sbdcsierra Chapter 159 Hidden Arrow
Chapter 159 Hidden Arrow
2020 11 Month 12 Day.
Two days have passed since the industry roundtable live stream.
In the past two days, public opinion has completely turned in favor of Hongyuan Feiniao.
The hashtag #MEMSSeedProject# on Weibo has garnered over 300 million views and more than 1.2 million discussions. On Weibo, Zhihu, and Bilibili, the search popularity of the name "Su Chen" has reached an all-time high.
The interview video from Yuchen.com has garnered over 20 million views across the internet. Zhou Zhiyuan's quote, "Seeds are not for selling money, seeds are for planting," has been turned into various versions of memes and short videos by netizens, spreading virally on Douyin and Kuaishou.
The Ministry of Education's Higher Education Department also officially issued a document on the morning of November 12th – "Notice on Including Domestic MEMS Sensor Development Versions in the Recommended Catalog for Experimental Teaching in Universities." The first batch of twelve pilot universities is clearly listed, and the program will be implemented starting from the spring semester of 2021.
After the news spread, Weibo exploded again.
"With the Ministry of Education's support, Hongyuan Flying Bird is about to take off!"
"12 pilot universities! Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, and Harbin Institute of Technology are all included! Fang Jianhua's Beihang University is also in! Hilarious!"
"This is incredibly fast! We were still discussing it two days ago, and the document is already out?"
"This shows that the higher-ups have actually wanted to do this for a long time, just waiting for the right opportunity. Professor Zhou's roundtable livestream was that opportunity."
When Fang Jianhua saw the words "Beihang University" in the Ministry of Education's document, he almost dropped his teacup.
Beihang University is his territory.
He is the vice dean of the School of Microelectronics.
If Hongyuan Feiniao's MEMS development board really enters the classrooms of Beihang University, how should he, the vice dean who received five million yuan in funding from the Bosch joint laboratory and opposed the entry of domestically produced development boards into universities in front of 670,000 people, conduct himself?
He picked up his phone and called Ishikawa Akira.
"Mr. Ishikawa, the documents have arrived. Beihang University is on the list."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Professor Fang, I have sent the first draft of the open letter to your email. The situation is more urgent than we anticipated, and I suggest we publish it as soon as possible."
"I know." Fang Jianhua's voice carried a sense of desperation. "By tonight, I will have at least five professors' signatures."
……
September 11, evening.
An article titled "Several Questions about Hongyuan Feiniao's 'MEMS Seed Project' - An Open Letter to Microelectronics Educators in Universities Nationwide" appeared simultaneously on the WeChat public account "University Microelectronics Forum", Zhihu, and several industry-specific media outlets.
There are six signatories.
Fang Jianhua is the Vice Dean and Professor of the School of Microelectronics at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Sun Hao is an associate professor at the School of Microelectronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University.
And four other professors and associate professors from different universities.
The wording of the open letter was exquisite.
Instead of directly attacking the MEMS seed program—that would only put it on the opposite side of public opinion. Instead, it adopted a more insidious strategy—targeting Su Chen himself.
The first part of the open letter is titled "Who is the true technological core of Hongyuan Feibiao?"
"...We have noticed that in all recent public reports, Mr. Su Chen has been portrayed as a '25-year-old technical genius.' However, as professional researchers in the field of MEMS, we feel it is necessary to point out the following facts:
First, the core breakthrough of Hongyuan Feiniao's DRIE deep silicon etching technology—the channeling groove solution—was proposed and verified collectively by the Hongyuan Feiniao technical team. Currently, there are no publicly available academic papers or patent documents proving Mr. Su Chen's specific contributions to DRIE technology.
Secondly, Hongyuan Feiniao's lightweight carbon fiber composite material technology originated from Pengcheng New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., which it acquired. Pengcheng New Materials already possessed mature carbon fiber prepreg manufacturing processes before the acquisition. Mr. Su Chen's contribution to lightweight armor technology is more about business integration than technological innovation.
Third, the core technologies of the Hongyuan Feiniao S1 UAV, such as its flight control system and H-Link communication protocol, were also developed by its technical team. Attributing these achievements solely to Mr. Su Chen is an unfair denial of the contributions of other team members.
The second part of the open letter is even more pointed, titled "Who is using whom?"
"...What worries us is that Mr. Su Chen seems to be very good at using highly respected academic seniors to endorse his business activities."
Professor Zhou Zhiyuan is one of the most respected scholars in China's MEMS field. However, Professor Zhou is already 67 years old and has been retired for many years. At this age, being persuaded by a 25-year-old businessman to "endorse" his product for free in a live stream with 670,000 online viewers raises a question—
Does Mr. Su Chen genuinely respect Professor Zhou's academic authority, or is he exploiting Professor Zhou's patriotism and academic reputation to serve his own commercial interests?
A boss willing to invest all of three years' profits in education sounds touching. But we must ask—are these profits real? Hongyuan Flying Bird's MEMS chips haven't even entered mass production, and its development boards haven't gone into production. What's the difference between a profit promise for a product that doesn't even exist and an empty check?
The third part of the open letter is a carefully crafted combination of moves, titled "Genius or Marketing Genius?"
"...Based on the above facts, we believe it is necessary to re-examine Mr. Su Chen's image as a 'technical genius'."
A true technical genius should prove themselves with papers, patents, and academic achievements, not with media interviews, Weibo statements, and live roundtable discussions.
A true technology leader should ensure that team members receive the recognition they deserve, rather than hoarding all the glory for themselves.
A true advocate for education should first present mature products and complete teaching systems, rather than using a non-existent 'seed program' to gain sympathy and support.
Mr. Su Chen may be an excellent business leader, an outstanding resource integrator, and a genius marketing strategist—but is he really a technical genius?
We hope Mr. Su Chen can respond directly to the above questions.
……
One hour after the open letter was released.
Driven by some unseen force, this open letter spread across the internet at an astonishing speed.
WeChat public accounts reposted the content, Zhihu discussed it, Weibo influencers quoted it, and industry forums posted it in hot posts—almost every imaginable communication channel was activated at the same time.
By 10 p.m. that evening, the total number of views for the open letter had exceeded 50 million.
The hashtag #IsSuChenATechnologyGeniusOrMarketingGenius# trended in the top ten on Weibo.
Unlike Reuters' crude smear campaigns, every argument in this open letter is meticulously crafted. It doesn't fabricate stories or spread rumors; instead, it adopts a stance of "rational skepticism," cleverly attributing each of Su Chen's achievements to others—DRIE is the team's achievement, the light armor was acquired, the flight control system is the team's achievement—ultimately leading readers to conclude that Su Chen is not a technical genius, but merely a businessman adept at stealing others' work.
The most vicious blow was—"exploiting Professor Zhou Zhiyuan's patriotism."
This statement precisely struck a nerve with the public.
One of the things that Chinese people find most unacceptable is that someone uses another person's patriotism to benefit themselves.
If this narrative is accepted by the public, Su Chen's image will change from "patriotic entrepreneur" to "profiteer who takes advantage of patriotic elderly people".
At that time, the Seed Project, the Flying Bird Alliance, the Light Armor—everything built on Su Chen's personal halo—will collapse.
……
In the WeChat group "Drone Technology Exchange Group".
The calm analyst was the first to forward this open letter.
"Everyone, take a look at this. An open letter signed by six professors, questioning Su Chen's technical capabilities."
Old Chen, the Flyer: "Again? Hasn't that Vice Dean Fang Jianhua been slapped in the face enough?"
Calm Analyst: "Old Chen, don't rush to start cursing. This letter is different from what Jianhua at the round table said; this time it's targeting Su Chen himself. Take a close look at the arguments—DRIE is part of the team, Light Armor was acquired, and it says Su Chen exploited Professor Zhou's patriotism… To be honest, someone who doesn't know the inside story would really be swayed."
Shenzhen Xiao Wang: "But... those things mentioned inside, DRIE was indeed done by the team, right? Light Armor was definitely created after the acquisition of Pengcheng New Materials, right? Aren't these facts?"
A calm analyst commented, "That's the problem. Every word in this letter is literally 'fact,' but it cleverly omits the most crucial part—who proposed the flow channel design? Who decided on the strategic direction of acquiring Pengcheng New Materials? Who defined the material ratio for the lightweight armor? A team produced results, but isn't the person who came up with the core idea important?"
Drone A-Jie: "It's like saying Steve Jobs wasn't a tech genius because the iPhone was made by Apple's team. Haha."
Old Chen, the Flyer: "But the problem is that ordinary people don't think that deeply. They only see 'six professors say Su Chen isn't a genius,' and then they believe it."
The calm analyst said, "That's right. And that line about 'exploiting Professor Zhou's patriotism' is the real killer move. Once that narrative holds up, Su Chen is finished."
There was a long silence in the group.
Finally, Old Chen, the aviator, typed out a line of text:
"What is Su Chen doing now? Isn't he going to respond?"
A calm analyst commented, "I heard he's working on DRIE in a lab in Suzhou. This guy's probably just doing 'they write their code, I etch my silicon' again."
Flyer Lao Chen: "Damn... this guy's got a real nerve."
……
The aviator, Old Chen, guessed correctly.
At this moment, Su Chen is indeed in the DRIE laboratory in Suzhou.
He was staring at a set of supplementary test data on the coefficient of thermal expansion that Shen Zhiming had prepared.
Lin Wei called him three times, but he didn't answer any of them.
He finally answered the fourth call.
"Su Chen, have you read the open letter?"
"I saw the title, but not the content." Su Chen's voice was as calm as a stagnant pool.
"You're not going to respond?" Lin Wei's voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety. "Su Chen, this time is different. They're not targeting the company, they're targeting you personally. 'Using Professor Zhou's patriotism'—if you don't fight back, your image will be completely ruined."
"Retaliation for what?" Su Chen retorted. "Retaliation for saying that DRIE was my idea alone? What about Lin Wei—what about you, Shen Zhiming, and the entire team? Retaliation for saying that Qingjia wasn't acquired? That's a fact; it was indeed integrated after the acquisition of Pengcheng New Materials. Retaliation for saying I didn't exploit Professor Zhou? A 67-year-old retired professor endorsing a 25-year-old's development board—no matter how I explain it, who do you think the public will believe?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
"Lin Wei," Su Chen's voice lowered, "every argument in this open letter is meticulously crafted. It doesn't spread rumors; it simply reinterprets the facts in a sophisticated way, making every achievement irrelevant to me. If I respond directly, whatever I say will be dissected and reinterpreted by them again. This is a battlefield with no chance of winning."
"So what do you plan to do?"
Su Chen remained silent for a few seconds.
"The 250mm cavity will arrive in seven days. I will conduct the initial testing then. If the uniformity of the 250mm cavity reaches within 5%—Lin Wei—it will be the world's first device capable of mass-production-level deep silicon etching on a 250mm wafer. At that point, all discussions about whether Su Chen is a technological genius will become meaningless."
"You mean—respond with results?"
"Respond with facts. Respond with hard-hitting technological achievements that they can't reinterpret." Su Chen's voice held a steely firmness. "The day the first test of the 250mm DRIE lens is successful—I won't need to say a word; this open letter will become a joke."
Lin Wei remained silent for a long time.
"Fine." She finally sighed. "Then you focus on your DRIE. I'll handle the open letter. I won't respond directly—I'll do it another way."
"In what way?"
"You said we didn't need to worry about it." Lin Wei's voice held a hint of slyness. "Didn't you say—'They write theirs, you etch yours on silicon'? Well, I have my own way too."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Wei turned on her computer.
She did not write a rebuttal article, post a statement on Weibo, or contact any media outlets.
She did something even simpler—
She packaged the light armor technology white paper that Zhang Haotian had prepared earlier, along with the actual test and certification report from AVIC, customer feedback from alliance members, and third-party testing data issued by the Department of Materials Science at Tsinghua University, into a document that was 170 pages long.
Then she uploaded this document to Hongyuan Feiniao's official website, with a very short title—
"Hongyuan Flying Bird Technology Achievements Fully Disclosed"
There was no rebuttal, no explanation, no emotion.
Only data.
170 pages of data.
Each set of data has a source, a testing agency's stamp, and a traceable experimental number.
Lin Wei knew that most people wouldn't read those 170 pages of documents. But those who truly understood the technology would—engineers in the industry, researchers in universities, and technical reviewers in the military—and their judgments would ultimately determine the direction of public opinion.
In the technology field, online trolls can generate buzz, but they cannot fabricate data.
……
After uploading, Lin Wei leaned back in her chair and looked out the window at the night view of Shenzhen.
She recalled Su Chen's words—"Respond with hard, unassailable technological achievements that they cannot reinterpret."
A 170-page technical white paper is the first step.
The successful first test of the 250mm DRIE lens is the second step.
The real third step—the one that can completely silence all doubts—will have to wait until the DRIE prototype is fully verified.
On that day, no rebuttal articles were needed.
The facts themselves are the best response.
……
Late at night on September 12.
Suzhou, DRIE Laboratory.
Su Chen wrote down today's work progress in his notebook.
"250mm cavity: The flow channel design is complete. The pre-compensation angle is 12.05 degrees. Chen Guodong promises delivery within seven days."
Thermal expansion coefficient: Long-term operating data for the 200mm cavity has been collected. The angle deviation of the guide channel has converged to 0.12 degrees. A margin of 0.15 degrees is reserved for the 250mm cavity.
Gas path modification: The 250mm cavity requires two additional auxiliary gas source interfaces. The design plan has been completed, and installation will proceed directly once the new cavity arrives.
Countdown: 7 days.
He closed his notebook, stood up, and stretched.
Walking to the window, the lights of Suzhou Industrial Park were sparsely scattered in the night.
He recalled the title of the open letter he had seen today—"Genius or Marketing Genius?"
A subtle, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of his lips.
He didn't care whether he was a genius or not.
He only cared about one thing—seven days later, when the 250mm cavity was installed into the vacuum chamber, would the SF₆ plasma flow precisely through each guide channel according to his designed path, uniformly etching every micrometer on the wafer?
If the answer is yes.
The open letter from those six professors, the 170-page white paper, the 670,000 live stream comments, and the 300 million views on the topic—all of these combined don't carry the weight of the data under the microscope.
Because technology is the only language that doesn't need explanation.
Su Chen turned off the lights and lay down on the cot in the laboratory.
Seven days.
He closed his eyes.
The countdown has begun.