The atmosphere in the car was broken by the sudden sound of "Gu".
Xiao Ding looked at Feng Yi's face through the rearview mirror and saw that he was okay, so he said, "Boss, Director He called you when you were in there just now. Did you see if he left you a message or called you back?"
"Um."
Feng Yi responded, but did not rush to check his phone. If it was an urgent matter, Director He would tell him clearly.
He skillfully took out food from a small storage box in the car. They were all dried meat or biscuits made by Xiao Bing himself. Before every trip, the housekeeper would put some in the car.
After eating something to relieve his hunger, Feng Yi flipped through the chat messages on his phone, read Director He’s message, and called Director He back.
Director He only told Feng Yi two things. One was that Feng Yi was promoted from temporary consultant to formal consultant and was selected as a formal member of the expert committee. In other words, Feng Yi had a say in some important related matters.
This is what Feng Yi told the old man, experts of this level are protected by the Joint Guarantee Bureau, and if anything happens, the Joint Guarantee Bureau will get to the bottom of it.
Talent is hard to come by, and professionally gifted talent is even harder to find.
The second thing is the opening of the new Yangcheng Natural History Museum on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Director He's schedule was quite tight, so the certificate presentation to Feng Yi was also scheduled on that day. Director He had to leave after attending the museum event.
After talking to Director He, Feng Yi looked at the scenery outside the car window, opened his phone to search, and then said to Xiao Jia: "Let's go eat first."
One of Bai Lu’s restaurants is nearby, so Feng Yi asked Xiao Jia to drive the car over there.
When they arrived at the place, Feng Yi originally planned to put on his sunglasses before getting off the car. He is now somewhat famous on the Internet, and being recognized would cause more trouble. He was not in a good mood today, and he was not patient enough to deal with these things.
But when he put on the sunglasses, Feng Yi remembered something, so he took off the sunglasses. There was a new pair of plain glasses in the glasses box, so he changed his glasses.
Sunglasses are too iconic and can make you easily recognized. Also, wearing sunglasses while eating in a restaurant seems counterproductive no matter how you look at it.
His outfit today is different from usual, and also different from many of the photos that have been leaked online. He looks more like a business person, and you can't directly associate him with Internet celebrities such as "Snake Brother" or "Python King".
It is not the peak dining time now, but you still need to wait for a table. Bai Lu's various branches have always had good business.
There are no reservations and no private rooms, but there are not many people waiting for a seat, so you don’t have to wait too long.
Among the people waiting for a seat, Feng Yi saw an acquaintance.
"Tang Kui?"
When Mo Xiaoguang and Bai Lu invited him to go fishing, he went to Tang Kui's snake farm and took away two native chickens. The two chickens were eventually poisoned by Feng Yi.
Feng Yi referred to Tang Kui’s farm when buying a snake venom drying machine.
Tang Kui was browsing his phone when he heard someone calling him. He looked up, feeling confused, excited, and a little uncertain.
"Feng...Yi?"
The last word was spoken silently.
Tang Kui also knew that Feng Yi had become an internet celebrity recently, so he didn't call him out directly.
However, he did not recognize Feng Yi in this outfit today. If Feng Yi had not called him, he would not have recognized him. He looked too serious and formal, as if he had just finished a business deal or attended an important meeting. It was different from his usual style, and it was not the same as what he looked like online.
"Alone?" Feng Yi asked.
"Ah." Tang Kui responded.
"Then the four of us will go together."
"Okay!" Tang Kui was also happy.
It was just right to share a table. He felt bored eating alone, and he could talk to Feng Yi for a while!
Tang Kui came here to do some work and visit some partners. It was almost time for dinner, so he felt embarrassed to stay at someone else's house, after all, they had guests at home. He passed by here and saw Bai Lu's restaurant, so he came directly here. He didn't expect to meet Feng Yi here.
Tang Kui thought to himself: I’m so lucky today!
After all, the person in front of you is not just an internet celebrity, he is a real, certified expert!
Soon it was their turn and they sat down at a table for four. The waiter brought a pot of tea and Xiao Ding poured a cup for each of them.
After ordering the food, Feng Yi and Tang Kui talked about the snake farm, and Xiao Ding and Xiao Jia did not disturb them.
Although it was not a private room, there were some decorative partitions around it. People at each table were either eating enthusiastically or chatting excitedly. No one was specifically staring at them, and ordinary conversations would not attract attention.
"Bai Lu is not here today. He is busy in another branch." Tang Kui sent a message to Bai Lu while waiting for a table and knew what Bai Lu was busy with.
"Brother Yi, did you go to discuss business just now?" Tang Kui asked casually.
"Well, I guess so." Feng Yi said.
"You look like a business elite, I almost didn't recognize you, hehe."
Tang Kui did not ask why Feng Yi was going there so formally, but said: "I have been following the Virginia Python Hunting Event, but after you withdrew halfway, I was not very interested anymore."
He really wanted to hear Feng Yi talk about the situation when he caught the giant python, but it was not appropriate to say more at this time.
"Let's make an appointment for dinner then. Let's see which branch of Bai Lu's restaurant has a private room. We can talk it over. Or we can go directly to my farm. It's a remote and empty place, and there's no one else. We can just talk and have a barbecue buffet..."
"That's fine. Bai Lu probably won't be able to spare time until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. His business is so booming that he probably won't be able to spare much time."
Feng Yi was somewhat interested in Tang Kui's snake farm. Although he had no intention of running such a farm, he was still interested in learning more about it, especially about snake venom.
When eating out, Feng Yi was relatively restrained and didn't eat much. He also chatted with Tang Kui about the sales of snake venom at the farm.
It was a rare opportunity to meet Feng Yi here, and Tang Kui wanted to make friends with him. Seeing that Feng Yi was interested in these things, he also talked more.
He talked about the business of his small factory. Before the New Year, he sent a batch of snake venom powder to cooperating pharmaceutical factories and laboratories, and the sales were very good. He also talked about some of the research results related to snake venom that have been made public. They are not particularly large or influential results, but for breeders like them, as long as there is research value, there will be business, which is a good thing.
Feng Yi didn't show it on his face, but he was analyzing what Tang Kui said in his mind.
Snake venom is strictly controlled, and manufacturers or laboratories will not easily use snake venom whose source cannot be explained.
So the question is, what is the method that Xiaowu mentioned for dealing with the venom
The venom is collected, where to send it
Feng Yi was eating in the restaurant while listening to Tang Kui talking about the whereabouts of snake venom.
The old house of Feng family in Yangcheng.
Mr. Feng was so angry that he smashed a teapot.
He was also wondering where Feng Yi was in a hurry to go, and whether he had some secret, so he specially sent someone to follow him. Unexpectedly, the kid ran off to eat!
He also didn't think Feng Yi and Tang Kui were discussing anything important in there, so he just asked someone to follow.
Later, we learned that Feng Yi went straight back to Lu Hai's house after dinner.
Feng Yi knew that someone was following him, and he guessed that it might be the old man who asked someone to follow him. He didn't care. If they wanted to follow, then let them follow. Anyway, he had nothing shameful to do outside.
When I got home, the surveillance disappeared.
Feng Yi had a big meal and only went to see Doctor Xiao Wu after he was satisfied.
The more he talked with Tang Kui, the clearer it became that venom whose origin could not be explained was difficult to deal with.
Feng Yi was quite curious, how could he convert his venom into money
Also, my old lady also has poisonous fangs, so where did her venom go
In peacetime, it is quite difficult to maximize the value of these venoms without exposing one's own secrets.
There is absolutely no useful information available online.
He had asked Dr. Xiao Wu about this before, but Dr. Xiao Wu did not say much. He only said that he would tell the truth if Feng Yi also had such a choice.
I haven't mentioned it during this period because Doctor Xiao Wu is still studying Feng Yi's enhanced venom. It's not a very in-depth study, just to see if he can choose the same approach as me.
"Are there any results in the venom research?" Feng Yi asked.
"Um."
Doctor Xiao Wu rarely looked serious. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "It is indeed of high research value, and it may also bring you countless wealth, but!"
Xiao Wu looked Feng Yi straight in the eyes and said, "I still hope you can consider it carefully!"
Feng Yi frowned, puzzled: "Is it because the source is hard to explain?"
"No, this is not a problem, there will be a professional team to handle it!"
"Professional team?" Feng Yi was cheered up.
He knew that dealing with this kind of thing was not something that could be easily solved by one or a few people, it would require at least a team!
"Let's put the team aside for now. What I want you to know is that once a choice is made, it will not involve just one or a few people!" Doctor Xiao Wu was extremely serious, without a trace of joking.
"Tell me in detail." Feng Yi sounded a little nervous.
"You can think of the team behind this as a huge processing machine, and you are the only supplier of raw materials. Once the 'machine' is turned on, it cannot be easily stopped. Then, it will transform these venoms into other precious research materials, which will then be related to the livelihoods of thousands of people, their careers, dreams, fame, and wealth. It involves billions of dollars in funding changes every year, as well as continuous research time that may last for decades. In other words, once you decide to put the venom into this 'machine' now, you'd better not stop supplying it for decades to come, and it may continue until the moment of your death."
Feng Yi tried hard to understand what Xiao Wu said. "So, the team behind this is actually a 'processing factory' that transforms venom that is not convenient for the public to release into other things that can be released to the public, and then delivers these substances to others, making them the research target of more people?"
Venom → processed into other substances → other people's experimental materials
It sounds simple, but Feng Yi understands that the team behind it is definitely not simple!
"The team behind the scenes you mentioned, this 'machine', are all our own people?" Feng Yi asked.
"The 'machine' is just a machine. They don't know anything else. However, the people who control the 'machine' are our own people."
Feng Yi was quite satisfied with this. The fewer people who knew the secret, the better. If there were too many people in a large team, he would have to worry about the secret being leaked.
"If I choose this path, will I need to provide enough venom every day?" Feng Yi had to ask clearly.
"It doesn't have to be provided every day, as long as it is always available. After obtaining the functional fragment, a large amount of functional substances can be produced through amplification, purification and production technology. However, due to some limitations, a continuous supply of raw materials is still required to ensure the integrity of the functional fragment.
"Perhaps certain research peaks require increased supply, and you may feel certain pressure and burden during this period. Not everyone is willing to bear this kind of responsibility and pressure. After all, you could have been a rich and idle person with no responsibilities, which would have been easier." Xiao Wu said.
Feng Yi took these words to heart and understood what Xiao Wu meant by them. Xiao Wu was emphasizing the sense of responsibility.
"Mandatory? What if I don't provide so much venom during the peak period you are talking about?" Feng Yi asked.
"Of course it's not mandatory. It's up to you whether to provide it or not. A supply cut won't have much impact on you, it's just a matter of losing some money. It's not necessarily the case for others. You know what kind of consequences a supply cut of nuclear core materials might cause."
“Will those studies have a negative impact on society?”
"It's hard to say for sure about research on this kind of thing, but taking the late Ms. Feng as an example, the venom she provided has produced many groundbreaking research results in the daily chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Up to now, many functional proteins in the venom have not been thoroughly studied."
Feng Yi nodded: "I understand. The 'machine' is mine, which is equivalent to me studying myself. And then, generally speaking, it will benefit the society? And I can also make a profit at the same time?"
"You could say that."
Feng Yi got the desired result, "If it really works, venom is gold!"
Xiao Wu corrected: "That's not the case. It can be exchanged for countless gold, but gold may not be able to exchange for it."
Feng Yi understood that this meant that even if you had money you might not be able to buy it!
The level of coolness suddenly rose!
Having said that, I feel a little proud.
He didn't expect venom to be so valuable!
However, these are just Xiao Wu's statements and have not been confirmed.
"When can I see the 'processing machine'?" Feng Yi asked.
"After you think it over carefully."
Xiao Wu asked Feng Yi to think carefully before making a choice and give the answer after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He did not want Feng Yi to make a hasty decision.
He hoped that Feng Yi would take responsibility instead of just making a quick buck and running away.
After talking with Xiao Wu, Feng Yi returned upstairs from the laboratory and walked to the bathroom.
He looked at his two big white teeth in the mirror and flicked them with his fingers.
"Do your best!" (To be continued)