Shanmei Passenger Station.
A new pickup truck was parked beside the exit.
Huang Xiuyuan was visibly excited. His hands trembled slightly as he opened the car door and hurried over in three quick steps. Though he had a thousand things to say, all he could manage was, "Dad!"
"You rascal." His slightly portly father, Huang Fuqiang, tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and stamped it out. Then he patted Huang Xiuyuan on the shoulder with his rough, calloused hand.
"Come on, let's go home."
"Okay."
They tossed the suitcase into the truck bed, then sat in the back and chatted about the family's recent goings-on.
Huang Fuqiang knew a little about Huang Xiuyuan starting a company and winning the lottery. He was quite open-minded and didn't act like some overbearing patriarch.
Since his mother hadn't returned home yet, the two of them went next door to the recycling plant for dinner.
Huang Sixiao, who managed the recycling plant, knew Huang Fuqiang was coming home that day and had prepared a few extra dishes in advance.
They checked the plant's inventory and reviewed its incoming and outgoing accounts.
In the small office at the recycling plant, father and son ate and chatted.
"Dad, how's Grandma doing?"
His father took a small sip of red rice wine and sighed. "She's been a lot more stable since they transferred her to Huaxi Hospital, but she needs to stay for observation. It might be another six months or so."
Huang Xiuyuan thought it over, then took the opportunity to suggest, "Dad, I've been keeping an eye on the property market this year. Housing prices in Rongcheng are only around three to six thousand yuan per square meter. Why not buy a place there?"
His father paused with a peanut halfway to his mouth. "Buy a house?"
"It's not like we're short of money. You and Mom need to take care of Grandma, and staying in a hotel would definitely be inconvenient. Even if you don't live there later, you can always sell it."
His father thought for a moment and seemed tempted. After all, he was constantly traveling between the two places, and having a home there would save him a lot of hassle.
Huang Xiuyuan pressed on while he had the chance. "Why not buy a small villa and a few storefronts as an investment? I'll put up ten million."
His father had some reservations. "But... wouldn't that affect your company?"
Huang Xiuyuan joked, "The company has plenty of cash for now. This investment also gives me a backup plan. If the company ever goes under, I can still live off the rent."
Huang Xiuyuan hadn't meant anything by it, but his father took the comment to heart and started worrying about the future. In the older generation's view, property was indeed a reliable store of value.
"All right. We'll buy a house and some storefronts in Rongcheng."
Huang Xiuyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the property was in Rongcheng, Grandma's condition meant she probably wouldn't be able to handle the trip back and forth anytime soon. She would inevitably recuperate in Rongcheng, which would keep her safe.
To be on the safe side, he had also assigned two bodyguards to stay with his father under the pretense of running errands and helping out. They would accompany him to Rongcheng.
It was a backup plan to make sure things didn't get out of hand.
He had gone to great lengths to keep his parents safe.
"A-Yuan, how do you plan to make money with this company?"
Huang Xiuyuan picked up some food and answered casually, "Our family's recycling plant makes money. My recycling company will find a way to make money too."
"I'm not trying to put you down, but this business is controlled by local toughs. A lot of scrap has its own channels, and there are plenty of pitfalls. Don't take it lightly." His father began sharing his experience so his son wouldn't suffer a major loss.
Huang Xiuyuan wasn't offended, nor did he pay it much mind. The local toughs were indeed a problem, but he had no intention of dealing with them, so it shouldn't be an issue.
Perhaps Huang Fuqiang could tell his son wasn't taking him seriously. He gave up on the lecture and quietly decided to tell Huang Sixiao to keep an eye on his son's company, just in case someone took advantage of him.
Father and son each had their own concerns, and dinner lasted until after eight that evening.
After all his traveling, Huang Fuqiang went home to rest.
As for Huang Xiuyuan, he stayed in his room reading news about the international financial markets. The worsening subprime mortgage crisis had raised the value of his overseas assets to around 48.57 million US dollars.
Tomorrow was March 1. His target was already on the verge of collapse, and in about ten days, the truth would come out.
The next day.
He arrived at the company headquarters first thing in the morning.
With professionals like Lin Baijie managing things, Suiren Company had become well organized. Seven more executives and technicians had officially joined the company the day before yesterday.
When he reached his office, he picked up the phone and asked the newly hired intellectual property counsel to come in.
A few minutes later, a short-haired woman in a sharp outfit knocked and entered. She was of average height and slim, with a beauty mark to the left of her mouth. Judging by her appearance, she hardly looked like a thirty-one-year-old woman.
"Ninghua, your Patent Group is going to be extremely busy from now on. You should be prepared."
Shang Ninghua smiled. "Are we going to start applying for patents, Chairman?"
"Come with me."
They went to the first floor of Building Two in the factory. It had once been a raw materials warehouse and covered around two thousand square meters.
Lu Xuedong, who had been working through the night, was already busy inside.
The space had been converted into the company's server center and computer software laboratory. Besides Lu Xuedong, there were two programmers and three interns.
To work in this laboratory, they had to sign strict confidentiality and non-compete agreements. He had also asked Huang Weichang to put together a team and model a confidentiality management system on the military's, creating one specifically for Suiren Company to prevent unnecessary trouble.
Lin Baijie and the others thought this was a bit excessive, but Huang Xiuyuan understood that failing to prepare now and scrambling to fix problems later could cost Suiren Company dearly.
He was used to planning several steps ahead. When they released many of the technologies they were developing, they would inevitably attract prying eyes. Rather than relying on enemies to play fair, he would build an impregnable fortress himself and minimize any potential threats.
After passing through security and a personnel check, he led Shang Ninghua to a computer.
He turned it on and opened a large collection of files he had prepared in advance. They contained patents related to industrial software.
"These cover two pieces of industrial software, with seventy-six patents in total. The twenty-seven I've marked in red are particularly important and need to be filed internationally."
Shang Ninghua thought it over and asked, "Chairman, are these patents for selling the industrial software?"
Huang Xiuyuan clicked the print buttons for the index and attachments, then turned to her. "Yes and no. We need our own industrial software patents to ensure our strategic security in the future. If the opportunity arises, we can consider commercializing them too."
Shang Ninghua offered her advice. "In that case, I recommend filing under the PCT, the Patent Cooperation Treaty. For non-PCT member countries, we can file under the Paris Convention as a supplement. That should cover most of Europe and the United States."
"Sounds good. Make the arrangements as soon as possible. If you need more people, have Baijie recruit them."
Shang Ninghua reminded him, "Chairman, there's one issue with PCT applications: the review takes time, usually thirty months. Under the Paris Convention, it only takes twelve."
"The industrial software patents aren't urgent. A longer wait is fine."
Shang Ninghua took the index and supporting documents and nodded. "All right. I'll arrange the patent applications as soon as possible."
Applying for a patent wasn't simple. The application materials had to be formatted correctly, and the laws and regulations of each country had to be carefully followed to get approval.
They could also hire a patent agency, but it was best to choose a large firm. Smaller firms varied widely in quality and could even rip you off.
Shang Ninghua had come from a patent agency herself.
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