Chapter 35 is here! Red Star - Gentle Breeze!

"You're making fans."

"You'll eventually have to deal with people in the industry."

Wang Bin handed the note to Lin Xi, but his gaze drifted past him.

It landed on Wang Yu, who was busy nearby.

In that instant, an extremely complex emotion flashed through the eyes of this serious middle-aged man.

There was guilt, relief, and a deeply hidden trace of pride.

This boy was just like him.

He didn't like to talk, but he was skilled with his hands.

"If you have a chance to go to Shanghai later..."

Wang Bin withdrew his gaze and returned to being that cold-faced director.

"You can go look for the deputy factory manager of the Huashang Factory Fan Factory, Xue Jianhua."

"He was my classmate when I studied abroad."

"Tell him I sent you."

Lin Xi took the note, and seeing the flamboyant handwriting on it, his heart raced.

Shanghai Huashang Factory!

That was a time-honored Chinese brand, a giant that controlled half of the fan industry!

Even in 2025, Huashang Factory's name was still legendary.

This was a "travel permit."

It was also the widest path a father could pave for an illegitimate son he couldn't publicly acknowledge.

"Thank you, Director!"

Lin Xi gave a solemn salute.

Then, without any hesitation, he turned and shouted to Wang Yu,

"Wang Yu!"

"What are you standing there for?"

"Hurry up and thank Director Wang!"

Wang Yu was stunned for a moment and looked up.

Their eyes met.

Separated by the cold injection molding machine, neither father nor son spoke.

After a long while, Wang Yu bowed deeply to Wang Bin.

"Thank you... Director Wang."

Wang Bin didn't say anything; he just turned his back and waved his hand.

"Fine, stop being an eyesore here."

"Finish making this batch of blades and get out of here."

Watching Wang Bin's back disappear behind the office door, Lin Xi squeezed the note in his hand.

It was worth it.

Not only did he trade technology for respect,

but he also conveniently got a ticket to the great city of Shanghai.

"Big Cannon! Wang Yu!"

Lin Xi waved his hand with high spirits,

"Full speed ahead!"

"Let's try to get 100 blades done within two hours!"

"Once the first lunar month is over, we'll take 'Red Star' and go all out!"

...

Fifth Workshop.

Outside, the cold wind howled; inside, things were in full swing.

Sun Erga watched the operation before him.

His eyes almost fell into the cement bucket.

"Manager, our..."

"Isn't this a bit too shady?"

He pointed at the row of injection-molded fan base shells on the table.

They were hollow, like plastic basins.

At that moment, Lin Xi was directing him to pour cheap construction cement mortar into them.

"Other people's fans have solid cast iron bases—sturdy and respectable."

Sun Erga wiped the dust off his face, his voice weak,

"If the buyers find out we're filling them with cement..."

"Won't they tear our workshop down?"

A few idle crew members watching also muttered quietly.

"Yeah, isn't this just tricking people?"

"Filling plastic shells with mud—can this stuff actually sell for money?"

Lin Xi didn't say anything.

He just waited for the cement to solidify, snapped on a special sealing cover, and then beckoned to Sun Erga.

"Come, try lifting it."

Full of suspicion, Sun Erga reached out to pick it up.

In his mind, how heavy could a plastic basin be?

"Heave—ho!"

He used all his strength, and as a result, his wrist suddenly sank.

"Holy crap!"

Sun Erga cried out in surprise, "It's this heavy?"

That "weighty feel" in his hand.

It was actually steadier than the most expensive Huashang Factory brand cast iron base he had ever seen.

Lin Xi brushed the dust off his hands and calmly scanned the room.

"A cast iron base, even if it's made from recycled scrap iron, costs at least 5 yuan."

"Add in polishing, painting, and rust prevention, and you won't get it for under 6 yuan."

He pointed at the cement bucket.

"This base: the plastic shell costs fifty cents, and the cement and sand cost fifteen cents."

"Total cost: sixty-five cents."

"The effect is exactly the same as the 6-yuan cast iron, and because the center of gravity is lower,"

"it's even steadier than the cast iron when it spins."

"We tell the customers clearly that this is called a 'Polymer Composite Base'."

"We pass the five-plus yuan in cost savings on to the consumer."

"Do they want 6-yuan heavy iron, or heavy mud that saves them enough money to buy several pounds of meat?"

In the livestream room, the bullet chat was exploding.

["Hahahaha, what the hell is a Polymer Composite Base!"]

["Streamer, you really know marketing; this is the most common business secret of the 21st century."]

["Low EQ: Cement weight; High EQ: Heavy industry ratio steady as Mount Tai."]

["Scoundrel! But I love it!"]

"Alright, stop dazing and assemble the mesh guards," Lin Xi interrupted everyone's shock.

The workers instinctively reached for their toolboxes, looking for screwdrivers and fastening bolts.

In 1980, how could you build a large appliance without dozens of screws?

"Don't bother looking."

Lin Xi picked up a high-density mesh guard and showed the ingenious invisible clips on the edge.

"Align it with the slots and press with both hands."

"Click!"

A crisp snapping sound.

Not a single screw, yet it fit perfectly.

This kind of "Snap-fit Design," commonplace in 2025,

seemed like some kind of advanced magic in 1980.

The workers looked at the smooth, flat mesh guard without even a screw hole and were completely speechless.

"This... for cleaning later, you can just pull it open with your hands?"

Liu Guihua explored it in surprise, "This is much more convenient than spending ages with a screwdriver!"

"This is what you call the warmth of industrial design."

Lin Xi didn't have time to explain further; he turned to look at Wang Dapao.

"Big Cannon, come with me."

He pulled Wang Dapao into the small warehouse with its doors and windows tightly shut.

In the center of the warehouse stood a simple suspension rack.

Lin Xi pulled out the five transparent ABS Fan Blades that had just been injection-molded in the power room, looking like works of art.

"Big Cannon, remember this."

Lin Xi's expression was more solemn than ever. "The secret to a fan that doesn't shake and is silent lies entirely in this step."

"This is called Dynamic Balance Calibration."

"A tiny error here leads to a massive failure."

He patiently taught Wang Dapao how to find the point of center-of-gravity deviation.

How to use a scraper to shave off a tiny bit of plastic from the thick part on the back of the blade.

Until the blade could hover at any position.

In this era, this level of dynamic balance technology was often a closely guarded secret of aerospace laboratories.

Wang Dapao held his breath.

His calloused hands were actually trembling slightly now.

"Manager..."

"This... you're just teaching me this method just like that?"

In this era of "teaching the apprentice starves the master,"

Wang Dapao was so shaken by this unreserved trust that his eyes grew red.

"Because for this stage in the future, you're the only one I trust."

Lin Xi patted his shoulder.

"These hands of yours can swing a sledgehammer, but they can also do precision work at a missile-grade level."

Wang Dapao wiped his eyes abruptly.

He replied with a single, muffled word:

"Yeah!"

An hour later.

When the final process was completed,

the final product, named "Red Star · gentle breeze,"

stood quietly under the dim lights of the workshop.

The entire workshop fell into an eerie silence.

All the workers stopped their tasks and stared blankly at this "work of art."