A Research Fund That Followed the Person

Li Dong handed his phone to Old Yang.

"Teacher Yang, it's Director Zheng."

Old Yang nodded.

"Answer it. Let's hear what he has to say."

Li Dong pressed the answer button and casually turned on the speaker.

The moment the call connected, Zheng Hua's voice came through, clearly a little excited.

"Hello? Li Dong!"

"Director Lin from Huaxuan Technology just called me specifically to ask for your personal contact information!"

"Although he didn't tell me exactly why he wanted to find you, it must be because you came first in this round of the competition!"

Li Dong listened to Zheng Hua's excited voice, but his expression remained utterly calm.

"Got it, Teacher Zheng."

He held the phone without hanging up, quietly waiting.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Zheng Hua—or rather, the school—to give him an explanation for Jiangcheng No. 2 High School having "stolen" his first place.

Even a helpless complaint would have been enough.

Yet Zheng Hua on the other end clearly hadn't noticed anything unusual about Li Dong's mood. His entire mind was focused on that "Director Lin."

Zheng Hua kept chattering away with instructions over the phone.

"Li Dong, listen to me. When Director Lin calls you later, you must have the right attitude! Be polite! Understand?"

"You must be humble when you speak..."

Li Dong listened silently and let out a long sigh inside.

He really was somewhat disappointed in No. 7 High School and Zheng Hua.

"Alright, I understand, Teacher Zheng. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up first."

Without waiting for Zheng Hua to ramble on, Li Dong directly ended the call.

The bedroom fell quiet again.

Old Yang had listened to the entire call from the side. He reached out and patted Li Dong on the back.

"Don't take it to heart," Old Yang said softly.

"Director Zheng... he's been at No. 7 High School for so many years, but he's never encountered anything like this."

"He hasn't seen much of the wider world. Deep down, he thinks we're somehow beneath others, so that's why he reacted this way. You can't entirely blame him."

Li Dong nodded.

"I understand, Teacher Yang."

As they spoke, the two pushed open the bedroom door and headed toward the living room.

They had just entered the living room, and before Li Dong could even sit down, the phone in his hand vibrated again.

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. Location: Shanghai.

Li Dong and Old Yang exchanged a glance. They knew the real party had arrived.

In the living room, Liu Limin was still trying to persuade Li Qin.

"Li Dong's mother, if Li Dong takes the path of scientific research in the future, goes to university, enters a research institute, and looks up to see that all his senior brothers and sisters came from our No. 6 High School, do you know how much help that could provide him..."

Li Qin did not really understand it, but it certainly sounded impressive.

Just as Liu Limin was preparing to continue his persuasion, Li Dong answered the phone.

Li Dong's living room was not large. Even though the speaker was not on, the voice from the other end remained clearly audible in the relatively quiet room.

"Hello, is this student Li Dong?"

A middle-aged man's voice came through the phone.

The other party's introduction was crisp and straightforward.

"I'm Lin Wei from Huaxuan Technology."

He carried the calm confidence of someone whose name was his finest calling card.

Li Dong's tone was neither servile nor arrogant.

"Hello, Director Lin. I'm Li Dong."

Lin Wei clearly appreciated Li Dong's efficient manner. He did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Student Li Dong, I'm calling you out of the blue because of the Dual-Beam Laser Interference Maskless Lithography proposal you wrote for the final question on the second-round examination."

"Your idea was extremely ingenious. It precisely struck at a major cost-optimization pain point our R&D team is currently facing while tackling the exposure of certain periodic micro- and nanostructures."

The moment Lin Wei finished speaking, Liu Limin quietly perked up his ears.

Li Qin also looked at her son in complete confusion.

The voice on the other end continued.

"After preliminary optical simulations, we have verified the feasibility of your proposal."

"Therefore, on behalf of Huaxuan Technology, I hope to sign a patent achievement transfer agreement with you."

"As the buyout fee for this underlying physical concept, Huaxuan Technology is willing to pay you two million yuan."

The moment the two million was mentioned, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly turned strange.

Liu Limin was dumbfounded.

Two million?!

What was worth two million?!

Li Qin was so startled that her hand trembled.

This had to be a scam call, right? Who called someone up and offered two million just like that?!

Seeing this, Old Yang made a quiet gesture at the two of them.

And Li Dong...

The mindset Old Yang had just built up for him in the bedroom—that I'm a top student mentality—

Collapsed instantly at the words "two million," leaving nothing behind!

Even the hand holding Li Dong's phone was trembling slightly.

Meanwhile, Lin Wei's voice continued from the other end.

"Student Li Dong, don't think this price is too high, and don't think it's too low."

"Your idea is genius-level, but to truly implement it and turn it into industrial equipment, Huaxuan will still need to invest tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, in trial and error and in solving the supporting hardware issues."

"Besides, your proposal is not universally applicable. It can only be used for specific processes."

"So, two million as a buyout fee for the initial underlying idea is a very fair market price."

Lin Wei paused before presenting the final choice.

"We can pay this money to you in two ways."

"The first is through personal service compensation or patent transfer. After individual income tax is deducted, the money will be transferred directly into your personal bank account."

"The second is that if you intend to pursue scientific research in the future, we can establish a personal, exclusive research startup fund in your name through the company, equal to that amount."

Now, not only Li Dong, but even Liu Limin beside him was somewhat bewildered.

What fundamental difference was there between receiving the money directly and having it turned into a research fund?

But Old Yang had truly spent time in academic circles!

He understood all too well how valuable the second option was!

Old Yang immediately covered the phone's microphone.

"Tell him you need time to think about it. Hang up first!"

Li Dong's mind was completely blank now, and he could only do as Old Yang said.

"Di... Director Lin, hello. This is too sudden. I... I need some time to consider it first. Can I get back to you later?"

"Of course," Lin Wei replied with a soft laugh.

"This is a decision that requires careful consideration. Write down this number. It's my personal phone number."

"We'll meet in Shanghai during the finals. Besides this agreement, there are other matters I'd like to discuss with you in person."

"We'll be in touch. Goodbye."

With that, Lin Wei hung up.

"Beep... beep... beep..."

The busy tone echoed through the quiet living room.

Li Qin was the first to break the silence.

"Xiao... Xiao Dong, what exactly is going on?"

Old Yang immediately spoke up.

"Sister Li, the person who just called was the R&D director of Huaxuan Technology, the organizer of the Huaxuan Cup."

"Li Dong helped their company solve a major problem."

"These two million are the transfer fee for Li Dong's technological achievement!"

After hearing this, Li Qin still found it unbelievable, but she was at least relieved.

As long as it was not illegal.

Old Yang ignored the stunned expressions on Li Qin and Liu Limin's faces and turned to Li Dong.

"Li Dong, I suggest you choose the research startup fund!"

Only then did Li Dong recover slightly from his shock.

He looked at Old Yang, somewhat puzzled.

"But, Teacher Yang... why not just take the cash directly?"

"Even if it's less after tax, it's still more than a million in cash in hand! If I take the money and want to do research after I get to university, can't I just spend it myself? Why put it in the company's account?"

Old Yang did not laugh at Li Dong for being foolish.

Because for any ordinary person facing the temptation of a million in cash, their first reaction would absolutely be to put it safely in their own pocket.

But Old Yang knew this was a class barrier.

"Li Dong, you're thinking about this too simply."

Old Yang explained earnestly.

"If you take this money, then your transaction with Huaxuan Technology is over."

"But if you choose the research startup fund, then this money follows you wherever you go!"

"This represents the recognition of you personally by Huaxuan Technology, a national semiconductor giant!"

Old Yang grew more excited as he spoke.

"Believe it or not, once you enter a top university in the future, even Tsinghua–Peking, when you want to apply for a lab and your project advisor is holding you back because of funding—"

"All you have to do is slam this 'Huaxuan Technology Exclusive Research Fund' agreement onto the table!"

"The leaders of the entire school will look at you differently! Because an industry giant stands behind you!"

"The value of those invisible benefits is far beyond anything two million can measure!"

Old Yang's words not only woke Li Dong up, but also made Liu Limin, who was sitting nearby, suddenly see the light!

The way Liu Limin looked at Li Dong changed completely.

How was this an unfledged bird that had yet to take flight?

This was clearly an eagle that had already taken wing.

"This is bad!"

If Li Dong had merely been the top competitor, then his reputation might have remained limited to Jiangcheng.

But now, once word got out that Huaxuan Technology had thrown two million into a high school student's research fund...

The nature of the situation would be completely different.

Chengdu No. 7 High School, Shude High School, Shishi High School...

What could Jiangcheng No. 6 High School use to compete with them?!

No! They absolutely could not wait any longer! They had to settle this today!

Liu Limin stood up and forced a smile.

"Li Dong's mother, Teacher Yang, student Li Dong..."

"Um... please continue talking."

"I... I suddenly remembered that there's some extremely urgent school business. I have to go out and make a call to report it immediately!"

With that, Liu Limin pushed open the door and walked out.