Chapter 1 Welcome, Welcome!

"Hahahaha… Welcome, welcome, esteemed academic giants and brilliant young talents!"

Still the familiar location, the familiar setting.

In the lavish European-style clubhouse, Chu Shanhe descended the stairs with a beaming smile, raising his glass to the guests attending the *Science Charity Gala*:

"Every year around this time, I host a *Science Charity Gala* in Donghai, hoping that more entrepreneurs and members of society can support our country's rapidly developing scientific research endeavors."

"In the past year, under the guidance of our old friend, Mr. Xu Yun, the entire scientific community has undergone earth-shattering changes and flourished! Countless disciplines have been revitalized by hibernation, and countless inventions have emerged!"

"Now, not only is the hibernation pod technology approaching maturity and about to enter the mass production and public release phase, but the invention of two new materials, room-temperature superconductors and new hafnium alloys, has also provided a cornerstone for innovation and development in the aerospace and industrial fields. Taking the latest achievements as an example… the first test flight of the Dragon Country's spaceplane is truly inspiring! The country's growing prosperity and strength cannot be separated from the development and take-off of science and technology!"

"Most of the members of our Donghai Chamber of Commerce and friends present today are entrepreneurs who don't usually have much contact with scientific research. But we must admit that we are the biggest beneficiaries of technological advancement and the development of the times! Only the development of technology can promote the emergence of more emerging enterprises, more high-tech cutting-edge companies, and more new field tracks… So, in essence, technology has changed everyone's life, and naturally, technology has made us successful."

"Therefore… I won't say much more. No amount of words can express my respect for scientists and my admiration for scientific research better than practical actions! So, this time, in the name of Shanhe Group, I will donate 200 million yuan each to the Donghai City Science Development Fund and the Donghai University Research Institute!"

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

Enthusiastic applause erupted, and men and women, young and old, in the venue sent sincere respect to Chu Shanhe, the pure and pragmatic chairman of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce.

Lin Xian stood in the crowd, applauding along with Zhao Yingjun.

Today, Zhao Yingjun wore blue earrings that she rarely wore.

They were long, teardrop-shaped sapphire earrings, hanging and swaying beneath her fair earlobes, reflecting a glittering light.

She rarely wore this pair of earrings.

This was mainly because she rarely wore blue coats and jackets, as the blue tones might not be enough to highlight her formidable spirit as a business woman.

And because she had a compulsion to keep the color of her earrings consistent with the color of her coat… so, this pair of sapphire earrings only appeared two or three times a year, and mostly at banquets.

On the other hand, Huang Que…

Every time he saw her, she was wearing blue earrings.

The style of the earrings might change from time to time, but they were always a sparkling blue. He had never seen her with earrings of any other color.

She didn't have Zhao Yingjun's inexplicable compulsion. She could wear her coats and jackets however she wanted, in whatever color she wanted…

This was why Lin Xian repeatedly suspected that Huang Que was Zhao Yingjun from the future, a time traveler, but he had never been 100% certain.

Appearance was one aspect;

Habits were the most difficult to change.

Lin Xian didn't believe that Zhao Yingjun, with such a severe compulsion, would abandon it one day.

"What's wrong? Do they look good?"

Zhao Yingjun noticed Lin Xian's gaze, pinched the earrings beside her cheek with her slender fingers, and smiled at Lin Xian:

"I rarely wear this style because I only have this one blue evening dress to match it."

"They're very beautiful." Lin Xian replied truthfully:

"A very beautiful blue."

…

After Chu Shanhe took the lead in donating, the entrepreneurs present also generously donated to scientific research.

The largest donation was one hundred million yuan, from a well-known figure in the Donghai business community who chatted happily with Chu Shanhe.

Lin Xian remembered him somewhat. He had also attended last year's charity gala and donated 80 million yuan.

Other entrepreneurs donated tens of millions, millions, or hundreds of thousands. There was nothing high or low about doing charity. As long as they were willing to donate real money, there was nothing to criticize.

Lin Xian and Zhao Yingjun jointly donated 50 million yuan in the name of MX Company and Rhine Company.

Wang Ge told Lin Xian yesterday that Zhao Yingjun had contributed 40 million yuan of the 50 million yuan, and Rhine Company had only contributed 10 million yuan, which was the same principle as him and Kobe teaming up to score 99 points.

"President Zhao said that our company is just starting out and needs money in many places, and there are not many profitable foundations now. We are just squeezing the Rhine Cat IP… so she said that the two companies are sister companies anyway, so we can just donate together."

That's what Wang Ge told Lin Xian.

It seemed that Zhao Yingjun really took care of Rhine Company and considered everything.

What to say.

Lin Xian inexplicably felt like he was still working at the same company… He was still an idle shopkeeper, Zhao Yingjun was still the biggest boss, and Wang Ge was still running around to work for President Zhao.

Uh…

What's the point of my existence?

Why does it feel like I just moved the office from the 20th floor of MX Company to the building across the street?

We haven't separated at all!

But Lin Xian didn't care about these details.

Last year, because the revenue from Rhine Moisturizing Cream was so explosive, MX Company made a fortune. The global market was doing so well that it almost completely monopolized the moisturizing cream field. And the brand and reputation were established, so other cosmetics were also popular, giving off the trend of "Rhine products are guaranteed to be excellent."

Of course, this Rhine was the MX Company's cosmetics brand Rhine, and had nothing to do with his poor Rhine Company.

It was reasonable to donate more when you made a lot of money.

Lin Xian didn't want to compare with them in this regard.

After all, whether it was the 2 billion yuan that Chu Shanhe invested in him or the 2 billion yuan that Zhao Yingjun gave him… the pocket money that they casually took out was already all the assets of his poor little Rhine.

…

When Lin Xian and Zhao Yingjun went on stage to donate together.

Chu Shanhe walked out with a smile, put his arm around Lin Xian in front of everyone, patted him on the shoulder, and introduced him to the guests from all walks of life:

"I don't think I need to introduce Mr. Lin Xian's deeds to everyone, right? A brave young man in Donghai City, one of the top ten citizens, he created the Rhine Cat that is popular all over the world in the commercial field, and jointly established a laboratory with the university in the scientific research field. He also won the world hacker competition in the computer field and won glory for the country. He is truly a model for the times! A model for contemporary young people!"

"I have a very good personal relationship with Little Brother Lin. Some time ago, we even went to the Dragon Country Academy of Sciences together and visited President Gao Yan of the Dragon Academy of Sciences. President Gao also praised Lin Xian very much and admired his talent. So, the Astronomical Institute of the Dragon Academy of Sciences also started a cooperative project with Lin Xian's Rhine Laboratory. I, Chu, have to admire… Lin Xian really showed me what it means to have a new generation surpass the old! The younger generation is to be feared! The future belongs to today's young talents!"

Chu Shanhe praised Lin Xian to the skies.

The people who came to the party today were all smart people, and naturally understood what Chu Shanhe wanted to express—

Lin Xian is my good brother, Chu Shanhe. Please give him some face in the future and help him if you can, don't make things difficult for him.

This close attitude really surprised everyone.

Chu Shanhe had dominated Donghai for so many years, and had never been so close and caring to anyone. This kind of thoughtfulness and heartfelt pride… people who didn't know would have thought that Chu Shanhe had another illegitimate child somewhere!

Could it be a son-in-law?

But it was probably unlikely, after all, Chu Shanhe's daughter was only a sophomore in college this year, less than 20 years old, very young.

In the eyes of this generation of parents in Dragon Country, being in love before the age of 23 was early love, and your legs would be broken!! After the age of 25, it was late marriage, and you would only know how to freeload without going on blind dates?!

Only those children who completed the whole process of love, marriage, and childbirth in the middle two years could become "sensible and filial" in the eyes of their parents.

"Where's Chu Anqing?"

In the Bluetooth headset, VV was very puzzled:

"Why didn't Chu Anqing come today?"

"It's the end of the semester at this time, she must be busy with exams." Lin Xian said softly, turning his head.

"Tch, boring, tasteless, I'm out." The sound effect of fading away gradually played in the headset.

"Oh right."

VV's voice suddenly became louder again:

"Someone is coming to settle accounts with you soon."

"Who is it?"

"The world's richest man, Tesla's CEO, Space X president, Twitter boss—Elon Musk!" VV chuckled:

"His motorcade is about to arrive at the entrance of the clubhouse, because you asked me to pay attention to protecting your safety at all times, so even when I'm not chatting with you, I'm actually monitoring the area within a few kilometers around you in all directions with high intensity. If there is any danger, I will notify you directly."

"Speaking of… Musk won't really make you pay for his satellite, right? I clearly moved them all back to their original orbit, and even gave them a few more loopholes. He can't be ungrateful, right?"

"It shouldn't be."

Lin Xian said softly:

"He's the richest man in the world anyway, how could he not have this kind of generosity? If he really makes us pay, he'll at most make us pay for some fuel. The satellite didn't fall, so what's there to compensate for?"

…

After that, many important figures in Donghai City took the initiative to greet Lin Xian, and Chu Shanhe also enthusiastically led Lin Xian and introduced him to them one by one, with good intentions.

After finally having some free time.

Lin Xian recalled what Zhao Yingjun had told him before, saying that there were foreign philanthropists coming to attend this charity gala, so Chu Shanhe postponed the time, thinking that since someone was willing to donate to Dragon Country's scientific research and the Donghai Science Development Fund, they were of course welcome.

Thinking of what VV said just now, Musk's motorcade was about to arrive at the clubhouse.

Could it be…

The foreign philanthropist that Chu Shanhe was talking about was this world's richest man?

"Mr. Chu."

Lin Xian turned his head and asked:

"I heard Zhao Yingjun say that there are foreign philanthropists coming to donate today?"

"Yes, haha, I'm also very surprised."

Chu Shanhe smiled:

"But all in all, others have this intention, and we must support it. As long as they are sincerely doing charity and sincerely helping the development of Dragon Country's scientific undertakings, no matter who comes to donate money, materials, or achievements, I will of course open the door and welcome them at any time."

"Oh, look, speak of the devil! He's here!"

Squeak————

Just as Lin Xian and Chu Shanhe were chatting. The thick wooden doors of the banquet hall were opened in half by the waiters.

A strong man with an estimated height of 1.9 meters strode in.

His shoulders were very broad, supporting the white Western-style礼服 (li fu, formal attire) he was wearing. The礼服 (li fu, formal attire) was not buttoned in the middle, and he was wearing a very casual striped shirt inside.

No bow tie, no tie, and even the top button of the collar was not buttoned, highlighting freedom and casualness.

His hair was combed very neatly, and his mental state was very young. He was more energetic and infectious than the average middle-aged person in his 50s.

This.

This was the current world's richest man, known as the Iron Man of Silicon Valley, the owner of Starlink, the launcher of the Starship rocket, the seller of space travel tickets, and the person who aims to lead humanity to immigrate to Mars—

Elon Musk.

At this time.

Musk came slowly with a smile on his face.

While applauding, he said in not-so-standard Mandarin:

"Good evening! Good evening! Good evening, everyone!"

And the guests present…

Seeing this suddenly appearing foreigner!

Were directly shocked and stunned!!

They never expected…

The world's richest man! Musk!

Would actually appear at the *Science Charity Gala* hosted by Chu Shanhe!

Boom!!!!

Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire venue exploded:

"Oh… My god! The world's richest man, Musk! Why is he here?"

"Chairman Chu said that there would be foreign people coming to participate today… I thought these foreign people were just ordinary scientists or people from foreign companies in Donghai! But, but it's actually the world's richest man, Musk! This is too exaggerated!"

"Hiss… But I've never heard of Chairman Chu Shanhe having any relationship with Musk? Whether it's in business or private, they should be complete strangers. Why is the world's richest man giving Chu Shanhe so much face today?"

…

No wonder everyone was so surprised.

Although Musk was a US entrepreneur and often used online social platforms to interact with fans, so it seemed that the distance was not so far.

But.

The world's richest man was still the world's richest man, and the pressure of seeing him face to face was still very strong.

Especially the guests who participated in the dinner were all from the business circle. Everyone was a businessman, and whose dream was not to become the world's richest man, even the richest man in the country or the richest man in the city?

For a time.

After a short period of sensation, the entire banquet hall fell silent. Everyone was silent, quietly watching Chu Shanhe smile and walk towards Musk.

After the two approached, they shook hands tightly:

"Hello, Mr. Musk." "Mr. Chu, it's been years, how have you been."

Chu Shanhe took the world's richest man, Musk, to the crowd and introduced him briefly to everyone.

Actually, it was completely unnecessary.

Who in the business circle didn't know this genius?

Not to mention the business circle, this scientific madman, or also a hype madman in the eyes of many people, had a very high degree of discussion and popularity in various fields around the world. Repeating all the well-known deeds would only be out of politeness.

Chu Shanhe told everyone that he had met Mr. Musk once in 2018. At that time, Donghai officials and Musk had reached an agreement to sell Musk a large area of land at an extremely favorable price, allowing him to build the world's largest Tesla factory on it, specializing in the production of Tesla electric vehicles.

Under the huge discounts, there were naturally some conditions attached. For example, this agreement required that all Tesla parts be fully realized domestically within three years, and technical sharing should also be carried out, in order to force the domestic new energy vehicle industry to become more competitive and develop.

Facts have proved that this decision was wise.

Now, not only is the new energy vehicle industry in Dragon Country thriving and selling well all over the world, but also standing on the shoulders of giants, the technical field is also constantly innovating, with a great potential to lead the way.

Donghai officials' move to introduce Tesla's "catfish effect" was really clever.

At the same time, this cooperation was a win-win situation.

In 2018, Tesla had great problems in its supply chain and capital chain due to insufficient production capacity. Its stock price plummeted, and it was even on the verge of bankruptcy. It was the establishment of the Tesla Super Factory in Donghai City that saved Tesla, saved Musk, and made this world's richest man.

In this way, Musk's relationship with Donghai City was still very deep.

In the process of this series of cooperation, Chu Shanhe, as the chairman of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce on the surface and the most powerful man in the dark, naturally participated in and played a role.

But he and Musk himself were just acquaintances, who had only met a few times, were familiar with each other, and had an impression.

Some time ago, before Chu Shanhe planned the *Science Charity Gala*, Musk took the initiative to contact him, saying that he wanted to participate in this dinner and repay Donghai for its timely help in those years and donate to Dragon Country's scientific research.

Chu Shanhe, who respected science wholeheartedly for the country, naturally agreed and specially postponed the dinner for him.

Therefore.

There was today's grand scene, where the world's richest man came to Donghai to attend the charity dinner.

"After our separation in 2018, it's been six years since Mr. Musk and I last met. I'm very honored that Mr. Musk still remembers me, a friend he only met a few times, after six years. I also welcome him to the Science Charity Gala and for his generous donation to Dragon Country's scientific development!"

Amid the applause, Musk took the microphone from Chu Shanhe:

"I really like Donghai. This is a very charming city, and it is also a city that has been kind to me and I have a lot of feelings for. Today is the *Science Charity Gala* held by Mr. Chu, so I won't steal the spotlight and say so much! In order to repay Donghai City for its timely help to me in those years and to support the development of scientific research in Donghai City, I will donate to the Donghai City Science Development Fund in my personal name—"

"500 million US dollars!"

Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!

This time it was really earth-shattering, and everyone was shocked like they had been struck by lightning.

As expected of the world's richest man.

This generous move was really scary!

For a time, the applause was thunderous and extremely enthusiastic!

Lin Xian and Zhao Yingjun looked at each other, and nodded tacitly, understanding the meaning in each other's eyes…

This Mr. Musk was indeed extraordinary.

Chu Shanhe donated a total of 400 million Dragon yuan.

And this world's richest man donated 500 million US dollars in one go! Almost 3.5 billion Dragon yuan!

It was indeed remarkable.

Lin Xian was originally worried that in this kind of occasion, the host set a standard, and the subsequent guests would generally not exceed the host's donation amount, which could be considered giving face.

At least Dragon Country people had this awareness.

But why was Musk a foreigner?

However…

When he saw Chu Shanhe applauding more excitedly than anyone else, Lin Xian really felt that his pattern was a little small just now.

Chu Shanhe didn't care about these things at all.

He really had a great pattern and an unusual height of thought, and sincerely hoped that the motherland would get better and better and that science and technology would become more and more developed. Therefore, the more Musk donated, the happier he was.

After the applause subsided.

Musk smiled slightly and began to look around the venue. Finally, his eyes locked on Lin Xian, and his eyes met Lin Xian's. ?

Lin Xian was a little confused.

Me?

What's the situation.

He wouldn't really come to claim compensation for the Starlink satellite as VV said, would he!

"Friends, actually, I came to Donghai today to attend this science charity dinner for another matter."

After saying that, Musk strode forward, looking straight ahead, and walked towards Lin Xian with a smile.

"Satellite, satellite, satellite, satellite, satellite, satellite…" VV trembled in the Bluetooth headset:

"A、At most, compensate him for the fuel cost! Don't even think about scamming us!"

Da.

Musk's thick-soled leather shoes stopped in front of Lin Xian, and he friendly extended his right hand to shake hands with Lin Xian:

"Mr. Lin, thank you very much for your hacker attack on the Starlink satellite system and for providing the loopholes to my technicians after the competition. It's hard to imagine the terrible and irreversible consequences it would have for the world's space environment, space stations, normal satellites, and the aerospace industry if this loophole was not fixed and then used by malicious people."

"So, the second purpose of my coming here today is to say thank you in person! I hope to see your feats again in the field of network security in the future."

Lin Xian smiled, stretched out his right hand, and shook Musk's right hand:

"You're too polite, this is all—"

Suddenly.

He stopped talking and looked at Musk in confusion.

He felt…

There was something in the palms of their hands!

It was something that Musk had hidden in his palm when he stretched out his right hand to shake hands with him.

And now, as Musk clenched Lin Xian's right hand, the round, flat little thing was held in Lin Xian's hand.

He didn't move and used his fingertips to feel this somewhat familiar touch…

Wax block,

Flat and round,

With protrusions on it,

A familiar touch!

It was a pattern he had touched countless times at home—

A right hand with an index finger pointing straight to the sky.

And.

Below the wrist of this hand, there were two English words with even protrusions—

GeniusClub!

Even if Lin Xian couldn't feel the specific letters with his touch alone, he could guess that these were the two words in this situation!

"Mr. Lin."

Musk smiled, stood up straight, slowly raised his right hand, and pointed his index finger straight to the sky:

"See you in the sky."