Wang Ye frowned, convinced that Luo Yao had been brainwashed into madness.
"Boss Santu, don't joke around. How are we supposed to make that thing?"
"EDA! It's not Word or Excel. How can we make it without data from foundries?"
"Shuijidian has data, sure, but would those bastards give it to us?"
"Which domestic foundry has data as complete as Shuijidian's?"
Luo Yao silently listened to Wang Ye's outburst and felt it was necessary to give the employees some onboarding training. Otherwise, they really would think they had no fully domestic EDA suite.
But employee onboarding could wait. Right now, he needed to visit Rao Huiling's office.
"President Ye, the boss already said what we're researching, so we research it. What's the problem?" Wu Tianming figured Huaji had probably decided on the research direction. What could Luo Yao do about it?
Anyway, they couldn't go wrong listening to Luo Yao in the lab.
They might not be able to help much, but they could at least try not to make things worse!
Wang Ye was smart too, and Wu Tianming's words made him realize what was going on.
They were here to farm experience, after all. What could anyone expect two first-year students to do?
Though they were all first-year freshmen, they knew there was a gulf between themselves and Luo Yao.
"You two look around nearby first. I need to handle something." The lab's location had not yet been finalized, so Luo Yao could not conveniently take them to the EDA department.
Everyone in the EDA department was currently working themselves half to death. Who had the mood to bother with those two?
Wu Tianming and Wang Ye hurriedly agreed, fawningly telling Luo Yao to go ahead while they found somewhere to sit.
As soon as Luo Yao left, the two huddled together and began pondering how Luo Yao had become the person in charge of Huaji's laboratory.
"I could rack this little brain of mine until it breaks and still not figure it out. Anyway, I'm pretty happy that someone's got my back now." Wang Ye was carefree. Thinking that the lab boss was his classmate, his grin nearly split his face.
Wu Tianming was far more rational. "Got your back?"
"It'll be good enough if he doesn't torment us every day."
"Do you think the people at Huaji will go crazy from dealing with him?"
Wang Ye sank into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Luo Yao arrived at Rao Huiling's office.
The moment Rao Huiling saw him arrive, she immediately had him sit down.
"I wanted to tell you two things. First, we'll be meeting with people from the Semiconductor Alliance's chairman organization soon to discuss Pangu EDA. You won't need to do anything then. Just come with us, meet them, and get familiar with them."
Luo Yao was young, so Rao Huiling naturally could not have him explain Pangu EDA to the other side. She simply wanted to take him along this time so he could get familiar with the people they would be dealing with later.
Geniuses like Luo Yao often lived more simply than ordinary technical staff and generally did not have strong social skills. Rao Huiling understood that well, so she would not make things difficult for him.
Luo Yao was even less concerned about this. Professionals should handle professional matters. Rao Huiling would surely make arrangements for negotiations; all that mattered was getting Pangu EDA moving as soon as possible.
Seeing that Luo Yao said nothing, Rao Huiling continued.
"Second, you need to form your laboratory team as soon as possible. Once Pangu EDA goes online, there will be plenty that requires your team to resolve."
"You can pick anyone you want from the Genius Program. President Peng from HR will handle everything for you."
Luo Yao did not like working with ordinary people, so Huaji would accommodate him and equip him with the best team.
"Oh, right. This is the laptop and phone assigned to you. All the software you need has already been installed."
Luo Yao only took the laptop and left the phone behind.
"Luo Yao, the company assigned you that phone too. Why aren't you taking it?"
"Compared to a smartphone, I prefer a feature phone."
A feature phone?
Rao Huiling had never seen a young person who still used a feature phone.
"All right, if you don't like it, forget it. But when I call you at night, make sure you answer!"
Luo Yao looked at her, then suddenly remembered something important. "How long are our usual working hours?"
"Normally, it's nine to five."
"But technical experts like you are different. People will probably have questions for you at any time."
"You mean overtime is required?"
Rao Huiling realized that Luo Yao was only sixteen. What could a sixteen-year-old understand about workplace rules?
The unspoken rule that modern workers were expected to work overtime simply did not exist in his eyes.
As the technical president of Laboratory 012, Rao Huiling often slept in her office just so she could work overtime more effectively.
Since Luo Yao had questions, Rao Huiling naturally had to explain things clearly.
"It really is unavoidable. But don't worry, overtime pay will be provided, and there will also be late-night meals delivered directly to your office."
"Why work overtime?" Luo Yao looked utterly baffled.
"If you can't finish your work within eight working hours, that's something only idiots do."
Rao Huiling felt as if her heart had suddenly seized up.
Looking across all of Hua Nation, what company did not require overtime?
If anyone else had said that, Rao Huiling would have told them to hand in their badge and leave.
But Luo Yao was different.
He really could create more value in eight hours than an entire team could in the same amount of time.
Without a computer or a team, he had spent six full years developing Pangu EDA alone. Others could not match that perseverance, let alone his technical ability.
Luo Yao's expression remained perfectly normal, without the slightest hint of contempt.
It was as if those words had not come from him at all.
Especially when Rao Huiling met those bright eyes of his, she had only one thought—
He really had the most innocent face while saying the harshest things.
Even Rao Huiling, who had just been labeled an "idiot," could only smile helplessly and say, "You're an exception, Luo Yao. As long as you finish your work, you can leave whenever you want. The company won't force you to stay."
"Good. What about work calls and IM messages?"
"I'll tell them to contact you during working hours."
Luo Yao was highly satisfied. After discussing a few technical matters with the already heartbroken Rao Huiling, he carried his laptop out.
The moment Luo Yao left, Rao Huiling stood by the window and sighed.
That little ancestor... he was truly exhausting.
Rao Huiling did not forget to send Luo Yao's requirements to the managers of the relevant departments. She could clearly see that after they read the messages, they held back for quite a while before finally replying with just two words: "Understood."
They had clearly been quite shocked.
Rao Huiling then sent Luo Yao's requirements to the executive group chat.
Before long, the executive group chat, which had been completely quiet, came alive.
Lu Gao: This kid really doesn't work overtime!
Zheng Mengrong: Five o'clock is quitting time. Got it.
Peng Xun: Understood. I'll send a car to take him home at five.
Zheng Housheng: Hahaha, just what you'd expect from a genius. I like that personality!
Carrying his laptop, Luo Yao passed a retro Gothic coffee shop. He liked the look of it, so he simply sat outside and began filtering through the people in the Genius Program on his computer.
Peng Xun sent Luo Yao each person's resume from the Genius Program, along with evaluations from their respective departments, making it easier for Luo Yao to select the most suitable candidates.
But Luo Yao did not look at those evaluations at all.
In his view, all evaluations were born from subjective perceptions. In describing someone, people would always lean toward the image they already had in their minds.
For example, one supervisor said Sergei was difficult to manage. But what Luo Yao needed was someone who could help him professionally and technically, not an obedient student.
So those evaluations held little reference value for Luo Yao.
Luo Yao filtered through them extremely quickly. After skimming through their resumes, he sent his list to Peng Xun and also sent over the laboratory's name.
Luo Yao closed his laptop and checked whether the system had issued a new task.
Not yet.
Luo Yao did not know what conditions triggered the system's new tasks, but judging by things now, the next task would probably only be issued after he received the reward for the first one.
How long would that take?
He was meeting people from the Semiconductor Alliance tomorrow. Could he sell it tomorrow?
Obviously not. Industrial software had high replacement costs. As Rao Huiling had said, tomorrow's meeting was more likely just to probe the other side's interest.
What a hassle.
Compared to meeting people, Luo Yao actually preferred doing research. That was the true source of his happiness.
Just as Luo Yao's thoughts wandered through topology, Peng Xun called and told him to go to the Genius Base. The personnel had all been arranged for him.
As Luo Yao packed up his laptop and stood, he finally remembered that he seemed to have forgotten Wu Tianming and Wang Ye.
When he found them, he discovered that they had been waiting where they were and had not left.
"Why didn't you sit somewhere else?" Liushangpo's environment was comparable to a tourist attraction. Huaji had put considerable thought into creating a different kind of work environment. Luo Yao liked it very much and even wanted to find time to walk around the campus.
"Ahem, weren't we worried you wouldn't be able to find us?"
Luo Yao looked at Wang Ye and detected a trace of fear on his face.
"Forget that, Boss. Where's our lab? How could you not take us to see it?" Wang Ye felt that Luo Yao had seen through his fear and hurriedly changed the subject.
"I'm taking you there now."
Luo Yao had an excellent memory. He had only visited the Genius Base once, yet he remembered the route and quickly led Wu Tianming and Wang Ye there.
There were no other buildings around the Genius Base, only a standalone six-story building, similar to the Huaji Research Institute's building but decorated in a more youthful style.
"Shannon Laboratory? Boss, did you name it?" Wu Tianming asked, pointing at the sign that had just been hung on the wall.
"Yes. I like him very much. A great mathematician."
As Luo Yao spoke, someone walked out of the building.
"It's you! Why didn't you let me join the laboratory? Is it because I drew the Synopsys architecture?"
Luo Yao said nothing and instead looked at Peng Xun and the others who had hurried over behind him.
"President Peng, I'll leave this place to you." After saying that, Luo Yao did not even glance at the person questioning him and led the others into the building.
Before you continue