Chapter 262 From Shanghai to Beijing (Bug Fix): The Wheelchair Queen

Yangtao's ability to acquire so much land from old factories is certainly not the result of passively waiting for opportunities, but rather the effectiveness of proactive efforts.

The boss recruited Zhao Qing and Zhu Jingjing in Beijing, putting immense pressure on her.

So she was determined to achieve something great.

However, she already had work on 40 acres of land, and the boss had also delegated other business to her.

If she reaches out at this point, it's like taking food from someone else's bowl. Even if she can do it well, breaking the rules won't earn her any credit.

So she gave up on expanding and instead focused on strengthening.

How do we strengthen it? We make the most of the old factory buildings.

If the employees of the Red Star Ribbon Factory are so enthusiastic about going abroad and buying houses at the original price, what about the people in other factories? She doesn't believe they won't be tempted.

As long as the publicity is done well, she won't need to find ways to acquire land; instead, someone will deliver the land directly to her.

Sure enough, after she told reporters about the resettlement plan for the employees of the Red Star Ribbon Factory, workers immediately came to her door to inquire about going abroad and housing.

Yang Tao held back, only mentioning the ribbon factory's policies and refusing to say anything else.

She didn't take the high-level route; like other developers, she tried every means to win over government and factory leaders to acquire land.

She was just waiting for the employees to take the initiative and move the land in front of her.

So she didn't care how the employees went back and argued with their factory leaders.

She remained calm and watched as the factory workers undermined each other's offers to secure overseas opportunities and housing.

That's why she was able to present her impressive report card to her boss: "The employees of these factories all said they could pay for the procedures to go abroad, as long as it didn't exceed 5,000 yuan."

Yang Tao was shocked when the employees came to her door to talk about it.

Perhaps because she had worked at the Zhimen Commercial City and seen many people going abroad, she didn't expect people to be so persistent, even though she knew that going abroad was popular now.

5,000 yuan is a year's salary for many people these days.

They only asked that they be allowed to leave; they didn't care how they found jobs or survived afterward.

Wang Xiao groaned inwardly upon hearing this.

Grandma, why is her moral standard so high? If her standards were even slightly lower, she could have made a fortune through her perfectly legal human trafficking business.

Sigh, forget it. Quick money is hard to earn, and it might affect her future overseas business plans. She should just shut up and settle things properly.

She called to Yang Tao, "Take stock of the situation regarding these factory workers' requests to go abroad and hand it over to Zhao Qing to handle. By the way, how many people want to go abroad right now?"

Yang Tao held her breath before answering the question: "Added together, it's about ten thousand."

Honestly, when so many people came looking for her, she even had the absurd feeling of seeing a bunch of people in a park practicing qigong with aluminum pots on their heads, firmly believing that they could receive energy signals from outer space in this way.

Wang Xiao also wanted to facepalm, but could only instruct his subordinate: "Give it to Zhao Qing and have her come up with a plan. I'll call her in a bit to discuss this. Your task now is to do the preliminary work. After I finish my trip to Shanghai, I'll go to Beijing to discuss the building height issue."

She absolutely refuses to be outdone by anyone!

Wang Xiaoxiong, full of vigor and high spirits, headed straight for Shanghai.

The reason is simple: to overcome difficulties, you have to start with tasks that are less challenging.

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, if she flies to Beijing first and can't get through that tough challenge, wouldn't she be unable to have a peaceful New Year?

In comparison, it would be more appropriate to go to Shanghai first.

The plane arrived at Hongqiao Airport, and bodyguards pushed the boss, who was in a wheelchair, out of the airport.

From afar, someone waved a sign that read, "Mr. Wang, over here."

Wang Xiao was taken aback and quickly gestured to the bodyguard to push her over: "Oh, Mr. Hu, Section Chief Fang, why did you have to go to all this trouble?"

The leaders and managers of the science park development company were even more surprised: "What's this? Oh my, Mr. Wang, what's this?"

Wang Xiao immediately sighed heavily: "Don't even mention it. I heard that a German company was going to Moscow to poach their entire microelectronics institute, so I quickly canceled my train ticket and flew there. But, as luck would have it, the plane crashed."

General Manager Hu and Section Chief Fang were both taken aback.

The main reason is that fewer people fly in China now, so people subconsciously feel that airplanes have little to do with them.

Therefore, even though the major air disaster in Europe shocked the world, they only saw it on the news and that was it.

For a moment, Section Chief Fang forgot that Party members and cadres should not engage in feudal superstition. He put his hands together and exclaimed, "Amitabha! This is called surviving a great calamity, which means good fortune is coming. Oh dear, you're injured, why aren't you resting properly?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "That won't do. The development plan in cooperation with Russia can't be delayed for even a minute. Luckily, the search and rescue team found us in time, otherwise the Germans would have beaten me to it. Um, Mr. Hu, after we get in the car, could you please take a look at our proposal and help us submit an application to the management committee?"

Mr. Hu was momentarily stunned.

He has worked in both the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Science and Technology. He has been in charge of the science park development company for half a year, during which time he has dealt with many businessmen.

But he felt as if he was truly realizing for the first time what a businessman is.

When the plane crashed, it was a true case of nine deaths and one life. Even with a broken leg and bound like a mummy, he didn't rest but continued to work, moving around in his wheelchair.

He had never seen a CEO like this before.

So when he came to his senses, the first thing he blurted out was, "Why did you take a plane back?"

Section Chief Fang also realized that she had just experienced a serious air crash, one in which very few people survived. Shouldn't she have developed a severe psychological trauma related to airplanes?

She had previously read a memoir about Nicolae Ocescu of Romania, a universally acknowledged strongman. He survived a plane crash where the tail of his aircraft struck a tree, breaking the plane in two. He decisively jumped out and continued his activities.

But after that incident, he resolutely refused to fly unless absolutely necessary.

Now, even though Ms. Wang could have taken the train back to China from Moscow, she actually chose to fly!

That's what Section Chief Fang thought, and that's what he said.

Wang Xiao looked surprised: "Take the train? No way, it takes more than a week by train, and you're all on holiday. I can't possibly drag all of you leaders back from your homes during the Spring Festival to do this for me."

She shook her head. "Then wouldn't I be even more terrifying than Zhou Bapi?"

For a moment, Section Chief Fang didn't know how to respond, and subconsciously asked a question that he himself felt was inappropriate: "Aren't you afraid?"

Wang Xiao sighed: "How could I not be afraid? That's why I slept as soon as I got on the plane and slept the whole way. Just in time to get off the plane, I was able to report to my superiors with energy."

She turned to Mr. Hu with a smile, "How about we talk in the car, Mr. Hu?"

President Hu's feelings were a complex mix of emotions.

He spent a long time in the Ministry of Industry and had many opportunities to interact with the heads of state-owned enterprises.

He asked himself honestly, how many of the leaders of state-owned enterprises would have such courage?

With private enterprises allowed to enter the market, what will the future of socialism look like?

She's so young. How far can she go in the future?

And how many private business owners are as young as her?

If they form an alliance, will state-owned enterprises still be able to resist?

Mr. Hu did not let himself continue thinking about it. Instead, he nodded and made a gesture to help push the wheelchair: "Of course, it's hard on you, Mr. Wang, you haven't had a break."

February in Shanghai this year was quite warm, with the sun shining brightly. Wang Xiao smiled even more brightly than the sun in the sky: "Then I'll ask President Hu to help me out and get the application approved as soon as possible, so I can sleep soundly."

President Hu repeatedly agreed: "Definitely, definitely."

When he said this, there was at least half of it being polite.

But once he got in the car and saw the proposal Wang Xiao had given him, his statement became 100% certain.

Wang Xiao explained slowly and deliberately, "Our science park has advantages that allow it to be compared with the Hsinchu Science Park, so I planned the land according to that standard."

With just this one sentence, he directly gained control over President Hu.

He worked at the Ministry of Science and Technology and knows all too well the importance of semiconductors.

Let's see what's written in Mr. Wang's proposal.

I. Reverse Engineering and Military-Civilian Integration: Utilizing Soviet technology (such as gallium arsenide process) to develop radiation-resistant chips, filling gaps in the domestic nuclear power and satellite fields.

He didn't even have time to look at the next two; his breath caught in his throat for a moment.

"Technology import is now the mainstream and it also conforms to the laws of scientific and technological development. But there is a problem: what we want, others will not give. Because the United States started the military-to-civilian conversion process very early, doing this during both World Wars, and it developed rapidly during the Cold War. In the semiconductor field, it has long since evolved to the point where it can make money on its own. Nobody is willing to transfer their bread and butter to others."

"Although the Soviet Union's semiconductor industry lagged behind that of the United States and Japan, it was precisely because it failed to successfully transfer its military technology to civilian use, and because its 'design bureau-research institute-factory' golden triangle model lacked the factory link, that its technology had the potential to be used."

These words really struck a chord with President Hu.

He felt that there was a major problem with current technological development: the abandonment of self-reliance. People thought that if they could buy technology, why bother with the hard work of manufacturing it? Simply adopting existing technology was the most convenient approach.

As it turns out, this is indeed very lucrative.

For example, in the current computer information industry, what's the most profitable thing? Localization.

By translating foreign software into Chinese and launching it into the domestic market, a lot of money can immediately flow into one's pocket.

There are also assembly projects where you import parts from other companies, then reassemble them, making it seem like you made it yourself. But if the other company loses a key component, all you'll have is a pile of scrap metal.

Wang Xiao's logic suited his taste, but he still needed to clarify the key factor: "Can you get this?"

Her proposal contained far more than just trivial details; it included both military infrared focal plane array technology and drone navigation algorithms.

Wang Xiao gestured for him to scroll down: "This is the academician's signature, and this is our contract. According to regulations, these can only be used for civilian purposes. The Russian team will be stationed in Shanghai."

After reviewing the document, Mr. Hu raised concerns: "If you do this, you'll probably just be throwing money into it for the next three to five years without making any profit."

Wang Xiao nodded: "It's indeed not easy to make money, so in the early stages I have to use other industries to support it."

Mr. Hu appreciated her frank attitude and was quite straightforward: "Just tell me directly, what kind of policy support do you hope our science park, the New Area Management Committee, and the Shanghai Municipal Government can provide for you?"

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "If you ask me to give a specific answer now, I really can't give you a complete answer in a short time."

Mr. Hu encouraged her: "Speak up, say whatever comes to mind now. If you don't have time to think of something right now, it's not like you can't add it later."

Wang Xiao's smile deepened: "Then please don't think I'm asking for too much. First, regarding land and tax policies, my investment costs are too high. Please try to save me as much as you can, is that alright?"

President Hu readily agreed: "This is not a big problem, and the current policy is supportive."

Wang Xiao pressed on: "I heard that the country has a special fund to subsidize high technology, and I hope I can apply for it too."

Without hesitation, General Manager Hu replied, "If we have the opportunity, we will definitely find a way to apply for it for you."

Wang Xiao continued to make demands: "Another issue is foreign exchange control. We need to import a large amount of equipment and technology, all of which are imported using foreign exchange. Therefore, we hope you can open a loophole for us to facilitate our operations."

President Hu could not make the decision on this matter, and could only say: "We will report this to our superiors and try to handle this as a special case."

It's not that handling special cases is about abusing privileges, but rather that during the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, various regulatory measures were outdated and simply couldn't adapt to the needs of development.

If we insist on adhering to the rules, then without a doubt, the reform and opening up would never have reached where we are today.

If you don't believe it, look back at the history of reform and opening up, and you will find that almost every landmark event violated the laws and regulations at the time.

Wang Xiao extended his hand, indicating, "Then please help me out, leader. From now on, we are truly comrades-in-arms in the same trench."

Mr. Hu extended his hand and, quite gentlemanly, grasped her fingers: "I look forward to our joint endeavor taking off in the science park."

Wang Xiao was like a special forces soldier, not wasting even half a minute.

She was lifted off the jeep and then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, went to the Pudong New Area Management Committee.

Good heavens, the scene was so grand that, even if we don't say it was a cacophony of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, it was practically a scene of everyone leaving the streets.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

In fact, all the staff of the management committee and people who came to the management committee for business all came to see this heroine.

Goodness, it's normal that Yang Guo could still act chivalrously even with a broken arm; after all, his leg wasn't broken.

Even though she recovered, her broken leg didn't stop her from directing those around her to carry her up and down.

In the end, even the director of the management committee couldn't take it anymore, so he quickly told her to stay downstairs and that he would come down to receive her personally.

In any case, in this atmosphere, all procedures proceeded very quickly.

That same day, Wang Xiao replaced the fake document with the real one and obtained the genuine official document.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were truly impressed by their boss.

What does it mean to have an advantage? The boss is a perfect example.

If someone were to be involved in a plane crash and break their leg, it would take a hundred days to recover, and they would probably be unable to work normally for at least three months.

When it comes to their boss, she can make a big deal out of every single thing: plane crash, broken leg, wheelchair.

It has shown me every moment what it means to say: everything I have experienced is the best.

The director of the management committee offered to treat Wang Xiao to a casual meal, but Wang Xiao politely declined, saying, "It would be too much trouble for you if I went to dinner like this. I hope that you will definitely attend our groundbreaking ceremony after the New Year."

The director of the management committee understood her mobility issues and nodded with a smile, saying, "Definitely, definitely. I'm also looking forward to the transformation of Pudong New Area."

After leaving the management committee building, General Manager Hu took the initiative to say, "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, General Manager Wang. Next time, please do me the honor of having a simple meal at our development company's canteen."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Well, I have some requirements. I want to eat authentic local food, and I want braised pork."

Everyone laughed.

Mr. Hu shook her hand again: "Then be careful on the road. The municipal construction here is still underway, and the road is not easy to travel. Please be careful."

Wang Xiao smiled and thanked the other party for their kindness, then waved goodbye.

President Hu did not intentionally smear Pudong's infrastructure. In fact, Pudong in early February 1994 was a complete construction site.

The jeep crawled along Yanggao Road, its tires rolling over the broken bricks, bouncing and lurching through the potholes.

The steel frame outside the car window pierced the leaden sky, like the skeletons of giant beasts—that was the foundation of the Oriental Pearl Tower under construction, and the red lights of the tower cranes shone like the setting sun in the twilight.

Not far away, a sign that read "Develop Pudong, Revitalize Shanghai" was stuck in the mud. When a Jiefang truck ran over it, the mud splashed up and covered the word "revitalize".

It has a strangely dark humor to it.

Wang Xiao couldn't help but smile, and then remembered that there was someone else in the car. She asked Zhang Junfei, "How are you? Are you managing to handle things in Shanghai? If you're really overwhelmed, I'll find someone else to help you out."

From the moment Zhang Junfei picked up his boss at the airport, he had been a wallflower, learning from him all the way. Now, suddenly being called upon, his brain started working at lightning speed.

He didn't know if his boss felt that he, alone in Shanghai, was wielding too much power over so many projects.

So, with his survival wisdom, he made a compromise: "If we're just doing infrastructure construction for now, I can keep an eye on it. But if I can't manage it after it's built, I'll ask the boss to help me find someone to keep it up."

Wang Xiao yawned.

Her claim that she slept the entire way back on the plane was, of course, a lie.

If she could really fall asleep on demand, she would be truly invincible.

After covering his mouth and yawning, Wang Xiao finally gave the anxious Zhang Junfei a definite answer: "Okay! If you think it's alright, then start doing it. Remember, train a few assistants, otherwise you'll break down and that would be a big problem."

Zhang Junfei was flattered and quickly replied, "I'm boxing every day now, and I'm in great shape."

Wang Xiao was amused by his words, then remembered something else: "By the way, you also need to pay attention to the recruitment. The team here needs to be set up. There are also a lot of things to do in Jiangdong and Jiangbei, and your brother Tang is as busy as a spinning top. It's not easy to expect them to send people to support you. You'll have to handle this yourself."

Zhang Junfei's heart was pounding; he knew his boss was giving him more authority.

In any team, the person who holds the power to appoint and dismiss personnel is the one who truly makes the decisions.

He quickly nodded in agreement: "Okay, I've already started recruiting."

Wang Xiao remembered something and added, "Hire more people with financial expertise. As the business grows, financing will be inevitable, and it's best to have professionals in that area."

Although Zhang Junfei still doesn't quite understand how to recruit financial professionals, he still agreed without hesitation.

If he has to be fully prepared before doing anything, then he will most likely never get a chance to do anything.

In life, everyone learns as they go.

Coincidentally, Wang Xiao thought the same thing.

As the car passed the Lujiazui Ferry Terminal, the neon lights of the Bund across the water looked like a string of floating pearls through the glass window. On this side, however, there were only scattered lights, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange building stood out starkly among the drab construction site buildings, hardly exuding any sense of vigor or ambition.

She looked down at the newspaper in her hand—it was specially prepared by Zhang Junfei for his boss.

On February 5, 1994, the Shanghai Composite Index stood at 658.79 points.

Wang Xiao stared at the string of numbers, his pupils contracting, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair.

She doesn't trade stocks and is naturally insensitive to stock indices; she's just thinking about the bloody frenzy that will unfold on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on March 27th a year later.

These financial tycoons, who are currently riding high, probably never imagined that they would one day find themselves imprisoned.

A large number of financial talents went to jail, and a large number of financial institutions were shaken.

Behind every celebration, there is the fall of an old brand and the rise of a new one.

Money never sleeps.

Wang Xiao opened the car window and took a breath of the everyday life around him.

Along the roadside, the smell of coal stoves wafted from the small stalls with tarpaulin awnings. The proprietress was stirring the meat and vegetable wontons boiling in an aluminum pot with a long-handled iron ladle, and the steam carrying the aroma of scallions wafted toward the road.

Seeing the jeep window roll down, the proprietress, wearing an apron, tried her best to attract customers in broken Mandarin: "Boss, would you like a bowl of wontons? Five cents a bowl."

Wang Xiao smiled and turned to ask the others, "Do you want to eat wontons?"

Finally, Mr. Wang flew to Shanghai and only ate one bowl of wontons with shepherd's purse and pork filling.

The next morning, she flew to Beijing without stopping.

This time, Yang Tao asked Minister Cao for help in arranging a meeting with Director Feng from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

To apply for a national-level strategic project under the guise of Sino-Russian scientific and technological cooperation, one must first obtain the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

If we can't get past this hurdle, there's no point in discussing anything else.

Fortunately, Director Feng had received prior instructions from her superiors and was quite welcoming to Wang Xiao and her group, repeatedly expressing her admiration for Wang Xiao's remarkable abilities.

If it were him, he wouldn't have the courage to continue flying.

He flipped through the materials Wang Xiao had handed him, asking, "The Soviet Union's 6-inch silicon wafer polishing process, is this the application?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Yes, we are cooperating with the Russian Institute of Microelectronics. This is completely independent technology."

Before Director Feng could say anything, voices could be heard coming from the corridor outside, with words like "Shougang," "six-inch," and "chip" faintly visible.

Without saying a word, Director Feng got up, opened the door, and asked a passing colleague, "What chips are you talking about?"

My colleague laughed and replied, "It's nothing. People from Shougang came today to go through some procedures. Shougang is building a new production line for the front-end processes of chip manufacturing, which will be put into production this year."

But Director Feng became interested: "What do you think of their production line?"

"What else can I say? We're using original NEC equipment and technology, and producing according to the blueprints provided by the Japanese side." My colleague laughed. "Only Shougang Group, with its deep pockets, can afford to build such a production line."

Director Feng pressed on, asking, "What exactly is going on with Shougang's production line?"

My colleague looked bewildered: "Nothing much. This production line at Shougang produces the most advanced 6-inch chips in China, with a minimum line width of 1.2 micrometers. The monthly wafer start-up capacity, well, has reached 5,000 wafers. From now on, Shougang will dominate the domestic chip industry."

Director Feng nodded, indicating that he understood, then closed the office door, turned around and shook his head at Wang Xiao: "Your project clashes with Shougang's project, so it probably won't be approved."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "We didn't import it from Japan; we used Soviet technology."

Director Feng shook his head even more vigorously: "The Soviet Union was no good at semiconductors, far inferior to Japan. If you want to import Soviet semiconductor technology, that's like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree. Moreover, the country is now very strict about the repeated import of production lines and technologies. Let me put it this way, Shougang's position is what it is. If they import it, there's nothing else for anyone else. If you force it in, even if you make the products, there won't be a market for them."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao both gasped for breath and subconsciously looked at their boss.

Wang Xiao remained expressionless, only slightly tilting his head and nodding his chin at Yang Tao.

Yang Tao immediately straightened her head, took a deep breath, and spoke eloquently: "Director, Japanese technology is Japanese technology, and Soviet technology is Soviet technology. We and Shougang are following two different paths."

She was grateful to her boss for reminding her to pay attention to Shougang's movements; otherwise, she would have been completely stumped by the questions posed by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

————————

Okay, off to work. I corrected a minor error: in February 1994, the Shanghai Stock Exchange probably didn't have outdoor screens. I originally wanted to write it as a symbolic gesture, but after looking at it myself at the front desk, I felt it could easily be misunderstood, so I simply changed it.