Chapter 159 Special Award Reunion
No one knew a child better than their father.
Su Xinghe could clearly feel the sense of urgency and "mission" that burned within his son.
At first, he thought he must have been mistaken—how could a "youngster" not even twenty years old have such a mentality, such a sense of responsibility?
But after chatting with his own disciples, Qin Weimin, Tang Wenjie, and Chen Jianguo, who were closest to Su Yuanshan, he realized they felt the same way.
His son was indeed trying to revitalize the domestic semiconductor industry.
If it had been anyone else, or if it had been any earlier, Su Xinghe would have thought that person was crazy.
How could a single person attempt something so massive?
But after watching Su Yuanshan steadily push Yuanxin forward step by step, and after witnessing the birth of a CPU architecture that could rival the world's top technologies, Su Xinghe began to truly believe.
Because his son was a true genius.
Not a "genius" created by a media campaign, nor a mere compliment tossed around casually.
Su Yuanshan was someone who genuinely saw what others couldn't, did what others dared not do, and thought beyond normal horizons.
Sometimes, Su Xinghe even thought to himself—what a blessing it was for the nation to have a talent like his son.
Therefore, as a father, his only role was to support him fully.
...
Su Xinghe knew that Su Yuanshan would leave for Shanghai the next day with Chen Jing.
Originally, Su Xinghe himself was supposed to handle the land negotiations, but he was now overwhelmed with projects at the university. Texas Instruments (TI) still hadn't given a clear response either, which delayed the factory construction.
Su Xinghe felt a little guilty about it and said, "When you get to Shanghai, remember—safety first."
Su Yuanshan nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm either working in the office or running between meetings. It's very safe."
Su Xinghe laughed and patted him on the shoulder, about to ruffle his hair by habit—but suddenly stopped himself.
His son was already nineteen years old now, not a little boy anymore, and the real controller of a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
Laughing at himself, he just gave his son a firm pat on the shoulder instead.
"Stay away from danger whenever possible," Su Xinghe said seriously.
"Society is messy these days. Just focus on your work and stay careful."
His father's casual words startled Su Yuanshan.
He suddenly remembered that these years were indeed some of the most chaotic times in both the mainland and Hong Kong—crime rates were soaring everywhere.
In fact, only two years later, there would be a nationwide "Severe Crackdown" campaign against organized crime.
At the same time, Hong Kong would experience a shocking kidnapping case that would make international headlines.
Realizing this, Su Yuanshan immediately grew serious.
"Dad, Mom—you both have to be careful too," he said solemnly.
"There are a lot of bad people around. They might target us because they know we're wealthy."
Su Xinghe laughed, "I'm either at the office or rushing between meetings every day. How would any bad guys find me?"
Su Yuanshan smiled back but made up his mind internally:
When he got back, he would definitely discuss strengthening security with Chen Jing.
Just then, from the kitchen came the cheerful voice of Zhang Xiuyun, his mother:
"You two stop chatting! Come set the table!"
Su Xinghe chuckled and stood up, "Let's go, let's go! The multimillionaire queen has spoken."
Su Yuanshan laughed and followed him into the dining room.
...
After dinner, Su Yuanshan started packing his luggage.
He rummaged through the fridge and cupboards, taking out various imported snacks that his mother had bought in bulk recently.
Since Zhang Xiuyun realized she could spend freely without worry, her biggest hobby became showering her husband and son with treats and luxuries.
As Su Yuanshan stuffed snacks into his backpack, his mother looked at him in surprise.
"You're bringing so much? Aren't you afraid of cavities?"
"...Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore," Su Yuanshan said, tightening the backpack straps.
"Where are you even going with all that?"
"Going to meet a classmate," Su Yuanshan said while putting on his shoes.
Right then, his father came out from his study.
"Which classmate?" Su Xinghe asked, amused.
"Just a friend," Su Yuanshan replied with a grin.
"Girl?"
"Yup."
His father laughed heartily, "Alright, go on then."
Of course, he knew exactly who Su Yuanshan was going to see.
Even though he wasn't at the Science Park every day, he still heard the gossip:
His son had been "pursuing" a girl from his own department—Ye Ruda.
And not just any girl, but the same one Su Yuanshan had set his eyes on during the programming competition presentation two years ago.
"Who's 'Little Ye'?" Zhang Xiuyun asked, completely confused.
"A classmate..." Su Yuanshan mumbled vaguely and escaped out the door.
...
At Dian University, freshmen were required to attend evening self-study sessions.
Su Yuanshan rode a women's bicycle (his mother's), heading towards the main academic buildings.
Since it was still early, he wasn't sure if Ye Ruda had already arrived at the self-study classroom or was still in the dormitory, so he decided to wait at the classroom.
After locking up his bicycle, he joined the stream of students entering the building.
The self-study room wasn't full yet.
Su Yuanshan glanced around.
Ye Ruda wasn't there.
He found a seat at the very back and decided to observe quietly.
In the last row, a student was intently drawing a complicated circuit diagram by hand.
Su Yuanshan raised an eyebrow.
At Dian University, every student was required to use EDA software to draw circuits.
Since last year, the university had become the national leader in EDA teaching coverage.
Hand-drawing circuits was now almost unheard of—except maybe for some old professors who still loved vacuum tubes.
Curious, Su Yuanshan leaned closer.
The student was meticulous—drawing component layouts, routing connections, even leaving space for a central chip.
Since there were no annotations, Su Yuanshan couldn't tell exactly what the project was, but he could see immediately:
This guy was seriously talented.
Focused, the student occasionally drew dotted guidelines, calculated formulas, then erased and redrew wiring paths.
Su Yuanshan's curiosity deepened.
"What chip is that?" he asked casually.
"YXmpeg1," the student answered without looking up.
At that moment, both of them froze.
They glanced at each other.
"Sun Guoqiao?" Su Yuanshan guessed tentatively.
The student blinked in surprise, "You're... Su Yuanshan?"
Su Yuanshan chuckled.
No wonder he seemed so familiar!
This was Sun Guoqiao, another winner of the university's top special prize—only in a different field.
Two years ago, while Su Yuanshan won the prize for programming, Sun Guoqiao won it for independently designing a rectifier circuit.
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