Third installment,

...

It was another leisurely day. Qin Fang went to class as usual, Xiao Nan lay there sleeping as always, while Tang Feifei stayed by Qin Fang's side, listening to the lecture or occasionally whispering.

Of course, these past few days, the main thing Tang Feifei talked about was the jade stone, constantly urging Qin Fang to hurry up and start the stone-cutting, as she wanted a piece of jade for herself.

It wasn't that Tang Feifei had never seen jade before and was so greedy; it was entirely because this was a gift from Qin Fang, even though Qin Fang had also promised a piece to Xiao Muxue.

If Tang Feifei knew that Qin Fang planned to cut a piece of jade to give to Fan Ning as a return gift for his "virginity red envelope," she would probably be furious to an incredible degree.

However, this was still part of Qin Fang's plan, and he didn't intend to cut all the jade stones so quickly, mainly because he currently lacked sales channels.

Lin Yuan would be willing to buy the type 5 "icy glutinous" raw jade at a high price, but Qin Fang could tell that Lin Yuan was willing to buy jade of excellent water, but looked down on the rough type 3 material.

At the moment, Qin Fang only had Lin Yuan as a buyer; the lower-grade materials couldn't be sold, so naturally, he wasn't in a hurry to cut them open.

While the issue with the jade stone remained unresolved, good news came from Chen Jiangnan's side.

"Xiao Qin, I've taken care of everything you asked for; the lab and researchers are all in place, and everyone has signed the agreements, so work can begin!"

When Chen Jiangnan spoke to Qin Fang, his tone finally relaxed, as if he had cast off a great trouble.

"Brother Jiangnan, is there really no problem this time?"

Qin Fang couldn't fully trust Chen Jiangnan's words anymore; he always had to maintain a certain degree of skepticism. Otherwise, he could be sold out at any moment.

"Really, there's no problem. You can come over yourself!"

Chen Jiangnan said disheartenedly; these past few days, he had made countless trips to Ninghai University of Technology, spending a lot of money on meals alone, not to mention the enormous funds spent on renting the lab and hiring highly skilled researchers.

"Then I'll come over and take a look..."

Since Chen Jiangnan had everything ready, of course, Qin Fang would go and check it out.

"Brother Lin, I heard the institute received a project?"

However, before that, Qin Fang made a call to Lin Hai to confirm if everything was really carried out according to his instructions.

"Young Master Qin, don't try to keep it from me. The lab and researchers are all in place, and the agreements are already signed. I'm one of them, just waiting for you!"

Unexpectedly to Qin Fang, Lin Hai already knew that Qin Fang was the man behind the scene, and he himself was one of the hired researchers, which Qin Fang found satisfying.

"Alright, I'll be right there!"

With no hesitation, Qin Fang explained briefly to Tang Feifei and immediately skipped class to head over to Ninghai University of Technology, bringing a set of concise technical materials with him.

The technical materials were the truly important thing, all excerpted by Qin Fang from prompts in his mind. He didn't fully transcribe them, just summarized some parts; he didn't want the lab people to get paid without doing anything.

Of course, the technical difficulty wasn't set too high either; Qin Fang didn't want to miss next month's conference with the lithium battery manufacturers. He was counting on selling this technical information at a very good price.

Ninghai University of Technology wasn't too far away; Qin Fang took a taxi and soon arrived.

Standing in front of the research institute, the building was still brand new, which was also because the university town wasn't built long ago. Almost all the teaching facilities were new, including this building.

However, compared to the bustle of the teaching area, the research institute was much quieter. Glancing at the vehicles parked at the entrance, most of them were ordinary, without any high-end ones.

The only slightly more valuable one was a Cherokee, which Qin Fang recognized as Chen Jiangnan's.

It was apparent that the research institute wasn't doing too well, which explained why Lin Hai was so easily oppressed by a woman; a low income is a man's soft spot.

"Xiao Qin, come here, let me introduce you, this is..."

Chen Jiangnan had been waiting at the institute well in advance. In addition to him, some leaders of the institute were also present. After all, Chen Jiangnan's investment was not small; with the exception of some maintenance and wear and tear on equipment, it was enough for the institute to lift their heads high.

Of course, the income of pure researchers like Lin Hai also improved quite a lot. It was probably no less than that of researchers who did part-time work outside, and maybe even higher.

As for the leaders of these research institutes, there was no need to mention how pleased they all were, each of them beaming with joy. Naturally, they accorded Qin Fang, the investor, considerable respect, despite the fact that no matter how one looked at him, Qin Fang seemed to resemble a college student still attending school.

"Let's start by checking out the laboratory and the research personnel..."

Qin Fang had no interest in mingling with these people—what he wanted were the laboratory and the research personnel. As long as these met his requirements, everything else could be temporarily set aside.

"Brother Jiangnan, what about the confidentiality measures for those research personnel..."

While en route to the laboratory, Qin Fang murmured to Chen Jiangnan in a low voice.

"Each one of them is among the most dedicated researchers in the institute, and I haven't taken a single one who has part-time jobs elsewhere!"

Chen Jiangnan was naturally no fool—the technology needed to be monopolized and exclusive. Once leaked, it would no longer fetch a high price, which is why he set higher standards for the researchers, even going so far as to sign confidentiality agreements with each one.

It's no wonder; Dragon Country's knockoff technology was world-famous. Should the details of the technology leak, the market could be flooded with counterfeit products even before the genuine item hit the shelves.

With institute leaders and people like Chen Jiangnan accompanying him, Qin Fang then proceeded to his designated laboratory, which was outfitted with an array of equipment and instruments—numerous and complex. Many of them were high-end imported devices, demonstrating the institute's serious commitment to the project.

Besides this equipment, there were also twelve research personnel who had all signed agreements with Chen Jiangnan, essentially making them Qin Fang's employees, with Lin Hai being one of them.

"Xiao Qin, you must be satisfied with this, right?"

Looking at the laboratory and the assembled researchers, Chen Jiangnan expressed his pride. After all, he wouldn't easily be satisfied without a corresponding level of technological strength given the amount of money spent.

Had it not been for Qin Fang's urgency, Chen Jiangnan would have deliberated the price with the institute a bit more and possibly could have pushed it lower. Even without that negotiation, Chen Jiangnan's loss wasn't substantial. A good selling price for the research findings would justify all his investments.

After a cursory assessment of the laboratory's equipment, even though Qin Fang didn't fully understand it, with Lin Hai, the insider, assisting, he he'd learned beforehand that this lab ranked second among all the institute's facilities.

As for the first-ranked lab, that was something Qin Fang merely contemplated. It was a national-level laboratory, tasked with national research projects, and not available for private leasing or use. Even if it sat idle and gathered dust, the institute's leaders wouldn't dare to casually interfere with it.

"Hmm, not bad, everything meets my requirements. When can we get started?"

Qin Fang was naturally very satisfied with these conditions, but he was more concerned about when the laboratory could officially start operating.

"Anytime! These researchers have already concluded their current projects and are ready to start immediately once we launch ours..."

Chen Jiangnan promptly asserted, having made this one of his demands. Time was tight, and he didn't want the people he was paying to be busy with other projects.

"Director Lin, come over here!"

Qin Fang nodded and beckoned Lin Hai over.

Formerly just a researcher and a hopeful for a director position, Lin Yuan had lost the opportunity due to family reasons. However, by securing such a significant project for the institute this time, the institute reciprocated by rewarding him with a deputy director title. Moreover, Lin Hai was put in charge of the lab.

"Young Master Qin..."

Lin Hai was extremely polite to Qin Fang, who had solved a major problem for him. Now that his ex-wife was nowhere to be found and the court had begun to send news, his daughter, Weiwei's, custody was about to be granted to him. It could be said that he was utterly devoted to Qin Fang.

"Here is a set of technical documents for our research project, but I have one requirement: apart from you, try to keep the others from getting too involved..."

Qin Fang handed over the technical documents to Lin Hai with a serious caveat.

"Rest assured, Young Master Qin, I understand!"

Lin Hai's expression was one of solemnity, especially after he quickly skimmed through the technical documents, which elicited a look of surprise and alarm on his face.

"Do well, and there will be many more significant projects in the future..."

Qin Fang gently patted Lin Hai's shoulder, granting him considerable autonomy as well as full trust.

"I understand. I'll get on it right away..."

Lin Hai nodded, immediately taking the documents to start working with the research personnel.

"Team formed! As the leader, you may claim 30% of the total experience to be converted into Repair Skill Proficiency..."

At that moment, such a prompt suddenly appeared in Qin Fang's mind. (To be continued...) For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available and support the author by reading the official release!)

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