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

After Lin Ying settled in D3, what was originally agreed upon as "staying for a while" quickly turned into a long-term, stable residence.

Her daily life is very simple now; she goes to the lab at 8:30 in the morning and returns to her dormitory at a certain time in the evening, depending on whether the data of the day is satisfactory; a plasma screen is not something that can be produced just by writing it down in a notebook.

Glass substrate cracking, unstable gas ratio, insufficient phosphor lifespan, driver board overheating, and power supply noise interfering with the image.

For every problem solved, two new problems emerge.

Liu Yang once stared at the screen full of test curves and sighed, "Lin Ying, I used to think that my graduate studies were tough enough."

Lin Ying was checking the parameters: "Now?"

"Now I feel like those years of graduate school were a vacation."

Wen Xu walked by and said, "You must have complained a lot when you were in graduate school."

Liu Yang immediately sat up straight: "Engineer Wen, don't rub salt in the wound."

Wen Xu glanced at him: "Finish off that set of signal interference data you gave me yesterday before we talk about life."

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With Lin Ying busy on her end, she had to rely on phone calls to direct things in Nanwan.

Chen Guodong calls at least twice a week to report on land procedures, company registration, coordination with design institutes, and factory planning.

"Ms. Lin, we've negotiated a price of 192 acres for that piece of land in Nanwan. The price is a little higher than originally planned, but it's still within our budget."

While reviewing the test report, Lin Ying made a phone call: "Is it contiguous?"

"The area is contiguous, close to the main road, and not far from the cargo terminal."

"Take it down."

Chen Guodong paused for a moment: "Won't you take another look?"

"I trust you since you've reviewed it; let Attorney Shen review the contract first, and proceed with the official seal process as previously agreed."

Chen Guodong replied, "Understood. Also, the design institute has completed the first draft of the factory site plan. Shall I fax it to you?"

"Send the administrative fax to D3. Don't write the project name on the cover; write 'Ordinary Factory Building Plan' instead."

"I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yang peeked out from the side and asked, "You're building a big screen here, and you're also buying land to build a factory on the other side?"

"Um."

How exactly do you allocate your time each day?

"Resolve things over the phone if possible, and let Chen Guodong handle the rest."

From June to August, the project progressed very slowly; the 45-inch prototype screen was made twice, but the first time it was turned on for less than ten minutes, uneven brightness appeared in the lower right corner.

The second time was even more outrageous; the temperature rise of the driver board couldn't be controlled. After reviewing the data, Wen Xu said, "Rework it."

Liu Yang asked cautiously, "All of them?"

Wenxu: "Which piece do you want to keep?"

Looking at the pile of boards on the table, Liu Yang cried out in anguish, "I want to save my life."

Lin Ying flipped the notebook to the front: "The main problems are with power supply heat dissipation and scanning control; the entire structure doesn't need to be pushed."

Wen Xu looked at her: "Are you sure?"

"Confirmed, the driving logic is correct, the error lies in the insufficient calculation of peak power consumption."

Wen Xu took her notes and looked at them for more than ten minutes, then nodded: "Change it according to her instructions."

Liu Yang looked at Lin Ying, his eyes full of gratitude: "Lin Ying, you saved me today."

Lin Ying: "Don't thank me yet. You need to input the image into that area for retesting tonight."

The gratitude on Liu Yang's face disappeared: "You two are working together really well now, one is in charge of sentencing, and the other is in charge of execution."

In September, the third version of the prototype was successfully powered on.

The screen can display color bars stably, and its brightness, color, and response time are all better than the previous two versions.

A group of people stood around in the lab watching, but no one said a word.

After a long pause, Liu Ya finally spoke: "How long can this last?"

Wen Xu looked at the timer: "Run for at least seventy-two hours first."

Liu Yang pulled up a chair and sat down: "Then I won't leave tonight."

Lin Ying looked at him and said, "You don't need to keep staring at me."

"I'm worried."

Wenxu said, "Staring at it won't change whether it's good or bad."

Seventy-two hours later, the third version of the prototype passed the test.

That wasn't enough; before November, they conducted another round of tests, including heat resistance, low temperature, prolonged screen brightness, frequent power on/off cycles, and transportation vibration.

Lin Ying was so busy that she barely answered any calls from Hong Kong; when Lin Lanying heard her voice was hoarse on the phone, she immediately became angry.

"Lin Ying, are you skipping your meals again?"

"have eaten."

"What do you want to eat?"

"canteen."

"The cafeteria, what?"

Lin Ying paused for a moment: "Food."

Lin Lanying remained silent for two seconds.

"You'd better go buy me fruit, milk, and meat tomorrow; if you keep fobbing me off like this, I'll have your dad fly over there and watch over you while you eat."

Lin Ying immediately said, "No need, I'll buy it tomorrow."

He Dazhu added from beside the phone, "Sister, you can never earn enough money, take care of your health first."

Lin Ying looked at the data sheet on the table: "Understood, Lao Dou."

In early December, the fourth prototype was fully packaged.

The 45-inch screen has a thickness that is within the design range. The casing is dark gray, and the interfaces, heat dissipation, and power module have all been engineered and adjusted.

On the day it was lit up, the laboratory was packed with people.

When a clear image appeared on the screen, Liu Yang shouted, "It's done! This time it really worked!"

Wen Xu stood at the front without saying a word, only writing down the last set of parameters.

Lin Ying looked at the screen, and the tension in her heart finally eased a little; from March to December, she had stayed in D3 for more than nine months, and 1995 was almost over!

The land in Nanwan has been acquired, the company has been registered, and factory construction has already begun; she wasn't in Nanwan, but she managed to expedite the technical milestones here.

That evening, the institute held a small celebration party for them: a few plates of snacks, melon seeds, and soft drinks were set out in the conference room.

Liu Yang, holding a soda cup, said, "Come on, let's hope the 45-inch model won't blow our spirits anymore."

After everyone finished laughing, the head of the administration department announced something: "Once the project data is archived, Wen Xu will be transferred to another project team. The subsequent work arrangements have already been finalized."

Liu Yang was stunned: "Engineer Wen is leaving?"

Wen Xu nodded: "Mm."

Liu Ya asked, "When?"

"After the New Year."

Lin Ying looked at him: "So fast?"

Wen Xu said, "They've been urging us several times already."

Liu Yang was somewhat uneasy: "No, if you leave, who will take the lead in the next generation?"

Wen Xu: "After this project is completed, Lin Ying's side will be able to industrialize it, and the subsequent D3 project will be readjusted."

After the celebration party ended, Lin Ying and Wen Xu walked back to the dormitory building together; the night was cold, and neither of them spoke.

As they approached the room, Lin Ying finally spoke: "My appliance factory in South Bay should be able to start operations next May."

Wen Xu looked at her: "So fast?"

"We've secured the land, the funds are in place, and the factory and equipment arrived quickly; Chen Guodong is more reliable than I expected; the first phase will focus on producing 45-inch plasma TVs."

Wen Xu nodded: "That makes sense."

Lin Ying said, "If it's convenient for you then, you're welcome to come and visit."

Wen Xu looked at her and said, "I will definitely go."

Lin Ying laughed: "Aren't you going to join a new project? How can you be so sure?"

"There's always enough time for a three-day visit."

"Then I'll reserve a technical consultant's office for you."

Wen Xu said, "Don't waste space, I don't go there often."

Lin Ying: "Your presence will be useful."

Wen Xu didn't respond to that, but only said, "Don't rush into the second generation; let's solidify the first generation product first."

"I know."

The next day, many people from the institute came to congratulate Lin Ying; Liu Ya said that since she had really opened a factory, she should remember to buy the reliability testing equipment and not skimp on anything.

Li Jia told her to hire more people with a materials science background, so that engineers wouldn't have to do everything themselves.

Liu Yang didn't come to see her until the afternoon. He was holding a document and stood at the door for a long time without going in.

Lin Ying: "Is there something you need?"

Liu Yang came in and closed the door behind him: "I want to talk to you about something."

"explain."

Are you still hiring in South Bay?

Lin Ying put down her pen: "You want to come?"

Liu Yang was a little embarrassed: "My hometown is in southern Hunan, which is much closer to Nanwan than Beijing. My parents are getting old, and I've always lived in the north. They don't say it, but they still worry about me."

"Also, the projects after D3 are getting more and more difficult. After Wen left, I can still follow up on the new projects, but it's very difficult. I know my own limitations. If I stay here, I might just become an ordinary researcher."

After he finished speaking, he laughed awkwardly and said, "That's a bit embarrassing. I don't want to pretend to know what I don't."

Lin Ying: "It's not shameful. Knowing what you're suited for is better than forcing yourself to do something you're not."

Liu Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "And what about your end..."

"Welcome."

Liu Yang immediately perked up: "Really?"

"Really, after you come here, you'll mainly be in charge of scientific research and product iteration. The engineering of the first generation of color TVs, and the subsequent research and development of the second and third generations, all require someone to oversee them."

Liu Yang quickly asked, "What about the salary? Let me tell you first, it's not cheap, but it's not as expensive as Wen Gong's."

Lin Ying thought for a moment: "A base salary of 200,000 yuan a year. Project bonuses are separate. If the second and third generations perform well, I'll give you more."

Liu Yang was stunned: "How much?"

Two hundred thousand.

"Hong Kong dollars?"

"RMB! You can also choose HKD, it's up to you."

Liu Yang sat down, holding onto the back of the chair, and remained silent for a long time.

Lin Ying asked, "Is it too little?"

Liu Yang looked at her with excitement in his eyes: "Lin Ying, do you know what 200,000 yuan a year means these days?"

"Know."

"My current salary plus subsidies amount to less than 20,000 yuan a year!"

"That's why I added it for you," Lin Ying continued. "Don't hesitate or doubt it. You're valuable to begin with; it's just that no one has ever paid you the market price before."

Liu Yang made up his mind: "Okay, Boss Lin, I'll work for you."

"Don't rush to call the boss. First, go through the resignation process clearly. Don't let too many people know about this, so as not to cause trouble for the firm."

"I understand, I'll do it properly."