Qiao Yanan screamed frantically in her head: "System, system, where have you been? Come out! System..."
She supported herself on the podium with both hands to prevent her trembling legs from being unable to support her whole body weight and falling to her knees.
248 was gone, and she was no longer faced with the dozens of employees in Haiming Group's R&D department, but with the entire communications industry. They sat in the brightly lit hall, looking at her with admiration. Among them were CEOs of major companies, scientists from top research institutes, and even high-ranking government officials.
If Qiao Yanan were to be stripped of her skin in front of these people, she would no longer be able to gain a foothold in the communications industry. She would be ruined and penniless. Her 60 million yuan annual salary, hundreds of millions of yuan in stock dividends, luxury cars and mansions, a bright future, and wealth would all be gone.
She felt happy when she plotted against Zhuang Li, but when she faced the same situation herself, she realized how desperate it was.
In panic, she held her forehead, shook her body, and acted extremely weak.
The host quickly stepped forward to support him: "Minister Qiao, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm sorry, something happened to me earlier, and I'm still recovering. I didn't have breakfast this morning, so I'm a little tired." She bent down tremblingly, her tone full of guilt: "I'm so sorry, I was so rude..."
Faking illness is always a good tactic for attractive women. Her face was truly dismal, with large beads of cold sweat pouring out, captured clearly by the camera. No one doubted her excuse, and her drug addiction was no secret within the industry.
For a genius scientist, as long as her brain is still useful, a little flaw in her character, personality or living habits is not a big problem at all.
Those who wanted to ask questions put their hands down and said considerately, "Minister Qiao, please go back and rest. We'll discuss this again when we have the chance."
Tu Si, who was sitting at the front table with government officials, also stood up and walked quickly to the stage, as if he wanted to personally support Qiao Yanan.
At that moment, a lazy voice spread through the microphone: "Ms. Qiao, you can hire someone to write a speech, you can steal scientific research results, but no one can help you with technical communication. So, are you going to repeat your old trick and feign illness this time?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xuan Ming holding a microphone to Zhuang Li's mouth. Zhuang Li held his chin with one hand and tapped the table with the other. The smile on the corner of his mouth was very faint, but it showed full of contempt and ridicule.
Qiao Yanan wanted to continue walking backstage, but Tu Si clamped her arm and held her in place, frowning as if he was angry.
Zhuang Li continued, "Ms. Qiao, I've said you don't understand communications technology. No matter how many people question this, I won't take it back. If you still have a bit of nerve, if you want to prove yourself, if you possess absolute strength, then please answer me a question. If you can answer this question, I, Zhuang Li, will disappear from your sight forever. What do you think? Do you dare?"
Qiao Yanan's face turned from pale to blue in an instant.
Does she dare?
Even if 248 was still there, she wouldn't dare respond to Zhuang Li's provocation, let alone now?
248 is a highly intelligent robot. How smart can someone be who even it smacks of their own laurels? Can the average person afford to provoke Zhuang Li, who has repeatedly battled and triumphed against intelligent robots from higher planes?
Qiao Yanan wanted to shake his head, wanted to run away, wanted to disappear on the spot, but he couldn't do so because of Tu Si's obstruction, and he was also frozen in place because of the supportive faces in the audience.
"Minister Qiao, please stay and teach this gentleman a lesson." Someone shouted indignantly.
Zhuang Li's 5G technology, so advanced and comprehensive that it was currently kept secret, meant the outside world was unaware of its true capabilities. However, several government officials with inside knowledge raised their eyebrows in dissatisfaction.
"Yanan, you are now the director of the R&D department of Tupu. If you are questioned, it means that Tupu is also questioned. It's just a problem and it can be solved in a few minutes. Go ahead." Tu Si held Qiao Yanan's shoulders and had full trust in her.
Qiao Yanan was pushed back onto the podium and then hoisted into the air. The experience that had once embarrass her most was now happening again. The same enemy, the same predicament, like a recurring nightmare that always strikes back after its end.
Can she shake her head and say no?
Of course not. If she did that, her knowledge and ability would be questioned by everyone.
Or just faint?
As soon as this thought came to mind, Zhuang Li said with a smile: "Don't pretend to be dizzy, I have plenty of ways to make you sober in one second." He stretched out his slender index finger and shook it left and right, and a mischievous light flashed in his slightly curved narrow eyes.
Qiao Yanan, who was holding his forehead and looking shaky, immediately became stiff all over.
Tu Si, still resting his hand on her shoulder, noticed her muscles tense suddenly, and his eyes darkened. A sense of foreboding surged from the depths of his heart. However, the situation was completely under Zhuang Li's control, and Tu Si had no way to break it.
Zhuang Li has placed Qiao Yanan on a pedestal too high. She now has only two choices: one is to ascend to the sky with her own strength, and the other is to fall from the air and suffer a heavy loss.
At the same time, the technicians of the Haiming Group were still shouting, "Minister Qiao, it's just a question, what are you afraid of? You are the most outstanding scientist in the field of communications!"
Well, the shelf is getting higher and higher, and it really can’t be brought down.
Qiao Yanan bit her tongue and said with a mouth full of fishy smell, "Mr. Zhuang, what do you want to ask?" She tried hard to control her inner panic, but every muscle in her body trembled involuntarily.
The scene before her was grand and solemn. All the industry leaders, experts, CEOs, and officials from relevant government agencies were watching her performance from the audience. The dense array of cameras on the trusses also broadcast her every move to the Internet, allowing millions of ordinary people to freely comment on it.
She was like a trapped beast in an iron cage, with swords, spears, and halberds sticking out of her body, her fur stained with bright red blood. She was about to be killed, but she had no place to retreat or hide.
She cried out in her heart for the last time: "System, help me!"
She was still met with dead silence.
Not only was her body shaking, but even her teeth were chattering.
Tu Si, standing nearby, had a dark complexion, but he still managed to force a decent smile. He had naturally seen through Qiao Yanan's unusual behavior and was anxiously thinking about how to escape, when he heard Zhuang Li say in a casual tone, "Ms. Qiao, listen carefully—"
He deliberately paused for a few seconds before asking the question.
Qiao Yanan, who was already anxious, felt even more anxious. His heart was in his throat, his mind was in a mess, he could not remember anything, and could not think of anything.
Zhuang Li curled the corners of his crimson lips and continued, "Please explain what Non-Orthogonal Multiple ess means."
Tu Si's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and her forced smile instantly transformed into a genuine one. The entire audience erupted in astonishment. They had never expected Zhuang Li to place Qiao Yanan on such a high pedestal, forcing her into such an awkward position, only to ultimately ask such a foolish question.
Non-Orthogonal Multiple ess is translated into Chinese as non-orthogonal multiple access technology, which is one of the entry-level technologies for 5G research and development. In her speech just now, Minister Qiao mentioned this technology many times and emphasized its importance. How could she not answer it?
Is Mr. Zhuang mentally ill? Is he here to play house wine? President Xuan is so generous and courageous that he promoted such a person to the position of Head of Technology Department!
Thinking of this, everyone looked at Xuan Ming with a subtle look.
The engineers at Future Map laughed, then sighed and shook their heads. Finally, they said with emotion, "It's our fault. We shouldn't have been so angry with Mr. Zhuang before. How old is he? Is he three years old? Mr. Xuan, you should send him to kindergarten for further education."
Someone else was even more blunt: "This question is simply stupid!"
"Well, this question is indeed stupid." Zhuang Li was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and nodded, raising his chin towards the stage. "But your Minister Qiao can't even answer such a stupid question."
Everyone looked at Qiao Yanan, and then fell silent.
She was sweating profusely, her lips were trembling, her pupils were trembling, and she looked like she was stumped by the question.
No way! It's just a translation of an English technical term into Chinese. Minister Qiao can't possibly not be able to answer it! Is she addicted to drugs again?
Just as everyone was thinking this, Zhuang Li casually blocked Qiao Yanan's other escape route: "Minister Qiao, don't always use drug addiction as an excuse. Your medical examination report is already on your resume for everyone to see. You are in good health now, otherwise Future Map would not be so eager to invite you to join us."
Qiao Yanan's fingers gripped the podium, breaking several nails and drawing blood, yet she was so nervous she felt no pain. She was shaking, constantly, with cold sweat coating her forehead and trickling down her damp temples to her chin. She looked utterly utterly miserable. The anxiety, guilt, and panic in her eyes threatened to turn into tears.
Without her greatest support, she was reduced to her original form in an instant.
A camera suspended above her head captured these details and displayed them on a giant LED screen.
The entire venue could see these incredibly clear images and could truly feel Qiao Yanan's emotions. She wanted to escape, her legs so weak she could barely stand. She simply couldn't answer this simple, almost idiotic question!
Then an absurd idea came into everyone's mind at the same time.
Before they could raise any questions, Zhuang Li chuckled and delivered his verdict: "I told you last time, if you can't even understand technical terminology, how can you possibly understand communications technology? You mentioned non-orthogonal multiple access technology 17 times in your speech just now. The English translation is Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access."
Zhuang Li's chuckle was like a cold wind, making Qiao Yanan shiver.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something professional to refute the claim, but she had no reference material in her head. She still had no idea what 5G technology was.
Zhuang Li asked question after question: "Didn't the person who wrote your manuscript help you mark the English terms?"
"It seems you're not very good at English. How did you write the pure English papers that were published in foreign journals?"
"Where did you steal your scientific research results from?"
"You seem very unconvinced?"
Zhuang Li's eyes, filled with interest, met Qiao Yanan's resentful ones. With a wave of his hand, he addressed everyone present and chuckled, "Then please answer the questions raised by everyone here and prove yourself with your superior skills. Anyone who wishes to discuss this with Minister Qiao may raise their hands now."
A large number of arms were raised in the audience. Some looked puzzled, some were extremely angry, and some shouted urgently, "Minister Qiao, you must prove yourself today!"
Qiao Yanan closed his eyes tightly, not daring to face this terrible world again.
However, no matter how she escaped, she had to step over this hurdle today, even if the other side of the hurdle was the abyss that Zhuang Li had already prepared for her.
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