The two of them went to the buffet, picked up some food, and found a table in the corner. They ate and talked.
After taking a sip of black coffee, Lu Xuedong asked curiously, "Xiuyuan, what are you planning to do?"
"What would you suggest?" Huang Xiuyuan asked with a smile.
Lu Xuedong sank into deep thought, his expression tinged with hesitation. In the end, he answered seriously, "I don't know, but I don't recommend getting into semiconductors."
His answer took Huang Xiuyuan by surprise. After all, Lu Xuedong had always been passionate about developing Huaguo's semiconductor industry.
Lu Xuedong sighed bitterly. "I'd like to talk you into investing in semiconductors, too, but this industry is destined to be a bottomless pit. You'd have to be prepared to go ten years without making a profit and to face bankruptcy at any time."
Lu Xuedong had once been full of enthusiasm, but during his time at Harvard, he'd come to understand the gap all too clearly. If Huang Xiuyuan were a big shot at a state-owned enterprise, he'd have painted a dazzling picture and lured him into this pit without hesitation.
But Huang Xiuyuan's little bit of money wouldn't even be enough to get a semiconductor business started. Lu Xuedong didn't want to lead his buddy into a trap.
"Semiconductors are indeed hard to get into, but it's not impossible." Huang Xiuyuan offered a vague reply.
Lu Xuedong gave a wry smile and hurried to dissuade him. "Don't be a young calf who's not afraid of tigers. Semiconductors really aren't something a small-time operation can afford to play around with."
"I know. Don't worry, I'm not stupid." Huang Xiuyuan already had a clear idea in mind.
"So what are you planning to do?"
The question had come full circle.
"My dad's old line of work."
Lu Xuedong was chewing on a steak and nearly choked. He hurriedly took a sip of coffee, then asked in disbelief, "Recycling?"
"No need to be surprised. I'm just going to collect scrap. Ha ha!" Huang Xiuyuan laughed, unconcerned.
Lu Xuedong fell silent for a moment, his expression turning troubled. "But then... you don't need to hire me."
Huang Xiuyuan calmly smiled and asked, "Xuedong, do you think scrap collecting doesn't require technical expertise? It's a whole field of study. If done well, it could be a huge business."
Lu Xuedong furrowed his brow and racked his brains, but still couldn't think of any technology that could drive major growth in the recycling industry.
"I know you're confused, but I'm confident I can make it work, and I need your help."
Still at a loss, Lu Xuedong thought it over and asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"I need some new materials, so I'm going to set up a Materials Laboratory. You can also contribute to research and development with your computer programming skills," Huang Xiuyuan explained.
In Huang Xiuyuan's eyes, Lu Xuedong was a rare talent. In addition to his main fields of study, semiconductors and microelectronics, he was also proficient in materials science and computer software.
Even if Lu Xuedong didn't work in semiconductors, he could still do materials research and software design.
Besides, Huang Xiuyuan's ambitions couldn't possibly be limited to picking up scrap. Breaking into the semiconductor industry in the future was inevitable. For now, he was simply planning ahead.
"No problem. I can handle both materials research and software design."
Huang Xiuyuan didn't want to discuss things in depth here, so he changed the subject. "By the way, Xuedong, when can you apply to graduate?"
"Once I finish up this experiment, in about a week. I've completed my credits and thesis, so I can graduate whenever I want."
Huang Xiuyuan made a prompt decision. "Then February 10. Take care of things here as soon as you can, then head back to China. Visit your mother while you're there, and meet me in Shanmei, Lingnan, on the fifteenth."
"No problem."
After dinner, the two of them returned to their respective lodgings.
Back in his dorm room, he casually checked the computer, then compared the room's furnishings with how he remembered them. When he found nothing had changed, he finally felt a little reassured.
When you were in a foreign country, it never hurt to be cautious. After all, the dirty deeds Americans had committed were too numerous to count.
He continued his work of hijacking zombie computers. Another long night slipped away in the cold wind.
Over the next five days, he swiftly wrapped up his affairs there. He collected his diploma, ended his lab access, and destroyed the remaining brain suppressants and all the chemical reagents.
February 3.
He took his luggage and boarded a flight home.
At Boston Logan International Airport, he waved goodbye to Lu Xuedong, who had come to see him off, then passed through security without incident.
On the boarding bridge, he quietly turned back to gaze at this land. Perhaps he would never set foot here again for the rest of his life.
There were no direct international flights from Boston to Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, so he could only fly to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.
Before boarding, he injected himself with a dose of highly concentrated brain suppressant, which would keep his Hyperthymesia stable for the next sixty hours.
After taking his seat on the plane, he closed his eyes to rest and thought about a few things.
Nineteen hours later, a Boeing airliner rolled steadily down the runway at Hongqiao Airport.
When Huang Xiuyuan stepped off the plane, he took a deep breath. Because of the time difference, it was morning at Hongqiao Airport.
He checked the time. There was no time to adjust to the time difference, so he pulled his suitcase into the passenger terminal and checked the domestic flight information. He found the flight he'd booked in advance.
After waiting for a little over an hour, Huang Xiuyuan boarded again. The plane from Hongqiao Airport to Bao'an Airport slowly took off from the runway.
The flight took two and a half hours.
As soon as he arrived in Pengcheng, he put in his Chinese SIM card and made a call. "Uncle Xiao, Happy New Year."
"Xiao Yuan, you're back?" The voice on the other end sounded pleasantly surprised.
Huang Xiuyuan kept it brief. "I just got to Bao'an. What happened to the things I ordered a few days ago?"
"Don't worry, they've all arrived. I even cleared out a room for them."
"Sorry for the trouble. I'll be home this evening."
"Your dad went to Shu Province. I've got the key, so remember to come by and pick it up."
"Okay, we'll talk when I get home."
"Be careful on the way."
After hanging up, he realized the New Year was almost here, so the only way back was by coach.
After several hours of a bumpy ride, he finally arrived back in his hometown at around four in the afternoon.
The coach left the Shenhai Expressway and headed toward the Shanmei urban area. His home wasn't in the city, but in the suburbs, in Pubian Town. As soon as he got off the coach, he heard a familiar voice.
"Xiao Yuan!"
A middle-aged man called out to him as he walked over.
The man wore a loose, old denim jacket. His skin was dark from the sun, and his lips were dark red and cracked from the cold wind. His eyes, though, were bright and alert.
"Uncle Xiao, long time no see."
"Come on, let's go home." Huang Sixiao patted his shoulder, then took his suitcase and hauled it toward a tricycle nearby.
Huang Xiuyuan nodded. The two of them chatted and laughed all the way.
Huang Xiuyuan trusted this clansman of his very much. At least when he was at the lowest point in his life, the man had always looked after him and kept the recycling plant running as usual.
Unlike the other employees, several of whom had immediately taken away customers after his father left, then seized the opportunity to set up shop on their own.
Huang Xiuyuan climbed onto the tricycle used to collect scrap without complaint. It puffed out a faint trail of black smoke as it headed toward the recycling plant.
His family's plant and home stood beside Haishan Highway, right alongside the road, with Tongding Mountain rising behind them. It was a fairly large recycling plant, occupying nearly twenty thousand square meters.
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