"All right, then. Just be careful," the Chief said. "I called you here today partly to see whether you really have the confidence to go to the United States, and partly to present you with an award—the Supreme Science Advancement Award I had Gao tell you about last time. According to the award procedure, I should have presented it to you in public. But since you don't like the spotlight, I'll give it to you privately."
As he spoke, the door opened from outside, and Secretary Jiang entered with a certificate and a medal.
The Chief took both items and personally handed them to Shen Bing. "You may not be short of money, but we still have to follow the rules. This is the one million Chinese yuan prize. You must accept it."
"Thank you, Chief." Shen Bing forced a smile. One million! That might have been a lot to his former self, but now it was hardly any different from a hundred yuan.
The Chief said little more about the award. He knew perfectly well that it was not enough to recognize Shen Bing's achievements. He had insisted on presenting it to show that the country had not forgotten his contributions.
"We rarely get a chance to meet. Could you tell me what plans you have for your company's development?" The Chief gestured for Shen Bing to sit in a nearby chair, then sat down on the other side himself.
Shen Bing did not stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he smiled and said, "I don't really have a specific plan. We'll take things as they come. But I think our goal should be the sea of stars. Limiting ourselves to Earth would be thinking too small."
The Chief opened his mouth, but no words came out.
What could