"Dean, I am very grateful for the care and support the school and college have given me during this time. I wish to apply for withdrawal from the program."

The first thing he did after reaching a venture capital agreement with Lei Jun was to suspend his studies, as diplomas and academic qualifications were of no value to him.

Once it was proven that the spellcasting path was feasible and that magic could be reproduced in this world, the most important thing for Zheng Li was to acquire enough resources to restore his spellcasting ability.

If the experiment of interfering with reality by consciousness fails, Zheng Li might still be willing to remain in seclusion at Jiangcheng University for a while.

Dean Zhao was shocked. He could understand dropping out due to poor academic performance, as the School of Mathematics had students dropping out every year because they couldn't keep up with their studies.

Jiangcheng University has a GPA requirement for changing majors; if a student's GPA doesn't meet the requirement, they cannot change majors. And if a student can't keep up with their math studies, they naturally won't meet the GPA requirement for changing majors, creating a vicious cycle.

As for Zheng Li, the outside media has now hyped him up as a genius that Jiangcheng University has seen once in a hundred years, second only to Lei Jun, who also came from Jiangcheng University.

Dean Zhao couldn't understand why a top genius who had just published in Nature and ARMA wanted to drop out of school.

Dean Zhao asked, "Why?"

"Is it because a foreign university offered you a job?"

It's rare, but not uncommon, for students to study at a university in China for one or two years, then transfer abroad because they're dissatisfied with their university life.

For top geniuses like Zheng Li, prestigious foreign universities are not stingy with scholarships.

Zheng Li shook his head: "No, although professors from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford emailed me and told me I could go directly to graduate school, I didn't agree."

"I just have more important things to do."

If it were a regular student withdrawing from school, Dean Zhao would have chatted with them briefly and then told them to go find a staff member to complete the procedures. Zheng Li, however, displayed an exceptionally high level of talent, prompting Dean Zhao to ask:

"What's more important?"

Zheng Li: "I met Lei Jun of Da Mi in Yanjing yesterday. He promised to give me 50 million yuan in venture capital. I can't balance my studies and entrepreneurship, so I applied to withdraw from school."

Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. Dean Zhao had only one thought in his mind: he originally wanted to say that studying hard would have a better future than starting a business.

But then I thought, there's no need.

If you don't pursue a research career, the 50 million yuan in venture capital is far more valuable than what you can learn in school. Less than one percent of a Jiangcheng University graduate can earn 50 million yuan on their own in their lifetime.

Dean Zhao asked, "How many shares are there for fifty million?"

Zheng Li: "Fifty million for 10% of the shares is just the first round of venture capital."

The dean of the mathematics department calculated the company's valuation in less than a second: "Impressive, he secured 50 million in venture capital at only eighteen years old."

"Then your company, with no one in it, is valued at 500 million. Your shareholding is 90%, which is 450 million."

"That's amazing!"

"The truly remarkable figures are those of today; your teacher is very proud of you."

"But don't rush to drop out. The college will help you retain your student status, which is considered a year's leave of absence. If things don't go well with the business, you can come back to continue your studies."

"Your teacher believes you can succeed, but also hopes you will leave yourself a way out."

"The School of Mathematical Sciences will always be your home."

Dean Zhao does not oppose Zheng Li's entrepreneurship. If the business is successful, the School of Mathematical Sciences will have an entrepreneur alumnus, which is a positive thing for the school. There may even be alumni donating scholarships.

If his entrepreneurial venture fails, Zheng Li can honestly return to continue his studies, and the School of Mathematical Sciences will have another genius mathematician.

From his perspective, he's not at a loss either way.

The worst thing was dropping out of school, then failing in his business venture at Zhengli University, and going to another school to study. He ended up getting nothing from the School of Mathematical Sciences.

"good."

......

"What!!!" Li Miaomiao was even more confused as to why she suddenly had to drop out of school.

“I contacted Lei Jun of Da Mi the day before yesterday, and then met with him in Yanjing yesterday. He is willing to invest 50 million yuan in me as start-up capital,” Zheng Li said.

"I'm planning to take a break from school to start my own business."

If someone else had told her about the 50 million venture capital starting point, she would have thought they were joking. But Zheng Li was different; Li Miaomiao knew that Zheng Li never joked.

Given Zheng Li's abilities, this might not be impossible. Li Miaomiao asked, "Where are you starting your business? Jiangcheng or Yanjing?"

Zheng Li: "In Suzhou's high-tech industrial park, the members of my team were basically all people that Mr. Lei helped me find. They chose Suzhou."

"As the core area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta, Suzhou is the place where I started my business, which focuses on biomedicine. There are many innovative pharmaceutical companies in the Yangtze River Delta, and the talent pool is abundant."

"In addition, Suzhou High-tech Industrial Park offers many tax incentives."

Li Miaomiao's mood plummeted. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a relationship had ended before it even began. Suppressing her emotions, she asked:

"If you're starting a business in the biopharmaceutical field, 50 million is far from enough to start a business."

“Even if you outsource the research and development of any new drug to a foreign company, 50 million yuan is not enough.”

Many domestic pharmaceutical companies claim to be developing innovative drugs, but in reality, they are outsourcing research and development to European and American pharmaceutical companies because labor costs and utility costs in China are much lower than abroad.

Fun fact: In 2018, my friend's company was hiring a PhD in biology from Fudan University (his undergraduate degree wasn't from a top-tier university, but it was from a 211 university). The annual salary was around 220,000 to 250,000 RMB, and the location was Shanghai. In Europe and America, a PhD with the same background would earn at least 80,000 to 100,000 US dollars.

Zheng Li: "Do you know what the topic of my Nature paper is?"

Li Miaomiao: "Artificially synthesized endorphins, my dad has been nagging me about it countless times when I went home this weekend."

Zheng Li: "I have also invented a method for large-scale production of endorphins. The 50 million is just the price for registering patents worldwide and conducting Phase I clinical trials."

"Once the results of the Phase I clinical trial are available, we will proceed with the second round of venture capital funding."

Li Miaomiao: "No wonder Lei Jun invested 50 million RMB without hesitation."

“If you have the technology, then 50 million is not expensive at all.”

"He owns a majority stake in the company worth fifty million?"

Zheng Li: "Ten percent."

Li Miaomiao: "That's alright. In the second, third, and even more rounds of venture capital, your shares won't be diluted too much."

"I suggest that you bring in as much international capital as possible in the second round of investment, such as IDG, European and American investment institutions, etc."

"Endorphins are a promising drug. If you want to sell it all over the world, like Amerex, you need to get its FDA authorization."

"If you don't have European or American capital, it will take a long time to get clinical trials and licenses."

"If you want to become an international R&D-oriented pharmaceutical company, it is appropriate to introduce some European and American capital. This will not only help you open up their markets, but also help you attract top-tier researchers from Europe and America."

Zheng Li: "I didn't realize you were so knowledgeable about the pharmaceutical industry."