After he finished speaking, the research room fell silent.

Liu Mingchuan frowned. "You think extracting hyaluronic acid is as simple as extracting saliva? Although there are methods abroad that use microorganisms for fermentation, those methods were rejected as soon as they were proposed. We have to develop cosmetics and hyaluronic acid at the same time. Do you know how difficult that is?"

"I know." Chu Yu shrugged, looking like a ruthless skinflint, and said ruthlessly, "If others can do it, so can you! If you don't have enough manpower, you can hire more people. If five aren't enough, hire ten. I'll offer you high salaries! As long as you can produce hyaluronic acid using the fermentation method, I will reward you handsomely!"

Da Lei blinked. "What huge reward!"

"One apartment per person, is that enough?" Chu Yu chuckled and patted Da Lei on the shoulder. "I heard you just got married and are currently staying at your wife's parents' house. Jia Quan is still renting, and Qiao Ming brought his mother to Beijing for medical treatment; the whole family is crammed into a small single room… I know your situations. I haven't discussed salaries with you before, but you're all university graduates from prestigious universities. We at Mandarin don't have permanent positions, but we'll definitely offer you compensation several times higher than that of state-owned research institutes. Once the project makes progress, we'll buy you apartments, give you bonuses, and provide you with company stock—we'll make sure you're worthy of your contributions to the company!"

Liu Mingchuan snorted, "He's just making empty promises again, and these promises are getting bigger and bigger."

Da Lei pushed him aside, his eyes shining, and said:

"Really? Mr. Zhou, do we really get such good treatment?"

"Don't worry, I'll have the staff draft contracts soon, specifying your annual salary, year-end bonus, holidays, profit sharing, and stock options. As for housing... land auctions will be held in mainland China soon, and many private residential communities will appear. As long as you can develop hyaluronic acid using bio-fermentation and increase its fermentation yield, housing and cars won't be a problem."

Chu Yu has a knack for making even the biggest promises she makes incredibly convincing.

No one doubted her words. Da Lei, Jia Quan, and the others were full of confidence, their eyes filled with longing for the outside world.

Originally, Liu Mingchuan stayed at a state-owned enterprise research institute, and they followed a genius mentor, with a bright future ahead of them.

After Liu Mingchuan was framed, they went to great lengths to seek justice for him. This offended the interests of some people, and they were retaliated against at work and gradually marginalized.

Life at a state-owned enterprise research institute is really tough, but in those kinds of places, you have to work your way up to seniority. Once you've reached a certain level of seniority, you can get housing. Who wouldn't want to own a house in Beijing?

No matter how much money Chu Yu gave them, it wasn't enough to buy a house. They hadn't had much hope at first, but when Liu Mingchuan called them over, they came.

But now, Chu Yu is actually saying that he will give them year-end bonuses, dividends, and even buy them houses!

Everyone felt hopeful for the future.

Looking at the simple and sincere eyes on his apprentices' faces, Liu Mingchuan felt inexplicably uncomfortable. If they hadn't followed such a useless and troubled teacher as him, with his reputation and the apprentices' education, each of them should have had a better future.

Chu Yu noticed Liu Mingchuan's disappointment, smiled, and said gently:

"Every cloud has a silver lining! On the surface, they've lost their positions at the state-owned enterprise research institute, their secure jobs. But who knows if this isn't a good thing! Who knows if it won't bring them enormous wealth? When Mandarin goes public in the future, with their original shares, they'll all be billionaires!"

"A billionaire? You really dare to dream."

"How could I not dare to think about it? Old Liu, the future is bright, the road is smooth, and Chinese society is facing transformation. Coming to my research institute might just be like entering a paradise! Anyway, as long as you become my employees, I will protect you, arrange your lives, and help you with everything, big or small. I know you are worried about your apprentices, but don't worry, I will not let them suffer."

Chu Yu's words were firm and resolute, carrying a sense of promise.

Liu Mingchuan thought about it and felt that this brat was being a bit too bold.

The cosmetics company had just been established and had raised over ten million yuan in funding. Before they could even report any results, they were asked to develop hyaluronic acid.

The company promised to provide housing even though they hadn't sold a single cosmetic product.

This girl's promises get bigger and bigger each time.

Liu Mingchuan smiled as he looked in the direction Chu Yu had left, but after a while, he realized something was wrong.

"That brat! She actually called me Old Liu!"

After Chu Yu provided the research direction, Liu Mingchuan and his apprentices read many foreign papers. Knowing that making phone calls was inconvenient, Chu Yu specially arranged for two computers to be purchased for them to use to send emails to foreign professors.

The researchers were extremely surprised.

These days, nobody has ever seen a computer, and nobody knows how to turn it on or off, let alone type or send emails.

Chu Yu had people provide them with basic training and sent over equipment that had just been purchased from abroad, ensuring that they had access to the most advanced equipment and the best-configured computers.

Da Lei touched the computer, completely captivated by it.

"Jia Quan, tell me, where in a state-owned enterprise research institute do we get this kind of treatment!"

"That's right. In the past, when we applied for 100 yuan in funding from higher-ups to replace equipment, we had to ask and plead three or four times for that amount of money. Even then, the higher-ups were still unhappy, thinking we were wasting money."

"What are those leaders doing! They don't understand chemistry, biopharmaceuticals, or respect for intellectuals; all they do is spout bureaucratic nonsense."

"You know what, Mr. Zhou not only respects us, but also highly values ​​us. This is the first time I've ever met a boss like him."

Da Lei nodded. Zhou Chuyu was young, but she had built a very successful business. Da Lei had never expected that she could attract 15 million yuan in investment and actually support the cosmetics factory.

Currently, their factory is operating under the guise of foreign investment and has received a lot of preferential treatment from the government. Da Lei often deals with government officials, and they all show them extra respect when they hear that they are employees of Mandarin.

Such respect and recognition are extremely rare for intellectuals.

Jia Quan's family was not well-off. He was not tall and not particularly outstanding, so he had never had a girlfriend.

That's how society is these days; it's very difficult to get married without a house. Jia Quan originally thought he had no hope in this life, but Chu Yu's words rekindled his confidence.

As long as they work hard and make a breakthrough in the extraction of hyaluronic acid through bio-fermentation, Chu Yu will not only give them a generous bonus, but also arrange housing for them.

With a house, Jia Quan could get married and bring his parents to Beijing to enjoy a comfortable life, just like everyone else.