Help from a Hidden Benefactor

In the Imperial Capital, within the High-walled Compound.

Wu Dongming put down the phone. He first nodded slightly, then frowned in thought, before suddenly laughing aloud as if something had happened that made him extremely happy.

Seeing the baffled look on his secretary's face, Wu Dongming smiled and explained, "Old Qin has confirmed it. It really is a brand-new invention called X Fiber, and the inventor is a young man who also happens to own a factory."

The secretary paused. "A private business owner personally doing scientific research? That's unusual enough, and he actually succeeded. All I can say is that he's incredibly lucky."

Wu Dongming shook his head. "His father suddenly suffered a Cerebral Infarction, so this Young Boss Gao was forced to take over in a crisis. His factory is in terrible shape right now and has been shut down for nearly a month."

"Go there yourself. Unless something unusual comes up, ask the Patent Administration Bureau to approve X Fiber's patent as soon as possible. For private enterprises with potential like this, we should focus on providing support."

After seeing off Dr. Xu Qingzhou and the others, Cao Feiyu stared fixedly at Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan knew that his friend needed an explanation.

"Do you remember when I left Hangzhou not long ago?" Gao Yuan asked calmly.

"I remember. Don't tell me that from then on, you..." Cao Feiyu looked doubtful.

Gao Yuan nodded mysteriously. "For a year and two months, I kept getting knocked back while job hunting. I switched companies several times, and spent more than half a year unemployed at home, relying on my parents just to afford rent."

"That was when I realized there was no future in drifting around Hangzhou. So I began studying seriously, thinking that one day I would take over the family business."

"Maybe you were too busy with work to notice, but when I told you I was leaving, I already had an initial concept for X Fiber. You think I suddenly broke out, but you don't know how much effort I've put in over the past year."

Faced with such a sincere inner confession, Cao Feiyu believed seven or eight parts out of ten.

He carefully recalled the time they had spent in Hangzhou. He really had been busy working, while Gao Yuan had loafed around all day. Still, it was not impossible that Gao Yuan had used his spare time to study materials science and chemistry.

Besides, Cao Feiyu knew very well that Gao Yuan loved reading and browsing bookstores. He often praised the convenience of big cities, with so many comfortable bookstores that once he went inside, he practically never wanted to leave.

"So that's how it was..." Cao Feiyu muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Gao Yuan seemed to hear a crisp chime in his mind.

He made an excuse and went into the small room beside the office. Since he had barely gone home lately and had been living at the factory, Gao Yuan had set up a camp bed there.

He closed his eyes and entered the system interface. Sure enough, just as he had expected, there had been a new change.

Task 1: Complete.

Task 2: Break into the global supply chain.

Gao Yuan was speechless. The Future Technology System was good in every way except that it was absurdly simple. There were no task descriptions and no rewards. Just one plain sentence, yet it expected him to run himself ragged.

Gao Yuan thought that perhaps X Fiber itself was his reward.

Without the Future Technology System, the family factory would very likely have gone bankrupt, and his parents might have been ruined by it. That was the outcome Gao Yuan least wanted to see.

After thinking in the room for a while, Gao Yuan returned to the office and found Cao Feiyu gone. It turned out Cao Feiyu had called Accountant Li, the factory's former accountant, to get the login password for the financial system and was now settling the accounts in the finance office.

"What do you think of Dr. Xu?" Gao Yuan asked Cao Feiyu abruptly as he sat on the sofa in the finance office, looking out the window.

"Dr. Xu? He seems like a good person. From the way he treats his students, and from the fact that he was willing to put aside his pride and humbly ask you for advice, it's not hard to see his character." Cao Feiyu asked suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

Gao Yuan shrugged. "Although we've already mastered X Fiber, we still need to do more development and research based on it."

"For example, this version of X Fiber mainly focuses on breathability and quick drying. Autumn is coming soon, so we should consider improving its warmth. For clients in competitive sports, we should strengthen its ability to wrap and support muscles."

"Anyway, fiber is the foundation of all fabrics. It's like a lump of clay with limitless potential, but it needs skilled craftsmen to shape it."

"To truly take over the market, we'll need to develop many different kinds of fibers and build a professional research team." Gao Yuan spoke as he recalled the details. "Although we only just met, I think Dr. Xu and I get along quite well. It would be great if we could poach him from the National Laboratory."

By then, Gao Yuan had realized that the system would not only bring him knowledge, but also a certain degree of risk.

As time went on, the system would definitely reveal more black technology. Right now, it was chemical fiber, and Gao Yuan's family happened to be in the chemical fiber business, so he could barely explain it away.

But what if it was rocket technology?

How was Gao Yuan supposed to explain why he had mastered rocket technology?

Therefore, to deal with people's doubts in the future and better protect himself, Gao Yuan needed a mechanism to conceal the system's secret.

Recruiting more scientific researchers was a good idea. He could attribute the system's black technology to the research team, avoiding becoming the focus of everyone's attention himself.

Cao Feiyu pondered for a moment. "The plan is good, but this isn't the time to think about that. Dr. Xu has a secure government job, and even if he wanted to join us, what would you use to pay his salary?"

Uh...

The moment money came up, Gao Yuan became embarrassed.

"Come on, hand over whatever working capital you have. I need to get a complete handle on the balance sheet first." Like a housekeeper, Cao Feiyu held out his right hand toward Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan reluctantly pulled out that China Merchants Bank card. "There's still eighty-six thousand in it."

"Only that much?"

Cao Feiyu was stunned. Kunlun Factory was not small; its investment scale had to be at least seven or eight million. But running a business was not just about having factory buildings and equipment. It also required working capital.

Without question, Gao Yuan was facing a typical liquidity crunch. Even with first-rate technology in hand, he had no money to place orders with upstream suppliers.

Gao Yuan scratched his head. "Our only hope now is to wait for the patent to come through, then use it as collateral with the bank in exchange for working capital."

The next day, Cao Feiyu did not go home and instead focused entirely on auditing the factory's assets.

The former accountant, Li Xiangyang, was a decent man. Although he had already changed jobs, he agreed to come to the factory that evening to work overtime and complete the financial handover.

However, before Accountant Li arrived at the factory, Gao Yuan unexpectedly received a call from Song Kun. The Patent Administration Bureau had directly approved their application.

"So fast? I thought we'd have to wait until next week." Gao Yuan froze for a moment, then said in delight.

"Yeah, I don't understand it either. The Patent Administration Bureau approved our application in just three days. I've been in this field for almost eight years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it. Everyone in the company, including our boss, thinks it's unbelievable. Something must have gone wrong somewhere," Song Kun said over the phone.

He was equally dumbfounded, completely unable to understand why the Patent Administration Bureau's efficiency had suddenly improved.

Gao Yuan laughed heartily. "Who cares! No matter what, this is fantastic news. Get things ready right away. I'll come over first thing tomorrow morning to collect the patent certificate."

"Don't worry," Song Kun agreed readily.

After hanging up, Gao Yuan felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He said to Cao Feiyu, "Looks like we're pretty lucky. The patent has been approved. Once we get startup funds from the bank, life will get much easier for us."

Without looking up, Cao Feiyu continued watching the numbers on the screen. "Don't celebrate too soon. Credit is tight right now, and there's no guarantee we'll get a loan. Let's go take a look first."