"Why is it you again?" Ji Xingmi asked speechlessly.
"Why can't it be me?" Uncle Gu smiled at her, clearly delighted. He had expected to meet her when he came, and as expected, he did. Ji Xingmi might not know that Uncle Gu was no ordinary person, and his team undertook difficult missions. It was precisely because of the importance Elder Yi Hao and Elder Hua placed on her that Uncle Gu was dispatched.
Ji Xingmi fell silent, as what he said was not wrong. The main reason was that she had been exploited too severely the previous two times, causing her to associate Uncle Gu with those incidents and making her overly cautious. She didn't chat with Uncle Gu for too long, as he was there to complete a mission. Thus, guards were posted outside Ji Xingmi's laboratory, and background checks were conducted on all staff. Anyone with any issues was secretly monitored.
Ji Xingmi worked diligently for about a month before finally completing the surveillance system. After writing her report, she took the device and went directly to find Zhang Heng, bringing Uncle Gu along. Zhang Heng was greatly surprised by what he saw. He then descended into ecstasy, even hugging Uncle Gu and jumping twice in his excitement. He had originally intended to lift Uncle Gu, but he didn't succeed. It wasn't that he didn't want to hug Ji Xingmi; it was just that when he turned, he noticed the syringe in Ji Xingmi's hand, causing him to switch his target. Now, he could only jump twice as a gesture.
"Xing'er, I really want to know how your brain is wired. You are simply too amazing."
Ji Xingmi smiled. She couldn't tell him the truth, so she remained silent. Uncle Gu, however, was very interested in the device. He asked Ji Xingmi many questions and even actively helped with the installation, spending several days researching it.
After the device was submitted, it caused quite a stir. However, Ji Xingmi was unaware of these events. She simply installed it in her laboratory and continued with her other tasks. Three projects were already more than halfway complete, and progress was rapid.
While Ji Xingmi was busy in her laboratory, the outside world was abuzz with excitement as the results were due soon.
Ji Haoqi and Ye Yu had both participated in the college entrance examination, as assigned by their teacher. Gao Yu and Feng Changze also participated. Gao Yu did so due to family requirements, while Feng Changze, having nothing else to do, was persuaded by Gao Yu to join.
Ji Mama had also been very busy these past two days, even taking leave from her unit. Her main purpose was to cheer on the two children, and cooking was not her responsibility.
Gu Jingyi had also been extremely busy lately. Numerous new policies and decisions had been introduced, and a large-scale conference was to be held. He and Secretary Sun were swamped with work. The return of many scholars also caused those who had risen to power through less than ideal means to live in fear.
However, the arrangements for these individuals had not yet been decided, and this was a key point for the upcoming meeting. Another matter was economic development. Elder Hua and Elder Yi Hao had discussed it for a long time and convened several meetings. There were both dissenting and agreeing voices, and the two sides remained deadlocked.
At this juncture, news arrived from abroad that the "Little Sun" country was planning to hold an economic exchange conference in three months. The primary purpose was to promote their color televisions. Although color televisions already existed, they were not supplied to Hua Country. Now that their second-generation color televisions were about to be released, they were inviting Hua Country to experience them and to sell them the first generation to make money.
Naturally, Hua Country was not the only nation invited; other countries were also included. They would also bring new products. While called an exchange conference, it was essentially a promotional and introductory session aimed at extracting money from them. This situation immediately put pressure on Ji Xingmi's team.
Elder Hua and Elder Yi Hao were aware of what Ji Xingmi's team was working on, so both of them made calls. Of course, the calls were not directed at Ji Xingmi. Zhang Heng was the director of the research institute, so he was the one who received calls from these prominent figures.
By the time he received his orders and emerged, his legs were trembling. He then rushed to Ji Xingmi to inform her about the situation. Ji Xingmi calculated that there was enough time and did not impose additional pressure on her team members. However, Zhang Heng couldn't bear it. He directly revealed the news of the upcoming exchange conference in three months hosted by the "Little Sun" country. This ignited the passion within them, and they began working day and night. Ji Xingmi, seeing their dedication, did not intervene and instead went to research new items.
It wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking, just water heaters. Two years prior, she had brought back a natural gas water heater from the "Little Sun" country. After studying it for a period, Ji Xingmi decided to develop gas and electric water heaters and then sell them back to that country! This time, it was their turn to earn the money.
With this plan in motion, Ji Xingmi became incredibly busy. To gain a thorough understanding of water heaters, Ji Xingmi disassembled one from her personal space and even created exploded diagrams using her computer. As time was pressing, Ji Xingmi worked on refining her blueprints while simultaneously conducting research and assembly.
She also began working around the clock. However, as her individual workload was limited, she asked Zhang Heng to arrange for two other people to assist her. Upon receiving their tasks, those two individuals also worked with immense dedication, spending most of their time in the laboratory. Even their meals were delivered directly by the mess hall.