Wu Dongming looked surprised, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "You—you're working on X3 type?"
Dr. Xu Qingzhou nodded. "That's right. Considering our company lacks the strength to fight price wars against those international giants would be suicide. But we can't simply let them steal eighty percent of our customers overnight without settling the score. After giving it some thought, we can only fight a technological war."
"We're going to secure X3 type fiber and carve another piece of meat off them in the sportswear market!"
Though Dr. Xu Qingzhou spoke with high spirits, his words still made the other three feel a pang of bitterness.
No money, no manpower, no resources—by every measure, Kunlun Company was a small enterprise. Even with an unyielding spirit deep in their bones, the counterattack they could mount was extremely limited.
Gao Yuan said evenly, "This time, the Western giants have gone all out to besiege us. They've cut the factory price of thermal fiber to one thousand US dollars, and they'll very likely take losses because of it. A tiny company like ours has pinned down so many behemoths that they can't move freely. That alone means we haven't lost."
Silence descended over the dinner table. No matter how Gao Yuan and Dr. Xu Qingzhou explained it, the situation remained far from optimistic for them.
Zhou Kaidi remembered how, as a child, he had clearly been bullied by his classmates, only to be forced by his parents to reflect on himself after returning home. As his parents put it, "There are so many students at school. Why didn't they bully someone else? There must be a reason for it."
Timid by nature, he had no choice but to endure it.
It was not until today, after meeting Gao Yuan, that he realized there was another kind of person in this world—people who never let a grievance go. If they were bullied, they would do everything possible to hit back, even if their opponent was vastly stronger than they were.
If they could not win on the battlefield head-on, then they would take the research route and strike back from the flank.
Wu Dongming nodded slightly and asked Gao Yuan, "So your biggest problem right now is a shortage of research personnel?"
Gao Yuan thought for a moment. "To be honest, researchers are not only our current problem. They'll also severely constrain our development for a long time to come. At the end of the day, technology is people-oriented, and our company is too small to attract top-tier researchers."
"As for the present, though, the most troublesome issue is actually production capacity. We need a capable contract manufacturer that isn't afraid of offending international giants, so we can speed up the launch of X series fiber. As for some customers choosing to leave, I don't see that as a bad thing."
"If they can abandon us today because the West lowered its prices, then tomorrow they can abandon the West because of us. In that case, let them go. We're better off without such half-hearted partners."
After dinner, Zhou Kaidi, who had not been drinking, drove while Wu Dongming and Qin Yongbo sat in the back seat as they headed back into the city.
"What an excellent young man." Recalling his conversation with Gao Yuan that day, Wu Dongming could not help sighing. "This trip to Jiangnan was not in vain. I saw the inventor of X series fiber with my own eyes. Having such an outstanding young man is truly a blessing for the nation."
Qin Yongbo frowned. "Then should I help them a little on my end? Transfer some research personnel over to help develop X3 type fiber?"
"Why not? It won't cost you anything anyway." Wu Dongming said. "Don't think that Kunlun Company is a private enterprise while you are a special laboratory established by the state, and that you belong to different systems. In the end, aren't all these matters about the interests of the entire nation?"
"After we return, I'll also take a look around the Imperial Capital to see whether there are any suitable talents for Kunlun Company, then recommend them to Gao Yuan."
"People these days are too restless. There are too few companies willing to do basic research steadily and seriously, and private companies are rarer still."
Qin Yongbo had not expected Wu Dongming to think so highly of Gao Yuan. He secretly made up his mind to fully support Kunlun Company this time.
With a bitter laugh, Qin Yongbo said emotionally, "Unfortunately, our laboratory's capabilities are limited. Even if we can help Gao Yuan solve his manpower shortage in research, we have no way to manufacture the fiber for them."
"At this point, things have become rather troublesome. If a major chemical fiber company manufactures for Gao Yuan, it definitely won't be able to receive orders from giants like DuPont in the future. But the companies willing to manufacture for Gao Yuan are too small, with problems in both technology and management."
"The West's move is truly ruthless. They're using their power to force chemical fiber companies to choose one side or the other. Combined with their low-price dumping strategy, the trouble Kunlun Company faces is probably not as light as Gao Yuan makes it sound."
"Hmph!"
Wu Dongming immediately flared up, snorting through his nose before saying in a grim tone, "They think China has no one? Just wait and see. Push me too far, and I'll bring in the national team myself!"
Early the next morning, Gao Yuan arrived at the laboratory and found that Dr. Xu Qingzhou had gotten up even earlier than him and had already thrown himself into the day's work with feverish enthusiasm.
Gao Yuan gave a laugh. It was not that he was lazy; rather, the knowledge provided by the system needed to be digested and absorbed. That process certainly could not take place in the laboratory. The best place was in bed, with his eyes closed, surrounded by silence and free from interruption.
Thus, in everyone's eyes, Young Boss Gao slept a little too much. He seemed to be someone who loved sleeping, returning early every day to rest. They had never seen him go on dates, clubbing, or anything of the sort. He even slept for as many as ten hours a day.
Of course, sleeping a lot was not necessarily a bad thing. Needing plenty of sleep after intense mental work was only natural.
What people found difficult to understand was that Young Boss Gao could now be considered successful. He had his own business and was quite respected in academic circles, yet he still drove that beat-up car, never went out looking for women, and lived a life as simple as an ascetic's. It was truly rare.
"I have good news for you." Dr. Xu Qingzhou said to Gao Yuan excitedly. "Several of my senior brothers from the laboratory are coming—the ones I mentioned to you before. With their help, our research progress will definitely speed up quite a bit."
Gao Yuan was overjoyed. He knew Dr. Xu Qingzhou meant Bai Hongyuan and the other national-team researchers specializing in new textile materials.
What he had never expected was that Director Qin Yongbo would be so straightforward. The request had only been raised yesterday, yet he had agreed today?
"That's great!" Gao Yuan hurriedly said. "When will they arrive? I'll have Cao Feiyu prepare the offices and dormitories in advance."
"They'll arrive at noon today." Dr. Xu Qingzhou said with a smile. "When I got up, I happened to run into Cao Feiyu returning from a run outside, so I told him about it. Cao Feiyu agreed to send a car to pick them up."
Gao Yuan nodded slightly. Before he knew it, noon had arrived. Tan Qinggu, Xiao Hui, and Bai Hongyuan, the three PhDs from the National Laboratory, really did arrive at Kunlun Company. At the same time, they brought their own small teams with them.
Seeing the laboratory suddenly become so lively, Gao Yuan was happy, but he also knew very clearly that the real difficulties were still far from resolved.
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