Song Shi'an took the folder and opened it. The first page contained the National Key Research and Development Program—"Research and Demonstration of Lithium Iron Phosphate Energy Storage Capsule Composite Phase Change Low Temperature Thermal Management System" for the Northwest Ten Million Kilowatt-Level Wind and Solar Base.
"Is this even something he can participate in?!" He looked at Professor Wang incredulously. " Professor Wang, this is a national-level research project. My level is far from sufficient..."
Professor Wang slowly took a sip of tea. "We don't need your participation at this stage. We just want you to apply for graduate school at our university, and then you can choose me as your advisor. Once the project officially starts, you can join us. You have plenty of time to consider it."
Goodness, he hasn't even graduated from university yet, and he's already planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam.
All he wants is to graduate with a bachelor's degree and then retire comfortably. After getting a hundred billion, he can sleep until he naturally wakes up every day, eat, and sleep some more. That's his ultimate goal in life.
Professor Wang looked at the somewhat conflicted expression on the man's face and thought, "No, I need to try to persuade him a little more."
He put down his teacup and said calmly, "I know you're doing very well in the entertainment industry right now, with multiple research projects under your belt, which should boost your fame, right? The educational requirements for actors are quite high these days, so even if you don't pursue acting in the future, you'll have a backup plan. Take a look at the research funding and think it over."
Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an flipped through several pages and finally saw the total project budget at the back: 50 billion!
He blinked and looked at it again. "Jointly developed by Jingchen University and Hanyuan Electric Power Technology."
Did he eat poisonous mushrooms in the rainforest and start hallucinating, and is he still not better?
What's wrong with having one more rich person in the world? Are all research grants starting at hundreds of millions?
He closed the folder, his mind racing as he quickly made up his mind.
Agreeing now isn't necessarily a bad thing, although his fate will either be to play a hundred cannon fodder roles to complete the mission, or to be recycled by the system and die.
But who wouldn't want more money? If you survive, having multiple research projects on hand is a good option.
" Professor Wang, I will consider what you said. If I can get into this university's graduate program, I will definitely choose you."
Professor Wang nodded in satisfaction. "I'll take you to some research seminars later to get a feel for the atmosphere. It's getting late, you should head back now."
Song Shi'an placed the folder on the table. "Okay, I'll be going now, Professor Wang."
The moment the door closed, Professor Wang put down his teacup, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Old Gao next door. " Old Gao, looks like you're going to lose. You have no choice but to invest in this new project."
A moment later, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and the door was pushed open the next second.
Professor Gao stood at the door, his hair a mess from the wind. " Old Wang, where did you poach people from this time!"
Professor Wang handed him a cup of tea. "Calm down, sit down and have a drink."
Professor Gao took the tea and swallowed it in one gulp, his brows furrowing deeply. "Is this tea spoiled...?"
Professor Wang's forehead veins bulged; wild boars can't eat fine chaff, it's a waste of his good tea.
As soon as Song Shi'an left the office, he rode a shared bike directly to the school gate, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to the nearby food wholesale market.
I picked out several large bags of fresh clams, vermicelli, and braising spices, and also carried an extra sack of small potatoes.
Today I'm adding a new item: salt and pepper baby potatoes. Potatoes are really delicious no matter how you cook them—fried, steamed, boiled, you name it—and they're cheap too. They're practically a holy grail for street vendors.
Back at the villa, I immediately went to the kitchen and got busy.
The braised food was bubbling away in the pot, the clams were spitting out sand in the water, and the small potatoes were peeled, chopped, blanched, and drained.
He stood in front of the stove all afternoon and finally finished everything before four o'clock.
Just before leaving, I took out my phone and sent a message to the food stall group. "I'll be setting up my stall soon!"
The snack food group, which had been quiet for a week, suddenly exploded with activity.
"Oh my god, the missing person has returned! I thought you weren't coming back, boss."
"Boss, you've been gone for three years, oops, I mean, for half a month now. I've missed you terribly."
"What! Boss, wait for me! I just got off the plane and I've been stuck here for ages. I saw your food stall while I was abroad, and I'm definitely going to eat my fill when I get back home!"
"Boss!! Do you still have any braised food?! My kid has been craving it for half a month, tried so many places but couldn't find that same taste, it's like ants crawling all over him!!!"
"Dude, are you on drugs...?"
"If you're itchy, go take a shower!! Don't say things that will cause misunderstandings!!!"
Song Shi'an tucked his phone away, pushed his cart, and headed towards the night market.
The aroma of braised meat wafting from the pushcarts along the way was irresistible to passersby.
Luo Yang, who had just finished jogging, was catching his breath by the roadside when he spotted the same braised food vendor pushing his cart coming from the direction of the villa area. He quickly stopped and said, "Boss, long time no see! Still selling braised food?"
Song Shi'an recognized this customer as the one who had bought several portions last time and quickly said, "Yes, would you like one? I've made some adjustments to the flavor, I guarantee it'll be even better than last time. We've also added a new item today, salt and pepper baby potatoes."
Luo Yang was a bit conflicted. He had been working out recently, and his coach told him that he couldn't touch anything high in calories or salt.
But Song Shi'an had already lifted the lid of the cart, and the rich, creamy aroma of the deep-fried potatoes hit his nostrils.
The outer skin is caramelized with a slightly crispy, oily aroma, while the salty and savory pepper flavor gently diffuses, mixed with a hint of mild cumin warmth. The aroma is dry and not greasy.
He banished the fitness instructor's face from his mind. "Boss, one serving of each of these, no, three servings of each!"
Song Shi'an was overjoyed; his business opened right after he left home. He was grateful to the God of Wealth.
He deftly packed three portions of braised food and three portions of salt and pepper baby potatoes. "Eighty-four in total, just scan this side."
With a ding, the money arrived in my account. That crisp sound was so pleasant; it was even more addictive than acting.
Song Shi'an handed the bag to Luo Yang: "Thank you for your patronage. I'll be going now. Welcome to come again next time!"
After saying that, he happily pushed the cart and disappeared at the intersection.
Luo Yang couldn't wait to poke a piece of potato and stuff it into his mouth. The outer skin was crispy and the inside was soft and fluffy. The salty and savory flavor of the pepper and the sweetness of the potato itself mingled together on his tongue.
He chewed for a while with his eyes closed, then took out his phone, snapped a picture, and posted it on his WeChat Moments with the caption. "I ran into that food stall owner who went viral a while ago! I bought three of each, let's eat first!"
The first comment from a fitness coach reads, "You mean you just finished working out and then ate this? Three hours of training wasted..."
Luo Yang looked at it and realized, "Damn, I forgot to mute the coach."
Song Shi'an pushed his cart to the night market and saw a stall set up opposite his usual spot in the distance.
They wore identical dark aprons, identical black face masks, and baseball caps.
There was a long line at the stall, and some people were even live-streaming on their phones. He walked closer and glanced at the cart. The clam vermicelli and braised dishes were exactly the same.