I transmigrated into the villain's white moonlight, but the protagonist is my brother.

Chapter 158. .

A light rain fell during the night, and the air was filled with the scent of earth mixed with grass, which was very refreshing.

However, the atmosphere in one office was somewhat tense.

The long, solid wood conference table was quite old, and the faces of the several elderly people present were somber.

"Recently, the international situation has become tense, which has limited our technological development. What are your thoughts on this?"

At the top of the long table sat an old man with gray hair. He had a square face, and although his face was lined with wrinkles, he was still very energetic, with bright and piercing eyes and a serious expression.

"These past few years have been incredibly difficult. Since chip imports were restricted, our domestic technology has reached a bottleneck. Apart from continuing in-depth research, there probably isn't any other way in the short term."

"We are in a very passive position right now. Technological breakthroughs also take time. The research institute has been working on it for two years, but the progress is not satisfactory."

"Yes, holographic technology has recently become available on the market. The only bottleneck right now is the chip. We need to solve the lithography machine problem as soon as possible, but..."

Solving problems sounds simple, but if they could be solved, they would have been solved long ago, instead of dragging on until now.

A group of veteran leaders talked for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion. They all looked worried and their wrinkles were so deep they could trap flies.

The road to technological advancement is long and arduous, and the gap cannot be bridged overnight.

The serious old man sitting in the main seat turned to look at the person next to him, "Has the research institute produced any new young talents this year?"

The man he was asked, Huang Yuan, was relatively young among the group of leaders, looking to be under fifty years old. "This year, Beicheng University, Yunchuan A University, and Jiang University have all brought in new talents, all of whom are promising."

"In previous years, which ones didn't have good prospects? Did they even produce any results? I know it's pointless to ask you this."

"..."

Huang Yuan paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

He received a job application email in his inbox yesterday. His company doesn't usually recruit publicly, but the email said it was obtained from their official website email address.

They usually don't pay attention to this kind of information, and he was also prepared to ignore it directly, but after casually clicking in and glancing at the content, he could no longer easily ignore it.

The email contained the sender's personal ideas on solving current scientific research problems, and included a paper on chips.

Huang Yuan read the paper and was greatly impressed. He immediately went to CNKI to search for it, hoping to find out which professor in the field had written it, but he found nothing.

"Boss, I think this paper is of a very high standard, but I don't know much about the other party yet. He said he wants to apply for a job here. What do you think...?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Hongxuan immediately put on his reading glasses and took the tablet to watch.

After a long while, he finally looked up from the tablet, his experienced and shrewd eyes gleaming. "Schedule an interview! Schedule an interview for me right now! I want to see what kind of talent he is!!"

......

After the meeting, a group of elderly people came down from the office building, some going back to work and others leaving for the day.

The old leader, who was just moments ago looking serious and imposing, has transformed into a great-grandfather picking up his great-grandson from school.

The mischievous children ran ahead, and Duan Hongxuan happily chased after them.

The residential area for researchers is beautiful and spacious. When Duan Hongxuan brought his great-grandson home, Zheng Huaiping had already prepared the meal.

The child buried his head in his food at the dinner table, barely saying a word. You could tell from his chubby, lotus-root-like arms that he'd always been a big eater.

Duan Hongxuan and Zheng Huaiping are both nearly eighty years old now, but they still can't let go of their careers. They love everything they do and are determined to fight until the very last moment.

However, starting last year, Zheng Huaiping was getting old and couldn't keep up anymore. She still cared about many issues, but she had already retired from the laboratory.

The two career-minded people got together and first chatted for a while about how their great-grandson hadn't inherited the family's good genes and could only score 30 points on every exam.

As the conversation went on, the topic returned to practical issues.

"Alas, we are now at the mercy of others, with our hands tied and our feet restricted. No matter how advanced or powerful our other technologies are, we can't use them."

Back home, Duan Hongxuan's airs of authority vanished without a trace, replaced by a bitter frown on his usually stern face. "Those damned foreigners! Aren't they just afraid we'll develop too fast and surpass them? How can they be so cunning and petty?"

Zheng Huaiping still loved drinking. She nodded thoughtfully and asked seriously, "Are you going to work tomorrow? How about I have some strong liquor with you? If you find it too spicy, I can dilute it with some water."

Duan Hongxuan slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "No drinking! The doctor specifically said not to drink, have you forgotten? You're riddled with ailments and you still dare to drink? What kind of 79-year-old lady drinks strong liquor and strong liquor all day long?"

A hint of embarrassment at being caught showed on Zheng Huaiping's aged yet elegant face. She coughed twice and said, "...Then I'll have some beer."

"no!"

"Have some iced cola."

"no!"

"Duan Hongxuan, have I been too kind to you?"

"I'll get you a Coke, I'll just add two ice cubes at most."

"...I think you just need to be taught a lesson."

After dinner, Duan Hongxuan remembered to tell Zheng Huaiping about the email, and asked her to come over tomorrow to interview the unknown person.

Zheng Huaiping readily agreed.

However, what the higher-ups saw as just a test with an uncertain outcome caused an uproar within the research institute.

Almost all of their researchers are top students admitted through university admission programs; they have never publicly recruited before.

Even if it's a public recruitment, there should be a written test and interview process. How can you suddenly decide on an interview so abruptly?

There must be something fishy.

A few people from the chip R&D department huddled together and chatted quietly for a while, eventually concluding that they might be getting a person with connections.

The department head is a female PhD in her thirties. Although she is usually strict, she can't stand people who rely on connections, so she turns a blind eye and lets them talk.

After finishing her tea, the female team leader put the cup down on the table and said, "Xiaotong, pour me a glass of water."

"Ok."

A woman who looked no younger than the team leader hurried over, filled a thermos with hot water, and respectfully placed it next to the team leader, saying, "Please call me if you need anything."

"Ah."

The researchers who were chatting paused for a moment when they saw the woman called Xiaotong.

I almost forgot, Xie Yutong is also a relative of others.

This person came four or five years ago.

I heard that her family used to be quite wealthy, but later their company suffered a serious accident due to substandard building materials, and they were also found to have evaded taxes. Her parents went to jail and the company went bankrupt. Xie Yutong went abroad to protect herself and even received financial assistance from kind-hearted people to complete her postgraduate studies.

Although her academic background sounds pretty good, in a research institute, a master's degree that can be obtained abroad by paying money is not respectable at all. Not to mention that Xie Yutong's family background is tainted, so she can't pass the review at all. Therefore, she can only be a temporary employee here.

Even if it were a temporary position, she wouldn't be able to get into a place like this with her qualifications. Who would believe that she didn't pull strings behind the scenes?

Who doesn't know that she's close to Huang Yuan?

"I can't even imagine what the atmosphere in my workplace will become in the future."

"Don't even mention it. I just hope it doesn't go wrong while we're focused on our research."

"Sigh, it's better to be good at getting into bed than to be good at studying. We worked so hard to get to where we are now, while others can just lie there and do nothing. This world is really something, haha."

The group didn't speak loudly. After exchanging a few words, they dispersed, too busy with work to chat much longer.

But outside the door, leaning against the wall, Xie Yutong stood there expressionless, her nails digging tightly into her palms, her fists trembling.

This institution is indeed one of the most prestigious in China right now, with high salaries, high bonuses, and high status. Every year, countless PhDs scramble for a spot through the guaranteed admission program, and elites who are rarely seen in ordinary times are desperate to get in.

But so what?

Xie Yutong firmly believes that no one has ever given more than her.

She gave everything she could, everything.

She got to this position on her own merit.

"...Where's Xiaotong? Bring the mop, there's water on the floor!"

Xie Yutong bit her lip so hard it almost bled, but quickly smiled gently again, "I'm here, you're here."

******

A paper of dubious origin has piqued the interest of several seasoned academics.

When Xie Yan arrived at the interview room, she felt rather embarrassed by the stares of the dozen or so leaders and senior scholars sitting in front of her.

She had actually considered the impact this paper would have. It was a paper on a new chip architecture design that she had read a couple of years ago, which discussed entirely new concepts such as AI accelerators and quantum chips, and was revolutionary for the world.

But I never expected that this shock would be so directly reflected on the faces of the leaders.

Little did they know that some of the interviewers were actually surprised by Xie Yan's age.

Everyone felt that the author of this paper, even if not an old man with white hair like them, should at least be a middle-aged man.

Unexpectedly, a young and beautiful woman came.

Xie Yan was wearing a white shirt dress today, with a thin black leather belt cinching her waist. Her back was slender and straight, and behind her cool-looking glasses was a stunningly beautiful face that stunned everyone.

The interviewers exchanged glances, wondering if there had been a mistake. How could someone so young possibly write such a paper?

Zheng Huaiping sat in the chair and was taken aback when she saw Xie Yan, feeling that she looked somewhat familiar.

She's getting old, and it seems difficult for her to recall the students she only briefly taught for one semester ten years ago; her memories from many years ago are like a jumbled mess.

But when she saw the resume in her hand, she remembered.

She once had a female student, one of the few girls among her hundreds of students, who later died in an accident while participating in a competition. She still remembers that Xie Yan was the first place winner in the national competition that year.

A very outstanding student.

Duan Hongxuan became suspicious as soon as he saw Xie Yan's appearance. Was she really the author of the paper? Could she have stolen the teacher's article for personal gain?

He muttered under his breath, "Can a girl this pretty really do good research...?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Huaiping immediately pinched him and whispered, "Why can't a pretty girl do research? There are plenty of smart girls out there, I've seen far more than you. Don't try to discriminate against me!"

Duan Hongxuan had his upper arm pinched, but he kept a straight face and didn't move, while in reality he had already started begging his wife for mercy.

Seeing that Duan Hongxuan didn't question anything, the others didn't say anything more, and the interview began.

Xie Yan looked at Professor Zheng, one of the interviewers, and felt very happy.

Seeing that Professor Zheng is still healthy and strong, and even has the strength to pinch people, Xie Yan really likes this little old lady who loves to drink.

As for why she came here, she wanted a stable job, one that wouldn't be easily fired, and one where she could make a contribution.

In her world, the chip problem had already been solved, so when she saw news reports about the limitations on domestic chip development, she came up with this idea.

She wanted to do something.

Although the two sides are at different levels of development, they are mostly similar, so it is not too difficult to bring things from there into this world.

Xie Yan offered her interpretation of the paper from multiple perspectives.

Chips are the core components of electronic devices, and lithography machines play a crucial role in the chip manufacturing process. Their precision and performance directly affect the efficiency and quality of chip manufacturing.

In addition to focusing solely on research and development, it is also necessary to improve the technological level of key aspects such as manufacturing and packaging testing, and to simultaneously advance both aspects without relying on technological cooperation with other countries.

Their country is fully capable of independently developing super chips and lithography machines, without relying on anyone else.

Xie Yan's voice was calm and even, like a clear spring that easily draws people in. People's thoughts drifted away with her words, and no one paid attention to her face anymore.

She spoke fluently and answered the interviewer's questions with ease. She had ready-made solutions for every possible question they raised!

As they listened, everyone's expressions changed.

Suddenly, a sprightly old man by the door got up and rushed out, then rushed back just a few seconds later with a notebook and pen in his hand, intending to write down everything Xie Yan had said.

At this point, the interview had taken on a different feel, and there was a vague sense that they were listening to some kind of expert lecture.

Those present were all academics, and therefore more sensitive to technical matters.

They became more and more excited as they listened, seemingly believing that the directions Xie Yan mentioned were all highly feasible.

The interview lasted for nearly 100 minutes.

The R&D department staff had initially wanted to see if the interviewee would be hired, but in the end, they couldn't wait any longer, as the job was more important.

So when Xie Yan was warmly escorted to the R&D department by several old men, the place was deserted.

Only the woman mopping the floor in the corridor flicked mud off the white wall, as if venting her anger, or perhaps simply not controlling her strength properly.

Hearing the loud footsteps behind him, the figure dragging his feet suddenly became weak, and the mud splattered no longer flew around.

Xie Yutong had a perfect smile on her face, but when she turned around and saw Xie Yan, she froze.