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

Ye Bingwen stood at the exit, a cold wind blowing into his collar, and An'an buried her face in his neck. Zheng Shuyun's duffel bag fell to the ground, but she didn't pick it up; she just looked at Chen Zhiyuan, her face pale.

"The assembly drawings and rotor structure diagrams?" Ye Bingwen asked calmly. "What about the rest?"

"They're all there. The police said the thief had a very specific target; they only took those two tickets." Chen Zhiyuan picked up his bag. "Professor Ma told you to go to the lab as soon as you got back."

Ye Bingwen handed An'an to Zheng Shuyun. "Take the child home first, I'll go check on her."

"Bingwen..." Zheng Shuyun took An'an.

"The blueprints can be redrawn if they're lost; the core technology is in my head. Go back and lock the door; don't open it for anyone."

Zheng Shuyun nodded, picked up An'an, and left.

The laboratory door was sealed. Ma Kui stood in the doorway, next to a young man in a police uniform.

"Bingwen, this is Xiao Wang from the police station," Ma Kui said in a low voice.

Xiao Wang was in his early twenties, with a round face. "Comrade Ye Bingwen, when was the last time you entered the laboratory?"

"On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, I locked the blueprints in the drawer and locked the door."

"Who has the key?"

"I have one, and I have one in the office as a spare."

Xiao Wang made a few notes in his notebook. "The spare key to the department office was borrowed on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. The register says 'Liu Weidong'."

Ye Bingwen's heart skipped a beat. It was Liu Weidong again.

"What does Liu Weidong need the key for?"

"Retrieve the experimental equipment."

"I know him. He's a sophomore, someone in his research group."

Xiao Wang nodded. "We'll question him. Until then, don't tell him anything."

Xiao Wang left. Ma Kui pushed open the lab door, and Ye Bingwen walked in. The drawer had been pried open, and there were deep scratches around the keyhole. The folder containing the assembly drawings and rotor structure diagrams was empty, with only two blank sheets of paper remaining.

Ye Bingwen squatted down to examine the scratches. The lock-picking technique was very professional, using specialized tools. A student couldn't do this.

"Teacher Ma, who has Liu Weidong been getting close to lately?"

Ma Kui thought for a moment, "He had dinner with Director Wang from the motor factory once."

Ye Bingwen's fingers slowly clenched.

Ma Kui led him to the department office. The register was turned to the page for the 28th of the twelfth lunar month; the three characters "Liu Weidong" were written in a very messy hand. Ye Bingwen took out a copy of the letter of complaint written by Zhao Zhiguo from his pocket; the handwriting on it didn't match the one in the register. He then pulled out Liu Weidong's lab report; the signature there was also different from the one in the register.

"Teacher Ma, the writing in the register is not by Liu Weidong."

Ma Kui took the notebook. "You mean someone's impersonating someone?"

"Liu Weidong's handwriting is slender and elongated, while this person's handwriting is flatter. They are not the same person."

Ma Kui's expression changed. "Who is that?"

Ye Bingwen did not answer. Zhao Jianguo was meticulous in his actions, even forging signatures.

"Don't make a fuss yet, let the police station investigate."

"You want to go fishing?"

"Hmm. The blueprints are lost, they'll definitely use them. And if they use them, they'll be exposed."

After leaving the department office, Ye Bingwen went to the post office. He sent a telegram to the Beijing Patent Office: "Have you received the patent application materials? Please reply as soon as possible." He also sent a telegram to the editorial department of the *Journal of Mechanical Engineering*: "The proofreading of the paper has been returned. Can the publication date be moved up?"

Standing at the post office entrance, he thought for a moment. The assembly drawings and rotor structure diagrams lacked control circuitry; those in the know could see the intricacies, but imitation wouldn't be easy. The patent was pending, the paper was about to be published, and the technology would be made public sooner or later. Zhao Jianguo wanted to steal it, but he couldn't.

But he was worried about something else. If the person who stole the blueprints had been in the lab, what if they had touched something else?

He turned and ran towards the school.

The prototype was still in the lab. He crouched down to examine it carefully. There were no signs of the screws being loosened, the solder joints hadn't been touched, and the position of the Hall sensor hadn't changed. He picked up the prototype, locked it in a metal cabinet, and hung the key around his neck.

I sat down and started drawing again. Halfway through, there was a knock on the door.

The one who came in was Liu Weidong. He was pale and had heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"Ye Bingwen, I have something to say to you."

"explain."

"I didn't steal the blueprints," Liu Weidong said, his voice trembling. "I didn't come to school on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. I went back to my hometown for the Spring Festival, and I left by train on the 29th. You can ask my parents."

"Then why is your name on the register?"

"I don't know." Liu Weidong placed a train ticket on the table. "This is my train ticket for the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. I'll be at my hometown on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month."

Ye Bingwen picked up the train ticket and looked at it. It was from Harbin to Shenyang, departing at 4 PM on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month.

Where are your keys?

"It's with me." Liu Weidong took out the key. "I've always kept it with me; I haven't given it to anyone else."

"Have you had dinner with Director Wang recently?"

Liu Weidong's face turned even paler. "It was the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Director Wang approached me, saying he wanted to know about the research group's situation. I didn't say anything to him."

Did he ask you for the key?

Liu Weidong suddenly looked up. "He asked me to borrow it! It was the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. He said he wanted to go to the lab to check the equipment and asked me to lend him the key. He didn't return it to me until the next day."

Ye Bingwen clenched his fingers. The 25th of the twelfth lunar month was the day he left Harbin. Director Wang got a key made. On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, someone used the copied key to enter the laboratory and forged Liu Weidong's signature.

"Have you told the police station about this?"

"not yet."

"Go now. Tell Xiao Wang that Director Wang lent you his keys. If you don't tell, you'll be the suspect."

Liu Weidong nodded, turned to leave, then stopped. "Ye Bingwen, I really didn't steal your blueprints."

"I know."

When Zheng Shuyun got home that evening, An'an had already been put to sleep. She sat at the table reading a book, with dark circles under her eyes.

"Have you found the blueprints?" she asked.

"No. But I know who stole it."

"Who?"

"Zhao Jianguo".

Zheng Shuyun put down her book. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No. But it will happen sooner or later."

Ye Bingwen wrote down the factory establishment plan on paper: Harbin Institute of Technology Brushless Motor Factory. Shareholding structure: Ye Bingwen holds 100% of the shares.

"One hundred percent? Not even a little bit left for the school?"

"The school doesn't want it. Principal Liu said he supports student entrepreneurship and won't take any shares. They can just donate money when they become successful."

There was a knock on the door. It was urgent. Ye Bingwen opened the door, and Chen Zhiyuan stood there, his face red from the cold.

"Bingwen, something's happened. The motor factory has produced a prototype that looks a lot like yours. Chief Engineer Li called to say that Director Wang gave a drawing to the technical department, saying it's technology he bought from elsewhere, and they need to get it made as soon as possible."

Ye Bingwen's heart sank.

"Chief Engineer Li said it's exactly the same as yours." Chen Zhiyuan looked at him. "They stole your design and started making it themselves."