Chapter Three
A few days later, Zuo Xutong received a call from the company that interviewed with her, informing her that she had been hired.
She hung up the phone and walked towards the exhibition hall. This was a fuel cell vehicle exhibition organized by the Longjin City New Energy Vehicle Industry Alliance. Wu Li's energy technology company was one of the exhibitors, so he invited Zuo Xutong to come and take a look to learn about the current development trends of the industry.
The hall was noisy, and the bright lights made her, someone who had spent years living in seclusion and burying herself in research in the lab, feel dizzy. So she walked towards the passenger car exhibition area, which was closer to the corner, only to unexpectedly run into the person she least wanted to see.
Zuo Xutong regretted not having visited the drive motor next to him first. Now, standing there with nowhere to hide, he could only watch helplessly as the man walked around a Toyota Miria and stood in front of him.
"This hydrogen-powered bus is equipped with a second-generation fuel cell system independently developed by ULTIMATE New Energy Company, and its range can reach 260 kilometers on a single refueling..." The guide was still talking non-stop not far away, but she automatically blocked out all the noise around her.
Luan Mingfeng was backlit, so his expression was obscured, but his tone revealed undisguised surprise: "Tongtong, you're here too."
"If I remember correctly, the main business of your Luan Group should be auto parts, right?" Zuo Xutong said coldly, trying her best to control her emotions.
"We are also new to the new energy field." The Luan Group was originally a traditional auto parts manufacturing company. A year ago, it entered the field of new energy vehicle batteries and invested in Chaoma New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. with three other companies. The Luan Group holds 39% of the shares and is the largest shareholder of Chaoma New Energy.
Zuo Xutong stared at him expressionlessly. In this game, the one who shows emotion first loses their self-respect. And besides that pitiful bit of self-respect, she had nothing left.
Zuo Xutong turned to leave, but Luan Mingfeng grabbed her arm. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang at an inopportune moment.
They were so close that she could clearly see the smoky gray fuzz on his suit and hear the voice coming through the microphone.
“Eee, ahh…” A baby’s voice came from the phone.
Her face turned deathly pale instantly. The childish, incoherent voice on the phone, babbling meaninglessly, was like the most vicious curse, shattering all her illusions.
The giant projection screen overhead was playing an advertisement for a new type of hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicle. It had a blue-gray body, a three-box structure, and more elegant lines than the Toyota in front of us. A man got into the driver's seat, turned around and said something to his wife and daughter in the back seat. The whole family grinned, and the scene was full of joy.
She had wondered countless times if her life would have been completely different if she hadn't insisted on her own way and had instead followed the established path to complete her doctorate. She gave up a high degree that so many people would kill for, all for a path with an uncertain future.
"It's getting cold, make sure he wears more clothes when he goes out..." Luan Mingfeng instructed on the other end of the phone, his gentleness and patience as a loving father fully displayed before her.
Thankfully, the pointless call lasted long enough for her to gradually regain her composure. Pretending to be indifferent was her forte, because numbness was far more disheartening than anger.
When Luan Mingfeng put down the phone, he saw a completely indifferent face, like a delicate porcelain doll, devoid of emotions, joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
"Let me go." The slight tremor in her voice betrayed the "porcelain doll's" weak confidence; she was not yet strong enough to disguise her pure mind from her face to her voice.
Zuo Xutong took a deep breath, worried that if she continued, she would completely lose her composure in front of him. Just as she was about to give in to this confrontation, she heard someone call out from the side, "President Luan, so you're here!"
The two of them looked in the direction of the sound without prior arrangement.
Before Guo Fei could finish speaking, he turned his head and saw Zuo Xutong again: "Who is this beautiful lady? Your lover?"
"No." Luan Mingfeng released her wrist, finally realizing his identity and the situation he was in.
“She was my… college classmate,” he explained vaguely, the long pause in between leaving much to the imagination.
"Oh, nice to meet you." Guo Fei extended his hand and gave a brief self-introduction. Only then did Zuo Xutong realize that he was the boss of Wu Li's company.
"I heard that Chaoma is developing hydrogen fuel cells, including key components and stacks, as well as fuel cell systems," Guo Fei said.
"Yes, I hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate in the future," Luan Mingfeng said with a smile, looking like a seasoned veteran.
The person in front of her felt strangely unfamiliar to Zuo Xutong. She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. How much could seven years change a person? She was still standing in the same place, while the other person seemed to have already moved forward a long way.
"That's for sure." Guo Fei nodded.
"Our company is just starting out, and we will have to rely on your guidance and support," Luan Mingfeng said modestly.
"President Luan, you flatter me. It's not certain who's favoring whom. Although Chaoma has only been established for a short time, how can it be compared to ordinary startups? With the backing of the powerful Luan Group, I believe you will soon make a name for yourself in the new energy field." Guo Fei was right. There are more than a dozen technology companies in the hydrogen energy industrial park in Longjin City. However, most of them are companies that produce hydrogen fuel cell components. Fewer than five companies have the ability to mass-produce hydrogen fuel cell stacks, and Chaoma New Energy is one of them.
"However, there are very few hydrogen refueling stations in China at present."
“It will be built sooner or later. I believe you understand your father’s vision better than I do,” Guo Fei said.
Luan Mingfeng smiled knowingly and frankly said, "Longjin City's hydrogen energy industrial park is preparing to establish a national technology standard innovation base, and the corresponding infrastructure is indispensable. Hydrogen-powered vehicles have a long driving range and short refueling time, which is close to that of traditional fuel vehicles, and the development prospects are very broad. However, many domestic companies still rely on imports for key materials for fuel cells, and even the few companies with mass production lines still lag behind international standards in the production of components such as membrane electrode assemblies, bipolar plates, and air compressors."
Guo Fei nodded in agreement: "That's why we urgently need companies like yours with independent R&D capabilities to solve technical problems. If the core technology is in our own hands, not only can we reduce the overall cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but the future industrial development will also not be subject to others. What my country's hydrogen energy industry lacks now is not only investment, but also talent." After saying that, he suddenly looked at Zuo Xutong: "You are President Luan's classmate, and you also graduated from a prestigious overseas university, right?"
Zuo Xutong awkwardly moved the corners of her mouth, managing to squeeze out a few words: "College classmate."
Sensing that the other person's expression was somewhat unnatural, Guo Fei wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
"You two chat, I won't disturb you." Zuo Xutong wanted to leave, but Luan Mingfeng stopped her again. He gripped her arm tightly, as if afraid she would disappear from his sight.
Upon seeing this, Guo Fei immediately understood. These two "classmates" had a close relationship. It turned out that he had been a third wheel for so long. He patted Luan Mingfeng on the shoulder meaningfully, said "Let's talk later," and walked towards other booths.
Before Guo Fei had gone far, Luan Mingfeng said, "You've been hired by our company."
His tone made it sound like he was announcing some good news, which was ridiculous. Zuo Xutong almost burst out laughing: "I'm not going."
Luan Mingfeng knew her too well. In front of him, she always held her head high with pride. After her father passed away, she lost all her sources of income. At her most difficult time, she couldn't even afford her tuition. She didn't ask him for help then, so how could she possibly lower herself to work for him now?
"I heard you've lost your job?" Luan Mingfeng said bluntly.
Zuo Xutong raised her head, her eyes filled with hatred as she looked at him. Was this the man who had betrayed her seven years ago now mocking her again?
"Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to pry into your life," Luan Mingfeng quickly explained. "I just wanted to help you out and hope you could have a better life."
"Help me out?" Her anger flared up instantly, and she could no longer pretend to be calm. "When did it become your turn to help me? If you dare to hire me into the company, I'll tell everyone that their CEO Luan, who graduated from a prestigious overseas university, was a terrible student in college, and someone else even helped him with his graduation thesis."
After saying that, she shook off Luan Mingfeng's hand and left without looking back.
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