomorrow, each of your companies will send no fewer than ten core technical personnel to the Chipfire Lab. Professor Gu Weizhen's team will provide you with thirty days of adaptation training, teaching you step-by-step how to restructure your products within the Chipfire system."

Ma Guoliang opened the document, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Thirty days? You can get it done in thirty days?"

"Whether you can handle it or not depends on your people's capabilities," Chen Pingfang replied directly. "AetherX dared to cut off supplies because they knew you couldn't do without them. If you actually beg them to resume supplies today, they can use this tactic to hinder you every year. This year they'll cut off chip supplies, next year they'll cut off licensing, and the year after that they'll triple the price. What will happen if they continue down this path?"

No one responded.

Because everyone knows that what Chen Pingfang said is true.

Chen Ping glanced around at everyone present.

"I'm making this clear. Within thirty days, Chipfire Labs will come up with at least two domestically produced control chip solutions that can replace the AX-9000. These are solutions that can be directly implemented on the production line and are already running. The provincial government will coordinate special funds to subsidize your losses from the shutdown. The specific figures will be discussed with you by the Finance Department tomorrow."

Zhao Yiming raised his head and stared at Chen Pingfang for a full five seconds.

"Director Chen, are you really that confident?"

"I'm not sure," Chen Pingfang's answer surprised everyone. "But there's no turning back. If AetherX can cut off your supply today, it can cut off the supply to the entire Southern State tomorrow, and it can cut off the supply to the whole country the day after. If we don't stumble and get back up here, we'll suffer even greater losses in the future."

A long silence followed in the meeting room.

Ma Guoliang was the first to sign the compatibility agreement. His hand was still trembling as he put the pen down.

Others followed suit, some hesitated, some sighed, but in the end, all seven agreements were signed.

Chen Ping put away the documents, didn't say a word, and turned to leave the conference room.

He had to rush back to call Gu Weizhen; he wasn't entirely sure about the thirty-day promise himself. But he had to keep things going.

AetherX's supply cut was a test. They were waiting for Nanzhou to back down, waiting for Chen Ping to bow his head.

Chen Pingfang, however, chose the most direct form of confrontation.

At 9 p.m., the private room of "Chao Ting" restaurant, located three streets away from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was dimly lit and filled with smoke.

Ma Guoliang threw his coat on the sofa and took a big gulp of red wine.

Zhao Yiming sat opposite him, his face gloomy.

Besides the two of them, the private room also contained the CEOs of three other companies: Qian Weidong of Xinchen Semiconductor, Zhou Haibo of Tianying Electronics, and Liu Xuejun of Boyuan Communications.

These five individuals control over 60% of the output value in the Nanzhou semiconductor industry chain.

Ma Guoliang put down his wine glass and was the first to speak.

"I've signed the agreement, but I need to make this clear: if you don't produce the goods within thirty days, I, Ma Guoliang, will be the first to turn my back on you."

Qian Weidong gave a cold laugh.

"Thirty days? You believe that? A newly established lab can develop a chip solution to replace the AX-9000 in thirty days? Back then, AetherX spent twelve years updating and upgrading just this one product."

Zhou Haibo flicked his cigarette ash and said in a low voice.

"I heard that Secretary Deshan is going to Beijing for a meeting next month and won't be in the province then. Governor Liu Mingyuan might not be able to withstand the pressure from above if he's alone in the province."

Zhao Yiming didn't say anything, but instead pulled up his phone's contacts, flipped to a name, and showed it to everyone.

Zheng Huaien, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

"Secretary Zheng is in charge of the economy. After Sun Heming's incident, he was also temporarily in charge of the Science and Technology Department." Zhao Yiming put his phone back in his pocket. "I have some connections with Secretary Zheng's secretary."

Ma Guoliang squinted his eyes.

"you mean……"

"What I mean is," Zhao Yiming picked up his wine glass and gently swirled the red liquid inside, "that Chen Ping is just a department head, what right does he have to decide our fate? Matters that should be decided by the provincial party committee should be placed on the provincial party committee's table."

The private room was quiet for a moment.

The five men looked at each other, and their glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.