Don't underestimate those three handwritten data sheets. They represent the results of nearly ten million yuan that Xinda Daily Chemicals invested in researching. However, Xinda Daily Chemicals, which is currently facing difficulties, is unlikely to be able to come up with another ten million yuan. Therefore, these three data equations represent all of Xinda Daily Chemicals' hopes, which naturally makes Wang Xuewei extremely nervous.
At first, she thought Yang Hongtao couldn't even understand what the simplest symbols on it meant, and she wasn't afraid that Yang Hongtao would leak the secret, so she casually handed the folder to Yang Hongtao.
Now that Yang Hongtao may have the expertise of an expert in applied chemistry, Wang Xuewei is bound to overthink things.
Yang Hongtao was almost amused by Wang Xuewei's reaction. After thinking for a moment, he didn't argue with her. Instead, he silently picked up the pen on the table and scribbled a few lines on his left palm. Then, he looked up at Wang Xuewei, slowly extended his left hand, but clenched it into a fist, and presented it to her, saying, "My English isn't very good. Can you help me pronounce this English word?"
Wang Xuewei's English was quite good, something she was always quite proud of. She didn't find Yang Hongtao's words strange at all, nodded, and said, "Okay! Let me see your hand."
"No... I can't let you see it!" Yang Hongtao immediately put on airs and said, "This English word involves a trade secret. What if you see it and spread this secret? Just tell me how to pronounce this word."
Wang Xuewei said angrily, "But if you don't let me see how the word is written, how am I supposed to know how to pronounce it? Oh... I'm sorry, I was confused!"
Wang Xuewei realized halfway through her sentence that Yang Hongtao probably didn't have any damned English words written on his palm at all; he was clearly trying to prove to her how stupid her behavior had been.
Sigh... I really haven't experienced much of the world. I lose my composure as soon as I encounter a problem. My IQ has dropped to an unprecedented level!
“Alright! I can show you these two data equations, but…” Wang Xuewei knew that being so conflicted wasn’t going to work, so she could only grit her teeth and say, “But if you dare to leak them, then I… I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!” After saying that, she sighed softly and reluctantly placed the folder in front of Yang Hongtao.
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao secretly stuck out his tongue, thinking to himself: Trying to scare me with ghosts? Heh heh... You've got the wrong person. Other things might scare me, but I'm not afraid of evil ghosts. No matter how fierce an evil ghost is, it can only become nutritious nourishment in front of me! Don't you know that I am the reincarnation of the fiercest evil ghost?
Yang Hongtao naturally dared not mutter these thoughts aloud; he simply pondered them in his mind. Then he picked up the folder, flipped to the last two pages of handwritten data equations, and began to study them carefully. Once immersed in the calculations of those chemical equations, Yang Hongtao seemed to completely transform, sometimes frowning, sometimes laughing heartily, sometimes beaming with excitement, sometimes completely absorbed, looking just like a master of face-changing in Sichuan opera.
However, this time Yang Hongtao did not forget to scribble and calculate directly on the two data sheets with a pen. Instead, he simply gestured a few times with his finger on the coffee table and that was it.
Wang Xuewei carefully observed Yang Hongtao's every move, but she couldn't figure out what he was up to. However, she vaguely felt that Yang Hongtao's demeanor didn't seem to be faking it, and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart.
Finally… after about half an hour, Yang Hongtao had thoroughly studied the two pages of data sheets. He put down the folder and said seriously, “Now I can answer you… I can solve all these equations, but… I just looked into it, and while your research direction is correct and your ideas are indeed good, there are two details that have clearly gone astray. If you continue researching along this line of thought, even if you achieve results… the practical value of this advanced cleaning fluid will be very limited!”
"What! Don't talk nonsense, okay?"
Yang Hongtao's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Wang Xuewei's head, causing her to panic. However, she quickly retorted, "Hmph... I don't believe you can really calculate it in such a short time! You know... these are experimental data and results obtained by Professor He, an authority in applied chemistry, and his assistants after several months of hard work. These were all verified bit by bit in the laboratory. I don't believe you can really see through it just by glancing at some numbers and symbols. You... you're clearly exaggerating!"
Yang Hongtao scoffed dismissively, saying, "Scare tactics? If you think I lack the ability, why bother asking me? Hmph... I can tell you the truth: the so-called authoritative professor you invited has very mediocre achievements in applied chemistry. He may have indeed spent countless hours and effort to achieve these results through experiments, but... in my opinion, his experiments are completely meaningless, because predecessors have already conducted similar experiments. We only need to borrow the existing experimental data. It's just that Professor He may not be aware of this experimental data, so he has to repeat these useless efforts."
For example, if you were asked to calculate the circumference of a circle, you would probably multiply its diameter by 3.14 to get the circumference immediately. However… if you asked an uncivilized African native to calculate the same problem, they would likely use many different methods. They might even first conduct countless experiments to prove the value of pi, and then use that proven value to calculate the actually very simple result.
Because you know this formula, which has long been verified by wise predecessors, you don't need to conduct countless experiments to verify pi, or even understand why pi must be 3.1415926. Just knowing how to use the formula is enough. In this way, when calculating the circumference of a circle, your efficiency might be a hundred times faster than that of the African native, completely eliminating the need for experiments… Do you understand my explanation?”
It took Wang Xuewei a long time to finally digest Yang Hongtao's theory. She was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth for a long time before stammering, "You...you mean...if you were to research this project, you...you wouldn't need to do any experiments at all to get the same data...or even...even more perfect data...is that right?"
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 20: Genius Scoundrel
Yang Hongtao nodded confidently and said, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean. Actually, the fur cleaning liquid you're investing in isn't a particularly high-end product. As long as you have a certain level of knowledge in applied chemistry, it should be easy to develop this experimental formula. You don't need to do too many meaningless experiments... Of course... after the theoretical synthesis formula is developed, some necessary verification experiments still need to be done."
Seeing Yang Hongtao speaking so eloquently, Wang Xuewei felt for a moment like a primary school student facing a teacher on the podium on her first day of school.
However, she immediately shook her head vigorously, instinctively and somewhat repulsed the budding emotion from her heart. At the same time, because of her past contempt for Zhou Ziwei, she naturally couldn't help but have serious doubts about what Yang Hongtao had just said.
"What a joke! Professor He is a renowned chemistry expert in the province and even the country, especially in applied chemistry where he holds an authoritative position. But in your eyes, Professor He is simply a shallow and ignorant child! Humph... I don't believe that his accumulated knowledge in applied chemistry as a famous professor and doctoral supervisor is really inferior to yours... this young man who didn't even graduate from high school?"
Wang Xuewei also felt that her tone might have been a bit harsh, but she really didn't dare to believe Yang Hongtao's words. If Yang Hongtao really wasn't lying, then that meant... wouldn't all the millions of yuan that Xinda Daily Chemical had invested in this project have gone down the drain? If these words had come from an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, then she naturally wouldn't have had much doubt. But the person in front of her hadn't even graduated from high school, so what right did he have to criticize or even despise a famous expert and professor?
Yang Hongtao wasn't angry upon hearing this. He simply smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'm not saying that Professor He is unlearned. It's just that everyone's position in society is different, so the level of knowledge they can access will naturally differ. Since he's a doctoral supervisor and professor at a university, his expertise must be in basic chemistry, especially in fundamental theoretical knowledge. He might be more proficient and thorough in that area than most inventors. However, having profound theoretical knowledge doesn't necessarily make one a great inventor; these are two completely different paths. As for me… my educational background is indeed very low, low enough that you high-ranking university and graduate students would look down on me. But sometimes, the level of a diploma doesn't mean anything. What's the use of a high degree? There are plenty of people with higher degrees than Edison, but who among them has surpassed Edison's achievements? Your degree is much higher than Edison's, right? Then let me ask you, how many invention patents do you have?"
Yang Hongtao's words left Wang Xuewei speechless. To be honest, she had never respected Zhou Ziwei, her destined "husband," from the beginning. She deeply abhorred Zhou Ziwei's past behavior, his gambling and womanizing, but this contempt stemmed from the difference in their educational backgrounds.
But now that I think about it, Yang Hongtao's words do make some sense. The level of education only proves how long a person has been educated in school. Of course, people with higher education generally have higher abilities than those with lower education, but this is just a broad comparison and does not mean that people with higher education will necessarily have higher knowledge and comprehensive abilities than those with lower education.
"Okay! I apologize for what I just said!"
Wang Xuewei wasn't a narrow-minded woman after all. It was just that she had always had a bad impression of Zhou Ziwei, which made her distrust Yang Hongtao's words. After all, no matter how rich her imagination was, she couldn't have imagined that the "Zhou Ziwei" in front of her and the Zhou Ziwei from before would have two different souls.
Now that she couldn't argue with Yang Hongtao logically, she stopped stubbornly sticking to her point of view. After sincerely apologizing to Yang Hongtao, she said seriously, "If you can really independently develop the experimental formula for this fur cleaning solution, or improve these equations based on Professor He's experimental data... I hope you can sell these experimental data or mature formula patents to our company. As long as it is proven that your experimental formula is indeed valuable, we can discuss the patent transfer fee in more detail."
"Well..." Yang Hongtao scratched his head upon hearing this and said, "For now, I can only theoretically develop a rough formula suitable for cleaning fur. Whether this formula is effective still needs to be verified, and this rough formula also needs to be refined and optimized through some experiments. If everything goes smoothly, it will probably take at least three to five days to come up with a mature and effective formula. And I still have some things to take care of right now, so I'm afraid I don't have that much time!"
Yang Hongtao wasn't deliberately trying to shirk responsibility. Having absorbed the memories of hundreds of people and now possessing his first round of startup capital, he was eager to begin his grand entrepreneurial plan after his rebirth, not wanting to waste even a single day. Once the experiments started, they would be difficult to interrupt, and he didn't want to spend days buried in the lab without seeing the light of day. While academic research and selling patents could indeed be profitable, such small sums were no longer of any interest to Yang Hongtao. He certainly wouldn't waste his precious time on such petty gains.
"What...you only need...only three to five days to complete the research for this project!"
However, Wang Xuewei was once again shocked by Yang Hongtao's words. You see, in order to study this topic, Professor He, along with several assistants and several researchers from Xinda Daily Chemical, worked together for several months and only managed to get a little bit of a rough idea. According to Professor He, if the research process goes smoothly, it will probably take about a year to successfully complete this project.
Now Yang Hongtao actually said that he could develop a mature formula by himself in just three to five days. This... the difference between the two is just too outrageous! However, when Wang Xuewei heard Yang Hongtao say that he did not have time to do this research for the time being, she immediately became suspicious.
Is this guy just bragging all along? He talks the talk but never walks the walk, and he backs down as soon as it comes to concrete things! Otherwise, how could a good-for-nothing like him, who spends all his time drinking, gambling, and chasing after prostitutes, not have time for anything? And how could a scoundrel like him really be a more outstanding applied chemistry expert than Professor He? Although some people with low educational backgrounds can still be truly talented, even if they are self-taught, they still have to put in a lot of hard work at home, right? But this guy's hard work has all gone to bars and casinos! I've never heard of someone becoming a chemistry expert by flirting with prostitutes in bars and gambling in casinos!
Recalling Zhou Ziwei's past actions, Wang Xuewei's newly built confidence in Yang Hongtao crumbled once more, and her gaze towards Yang Hongtao became strange again.
Yang Hongtao could guess Wang Xuewei's thoughts to some extent, but he was also prepared for her reaction. After all, he had been reborn into the body of Zhou Ziwei, an ignorant and incompetent scoundrel! It would be strange if no one suspected that an ignorant scoundrel had suddenly transformed into an academic expert.
After thinking it over, Yang Hongtao felt that if he didn't help her, Wang Xuewei would probably think that what he had just said was nonsense. Besides, Wang Xuewei was his nominal "wife," and it would be unreasonable for him to refuse to help her when he had the ability.
So Yang Hongtao didn't waste any more words with Wang Xuewei. Instead, he immediately picked up a pen and quickly wrote a complex equation on a piece of white paper. He then handed it to Wang Xuewei and said, "You can take this to Professor He, whom you invited. If he's interested, ask him to come here tomorrow afternoon to meet me. I'll assess his knowledge level. If he's passable, I'll have him temporarily act as my assistant. That way, I can assign him some less important small experiments, and I'll just need to guide him when I have time. Although this might take a little longer to get the results, it won't waste much of my time... Oh, of course, before the results are available, I think we need to sign an agreement to determine how the profits from this patent will be distributed."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xuewei's eyes widened, and she felt as if her brain had short-circuited once again.
This scoundrel doesn't seem to be joking! Uh... did I hear that right? He... he actually wants Professor He to be his assistant, and... and from what he's saying, it seems he has to test Professor He first. If he's not satisfied, then Professor He won't even be qualified to be his assistant!
However, Wang Xuewei immediately remembered that Professor He seemed to have said something similar before, saying that as long as he was allowed to be the assistant of this so-called "teacher" for a few days, he would not only not take a penny of compensation, but would even be willing to pay a certain amount of exchange fee.
So it seems this scoundrel's words weren't entirely unfounded. Perhaps... after Professor He saw this bizarre equation that looked like some kind of celestial script, he really would do as this scoundrel suggested. Could it be that this scoundrel is truly a genius scoundrel? My God... what kind of world is this!
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 21: The Surprise Attack
After sending Wang Xuewei away, Yang Hongtao dragged a bag of banknotes upstairs. He first locked the door tightly, then drew the curtains. Only then did he dump all the bundles of brand-new banknotes from the bag onto the bed. He then let out an excited scream, lay back on the bed, and started rolling around in the thick pile of banknotes.
In his previous life, Yang Hongtao was just an ordinary citizen. If nothing unexpected had happened, even if he hadn't gotten into that lawsuit, he would never have earned this much money in his entire life. But after being reborn, he possessed special abilities, and he could easily earn millions in the blink of an eye.
Seeing so much real money all at once, it would be impossible for Yang Hongtao not to be excited.
However, he had to suppress his emotions in front of others. After all, his predecessor, Zhou Ziwei, came from a very wealthy family. Even if he was down on his luck now, he wouldn't be so happy to see a few million.
Now that he's all alone in the villa, there's no need for him to hold back.
However, Yang Hongtao was, after all, a monster who had merged with the memories of hundreds of people. Each time he merged with the memories of a soul, it was as if he gained more experience. Therefore, although his temperament did not change much because of the merged memories, his vision and mind were ultimately affected to some extent.
So after Yang Hongtao rolled around on the bed a few times and calmed down, he looked at the stacks of banknotes on the bed and realized they were just some beautifully printed papers. He still had over a million yuan in cash left, which might be a huge sum for an ordinary worker, but it was only a drop in the ocean compared to Yang Hongtao's goal.
Yang Hongtao's greatest wish now is to avenge the hatred from his past life and crush Huang Lianshu with his own strength. And if he could economically destroy Huang Lianshu's company, making Huang Lianshu experience the feeling of going from a billionaire to a penniless pauper, that would undoubtedly be the most satisfying.
Although this method of revenge is troublesome, it is also the most satisfying. At this moment, Yang Hongtao's hatred for Huang Lianshu is no longer something that can be satisfied simply by killing him. Therefore, Yang Hongtao now has an extremely fervent desire for wealth. However, Huang Lianshu is no ordinary tycoon; his companies have businesses all over the country, and it is said that his personal assets are at least 8 billion yuan, and this 8 billion yuan is just a publicly known figure.
In fact, no one would believe that a ruthless person like Huang Lianshu didn't run some shady business. Therefore, Yang Hongtao now faces a long and arduous journey! He only dares to have such thoughts because he possesses countless precious memories and miraculous soul power; otherwise, if he were just an ordinary person, he would never dare to entertain such unrealistic ideas.
But where should he begin his business at this stage? This was a real headache for Yang Hongtao. He certainly had no shortage of entrepreneurial projects, even though few of the nearly one hundred original owners of the memories he'd merged with hadn't done anything legitimate in their lives—otherwise, they wouldn't have all been executed. However, the memories of those few individuals who had actually run legitimate businesses were enough for Yang Hongtao to compile over a dozen paths to starting a business and making money.
However, these projects either seem slow to generate profits or require too much start-up capital, which is currently beyond his means. What can a little over a million yuan do? It sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's only enough for small businesses. Opening a restaurant or clothing store is possible, but turning a restaurant into a luxury hotel or a clothing store into a major international brand's distributor is just wishful thinking. And if he wants to start a manufacturing business, this amount is even less sufficient, not even enough to buy a plot of land for a factory.
After thinking it over, Yang Hongtao looked at the pile of banknotes on the bed that had just excited him, but he still felt like a poor man! Frustrated, Yang Hongtao tugged at his hair, thinking that if he had known this would happen, he should have gone all out in the impromptu gambling game and won big. He figured winning twenty or thirty million wouldn't have been a problem.
However, he only thought about it in his mind. If he actually did it, he would definitely get into big trouble, unless he made a bet and then immediately ran away, never to be seen in Dangyang again. Otherwise, he would have offended almost all the wealthy people in Dangyang this time, making it even more difficult for him to move around in Dangyang in the future.
Hmm... Ideally, it would be best if you participated in this kind of gambling game in another city and no one knew you.
They'll rake in as much money as they can, and then disappear completely... However, these kinds of gambling games usually only invite acquaintances, so if you don't want to reveal your identity, it's impossible to sneak in.
Well... if you go to Macau or a legal casino abroad, there shouldn't be so many restrictions. However, you absolutely have to be careful about how much money you win each time. Those who run casinos are certainly not saints; if you don't manage your winnings well, losing all your money is a minor issue compared to potentially losing your life!
After much deliberation, Yang Hongtao still felt that making a fortune through gambling was unreliable, unless he went to Yunnan and Myanmar to gamble on stones, where the safety factor would be slightly higher. After all, to win money in gambling, you have to win from other people's hands; for every winner, there must be a loser. If he wins too much, those who lose money will probably become desperate, and when people are desperate, they might do anything.
However, gambling on stones is different. Although you can become rich overnight if you gamble on stones correctly, the stone merchant who buys the stones will never lose money.
In this way, the contradictions are not so prominent.
Of course... one must be careful not to gamble on stones, otherwise every time he gambles on a stone, jade will inevitably be found inside, and it would be strange if he didn't attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
The more Yang Hongtao thought about it, the more he felt that gambling on stones was indeed a good idea to accumulate initial capital for starting a business. After all, his current identity was that of a gambler and womanizer, and if he suddenly changed too much, people would always be suspicious.
Now that he has revealed his chemical expertise to Wang Xuewei, it's already a bit hard to explain. Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei have never had a good relationship, and Wang Xuewei needs Yang Hongtao's help. Yang Hongtao believes that as long as he tells her not to reveal this matter, there shouldn't be any major problems.
However, if he continues to act too flamboyantly in other ways, it will arouse suspicion from everyone who originally knew Zhou Ziwei.
If Yang Hongtao could start with gambling, and then gradually make some changes after gaining a certain amount of wealth and status, others would be more likely to accept him. It seems he really needs to make a trip to Yunnan sometime, but he just promised Wang Xuewei he'd help her complete that research project, so he'll have to wait until things are looking promising before leaving.
In addition, he needed to replace his lost ID card, driver's license, and other relevant documents before he could leave Dangyang, which would probably take more than three or five days. After making this decision, Yang Hongtao finally felt a little relieved. He jumped out of bed and took his large travel bag, throwing handfuls of banknotes into it, intending to use the money as funds for gambling on jade later.
His demands weren't high; he just wanted to make tens of millions from gambling on jade, enough to invest in and establish a company or factory of some scale. Just as Yang Hongtao was picking up the banknotes and happily planning his future, a sudden, inexplicable chill ran through him.
At the same time, a faint, almost inaudible click sounded outside the window. Yang Hongtao's hair stood on end. Without any hesitation, almost instinctively, he lunged downwards, landing face-first on the ground. Then, with a soft "thud," a deep bullet hole appeared in the opposite wall…
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 22 Stalemate
Yang Hongtao was terrified. He knew it was most likely the same assassin who had killed Zhou Ziwei in the taxi earlier that day, and that the killer was probably hiding outside the window. He knew that although he had managed to dodge one shot thanks to his keen intuition, there were no blind spots in the room, and if the enemy kept firing, he would have a hard time dodging.
At this moment, his biggest regret was not carrying the Glock pistol he had taken from the safe with him. Otherwise, he could have drawn his gun and retaliated immediately. His gun wasn't equipped with a silencer, so even if he missed, the piercing sound of the gunshot would alert the security guards in the neighborhood, forcing the assassin to retreat immediately and preventing him from lingering.
Although the gun was tucked under his pillow, only a meter away from where he was, the head of the bed faced the window. If he dared to get up and reach under the pillow for the gun, his head would probably be blown apart by bullets before his fingers even touched it.
At this moment, Yang Hongtao had no time to think too much. After weighing the options briefly in his mind, he wasted less than a tenth of a second before immediately rolling over and advancing instead of retreating, swiftly shrinking into hiding under the window.
Sure enough, just as Yang Hongtao moved, a series of low gunshots rang out again, leaving a row of round bullet holes on the floor.
Those dark bullet holes were like the footsteps of death, relentlessly pursuing Yang Hongtao, driving him to the brink of despair.
Now, Yang Hongtao and the assassin are only separated by a wall. Although there is a window in the wall, the natural marble windowsill protrudes a long way, so if the assassin climbs in through the window, neither of them can see each other. And of course, the assassin's bullets will not be able to curve and hit Yang Hongtao under the window.
However, Yang Hongtao was unarmed, while the assassin was prepared. So even if the assassin broke in through the window, it would be difficult for Yang Hongtao to launch an effective counterattack in the first instance. And if Yang Hongtao missed his first shot, he would be even more likely to be killed when facing the assassin's gun!
However, the assassin was clearly very cautious. After being shocked by Yang Hongtao's series of amazing reaction speeds, he immediately realized that the person he was facing today was not really the kind of weak and helpless rich kid. Moreover, he didn't know whether Yang Hongtao had a weapon or not, so he naturally didn't dare to act rashly. Otherwise, even if Yang Hongtao had a sharp fruit knife, he might have been able to deliver a painful blow the moment he jumped into the room.
Therefore, although the assassin knew that Yang Hongtao was hiding under the window, he did not immediately climb through the window and enter the room. Instead, he remained lurking outside the window, confronting Yang Hongtao, who was separated by a wall.
The villa fell silent instantly, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive, like the calm before a storm, so tense it was hard to breathe. This standoff was clearly more advantageous to Yang Hongtao; after all, it was only just getting dark, and if the patrolling security guards were observant, they might spot the assassin lying in wait outside the second-floor window.
Therefore, the longer the stalemate lasts, the greater the chance that the assassin will be exposed. However, Yang Hongtao dared not continue to wear down the assassin, because he knew that he was just a paper tiger. Although he had many fighting skills from the numerous memories he had merged with, and his reaction speed was far beyond that of ordinary people.
However, given his body, which had long been depleted by wine and women, he was unable to inflict any real harm on his opponent without the aid of any weapons.
Just the rolling motion to dodge those shots had almost completely exhausted Yang Hongtao's strength. The muscles in his legs were still twitching slightly. He even doubted whether he would have the strength to get up and fight back if the assassin dared to jump through the window immediately.
Although the assassin dared not rush in, Yang Hongtao dared not take any chances and think that the guy would give up.
It's only dusk, not a good time for an assassin to commit a crime. Moreover, the fact that the perpetrator risked breaking into this relatively well-secured upscale villa community suggests that the assassin was under some kind of pressure and was in a hurry to complete the mission, which is why they didn't bother to choose a good time and place.
Therefore, Yang Hongtao guessed that the other party would not hesitate for long and would inevitably break in through the window without hesitation. Once the assassin made up his mind, it would probably be the time for Yang Hongtao to die again. He had only been reborn in this body for less than a day and did not want to be put back into the assassin's body and become a ghost again!