Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

Back in her dorm, she first wondered: Was it really worth giving up the management rights? Then she wondered: How much can one person do?

She recalled her pace over the past few years: attending classes, conducting experiments, reading materials, and living 24 hours a day was already exhausting enough.

If you add building a factory, recruiting people, running around for approvals, negotiating with suppliers, monitoring the production line... then her life would consist of nothing but work.

She spent eighteen years of her past life confined to a hospital bed, and she would never forget the feeling of being unable to move. In this life, she finally has a healthy body, parents, younger siblings, and friends, and she doesn't want to live her life as a money-making machine.

She gets 20% of the profits, bears no operational risks, and all technological achievements belong to her; frankly, this is a very good deal.

Another advantage is that she won't be tied to the company; once she finishes her research, she can move on to other areas.

Life is so short, she doesn't want to do only one thing.

Her previous eighteen years were a blank, and in this life she is very greedy and wants to try everything.

On the afternoon of the third day, Lin Ying went to Professor He and said, "I agree to cooperate."

Professor He looked at her: "Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through; working behind the scenes is great, it's safe, free, and I don't have to socialize."

Professor He smiled: "Yes, freedom and security are things that many people cannot buy with money."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A week later, a military off-road vehicle was parked outside the school's east gate.

A man in his early thirties got out of the driver's seat, carrying a brown paper bag. When he saw Lin Ying, he extended his hand and said, "Hello, Lin Ying, my name is Li Xiao, from Institute D6."

Lin Ying shook hands with him: "Hello, Engineer Li."

"Don't call me Engineer Li, just call me Xiao Li. There aren't that many rules at the office." Li Xiao helped her put her suitcase in the trunk. "Not much stuff?"

"This one box is enough."

After the car left the main urban area of ​​Beijing, the scenery outside the window changed from skyscrapers to rows of poplar trees and wide two-way highways. Li Xiao explained the situation to her as he drove.

"You probably haven't heard of this place before. It's called the Science and Technology Innovation City. Construction only started four years ago. There are six research institutes, numbered D1 to D6. Our Sixth Electrical Engineering Institute was the last one to be completed, and we just moved in last month."

"How large is the area?" Lin Ying asked.

"The D6 institute alone has 800 acres of land, and the entire new city must be over 2,000 acres," Li Xiao glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "These are all long-term projects; we need to leave room for the future."

Lin Ying leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the rows of newly planted green belts recede into the distance outside the window.

"Brother Li, what area is D6 responsible for?"

"Network topology," Li Xiao said. "Our team has been studying the cellular networking solution you submitted for over a year, and the basic framework is now working."

Lin Ying asked curiously, "It's running successfully? To what extent has it been verified?"

"The theoretical model has passed all verification calculations, and small-scale laboratory simulations have also been conducted; what we lack now is the terminal equipment, which is the mobile phone component you mentioned in your proposal."

Li Xiao continued driving, "So the higher-ups transferred you here to fill this gap; having the network but no terminal equipment is like building a highway but having no cars to drive on it."

"Understood," Lin Ying said.

"Oh, right." Li Xiao suddenly remembered something, "Lin Ying, there are some procedures to go through when you arrive, quite a few."

"What's the procedure?"

"Confidentiality agreements, identity registration, access control regulations, communication control... there are about ten documents to sign."

Lin Ying nodded.

It took almost two more hours to get there.

From afar, Lin Ying could see a cluster of brand-new buildings; a dozen or so white-walled buildings, each about fifteen stories high, lined up neatly. Between the buildings were green belts and pedestrian walkways, and she could also see a basketball court and a single-story building that looked like a cafeteria.

There are two checkpoints at the main gate. The first checkpoint checks vehicle license plates and work permits, and the second checkpoint requires card swiping and facial recognition registration.

"The security level in the new city is much higher than outside." Li Xiao rolled down the car window and showed the security guard his ID. "You'll need to carry your ID card every time you come in or out. If you forget it, you won't be able to come in or leave."

The car stopped in front of the main building of Institute D6. Lin Ying got out and looked up; the building was brand new, its glass curtain wall reflecting the afternoon sun. A sign at the entrance read: D6 Communication Technology Research Institute.

Li Xiao led her into the administrative office on the first floor of the main building.

Two people, a man and a woman, were sitting in the office, and a stack of documents was already prepared on the table.

The woman's surname was Chen, and she was responsible for explaining all the confidentiality clauses to Lin Ying.

"Lin Ying, please have a seat." Sister Chen pushed the first document over. "This is a confidentiality agreement. There are three copies in total. You sign two copies, and we will keep a copy for us. Please take a careful look at the contents."

Lin Ying took it and read it from beginning to end.

The terms and conditions were written in great detail: all research content, experimental data, and technological achievements participated in by D6 must not be disclosed to the outside world without approval; the work content during the period of stay in the institute must not be disseminated in any form; after leaving the New City area, one must not talk about the institute's affairs; the consequences of violating the confidentiality regulations were written on a full half-page.

"Is there a problem?" Sister Chen asked.

"No." Lin Ying picked up the pen and signed her name.

The second document is an identity registration form.

"Lin Ying, your identity within the institute is 'Li Hua'." Sister Chen handed over the identity card, which had a photo, number, and name printed on it: Li Hua.

Then Sister Chen continued to instruct: "All internal documents, experimental records, and correspondence should use this name."

The third document was the access control regulations, the fourth was the communication control guidelines, the fifth was the emergency contact procedures, and the sixth was the living area usage rules... Lin Ying signed them one by one, and by the time she signed the eighth document, her hand was sore.

"How many are left?"

"Two portions," Sister Chen handed them over.

After all the signatures were completed, Li Xiao took her to the living area.

The living area is behind the main building, a row of high-rise residential buildings; Lin Ying was assigned to apartment 906 on the ninth floor, a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, about 30 square meters in size, with everything: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a private bathroom, and an air conditioner.

"The cafeteria is next to Building 1, and all three meals a day are free." Li Xiao pointed out the directions from the doorway. "The supermarket is in the south of the residential area, and it has all kinds of daily necessities; the sports field is in the west, and you can play basketball, volleyball, and table tennis."

"That's enough." Lin Ying pushed her suitcase into the room. "This is much better than my dorm at school."

Li Xiao shrugged: "For external communications, use a dedicated phone line. You can call home at fixed times each week; for emergencies, report to the administration office, and they will give you special access."

"In other words, I'm basically isolated from the outside world from here."

"It's not complete isolation. We get four days off each month to go to Beijing or surrounding cities; but we can't talk about institute matters when we're out."

Lin Ying went through this information in her mind: "I understand."

Li Xiao straightened up: "Then you can rest today. I'll take you to the lab at nine o'clock tomorrow morning and introduce you to the team."

"it is good."

Li Xiao walked to the door and then turned back: "By the way, Comrade Li Hua."

Lin Ying was stunned for a moment before she realized that he was calling her.

"From now on, everyone in the office will call you Li Hua," Li Xiao said. "The name Lin Ying will no longer exist."

"I know."

After seeing Li Xiao off, Lin Ying closed the door, sat down at her desk, and placed the identity card on the desk: Li Hua.

From today onwards, she is Li Hua, an ordinary researcher with no past, no Cambridge degree, no Hong Kong background, and no family connections.

In the autumn of 1992, she received a new name.