Tang Bixuan didn't buy anything, nor did she ask her to buy anything. However, the large cake in front of them was made by Tang Bixuan herself.
"Hahaha. Let's order!" Qin Xiao'an shamelessly pulled Chen Xu over: "Third brother, we specially reserved this spot for you. This spot is perfect. You'll have a clear view when the little girls are belly dancing outside later!"
Chen Xu said, "Go to hell!" Qin Xiao'an laughed loudly, "Waiter, let's order! I remember we have curry crab. Bring me a large one!"
Wu Yuan gave him a disdainful look: "How can one be enough? A curry crab only has eight legs and two claws. If we divide it up, there won't be much left. Waiter, one for each of us!"
Chen Xu glanced at the menu. A curry crab cost 99 yuan. He cursed, "Damn it! Are you deliberately trying to bleed me dry?!"
Tang Bixuan glanced at the menu, stuck out her tongue in surprise, and said, "It's so expensive. I'm not eating here."
"No, no, no," Chen Xu said, it was just a joke. He was in a good mood today, so he didn't care if it were 999 or even 999. Money was just a number to him now, and he never hesitated to spend it when it came to spending money. Among the group present, probably only the simple-minded girl Tang Bixuan would take his joke seriously.
Zhan Jing smiled calmly and said, "The curry crabs are quite large. If we do the math, three crabs will be enough for the nine of us. Anyway, the claws are so big, I won't eat them."
Dong Qingjie also laughed and said he wouldn't eat. Guan Yi also laughed and said, "I won't eat either, then let's have three, that's just right, six crab claws for you to share."
After saying this, Zhan Jing and Guan Yi exchanged a smile, and Old Dong also revealed a mysterious smile, leaving the others quite puzzled. What were these people laughing about? Only Chen Xu felt a sudden chill in his heart... because he knew that Zhan Jing and Guan Yi were both very shrewd women, the only difference being that one was reserved and the other was outgoing. But if the two of them smiled at the same time... he might have been sold out by them and was still counting the money for them!
Sure enough, when the curry crab arrived, everyone realized that it truly lived up to its price of 99 yuan per crab. Just one claw alone weighed several ounces, and even the one with the biggest head might not be able to fit in its mouth! Qin Xiao'an, being the impulsive person he is, grabbed a large claw first, ignoring the curry sauce all over his hands, and then shoved it into his gaping maw and took a bite…
"Damn... those crab claws were as hard as rocks, I almost broke my teeth!"
Seeing Guan Yi and Lao Dong laughing so hard they were doubled over, and then slowly eating crab legs with Zhan Jing, Chen Xu and the others finally understood... that these two women already knew that it was very unladylike to gnaw on such a big crab claw, so they simply didn't eat it.
How cunning! How incredibly cunning!
Among this group, Chen Xu, Qin Xiao'an, and Tang Bixuan had almost never eaten crab before. Wu Yuan meticulously taught Tang Bixuan how to eat it, even asking the waiter for tools to crack open the crab claws before slowly picking out the crab meat for Bixuan to dip in sauce. His gentle actions made everyone around him break out in a cold sweat. Tang Bixuan also felt a little awkward, her little face flushing red, which was quite adorable.
Since we were having dinner, we naturally had to drink. It was rare for everyone to be so happy. As for the drinks, everyone could just drink as they pleased. Bixuan had never drunk beer before, so we only ordered her a bottle and told her to drink it slowly. As a result, Wu Yuan, I don't know if it was because Bixuan was excited and wanted to show off, or for some other reason, actually picked up the bottle and challenged Chen Xu to a drinking contest... You know, when the guys in the dorm usually have a get-together, the eldest brother is known for being a lightweight.
Then Wu Yuan blushed and collapsed, clutching an empty wine bottle and leaning against the sofa next to Bi Xuan... Could this old man have deliberately gotten drunk to try and have some kind of drunken escapade?!
Qin Xiao'an, that sleazy jerk, was notorious in the dorm for his terrible drinking manners; he'd go on a rampage whenever he drank. Just then, some girls in Thai crop tops were dancing outside. They were dancing outside, while Qin Xiao'an was dancing inside. Because the walls of these private booths were made of transparent glass, people inside could see the performance outside, and vice versa. So, seeing Qin Xiao'an dancing so enthusiastically, one of the girls rushed in and dragged him out, immediately followed by screams from outside.
Inside the room, Chen Xu discussed with Dong Qingjie, who was next to him: "Do you think Xiao An might suddenly get into a striptease while dancing?"
Old Dong glanced at Xiao An, who was dancing energetically outside, and nodded seriously: "It's very possible!"
So the two bored guys started betting on whether Xiao'an would strip down to only his underwear... Knowing that Lao Dong had no money, they bet on drinking. Guan Yi and the others spat at them and slowly sipped their wine.
Chen Xu and Lao Dong were just joking, but who knew that Xiao An, with his crazy temper, would actually take off his shirt and reveal his solid muscles... Xiao An has always loved sports and recently became obsessed with body shaping and fitness, so although his muscles can't compare to those of a proper fitness instructor, they are still well-defined, which made the girls scream.
Even the restaurant manager couldn't hold back any longer and came in, practically crying, saying to Chen Xu and the others, "Is that your friend outside? Please, could you please bring him in? We're almost unable to do business anymore; this isn't a bar..."
Chen Xu really wanted to say he didn't know that jerk, but there was nothing he could do. The manager had seen them come in together, so he had no choice but to go out with Lao Dong, drag the drunken beast back into the room, put his clothes on him, and throw him next to Wu Yuan, letting the two of them sleep together.
To be honest, the dancing of those girls outside was pretty boring. They were playing music in some unknown language and style, and their waists weren't thin enough. Their hip movements weren't as seductive as Xiao An's. So Chen Xu watched for a while and then stopped, focusing on dealing with the things on the table.
Chen Xu looked around the room. Tang Bixuan was taking very gentle care of Wu Yuan, while the little girl Er Ya was leaning against Gao Xiaojie, talking about something. She would occasionally glance at Chen Xu while talking, probably not saying anything nice.
Just then, Chen Xu's wristwatch suddenly started vibrating again. Without making a sound, Chen Xu went to the restroom... He felt like he was going to the restroom every time something happened, and he was almost turning into a restroom superman!
Upon opening the watch, Xiaomin's sweet voice came through: "Congratulations on your 19th birthday! Here's a special gift for you... the complete manufacturing process of the Super Liquid Bulletproof Vest..."
Chapter 182 Liquid Body Armor and Chen Xu's Plan
Liquid body armor is one of the important development paths for future body armor.
This bulletproof vest consists of two parts: a special ultra-strong, stretchable, tough, and lightweight outer skin, and an internal high-efficiency solution... and most importantly, the internal high-efficiency liquid.
Upon impact, the liquid solidifies instantly into an ultra-strong solid, which is harder than some special alloys. This is the function of the liquid body armor. According to the data, the maximum protection of this body armor is enough to stop the most powerful bullets from a 16mm caliber sniper rifle!
Moreover, this kind of bulletproof vest is very lightweight. The weight of the whole body is only equivalent to an ordinary winter coat. The vest feels just like ordinary clothes when it is worn, without any discomfort or burden. It can cover the whole body... Unlike current bulletproof vests, which are too thick and heavy and can only be used as vests, and are very uncomfortable to wear.
It can be said that this kind of bulletproof vest in this era almost represents invincibility in urban warfare!
Because even a 16mm caliber sniper rifle cannot penetrate this body armor, let alone the small-caliber pistols or even submachine guns used by ordinary police officers.
Of course, this bulletproof vest also has its limits. If someone thinks that wearing this bulletproof vest makes them invincible, and then stands there arrogantly while someone shoots them, well, that's not being arrogant, that's being stupid!
The purpose of body armor is to protect soldiers and police officers from bullet damage as much as possible, not to make them stand there as targets to be shot at! Moreover, the special function of this body armor allows it to provide some protection in close combat... but only protection, not complete defense.
Why? Because the special liquid within this liquid body armor only solidifies instantly after being subjected to a sufficiently high-intensity impact… This minimum impact threshold is slightly lower than the critical point of the outer high-strength outer layer. In other words, if the impact force is insufficient to penetrate the outer layer, the liquid cannot solidify.
This design assumes that if a single impact would solidify a bulletproof vest, then even minor bumps and knocks would turn it into an incredibly tough suit of armor, hindering the wearer's movement.
Moreover, this kind of bulletproof vest is not completely invincible. At least in the future, there are two types of weapons that can easily defeat it: laser weapons and sonar weapons. Even ordinary armor-piercing bullets generate a temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius instantly upon hitting a target. In such a situation, even if the vest can withstand it, the person cannot!
Of course. Using armor-piercing rounds on ordinary people is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. This kind of body armor is perfectly adequate for dealing with current types of ammunition.
However, Chen Xu's feelings are very complicated right now.
Chen Xu was delighted. Because this was another good thing.
Chen Xu was devastated. Because this kind of amazing thing was like the treasures that appeared in science fiction magazines—visible but untouchable…even with the complete manufacturing technology, even though this era could already produce such a thing…the problem was that Chen Xu couldn't manufacture it himself!
The formula and ingredients of this medicine, the textile composition of the outer garment—even the X organization would need considerable time for research and experimentation to create it. Chen Xu himself had absolutely no hope!
It wasn't just this liquid bulletproof vest. There were also those height-increasing shoes. These things were all just for show for Chen Xu… This wasn't like computer software. What good was seeing something you couldn't have?
"Should I set up my own research lab?" Chen Xu thought to himself, sitting on the toilet. Lately, Xiao Min had brought out many amazing gadgets that were actually high-tech products. And based on Chen Xu's eclectic knowledge—meaning the wide variety of things he'd learned from his haphazard reading—he could tell that while these things were technologically advanced, they weren't necessarily beyond the capabilities of current technology. Or rather, current technology already had concepts for these products and was working towards them. It wasn't that the technology was inadequate; rather, often the ideas were just a step behind, or the experiments were still in their infancy.
This is different from a modern person traveling back to ancient times to make guns and cannons. Ancient productivity and technological capabilities were far inferior to modern ones. While modern times are also far behind the future, they still have a solid technological foundation… If a modern person were to go back to ancient times to make handguns, well… steelmaking technology, rifled technology, breech-loading explosive technology… these things simply couldn't be mastered without a hundred or two hundred years of research!
While some aspects of future technology are beyond the capabilities of modern technology, others are achievable, given the foundational nature of these technologies.
In fact, after obtaining the blueprints for that shoe, Chen Xu had the idea of setting up a high-tech laboratory, but he didn't know how to structure such a laboratory... What Chen Xu needed was high-tech talent, even high-tech talent in all aspects! But these talents were extremely precious, and even if he had money, he might not be able to recruit them... Ordinary talent was useless; Chen Xu was setting up a laboratory, not a training course.
And most importantly... the loyalty of this group.
The fact that his true identity couldn't be revealed meant he couldn't legally register a company... Chen Xu couldn't risk getting himself involved. The "rabies buster" incident had just happened at the right time, since his father owned a pharmaceutical factory. Venturing into such a completely new field again was something Chen Xu didn't want to expose himself or those around him, thus attracting attention.
That means the law can't protect Chen Xu. The registered company can only be run by someone else; he's always been a shadowy figure behind the scenes. If the person he entrusts isn't loyal enough, then if they take everything for themselves, Chen Xu can't reclaim what's his through legal means… But these are secondary issues. To be honest, Chen Xu doesn't need to use legal means now. The military is his backer, SMMH is his protection, and the X organization, which leads the world's technological trends, is his ally… at least for now.
However, Chen Xu did not want high-tech products to be exported, especially liquid bulletproof vests. It would be fine to export a small number of them, but if other countries also mastered the production method of such bulletproof vests, wouldn't that pose a greater threat to China?
Chen Xu sat on the toilet, deep in thought. He ultimately concluded that setting up a high-tech lab wasn't really feasible… How about getting the military to set one up for him? Honestly, Chen Xu didn't really want to get too involved with the military; maintaining the status quo was best… Bulletproof vests were definitely not for civilian use; if the military found out, they'd keep them firmly under their control. Starting a company would probably only get Chen Xu a buyout price… But Chen Xu had his own selfish motives. Who doesn't want more money, especially when it comes to giving away what's already in their hands? If he set up a company to export military-grade equipment, he'd make a fortune. Even someone like Chen Xu, who had little concept of money, couldn't help but gasp at the thought of the difference.
Compared to the two, that's a difference of at least several billion dollars! Chen Xu didn't believe the military would spend several billion dollars to buy all the patents for this bulletproof vest.
Moreover, using this product to set up his own high-tech laboratory would also benefit his future development.
Since you've decided not to show yourself, you need to find someone who is as loyal as possible to you.
"Who should I contact?" Chen Xu sat on the toilet, his mind wandering... You know, it's really hard for people to fully concentrate on one thing, even if it's urgent. When people are thinking, their thoughts really do wander freely. For example, thinking of eggs leads to thinking of chickens, thinking of chickens leads to thinking of bird flu, thinking of bird flu might lead to thinking of swine flu, then thinking of the 1918 Spanish flu, and then thinking of Madrid, the capital of Spain. Then it leads to thinking of FC Barcelona and the European Cup, and thinking of football leads to thinking of a bunch of lousy-footed Chinese men's football players...
This leads to the "chicken formula" for the Chinese men's football team, uh...
So, as Chen Xu thought about the bulletproof vest, he couldn't help but think that if this kind of bulletproof vest existed in the era of cold weapons, it would be invincible. Thinking of cold weapons, he couldn't help but think of the heroes in martial arts novels. Thinking of heroes, he then thought of assassins. Thinking of assassins... he naturally thought of what would happen if Jing Ke, the greatest assassin of all time, wore this bulletproof vest to assassinate the Qin Emperor.
However, when Chen Xu thought of Jing Ke, he naturally thought of the poem: "The wind howls, the Yi River is cold, the hero departs, never to return!"
The Yi River is cold!
To be honest, Chen Xu really did have a chivalrous spirit of repaying kindness. Ever since he helped Yi Shuihan last time, Chen Xu had cut off contact with him. He often saw Yi Shuihan's avatar on his communicator constantly lit up, and at first, Yi Shuihan would ask him every day if he was online, but Chen Xu never responded. Later, Yi Shuihan probably realized that this guy at SMMH must be very busy, and he shouldn't bother him, so he left a message saying, "I've already reserved the shares for you. If you need me anytime, feel free to contact me through this communicator or this phone number. Someone will be on call for two hours."
Chen Xu glanced at it and closed it. He knew that Yi Shuihan had left him 51% of S Company's shares and all the profits were in his account, but Chen Xu just smiled and let it go... because he was satisfied as long as Yi Shuihan paid back his 50 million US dollars, and he didn't think much about anything else.
Looking back now, Chen Xu realized that Yi Shuihan was indeed a true man, and he had only used him as a pawn to divert attention from Chen Xu himself. It did help Yi Shuihan, but he never expected Yi Shuihan to remember him so vividly.
He's the one!
Chen Xu was thinking this. Just then, the bathroom door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang." Chen Xu looked up in astonishment at the person in front of him, who was also looking at him in astonishment with a flushed face. Then, the two of them let out a scream at the same time... The person who came in was Gao Xiaojie!
"You pervert! You scoundrel! You lecher!" Gao Xiaojie shouted, "What are you doing in the women's restroom?"
"I'm in the women's restroom?" Chen Xu's eyes widened. Had he accidentally run into the women's restroom in his haste? Seeing Gao Xiaojie blushing and turning her head away, Chen Xu was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into the toilet... Fortunately, his clothes were intact, because he hadn't planned to use the restroom in the first place... Gao Xiaojie was blushing because she had drunk quite a bit, not because she had seen anything she shouldn't have.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Chen Xu apologized hastily, his face flushed as he ran out. Gao Xiaojie said, "You should get out of here quickly, don't let anyone see you." Then she went into the bathroom Chen Xu had just been in and closed the door.
Oh dear, I actually went into the women's restroom! How embarrassing!
Chen Xu was just hoping he hadn't been seen leaving the house. He cautiously opened the door and peeked out—thankfully, no one was outside. Chen Xu immediately wanted to dash out, but then he froze, turning back in disbelief…
A urinal?! How could there be a men's standing urinal in a women's restroom? Do women even urinate standing up?!
Chen Xu hurriedly ran outside and saw a sign above it that depicted a small standing figure... He looked across and saw a small figure wearing a skirt!
Who went into the wrong room?!
Enraged, Chen Xu went back and banged on the door. Gao Xiaojie's impatient voice came from inside: "What are you banging for? There's someone inside!"
Then came the sound of "vomiting".
Chen Xu was both amused and exasperated. This girl was indeed drunk; she had wandered into the men's restroom and mistakenly thought she had entered the women's restroom...
So Chen Xu wanted to turn around and leave, but then he thought that if the girl finished vomiting and was seen by other men, she might be so depressed that she would commit suicide. So he leaned against the door and waited for her. After a while, Gao Xiaojie came out and saw Chen Xu still standing at the door. She was about to shout, but Chen Xu was prepared. He stepped forward and covered her mouth: "Don't shout. Look at what that is..." He pointed to the urinal.
Gao Xiaojie's eyes widened instantly.
Just then, Dong Qingjie pushed open the door with a bang and called out, "Third brother, why are you taking so long to go to the bathroom? The girls outside are dancing to their climax, hurry up and come out..."
The last word was left unsaid, because Old Dong stared in disbelief as he discovered that in the men's restroom, Chen Xu was embracing Gao Xiaojie, who was wearing a cheongsam, with one hand pressed against her lips, the two of them very, very close...
Chapter 183 Establishment of the Laboratory
Yi Shuihan is now living a very comfortable life as a rising star in Shanghai. Although he has only been a nobleman for less than a month, everyone knows that as long as Yi Shuihan is not a fool, his status will only rise higher and higher. It may not be too late to curry favor with him now, but it will be too late in time.
Yi Shuihan lived a very disciplined life, arriving at the company promptly at 8 a.m. every day, working and leaving on time, only accepting invitations to banquets in the evenings and on weekends at most… So, getting a date with Yi Shuihan now is no easy task. Moreover, at any banquet, he always drinks only a little, never getting drunk, and certainly never taking any of the socialites home for the night. This led half of Shanghai's population to believe that he was not only a highly eligible bachelor but also an exceptionally good man, while the other half thought he was either lacking in romance or simply gay!
Some people have asked Yi Shuihan about this, because many people now know that Yi Shuihan holds 55% of the shares in the entire S Company. Although he claims that 51% of that belongs to SMMH and that he is only responsible for management... however, SMMH is just an online name with no legal effect, and he himself seems to have relinquished this power and has never appeared in public. In other words, the vast majority of the company's shares are completely in Yi Shuihan's hands, and he can take over the company at any time if he wants...
However, Yi Shuihan did not do that. He always claimed that he was just working for SMMH, nothing more.
After returning home, Chen Xu sent a message to Yi Shuihan via communicator. Yi Shuihan replied just two seconds later, leading Chen Xu to suspect that the guy had been waiting for him at his computer the whole time.
In fact, Yi Shuihan had already instructed his secret agent to respond immediately and notify him once SMMH appeared. He had already bound the communicator to his mobile phone and kept it on 24 hours a day so that he could know as soon as there was any news.
Chen Xu didn't think too much about it, otherwise he would have been very touched. He typed into the communicator: "I have a product that I hope you can help me research and produce. This product is not for civilian use; it requires a high level of technology. I can provide you with all the manufacturing methods, but I can't show up in person. Can you help me complete it?"
Upon seeing this message, Yi Shuihan quickly replied, "I need to see the product before I can make a guarantee. What kind of product is it? Is it military-grade?"
"Liquid body armor. It's probably intended for military use; this is the product description."
Upon seeing the file sent by SMMH, Yi Shuihan quickly clicked the link, said, "Please wait a moment, let me take a look," and then began reading the file rapidly. As expected, what Yi Shuihan saw filled him with dread!
Liquid body armor?!
He had heard of this invention. It represented a trend in bulletproof vests. He'd heard that various countries were researching it, but it was still in its early stages. Yet, SMMH had already completely overcome this hurdle. If the information and data presented above were genuine... no, no, no. How could SMMH possibly produce such a fake document?