Liu Qian wanted to laugh the moment he heard what Qi Hui said. “Mr. Qi, I really don’t get it. The students have done the department proud, both at the university level and at the academic level. Why did you try to give it away to the institute?”
The National Research Institute of Science worked for the government, but Tsing University was the top university in the country. This meant they were linked to the government as well.
Qi Hui argued they were not in a position to go against a government body. Since both establishments belonged to the government, this argument did not hold water at all.
Any problems Qi Hui faced only existed at a personal level.
Qi Hui leaned against the table looking at Liu Qian. He no longer seemed as powerful. It looked as though the roles had reversed and Liu Qian had the upper hand.
Qi Hui remained quiet for some time.
The silence in the office was finally broken by a phone call.
It was Qi Hui’s phone which rang.
Liu Qian suddenly composed himself and glanced at his phone on the table. He said calmly, “Mr. Qi, I’m sure you’re very busy, so I’ll make myself scarce.”
Liu Qian proceeded to leave the office. When Liu Qian got to the door, he suddenly turned around and said, “Oh yes. I think you’ll need to reach out to the institute about signing the authorization letter again.”
Qi Hui looked even angrier.
Liu Qian calmly veered his eyes and stepped out of the office.
The moment he walked out through the door, the confidence on his face disappeared and he looked worried.
Even though Liu Qian had already settled the patent application, he could tell that the National Research Institute of Science was not going to give up once Qi Hui told them about this.
He was not worried about the research project but was afraid of the people attempting to steal it.
Qi Hui was right. Sometimes, it was impossible to get what he wanted.
Since Prof Liu was willing to do the institute a favor and give away the project, they were unlikely to stop just because of a patent. In their eyes, it was probably a minor hindrance.
After all, they could revoke the patent application anytime before they received the official paperwork.
Liu Qian walked back to the office worriedly. The students had spent most of their time researching the project diligently during the last term. He could not help clenching his fists as he thought about them.
No matter what, he could not let others steal the patent from his students!
**
After hanging up the phone, Qi Hui looked deeply at the authorization letter from the institute on the table. Liu Qian did not take it with him when he left the room.
He did not see this coming. Liu Qian had applied for the patent without warning and he had undoubtedly gotten smarter.
Qi Hui closed his eyes thinking. Wei Yong had often called to ask for some details surrounding the project last year. Qi Hui had an inkling that Wei Yong wanted to apply for a patent, but Liu Qian had sadly beaten Wei Yong to it.
Qi Hui contemplated deeply before he opened his eyes. He picked up his phone and swiped down to Wei Yong’s phone number. He paused before pressing the dial button.
Someone answered the phone after a couple of rings, but it was not Wei Yong. Instead, it was Wei Yong’s assistant.
“Hi, Mr. Qi. Are you looking for Mr. Wei?” asked the assistant courteously.
Qi Hui felt worried as he asked. “When will Mr. Wei be free?”
The assistant could tell Qi Hui needed to speak to Wei Yong urgently. He raised his hand and checked the time on his watch. “Mr. Wei has just gone into the lab. He’ll probably only be out after three to four hours at least.”
He paused and added. “If it’s something serious, you can let me know and I’ll pass on the message to Mr. Wei.”
Qi Hui hesitated briefly. “Well, it’s just a minor problem.”
