202: 202. Apology

At the entrance of the restaurant, the atmosphere varied.

The principal, his face flushed with a few hints of intoxication and unprecedented excitement, approached Lu Feng, enthusiastically inviting him: "Student Lu, shall we go back to school together? I'll have the driver take you."

Lu Feng politely declined, his tone calm but firm: "Thank you, Principal. I still have some matters to discuss with President Yu and Professor Qin. I'll go back on my own a bit later."

The principal immediately understood, nodding repeatedly, his face filled with a comprehending smile: "Understood, understood! You have important matters to discuss, I won't disturb you!"

He secretly resolved that upon his return, he would immediately convene a secret meeting with the academic affairs department and the heads of Lu Feng's faculty. He must emphasize that for this esteemed figure, Lu Feng, all attendance and course requirements, etc., must be handled on an ad-hoc basis, ensuring the most relaxed environment possible. Everything must be geared towards 'serving' him as the highest principle!

This concerned the future development ceiling of the school, after all!

After seeing off the principal, who kept looking back and whose mind was active, Lu Feng walked over to Yu Tianxiong and Qin Tian.

The two had long been unable to contain their curiosity, especially Qin Tian, who, as a researcher, had a clearer understanding of the difficulty in the technical field.

"Sir..."

Yu Tianxiong spoke first, his tone carrying a cautious inquiry: "You mentioned the chip industry earlier during the dinner... Isn't this game a bit too big?"

Although he had almost blind trust in Lu Feng, the chip industry was a notoriously tough nut to crack, involving countless links such as design, materials, and manufacturing equipment, making it an extremely vast systems engineering project.

Qin Tian also pushed up his glasses, his brows tightly furrowed, and added: "Mr. Lu, I'm not questioning you. It's just that in the chip industry, especially high-end architecture, the barriers are too high. Domestic accumulation in this area is weak, top talents are extremely rare, and most are firmly held by several state-owned research institutes and giant enterprises. It's extremely difficult for us to poach them; it's almost impossible to find a leader who can spearhead disruptive R&D."

Facing their doubts, Lu Feng's expression remained composed, as if he were talking about something already well-planned: "You don't need to worry about the talent issue; I already have suitable candidates."

"Already have them?"

Qin Tian exclaimed in surprise: "Are they experts from a domestic institution? Or are they introduced from overseas?"

He truly couldn't imagine who, in the domestic circle, could independently lead a team to carve out a path under the strict technological blockade of the Eagle Nation.

Lu Feng didn't answer directly, only smiled faintly, a hint of mystery in his smile.

He then turned to Yu Tianxiong and instructed: "Old Yu, there's something I need you to do as soon as possible."

"Please speak, Sir."

"Help me find a... well, a rather special person."

Lu Feng pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing his words: "The requirement is male, but... without complex social relationships, preferably someone without family or friends, completely alone. Most importantly, he needs to be a... vegetative person."

"A vegetative person?!"

Yu Tianxiong and Qin Tian were both stunned, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment.

Find a vegetative person? What kind of strange request was this? What did it have to do with chip R&D?

Although Yu Tianxiong was full of doubts, he always executed Lu Feng's instructions without hesitation. He immediately suppressed his questions and nodded in response: "Yes, Sir, I will handle it as quickly as possible and ensure it meets your requirements."

Qin Tian opened his mouth, wanting to ask something else, but ultimately swallowed his words, though his curiosity gnawed at him like a cat.

Just then, their vehicles slowly approached, and Lü Chenxing, preoccupied and about to get into his car, also happened to open his car door.

Suddenly, a black luxury sedan braked sharply and stopped at the restaurant entrance.

The car door opened, and Zhao Ruilong almost stumbled out of the car, his face no longer bearing its usual arrogance, only profound trepidation.

He first hurried to Yu Tianxiong, bowed deeply, his tone full of sincerity: "President Yu! President Yu, please wait! It was I, Zhao Ruilong, who was utterly foolish before, and I offended you greatly. Please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart!"

After speaking, he quickly turned to Lü Chenxing, who was about to get into his car, adopting an extremely humble posture, respectfully greeting him: "Minister Lü!"

Lü Chenxing glanced at him, his face expressionless, showing neither joy nor anger, and merely said faintly: "It's best if the Zhao family understood in time."

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Yu Tianxiong and Lu Feng, "However, whether to forgive you or not, that is Lu..."

He abruptly stopped, realizing he almost let something slip, and immediately corrected himself, "...that is President Yu's business."

Zhao Ruilong understood, and quickly bowed to Yu Tianxiong again: "President Yu, as an apology, I have a building in the core area of Jiangcheng. The top three floors, which have the best view, are already vacant. I am willing to transfer them to your name free of charge for Tingfeng Capital's office use, as a small token of my sincerity. Please accept it!"

Yu Tianxiong waved his hand expressionlessly, his tone distant: "Young Master Zhao, I appreciate your kindness, but we can handle our own office location."

He glanced at the silent Lü Chenxing beside him, his tone softening slightly: "Today, for Minister Lü's sake, let's put the past behind us. I hope Young Master Zhao will focus his efforts on proper endeavors from now on."

Lu Feng, standing a little further away, also gave Zhao Ruilong a meaningful glance at this moment. Although he didn't know who the other party was, that look made Zhao Ruilong feel as if he had been pricked by a needle, his heart stirring.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, President Yu! And thank you, Minister Lü, for the reminder! I will keep it in mind! I will definitely keep it in mind!" Zhao Ruilong, as if granted a great pardon, repeatedly promised.

The others ignored him and got into their respective cars to leave.

Watching the convoy drive away, Zhao Ruilong finally let out a long, relieved sigh, tinged with lingering fear.

He regretfully slapped his forehead, his intestines twisted with regret.

Now, not only did he gain no benefit, but he also lost all face and dignity. At this moment, he didn't even dare to harbor a trace of resentment, only endless regret and relief—relief that the other party hadn't pursued the matter further, otherwise, the sword in Minister Lü's hand would likely fall, carving off a piece of their Zhao family's flesh to entertain Yu Tianxiong.

He slunk back into his car, driving away in embarrassment from the place where he had suffered such a great fall...