In the Study.
Ning Xi stared blankly at the draft of the love letter before her. It wasn't too long, nor too short.
Simple words, yet they stirred an inexplicable tremor in her heart.
"You… are actually this good?"
"..."
Faced with the girl's question, Ye Fan couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
What kind of question was this?
It made him seem as if he often wrote love letters to girls.
He wasn't taking the fall for this!
"Xiao Xi."
"Hm?"
"When you understand what it means to like someone, you can do it too."
"…Oh."
Ning Xi grasped the meaning behind Ye Fan's words and responded in a voice as soft as a whisper.
Ye Fan reached out, gently tucking a few stray strands of the girl's hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed against her delicate, fair earlobe, and the smooth texture made the whirlpool in his eyes spin even faster.
"Don't… don't mess around."
Ning Xi turned her head away, her voice weak. "I… I need to write my essay. Don't bother me."
"Alright."
Ye Fan smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, glanced at the clock on the wall, and said, "It's 9:27 now. I'll give you an hour. Hand it to me by 10:30."
"Got it."
Ning Xi pushed the paper and pen in front of her to the other side, moved her chair, and sat across from him. Seeing that Ye Fan was about to follow, she quickly stopped him. "Don't move. You… just sit right there."
With her understanding of Ye Fan, if she let him sit next to her, this guy would definitely distract her.
Distance must be maintained!!!
Ye Fan silently put down his chair, shrugged his shoulders slightly, and didn't insist.
As the clock's hands moved, time unknowingly passed halfway.
During this period, Ye Fan didn't say a single word, quietly watching Ning Xi from across the table.
He liked this feeling, this atmosphere, this space where they were alone.
As long as Ning Xi was there, he liked it.
On the other hand, while Ning Xi was writing the love letter, a faint blush occasionally rose on her delicate face, like gentle ripples spreading across a calm lake.
Seeing this, Ye Fan secretly chuckled in his heart.
What?
Blushing while writing a love letter?
This girl… is a bit too innocent!
Seeing that there was still half an hour left before the agreed time, Ye Fan silently got up and left the study. He made a few familiar turns and arrived at the living room.
"Uncle, still busy?"
"Where's Xiao Xi?"
Ning Xiang Tian's fingers moved swiftly across the tablet screen, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Ye Fan sat across from him and explained with a smile, "I gave her an essay assignment. She's writing in the study right now. I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd come and chat with you, Uncle."
"Chat?"
Ning Xiang Tian's expression showed a trace of awkwardness as he reminded him, "You'd better forget what happened when I was drunk last time. Don't think you can use that to get closer to me. It won't work!"
Earlier this morning, Ye Fan had already caught him off guard once.
He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, so he chose to bring it up proactively.
A look of confusion flashed in Ye Fan's eyes as he feigned ignorance. "Uncle, what are you talking about? What happened last time when we drank? I was drunk and don't remember anything."
"..."
Ning Xiang Tian's lips twitched slightly, his expression turning odd.
Doesn't remember?
This brat… is really good at pretending!
"Nothing."
Since Ye Fan chose to skip over the topic, Ning Xiang Tian was happy to go along with it, his attitude softening slightly.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Let's talk about investing in lithography machines."
"Lithography machines?"
Ning Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Why this topic? Do you understand it?"
Although he was interested in investing in this field, his understanding of lithography machines was limited. Recently, he had been trying to catch up on knowledge about them.
But the more he studied, the more confused he became.
With all the specialized terminology, patented technology, and the harsh conditions required for manufacturing lithography machines, he could only describe it in three words—
Impossible… don't even think about it!
The technology for lithography machines was almost entirely monopolized by the MD multinational tech conglomerate. They held absolute dominance.
Many countries were heavily investing in this field, but their progress was minimal.
Xia Nation's independently developed lithography machines and chips used 193nm ArF laser lithography technology, but they could only meet military demands.
Meanwhile, MD Group's most advanced lithography machine used EUV 5nm technology.
The gap was enormous!
From a civilian market perspective, people needed high-precision chips, especially for compact devices like smartphones.
Looking at this investment rationally, to be honest, Ning Xiang Tian was considering backing out.
He certainly had the money, but independent lithography machine development was a bottomless pit—the R&D costs were astronomical.
The development cycle for lithography machines was long and required massive funding. Even if the technological barriers were overcome, the sheer amount of money required was staggering.
Just the hardware construction cost for a 14nm lithography machine production facility required at least 50 billion Xia currency.
As for the world's most advanced 3nm chip fabrication line, from R&D to deployment, it would take at least 300 to 500 billion Xia currency.
The figures were absurd—so absurd that even Xia Nation's richest man couldn't afford it.
And Ning Xiang Tian was a man who liked to do things properly—if he was going to do something, he wanted to do it the best.
But the problem was…
The best was beyond his reach!
Ye Fan carefully observed Ning Xiang Tian's expression, taking in every change. Then, he spoke slowly.
"Uncle, I've studied lithography machine technology a little. Developing our own just requires breaking through the technological barriers."
"Lithography machines are certainly profitable, but compared to chip production, their profit margins are insignificant. There's no real comparison."
"I believe Uncle is considering investing in lithography machines because of the potential in the chip industry. However, chip production requires extremely demanding fabrication facilities. From what I know, just the initial hardware investment is terrifyingly high. Lithography machines consume massive amounts of water and electricity in the chip-making process. From start to finish, every step costs money."
Hearing this, the disdain in Ning Xiang Tian's eyes faded, replaced by agreement.
Ye Fan's analysis was clear, simple, and still professional.
At first, Ning Xiang Tian thought Ye Fan was just talking nonsense, but he didn't expect this kid's analysis to be so spot on.
Surprised.
And impressed!
This young man was truly…
Extraordinary!!!
Whether in speech or knowledge, he was nothing like an ordinary high school senior.
Just as Ning Xiang Tian was wondering about this, Ye Fan's next words made his expression change significantly.
"I actually think Uncle should give it a try."
"Reason?"
Hearing this, Ning Xiang Tian narrowed his eyes.
A gleam appeared in Ye Fan's dark pupils, and he smiled calmly. "Actually, there's only one real difficulty."
"Go on."
"Breaking through the technological barriers of lithography machines."
Ye Fan spoke with confidence.
"Once we break through those barriers, bringing in capital partners will be the easiest part for Uncle."
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