Xing Baohua came out of the Academy of Arts and Crafts and waited for Director Wang at the school gate.

It wasn't until almost noon that we saw him. The two of them ate Laiwu sesame cakes and drank wontons at a small stall on Shifan Road.

More and more people are coming here to eat.

Xing Baohua asked, "Why did it take so long? Was it difficult to handle?"

"No, that's not it. I went to the district education bureau and found the person in charge, but they said it was under the jurisdiction of the district housing management bureau. When I went there, they told me to go to the neighborhood committee here to get a certificate," Director Wang said.

Well, this is another troublesome matter. If Xing Baohua were to handle it, he would probably be annoyed by now.

"Has the certificate been issued yet?" Xing Baohua asked.

"Go to the neighborhood committee this afternoon, that should be easy. After that, you'll have to go to the housing management bureau. How's your contact going?" Director Wang said.

"We found the person. They said they need to report to the school leaders. I don't think it'll be a big problem." Xing Baohua said, quickly swallowing the sesame seed cake in his mouth and then using a small spoon to scoop the few wontons in the bowl into his mouth.

After finishing their meal, the two went their separate ways again. Xing Baohua checked out of the Metallurgical Guesthouse and moved to a nearby place. She arranged to meet Director Wang at the Normal University Guesthouse.

Xing Baohua settled into the guesthouse at the Normal University in the afternoon and used the room phone to call Zhang Xuebao. The phone wasn't working very well; it was intermittent.

There's a disc in the middle, with a hole for each number. You insert your finger into the hole and rotate it.

It is said that the early implementation of llo was based on the consideration of pulse telephones at that time. The last digit was slower, giving you time to consider before deciding whether to dial.

The call was answered quickly, and Zhang Xuebao happened to be in his office. Upon hearing that it was Xing Baohua, Zhang Xuebao said in a low voice, "Brother, it's not convenient for me to talk right now."

"Do you have time tonight? I'm at the teachers' college guesthouse. Want to have dinner together?"

"Okay, I'll come find you tonight." Zhang Xuebao said, and quickly hung up the phone.

Seeing his colleagues all busy around him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, Zhang Xuebao hasn't had a good time lately either. His superiors have talked to him several times, asking him to contact Xing Baohua and, as a friend, to talk to Xing Baohua about principles, maintaining the overall situation, making contributions, and so on.

What is the big picture? If Xing Baohua had that awareness, he would have contributed long ago; he's not waiting for you to tell him.

That era is over; people's hearts have drifted apart.

Zhang Xuebao believed that he and Xing Baohua were only academic friends, not very close friends in life, and that academic friendships are hard to come by. The saying "A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend" perfectly describes someone like Xing Baohua.

After finishing his phone call, Xing Baohua sat on the edge of the bed and lit a cigarette. For some reason, a thought suddenly popped into his head: "Who has two eyes in the back of their head? It's not like it's a parking radar."

ultrasound?

Should we try this? Xing Baohua had always wanted to showcase some cutting-edge technology at the Canton Fair, and now this idea came to him unexpectedly.

The problem is, does he not even know the current level of ultrasonic technology development in China? Would applying this technology to the automotive field lead to a world-leading position?

Could we try to persuade the Japanese to exchange some technology?

Let's start with an academic report. It's been a while since the Electronic Maniac has made a move. We need to stir things up and test the waters.

I'll discuss this topic with Zhang Xuebao during dinner tonight and see what suggestions he has.

I start writing whatever comes to mind.

Halfway through writing, Director Wang came over. He went in to get a drink of water, and after catching his breath, said to Xing Baohua, "The whole building has been rented. Tomorrow you go to the housing management bureau to pay the rent. I had to plead with them and even got a friend to help me get it done!"

"I really have to thank you. Um, how much is it per month?"

“One thousand yuan a month. I told the people at the housing management bureau that it would take about three months, or maybe five months if that’s not enough? You pay for three months first, and the last month’s payment will be made in one go,” Director Wang said after finishing his water.

One thousand a month, it's not exactly expensive, but it's not cheap either! The key is that it's the whole building! Now that I think about it, was it really necessary to be so extravagant as to rent the whole building?

It seems I've accidentally gone over budget. I only planned for 3,000 yuan, but the rent alone cost 3,000 yuan. Xing Baohua thought to himself, "Luckily, labor is cheap, so I'll add another 2,000 yuan."

Since we have artists, why don't we make a few more animated music videos?

Let's take it one step at a time and see.

"I'll call the screenwriter over tonight, you can talk to him about the details. Also, you need to give me some money, I'll find someone to clean up the space and buy some desks and chairs. There are colleges around here, there should be a lot of old desks and chairs, and they're cheap."

Out of respect for Director Wang's hard work and effort, Xing Baohua gave him three hundred yuan.

Xing Baohua brought over 5,000 yuan in cash with him on this trip, mainly intending to buy some computer parts. He didn't even know the prices of the parts, yet he was already spending half of it.

With a sigh, I felt that I never had enough money.

"I'm having dinner with friends tonight, so I might be back late. How about I meet with the screenwriter tomorrow night?" Xing Baohua thought about how much she had to do tomorrow, running around to the housing management bureau and schools, and wondered if she could finish everything in one day.

"Let's talk about it tonight. If it gets very late, let him spend the night here," Director Wang said, glancing at the two beds in the room.

Xing Baohua didn't know what to say to Director Wang. Why was he being so informal? It's just that things are tough in the early stages of starting a business. Otherwise, he would have gritted his teeth and booked a room for him.

After Director Wang finished speaking, he went to find his editor friend, while Xing Baohua continued writing his academic report.

Around six o'clock in the evening, Zhang Xuebao arrived. Upon entering, he said to Xing Baohua, "I didn't expect you to be back in the provincial capital so soon. What business do you have here this time?"

Please have Zhang Xuebao sit down first. Pick up the cup on the bedside table, rinse it with water, pour him a glass of water, and say, "Well, how should I put it? Come and film an animated film."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!