Chapter Forty-Seven: None of This Matters

On the other end of the line, Director Cao's voice shot up several notches, instantly becoming urgent.

"Why am I in such a hurry? How can I not be? It's been two days already. I've seen the sketches—they're not complicated at all. It's just a plastic shell filled with some foam, and you say you need a whole year? Tell me if you can do it or not. If you can't, I'll find someone else for Zhou Yi!"

"Stop rushing me. The sample is ready. I'm just here to pick up Zhou Yi and the others. They've been working non-stop. You're even stricter than the harshest taskmaster. Once Zhou Yi approves, we'll test the strength, make a small batch, and send it to you. Will that do?"

Director Cao finally seemed satisfied, exchanged a few pleasantries, and hung up. Without delay, the group headed straight to the research center.

As they entered, the team members gathered around, eyes glinting with anticipation, eager to show off their accomplishment to Su Yongming and Zhou Yi.

"Is it done?"

Xiao Zhang nodded vigorously. It seemed that researchers were always men of few words, for in his excitement, he was momentarily speechless. He simply pointed to the table behind him, drawing Zhou Yi's gaze.

Sure enough, five cervical collars made from different materials were lined up neatly, each accompanied by its respective blueprint.

Zhou Yi picked one up, glanced at the chubby guy, and skipped him—after all, with his short neck, it was better to test on someone more slender. He settled his eyes on a bespectacled youth standing beside Xiao Zhang.

He gestured toward the table. "Come on, be our model. Let's give it a try."

The young man didn't hesitate. Supporting himself on the table, he hopped up and lay back, eyes closed, playing the part of the dummy.

Zhou Yi opened the side clasps of the cervical collar, cradled the young man's head with one hand, but the volunteer stiffened his neck like a corpse, making it impossible for Zhou Yi to move him. The chubby guy stepped forward and gave the young man a smack on the chest.

"You’re supposed to be a dummy, not a corpse! Relax your neck, will you?"

The youth quickly went limp. Zhou Yi lifted his head, slid the back support of the collar under his neck, and brought the other half around, fastening the side locks.

Two crisp clicks sounded. Zhou Yi let go.

"Is that it?"

"All done!"

The chubby guy patted the youth on the shoulder. "Get up and try moving. See if your head can turn."

The young man carefully climbed down, unable to see his feet, so the others supported him. Once he was standing, he tried moving his limbs—no problem there—but turning his head was out of the question.

"My neck and head are fixed, I can’t move them. But it’s not tight or uncomfortable, and I can breathe just fine."

Zhou Yi nodded, released the locks, and the youth was freed. He rolled his neck and stepped aside. Su Yongming quickly moved forward.

"So, are we ready for a trial production?"

Zhou Yi shook his head and looked at Su Yongming. "We still need a series of tests—strength, compression resistance, and so on. Don't you conduct relevant tests before or during clinical trials?"

Su Yongming shook his head. "If it's for export, after clinical trials, it has to be tested. I checked last night—there's nothing like this at home or abroad, and no standards either. How would we test it?"

Zhou Yi shook his head. "Produce a small batch. While you start clinical trials, you can apply for testing with international agencies and apply for an international patent at the same time. That way, anyone who uses this design globally will have to pay royalties, and you’ll guide the development of similar devices. These are two paths forward."

The more Su Yongming listened, the brighter his eyes became. He had thought of applying for a domestic patent, mainly to avoid being crushed by the big medical device companies. But the prospect of entering the international market was a huge temptation.

It was like fighting for scraps at the table, never quite full nor starving, and suddenly someone opens a door to a grand feast—how could he not be tempted?

Su Yongming made up his mind, slapping his thigh. "Let's give it a try! If it works, great; if not, we won’t starve here at home! By the way, how’s the quality?"

Zhou Yi picked up a few and examined them. The lab-made pieces were fine, but mass production might not be as meticulous. There would be many details to address in injection molding and the molds.

"Do you have a hydraulic press?"

Xiao Zhang shook his head. Zhou Yi looked around, grabbed a hammer, and brought it down on each of the five samples.

Two shattered instantly, one cracked, and the remaining two were unscathed except for faint white marks.

Examining the cracked one, Zhou Yi nodded—it was the medium-thickness frame.

"This one is fine for clinical trials. For the patent, submit both high-strength and medium-strength versions. After all, standards differ between everyday use and field rescue. I think we can start small-scale production, but be sure to pay attention to details: smooth edges on the injection mold, no burrs, even filling."

Su Yongming nodded repeatedly. Although Zhou Yi was just a university student, at this moment, every word he spoke made sense and was considered from their perspective. Many broader concepts became clearer to Su Yongming at that moment.

"Xiao Zhang, tell the team to strictly control quality. Follow the blueprints and produce a batch. Spray a serial number on each by hand. When hospitals give feedback, collect data by serial number. And find someone professional to start preparing the patent application."

The lab team was visibly excited. This meant the sample had passed, and production could begin.

Zhou Yi looked at Su Yongming. Their work here was more or less done; it was time to focus on their own matters. He leaned in and spoke quietly:

"Mr. Su, the rest is out of our hands. We’ll come back next Friday to work on the other blueprints. We’ll head back now."

Su Yongming waved them off, but caught their arms before they could go.

"Come upstairs with me. Xiao Zhang, have the finance chief bring up what we've prepared."

Zhou Yi paused, momentarily not understanding. The chubby guy blinked and nudged Zhou Yi, hinting for him to just follow along. Zhou Yi didn’t ask further, and the two of them went upstairs with Su Yongming.

They sat and discussed the next design phase. After a while, someone came upstairs and knocked.

"No need to knock, come in!"

A small, thin man entered, carrying a bag. He handed a notebook to Su Yongming, who signed it, and the man left.

Su Yongming set the bag in front of Zhou Yi, patting it. "As promised, you get paid for each design. Here’s 110,000 yuan—10,000 for He Yuntian, and 100,000 for you. If the cervical collar gets patented, you’ll get 50% of the royalties."

The chubby guy’s eyes widened—Su Yongming was generous and kept his word. 110,000 was no small sum.

Zhou Yi had suspected as much when the chubby guy nudged him, but the straightforwardness still surprised him. He paused, then reached out and took the bag.

"Thank you, Mr. Su. I won’t refuse. Better to focus on designing new products than waste time being polite. I want to save up for a house and bring my mother here to enjoy life."

Su Yongming slapped his thigh, praising him repeatedly. "Filial piety isn't just talk. That's what I appreciate about you. All right, I’ll have someone drive you back to rest. I’ll call this evening after checking the news."

Zhou Yi and the chubby guy took their leave, the latter clutching the bag of money with a look of utter contentment.

Back at their apartment, the chubby guy quickly locked the door, opened the bag, and reveled at the sight of crisp bills.

"Having money sure feels good. Tomorrow morning I’ll rent a car and make a couple of fake driver’s licenses. That’ll make it easier to investigate Cheng Zhi."

Zhou Yi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind churning through all the connections.

"We need to tail both Li Mei and Meng Xiaojiao, look into Li Mei’s mother, and visit those three companies. It’s a pity there’s only two of us—we can’t be everywhere at once."

The chubby guy leaned closer, still unwilling to let go of the money bag, patting it with a grin.

"Don’t forget the saying—money makes the world go round. I’ll find people to help tomorrow. None of this is a problem."