Reborn in the red age

(JPMorgan Chase was changed to Citigroup, which has been corrected in the previous chapter)
On April 1994, 4, Li Qingfeng, Fang Wanzhen and a group of company executives boarded a plane to the United States, preparing to start detailed cooperation negotiations with Citibank within its American branch.

After the plane entered the stratosphere, Fang Wanzhen, who went to the bathroom, saw the figure of the little mixed-race child in the cabin.

After returning to his seat, he asked Li Qingfeng in confusion, "Chairman, Milani is also on this plane. Do you want me to switch seats with her?"

"What Melanie? I don't know her." When Li Qingfeng heard the name from Fang Wanzhen's mouth, he was stunned and didn't know who she was talking about for a moment.

"It's Miss Li Huiying"

After hearing Fang Wanzhen's explanation, Li Qingfeng remembered that the little mixed-blood's English name was Melanie.

"No need, they are not from our company, what's the point of sitting together, just sit separately"

"Ok"

Fang Wanzhen remained expressionless and answered Qingfeng Li's words respectfully, but in her heart she secretly spat at Qingfeng Li and muttered silently, "What a scumbag."

After a flight lasting more than ten hours, even though he was sitting in first class, Li Qingfeng still felt some back pain after getting off the plane.

Noticing Li Qingfeng's discomfort, Fang Wanzhen smiled and said, "Chairman, why don't we buy a plane for our company? This way, long-distance flights will be much more comfortable in the future."

"Buy a plane?"

After listening to Fang Wanzhen's suggestion, Li Qingfeng was somewhat tempted. It seemed that having a plane would be quite convenient.

So many big shots travel in their own private jets. If Li Qingfeng didn't have a private jet, it would seem a bit low-class.

Seeing that Li Qingfeng was interested, Fang Wanzhen continued, "We can buy it in the name of the company first, then sell the plane to you, and then rent it to the company."

Li Qingfeng thought about it and realized that he could save a lot of taxes by doing this, so he immediately agreed and asked Fang Wanzhen to go back and ask the company to purchase a private jet.

Fang Wanzhen was very concerned about buying the plane. After all, as the second-in-command of the company, she would be eligible to use it after buying it. Besides, Li Qingfeng was often not at the headquarters, so couldn't she use the plane herself?
I still have a few years left before retirement, so I can enjoy a private jet in those few years before retirement.

After getting Li Qingfeng's consent, Fang Wanzhen immediately said, "No need to wait to go back. Wait until you meet Shao Hengwei outside the airport and let Shao Hengwei handle the purchase of the aircraft."

Li Qingfeng nodded and had no objection to who would go for the purchase.

Outside the airport, Shao Hengwei, who had received advance notice, was already waiting with a group of branch leaders.

When the top two leaders arrived at the same time, Shao Hengwei said he felt a little nervous.

Li Qingfeng did not go to see Shao Hengwei. They separated from each other at the airport entrance. Fang Wanzhen and her group went to the American branch, while Li Qingfeng got on the car that came to pick up the little hybrid and left with him.

In a hotel room near the chip company, Sun Kangmei, who had been waiting for a long time, said excitedly after seeing Li Qingfeng: "Teacher Li, your prediction is really accurate. The Batumi was cancelled the day before yesterday. The shackles on our heads have finally been removed. In the future, China will be able to introduce the most advanced equipment in the world."

Since the collapse of Big Brother, Batom has entered a dormant state. On March 1994, 3, all member states unanimously agreed to announce that Batom would be officially dissolved on April 31.

The country has officially entered a two-year window period, during which we can freely introduce advanced international equipment and technologies.

"It's too early to be happy now. Let's wait until the things are shipped back before we talk about it." Li Qingfeng's face did not show much excitement.

Given America's nature, a treaty written in black and white is no different from toilet paper. We must not take it lightly until everything is settled.

After listening to Li Qingfeng's words, Sun Kangmei's excitement cooled down a little. Li Qingfeng was right. Everyone knew that America was fickle in international affairs.

It has only been two days since Batumi was disbanded. It is indeed a bit early to be happy now.

“So when will we move the equipment back to China?”

"Move now. The relocation of equipment and personnel must be completed within this year."

Sun Kangmei was stunned and said in disbelief: "Complete it within this year? Isn't that too hasty? It will take more than half a year just to dismantle the equipment, and the company still has orders in hand for production."

“How long will it take to complete the orders in hand?”

"If the production is normal, it will take about two months."

"Two months is too long. I will only give you one month to complete the orders on hand. You must start the equipment migration work in May."

"A month? No."

"Just one month. This is a death order." Before Sun Kangmei could finish his objection, Li Qingfeng interrupted him and swallowed the unfinished words back into his stomach.

After looking at Li Qingfeng for a moment and seeing the determination in his eyes, Sun Kangmei sighed deeply, smiled bitterly and said, "In the next month, the company and the union will have a lot of arguments."

"It doesn't matter if we argue or lose money, as long as we can start the migration in May." Li Qingfeng stepped forward and patted Sun Kangmei on the shoulder, and said, "America will not give us too much time. It will take at least one year, or at most two years. Soon there will be a treaty that is more stringent than the COCOM."

Having said that, Sun Kangmei no longer wanted to buy time for the production orders on hand.

Sun Kangmei took off the glasses frame on his nose and said solemnly: "I will make arrangements right away and ensure that the orders on hand are completed within a month and prepare for the equipment migration."

Li Qingfeng stopped Sun Kangmei who was about to leave and asked about the situation of the original batch of overseas students: "What is the current situation of the overseas student engineers we trained? How many of them are willing to go back with us?"

Hearing this, the expression on Sun Kangmei's face changed. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Seeing Sun Kangmei's hesitant expression, Qingfeng Li's heart sank.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then slowly asked, "Are there forty people willing to return home with us?"

"." "There should be at least thirty people, right?"

After a moment of silence, Sun Kangmei said in a low voice with a sad face: "There are still 46 trained international students left in the company. When the news of Batumi's dissolution came out in March, I talked to them one by one, and 41 of them vowed to return to China."

"After the announcement of the dissolution of Batumi the day before yesterday, I asked again, and this time only 26 people expressed their willingness to return to China."

Li Qingfeng closed his eyes slightly, with mixed emotions in his heart. He didn't expect that there were only 26 overseas student engineers willing to return to China. This was far from his expectations.

He still remembers the conversation he had with the principal when he was planning to launch the international student training program.

At that time, the principal asked him if he was worried that the 100 students sponsored by Li Qingfeng would simply disappear after graduation and choose to stay abroad.

At that time, Qingfeng Li vowed that at least half of the international students he sponsored would return, that is, fifty people.

Now look what happened, I’m slapped in the face, really slapped in the face.

The hotel room was quiet for a while, and then Qingfeng Li opened his eyes: "These 26 people will not definitely go back with us. When we are about to leave, some people will definitely withdraw. We can only take about 20 people back with us."

"Just as I expected." Sun Kangmei grabbed his hair with a painful expression.

"Twenty is fine. These twenty people can inject new vitality into the domestic chip industry." Having said this, Li Qingfeng looked at the self-blaming expression on Sun Kangmei's face, paused, and spoke to comfort him:

"HuaXin has also trained a large number of technical talents over the years. Their abilities are no worse than those of these international students, but they are not often exposed to advanced international technologies. These 20 people returning home can serve as a bridge for technical exchanges and bring back advanced international concepts and technologies."

Sun Kangmei listened to Li Qingfeng's words of comfort, but the self-blame on her face did not diminish in the slightest: "Teacher Li, it is because I did not do my job well that this situation has occurred. I should have taken measures earlier and done more to retain these international students."

"This is not entirely your fault. Everyone has their own choices. We cannot force them. So, go borrow a conference room from the hotel and invite the 26 international students who are willing to return to China to come over. I will meet with them and have a chat."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

The hotel was very close to the chip company. About twenty minutes later, Sun Kangmei and twenty-six international students walked into the conference room.

When this group of foreign students came in, Qingfeng Li had been carefully observing their expressions.

As expected, after many rounds of screening, they were still willing to return to China. When most of them saw Li Qingfeng, their eyes revealed excitement and anticipation, and they were obviously people who were determined to return to China.

Only a very few people were evasive and didn't dare to look at Qingfeng Li out of guilt.

Li Qingfeng had an idea in mind. He stood up, lowered his posture, shook hands with everyone one by one, and asked each person's name.

After everyone was seated, Qingfeng Li smiled gently, "Don't be nervous, everyone. I called you all here today because I want to talk to you about your development in China."

"I know you have lived here for many years and have gotten used to the living environment here, but China is our root. It is where we have our families, friends, and the culture and history we are familiar with."

"I won't hide it from you. At present, there are many shortcomings in the domestic chip industry. The technology is relatively backward, the research and development capabilities are insufficient, and high-end equipment relies on imports. We are at a disadvantage in international competition. No, we are not at a disadvantage. We don't even have the qualifications to compete."

"But, comrades, this is exactly the significance of our return to China. We cannot just watch our country fall behind in the field of chips. We must bring back the knowledge and technology we have learned and make our own contribution to the domestic chip industry."

When he got excited, Qingfeng Li waved his arms and spitted as if he was possessed by a mustache.

The international students in the audience were also very respectful and applauded excitedly after Li Qingfeng finished his speech.

One of the students who wanted to return to China the most stood up, waved his arms, and shouted in a trembling voice: "Teacher Li is right! We must not forget the cultivation of our motherland and we must not be traitors. We should return to China and contribute our own strength to the development of science and technology in China."

Li Qingfeng had just taken the tea handed to him by Sun Kangmei and was about to take a sip of water to moisten his throat, but when he saw such a cooperative foreign student standing up, he quickly put down the teacup in his hand.

"Well said," Li Qingfeng praised loudly, "Comrade Xu Guangming has expressed the common aspirations of all comrades. We must not let down the motherland's cultivation of us. We must return to the motherland with the knowledge and technology we have learned and contribute our own strength to the development of domestic science and technology."

Led by Xu Guangming, other international students at the scene also spoke up, shouting that they wanted to return to their motherland with the knowledge and skills they had learned. The atmosphere at the scene was very warm.

In the evening, Li Qingfeng invited several chefs who came from China to America to make a living to prepare an authentic Chinese meal for everyone in the company's villa.

In order to arouse these people's homesickness, Li Qingfeng was particularly cunning and obtained everyone's hometown. He asked the chef to prepare 26 famous dishes from the provinces where these 26 people were born based on their hometowns.

In the villa, many people listened to the songs brought from China, drank the white wine brought from China, and ate hometown dishes that they had not eaten for many years. They were reminded of their hometown and cried their hearts out.

Li Qingfeng and Sun Kangmei transformed themselves into caring older brothers, pulling these people aside and comforting them constantly.

After the meal, there were few people left sober.

Looking at the people who were crying, laughing and acting crazy, Li Qingfeng smiled and lit a Mudan for himself, then threw it to the red-faced Sun Kangmei: "Alas, we have done everything we can. How much they can get back depends on their own choice. However, today's meal is also our best effort."

Sun Kangmei took the cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and slowly exhaled the smoke: "Teacher Li, your trick is really great. You used hometown food and domestic music to evoke their homesickness and make them more determined to return home. After this meal, I think more than 20 people will return home in the end."

"This is the only solution. After staying abroad for a long time, they will inevitably feel hesitant and confused, and can't let go of the comfortable life in America. What we have to do is to let them feel the warmth and call of the motherland."

The two were silent for a while, looking at the drunken international students nearby, feeling filled with emotion.

Not long after the dinner ended, the aftermath personnel who had been arranged in advance came in.

These drunken and unconscious international students were carried into the car and sent to the hotel that had been booked in advance.

When the last drunk foreign student was carried out, Li Qingfeng and Sun Kangmei smiled at each other, then got into the vehicles that had been waiting for them for a long time and went home.

Sitting in the car, looking out the window at the bustling night scene of America and the endless stream of vehicles outside, Li Qingfeng muttered quietly: "It takes great perseverance to return to China" (End of this chapter)