Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

Chapter 81 Helplessness

Lin Dong waited for him to continue.

Cheng Yu did not speak immediately.

He glanced at the display board next to him, then at the crowd of people coming and going, and then moved two steps to the side, leaning against the wall.

Lin Dong followed.

"I've been here for three years," Cheng Yu said.

Lin Dong didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"Cheng Chuan and I both did our undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University, and in our senior year, we both received full scholarships from Stanford University."

"At the time, I thought, 'This is wonderful! I can come to the best place in the world and learn the most advanced things.'"

He paused.

"You'll only realize when you get here that the best places in the world weren't prepared for you."

Lin Dong looked at him.

Cheng Yu's expression didn't change much.

The tone of voice didn't change much.

It's like talking about something you've been used to for a long time.

"In the lab, Cheng Chuan and I did the most work. We were the ones who worked overtime on weekends, helped our seniors run data, and were the ones who had to rewrite their papers when they got stuck."

He said, "But when it comes to project presentations, it's someone else standing at the front. When it comes to authorship of papers, it's someone else listed as the first author. And when partner companies come to visit, it's someone else who's introduced to them."

Lin Dong remained silent.

"At first we argued," Cheng Yu said, "but then we stopped. It was pointless to argue anyway."

He glanced at Lin Dong.

"You saw Cheng Chuan like that yesterday because he spent three months working on that paper. Three months, working until two or three in the morning every day, and in the end, his authorship was moved to third place."

Lin Dong asked, "Who was he transferred to?"

"An undergraduate student," Cheng Yu said. "A white man. He interned in the lab for six weeks during the summer, but didn't do any work, just attended a few meetings."

He paused.

"His father is a senior executive at one of the lab's major partners."

Lin Dong didn't say anything.

Cheng Yu waited a moment, then said, "This isn't the first time something like this has happened. And it won't be the last."

"Never thought about going back?"

Cheng Yu remained silent for a few seconds.

"I've thought about it."

He said, "Last summer vacation, Cheng Chuan and I went back to China and stayed for a month."

Lin Dong looked at him.

Cheng Yu suddenly smiled.

"How should I put it?"

He said, "Here, I'm being suppressed. Going back home is..."

He paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words.

"I don't know where to go."

Lin Dong didn't respond.

"We met with several bosses."

Cheng Yu said, "There was a very large factory that manufactured mobile phones. The boss looked at our resumes and the first thing he said was: 'Can you copy Nokia's slider design, modify it by two millimeters, and avoid the patent?'"

He paused.

"I said yes. But the structure itself has a problem; its opening and closing lifespan is insufficient. We can redesign a better one."

The boss glanced at him.

"Redesign? How long would that take?"

"About three months."

The boss smiled.

Cheng Yu still remembers that smile.

"Three months?" he said. "I can find a master craftsman and copy it in two weeks."

Cheng Yu did not continue.

But Lin Dong understood.

The boss didn't want to hear what Cheng Yu had to say; he just needed someone who could copy, not someone who could think.

He'd seen far too many people like that.

When the stall owners in Huaqiangbei heard that you wanted to do your own R&D, they had the same expression on their faces. It wasn't mockery, but rather that they thought you were naive.

Naive to the point of wasting time.

"There's one more."

Cheng Yu said, "We make smart hardware and just received investment. Our office is in Nanshan Science Park. The boss is very young, a few years older than us, and he speaks very politely."

He paused.

"He asked us about our research directions, in great detail. Radio frequency, structure, algorithms—he asked about every area. I talked with Cheng Chuan for over an hour, and the more we talked, the more I felt that I had finally met someone who knew the field."

Lin Dong looked at him.

"and then?"

"Then he said,"

Cheng Yu paused for a moment, then said, "You guys, graduates from prestigious universities and overseas, are the factory's most valuable asset. Technical skills aren't important; the key is that you can help us get government subsidies."

He smiled.

"The factory's prized possession."

Lin Dong remained silent.

Cheng Yu leaned against the wall, watching the crowds coming and going in the courtyard.

"Here, you're Chinese, so there are some things you can't have."

He said, "If you go back to China, you're a returnee, but nobody really wants to know what you're good at."

He paused.

"So Cheng Chuan and I have been staying here. Being suppressed is better than being misunderstood by no one."

Lin Dong remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke.

"Cheng Yu".

Cheng Yu turned to look at him.

"Those bosses you mentioned," Lin Dong said, "what's their problem?"

Cheng Yu was taken aback.

"question?"

"Hmm." Lin Dong looked at him. "Where do you think they went wrong?"

Cheng Yu thought for a moment.

"They don't want to make anything."

He said, "They want to make money. There's nothing wrong with making money, but they don't want to create anything—they want to copy things, get subsidies, and make money the fastest way possible."

He paused.

"Making products and making money are not the same thing."

Lin Dong nodded.

"So, which type do you think I am?"

Cheng Yu looked at him but did not answer immediately.

"You helped Cheng Chuan yesterday," he said, "not because he's Chinese."

"Why is that?"

"Because you understood what he was saying," Cheng Yu said. "Radio frequency, parameters, why he's angry—you understood it all."

Lin Dong did not deny it.

If you understand, you understand; there's nothing to be modest about.

After repairing mobile phones for so many years, if I still can't understand radio frequency parameters, then all my work has been for nothing.

Cheng Yu paused.

"I've met a few bosses from China with Cheng Chuan," he said, "none of them are like this."

Lin Dong waited for him to continue.

"They don't understand."

Cheng Yu said, "When you explain group delay to them, they ask if you can lower the price. When you talk about stress distribution, they ask if you can copy Nokia."

He smiled, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

"After a while, you'll stop explaining."

Lin Dong remained silent.

Cheng Yu looked at him.

"But you're different," he said. "You understand."

Lin Dong nodded.

"That's why I want both of you."

Cheng Yu was taken aback.

"Radio frequency and structure," Lin Dong said, "I lack those."

Cheng Yu looked at him without saying a word.

Lin Dong waited a few seconds.

“Cheng Yu,” he said, “I’m not one of those bosses.”

Cheng Yu did not respond.

"I don't need you to copy things for me," Lin Dong said. "nor do I need you to be the factory's prized possessions."

Cheng Yu remained silent for a few seconds.

"Mr. Lin," he began, "you just said that your company makes mobile phones."

"Um."

"So, what stage are you at now?" Cheng Yu paused, "?

"The circuit diagram is still on paper. The algorithm is still in the simulation software. The structural components haven't been molded yet," Lin Dong said. "But we have the materials, the equipment, and the precision machining plant."

He looked at Cheng Yu.

"We are short of people, especially talented people."

Cheng Yu did not speak.

Someone was walking by in the courtyard carrying champagne.

Cheng Yu remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he spoke.

"Mr. Lin," he said, "Cheng Chuan and I..."

He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts.

"After three years here, the most important thing I've learned is not to trust people too much."

Lin Dong nodded.

"Of course."

Cheng Yu looked at him.