"Return home! Why should I return home!" Ding Jianbai roared angrily, interrupting Jiang Feizhang. "I have already acquired US citizenship. I am a pure American now."
"I have a large villa here, a luxury sports car, and beauties from all over the world. What can the Dragon Country give me? A meager salary of over six thousand yuan, plus a banner of commendation?"
"To avoid any misunderstandings, please do not contact me again."
With that, Ding Jianbai directly hung up the phone and blocked Jiang Feizhang's number.
Ding Jianbai's roar was so loud that the assistant sitting next to Jiang Feizhang heard it clearly.
"Minister, don't be angry. Such a traitor to the country will surely meet a bad end in the future!" the assistant said cautiously, trying to comfort Jiang Feizhang and fearing he might get too upset.
Jiang Feizhang's expression did not change much, he just sighed leisurely, "What he said is not entirely wrong. We are indeed paying our researchers a bit too little. No matter how motivated they are, they still need to eat and live."
"How can they not be tempted when they see people with far less knowledge than themselves enjoying a lavish life abroad?"
"Minister, do you mean," the assistant ventured, "that we should meet Ding Jianbai's demands and invite him back from abroad?"
Jiang Feizhang shook his head. "It's not about scarcity, but about inequality. If you only increase one researcher's salary among so many, what about the others? We'll discuss this later. For now, let's focus on finding out who this top genius the country has invited back is!"
"Is it Ben Jingheng, currently a professor at an Ivy League university in the United Kingdom, or Lu Liren, the chief researcher at the Elis Laboratory in Germany, or perhaps Gong He, Tang Su..."
While the two were deep in thought, they suddenly received a call from the security guard. A student claiming to be the discoverer of a new technology was downstairs and wished to see Jiang Feizhang.
"Could this be the super genius the highest leader mentioned? Hurry and invite him up. Take him directly to Laboratory A4."
Jiang Feizhang did not dare to delay. While arranging for the security guard to guide the way, he rushed with his assistant to Laboratory A4.
Two minutes later, they met at the entrance of Laboratory A4.
Yi Wenliu spoke first, her clear voice ringing out, "You must be Minister Jiang. My name is Yi Wenliu. I have invented a new technology for limb regeneration, and I need your cooperation!"
Seeing Yi Wenliu standing before him, graceful and poised, Jiang Feizhang's assistant's eyes were filled with deep suspicion. "She's the genius the highest leader was talking about? She's too young! How could she possibly invent such advanced technology? She's not the daughter of some high-ranking official trying to gain experience, is she?"
Jiang Feizhang, as the highest leader in China's medical sector, was not privy to all the details. He raised his hand and patted his assistant on the head. "Don't speak without knowing! Although student Yi Wenliu is young, she comes from a scholarly family, has studied medicine since childhood, and possesses exceptional talent. The ligament development drug and muscle repair agent that are currently creating a huge stir in the international market were invented by her."
Upon hearing this, the assistant's expression changed dramatically.
"That's amazing! I had no idea this drug was developed by you. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence of having the same name. The ligament development drug isn't much use to me, but the muscle repair agent has been a great help.
"You don't know, but my father has always been a farmer. He has suffered from severe lumbar muscle strain for over ten years and hasn't been able to stand up straight. He couldn't sleep due to the pain every night. Since using your medicine, he can now stand tall and rest peacefully."
Although she had been mentally prepared, Yi Wenliu still felt a bit embarrassed when a patient's family member genuinely thanked her.
After all, she knew very well that this medicine was not her invention, but Jing Mingqiu's work. Just as she was about to change the subject, she suddenly heard a blunt Chinese sentence in her ear.
"Heh, she's just like a child studying cell division; she's just well-connected. If a mere girl could research limb regeneration, I'd cut off my head and let you kick it around like a ball."
"You!" Yi Wenliu was furious, being provoked like this for the first time.
However, the fellow had inadvertently spoken the truth, leaving her momentarily speechless to retort!
Jiang Feizhang quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "Mr. Scott, you are mistaken. Student Yi Wenliu is an outstanding researcher. She has already successfully developed two new drugs that can change the world..."
"Heh," the middle-aged man who had just spoken, Pierce Scott, refused to back down. He sneered twice and forcefully interrupted Jiang Feizhang. "Stop joking! Isn't this just a case of impersonation and stealing credit? We've seen these tricks countless times."
"Minister Jiang, they say the management of the National Medical Laboratory of the Dragon Country is chaotic. I didn't believe it at first, but it seems to be true. The top-tier Laboratory A4 is so casually handed over to the child of a well-connected official for experience. The technology of the Dragon Country is beyond saving."
"Either you kick her out today and allow our High Fortune Foundation to conduct a thorough investigation, or we will withdraw all funding and recall all our researchers."
"This?"
Hearing this, Jiang Feizhang looked troubled.
The National Medical Laboratory of the Dragon Country was affiliated with the Dragon Country Pharmaceutical Group. Although the state held a controlling 92% stake, giving it absolute control, to prevent stagnation and facilitate drug sales in other countries, the Dragon Country Pharmaceutical Group was a joint venture with considerable private capital.
The High Fortune Foundation, spanning over twenty countries, held a significant share, amounting to 3%. While 3% might not seem high, with the total market value of the Dragon Country Pharmaceutical Group exceeding 350 billion yuan, 3% translated to 10.5 billion yuan!
Such a large sum being withdrawn all at once would inevitably cause significant fluctuations in the stock price of Dragon Medical, and many projects within the group would encounter considerable difficulties.
However, agreeing to High Fortune Foundation's two demands would be even more problematic.
Yi Wenliu was personally recommended by the highest leader, and her project could change the entire world. She absolutely could not be abandoned.
As for High Fortune Group conducting a comprehensive investigation, that was even more unthinkable. Medicine is the core of a nation. While foreign funds could invest, they only had dividend rights, not voting rights, and could not interfere with the company's operations, let alone gain detailed knowledge of all its secrets.
The implications of this choice were too great for Jiang Feizhang to decide alone, so he resorted to a tactic of deflection.
"Mr. Scott, we understand your concerns, but your request is truly excessive. It's difficult for me to report to my superiors. Perhaps we can discuss it."
Sensing that Jiang Feizhang was beginning to yield, Pierce Scott decided to seize the opportunity. "I understand. Your bureaucracy here is very serious, I get it, and I don't want to make things difficult for you. I can take a step back first."
"This young lady can continue her research, but she cannot have the top-tier Laboratory A4. My people are using it. You can arrange for Laboratory A2 for her. Although it's two levels lower, it's enough for her to play with."
"As for the investigation, we can forgo a comprehensive one, but for investments where our holding exceeds 60%, we hope for a slightly more detailed investigation. After all, no one wants to see their money go down the drain."
Jiang Feizhang did not rashly agree to Pierce Scott's new demands. Instead, he asked his assistant to take notes and informed him that he needed to report to his superiors first.
Pierce Scott, head held high, issued an implicit threat. "Minister Jiang, I have already made many concessions. Please discuss it properly with your superiors. It's difficult for me too..."
He had barely finished speaking when a resonant voice interrupted him forcefully, "Difficult? Then don't do it!"