ryethenovel Chapter 161 Who's Using Whom?
Chapter 161 Who's Using Whom?
November 14, 2020, 1:45 PM.
There are fifteen minutes left before the live stream starts.
Backstage at YuChen.com's live stream, Lin Wei was making final preparations.
Three things were spread out on the table in front of her—
The first thing was the printed version of the 170-page technical white paper, with each page marked with color labels.
The second item was a dark blue file folder containing scanned copies of Su Chen's third notebook—high-resolution photos of the pages with the design sketches of the air duct, with the date clearly written as "March 2, 2020".
The third item was a laptop computer, with the original test and certification report for lightweight carbon fiber composite materials issued by AVIC displayed on the screen—it had a number, official seal, and the name of the issuer.
"President Lin, the number of online viewers has already exceeded 600,000." Zhao Mingyuan walked in, a hint of nervousness on his face. "At this rate, the number of viewers online after the broadcast may exceed one million."
"good."
"Professor Fang Jianhua has arrived and is in the lounge next door," Zhao Mingyuan said in a low voice. "He brought an assistant with him, carrying a stack of printed materials. I suspect it's a set of questioning statements prepared for him by Ishikawa Akira."
"It doesn't matter." Lin Wei's voice was as calm as still water. "Let him prepare whatever he wants. There's only one rule for today's live stream—the data speaks for itself."
"There's one more thing—" Zhao Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, "Has Professor Zhou Zhiyuan confirmed it?"
"Confirmed." Lin Wei smiled slightly. "He's waiting at his home in Tsinghua University to connect online. But I told him not to come out until the very last step."
"What is the final step?"
"You just wait and see."
……
It was exactly 2 PM.
The live stream started on time.
The stream was simultaneously broadcast on three platforms: Yuchen.com, 36Kr, and Bilibili. Within three minutes of starting, the number of viewers exceeded 500,000. Five minutes later, it surpassed 700,000.
Zhao Mingyuan sat in the host's seat, with Lin Wei on his left and Fang Jianhua on his right.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the 'Hongyuan Feiniao Technical Q&A Livestream' co-hosted by Yuchen.com and 36Kr. Today's livestream has only one purpose—to respond to all the recent questions surrounding Hongyuan Feiniao with data and facts."
Zhao Mingyuan looked at Lin Wei.
"First, please allow Ms. Lin Wei to give an opening statement."
Lin Wei looked at the camera, her voice clear and steady.
"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Zhao. I'd like to start with three points."
"First, Su Chen didn't come today. He's at the DRIE lab in Suzhou, making final preparations for the first test of the 250mm cavity. He asked me to convey a message for him—'My response is in the lab, not in the live stream.'"
The screen was instantly flooded with comments like "Su Chen is awesome," "That's the vision," and "It's fine if you don't come; let the data speak for itself."
"Secondly, I have brought all the core technical data from Hongyuan Feiniao since its inception—the third-party testing report for lightweight carbon fiber, the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) test certification for MEMS sensors, and the process data records for DRIE (Deep Silicon Etching). All of these documents are verifiable and traceable."
She patted the documents on the table.
"Third, I welcome Professor Fang Jianhua to raise any questions in person. He can point out any set of data in the white paper that he considers unreliable, and I will immediately retrieve the original experimental records."
Zhao Mingyuan turned to Fang Jianhua.
"Professor Fang, please."
Fang Jianhua cleared his throat.
He was wearing a dark suit today, dressed much more formally than he had been at the Round Table. In front of him lay a stack of printed materials—the "Guide to Questioning Techniques" that Ishikawa Akira had sent him last night.
"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Zhao," Fang Jianhua began, his tone much calmer than during the last roundtable discussion. "First, I want to clarify one point—our open letter is not an 'attack' on Hongyuan Feiniao, much less a denial of the value of domestically developed MEMS technology. We are simply, as professional researchers in the field of MEMS, raising several reasonable academic questions."
He opened the documents in front of him.
"My first question concerns the DRIE (Deep Silicon Etching) channel design. In our open letter, we pointed out that the development and verification of this technology were collectively completed by the Hongyuan Feiniao technical team, and there are currently no publicly available academic papers or patent documents proving Mr. Su Chen's specific individual contribution. Ms. Lin Wei, could you respond to this point?"
The number of online users has exceeded 800,000.
Lin Wei did not answer immediately.
She picked up the dark blue file folder from the table.
"Professor Fang, before I respond, I'd like to ask you a question."
"please."
"How do you think the core contributors to a technological breakthrough should be identified? Is it based on who conducted the experiments, or who first proposed the key idea?"
Fang Jianhua frowned slightly.
"Naturally, it's a combination of both. But in teamwork, it's difficult to attribute credit to just one person—"
"Okay." Lin Wei opened the file folder and took out several high-resolution photos. "Then I'll ask the director to show these photos on the big screen."
A yellowed page of notebook paper appeared on the screen.
Above is a hand-drawn technical sketch—a cross-sectional view of a circular cavity, with a series of angle numbers marked on the cavity wall, and dense calculations and annotations written in black pen next to it.
The most eye-catching part is the date in the upper right corner—
2020 3 Month 2 Day.
"This is page 47 of Su Chen's third technical notebook," Lin Wei's voice echoed clearly in the live stream. "It contains a sketch of his first design for a flow channel. The date is March 2, 2020."
She paused for a moment.
"而鸿远飞鸟的DRIE技术团队正式组建是2020年6月15日。团队关于导流槽方案的第一次正式讨论记录是7月8日。"
She looked at Fang Jianhua.
"Professor Fang, the core idea of the flow channel design was already in Su Chen's notebook three and a half months before the team was formed. The team's contribution lies in engineering verification and optimization—a point Su Chen has never denied. But your open letter states 'there is no evidence to prove Su Chen's specific personal contributions'—doesn't this notebook from March 2nd count as evidence?"
The live chat exploded with comments.
"Holy crap! March 2nd! The team was only formed in June!"
"This is Su Chen's own notebook! If the times don't match, it's all over!"
Fang Jianhua was slapped in the face so hard!
Fang Jianhua's expression changed slightly.
He flipped through the materials in front of him—this move was not anticipated in Akira Ishikawa's "Guide to Questioning Techniques".
"This...this is just a handwritten note," Fang Jianhua tried to retort. "The date on the note can be forged—"
"Professor Fang," Lin Wei's voice turned cold, "if you wish to question the authenticity of this notebook, I can contact the notary office on the spot to conduct handwriting analysis and paper age testing. However, before that, I suggest you look at the next page."
The screen switched to page 48.
Above is a more detailed calculation process—the angle parameters of the guide channel, the gas velocity distribution model, and a conclusion that is roughly circled:
"Between 11.7° and 12.5°? Experimental verification is needed."
"方教授，这个角度範围是3月2日写下的。"林薇的声音不紧不慢，"而我们团队在7月份通过大量实验最终确定的最优角度是12.05度——正好落在苏辰3月份预估的範围内。一个'营销天才'能在实验开始前四个月就预估出正确的参数範围吗？"
The number of online users has exceeded one million.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Fang Jianhua's forehead.
He flipped through the materials, trying to find a angle to fight back, but what Ishikawa Akira wrote in his rhetoric guide seemed pale and powerless in the face of this solid evidence.
"Okay... I admit the initial concept for the flow channel may have come from Mr. Su Chen," Fang Jianhua had to concede. "But that doesn't prove he contributed to all the technologies. For example, lightweight carbon fiber—we clearly stated in the open letter that this technology came from Pengcheng New Materials, which we acquired."
"Professor Fang," Lin Wei opened a page of the white paper, "before the acquisition, Pengcheng New Materials' carbon fiber prepreg products had a tensile strength of 1200 MPa. Hongyuan Feiniao Lightweight Carbon Fiber Composite Material, on the other hand, has a tensile strength of 1850 MPa. That's a 54% increase."
She flipped to the corresponding page of the test report from the Department of Materials Science at Tsinghua University.
"How was this improvement achieved? It was Su Chen who proposed changing the resin matrix formulation, replacing the original pure epoxy system with epoxy-modified phenolic resin. This decision was made before Pengcheng New Materials was acquired—it was this determination of the technical direction that led to the acquisition."
She looked at the camera.
Professor Fang's open letter states that "Su Chen's contribution to light armor technology is more about commercial integration than technological innovation." Then I ask you—is determining a completely new material formulation direction considered commercial integration or technological innovation?
Fang Jianhua opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't say a word.
The screen was flooded with comments again—"crushing", "speechless", "Fang Jianhua's face turned green".
The number of online users exceeded 1.1 million.
Zhao Mingyuan glanced at the time and interjected at the opportune moment.
"Professor Fang, do you have any questions about the second part of the open letter—'Who is using whom'?"
Fang Jianhua took a deep breath.
He knew that Lin Wei had completely dismantled the first two technical arguments. But Ishikawa Akira was right—"who is using whom" is the core weapon. Technical data can be refuted by evidence, but the narrative of "exploiting Professor Zhou Zhiyuan's patriotism" is on an emotional level—data cannot prove the motive.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhao, this is indeed the part I most want to say." Fang Jianhua sat up straight again, his tone becoming serious. "I won't comment further on Mr. Su Chen's technical abilities. But I must point out—"
He looked at the camera.
"Professor Zhou Zhiyuan is 67 years old this year. He is one of the most respected scholars in China's MEMS field. But he has been retired for many years. To put it bluntly, Professor Zhou, at his age, is easily moved by the enthusiasm and ideals of young people."
He paused.
"Mr. Su Chen is very clever. He knew that his product needed the endorsement of academic authorities, so he approached Professor Zhou. He successfully got a highly respected retired professor to endorse his commercial product by using the two words 'patriotism' and 'education,' which were most likely to move Professor Zhou."
I'm not saying Mr. Su Chen's intentions were bad. But I must ask—is it appropriate for a 25-year-old businessman to have a 67-year-old retired professor 'endorse' his product for free in front of 670,000 people? Isn't that exploitation?
The live stream was silent for a few seconds.
The speed of the comments slowed down.
It must be said that Fang Jianhua's words were indeed very impactful. He didn't attack the data or the technology, but rather precisely hit the emotional soft spot—the narrative of "exploiting the elderly" is one of the most difficult things for Chinese people to accept.
Lin Wei remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she looked at Zhao Mingyuan.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhao, please connect the remote connection."
Zhao Mingyuan nodded.
The large screen flickered, and the image switched to a video call window.
An elderly man with white hair appeared in the window. He was sitting in a study filled with books, with several picture frames and a dusty experimental board on the bookshelf behind him.
Zhou Zhiyuan.
The number of online users exceeded 1.2 million within three seconds.
"Professor Zhou." Zhao Mingyuan's voice trembled slightly.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhao." Zhou Zhiyuan nodded slightly, then looked at Fang Jianhua on the screen. "Professor Fang, I've been watching the live broadcast. I must personally respond to your last statement."
Fang Jianhua's face turned deathly pale instantly.
"Professor Fang, you said Su Chen is 'exploiting' my patriotism." Zhou Zhiyuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to pierce the air like a rivet. "Then let me tell you a fact—Su Chen didn't come to me. I went to him of my own accord."
The live stream room was completely silent.
"In August of this year, Su Chen's MEMS sensor passed certification during testing at AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China). This news reached the MEMS lab at Tsinghua University, and one of my students told me. My first reaction wasn't 'This young man is trying to take advantage of me'—my first reaction was 'Finally, someone has succeeded!'"
Zhou Zhiyuan's eyes were slightly red.
"When I taught my first MEMS course at Tsinghua University in 1998, I used Bosch's experimental boards. In 2005, my application for funding for a research project on domestically produced MEMS teaching equipment was rejected. In 2012, I applied again, and it was rejected again."
Professor Fang, do you know how long twenty-two years is? I waited from forty-five to sixty-seven. Twenty-two years passed, and not a single person produced a domestically made MEMS teaching device.
He paused.
"Until Su Chen appeared."
"So Professor Fang—it wasn't that he used me. It was that I chose him."
The comments section went completely silent for a second.
Then it surged out like a flood—
"Tears welling up"
"Professor Zhou..."
"Twenty-two years!"
"Who's using whom? Professor Zhou has been waiting for twenty-two years!"
Zhou Zhiyuan continued.
"Professor Fang, your open letter says Su Chen is a 'marketing genius' not a 'technical genius.' Then let me ask you—I, Zhou Zhiyuan, have taught MEMS my entire life, supervised forty-seven doctoral students, and published over three hundred papers. Do I have the ability to judge whether someone is a technical genius?"
Fang Jianhua remained silent.
"I've seen Su Chen's technical notebooks. Not just the few pages Lin Wei showed—it's all fourteen. I read them page by page." Zhou Zhiyuan's voice turned heavy. "After reading them, I said something to my wife—'If I had had a Su Chen among my doctoral students twenty years ago, China's MEMS industry wouldn't be what it is today.'"
The number of online users exceeded 1.3 million.
"So, Professor Fang, I'd like to say one last thing."
Zhou Zhiyuan looked at the camera, his tone calm and firm.
"I'm sixty-seven this year. I don't need anyone to judge whether I've been used or not. I've worked in the MEMS field for forty years, and I've seen ten times more young people than you have, Professor Fang. I know Su Chen better than you do."
The last sentence of that open letter was, "We hope that Mr. Su Chen can respond directly to the above questions."
"Now I'm responding on behalf of Su Chen. Not because he asked me to come—but because your open letter included my name. You say I was used, then I have the right to tell the whole country—no one used me. I came voluntarily."
"And I'm very proud."
The chat in the live stream went completely crazy.
"Professor Zhou is awesome!!!"
Who is using whom? The answer is crystal clear!
"Does Fang Jianhua still have the nerve to say that?"
I cried when the old man said, "I am very proud."
Fang Jianhua's lips trembled slightly.
He hadn't expected Zhou Zhiyuan to personally connect via video call. This wasn't a part of Ishikawa Akira's "Guide to Questioning Techniques"—because they anticipated Zhou Zhiyuan wouldn't personally intervene.
A 67-year-old retired professor said in front of 1.3 million people, "It wasn't that he took advantage of me, it was that I chose him"—this statement carries more weight than any data, any white paper, or any test report.
Because this is not data.
This is a testimony from an elderly man who used his entire life's academic reputation as collateral.
Zhao Mingyuan checked the time.
"Thank you, Professor Zhou. That concludes today's live stream—"
"Editor-in-Chief Zhao, wait a moment," Lin Wei suddenly spoke up, "I have one last thing to say."
Zhao Mingyuan paused for a moment, then nodded.
Lin Wei looked at Fang Jianhua.
"Professor Fang, I noticed that you repeatedly emphasized 'academic questioning' and 'rational discussion' in your open letter. I would like to raise a question in the same spirit—"
Her voice became sharp.
What is the annual funding for your joint laboratory at the School of Microelectronics, Beihang University? Where does the funding come from?
Fang Jianhua's face turned deathly pale instantly.
"This...this is irrelevant to today's discussion—"
"This is very relevant to today's discussion," Lin Wei said softly, but every word was clear. "Because if your joint lab's funding comes from Bosch China—then your questioning of a domestic MEMS company's motives in your open letter deserves a re-examination by everyone."
The live stream went silent instantly.
Then the comments flooded in like a tsunami—
"Fang Jianhua's lab funding came from Bosch?!"
"Holy crap! They're using Bosch's money to compete with domestic MEMS companies?"
"Isn't this exactly what Professor Zhou meant last time by 'some people taking money'?"
"Fang Jianhua is Bosch's academic agent!!!"
Fang Jianhua opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that the camera was pointed at him—1.3 million people were watching him.
He dared not say "yes," because that would be tantamount to admitting that his open letter was driven by self-interest.
He dared not say "no," because that would be a lie—and such a thing could be easily investigated.
"My... the joint laboratory's funding comes from multiple sources—"
"Professor Fang," Lin Wei interrupted him, "I didn't say you received money from anyone. I simply asked a question. You don't have to answer—the public will judge for themselves."
She looked at the camera.
"That concludes today's live stream. Thank you to all viewers. Hongyuan Feiniao will continue to do its job well—letting technology, data, and products speak for themselves. The first test results of the 250mm DRIE lens that Su Chen is waiting for in the lab are our best response."
Thank you everyone.
……
One hour after the live stream ended.
The topic of "Funding Sources for the Fang Jianhua Joint Laboratory" topped the Weibo trending list.
#Zhou Zhiyuan: It wasn't that he took advantage of me, it was that I chose him# ranked second.
#Hongyuan Feiniao Technical Q&A Livestream# ranks third.
The peak number of online viewers ultimately reached 1.37 million—setting a new record for live streaming in China's technology industry.
On Zhihu, the question "How would you rate Hongyuan Feiniao's live Q&A session?" received over three thousand answers within an hour.
The most upvoted answer is only one line long.
"Today I witnessed a 'marketing genius' use 170 pages of data, a notebook, and the testimony of a 67-year-old man to render the open letter from six professors worthless."
On Bilibili, the live stream recording garnered over 15 million views within two hours.
The three moments with the most dense barrage comments—
First: When Lin Wei presented Su Chen's design sketch of the guide channel on March 2nd.
The second instance is when Zhou Zhiyuan said, "It wasn't that he used me, it was that I chose him."
Thirdly, when Lin Wei asked Fang Jianhua, "Where does the funding for the joint laboratory come from?"
In the WeChat group "Drone Technology Exchange Group".
Flyer Lao Chen: "@Everyone, have you finished watching?! Lin Wei is amazing! Did you guys screenshot Fang Jianhua's last expression?!"
Xiao Wang from Shenzhen: "They cropped it out. His face was as white as paper."
A calm analyst commented: "Today's live broadcast completely changed the situation. A three-tiered counterattack—first, using the notebook's dates to prove Su Chen's technical contributions; second, using Professor Zhou's personal testimony to shatter the narrative of 'exploiting patriotism'; and third, using the issue of joint laboratory funding to utterly destroy Fang Jianhua's credibility. A textbook example of crisis management."
Drone A-Jie: "The most impressive thing is—Su Chen didn't show up at all. Lin Wei handled everything from beginning to end. Su Chen was in the lab etching his silicon. That's quite a scale..."
Old Chen, the Flyer: "To be honest, I was worried Lin Wei wouldn't be able to handle it. Now I think—Hongyuan Flying Bird has two geniuses. One is the technical genius Su Chen, and the other is the public relations genius Lin Wei."
A calm analyst said, "There's also Professor Zhou Zhiyuan. When the old man said, 'I've waited twenty-two years,' I, a grown man, almost burst into tears."
Xiao Wang from Shenzhen: "Now I'm just waiting for the first test of the 250mm DRIE. If it's successful—that will be the real ultimate response."
Old Chen, the aviator: "What Su Chen said was—to respond with hard, unassailable technological achievements that they couldn't reinterpret."
Calm Analyst: "Four days to go."
……
That evening.
Suzhou, DRIE Laboratory.
Su Chen saw a message from Lin Wei on his phone—
"The live stream is over. Fang Jianhua was beaten speechless. Professor Zhou personally responded to the issue of 'exploiting patriotism' via video link. I also exposed the joint laboratory funding issue. Now, the top three trending topics are all about us."
Su Chen replied with three words:
"Thanks for your hard work."
Then another one was added:
"I just finished the final version of the gas system modification plan. We'll install it as soon as the new chamber arrives. Four days to go."
Lin Wei looked at the message, smiled, and shook her head.
She replied to Su Chen with a message:
"1.37 million people watched me fight for you online, and you didn't even say 'Thank you, Lin Wei, you're awesome'?"
Three minutes later, Su Chen replied.
"I'll treat you to dinner the day the DRIE prototype passes verification. You choose the restaurant."
Lin Wei stared at the sentence for a few seconds, and the corners of her mouth slowly widened.
"Okay. I'll choose the most expensive one."
"casual."
Lin Wei put down her phone, leaned back in her chair, and let out a long sigh of relief.
The night view of Shenzhen outside the window is beautiful.
But she knew that the moment that would truly decide everything had not yet arrived.
First test of the 250mm DRIE.
That is the final answer.
……
250mm cavity countdown: 4 days.