83: China's semiconductor godfather

"I'm taking Xixi to school, you go handle your business." Li Xiuwu took leave again that day; he had to go to Shanghai.

"Auntie, I'm leaving now, I'll bring you back gifts." Li Xiuwu got into the car and headed to the airport.

"What is he busy with? He's always taking leave lately." Liu Yifei watched the car Li Xiuwu was in disappear.

She was very curious. She had asked once, but since Li Xiuwu wouldn't say, she didn't press further, though her curiosity remained.

"Probably doing gigs or commercial performances, or maybe it's related to Golden Culture," Liu Xiaoli said. She was also curious but couldn't figure out what Li Xiuwu was actually doing.

In Shanghai, Qiu Wanjun brought the hotel's pick-up fleet to the airport.

Pan Lei stepped forward to replace the driver of the stretched Lincoln, and Li Xiuwu got into the car.

"Boss, we have a meeting scheduled at the Garden Hotel this afternoon."

"Let's go directly to the Garden Hotel."

The car was filled with his own people, and no one spoke until they arrived at a private room in the Garden Hotel.

"I tested Zhang Nanjing again. The old gentleman still holds hope for Zhongxin, but even if we meet, I don't think the chances are very high," Qiu Wanjun told Li Xiuwu the latest contact information.

Li Xiuwu nodded. He himself wasn't holding out much hope, but he couldn't bear not trying to meet him.

"Oh, Boss, I heard some news: Motorola wants to sell its Tianjin wafer fabrication plant?"

"What did you say?" Li Xiuwu's eyes snapped open.

He had been considering the Tape-out issues, as well as the supporting facility construction for the subsequent factory.

"Motorola wants to streamline production and de-industrialize the factory, which coincides with domestic enterprises moving inland to cut costs, causing the factory's value to drop significantly."

That year, many high-tech enterprises in China were relocating to Xian, Chengdu, and Chongqing.

"Chasing the trivial while abandoning the fundamental," Li Xiuwu sighed, noting that high-tech industries held enormous advantages when located on the coast.

However, Li Xiuwu knew that many inland enterprises were forced into this situation; without investment and short on funds, cost reduction was their only option.

"Make contact and check the situation at the Tianjin wafer fab. Also, gather more intelligence on this front. If the price is within our means, we can acquire it."

"I have studied the Tianjin plant's processes. That facility possesses an 8-inch wafer production line, which is considered a medium-to-major production line internationally," Qiu Wanjun had prepared and brought out information on the Tianjin plant.

Li Xiuwu flipped through the Tianjin plant's documents. The production line, brought in through investment attraction efforts, was not outdated; it was an important production line for the main chips used in Feature phone at the time.

"Try your best to secure it."

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Qiu Wanjun's phone rang. He answered, listened, and hung up.

"Boss, Zhang Nanjing has arrived."

"Oh, let's go and greet him." Li Xiuwu stood up and left the private room with him.

They took the elevator downstairs to meet him.

As the elevator doors opened, several people were standing outside. Zhang Nanjing, in his fifties with wise eyes, stood in the center. His gaze swept over the group after spotting Qiu Wanjun first.

"Mr. Zhang, we were just coming to greet you," Qiu Wanjun immediately said.

"No need for formalities, let's go up first." He spoke very directly.

Zhang Nanjing entered the elevator, accompanied by a man in his thirties who looked like a student.

"Chief Qiu, I wonder if your Mr. Li has arrived?" Zhang Nanjing asked inside the elevator.

"Mr. Zhang, let me introduce you; this is our Boss, Li Xiuwu." He introduced Li Xiuwu.

"Him?" Zhang Nanjing looked at Li Xiuwu in surprise.

He was too young. When the elevator doors first opened, he had glanced over, and although Li Xiuwu was standing in the middle, he hadn't considered him.

"Hello, Elder Mr. Zhang, I have always admired you greatly. Please forgive my presumptuous invitation." Li Xiuwu extended his hand.

Zhang Nanjing shook Li Xiuwu's hand while continuing to scrutinize him.

He still found it hard to believe that the person who invited him was someone so young.

Qiu Wanjun had approached him several times, offering five times his salary plus shares in the Genesis team to lead all R&D matters for the chip company—terms so good they made him doubt their authenticity.

He had assumed the person making such an offer would be a big Boss in his forties at least.

"A hero emerges from the youth," he said after his shock subsided.

"Elder Mr. Zhang, you flatter me. Those who make actual contributions are the true heroes," Li Xiuwu said sincerely.

"Are you a singer?" At that moment, the young man behind Zhang Nanjing spoke up.

He felt Li Xiuwu looked familiar. After thinking hard for a while, he suddenly remembered: wasn't this the person who sang "wish you prosper" at the end of the year?

His words drew Zhang Nanjing's attention, and he turned his head in confusion.

Li Xiuwu smiled and nodded: "I didn't expect my little bit of fame would even reach someone so devoted to scientific research."

"What's going on?" Zhang Nanjing looked at Li Xiuwu again.

"Teacher, he's the one who got a perfect score on the exam and then went to art school," the student reminded Zhang Nanjing.

"It's you?" Zhang Nanjing looked at Li Xiuwu in surprise.

The nation desperately needed talent, and seeing the top scholar of the college entrance examination choose art school had made him curse the "declining social morality."

"Please forgive my poor showing."

...In the private room, the waiter finished serving the dishes and withdrew.

"Elder Mr. Zhang, let's eat first." Li Xiuwu invited Zhang Nanjing.

"This is too extravagant." Zhang Nanjing looked at the lavish meal. He was a very simple person who ate in the company cafeteria and cooked for himself at home.

"Just this once, it's a different kind of taste of life," Li Xiuwu replied.

"Then I won't be polite." Although Zhang Nanjing lived simply, he wasn't rigid. Li Xiuwu was persistent in his invitation, and Zhang Nanjing had already given his answer multiple times. Today, he would eat and drink what was offered, but discuss nothing else.

Zhang Nanjing had a very open mindset and ate heartily, occasionally chatting with Li Xiuwu about life.

He was also very curious why Li Xiuwu chose the Beijing Film Academy.

"You invested in a gaming company, invested in the internet, and now you are investing in semiconductors. Why did you apply to the Beijing Film Academy back then?"

"The Beijing Film Academy is also an excellent institution..." Li Xiuwu hadn't finished speaking when he saw the look of disbelief on Zhang Nanjing's face.

"A fine sword must keep its edge hidden," Li Xiuwu said. This sentence, however, made Zhang Nanjing nod in agreement.

Li Xiuwu was indeed too young and should keep his talents concealed.

Who would have thought that an actor from the entertainment circle was preparing to invest billions in semiconductors?

"Elder Mr. Zhang, let me be blunt: do you think you can still control Zhongxin in its current state?" Li Xiuwu shifted the topic to Zhongxin.

Zhang Nanjing's expression darkened upon hearing Li Xiuwu's question, but he remained silent.

Li Xiuwu continued: "Zhongxin can currently achieve 110 nanometers, while TSMC has reached 90 nanometers. The gap is only one year. Do you think Zhongxin still has a chance to catch up? Or rather, will the board of directors of Zhongxin allow this domestic chip company to catch up?"

Zhang Nanjing frowned. He hadn't expected Li Xiuwu to ask such sharp questions—issues he had been deliberately avoiding thinking about.

"I heard that after Motorola invested, they became the major shareholder. Has the stake held by foreign capital already exceeded domestic control?"