Chapter 24: Asperger's Syndrome

"So, you're saying that this 'friend' of yours at Jinling University gave you these materials?"

"What kind of relationship do you have with him? He just handed over such important documents without even applying for a patent?"

Ren Jian, sitting across from Lin Xu, asked with a skeptical look.

"It’s a very complicated and long story..." Lin Xu scratched his head and replied, "This friend of mine... he has Asperger’s syndrome."

There was no other way; he couldn't back out now, so he had to make it up on the spot. Sorry, Xu Jin, I’m afraid I have to throw you under the bus.

"He has severe social and communication impairments. He’s not good at interacting with people at all."

"However, he possesses an astonishing talent for materials science—or, more accurately, for anything involving permutations and combinations."

"It’s as if he has some sort of divinely gifted intuition; he can always find the optimal result with ease."

"Of course, it’s also possible that he has already simulated and eliminated every incorrect outcome in his mind, eventually presenting only the correct one."

"I am not him, so I cannot describe his actual experience."

"But in any case, you can understand why he would hand the materials over to me, right?"

Ren Jian looked thoughtful.

"Asperger’s... something like 'Rain Man'?"

"Exactly, just like Rain Man." Lin Xu nodded. "Except, Rain Man’s talent manifested in mathematics, while his talent is in materials science."

"Is that even possible?" Ren Jian frowned. "In my impression, Asperger’s syndrome is a form of high-functioning autism, right? Their talents are usually concentrated in fields related to numbers. How could it veer into materials science?"

"First of all, Asperger’s syndrome isn't just about mathematical talent—people with Asperger’s in the real world work in all sorts of fields."

"Secondly, who says materials science has nothing to do with numbers?"

Lin Xu spoke with such firm conviction that Ren Jian could no longer argue.

"Fine, I accept that."

He opened the teapot and poured three cups of tea, then pushed them toward Lin Xu and Jiang Xingye. "Drink some tea."

Lin Xu took a small sip, while Jiang Xingye downed hers in one gulp. She had been running around quite a bit just now and was parched.

Ren Jian glanced at her and asked helplessly, "Another cup?"

"No, no." Jiang Xingye quickly waved her hand.

Ren Jian shook his head with a chuckle and turned back to Lin Xu. "So, given your... friend’s situation, how should we proceed in communicating with him?"

"What I mean is, if this technology is viable, the issue of patent rights will be very difficult to resolve."

"Are people with Asperger’s legally considered to have full capacity for civil conduct?"

"They are. Currently, there is no legal definition classifying Asperger’s as a mental illness, so they can be treated as having full capacity for civil conduct."

Lin Xu was clear on this point, not because he had looked it up beforehand, but because he had seen it in TV dramas.

"And what about communication?" Ren Jian continued to press.

"I will handle the communication—he won't have any contact with anyone else."

Nonsense, of course he wouldn't. If you people were to contact him, wouldn't everything be exposed?

"Understood. I get it."

"Focus on the results, not the process." Ren Jian took a light sip of tea. "As long as you can get the documents, even if we don't get the patent, just securing a more favorable licensing agreement would be a massive achievement."

"If you can recruit him directly... we can discuss anything!"

"Are you certain these materials are valid?" Lin Xu asked tentatively.

"I’m a layman, but I have looked into information regarding PEEK materials. In my opinion, it is highly likely that these materials are valid."

"As for the specifics, we’ll see..."

Before he could finish, there was a knock at the door of the chairman's office.

"Boss," the secretary said, standing at the door, "Engineer Chu and Manager Liu are here."

The two men behind him walked into the office. Ren Jian nodded, skipping the pleasantries and handing the materials directly to them.

"Don't ask anything else; just check their credibility."

The two men took the materials and, without saying a word, huddled together to pore over them.

"Next page," Chu Xu said.

"Swish." Procurement Manager Liu Tong turned the page.

"Next page."

"Next page."

...

After more than ten minutes, both men looked up simultaneously. After exchanging a glance, Chu Xu said, "Old Liu, you come from a materials background. You say it."

"Alright, I'll say it." Liu Tong nodded slightly. "The materials are incomplete. There is way too much missing. As it stands, it’s less than 30% complete."

"However, the overall architecture is flawless. This is a very powerful and highly innovative set of process materials."

"The idea of manufacturing PEEK materials using liquid molding flanges has been explored before, but the current problems are mainly centered on temperature control, wettability, and viscosity."

"There is no consensus on a solution; the general approach is to increase equipment precision."

"However, this proposal takes a different path. The use of a unidirectional breathable membrane to assist in vacuum infusion molding is extremely innovative."

"Purely from a theoretical standpoint, I can’t find a single flaw."

"Additionally, regarding the M46X material, if we talk purely about performance, it’s not actually the best."

"The Japanese always blow things out of proportion—pardon me."

"What I mean is, if we talk about performance alone, our domestically developed M55X carbon fiber is actually a bit stronger."

"However, the advantage of this process lies primarily in the significant reduction in costs."

"The most core point is the use of lignin as a bio-based precursor. This point... how should I put it? If it can be done, the significance is immense."

"The M46X material is a universal technology, and the lignin precursor is also a universal technology. It can be used on M46X, it can be used on M55X, and of course, it can be used on all other carbon fiber materials."

"The person who came up with this process most likely just used M46X as a test run."

"He was just focused on this material and didn't pay attention to other potential applications."

"It’s very strange, this line of thinking... how should I put it..."

"It’s like someone holding a golden shovel and instead of selling it, they just use it to chop down trees."

Liu Tong frowned deeply. Ren Jian added at the right moment, "The inventor of this process is a person with Asperger’s syndrome."

"Asperger’s?" Liu Tong was stunned. "What’s that?"

"It’s Rain Man."

"And what is Rain Man?"

Seeing that Ren Jian was getting frustrated, Lin Xu quickly explained, "A lonely genius, like Guo Jing in the field of materials science."

"Guo Jing?"

"A bit more wooden than Guo Jing."

"If you put it that way, I think I understand—autism, then."

Liu Tong let out a long breath. His understanding of autism was clearly flawed, but at least he grasped Lin Xu’s meaning.

"That makes perfect sense. It’s exactly the kind of logic a mentally disabled person would have..."

"So what do we do now? Go directly to him and have him finish the materials?"

"As long as you confirm the materials are genuine and effective, I will have Lin Xu handle the communication."

"I can't guarantee it 100%," Liu Tong said.

Ren Jian’s expression shifted, but Liu Tong immediately continued, "But the credibility is around 99%."

"...If you keep leaving long pauses like that, I’m transferring you to logistics."

Ren Jian glared at Liu Tong, then stood up and said to Lin Xu, "It’s settled then."

"Lin Xu, you handle the communication."

"Remember what I said. As long as you can pull this off, it will have major significance for the Star Traveler One project, for our company, and even for the entire industry!"

"Once it’s done, we can discuss whatever you want!"

"Go to the finance department now, withdraw 200,000 in petty cash, and tell them to book it under business entertainment expenses."

"Asperger’s... people like that are bound to be difficult to deal with, even if it is your friend."

"But I don't care what method you use—make sure you win him over!"