Chapter Thirty-Four: Inciting (Part One)

  "From design to testing and finalization, over $120 million!"

  "Really that many?" Dongfang Xiaoling was startled by Lin Hongfei's words, but she quickly reacted and asked back, "How did you know?"

  It is said that the research and development costs of any company are always confidential, but external publicity is another matter. However, Suzuki has never announced the R&D costs for the GS125 model, yet Lin Hongfei knew about it, which made Dongfang Xiaoling feel somewhat unbelievable.

  Lin Hongfei suddenly felt he had misspoken.

  This figure was announced by Suzuki several years later, and the reason why they invested so much in R&D costs is that when Suzuki developed this car at the beginning, it also brought a little bit of gambler mentality, because they knew that they were not as good as Honda in small gasoline engine technology, wanting to occupy as much as possible. This emerging market must bring out something better than Honda, and later proved that Suzuki's gamble was successful, GS125 became an evergreen tree in the motorcycle field of the Republic, even 20 years later, it still brings a considerable profit to Suzuki every year.

  But saying this at this time is a bit out of place, Suzuki hasn't even released the data, how would Lin Hongfei know? Fortunately, Lin Hongfei reacted quickly, "During university, one of my teachers visited Suzuki and they casually mentioned it. When he came back to teach us, he talked about the emphasis both countries put on new product development... with such a large investment, based on their rich technical foundation, do you think that with just 180 million, with our almost non-existent technical foundation, we can really design a car model that the market will recognize and bring the factory back to life?"

  Dongfang Xiaoling stopped talking, the Japanese had such a deep accumulation of technology before, and still need to invest so much money in R&D for a new product. The motorcycle manufacturing factory itself has almost no technical accumulation, what can be done with that little money? However, the girl's thoughts made her unwilling to admit defeat, and she said to Lin Hongfei with a defiant tone, "Don't say those things, if you have the ability, design a car better than the Japanese for me."

  "You'd better believe it, if I really do it, not only can I make a car that's even better than Suzuki's current one, but if the factory lets me run it, I can guarantee that within half a year, the factory will turn losses into profits!" As an internationally renowned internal combustion engine expert, designing a small-displacement motorcycle and its matching engine is really no difficulty at all, to the point where you don't even need to design it yourself. Lin Hongfei remembers clearly the better small-displacement motorcycles of later generations.

  "Go ahead and brag," Dongfang Xiaoling didn't believe Lin Hongfei's words. In her opinion, the current Lin Hongfei was no different from the slightly shy high school classmate four years ago. Design a car? How could Lin Hongfei possibly do something so "high-tech"? "If you really have the skills, then design a car for me to see?"

  Lin Hongfei wasn't having it, and he gave Dongfang Xiaoling a sideways glance. "Hey, what's in it for me if I design a car for you? There's no benefit to me at all. Why would I bother to work hard and come up with a car?"

  "You... " didn't expect Lin Hongfei to be so lazy, the little girl was furious, her pink fingers pointing at Lin Hongfei. "Don't mention that, Lin Hongfei, I'm putting my words here today, if you can really come up with a car better than Suzuki from Japan, I'll definitely persuade my dad to let you be the factory director, but what if you can't deliver?"

  Ling's daughter was so angry that she fainted, and actually planned to intervene in the "national policy" as a leader's child. However, strictly speaking, Dongfang Xiaoling's request is not excessive. If Lin Hongfei can really come up with a car model better than Suzuki King, let him be the director of this motorcycle manufacturing factory, who can say anything? Secretary Dongfang also has something to say: "This is a car that is even better than what the Japanese have made! What is talent? This is talent! Such a good talent, we promote and reuse in violation of regulations, doesn't it conform to the central government's spirit of vigorously promoting and appointing young cadres?"

  "Let me be the factory director?" Lin Hongfei burst out laughing, "Do I want to be this kind of factory director?"

  "You..." Dongfang Xiaoling was really infuriated by Lin Hongfei, her face bright red, her chest heaving up and down, looking very angry, biting her lip. "Lin Hongfei, do you know that this factory director is a real mid-level cadre?"

  Before Dongfang Xiaoling finished speaking, Lin Hongfei interrupted her and shook his head. He said helplessly, "Xiaoling, I know you're doing this for my own good, but you also know that the factory director is a genuine deputy department-level leader. I'm just a student who hasn't even graduated yet - do you think it's possible for me to take on this position?"

  Dongfang Xiaoling stopped talking, and Ya Tou also realized that her previous words were too impulsive. In front of her own father, she helped Lin Hongfei say a few good things, getting him an actual deputy department head during the internship period and promoting him to a formal department head after the internship was no problem, but arranging for him to be in charge of a state-owned enterprise that had been around for centuries? Even if this state-owned enterprise is now declining and is a mess, her own father couldn't say something like that, it's just too unreasonable.

  The country now attaches great importance to college students, but as soon as they graduate, they are arranged to be at the deputy level? I'm afraid that without strong connections, even a master's degree may not be enough. Although this is just a factory directly under the municipal government, belonging to an enterprise unit, it is not as strict as those institutions under the government, but it is also impossible for someone to hand over a factory to a student with no experience at all. Who would dare to do that? It must be a brain-dead person who makes such a childish mistake, and Secretary Dongfang would never make such an error.

  In 1991, university students were still rare. In that era, even ordinary undergraduate students were considered to be high above the common people, especially those who graduated from key national universities like Lin Hongfei. They were extremely scarce, with only a handful graduating each year. Ordinary people would even refer to them as "scholarly stars descending to earth". On average, in every region of the country, not even one or two people per city would graduate each year... At that time, although the dual-track system was implemented, university students were still assigned jobs by the state. Once you entered university, it meant you had entered the civil service system... Perhaps ordinary university graduates still worried about their job arrangements, but for Lin Hongfei and Dongfang Xiaoling, this was not a problem at all.