101: Chapter 101 The Most Useful Psychological Bargaining Chips

This smile instantly seized everyone's attention.

The misty steam from the tea curled up in the air, and through the haze, the curve of Lin Yuan's lips appeared increasingly unfathomable and intriguing.

Elder Zhang's gaze was deep as he squinted slightly, his fingers pausing on his knee for half a second.

In his long life, he had seen all sorts of people.

There were the madmen who swore to the heavens and boasted grandiosely, and there were the mediocre talents who were cautious and dared not step a single inch out of line.

But Lin Yuan's current reaction fit neither category.

There wasn't a hint of embarrassment in that smile; instead, it exuded a sense of ease, as if saying, "Guess how fast I can be."

Chen Jingshan felt a jolt in his heart, his fingers silently tightening around his teacup.

He was all too familiar with Lin Yuan's current state.

During the Photolithography Machine project, Lin Yuan had also maintained this calm and breezy demeanor, as if the entire Western world's technological barriers were nothing more than paper windows that could be easily poked through.

Now, that scalp-tingling composure was back.

Could it be...

That for era-defining things like Fifth-generation Communication and Brain-like Intelligence, he was also going to replicate the miracle of the Photolithography Machine?!

Beside him, Zhou Ping felt his throat go dry. He wanted to open his mouth to ask a follow-up question, but the words were forced back down as they reached his lips.

At the same time, deep within Lin Yuan's mind, the pale blue progress bar that had nearly stalled suddenly began to jump again.

[Current confidence: 1%... 1.5%... 2.3%!]

Every jump of the progress bar represented the inner defenses of these powerful figures, who controlled Xia Country's core resources, being dismantled layer by layer by his single smile.

Lin Yuan held his teacup, unhurriedly skimming the foam off the surface with the lid, a deep smile flashing in his eyes.

The subtlety of the human heart lay precisely in this.

Once you completely break the boundaries of expectation and leave a bottomless void,

Others will involuntarily follow that gap and fill it with the most exaggerated and shocking images they can imagine.

The easiest way to persuade a human has never been to forcibly shove an answer down their throat.

It is through guidance, letting them derive that answer themselves!

The 'Open Window Effect' is always the most effective psychological bargaining chip.

Even for a big shot like Elder Zhang, who held a high position and possessed a will as solid as a rock, once he entered this logical trap, he would likewise begin to frantically deduce along the path Lin Yuan had set.

After a moment of silence.

Elder Zhang leaned back on the sofa, tapped his knee twice with his palm, and suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

The originally tense temporal probing dissipated silently within that understated smile.

At Elder Zhang's level, he always emphasized a balance between tension and relaxation in his actions.

Since Lin Yuan dared to leave it blank, he naturally dared to provide full tolerance and trust.

Over the next period of time, the group tacitly avoided discussing the underlying technical details of Fifth-generation Communication and Brain-like Intelligence.

Elder Zhang took the initiative to steer the conversation toward the recent integration of production capacity for Photolithography Machines and chip mass production.

Chen Jingshan and Zhou Ping added objective data on industrial scheduling at appropriate moments.

Lin Yuan leaned against the sofa, nodding occasionally without saying much, perfectly displaying the composure expected of a top technical genius.

The atmosphere in the room was harmonious as round after round of tea was served.

The hands of the clock on the wall quietly moved toward 8:50.

At that moment, Elder Zhang set down his purple clay teacup.

The porcelain made an extremely slight clinking sound as it touched the wooden tea tray.

“It is about time.”

Elder Zhang stood up and casually tugged at the hem of his gray Zhongshan suit.

That relaxed and easy-going posture quickly vanished, replaced by the heavy, imposing aura of a high-ranking official who commanded respect without anger.

Chen Jingshan and Zhou Ping quickly followed suit, their expressions solemn.

Lin Yuan also stood up with composed movements.

“Let’s go.”

Elder Zhang stepped out, heading toward the office door.

“Let’s go see those comrades who have been waiting for a long time.”

...

At the same time.

Xia Academy of Sciences, Tiered Conference Room.

This high-specification venue, which was vast enough to accommodate hundreds of people, was currently packed to capacity.

The tiered seats were arranged from low to high. The first three rows were core seats, with nameplates in black text on a red background and bottled water placed on the tables; the subsequent rows fanned out behind them.

Over a hundred people, all of them leaders of various units.

From the various research institutes under the Xia Academy of Sciences, every single director had come.

From the major telecommunications operators, every single top executive had come.

There were also leaders from industrial equipment, automobile manufacturing, consumer electronics...

Those heads of leading enterprises, whose single shout in their respective industries could make the entire supply chain tremble, were now sitting properly in their seats, their backs ramrod straight.

No one was late, and no one dared to be absent.

None of the people sitting in this tiered conference room needed to be reminded by others.

They knew all too well the weight of today's meeting.

In the massive conference room, only low-voiced discussions rose and fell in various corners, merging into a buzzing ambient noise.

Tension, anticipation, anxiety, and speculation.

Over a hundred people and over a hundred different thoughts were all compressed into this sealed tiered space, making the air feel several degrees more viscous.

*Thud—*

Just then, the heavy soundproof door at the front of the conference room was pushed open from the outside.

In that instant, all the buzzing noise vanished simultaneously.

Over a hundred heads turned toward the doorway at the same time.

Elder Zhang was the first to appear in the doorway.

In his gray Zhongshan suit, his spine was perfectly straight, and his pace was neither fast nor slow, each step carrying the weight of a solid rock.

Following closely behind him were Zhou Ping and several other heads of powerful departments dressed in dark formal wear.

Many people present recognized the faces of these big shots.

Usually, seeing any one of them at a relevant industrial conference would be considered a high-specification event; today, they had actually gathered together.

Behind these department heads, Chen Jingshan followed half a step behind, walking side-by-side with a young figure dressed in casual clothes.

The group walked down the center aisle toward the rostrum.

The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the silent conference room, the rhythm unhurried but carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Soon, Elder Zhang reached the center of the rostrum and stood still.

He was in no hurry to sit down. Instead, he tilted his chin slightly, his gaze sharp as lightning as he unhurriedly scanned everyone present.

Under that sweep of his gaze, no matter how much of a big shot the hundred-plus people below usually were, they all sat up straight, even making a conscious effort to lighten their breathing.

Elder Zhang nodded. Without any polite small talk, he directly made a gesture, indicating for everyone to be seated.

Immediately after, the chairs on the rostrum were pulled out one by one.

Elder Zhang took his rightful place, sitting in the central seat of honor.

The powerful heads of various departments sat in sequence on the left and right wings.

Chen Jingshan, as the President of the Xia Academy of Sciences, sat in the second position on the left.

Zhou Ping sat in the third position on the left.

This seating arrangement appeared extremely rigorous.

And it was also at this moment, to Elder Zhang's right—

In the 'C-position' directly adjacent to the main seat, which was usually reserved for the overall second-in-command or the core chief technical engineer of such a major operation.

Lin Yuan, surrounded by a group of big shots with intimidating auras, stepped forward with a calm expression and casually pulled out that chair.

Then, he sat down composedly.