Rebirth of the Rich Second Generation's Growth Diary

Chapter 120 Hayes! Crisis is also an opportunity, a ray of hope after a turning point!
In the hotel room, the atmosphere was as solemn as the dead silence before a storm. The heavy curtains completely isolated the hustle and bustle of the outside world, leaving only a dim and depressing atmosphere in the room.

The light was dim, like a candle that would go out at any moment, casting mottled shadows on the wall, making the already depressing space seem even more negative.

Li Xu rubbed his temples, frowning, and said to Xue Xue, "Turn on all the lights a little, brighter."

Xue Xue nodded and walked quickly to the switch. With a few soft "clicks", the light instantly turned on, but the chill did not seem to dissipate.

Liu Yunfei gave a wry laugh, his voice particularly abrupt in the silent room: "Is Lei Yinbing still in the room?"

Ye Ruida nodded, his eyes full of worry, and subconsciously glanced towards the door, as if he could see Lei Yinbing busy in the room opposite through the closed door.

In the room opposite, Lei Yinbing was still redesigning the sensor.

Outside the window, the neon lights of the city flickered, and the hustle and bustle of traffic could be heard faintly, but he was completely unaware.

Five or six hours had passed since the first special report. It was now late at night and the whole world seemed to have fallen asleep. Only he was still struggling with the problem.

Xue Xue frowned, her face full of displeasure, and said angrily: "That judge is really difficult, he is deliberately picking on us!"

Compared to Xue Xue's emotionality, Ye Ruida appeared much calmer. He looked calm, slowly shook his head and said, "I should have considered this issue before."

Liu Yunfei, however, held the same view as Xue Xue and said unhappily, "I don't think this is a big problem. Isn't it just using foreign chips?"

Li Xu remained silent and sat quietly aside, his thoughts drifting far away.

As Xue Xue and Liu Yunfei said, they simply used foreign chips in the sensor module, which is indeed not a big problem.

After all, at this stage, the domestic large enterprises have not yet developed, and the chip war with Amy will not start until several years later.

But today the judge pointed out this very issue in very strong words.

Li Xu has never been a self-pitying person. He knows very well that complaining will not solve the problem.

This is just a scientific research competition. If it were to enter a real business battlefield, the difficulties encountered would definitely be worse than now, and the unfair treatment encountered would also be more unbearable than now.

So what Li Xu is thinking about now is how to solve the current problem.

There are two paths before them.

The first approach is to ignore the problems pointed out by the professor and continue to deploy the pilot according to the previous plan.

The only thing that has not been domestically produced is the sensor module. Even if technical points are to be deducted, it is unlikely that too many points will be deducted.

Moreover, the judges on site may not have the same standards, and not all judges care about localization.

But it will undoubtedly be more difficult to get the final prize by persevering all the way.

One point tested in this competition is the ability to solve problems when encountering difficulties, which is counted in the innovation and practicality points.

If you don't choose this path, then the second path is...

Li Xu lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Then he slowly raised his head, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

Modify the original hardware solution and replace the sensor modules from foreign companies with domestic chips.

After they came back, Lei Yinbing didn't even eat dinner and locked himself in the hotel room to do this.

He took all the responsibility on himself.

The original competition rules did mention that the cost and parts-to-whole ratio of the materials involved should be considered as much as possible. In fact, this was an implicit encouragement for everyone to use domestic materials.

However, when designing the hardware, Lei Yinbing chose foreign chips that were more expensive but had significantly better performance in order to reduce his workload and difficulty.

At that time, Li Xu provided sufficient funds, so Lei Yinbing did not think in that direction.

Now, they didn't expect that this would become a flaw that would restrict their performance in the competition, and all the regret and self-blame flooded into their hearts.

Lei Yinbing felt that it was all his responsibility.

At this moment, the room was silent, with only the sound of him typing on the keyboard and fiddling with the instruments.

He locked himself in the room with regret and redesigned it. The light shone on his tired face, reflecting the deep dark circles under his eyes.

Ye Ruida asked: "Lei Yinbing has locked himself in for several hours. Let's go see him."

Li Xu nodded, and the two stood up. Their footsteps were particularly clear in the silent corridor.

They knocked on Lei Yinbing's door and saw that Lei Yinbing had red eyes and a look of frustration.

Seeing this scene, everyone's heart sank slightly.

The room was filled with various drawings and parts, and it was a mess.

Xue Xue said angrily, "Lei Yinbing, please stop it. At worst, we can just deploy the equipment with the current plan. I don't believe that they will deduct a lot of technical points just because a sensor module uses a foreign chip!"

Ye Ruida shook his head and said, "If points are to be deducted, it will probably not just be the technical points. The innovation and practicality points will also be deducted as appropriate. After all, the problem was raised, but we did not further solve it."

Everyone was silent.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.

At this moment, everyone looked at Li Xu.

Li Xu pondered for a moment and asked, "How's Yinbing doing now?"

It would have been better if Li Xu didn't ask, but when he did, Lei Yinbing's tears suddenly burst out.

Then he wiped it with his sleeve and said while sobbing, "I modified the circuit three times, but the domestic chips in these solutions can't withstand the high-frequency interference at all."

There was no trace of the pride he once had on Lei Yinbing's face.

If he is given enough time, he can still design a hardware solution that meets the standards using worse domestic chips.

But the problem now is that according to the previous speed of the foundry, if a new design plan is not produced within three days, it will be impossible to deploy the system within a month.

In this way, one wrong step will lead to a complete loss.

How to do?
Everyone was silent at this time, but there was not much anxiety on Li Xu's face, and he showed a thoughtful expression.

He slowly walked to the chair in the corner and sat down, his chin resting on his wrist, his fingers gently rubbing under his lips. The room was so quiet that only his light breathing could be heard.

After a moment, Li Xu slowly raised his head, his gaze becoming firm. He spoke in a deep voice, "Every crisis and difficulty may actually be an opportunity. The judges did give us a difficult problem this time, but if we can solve it, not only will our technical points be greatly increased, but our innovation and practicality points will also increase significantly. Furthermore, by reducing costs, we will also increase our commercial points!"

“Behind every crisis is an opportunity!”

Then Li Xu looked at Lei Yinbing and said, "The problem now is just the chip, right?"

Lei Yinbing hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Li Xu looked at Lei Yinbing with burning eyes and said, "If we can find a domestically produced chip that meets the performance requirements, how quickly can you come up with a new hardware solution?"

Lei Yinbing gritted his teeth and said, "One night! The entire hardware solution doesn't need to be modified too much. If we can really find a chip with performance comparable to or even slightly inferior to Texas Electric, I'm confident that I can come up with a replacement solution in a very short time!"

Li Xu stood up, walked towards Lei Yinbing and said, "Okay, you and I will go somewhere tonight."

Lei Yinbing was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where are we going?"

The others also looked at Li Xu with confusion.

Li Xu didn't explain too much and said to Lei Yinbing, "By the way, bring all the tools, especially the multimeter."

Then he said to the others, "Time is running out and there's no time to explain everything to everyone. All work will be temporarily suspended. Wait for news from Lei Yinbing and me!"

After saying that, he strode towards the door. Lei Yinbing hurriedly packed up his tools and followed closely behind him. The two figures quickly disappeared at the end of the dim corridor.

……

The night was as dark as ink, thickly enveloping the entire capital.

Li Xu threw all of Lei Yinbing's things into the shiny trunk of the 5 Series. The dull sound echoed in the silent parking lot for a moment and was then swallowed by the darkness.

Then, he opened the car door swiftly and got into the driver's seat without saying a word, his movements showing an unquestionable decisiveness.

The dashboard inside the car emitted a faint blue light, reflecting Li Xu's stern face.

At this time, Lei Yinbing finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?" His voice was full of confusion and uneasiness, which seemed particularly abrupt in this quiet space.

Li Xu started the car, and the engine instantly emitted a low roar, like the roar of a beast that had been dormant for a long time.

After shifting into S gear, he turned his head, looked at Lei Yinbing calmly, and slowly uttered four words: "Sz Special Zone!"

Lei Yinbing was stunned for a moment, his brain seemed to be frozen, and he had not yet reacted.

Li Xu stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and heard a sharp sound from the friction between the tires and the ground. A huge acceleration suddenly pressed Lei Yinbing onto the seat. He felt as if his body was being pushed by an invisible big hand to run wildly in front, while his soul was still slowly chasing behind.

After coming to his senses, Lei Yinbing hurriedly put on his seat belt, his movements full of panic.

Late at night in the capital, there are very few vehicles on the streets, and the dim street lights stand quietly on both sides of the road like silent guards.

Li Xu's car sped along the road like black lightning, the wind whistling outside the window, and soon it was on the airport highway.

On the airport highway, the lights receded one by one, and the trees on both sides were dim in the night, like ghosts flashing by quickly.

……

It was a late-night flight, and the cabin was filled with a tired and quiet atmosphere.

Lei Yinbing was sitting next to Li Xu, and his eyes were inadvertently attracted by a beautiful flight attendant.

She has a lithe figure, with black stockings wrapped around her slender legs, and every step she takes is graceful.

Lei Yinbing's eyes unconsciously followed the other person's black stockings.

When she was seen by a young lady, the corners of her mouth rose slightly and she laughed softly.

This smile made Lei Yinbing's face flush red all the way to his ears. He wanted to find a hole to crawl into or just flush himself down the plane toilet. Li Xu, who was standing next to him, looked at Lei Yinbing's awkward expression and couldn't help but laugh. He said, "If you want to look, just look openly. Why are you so shy?"

His laughter echoed in the waiting hall, attracting the attention of several people around him.

Lei Yinbing's face turned even redder. Compared to his intelligence in academics, Lei Yinbing was an absolute rookie in terms of feelings.

He had never been in love before, so he would blush and feel at a loss when dealing with any pretty girl. Even when Xue Xue from their team hit him occasionally, it would cause ripples in his heart.

In comparison, Lei Yinbing was particularly envious of Li Xu. No matter how beautiful the girl was, he would not blush or feel nervous when talking to her. Instead, he was very comfortable with it. He could make the girls blush just by telling a few jokes.

Sitting on the plane at this time, the lights in the cabin are soft.

Putting aside things related to the subject for the time being, Lei Yinbing thought for a while and then wanted to ask Li Xu if he had any tips on dealing with girls.

But as soon as he turned his head, he found that Li Xu had fallen asleep.

His head leaned back slightly on the seat, his breathing even and steady.

Lei Yinbing was stunned. "So fast?"

He suddenly remembered what Li Xu said a long time ago: a truly powerful person should master the skill of falling asleep anytime and anywhere, and seize every opportunity to rest and restore energy. Even taking a nap of more than ten minutes in the car can keep you energetic for the next few hours.

Seeing this, Lei Yinbing closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, those complicated circuit diagrams and densely packed chip parts kept appearing in his mind like a kaleidoscope, making his mind a mess and unable to calm down at all.

At this time, the flight attendant was walking around pushing a food cart. The elegant scent of her perfume was like a spring breeze, gently penetrating into his heart. However, this not only did not make Lei Yinbing relax, but made it even more difficult for him to calm down.

After a while, I finally dozed off to sleep, but was woken up by a sweet voice: "Sir, would you like a drink?"

Lei Yinbing suddenly opened his eyes and saw the sweet flight attendant smiling at him, his face blushing again.

Looking at Li Xu next to him, he had woken up at some point. He was holding a cup of cola soda in his hand. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Then he returned the paper cup to the flight attendant with smooth and natural movements.

Lei Yinbing thought about it and ordered a cup of Coke. The flight attendant turned around and poured it for him and handed it back.

Lei Yinbing just took a sip and was about to ask Li Xu what he was doing in the Sz Special Zone.

When I turned around, I found that Li Xu had closed his eyes again, as if he had fallen asleep. His breathing was still steady, as if the wakefulness just now was just a brief interlude.

Looking at this scene, Lei Yinbing showed a speechless expression and shook his head slightly.

But after a moment, his spirits lifted again. Li Xu's calmness actually gave him great encouragement.

Lei Yinbing thought silently, Li Xu must have a way!

At this moment, outside the window of the plane, thick clouds piled up like ink, and a dazzling flash of lightning suddenly split the dark clouds, illuminating the entire night sky in an instant.

……

The first question is, are there any chips in China that can meet the needs of Li Xu and others?

The answer is of course yes.

In fact, chips are just tools for computing. If the solution is advanced enough, even with worse chips, a hardware solution that meets the standards can be designed.

The problem now is that if Lei Yinbing wants to use those easily purchased domestic chips to redesign the plan, there is not enough time. He must find a domestic chip that can match the Dz chip currently in use.

Others may not know where to find such a chip, but as a reborn person, Li Xu naturally knows some inside information.

In his previous life, Li Xu’s achievements in business could be said to be negative, but his experience was not false.

After a long period of study and accumulation, some of those experiences have gradually turned into wealth - he already knows how to use those experiences. For example, at this moment, he knows where to go and how to get the chip.

After Li Xu got off the plane, the cabin door slowly opened and a humid and warm air blew in his face.

People were coming and going in the airport hall, and the sound of broadcasts and the friction of suitcase wheels were intertwined, forming a noisy background sound.

He and Lei Yinbing followed the crowd towards the exit. The passengers around them had different expressions, some were in a hurry, and some looked tired.

Along the way, he kept talking on the phone, with the phone to his ear and a focused look on his face.

Sometimes there were noisy voices coming from the receiver, and sometimes it was quiet for a few seconds. Li Xu sometimes frowned, sometimes nodded, and sometimes explained a few words eagerly.

At times like this, it is necessary to make use of his father's connections. After many twists and turns, Li Xu finally determined the final destination of this trip.

After coming out of the airport, a taxi slowly stopped in front of them. The body of the taxi was a little mottled. Li Xu and Lei Yinbing got in. The interior of the car was filled with a faint smell of leather and air freshener. The seats were a little old and they could feel a slight dent when sitting on them.

The taxi started slowly, and the street scene outside the window flashed quickly like a slide show, speeding towards the destination.

The sky was getting light, and the faint light of morning light gently sprinkled on the earth, giving the whole city a light golden hue.

On the streets, people who got up early have already started to get busy. Smoke rises from the breakfast stalls and the aroma of fried dough sticks fills the air.

The Feiyang Times Building stands in the morning light, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

The exterior wall of the building was a bit mottled and looked very old. There were a few worn-out motorcycles parked at the door, and a few people in casual clothes were smoking and chatting nearby.

At the smuggling counter in the building, a Chaoshan boss, cigarette in hand, smoke curling in front of him, wrapped a sample codenamed "Yi Liu" with black tape. He looked at Li Xu and Lei Yinbing with a scrutinizing look and said, "Students want this? It has two fewer cores than Qualcomm."

Lei Yinbing looked around, but his attention was finally attracted by the counter. The counter was a bit shabby, and was piled with all kinds of sundries. There were also some electronic components of unknown use placed around it.

At this time, Li Xu was seriously recalling the memories of his previous life.

In his previous life, he clearly remembered two things that happened this year, just in these few months.

The first thing is the policy related to electricity prices, the tiered electricity policy, which will be implemented around July of the following year. The reason I remember this is because Lu Weifeng often complained about it when he was playing with cars in his previous life.

The second thing is related to the engineering sample chip production company in front of us, which later became the famous Hayes.

At this time, most of HiSilicon's products were still 40-nanometer industrial process chips. In the field of mobile communications, it had not even produced the Kirin chip. It only had a certain market share in some specialized chip fields. No one knew what this company would become in the future.

What was related to this company was that a batch of chips they manufactured affected the parent company due to yield issues, which caused a lot of controversy at the time.

Li Xu often heard his father talk about this matter when chatting with him in his previous life, so he wrote it down. Now it has become his bargaining chip for a comeback!
Li Xu said to the boss, "Which company is this from?"

The boss frowned and said, "Student, don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."

Lei Yinbing next to him became nervous, his hands clenched unconsciously, he always felt that this kind of transaction was too dangerous, as if he was doing something very bad.

The dim lights, the messy environment, and the boss's unfathomable eyes made his heart beat faster.

However, Li Xu had done a lot of similar things when he was playing with cars in his previous life, so he was naturally familiar with dealing with these people.

Li Xu took the chip and expertly removed the sealant, revealing the model number. He then said to the boss, "This is a defective industrial product that Hayes made for his parent company. I want to see the person in charge of your warehouse."

The boss frowned and said, "You can take what you want. We don't have this rule here."

Li Xu said seriously: "I can eat all your goods!"

The boss narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes, and after a brief pause, he said, "Student, are you bragging?"

Li Xu had no choice but to bring up his father's name. He searched Baidu for his father's company on his phone, put it on the table and slowly pushed it over, saying, "This is my dad. Believe me, I have the ability to consume your batch of chips."

There was a thin layer of dust on the table, and the phone looked out of place on it.

The boss fell silent again, staring at the message on his phone. He thought for a long time before saying, "Follow me."

Lei Yinbing hugged his things tightly and looked at Li Xu nervously.

Li Xu smiled and responded with a calm smile, as if telling him that everything was under control.

Ten minutes later, Li Xu met Lao Cao in the underground warehouse.

The warehouse was filled with a stale smell, and the dim lights flickered in the corners, as if they would go out at any time.

Various goods were piled up like mountains, the cartons were covered with dust, and there were some rusty shelves around them.

Facing the real owner of the goods, Lao Cao, Li Xu did not keep it a secret. He took the sample in his hand and played with it for a while, then said, "I want this chip."

Then he happily gave the money and turned to Lei Yinbing and said, "Take out the heat gun."

Lei Yinbing was stunned for a moment, but still did as Li Xu instructed.

Li Xu used a heat gun to blow off the package cover of the sample chip. Then he pointed a microscope at the chip and turned to Lei Yinbing and said, "Come and see if there are any holes in the via hole?"

Lao Cao's pupils suddenly shrank.

Lei Yinbing frowned, looked carefully under the microscope, and indeed found a cavity.

Li Xu said, "This chip uses copper interconnects instead of aluminum, but the etching solution concentration exceeds the standard, which results in voids. Furthermore, the void rate is right at the scrap rate of Hayes' parent company, so this batch of goods ended up in your hands, right?"

"Where did you get the fab factory data?"

"Don't worry about this."

Lao Cao snorted coldly and said, "Even if there are holes, the performance of this chip is better than most chips on the market at this price. What are you going to do with this chip?"

Li Xu didn't hide anything and said frankly, "We are participating in a very high-level scientific research competition. Our system is an energy management system, and the sensor module in it needs to use this chip. We are currently using the DZ chip."

Lao Cao snorted coldly and said, "The performance of that chip is not even on the same level as ours. Its voltage resistance is 40% higher than theirs, and its power consumption is only half of theirs. So how much do you plan to pay for this batch of goods?"

Because it's a defective product, the price is quite high. The market price of this chip is only two hundred yuan, but if you want to consume all the chips...

Lao Cao narrowed his eyes and said, "Two hundred and two."

Naturally, there should be some room for bargaining.

Li Xu shook his head and said, "Twenty!"

(End of this chapter)