The Background of Shenxing Technology

"Lu Cheng'an ... I met him a few times years ago, we had some interaction, but we weren't very close." Upon hearing this name, Mr. Feng nodded, seemingly lost in memories. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "He was a pitiful man."

Gao Yao was stunned for a moment, a little confused. He hadn't expected such an answer. In his eyes, Lu Cheng'an, who founded "Shenxing Technology," should definitely be a winner in life!

Moreover, given the scale of "Shenxing Technology," the job opportunities it creates, and the various new technologies it develops, it should make a significant contribution to society, the country, and even to humanity as a whole.

However, Xiang Kun immediately thought of Lu Cheng'an's family and the rumors about what had happened to his wife and children.

Sure enough, Mr. Feng continued, "When he started his business, just as the company was getting on track, his wife fell ill and passed away, and not long after, his only son became paralyzed. No matter how well the company did or how successful his career was, it couldn't make up for this pain."

Xiang Kun keenly observed Mr. Feng's various physical cues and sensed that he seemed somewhat downcast. Mr. Feng himself had said that he wasn't familiar with Lu Cheng'an, and they weren't even considered friends, so it was unlikely that he would have much direct emotional response to Lu Cheng'an's sorrow. However, Xiang Kun remembered that Tang Baona had mentioned on the way here that her maternal grandmother had passed away a long time ago, and that her maternal grandparents had a very good relationship. Therefore, when this topic came up, Mr. Feng was likely thinking of himself and projecting his emotions onto Lu Cheng'an.

However, others obviously wouldn't be so perceptive, so Yang Zhen'er immediately asked curiously, "Grandpa, have 'Shenxing Technology' been conducting a lot of research over the years really to revive his wife and cure his son?"

Despite her frequent bickering with Xiang Kun loud manner, Yang the Third is quite "well-behaved" and polite to her elders. Because of her good relationship with Tang Baona, after meeting Mr. Feng a few times, she also started calling him "Grandpa" like Tang Baona.

Tang Baona often said that if Yang Zhen'er were reborn in ancient times, she would definitely be a treacherous official.

Hearing her question, Mr. Feng couldn't help but chuckle, "Where did you hear all this gossip from?"

"I've heard a lot of people say that," Yang Zhen'er said. "Grandpa, has Chairman Lu's son recovered from his illness?"

Actually, on Christmas Eve before the Lunar New Year, during a dinner gathering at Tang Baona's house, Yang Zhen'er's classmate Qin Ping was struggling with whether to accept the offer from "Shenxing Technology," so everyone discussed "Shenxing Technology" and various topics related to the Lu Family behind it.

However, although they had a lot of information at that time, it was mostly second-hand information from their elders and industry seniors. Naturally, it could not compare with Mr. Feng's first-hand information source, who had direct contact with Lu Cheng'an and knew the Lu Family.

Mr. Feng said, "I don't know whether he's been cured or not. I guess he hasn't been cured yet. Otherwise, his relatives and friends in the Lu Family would have some information. This is a joyous occasion, there's no reason for them to keep it a secret."

"I also know that there are many rumors outside that Lu Cheng'an's son was murdered by Shenxing Technology's competitors, and that Lu Cheng'an has been enduring hardship for more than ten years in order to take revenge. But that's all nonsense. I know very well why his son is paralyzed. He fell down the stairs by himself, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"As for the technologies developed by 'Shenxing Technology,' they may not actually be Lu Cheng'an's own ideas; they could be authorized by the authorities."

Tang Baona asked in surprise, "Grandpa, do you mean that 'Shenxing Technology' is actually a state-owned enterprise?"

"'Shenxing Technology' is definitely not a state-owned enterprise. What Grandpa meant was that the government has a great influence on 'Shenxing Technology's' technological development and R&D direction. I guess there is some support that we are unaware of?" Tang Baoting said.

Gao Yao asked curiously, "Grandpa, are you saying that 'Shenxing Technology' has some collaborations with the government on certain projects? Many private companies have such collaborations, right? It seems quite normal."

Mr. Feng said, "'Shenxing Technology's' cooperation with the government is much deeper than it appears on the surface. I only found out by chance before. The people who liaise with the government and 'Shenxing Technology' are of very high rank. As for their specific rank, identity, and what they are doing, you don't need to care. Just know that the black technology that 'Shenxing Technology' is developing is not because Lu Cheng'an wants to revive his wife and cure his child."

However, despite saying that, the grandchildren became increasingly enthusiastic in their discussion after hearing Mr. Feng's account of the secrets of "Shenxing Technology".

Tang Baoting guessed, "Could it be the military? Mechanical exoskeletons and stuff, I think they can be used for military purposes?"

Gao Yao immediately retorted to his fiancée, "This level of cooperation is nothing. Our military has long been cooperating with private companies to procure and develop various military supplies. According to my grandfather, 'Shenxing Technology' has much deeper cooperation with the government. Could it be that they need to conduct some exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries, so using a private company is more convenient?"

Yang Zhen'er, puzzled but impressed, said, "No wonder Chairman Lu has kept such a low profile all these years. I heard that even his relatives and friends rarely see him. I guess it's because his cooperation with the government is a bit sensitive, right?"

Tang Baona asked with some concern, "Grandpa, is it alright for you to tell us all this?"

Mr. Feng was both amused and exasperated. "Stop making wild guesses. It's not that complicated or mysterious. These aren't exactly secrets that can't be mentioned. The reason not many people know is because neither 'Shenxing Technology' nor the authorities have deliberately publicized it, and no one has bothered to dig deeper."

Xiang Kun listened quietly, not interrupting much, because Gao Yao and Yang Zhen'er had already asked him most of the questions he wanted to ask. Even if he hadn't asked, he could deduce the answers from Mr. Feng's other responses.

The biggest and most important piece of information he obtained was that "Shenxing Technology" had a very close cooperation with the government, and that the official personnel who liaised with "Shenxing Technology" were of a very high rank.

This led Xiang Kun to subconsciously guess that the cooperation between "Shenxing Technology" and the government was likely related to the search and research of "Mutated Creature".

After all, judging from the samples of "Mutated Creature" that Xiang Kun came into contact with after his mutation, these "Mutated Creature" had existed for at least ten years and were of a very wide variety. There's no reason why the authorities would be completely unaware of them.

However, after reflecting on his past experiences and thinking about it more carefully, Xiang Kun realized that this judgment was flawed.

If the authorities were truly conducting secret research on "Mutated Creature," why would they rely on a private company? Even if that private company is technologically advanced and financially powerful, it doesn't make much sense.

Moreover, based on the information he had obtained through various means, neither Fang Pingfang, Zhou Rui, nor Mi Qiao, nor any other researchers or staff members of the secret department of "Shenxing Technology" believed that they were working for the government. Even when dealing with the "mutated bird" near Wushu Mountain, they were worried about whether they would be in trouble with the government, and their use of advanced drones was very conservative.

The various conversations between Mi Qiao and "Mr. Liang" did not seem like they were communicating with officials; "Mr. Liang" did not appear to be an official.

Furthermore, when police in Yangcheng City were monitoring Guo Tianxiang's clinic and residence, they also discovered that people from "Shenxing Technology" were using the guise of the "Runs Really Fast" courier company to conduct surveillance from the other side. If "Shenxing Technology" was merely a shell used by the authorities to research "Mutated Creature," this situation should not be the case.

Or rather, the authorities were unaware that Mr. Liang and others within the secret department of "Shenxing Technology" were researching "Mutated Creature." The cooperation between the authorities and "Shenxing Technology" was actually conducted "Mr. Liang" in other matters and fields.

But if that's the case, what about the official research and investigation departments regarding "Mutated Creature"? Given the frequency and timing of the appearance of "Mutated Creature," it's impossible that the authorities were completely unaware of their existence.

Any one of the "Mutated Creature" that Xiang Kun has encountered has great research value. If the authorities are aware of the existence of "Mutated Creature," there is no reason for them not to pay attention to it.

Moreover, he knew of several Research Base belonging to the secret department of "Shenxing Technology," scattered throughout the country, each occupying a considerable area, and staffed with top-notch scientific researchers. It was impossible for the authorities to be completely unaware of this and simply turn a blind eye.

In short, all the inferences have contradictions or are not entirely reasonable.

After chatting for a while, around nine o'clock, they said goodbye to Mr. Feng and prepared to go home.

Just like when they arrived, Xiang Kun followed Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er in their car, planning to visit their home to discuss the newly updated game version and the details of their upcoming collaboration with Zhang Qian on Xiang Kun's behalf.

However, after arriving home, Tang Baona checked her phone and said, "Little Bell asked if I was free, she wanted to video chat with me to show me some paintings."

"Who is Little Bell?" Yang Zhen'er asked in surprise.

The day before yesterday Xiang Kun mentioned to Tang Baona that he would teach Liu Shiling to draw, and Tang Baona agreed. In fact, she had already video-called the Little Chubby Girl yesterday, "taught" her a lesson, and even assigned her "homework".

However, Yang Zhen'er has been staying at home for the past two days, so she doesn't know about Liu Shiling's situation.

"It's that little girl who used to live next door in apartment 706. I asked Nana to teach her to draw. Let's video chat with her first. Kids shouldn't stay up too late. We can talk about our business later," Xiang Kun said.

After the QQ video call connected, Liu Shiling, who was far away in Star City, was startled to see three heads suddenly appear on her iPad screen. Her face trembled slightly, and she moved the iPad away.

A second later, realizing who the three heads on the screen belonged to, Liu Shiling breathed a slight sigh of relief before greeting them, "Hello, Bald Uncle! Hello, Pretty Sister! Hello Roast Chicken Wing Sister!"

Because Yang Zhen'er's face was only half visible on the screen, Liu Shiling subconsciously mistook Tang Baona and Xiang Kun for Xia Libing, whom she had talked to several times before.

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen'er turned around and looked at Tang Baona curiously, "Nana, why does she call you 'Roast Chicken Wing Sister'?"

Tang Baona was both amused and exasperated. "So you've just claimed 'pretty sister' all by yourself? You're so shameless! 'Roast Chicken Wing Sister' is clearly a nickname for you. Yesterday, Little Bell called me 'pretty sister' too."

Yang Zhen'er exclaimed in surprise, "How could I be the Roast Chicken Wing Sister? That doesn't make sense..."

Xiang Kun explained with a smile, "The Roast Chicken Wing Sister' was calling for Lao Xia because Lao Xia was going to treat her to chicken wings. She probably mistook you for Lao Xia just now."

In the video, Liu Shiling quickly nodded, saying, "I'm sorry, sister, I mistook you for someone else!"

"It's okay, come here, look at me, what do you think I should call you, sister?" Yang Zhen'er pushed Xiang Kun and Tang Baona aside to occupy the center of the screen, then tidied her hair and maintained a friendly smile.

Seeing that the cute Little Chubby Girl seemed a bit stunned and at a loss, Yang Zhen'er gently coaxed her, "Come on, I'll give you three options: one is a beautiful older sister, two is a pretty older sister, and three is a fairy older sister. Choose one, my dear Little Bell sister."

Tang Baona couldn't help but want to cover her face, Xiang Kun laughed and said, "Little Bell, you can call her Sister Old Yang or Third Sister."

"Hey! Get out of here Chef Xiang! Don't corrupt the children!" Yang Zhen'er forcefully pushed Xiang Kun aside.

"Little Bell, ignore that crazy sister. Come on, let me see your drawing," Tang Baona said to Liu Shiling, taking the opportunity to grab the phone.

Then Liu Shiling picked up several paintings she had drawn and placed them in front of the camera. These were all pictures that Tang Baona had sent her yesterday, asking her to draw them.

Tang Baona was taken aback when she saw the picture.

"Little Bell, why does this duck have so many wings? And... what are these circles on its belly?"

Although the Little Chubby Girl doesn't have much talent for drawing, the "homework" she assigned was very simple, so theoretically she should have no problem following along.

But to everyone's surprise, the Little Chubby Girl drew eight pairs of wings on a duckling and several circles on its belly that she couldn't tell what they were for.

The Little Chubby Girl explained, "A duckling can't fly because it only has one pair of wings, so it needs several pairs of wings to fly. The things on its belly are its eyes, so when it swims on the water, it can see the little fish and shrimp underwater."

Tang Baona breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn't for a few more pairs of wings to roast.

She didn't forbid the Little Chubby Girl from this over-processing method. Children's imaginations need to be encouraged, so she guided her on how to arrange the wings more reasonably, how to draw the eyes more realistically, and how to distribute them on the duck's belly to make them more aesthetically pleasing and harmonious.

After teaching them to draw for more than half an hour, at Yang Zhen'er's request, the Little Chubby Girl took over and taught the two of them how to flip Coin.

Watching the Little Chubby Girl, whose hands were much smaller than theirs, flipping Coin with such dexterity, speed, and skill, the two women were filled with astonishment and envy.

The chubby, cute, and slightly naive Little Chubby Girl suddenly became cool and inexplicably handsome when flipping the Coin.

However, the Little Chubby Girl's method of flipping Coin was clearly not suitable for adults. After teaching her for a long time, the two of them not only did not improve, but actually regressed, and forgot the method they had practiced before.

But this interaction made the Little Chubby Girl more familiar with her two older sisters, and she became much more affectionate in her words.

Around 10 PM, before ending the video call, the Little Chubby Girl said goodbye to them, "Goodnight, bald uncle! Goodnight, pretty sister! Goodnight, fairy sister!"

"Old Immortal?" Yang Zhen'er stared blankly at the phone screen where the video call had ended, while Xiang Kun and Tang Baona couldn't help but burst into laughter. Clearly, Xiang Kun had led her astray with the nickname "Little Chubby Girl"!