"Ha ha ha ha, drunken words don't count? President Li really was straightforward. But I had to drink this first cup—to apologize to President Li for failing to keep the promise I made all those years ago."
After hearing Li Ye's words, Bu Qingjun immediately burst into laughter, then drank a cup by himself, offering an explanation for the awkwardness of having had no contact all these years.
Back when he had sought Li Ye for sponsorship, he had said that he worked in "communications," and that if Li Ye ever got into communications equipment, he could offer some technical help.
Yet now Fengyu Electronics had developed mobile phones and computers, while his promised assistance had never materialized. If someone had not understood the truth, they probably would not have come to today's dinner at all.
But Li Ye knew the truth, didn't he?
The approval process for the mainland's satellite navigation project had not gone smoothly. It had met all sorts of resistance from the very beginning of research and development, the greatest of which was the scientists' funding problem, which had plagued the entire process from start to finish.
Even in 1995, the higher-ups had issued instructions regarding this plan. The instructions made it very clear: they knew the plan was important, but there were too many places demanding money, so they recommended considering preliminary research first."
Preliminary research meant that the state allocated a small amount of money for exploratory advance research, rather than providing ample funding to ensure the project's completion.
It was a compromise. And because it was a compromise, one wrong step could mean there would be no sequel; the entire project could be cut off halfway, like so many regrettable projects before it.
So when Li Ye saw Bu Qingjun drink that cup,