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

"Because this is my livelihood." Ye Bingwen looked into Zhao Jianguo's eyes. "I'm a student, I have no salary, no savings, and my family of three relies on my skills to make a living. If I hand over my skills, I'll have nothing left."

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. The smile didn't seem like he was convinced; it looked more like he was plotting something.

"Okay, I understand your thinking." He stood up, extended his hand, and said, "Take the proposal back and take another look. There's no rush to make a decision. Just give me an answer before the end of the month."

Ye Bingwen stood up, shook his hand, put the documents into his bag, and turned to leave the office.

The corridor was quiet, his footsteps echoing on the floor. He stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced back. Zhao Jianguo's office door was closed, a dim light filtering through the small glass window.

Ye Bingwen went downstairs and walked out of the provincial industrial bureau's gate. The wind outside was strong, stinging his face. He turned up the collar of his cotton-padded coat and walked quickly towards the bus stop.

He hadn't walked more than a few steps when someone called out to him from behind.

"Comrade Ye Bingwen."

He stopped and turned around. It was Comrade Liu, the one who delivered the letter to him, tall and thin, wearing a cap, peeking out from the guardhouse.

"Deputy Director Zhao asked me to ask you a question."

"What did you say?"

He asked, "Could you make that brushless motor without the equipment from a motor factory?"

Ye Bingwen's heart sank. "No."

"What if there were no workers in the factory?"

"No, not either."

Comrade Liu nodded and retreated into the guardhouse.

Ye Bingwen stood in the wind, clutching the file folder in his hand tightly. What did Zhao Jianguo mean by that? A threat? A reminder? Or was he telling him that his technology couldn't do without the motor factory, and that the motor factory was under the control of the Provincial Department of Industry?

He turned and continued walking, his pace much faster than before.

Upon returning to school, Ye Bingwen went directly to Zhang Guangyuan's office.

Zhang Guangyuan was reading an English journal when he saw Ye Bingwen come in and took off his glasses.

"You look so pale, what happened?"

Ye Bingwen placed the file folder on the table and recounted the day's events. After listening, Zhang Guangyuan picked up the proposal and flipped through it, his brows furrowing more and more as he read.

"This is an attempt to completely exploit your technology." He threw the proposal on the table. "The R&D center is nominally led by the province, but in reality, Zhao Jianguo calls the shots. Once the technology belongs to the R&D center, he can use it however he wants, and you don't even have a say."

"I know. That's why I refused."

"Good for you to refuse." Zhang Guangyuan leaned back in his chair. "But Zhao Jianguo won't give up so easily. He's worked in the Provincial Department of Industry for so many years; he has plenty of ways to force you to comply."

"Professor Zhang, what should I do?"

Zhang Guangyuan was silent for a moment. "Two paths. First, find a bigger backer. Someone in the province has their eye on your brushless motor, so report it to the central government. The State Science and Technology Commission and the Ministry of Machinery Industry are both much bigger than the provincial industrial department."

"And the second one?"

"Secondly, solidify your technology. Be ahead of the curve in every step, from publishing papers and applying for patents to improving prototypes. Once the technology is yours, no one can take it away. If Zhao Jianguo wants to steal it, he'll have to sue you. He's not afraid of lawsuits, but he's afraid of the trouble. It doesn't look good for a deputy director to sue a college student."

Ye Bingwen nodded. "Let's take both paths."

"Okay. I'll follow up on the paper; I have connections at the *Journal of Mechanical Engineering*. For the patent, go find Ma Kui; he knows people at the patent office." Zhang Guangyuan stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry. No matter how capable Zhao Jianguo is, he can't cover everything up."

Ye Bingwen came out of Zhang Guangyuan's office; it was almost dark. He walked on campus; there were few people on the road, and a string of footprints stretched into the distance on the snow.

When he reached the entrance of the main building, he saw a person standing on the steps; it was Zhou Mingyi.

Zhou Mingyi was wearing a dark blue overcoat and a gray scarf today, looking more refined than usual. He saw Ye Bingwen and smiled.

"Ye Bingwen, is it convenient for you to say a few words?"

Ye Bingwen stopped. "Section Chief Zhou, please speak."

"I heard you went to the Provincial Department of Industry today."

Ye Bingwen's heart skipped a beat. Zhou Mingyi's news came too quickly.

"Did Zhao Jianguo show you a plan for setting up a research and development center?"

Ye Bingwen did not answer.

"I saw that plan when I was at the Provincial Department of Education," Zhou Mingyi said in a low voice. "Zhao Jianguo used this plan to target at least three people. One was a technician from the Harbin Boiler Factory, one was an engineer from the Qiqihar Machine Tool Factory, and the other was a researcher from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences. All three refused, and later their projects were stalled, funding was delayed, and their technology was taken away."

Ye Bingwen's fingers slowly clenched.

"Do you know why Zhao Jianguo was able to take their technology?" Zhou Mingyi looked at him. "Because their technology wasn't protected. The paper wasn't published, the patent wasn't applied for, the technology was 'blacklisted.' Zhao Jianguo said it was his, so it was his."

"Section Chief Zhou, aren't you afraid Zhao Jianguo will find out about this?"

Zhou Mingyi smiled. "I'm afraid of him, but not in that way. I worked at the Provincial Department of Education for eight years, and I know a little about his affairs. He can't touch me."

He turned to leave, then stopped. "Ye Bingwen, there's one more thing. The factory manager from the motor factory is coming to the school tomorrow to talk to Principal Liu. I don't know what they'll talk about, but you'd better be prepared."

Zhou Mingyi left. Ye Bingwen stood on the steps, watching his figure disappear into the night.

The motor factory manager came to see Principal Liu. What were they going to talk about? Brushless motors? Or the contract?

Ye Bingwen didn't go home; he went straight to the lab. He wanted to check the draft of his paper again and then go to the post office early the next morning to follow up.

The lab lights were on. He pushed open the door and saw Chen Zhiyuan asleep on the table, an open textbook lying beside him. There was also a half-cold glass of water and a half-eaten steamed bun on the table.

Ye Bingwen did not wake him. He tiptoed to the lab bench, opened the folder, and took out the manuscript.

The data was fine, the charts were fine, the conclusions were fine. He put down the draft, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

My mind is a mess. Zhao Jianguo, factory director, contract, technology, paper, patent—these words are all tangled together like a jumbled mess.

He opened his eyes and looked at the motor on the table. The coils gleamed with a coppery light under the lamp, as quiet as a work of art.

He made this. From blueprints to the finished product, from scratch to one. Nobody can take it away.

The door was pushed open. Chen Zhiyuan was startled awake by the noise and groggily raised his head.

"Bingwen? When did you get back?"

"Just got back. Why are you sleeping here?"

"I'll wait for you." Chen Zhiyuan rubbed his eyes. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"There's a factory back in my hometown that makes agricultural machinery. They heard you got a new motor and want to come take a look." Chen Zhiyuan pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is their phone number. Call them if you're interested."

Ye Bingwen took the slip of paper. A direction he had never considered. Not a large factory, not a provincial enterprise, but a township enterprise. The conditions were somewhat worse, but it had the advantage of flexibility and fewer restrictions.

"Chen Zhiyuan, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Chen Zhiyuan yawned. "I'm going back now, I'm too sleepy."

He left. The lab fell silent again.

Ye Bingwen stared at the note for a long time. Township enterprises had poor conditions, but at least no one would force him to hand over the technology ownership.

He put the note in his pocket, turned off the light, and walked out of the lab.

The corridor was dark; several motion-activated lights were broken, with only a dim yellow light at the far end. As he reached the stairwell, he heard footsteps behind him.

He stopped and turned around. The corridor was empty; there was no one there.

He continued walking. The footsteps sounded again, very lightly, as if he didn't want to be discovered.

Ye Bingwen turned around abruptly.

A figure darted into the corner of the corridor; only a glimpse of a gray garment could be seen.