"Let it go."

"I won't let it go unless you promise not to leave!"

“……”

Lu Zhou looked at Professor Sarot who was holding his thighs with black lines, and said in his heart, Is this guy really a professor at Cornell University?

If he were to change it, he would definitely not be able to pull this face......

Woolf froze there in bewilderment, and it took a while for her to come to her senses and hurry up to help her employer.

Still, he was a step slower, and Sarot let go of himself.

Because Lu Zhou promised him, give him five minutes to give himself a reason to choose him.

Driven by the desire to survive, Professor Sarot didn't talk nonsense, and immediately after sitting down on the couch, he said.

"For five million dollars, I'll sell you my Sarot Institute, and I'm sure there's no way I'll find a cheaper institute in Silicon Valley. I don't want anything else, any patents and any research results are yours, as long as you let me stay in the research team. ”

This is true, selling the entire research institute for five million dollars is almost equivalent to selling the equipment in the research institute as broken copper and iron.

Even if you search the second-hand instrument market for the same equipment, it is impossible to find one cheaper than this. Moreover, the second-hand market bought instruments are quite unreliable in all aspects, especially in cutting-edge equipment, a small error may cause others to not repeat your results.

When this price was quoted, Sarot's heart was also bleeding.

Even when second-hand equipment is sold, as long as the right buyer is found, these instruments can sell for seven or eight million dollars.

However, it's not a matter of money.

However, Lu Zhou obviously would not be persuaded by him so easily, after all, the scene when the two met for the first time was so impactful that he was still impressed by the leather shoes that flew on the podium.

"And watch you swindle with my name?"

Professor Sarot argued dissatisfiedly, "What do you mean by swagger? Have I embezzled scientific research funds to buy me a car or pick up girls? No! All the money I spent on experiments! Everything I do is for science! If I hadn't painted a wonderful picture for the layman in an exaggerated way, no one would have paid for my research......"

Lu Zhou didn't take Sarot's quibbles to heart, but the offer of five million dollars was indeed far below his psychological price, making it difficult for him to refuse.

In fact, to be honest, to be a professor at Cornell University, Sarot's level must be there.

In a place like Silicon Valley, a Ph.D. who can operate an SEM electron microscope to collect images can be hired with an annual salary of 100,000 yuan, but it still takes some effort to find a calf who can command a group of PhDs to do experiments and successfully complete the project.

After all, these people often have their own projects, and they are not very willing to work for others unless it is a condition that cannot be refused.

In the field of materials science, even if Sarot is not a big bull, a calf can still be called. Although he likes to run trains with his mouth full, at least there is no obvious stain on academics.

If you have to ask him by the standards of a saint, it seems too much.

After weighing it in his heart, Lu Zhou decided to give him a chance.

As for whether he can grasp it, it's up to him.

After a pause, Lu Zhou slowly spoke, "I can give you a chance." ”

Sarot had a happy expression on his face and was about to speak, but Lu Zhou was ahead of him and continued: "But I must tell you, there is only one chance, if you want to stay in my research team, I want you to be honest enough, especially don't try to fool me with those 'honest mistakes'." ”

Without hesitation, Sarot patted his chest and assured Lu Zhou: "In the name of God, I swear to you. ”

Lu Zhou said indifferently: "It's a pity that I'm an atheist, and I will use a contract to bind you." ”

Sarot made a helpless expression and shrugged his shoulders to show that he didn't care.

Lu Zhou looked at Woolf next to him and motioned for him to take out the contract.

Woolf glanced at Lu Zhou with some hesitation, as if asking with her eyes, "Is this appropriate?" ”

However, when he saw that his employer nodded, he didn't say anything, took out the contract from his briefcase, and quickly wrote the amount and other information in the blank space with a ballpoint pen.

Standing up from the sofa, Lu Zhou looked at Sarot and said, "I believe you have already read the contract, it only changes to the amount, of course, you can also take it and study it slowly." I'll walk around the institute first, and if you're looking at it, give me a call. ”

……

Sarot is shrewd.

He knows exactly what he needs and what really matters to a scholar.

The reason why big bulls are big bulls is not because of how talented their brains are, but because they can always get research funds, and there will always be people who pay for their research.

In the field of materials science, almost all achievements have to be made with money.

Without the support of research funds, a single article of Science would not be published. And if you can't publish Science, it means that there is no result. Without results, no one will invest in him.

In a sense, the relationship between academic status and research funding is like that between a hen and an egg.

As long as he has the former, the latter is not a problem for him at all.

It is precisely for this reason that when the last investor withdrew his capital, he gritted his teeth and borrowed a loan from the bank and bought out of his own pocket the instruments in the institute that were almost sold as tatters because of the withdrawal.

It was for the same reason that he was willing to sell the institute to Lu Zhou at a loss of five million dollars.

It doesn't matter if the research team is gone, you can only watch it mold if you keep it in your hands anyway.

It didn't matter if he gave him less money, five million dollars was enough to pay off the loan he owed to the bank.

Although it means that he will have nothing left and will have to start all over again, he believes he made the right choice.

Follow this big guy to do the project, first of all, you don't have to worry about the funding at all. Even if Lu Zhou's own money is insufficient, there will be a large number of companies willing to pay for him to continue his research.

As long as he can produce results, as long as there is a place for him in the paper, he is willing to do it even if he is allowed to work for nothing.

And when the results come out, no one will compare his past, no one will care how undesirable he has been, he will become an authority in the field of battery materials at Cornell University, and his alma mater will be proud of his name......

His instincts told himself that the day wouldn't be too long to wait and that the investment would definitely be worth it!

Without making Lu Zhou wait too long, Sarot read the contract from beginning to end and signed his name at the end.

In addition to a contract for the transfer of the institute, there is an employment agreement and a confidentiality agreement.

Lu Zhou hired him as the head of the institute with an annual salary of $100,000, and as for salary increases or other benefits, it depends on his own follow-up performance.

After talking about the contract, it was time for the research.

After letting Woolf go back first, Lu Zhou plugged the USB flash drive into his laptop and called up the molecular model he had redrawn with Hyperchem software.

Looking at the spherical structure that appeared on the screen, a look of interest appeared in Sarot's eyes.

"What is this?"

Lu Zhou: "You don't need to know what this is, in fact, except for using mathematical methods to calculate some interesting things, I'm not very sure of its value. I need you to help me complete some experiments and verify some of my guesses in calculating materials, as I have requested. If you do what I ask, I'll get your name on the paper. ”

As he spoke, Lu Zhou clicked the mouse.

The graphics on the screen began to change, and he continued to explain.

"I can't give you any more information, I can only tell you that this is a pattern obtained by topological transformation of a fullerene material and a carbon nanotube material. In chemical terms, it is described as carbon nanospheres obtained by the π bond recombination of two materials. ”

Sarot frowned slightly, stared at the model and thought for a moment, then asked, "Sounds like a good subject, but how do we fuse a fullerene material with a carbon nanotube?" ”

In fact, what he wanted to ask most was what was the use of this thing being made, but the expression on Lu Zhou's face obviously didn't intend to explain it to him, so he held this sentence in his heart.

Lu Zhou glanced at him with the eyes of a retarded person: "That's a good question, if I know how to synthesize this thing, what else do you need to do?" ”

Sarot smiled wryly, realizing that he had asked a nonsense.

Ignoring him, Lu Zhou continued: "In a few days, someone from Star Technology will come to contact you, and as for research, I will contact you by email." Also, I will check the progress of your research here regularly every month. ”

"Also, I'll be at UC Berkeley these days, and if you have any questions, you can call or come to me. Still have any questions? ”

Sarot immediately shook his head: "No." ”

Lu Zhou nodded.

Now that the contract has been signed, and the things that should be explained have been explained clearly, there is no need to continue to stay here.

The issue of research funding will be contacted by Professor Sarot from Star Technology, and the experimental project will be launched next month at the latest.

Copying the data to the computer, Lu Zhou put away the USB flash drive and prepared to leave.

However, at this moment, Sarot suddenly thought of something and spoke.

"By the way, now that this institute is yours, wouldn't it be inappropriate to continue to use my name? I mean, why don't you change the name to the Land Boat Institute? ”