Similarly standing in the upper floors of the building and gazing out the window, Su Lixing unexpectedly looked at the incoming call on his phone.
To be honest, this was indeed a rare occurrence.
They had known each other for so long, yet this was the first time his prospective son-in-law had taken the initiative to call him.
After composing his emotions for ages, Su Lixing finally answered the phone.
"Su, do you know anything about manufacturing?"
Su Lixing answered bluntly.
He had always been in the software industry; how could he possibly understand manufacturing?
"Then learn. As long as you're not seeking to make money, it shouldn't be difficult."
"Wait a second, Qiao Ze, what do you mean? If you're not trying to make money in manufacturing, then why do it?"
"Dream? Wait, what do you mean, Qiao Ze?" Su Lixing suddenly recalled the drunken words over the New Year and Qiao Ze's attitude at the time, sending a shiver down his spine.
"When the moment your dream comes true, if you've participated in it yourself, there should be a sense of happiness, right? From a human nature perspective, it should be so," Qiao Ze explained.
Su Lixing was stunned.
That was true, though it was highly punishable.
If that dream actually came true, wouldn't both father and son end up behind bars?
However, after his astonishment, Su Lixing asked as though possessed, "Explain in detail, what do you want to manufacture with this factory?"
"There is an oceanographic research project involving unmanned underwater system mapping and sampling. My plan is to produce a batch of small underwater drones. Considering the corrosive environment of the deep sea, we might collaborate with the Materials Science College in the future to develop new shell and coating materials."
"If successful, your task would simply be to produce the relevant materials under Xilin Licheng's name. This is the simplest part of the entire project, involving only the secrecy of the material manufacturing processes and recipes, for which you'll need to apply for the necessary qualifications."
"Uh... a research project? Does a research project have much to do with my dream?" Su Lixing couldn't help but ask.
"Ocean geology is a branch of geology that often requires underwater equipment to, among other methods, dig, drill, and blast for collecting seabed geomorphological samples, and then bring them back for analysis," Qiao Ze explained in all seriousness.
His argument was coherent and well-founded.
Su Lixing took a deep breath and said, "So, you mean it doesn't matter if we don't make money, just as long as we get the factory up and running, producing quality materials? The goal is just to cover all costs? Not losing money is enough?"
"Even if we lose some, it doesn't matter," Qiao Ze replied.
"Then I think it should be feasible. Xilin Licheng makes so much profit every year, we indeed should contribute to research," Su Lixing pondered for a moment before agreeing directly.
For his own son-in-law to put in so much effort for a single word from him, if he still refused, it would make Su Lixing look less than a man.
Of course, he didn't expect to actually sink the investment, but hearing a splash would be quite good too.
"Alright. Later, I'll send you the environmental requirements for the factory, the qualifications needed for production, site selection, specifications, scale requirements, and the machinery needed for initial procurement. You can start preparing based on these. Also, how much funding does Xilin Licheng currently have?"
"There's definitely ten billion on Xilin Licheng's books, plus the seven billion or so from the Linhai Licheng sale that can be invested too. If that's not enough, I can get a loan from the bank! The banks are quite willing to extend credit to us, up to thirty billion!" Su Lixing declared spiritedly.
To be honest, he found the amount of money on the books troublesome, mainly because he didn't want to distribute dividends to shareholders.
What would two kids do with so much money?
"Oh, we won't need that much, two billion will be enough for the initial investment. With that settled, start with the preparation work. I'll notify you when there are updates on my end."
With that, Qiao Ze hung up the phone.