78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

"Come in."

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a lot of weight.

The room was small, resembling a study, with a row of bookshelves against the wall and documents and periodicals piled on the desk. An elderly man in his sixties sat behind the desk, his hair gray, wearing reading glasses and a dark blue Zhongshan suit. Ye Bingwen didn't recognize him, but he had seen this face in the news in his previous life.

"You're Ye Bingwen?" The old man took off his glasses and looked him up and down.

"I am."

"sit."

Ye Bingwen sat down, his back ramrod straight. Deputy Director Wu didn't come in; he closed the door from the outside.

The old man leaned back in his chair, his gaze not sharp, but deep. "I've read the report from the provincial science and technology department about your brushless motor. Its efficiency is over 30% higher than existing domestic motors. If it were adopted nationwide, how much electricity could be saved annually?"

"A rough estimate is over 10 billion kilowatt-hours."

The old man nodded. "Tens of billions of kilowatt-hours of electricity. That means we don't need to build any new power plants to meet the electricity demand growth for the next few years."

Ye Bingwen remained silent.

"I don't understand your proposal, but I found someone who does. They said this technology is at least five years ahead of its foreign counterparts."

"I wouldn't say we're ahead, it's just that our thinking is a bit different."

The old man laughed. "You're being modest. The Ye Bingwen I've heard about is quite different. He dares to challenge the department head, dares to solve problems in front of experts from the Provincial Department of Education, and dares to go to Institute 601 alone to debate with senior experts."

Ye Bingwen's heart skipped a beat. The other party had already investigated these matters.

"I didn't call you here today to criticize you. I want to ask you a question. What's the purpose of all this technical work you're doing?"

Ye Bingwen was silent for a few seconds. "To give my wife and daughter a better life, and to prove my own abilities."

The old man looked at him, his scrutiny lessening. "That's all?"

"That's all. If a person can't even support his family, talking about serving the country is just empty talk."

The old man was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Not fancy, but it's practical."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Ye Bingwen. "The Education Department handled Zhou Mingyuan's matter correctly. But Zhou Mingyuan isn't an isolated individual. He has connections in the province, and these people won't let things rest just because you won. Your future won't be peaceful."

Ye Bingwen's heart sank.

"I'm not trying to scare you." The old man walked back to the table and sat down. "I want to tell you that what you've done is being watched. Not just by me, but by people in higher positions. As long as what you're doing is right, there will be people backing you up."

Ye Bingwen understood. The other party was telling him: Just keep moving forward, there are people behind you.

"thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'm thanking you on behalf of the country." The old man waved his hand. "Go back, study hard, and hone your skills."

Ye Bingwen stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

"Ye Bingwen," the old man called out to him.

He stopped.

"Could your brushless motor be used in weaponry?"

Ye Bingwen turned around. The old man's gaze was sharp, like a knife.

"Yes. Brushless motors have a long lifespan, high reliability, and low electromagnetic interference. They would be much more effective in missile servos and radar servo systems."

The old man stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright. You can go back now."

Stepping out of the building, the night wind felt even colder. Deputy Director Wu was still waiting at the door.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

The car started again. Ye Bingwen leaned back in the seat, his mind replaying the conversation. He hadn't asked who the person was, but judging from their demeanor, they were no low-ranking official. Moreover, the mention of "above" indicated that it wasn't just the provincial government that was paying attention to Ye Bingwen.

"Director Wu, how do you know that person?"

"It's not surprising that people in our line of work know a few people."

The car stopped downstairs at his house. Ye Bingwen got out of the car.

"Ye Bingwen," Deputy Director Wu rolled down the car window, "remember what that person said. Do your job well, and don't overthink it."

The car drove away, its taillights gradually disappearing into the night.

Ye Bingwen went upstairs. Zheng Shuyun was reading at the table, and An'an was already asleep.

"Why are you so late? Have you eaten?"

"I ate. I went to the motor factory; there was something I needed to take care of."

Zheng Shuyun didn't press the matter and continued reading. Ye Bingwen sat down next to her, watching her focused profile.

"Shuyun, if you get into university next year, let's buy a TV."

Zheng Shuyun looked up and smiled. "You're wasting money again."

"It's not about wasting money. We'll celebrate when you get into university." Ye Bingwen held her hand. "You'll definitely get in."

Zheng Shuyun leaned on his shoulder. "Bingwen, what if I don't pass the exam?"

No, it won't.

"What if?"

"There's no 'what if'. You're a top student for Tsinghua or Peking University; you've just been held back."

Zheng Shuyun didn't say anything more and closed her eyes.

Ye Bingwen sat at his desk, mentally reviewing the tasks for tomorrow. The prototype motor at the motor factory was finished; the next step was to write a technical report to apply for the provincial science and technology progress award. The chief engineer at Institute 601 might need a more detailed calculation report. There was also the paper on brushless motors, which needed to be written and submitted as soon as possible.

He picked up a pen and started making a list. Halfway through, he suddenly remembered the question the man had asked him earlier: Could brushless motors be used in weaponry? He said yes. This statement implied that someone was eyeing his technology, and that someone in the military was involved.

Ye Bingwen put down his pen. In his previous life, he had spent half his life in the military-industrial complex and knew its rules. Once your skills caught the eye of the military, you were no longer an ordinary person. Your time, energy, and even your safety were no longer entirely your own.

But he did not regret it.

The door opened, and Zheng Shuyun returned after washing up. "Bingwen, aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"immediately."

He turned off the desk lamp. Zheng Shuyun lay down and quickly fell asleep, her breathing even. Ye Bingwen stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

He was thinking about Zhou Mingyuan. Zhou Mingyuan had been transferred, but the letter he left behind was still swirling in Ye Bingwen's mind—"You'll find out sooner or later." Find out what? Find out that Ye Bingwen wasn't simple? Or find out something else entirely?

In the darkness, he heard footsteps outside the window, very soft, but exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Ye Bingwen sat up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look down.

The area downstairs was deserted; there was no one there.

But he saw a trail of footprints in the snow, stretching from a distance, stopping briefly at the entrance to his apartment building, and then continuing further away. The footprints were small and didn't look like men's shoes.

Ye Bingwen stared at the set of footprints for a long time, feeling a vague unease in his heart.

He drew the curtains and lay back down on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep.

Zheng Shuyun turned over, placed her hand on his chest, mumbled something, and then fell into a deep sleep again.

Ye Bingwen took her hand and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, he's going to see Ma Kui to ask him something. Who exactly are Zhou Mingyuan's "connections" in the province?

And who is the owner of those footprints downstairs?