Chapter 128 - Only a Nobel Laureate Doesn't Have to Bow
Walking along the bustling streets of the capital, Su Xinghe glanced at his son's unhappy face and smiled faintly,
"What's the big deal? It's just another billion invested.
Yuanchip isn't short of a billion, is it?"
"Our budget has always been quite loose; of course, we're not short," Su Yuanshan rubbed his face and said in a low voice,
"It's just that the precedent we set isn't great.
Still, being allowed to audit financial expenditures counts as saving some face."
When it came to products like servo motors — so crucial to semiconductors and the entire industrial system — Su Yuanshan was willing to invest, but only if every penny was strictly spent on research.
Anyone thinking of using the opportunity to line their pockets would find no chance.
Listening to his son's complaints, Su Xinghe chuckled,
"If Yuanchip wants to root itself in China, you must get used to dealing with the government and its policies.
And cooperating with ministries is much better than dealing with local governments.
Their policies apply nationwide and you don't have to worry about officials changing with every administration."
Su Xinghe had drunk a bit too much wine today and kept rambling,
"And when working with ministries or government departments, they care more about political achievements and face.
That means you can bargain, and squeeze out a lot of benefits."
"Dad, I agree," Su Yuanshan laughed,
"But I'll add a caveat: stay close to the organization, but stay far from individuals."
He grinned,
"Frankly, Dad, you should work harder to get elected as an Academician.
Once you get the rank, you won't have to bow to anyone anymore."
"Becoming an Academician isn't easy," Su Xinghe smiled.
"And even if I were an Academician, if four ministries summoned me together like today — chatting warmly but pressing hard — there'd be nothing I could do."
"Unless... unless you're a Nobel Prize winner.
Then you don't have to bow to anyone!"
Su Xinghe laughed and patted his son on the shoulder, his eyes gleaming.
"Dad, what's that look in your eye?"
Su Yuanshan teased, laughing.
Su Xinghe burst out laughing,
"Haha! My son's a genius, right?
I have to have some expectations!"
"Then keep hoping," Su Yuanshan said, laughing it off —
hiding the small ambition flickering in his heart.
Only a Nobel laureate doesn't have to bow?
...
The next day, Su Xinghe flew directly from the capital to the Special Economic Zone.
He would spend a day there, then join local government officials to welcome the UMC executives.
As Su Yuanshan had said, since UMC was interested in licensing the YX architecture, Yuanchip didn't mind expanding the opportunity —
helping the SEZ government build connections and maybe convincing UMC to establish a wafer fab on the mainland.
The Special Economic Zone was chosen because it had a large concentration of electronics factories, offering a clear and tangible demand for chips.
Meanwhile, Su Yuanshan stayed in Beijing for two more days.
During that time, he contacted his "childhood friend," Professor Li Gaoliang's daughter, Li Xiao, and asked her to show him around Peking University.
He wanted to investigate the Applied Physics Department —
if the course setup and the faculty were outstanding, he would even consider pulling some strings to transfer there for a year as an exchange student.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed.
The setup wasn't much different from UESTC's.
After returning to the provincial capital, Su Yuanshan immediately plunged back into work.
As the chief architect of the Thor Core, he had to oversee everything, distributing tasks precisely to every team — it kept him overwhelmingly busy.
Meanwhile, as the interior renovations wrapped up, Yuanchip's relocation to the new Tech Park officially began.
Although formaldehyde concerns weren't well known yet, Su Yuanshan had insisted on using low-formaldehyde materials during construction and kept the ventilation systems running continuously to minimize health risks.
At the beginning of December, Yuanchip officially started moving.
First to move into the Tech Park was Tian Yaoming's communications team.
Tian had made a trip to Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and recruited a group of top mathematics students from the neighboring province's math institute —
his team grew rapidly and urgently needed lab space to validate all sorts of data.
Next to move was Qin Weimin's YX architecture team.
Besides Yuanchip's own employees, this team now included a group led by Lin Yonggu from UMC, who would systematically study the YX architecture's adaptations and modify them to meet UMC's needs.
This move showcased UMC's financial muscle —
they abandoned a CPU project that had taken years of work without a second thought.
That kind of decisiveness required real courage.
As for Su Yuanshan's own CPU team — they moved last.
Firstly, his team was the smallest.
Secondly, he needed to stay behind to comfort Jiang Wanchao's EDA department.
Since recruitment had started in April of the previous year, despite several rounds of turnover, the EDA department still had the largest number of "old employees."
These employees, especially the earliest ones, were naturally reluctant to be separated from Yuanchip —
even though everyone understood that for long-term development, the EDA division needed to be spun off and operate independently.
"Senior Brother Jiang, I'm leaving this place in your hands,"
Su Yuanshan said, handing the keys to the ninth floor over to Jiang Wanchao.
Seeing Jiang looking a little down, Su Yuanshan smiled gently,
"You guys haven't even moved out yet.
You're still under Yuanchip's umbrella.
You're just not moving to the Tech Park."
"That's exactly the problem," Jiang Wanchao said, turning to look at Qu Hui.
"Qu Hui, don't you think something feels... wrong?"
Qu Hui nodded, her eyes slightly red.
Su Yuanshan chuckled and stepped forward, opening his arms wide,
"Senior Sister, come give me a hug."
Qu Hui laughed through her tears and hugged him.
But the moment she did, her tears couldn't be held back any longer, streaming down her cheeks.
"Hang in there, Senior Sister,"
Su Yuanshan said softly, patting her on the back.
"Mm,"
Qu Hui mumbled, wiping her eyes as she let go.
Su Yuanshan then hugged Zhu Jianting in turn.
After the hugs, even he couldn't force a real smile —
it was more of a strained effort.
"I'm more reluctant than you guys,"
Su Yuanshan said quietly,
"From the very first line of code I wrote last Spring Festival, EDA has carried all my heart and soul."
"But sometimes in life, to chase bigger dreams, you must make sacrifices,"
he said, closing his eyes tightly for a moment.
"I've never told you guys —
beating our competitors in EDA was never just about making money, or dominating the market."
"It's because...
EDA must become our future weapon against blockades."
"That's why I want you all to focus entirely on simulation technologies from now on —
even if it means sacrificing some other modules,
make sure our simulation capabilities reach the very top of the world —
irreplaceable."
"And before we achieve that goal,
EDA still has a long way to go.
We must firmly bind ourselves to our clients,
until Yuanchip's EDA becomes something no semiconductor giant can do without."
"That's the purpose behind today's separation."
The three nodded silently.
Su Yuanshan stretched out his hand,
"It's all up to you now."
Qu Hui was the first to place her hand on top of his, followed by Zhu Jianting, and finally Jiang Wanchao.
"Let's do this!"
they said together.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1