"Director Chen is really too polite; it's we who have troubled you."
"Actually, there's no need for such trouble; we're all one family, after all. The day before yesterday, we were still discussing how to deal with the patent fees with Professor Qiao as a large influx of new materials will soon enter the market. Please convey to Professor Qiao when you have a chance, Su, that we will take his contributions into account."
"Certainly, certainly."
After some incredibly hypocritical pleasantries, Su Lixing finally hung up the phone, and then sat there in a daze for quite a while.
Making a mere phone call to Qiao Ze had effects he hadn't anticipated.
Although the model was indeed developed by Qiao Ze, this time was different from the previous Group Wisdom project. That time, the Su Family had fully funded the investment, and contracts had been signed between both parties. In a sense, the funding for this material model came from public money.
Su Lixing had long foreseen the Su Family's rise to wealth and power on their son-in-law's coattails; now, he was beginning to worry whether the Su Family might rise too far too fast.
It's no exaggeration to say that Qiao Ze's influence had grown so strong that it made him start to feel alarmed.
The kid was great at everything, it just seemed like his capabilities were a bit too strong.
At this moment, he suddenly understood why Qiao Ze refused to go to the Capital, even at the cost of offending people, opting instead to stay in Xilin with the strongest stance imaginable.
Being so prominent, staying away from the center of the vortex was also one way to protect oneself.
It was just a bit passive.
But from Qiao Ze's perspective, being here didn't delay him from doing anything.
Having understood this, Su Lixing seemed to have a new appreciation for his future son-in-law.
This guy, every step seemed whimsical, yet was terrifyingly stable.
Once the planned material base was constructed, Xilin Licheng would have thoroughly established its roots in the city of Xilin. Waiting until Qiao Ze's deep-sea cluster system officially started up, paired with an intelligent system similar to Dou Dou's...
At this thought, Su Lixing suddenly shivered.
Forget it, he should stop letting his thoughts run wild.
After taking a deep breath, Su Lixing also picked up the phone.
"Hello, Yu, I have some good news..."
Meanwhile, at the Qiao residence at Xilin University of Technology, the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.
Su Mucheng and Lu Xiuxiu were sitting in front of the TV in the living room, but this time, it wasn't airing the soap operas Lu Xiuxiu usually followed. Instead, it was showing Dou Dou's lecture at Xi Lin University of Technology Affiliated High School that day, along with its performance during the one-on-one interactions, while Su eagerly explained to Lu Xiuxiu...
Su Mucheng spoke animatedly, Lu Xiuxiu listened with great interest, and Dou Dou kept turning left and right in the living room, its mechanical arms skillfully gesturing various signs, occasionally eliciting Lu Xiuxiu's adoring gaze.
"...Mom, you really don't know, the whole place went silent. Just when I was wondering if Dou Dou could really improvise well in that situation, it completely charmed everyone. Especially during the one-on-one coaching, it was equivalent to ten enrollment teachers...
"Their teachers had previously motivated students by saying, 'if you don't study hard, in the future you can only attend the neighboring Xilin University of Technology.' But during the one-on-one session, Dou Dou told those students that this year's enrollment plans for Xilin University of Technology were too conservative.
"If it were to set the enrollment policy, Tsinghua, Peking University's last place, would not make the cut to avoid lowering the future average IQ of Xilin University of Technology... haha, the teachers' faces went dark at that moment..."