Chapter 776
A Gift from the Lee Family of Singapore
Deep within the cleanroom of Century Microelectronics in Singapore, the air, enveloped in cleanroom suits, carries a unique cleanliness and coolness.
Within the vast yellow light area, the ASML lithography machine, like a lurking silver behemoth, emits a deep and steady hum.
The robotic arm precisely grasps the eight-inch silicon wafers that carry hopes and hard work, and feeds them into the core of the lithography machine:
That priceless precision optical system that determines the fate of the chip.
Today is the day of the first tape-out.
Outside the control room, through the huge observation window, Lin Chundong, Chen Wen, and other core team members held their breath in concentration.
Their faces showed a mixture of exhaustion, excitement, and an indescribable tension.
Months of almost non-stop debugging, optimization, arguments, and breakthroughs will all culminate in this moment.
On the screen, complex parameters scroll, representing that the photoresist is being precisely irradiated and developed by light of a specific wavelength, etching circuit patterns on the wafer surface that are hundreds or thousands of times finer than a hair.
"Stage Alignment Complete… Exposure Starting…" The cold system notification sounded particularly clear in the quiet room.
Chen Wen clenched his fists instinctively, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the surveillance screen.
Lin Chundong, the technical leader beside him, also unusually lost his usual composure, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
Outside the control room, it's a completely different scene.
The “chip launch ceremony” organized by the Singapore Economic Development Board is being held in the adjacent reception hall.
Beneath the crystal chandelier, elegantly dressed and bustling with activity, government officials, potential investors, equipment supplier representatives, and local media gathered together.
Against a backdrop of soothing background music, the conversation is conducted in hushed tones, exuding a business-like atmosphere.
As the chairman of Century Group and the core driving force behind the project, Lu Yang was naturally the focus of the entire event.
Dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, he moved through the crowd with a perfectly measured, composed smile, exchanging toasts and pleasantries with people from all walks of life with ease.
He had just finished a brief presentation outlining Century Microelectronics' technological vision and commitment to Singapore's semiconductor ecosystem, which was met with polite and enthusiastic applause.
However, beneath this composure lies a clear sense of alienation.
His gaze would occasionally pierce through the crowd and fall upon the observation window that separated the noise from the core technology.
More than the clinking of glasses and the lively atmosphere here, he was more concerned about the "circuits" being created on the wafer.
"Mr. Lu, congratulations! This is truly an exciting moment."
A middle-aged Asian man, dressed in a well-tailored suit and with his hair neatly combed, approached with a champagne glass in hand and a friendly smile.
He is Director Li, a senior official at the EDB responsible for the semiconductor industry.
"Thank you, Director Li. EDB's support is crucial." Lu Yang clinked glasses with him, his smile becoming more genuine.
Director Li took a step closer, lowering his voice to a more intimate tone, as if sharing inside information: "President Lu, besides congratulations, there's a 'rumor' that might interest you. I've heard... you've always had a particular 'fondness' for lithography equipment?"
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, his gaze instantly becoming focused: "Oh? What does Director Li mean?"
“A… well… long-established chip manufacturing equipment company in Western Europe. I heard they’ve been sorting out their assets recently and seem to be looking to offload a batch of ‘second-tier’ but very good lithography equipment.”
Director Li observed Lu Yang's expression.
Lu Yang was completely focused.
Holding up his wine glass, he smiled and said, "They know your project in Singapore is progressing well, so they asked someone to pass on a message, wanting to ask if you... are still interested in continuing to 'collect' items?"
"collect?"
Lu Yang chuckled softly.
That was interesting; he liked hearing it. At the same time, he also keenly grasped the key point in Director Li's words: "Good condition? What specific model and process are you referring to?"
"The details are still unclear, but it is said to be a DUV (deep ultraviolet) lithography machine that supports mature processes, such as... 90nm or even more advanced? There are probably a few of them."
Commander Li glanced around.
Then he whispered, “The key point is, Mr. Lu, this is a rare ‘window of opportunity.’ The Paris Agreement was completely invalidated at the end of last year, and the new multilateral technology control agreement is still being wrangled by all parties. Western countries have temporarily loosened their control over the export of mature process equipment to developing countries, especially in non-sensitive fields. We must not miss this opportunity.”
Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat.
Window of opportunity!?
It seems that there is such a thing.
No wonder investing in and building a wafer fab in Singapore and importing these lithography machines went so smoothly; there was no excessive difficulty or scrutiny of the Chinese owner behind the wafer fab.
His mind raced with calculations, but his face remained calm: "It does sound... well... interesting. However, Director Li, I might have a slightly different idea about this 'interest'."
"Oh?" Director Li looked at him with great interest.
Lu Yang's gaze sharpened and deepened, as if piercing through the clamor before him, and landing on the distant east: "The equipment is good equipment, but this factory..."
He tilted his head slightly, gesturing to the symbolic ceremony behind him.
“I can promise you that the headquarters of Century Microelectronics will be located in Singapore and that I will not relocate for 10 years. In return, you can help me open a second branch factory in mainland China. We are all Chinese, and your ancestors were also descendants of the Chinese. Helping me will not be a loss for you.”
Director Li's eyes flickered upon hearing this. Holding his wine glass, he stared at the crystal chandelier above him and muttered to himself, "Isn't the headquarters going to relocate within the next 10 years?"
He had only heard Lu Yang's promise.
"make a deal."
As he spoke, he raised the glass of red wine in his hand slightly towards Lu Yang, then tilted his head back and poured the bright red wine into his mouth.
Put down the wine glass.
His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were fixed on Lu Yang with excitement.
Lu Yang was helpless.
I had no choice but to buy him a drink.
After finishing his drink, he asked the question that had been bothering him: "Why did Director Li agree so readily?"
"Because you have money."
Commander Li laughed heartily twice, and said with a hint of sincerity, "President Lu, your vision is exceptional. Microsoft's stock has skyrocketed in the last six months. According to some international institutions' predictions, if you choose to cash out now, just the $6 million you lent to the listed company Little Prodigy, minus half of the returns given to Little Prodigy, you can still pocket at least $3 million. Moreover, you are a major shareholder of Little Prodigy, and as far as I know, your Century Group's overseas investment department should have secretly acquired a considerable amount of Microsoft stock, right?"
Lu Yang's expression froze for a moment, then his eyes suddenly turned sharp as he stared at the middle-aged man opposite him.
The other person smiled at him and waved his hand, indicating that this matter was already common knowledge in the financial world and was a secret open to discussion.
"What do you want? Or rather... what does your Li family... no, what do you and the Star Government behind you want?"
Lu Yang chose to get straight to the point.
Director Li shook his head: "We have no ill intentions, but... well, I'll just be frank then. First, the other party in this transaction requires that the final payment be settled in one lump sum, without any delays for any reason, and it must be settled in US dollars..." "That's no problem."
As long as the lithography machine can be successfully brought to port and an eight-inch wafer fab platform can be built in the mainland as soon as possible, Lu Yang feels that no matter how much he has to pay, it is worth it. Moreover, a problem that can be solved with money is not a problem at all.
"As for what's next... given the subtle changes in the current international situation, according to our think tank's analysis, there is a high possibility that a crisis sweeping across Asia and even the world is about to emerge. It will destroy the current prosperity, and the global economy is very likely to fall into a prolonged slump. In order to deal with this potential crisis, our Li family and even the entire Singapore government have begun to reduce international investments and raise more US dollars to stabilize our market, but these measures are still not enough. We hope that if this situation really occurs, and someone tries to take advantage of the situation and attack Singapore's stock market, I hope that you, Mr. Lu, can take unified action with our Singapore government. Of course, we have not only approached you, Mr. Lu, so you don't need to worry about the safety of your funds at that time."
That's even better said than sung.
Lu Yang understood.
At this point, some people realized that a financial storm sweeping across Asia was about to arrive.
In other words, this financial storm had already been foreshadowed, and some people had given warnings. Many parties may have taken some measures to defend against it, but because they did not know exactly when it started, in what way it originated, or how fierce it would be when it arrived.
and so……
Today, is this Director Li choosing to act like a grandson in front of me, Lu Yang?
Did you have your eye on the US dollars in my hand?
Lu Yang himself didn't know exactly how many US dollars he had earned, because recently he had rarely focused his attention on other things, especially on Wall Street and NASDAQ, which were far away on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
Well, Microsoft's stock price changes every day. If you don't look at it, it might have already risen by more than 10 dollars in a week or two. Whether you look at it or not, it's still there. Anyway, as long as it hasn't reached the timeline that Lu Yang set for himself to sell Microsoft stock.
He wouldn't need to spend his time and energy on that.
When will this "timeline" officially begin?
Someone has already answered this question by sheer coincidence.
That's right, it's the Asian financial crisis, the impending Asian financial crisis, which will start in Southeast Asia and gradually sweep across Asia and even the world.
At the same time, two industries were severely affected: the first was real estate, and the second was internet companies. The financial bubble created by internet companies without real industry support did not gradually recover until the end of this century and the beginning of the next century.
While Microsoft is a great company, it will also be affected by this financial storm. Therefore, Lu Yang chose to sell all of his Microsoft shares on the eve of the Asian financial crisis or the night before it spreads too widely.
As for the future, will there be any repurchases?
It depends on how much spare cash he has after this financial crisis. After all, a financial crisis plunges the world economy into a great depression, which is the best time to buy. Luo Yang, who is having a great time buying at the bottom, may not have enough cash left to continue hoarding Microsoft stock.
It's a bit far-fetched.
These thoughts flashed through Lu Yang's mind in a flash, and then he smiled and reached out to shake hands firmly with Director Li in front of him.
"Deal made. Now, I look forward to your good news, Director Li."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lu, leave it to me. I'll persuade those stereotypical white Westerners for you."
The two raised their glasses to each other and smiled.
. . . .
Meanwhile, in the distant interior, inside the mayor's office of the Hengcheng City government building in Hunan Province.
Xu Changping opened the thick letter that had been delivered from Singapore through special channels.
His brows furrowed habitually, but when his gaze swept over Lu Yang's strong and powerful handwriting on the letter, especially the letter's candid revelation that his beloved daughter had given birth safely in Singapore, a foreign land, and Lu Yang's heavy sense of apology and responsibility, the usually composed mayor's face instantly turned ashen, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the letter so tightly.
"Bastard!"
A suppressed growl echoed in the quiet office.
Xu Changping didn't hesitate for a second. He picked up the red dedicated phone on the table and dialed his ex-wife Du Yuanyuan's number at Hunan TV.
As soon as the call connected, before the other party could speak, Xu Changping's suppressed anger erupted like lava: "Du Yuanyuan! Look at what you've done! You were the one who insisted on letting her work at the TV station, but why didn't you stick to your guns? Instead, you let her go to a private company. Are you using our daughter to make some shady deal with someone again?"
On the other end of the phone, Du Yuanyuan, deputy director of the provincial television station, who was reviewing the evening news script, was stunned by the barrage of questions: "Xu Changping? What's wrong with you!"
"I'm crazy?"
Xu Changping's voice carried a chilling undertone and a barely perceptible hint of heartache, "Your good daughter is in Singapore! She's already given birth... Such a big thing, and you, as her mother, didn't know a thing? Or did you know and deliberately kept it from me with them?!"
"What?!" Du Yuanyuan's pen fell to the table with a "clatter," her voice suddenly rising, filled with shock and disbelief.
"The baby...is it born?"
"How did you know?"
"A letter? Whose letter? He...he admitted it? How is Siqi? How is the baby?"
A barrage of questions came out of her mouth, mixed with a mother's instinctive worries.
But soon, the resentment that had been suppressed for a long time and the aversion to her ex-husband's accusations quickly took over.
"Xu Changping! Stop trying to play the victim here! Is my daughter mine alone? From childhood to adulthood, how much have you cared for her? Now that something's happened, you suddenly want to question me? You back then..."
What was wrong with me back then?!
Xu Changping interrupted sharply, instantly igniting the fuse that had been burning between the two for years.
Their daughter's upbringing, their failed marriage, and their mutual accusations about each other's parenting clashed and hurled insults at each other on the phone.
Outside the office door, the secretary dared not utter a sound.
This “telephone storm,” filled with anger, accusations, and old grudges, lasted for a long time until both sides felt a hollow emptiness after exhaustion.
There was a brief, heavy silence on the phone.
No amount of anger can burn away the bond of blood ties.
“…Siqi, she…” Xu Changping’s voice carried a deep weariness, “and their newborn child, they’re abroad now, we…”
He managed to utter the second half of the sentence with difficulty, "None of us can get through this."
These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing Du Yuanyuan's last bit of anger, leaving only the chilling reality.
That's right.
As public officials, without a perfectly legitimate reason and approval from their superiors, they indeed cannot travel abroad smoothly.
"Why don't you resign?"
"No, you resign. Xu Changping, you go and be with your daughter..."
The two started arguing again, their faces flushed red.
"Nonsense! As a public servant, how can I just resign like that? But you, I heard that your headquarters is undergoing reforms, and supposedly you're going to introduce external private capital to create a joint venture, Broadcasting Media. Why don't you take this opportunity to step down..."
"How did you know? Never mind, it's pointless to ask. You're a local official, Mayor, you certainly have the ability to know..."
This time, Du Yuanyuan did not immediately refuse. (End of Chapter)