Chapter 138: Winning the Gold Medal and the Joint Laboratory with the Agricultural University?
The 15-minute presentation came to a perfect end.
Backstage, Shi Wan finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Lin Yao rushed over and hugged her tightly, her expression dreamy. "Sister Wanwan! Look at the expressions on the faces of those people in the audience! They're all completely captivated! I feel like they'll all become orders for the farm!"
Su Qing also rushed over from the audience, her eyes shining like a wolf's. "My phone has been ringing off the hook since the presentation ended. At least ten companies want to talk about cooperation, and three investment institutions asked us if we accept financing."
Chen Xi remained relatively calm, but there was a smile in her eyes. "It has the technology, the warmth, and the quality. I think it's quite perfect."
Xinglin also said softly, "I also think you spoke very well."
Shi Wan turned to look at him, a smile spreading across her face. "It's because we worked together well."
Next came the awards ceremony.
Shi Wan and her team sat in the audience, watching the awards being presented one by one.
When the host announced that Meow Meow Mimi Farm had won the Gold Award for Pet Nutrition Innovation of the Year, Shi Wan was momentarily dazed.
It wasn't until Lin Yao excitedly pushed her, "Sister Wanwan! It's us! The gold medal!"
Shi Wan then came to her senses, got up and walked onto the stage.
The spotlight shone again, and the trophy landed heavily in his hands.
The host smiled and handed her the microphone, his eyes filled with friendliness and congratulations. "Ms. Shi, would you like to say your acceptance speech?"
Shi Wan looked down at the audience, her gaze sweeping over the excited faces of Su Qing, Chen Xi, and Lin Yao, before finally settling on Xing Lin.
He sat quietly, smiling and nodding at her.
“Thank you for the recognition from the organizing committee,” Shi Wan said, her voice trembling slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “This award belongs not only to me, but also to every member of our farm. Thank you to Manager Su Qing for her market development, to Supervisor Chen Xi for her logistical support, to Designer Lin Yao for her creative presentation, and to all the technical staff for their hard work.”
She paused, then looked in Xinglin's direction. "I especially want to thank our data engineer, Xinglin. Without the system he built and the technical support he provided, we wouldn't have achieved what we have today."
Applause erupted from the audience, and more people began to look at Xing Lin, some scrutinizing him with curiosity, others with eagerness and scheming.
But Xinglin paid no attention to any of that; he was only looking at the people on the stage.
"Finally," Shi Wan gripped the trophy tightly, "I want to dedicate this award to all the pet owners who have trusted us, and to every little animal on the farm. It is your trust that has given us the motivation to move forward. We will continue to work hard to ensure that more furry friends can eat healthy and suitable food. Thank you!"
She bowed again, and thunderous applause erupted.
After stepping down, Shi Wan was quickly surrounded by the media.
The flash kept going off, and problems kept popping up.
Xinglin naturally stood next to her, shielding her from the microphone that was too close, and took over answering some technical questions.
"Mr. Shi, what are the plans for the farm next?"
"Next, we will continue to improve the system, expand our product line, and serve more pets and owners."
"Teacher Xinglin, will the core technology of this system be open source?"
"We will consider open-sourcing some of the basic algorithms, but the core code involving trade secrets will be retained. Of course, we welcome our peers to work together to promote technological progress in the industry."
"Mr. Shi, do we have any plans to go public?"
"Currently, we are focused on products and services; going public is not our priority."
The Q&A session lasted for more than half an hour until Su Qing came to the rescue, saying, "Dear media friends, there is a special interview session scheduled later. Would you please let Mr. Shi take a break now?"
Having finally escaped, Shi Wan and her team returned to their hotel room.
As soon as the door closed, Lin Yao jumped up and down with cheers, "Gold medal! We won the gold medal! Sister Wanwan, did you see the expressions on the faces of those media people? Our farm is amazing!"
Su Qing was already scrolling through the news on her tablet. "Look, there are already reports! 'Miaomiao Mimi Farm wins the annual innovation gold award, customized pet food becomes a new trend in the industry,' and this article, 'Data + Nutrition, how this farm uses technology to pamper your furry friend.'"
Chen Xi's focus is more pragmatic: "It's good to have media attention, but we also need to be prepared for more customer inquiries and cooperation invitations. Our production capacity and service capabilities must be able to keep up."
Shi Wan nodded in agreement, then looked at Xing Lin and asked, "How many users can the system currently support?"
“The current architecture can support 100,000 users without any problem,” Xinglin quickly estimated. “But if the number of users continues to grow, then we will need to upgrade the server cluster and optimize the database structure. After this trip, I will make technical preparations in advance when I get back.”
“Okay.” Shi Wan rubbed her temples. “We’ll plan in detail when we get back, so now…”
She checked the time. "There's an industry networking dinner tonight. Everyone should go and rest for a bit. We'll meet here at six o'clock."
After everyone left, only Shi Wan and Xing Lin remained in the room.
Shi Wan walked to the window and looked at the night view outside.
The lights of the skyscrapers illuminated the bustling city as if it were daytime, and cars shuttled back and forth on the overpass. From here, the taillights of the cars looked like red lines when they lit up.
"Tired?" Xinglin walked to her side.
“A little,” Shi Wan said honestly, “it still feels a bit unreal. It’s like we were nervous about the first batch of prototypes yesterday, and today we’re standing on the highest podium in the industry.”
“Because you deserve it,” Xinglin said softly. “You deserve all the recognition and applause.”
Shi Wan turned to look at him.
Under the warm yellow light of the hotel room, Xing Lin's profile was clear yet gentle.
He looks very handsome in his suit today, exuding both the scholarly air of an intellectual and the sharp edge of a technical expert.
“Starfall,” she asked softly, “where would you be now if you hadn’t met me and hadn’t come to the farm?”
Xinglin was silent for a moment, then looked out the window at the night. "Perhaps he is still a mission taker in the system with no past and no future, or perhaps he has already vanished."
He spoke calmly, but Shi Wan sensed the heaviness in his voice.
Her heart tightened. "Dissipate?"
“Data life also has an end,” Xinglin turned back to look at her. “Without an anchor, without anything to hold onto, the data stream will gradually dilute and eventually return to nothingness. Even without the main system’s formatting, I would have dissipated without a sense of purpose over a long period of time. But now you have given me a reason to exist.”
Looking into his gentle and focused eyes, Shi Wan felt a slight relaxation in the tension that had been building up inside her.
“Xinglin,” she said softly, “let’s have a proper talk after we’re done with this busy period.”
Xinglin's answer was as always, "Okay."
A knock sounded at the door, and Lin Yao called from outside, "Sister Wanwan! The stylist is here, it's time to prepare your outfit for the banquet!"
Shi Wan responded and said to Xing Lin, "You should also go and prepare. There will definitely be many people who want to talk to you at the banquet."
"Okay." Xing Lin nodded, then turned back as he walked to the door. "Shi Wan, you look beautiful tonight."
After saying that, he left, leaving Shi Wan standing by the window, her cheeks slightly flushed.
The dinner was held in the hotel's banquet hall.
Shi Wan changed into a champagne-colored evening gown; the simple cut accentuated her elegant figure.
Xinglin also changed into a dark gray suit, and the two attracted a lot of attention when they appeared together.
Shi Wan barely had time to sit down throughout the entire banquet.
People kept coming over to offer toasts, exchange business cards, and discuss potential collaborations.
Some wanted to become product distributors, some wanted to invest or become shareholders, some wanted to collaborate on technology, and others simply wanted to get to know their peers.
Xinglin spent most of the time by her side, handling discussions about technical issues appropriately.
However, when Wan was surrounded by several overly enthusiastic investors, he would naturally take over the conversation and steer it towards a professional discussion, skillfully helping her out of the predicament.
Su Qing and Chen Xi also communicated within their respective circles.
Lin Yao was also pulled aside by several colleagues to discuss creative ideas, and her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Halfway through the banquet, an elderly man with gray hair walked up to Shi Wan.
Su Qing quickly introduced, "President Shi, this is Professor Li, a leading figure in animal nutrition at China Agricultural University, and one of the chairpersons of this judging panel."
Shi Wan greeted him with utmost respect, "Hello, Professor Li."
Professor Li smiled and shook hands with her. "President Shi is young and promising. Your presentation today really impressed this old man. The data system is very well done, but what is even more commendable is the concept, which is truly pet-centric."
“You flatter me,” Shi Wan said modestly. “We still have a lot to learn.”
“No need to be modest,” Professor Li waved his hand. “I’ve reviewed your product testing reports and customer feedback data. They’re very thorough, and…”
He looked at Xinglin with admiration in his eyes, "The data engineer designed the system architecture very well. I have a favor to ask. I wonder if you would be willing to cooperate with the Agricultural University to build a joint laboratory?"
Shi Wan and Xing Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and joy in each other's eyes.
“Professor Li, it’s our honor,” Shi Wan replied earnestly. “We can discuss the specific cooperation methods in detail.”
"Good, good." Professor Li nodded in satisfaction. "I'll have my assistant contact you later. The Chinese pet food industry needs new blood like you."
After seeing Professor Li off, Shi Wan was still somewhat dazed.
Even someone as composed as Su Qing couldn't contain her excitement, exclaiming, "A joint laboratory! Mr. Shi, do you know what this means? The research resources of the Agricultural University, the industry influence... our farm's status will be completely different!"
Shi Wan nodded, a surge of excitement welling up inside her.
From today onward, the farm is no longer just a successful business project, but a professional institution recognized by the academic community.
It was almost 11 p.m. when the dinner ended.
Back in her hotel room, Shi Wan was so exhausted that she almost wanted to collapse onto the bed.
But she still insisted on removing her makeup, washing up, and changing into comfortable pajamas first.
My phone is overflowing with unread messages: congratulations from employees, well wishes from friends, interview requests from the media, and various collaboration inquiries.
She quickly replied to a few important messages and then put down her phone.
Today's success is dazzling, but more than the excitement of receiving the award, she misses the ordinary yet warm daily life on the farm.
It's the image of Tangyuan squatting on the windowsill waiting for her to come home, the steady steps of Shanfeng patrolling, the gentle way Rourou licks the kitten, the image of Huanhuan and Doudou running wildly on the lawn every day, and the sneaky way Bingbing the dog steals food.
And every moment Xinglin spent by her side.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
Shi Wan opened the door, and Xing Lin stood outside, holding a cup of hot milk.
"You didn't eat much at the dinner party." He handed her the milk. "Drink some before you go to sleep."
Shi Wan took the cup, the warm touch spreading from her palms to her heart.
She looked at him and said softly, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"
Xinglin hesitated for a moment, but still went into the room.
The two sat down on the small sofa by the window and looked at the night view outside.
"Thank you for today," Shi Wan said softly. "You helped me avoid a lot of trouble at the banquet."
“Of course,” Xinglin said gently, “and I’m very happy to be by your side like this.”
The room quieted down, with only the faint sound of the air conditioner running.
The city lights outside the window still twinkled, and occasionally the lights of night planes streaked across the sky.
“Xinglin,” Shi Wan suddenly spoke up, “Let’s go see a movie when we get back.”
She spoke softly, with a hint of probing.
Xinglin turned to look at her, as if he understood her feelings.
“Okay,” his voice was as gentle as moonlight, “I’ll go back and check which movie has a high rating recently.”
The two looked at each other and smiled.
At this moment, warmth quietly begins to grow.
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