webnovelvip Chapter 209 Qi Rui
Chapter 209 Qi Rui
Chapter 243 Qi Rui
May 17th.
Shanghai.
Lin Wei received a call from Huang Xueqin at 9:15 a.m.
"Sister Lin, the negotiations with Qirui are complete. The equity structure has been finalized: Weilan will invest 60 million RMB in cash to acquire 45.2% of the equity. The original founding team will retain 8.3% of the equity. The remainder will be held in an option pool."
"The second largest shareholder." Lin Wei repeated this position.
It's not a controlling stake. It's not a full acquisition. It's the second largest shareholder.
This is the result of repeated discussions and refinements between her and the founder of Qirui Precision Measurement. Qirui Precision Measurement is a MEMS testing equipment startup headquartered in Wuxi, established only twenty months ago. The core team consists of five people, all of whom came from the 35th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. Their technical approach is submicron-level probe stations, similar to the next-generation products of Ruiheng Precision Machinery.
Huang Xueqin discovered this company three weeks ago. They were originally one of Qirui's upstream suppliers, but were put on Weilan's radar by Weilan's procurement services.
A full acquisition was an option that Lin Wei actively rejected. Firstly, the founders of Qirui were unwilling to sell entirely—they had staked six years of their hopes on it. Secondly, controlling a stake would force Wei Lan to passively assume all of Qirui's responsibilities, which was not the optimal option at this stage.
The second-largest shareholder acts as a balancing point. Vilan Capital's entry grants it significant decision-making power and priority supply rights. The founding team retains sufficient shares to maintain motivation. An option pool is set aside between the two for future senior management hires.
What is Qirui's current production capacity?
"The theoretical capacity is eight probe stations per month. But the actual capacity is only three, because commissioning submicron-level equipment requires experienced engineers, and they currently only have three engineers."
"What performance level does it reach compared to Ruiheng?"
"The probe positioning accuracy is 50 nanometers. Ruiheng's main product is 30 nanometers, and its highest-end product is 20 nanometers. However, Qirui's roadmap includes a 25-nanometer product, which is expected to be mass-produced in the first half of next year."
Who will lead the subsequent technological roadmap?
"The founding team. But Vilan has the right to initiate technical reviews and veto major path adjustments through its technical committee."
Lin Wei nodded.
The veto power was added by her. The Qirui founding team was initially reluctant, but Lin Wei insisted on this clause. The reason was simple: Weilan needed not a company that followed its own path, but a supplier whose product roadmap aligned with Weilan's future needs. If Qirui decided to enter a field that didn't match Weilan's requirements, Weilan needed to be able to stop that decision.
"sign."
Huang Xueqin couldn't believe it. "That's it? Aren't we going to talk about it some more?"
"No more discussion. This is a critical window of opportunity. Ruiheng could back down further at any time, and we need to see Qirui's production capacity increase within three months. Tell the founding team that Vilan will provide all the resources needed to build up production capacity."
"clear."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Wei added a new status to the "Testing Capabilities" section of the alliance's risk assessment document:
"The acquisition of Qirui Precision Measurement's equity has been completed (May 17). Q3 target: to completely replace Ruiheng Services."
This is one of several strategic moves she began planning last month. It's not a counter-strategy, but a preventative one. The last point STMicroelectronics can pressure in the supply chain is high-precision testing. Once that point is also eliminated, Vilan's supply chain security perimeter will be complete.
Lin Wei closed the file and took out another one.
Bosch Technical Exchange Meeting Details
She turned to the third page and began to carefully check the technical demonstration materials prepared by Su Chen.
……
On the same afternoon.
Beijing.
Su Chen completed the outline of the report for the Bosch technical exchange.
The report is divided into three parts: a three-order model framework, an overview of multi-platform validation, and a preview of industry applications.
The first two sections showcase existing achievements. The focus is on the third section—a preview of industry applications.
He plans to reveal something for the first time in this section—a production line design simulation system.
This is the fourth IP address marked with an asterisk on his patent list. He hadn't submitted it because he needed multi-platform reproduction data to support the engineering reliability of the simulation system. Now, the reproduction data is available. NM accepted it. It's time.
However, he did not intend to disclose detailed technical information at the Bosch conference. He only planned to demonstrate one capability of the simulation system—predicting production line yield.
The specific logic is as follows: given a virtual 300mm production line parameter, input a third-order model to predict the yield range of MEMS sensors produced on that production line. Then compare it with existing production line data within Bosch.
If the predictions are accurate—and this is only an assumption—then Bosch will see an industrial application of the third-order model: predicting the yield of new production lines without actual production or extensive trial and error.
This capability is invaluable to a company like Bosch that needs to restart its 400mm production line. New production lines typically take three to eight months from design to commissioning, costing tens of millions of dollars. If the simulation system can reduce this cycle time by just thirty percent, the savings would be tens of millions of dollars.
But Su Chen wasn't going to talk about those things. He only intended to demonstrate his abilities. He'd leave the value calculations to Bosch.
He saved the outline and sent it to Lin Wei.
Thirty minutes later, Lin Wei replied with a message: "The production line simulation system part can impress them. Has Professor Bei Zhiyuan taken a look?"
"I've seen it. He added one more sentence."
"What did you say?"
He said that the most important part of this report is not the simulation system itself, but the combination of "simulation system + verification data". Simulation alone is a capability, but simulation plus multi-platform verification data is credibility. Bosch will pay for credibility, not for capability alone.
Lin Wei chuckled softly after reading it.
"Teacher Zhou has hit the nail on the head."
"Yes. He's downplaying the value of the technology itself and exaggerating the value of the validation data. There's a reason behind this."
Lin Wei pondered for a moment. She roughly deduced Zhou Zhiyuan's considerations: the technology itself could be licensed, but the construction of the verification dataset required continuous contributions from the consortium. If Bosch considered credibility to be the core issue, then Wei Lan was not just selling a patent license in the negotiations, but rather a continuous service—the more production lines involved in verification, the more accurate the simulation system would be, and the higher its credibility would be.
This is a business framework adjustment proposed by Zhou Zhiyuan: lower the one-time licensing fee and increase the value of long-term service subscriptions.
Lin Wei added a footnote on the last page of the report:
"Adjusted public statement: Simulation system is a capability. Production line verification data is the basis. The combination of the two constitutes a reliable service."
After sending the message, she picked up a document from the table. It was the latest version of the draft licensing agreement.
She circled part of it with a red pen.
"Authorization fee: a one-time fee for projects."
Service fee: Annual subscription. Tiered based on the number of production lines of the partner.
Verify data contribution weight: New clause. Verify that one production line can offset part of the service fee.
These three lines were added by her just now, inspired by Zhou Zhiyuan.
The last line is the most crucial. Allowing verification data contributions to offset service fees signifies that Vilan is encouraging partners to provide production line data. The more data partners provide, the more accurate and reliable the simulation system becomes, and the greater the service value. Partners providing data also benefit—they receive a service fee discount.
A positive feedback loop.
Lin Wei also sent the document to Su Chen, adding a note: "This framework can be used for next week's exchange."
After reading it, Su Chen replied with two words: "Okay."
……
May 19th.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Lin Wei received an email from the NM submission system.
The status changes to "Accepted".
The fifth business day after the Minor Revision was submitted. Just as the NM contract editing department had predicted.
Starting today, the paper on the third-order model is legally accepted. It will now proceed with typesetting, printing, and online publication. The online publication date is expected in early June.
But now Wei Lan can publicly reveal this status.
Lin Wei acted very quickly this time.
At 9:20, she sent a message to He Wentao, informing him that NM had officially taken over.
At 9:40 AM, He Wentao's quick commentary, "[The Third-Order Model is Officially Accepted by Nature Materials: The Beginning of a New Stage]," was published on Semiconductor Industry Observer.
At 10:00 AM, Zhihu, Weibo, and several tech-related public accounts began sharing this message.
It's 11 AM. "Acceptance of the third-order model NM" has once again topped the tech trending searches. The last time was on May 11th with the news of "Accept with Minor Revision," and this time it's a formal acceptance. Together, they form a "zero-question acceptance" textual status.
It's midnight. The term "third-order MEMS model" is also starting to spread in the English-speaking world. The most frequently used expression in English tweets is "This is one of the most important advances in applied mathematics in the field of MEMS over the past decade."
These evaluations might be too high. Su Chen didn't react after seeing them. He simply continued writing Chapter Seven of his second paper.
He Wentao's quick commentary reads as follows:
"The NM acceptance letter in early May was a result of peer review. Today's 'Accepted' status is a formal acceptance confirmed by the editorial department. This means that the paper is irreversibly accepted from a legal and publishing perspective. Any subsequent questions, rebuttals, or attempts to restart the discussion must confront this fact."
In the field of MEMS, the third-order model will henceforth be known as the 'Su-Zhou model'. This name will appear in all MEMS design textbooks, industrial technical documents, and patent cross-references for the next five to ten years.
The above-mentioned H7's timeline, Gao Sen Donglu's measurement, Bertoli's counterattack, and the sole 'winner' behind these three reversals: it is academia itself. It is peer review. It is that ancient mechanism that cannot be dominated by industry lobbying, media discourse, or capital directives.
This is the most important step in the third-order model story.
After the quick commentary was published, He Wentao added a subtle postscript:
"Weilan's Bosch technical exchange is scheduled for tomorrow. As is industry practice, the news of NM taking over was announced the day before the exchange, and the intention is self-evident."
……
the same day.
Milan.
Bertoli is considering whether to cancel the video call with Stein.
The fifteen-minute call was originally scheduled for tomorrow morning. However, the news that NM had officially taken over made him reassess the value of participating in the call.
The third-order model has been officially accepted by NM. Kosuke Yamamoto's full paper is about to be released, and the conclusion will be that "the bias is acceptable after parameter calibration." The exchange between Bosch and Villen is scheduled for tomorrow. Infineon has also expressed its stance.
In this context, what could he possibly discuss with Stein about "industry collaboration trends"?
There's only one thing we can discuss: whether Italian and French companies can secure a place within Bosch's cooperation framework.
But Bertoli knew that Stein wouldn't make any promises at this stage. Bosch hadn't even had a preliminary exchange with Villand yet, so how could Stein possibly mention Italy's or France's location beforehand?
The only effect a fifteen-minute phone call can produce is to express Yifa's "willingness to cooperate." This signal has already been conveyed in other ways. Repeating it won't change anything additionally.
Bertoli considered it for five minutes.
He then told his assistant, "The meeting will proceed as scheduled, but we'll change the agenda."
"Change it to what?"
"From 'industry cooperation trend' to 'jointly led three-order model industrialization alliance'."
The assistant was taken aback. "You mean, Italy, Bosch, and Vilan?"
"Add Infineon. Four Directions."
"But Infineon only expressed an initial intention to make contact—"
"That's the key point. If I don't bring it up proactively, the future might see Bosch, Vilan, and Infineon leading the industrialization of the third-order model. STMicroelectronics can only passively accept the standards set by the three parties. But if we propose the concept of a 'four-party alliance' now, STMicroelectronics will go from being passive to being proactive."
Bertoli gave it a push.
"Sometimes, it's not about what you can offer, but what you propose. Whoever sets the agenda owns the ladder of that agenda."
……
On the same afternoon.
Shanghai.
Lin Wei received an email from Bertoli's assistant at 3 p.m.
The email subject mentioned "Third-order model industrialization alliance".
It's not an "industry collaboration trend".
Lin Wei remained silent for a while after reading it.
Bertoli is actively resetting the game. He is no longer discussing whether Italy and France should participate, but whether Italy and France can become one of the founding members of the "Third-Order Model Industrialization Alliance".
This was a clever turn of events.
Once the term "alliance" was accepted, STMicroelectronics transformed from a "follower" to one of the "initiators." Any future public descriptions of the industrialization of third-order models will list STMicroelectronics alongside Bosch and Infineon.
Lin Wei took out her phone and sent a message to Su Chen:
"Bertoli proposed a new concept: the 'Third-Order Model Industrialization Alliance.' Key point: the founding members of the alliance."
Three minutes later, Su Chen replied with a message:
"Bertoli is patting him on the shoulder. If he thinks he can turn the tables and become the initiator by drawing a circle, he's underestimating the game."
Lin Wei smiled gently after reading it.
She replied: "I'll leave for the Bosch exchange first tomorrow. Let's put the Franco-Italian alliance concept on hold for now. I'm not going to take the bait."
After sending the email, she printed it out and pinned it to the office sign.
Part of it. Not all of it.
Remind yourself.
……
May 20th.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Vilan Shanghai Headquarters. Meeting Room Number 3.
Lin Wei, Su Chen, Jiang Mingyuan, and Gao Chaoyang, the technical director of Weilan, sat on the right side of the table. To the left of the table was a raised screen projecting an image of Bosch's conference room. The image showed three people: Stein, Meyer, and a silent middle-aged man—Graf.
May 20th, 9:00 AM in Shanghai. 3:00 AM in Stuttgart. Stein and his two companions joined the meeting that night.
"Good morning. Thank you all for your cooperation in sticking to this schedule," Lin Wei said first.
Stein bowed his head. "Professional exchange is not about time."
Lin Wei tapped the controller on the desktop. A pre-planned opening speech was skipped, and she went straight to the point.
"Today's discussion will be divided into three parts. The first part is Dr. Su Chen's report on the theoretical framework of the third-order model. The second part is an overview of multi-platform verification. The third part is a preview of industry applications. The total time is fifty minutes. Ten minutes will be reserved for Q&A at the end."
"Agreed," Stein said.
"Then Dr. Su Chen, please begin."
Su Chen nodded.
He opened his laptop and clicked on the first slide of the report.
The slide only had one line of text:
"Third-Order Nonlinear Correction Model for MEMS Thermal-Elastic Coupling: A Framework Overview"
He didn't exchange pleasantries. He didn't introduce himself. He didn't mention NM's acceptance. He went straight to the technical details:
"We begin with the limitation of the second-order approximation in the high-temperature gradient regime..."
He spoke calmly, at a slow pace, and with perfect precision in every technical term.
Graf across the table made a note in his notebook. This was the first time he had written anything in three hours.
Five minutes later, he picked up his pen again.
Ten minutes later, Graf's notebook was full. He turned to the next page and continued writing.
Su Chen was still talking.
“…the third-order correction is not merely a mathematical adjustment. It addresses a structural problem in the second-order framework when applied to non-uniform temperature distributions…”
When Stein heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
This is not a "more precise correction." This is a "fixing of structural problems in a second-order frame."
One is an option, and the other is mandatory.
When facing the world's largest MEMS manufacturer, Su Chen chose the latter's wording.
Stein realized one thing: Su Chen was no longer negotiating. He was in class.