redvbooks Chapter 067 Expanding Enrollment
Chapter 067 Expanding Enrollment
The next morning, as soon as Zuo Cheng arrived at the company, Zhang Lei pushed open the door and came in.
"Brother Cheng, there's something I need to discuss."
"explain."
"We're short-staffed." Zhang Lei placed a list on the table. "Chen Hao and Liu Wei have been working overtime for two weeks straight, and Fang Ze's team is also short-staffed for hardware debugging. Professor Li's team is sending interns next week, and we can't even free up any workstations."
Zuo Cheng picked up the list and looked at it. The list contained five positions: Algorithm Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Test Engineer, Business Assistant, and Administrative Specialist.
"Survive," Zuo Cheng said. "How much do you need?"
"At current salary levels, these five people would earn approximately 1.2 million yuan a year."
"Hello," Zuo Cheng repeated, "I'll handle the money."
Zhang Lei nodded: "Then I'll send out the job posting today."
"Wait a minute," Zuo Cheng called out to him. "Make the job requirements clear. We're looking for people who are hardworking and willing to learn; academic qualifications aren't the most important thing."
"clear."
Zhang Lei had just left when Han Lu came in. She was now the business director of room 402, dressed in a smart black suit and carrying a stack of documents.
"Mr. Zuo, we've received a message from Blue Bay Communications."
"What is it?"
"Zhou Henian wants to meet with you to discuss the Sky Dome project."
Zuo Cheng's heart skipped a beat. Zhou Henian was the technical director of Blue Bay Communications and the overall person in charge of the Sky Dome project.
"When?"
"3 PM today, Blue Bay headquarters."
"Okay, I'll go."
Han Lu placed the document on the table: "There's one more thing. Huaxin Group released their technology white paper today, which mentions the concept of space-ground integration."
Zuo Cheng frowned: "When was it released?"
"This morning, I took a look. The content was very empty; it was just jumping on the bandwagon. But their PR skills are very strong; it's already become known throughout the industry."
"Let Chen Hao and his team check if they've infringed on our rights."
"It's already being done."
After Han Lu left, Zuo Cheng sat alone in his office, lost in thought.
Huaxin acted faster than he expected. The concept of space-ground integration was first proposed by 402, and now Huaxin has preemptively released a white paper, clearly aiming to seize the initiative in the discourse.
This is common in business competition; the first to speak often sets the standard. If Huaxin succeeds, 402 will be at a disadvantage when bidding.
Zuo Cheng turned on his computer and began writing a statement.
The core logic of the statement is clear. First, 402 Technology was the successful bidder for the second phase of the Sky Dome project, and the concept of space-ground integration was the first technical approach proposed by 402. Second, 402 has established a formal cooperative relationship with Professor Li Weimin's team, and its technical solutions possess academic authority.
Two hours later, he finished the manuscript.
"Strike first to gain the upper hand, or you'll be at their mercy." Zuo Cheng looked at the text on the screen.
He sent the statement to Han Lu, asking her to contact the media for a release. At the same time, he instructed Chen Hao to prepare technical demonstration materials for the press conference.
At 2:45 p.m., Zuo Cheng arrived at the headquarters of Lanwan Communications on time.
Zhou Henian's office was on the 18th floor, with a great view overlooking the entire city of Hangzhou. When Zuo Cheng entered, Zhou Henian was reading a report.
"Zuo Cheng, sit down." Zhou Henian pointed to the chair opposite him.
Zuo Cheng sat down and got straight to the point: "President Zhou, did you call me here with good news?"
Zhou Henian smiled and said, "I guess so. The list of the bid evaluation committee has been released, and I wanted to give you a sneak peek."
Zuo Cheng's heart tightened. The list of the bid evaluation committee was confidential information, and Zhou Henian's willingness to tell him meant that Lanwan really valued 402.
"The committee has seven members in total: three from Lanwan, two from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and two external experts," Zhou Henian said. "You might know one of the external experts."
"who?"
"Lin Jianhua."
Zuo Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. Lin Jianhua, the CTO of Huaxin Group, was his nightmare from his previous life.
"How did he get onto the bid evaluation committee?"
"Huaxin and Lanwan have a strategic cooperation agreement, so it's only natural for Lin Jianhua, as Huaxin's representative, to join the committee." Zhou Henian paused, then added, "President Zuo, I must remind you that Lin Jianhua has veto power during the bid evaluation process."
Zuo Cheng fell silent.
This means that no matter how excellent 402's proposal is, they cannot win the bid if Lin Jianhua does not agree.
"Mr. Zhou, are you telling me all this to offer any advice?"
Zhou Henian stood up and walked to the window.
"I suggest you include some points in your technical proposal that Lin Jianhua can't refute. Not that they're better, but that he doesn't have them."
Zuo Cheng's eyes lit up. This was exactly what Professor Li had said the day before yesterday.
It seems that Lanwan Communications also hopes 402 will win. This is not simply a business partnership, but a power struggle between old and new forces. Huaxin represents the traditional giants, while 402 represents the emerging forces, and Lanwan Communications has chosen sides in this game.
"What do you mean?"
"Blue Bay Communications has a core technology patent: adaptive encoding modulation. This technology is crucial in the Sky Dome project, but Huaxin has never obtained a license for it." Zhou Henian turned to look at Zuo Cheng. "If you can incorporate this technology into your proposal, even if Lin Jianhua wanted to reject it, he wouldn't find a reason to do so."
A surge of gratitude welled up in Zuo Cheng's heart. Zhou Henian was openly helping him.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhou."
"No need to thank me," Zhou Henian waved his hand. "What I value is your technical capabilities. Huaxin's approach is too outdated; the Sky Dome project needs new ideas."
Zuo Cheng stood up and bowed deeply.
As Zuo Cheng was leaving the Blue Bay headquarters, his phone rang. It was Zhang Lei.
"Brother Cheng, the job posting has been sent out, and we've already received over a dozen resumes."
"Great, schedule the interview for tomorrow."
"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Zhang Lei's voice was a little hesitant, "An acquaintance from before submitted a resume, and the name on the resume is Ma Hao."
Zuo Cheng paused in his steps.
Ma Hao. A graduate student in Lin Zhiyuan's research group, he used to compete with Zuo Cheng in the group, but later graduated early and went to Shenzhen to work on chips. Their relationship wasn't exactly good, but it wasn't a complete falling out either.
"What position did he apply for?"
Hardware engineer.
Zuo Cheng fell silent.
He remembered that Ma Hao left Hangzhou without saying goodbye to anyone. He later heard that Ma Hao was working at a chip company in Shenzhen, but the details were unclear. Now he's suddenly back and even submitted a resume to 402—what does this mean?
"Send me his resume so I can take a look."
"I've already sent it to your email."
Zuo Cheng hung up the phone, leaned against the roadside railing, and opened his email.
Ma Hao's resume is concise yet substantial. During his two years in Shenzhen, he participated in the design of two IoT communication chips: a narrowband IoT chip and a low-power Bluetooth chip. Both chips are already in mass production and have received positive market feedback.
Zuo Cheng looked at the resume and fell into deep thought.
Ma Hao's technical skills are beyond doubt; he was a top expert in his research group. However, the question remains: can he collaborate effectively with a team? Back in the research group, Ma Hao's tendency to be too independent and unwilling to listen to others' opinions led to his conflict with Zuo Cheng.
Two years have passed, has he changed?
Zuo Cheng put away his phone and continued walking forward.
Regardless of whether Ma Hao has changed or not, since he submitted his resume, we should proceed with the normal process. The capable rise, the mediocre fall—that's the rule of 402.