Chapter: 4858

Yè Chén heard this far and smiled slightly, saying calmly: "Old brother, don't look at me as being younger than you. When it comes to the big picture, I can see more clearly. The face is something that only matters after one's family has eaten well, worn warm clothes, and lived comfortably. You're raising a family now, what do you care about this?"

Lang Hong Jun looked ashamedly and said: "I won't hide from you, old brother. For these many years, I've been feeling guilty towards the motherland. Although I have obtained US citizenship and hold an American passport, my heart has always remembered when the motherland nurtured me, invested in me, and sent me abroad for further studies. But I couldn't resist external temptations and betrayed the motherland's trust."

As he spoke to this point, Lang Hong Jun's eyes became red and sad: "The key is that I'm not daring enough! I can't betray the motherland first, then get rejected by it when I return later..."

As Lang Hong Jun looked with a ashamed expression, Ye Chen's impression of him underwent some subtle changes.

Originally, he thought Lang Hong Jun was just a self-centered individual who only cared about wealth and status. But now, it seems that this person still has a sense of conscience deep down.

Lang Hong Jun himself had never shared these heartfelt words with anyone over the years.

He didn't really believe he had any particularly strong connection to Ye Chen, allowing him to reveal his deepest thoughts and feelings.

He just kept these words bottled up inside for too long, only waiting for an appropriate outlet to vent his emotions.

So, Ye Chen comforted him by saying: "The motherland is always lenient towards its children. Many people have returned after many years, and the motherland has always been open-armed. Sending out talented individuals for further studies isn't about expecting everyone to return and serve the country; it's just that among those sent out, there will be some who are willing to return, making this effort worthwhile. As for the losses along the way, they're just normal losses."

Pausing for a moment, Ye Chen added: "This is like using an ice box to transport a block of ice. No matter how well you wrap it up, some of it will melt during transportation. But that's not a problem; as long as we arrive at our destination with some ice left, these efforts are still meaningful."

Lang Hong Jun blinked slightly and then nodded lightly, mumbling: "In fact, back then, we were all attracted by the Western world's allure. We thought this place was bigger and better suited to showcasing ourselves. In reality, we didn't really forget our motherland; it was just that everyone had a hidden drive if they did well, to return and serve their motherland tenfold, hundredfold, thousandfold... only some people like me, who were once proud and arrogant, but gradually became part of the crowd..."

As they spoke, Lang Hong Jun's eyes welled up with tears and he said: "I really want to repay my motherland! But, damn it, I'm struggling to even take care of my own mom right now. She's over seventy years old and still working at a restaurant to make ends meet. I've studied for so many years, learned so much technology, written so much code, but in the end, I have to rely on being a seafarer to support myself. Can you blame me for not having the face to return to my motherland?"

Ye Chen asked him: "Do you understand what it's like to work as a seafarer?"

Lang Hong Jun shook his head and said: "I only know the general process, but I don't understand the specific methods. It's probably just hard labor on the ship. After all, I'm still learning the ropes. This job should be mainly tiring for half a year."

Ye Chen asked again: "Do you think you're suitable to work as a seafarer?"

Lang Hong Jun shook his head once more: "Honestly, I'm a communications technology expert. If you ask me how cargo ships navigate, how they avoid obstacles, or how they communicate with land via satellites, I can give you some basic answers. But if you ask me to be a seafarer, I'd be completely lost. I don't even know the basic structure of a ship, and I'm not sure what will happen when I board one that might make me seasick."

As he spoke, Lang Hong Jun sighed: "But it can't be helped. For survival's sake."

Ye Chen continued chatting with Lang Hong Jun for a long time and learned more about his past.

Lang Hong Jun was previously considered a child prodigy.

When others were just starting to learn high school curriculum, he had already taken the entrance exam for a key university.

And when others were preparing for their college entrance exams, he had already been sent abroad as an exchange student.

At that time, those young people had a heart that was unwilling to settle for mediocrity before coming to America.

That era coincided with the rapid development of Silicon Valley and the transformation of the world by the internet's golden age. Lang Hong Jun saw Zhang Chaoyang, who was studying abroad in the US like him, returning to China to establish Sohu, and he also saw Li Yihong, who was studying abroad in the US, returning to China to establish Baidu.

He also saw many of his seniors staying in the US to develop their careers, each one becoming rich and powerful. Some became CEOs of publicly traded companies, with assets exceeding tens of millions of dollars, while others became partners on Nasdaq, making hundreds of millions of dollars overnight.

He also saw many of his peers studying finance, entering Wall Street after graduation, earning tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and having a fund management capacity of over $100 million. Sometimes, just one meal could decide investment projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars above. JrNovels.com