NIP Chapter 88 96 point
Chapter 88 96 point
9:00 AM on November 29, 2019.
The small conference room on the third floor of MicroSensing Semiconductor.
Huang Zhihua hung a whiteboard on the wall. There was nothing written on the whiteboard—but there was a sealed kraft paper envelope on the table. The envelope was stamped with the company seal of Weigan, and next to it was a red-headed label that read "2019 Annual Process Capability Assessment Paper (Externally Adapted Version)".
The words "externally adapted version" made Zhao Jiancheng frown after glancing at them. He walked over to Huang Zhihua and whispered something to him.
"Mr. Huang, is this what you processed this morning?"
"Mr. Zhao, I've added three advanced questions on temperature control in MEMS deep hardening processes to the original test paper. They won't violate the rules—Mr. Su said he's been studying this part for the past four months, right? I'll have him try it on his strongest section."
Zhao Jiancheng didn't say anything more. But he was already doing something in his mind—thinking about how to salvage the cooperation after Su Chen failed the exam.
The other seven engineers arrived in the conference room one after another. Huang Zhihua specifically asked two deputy chief engineers of process engineering to be responsible for grading the papers. Lin Shiming sat in the seat closest to the window, holding a cup of tea. He didn't stop Huang Zhihua today—after yesterday's argument, he realized that Su Chen really wanted to do this paper.
Su Chen arrived at exactly nine o'clock. He didn't bring any documents with him. He even handed his phone to Zhao Jiancheng's assistant beforehand—an extra request from Huang Zhihua.
"Mr. Su," Huang Zhihua pushed the envelope in front of him, "let me explain the rules. Four hours. One hundred and fifty questions, all multiple choice, multiple selection, or short answer. After the papers are handed in, two deputy chief engineers of the process will check the answers, and finally I will summarize them in front of everyone. The passing score is as you set yesterday—eighty-eight points."
"Can."
"Is there a problem?"
"No."
Su Chen opened the envelope.
He spent only five minutes skimming through the entire paper. After the first pass, he didn't immediately start writing—he first marked three sections at the top of the paper. The first was Semiconductor Process Fundamentals, forty questions. The second was Advanced Hard Processing Temperature Control, sixty questions. The third was MEMS Wafer Fabrication and Packaging, fifty questions.
The three advanced questions added by Huang Zhihua are hidden in the second area.
Su Chen glanced in Huang Zhihua's direction. Huang Zhihua's eyes held a hint of provocation.
Su Chen did not respond. He lowered his head and began answering the questions.
The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became somewhat strange.
Based on our internal testing experience, the normal answering speed is about 90 seconds per question on average. One hundred and fifty questions would take approximately three hours and forty minutes. The remaining twenty minutes would be reserved for checking.
Su Chen's speed was clearly abnormal.
When the first hour had passed, Zhao Jiancheng couldn't help but walk up behind Su Chen and take a look. Su Chen had already completed the seventy-eighth question.
Huang Zhihua also noticed this rhythm. His initial provocation gradually turned into confusion. The confusion then gradually transformed into a feeling he was unwilling to admit, similar to "being broken by something."
Su Chen finished answering all 150 questions in the first hour and forty minutes.
He looked up at the clock on the wall. Then he began to examine it from the beginning.
The inspection took twenty minutes.
Su Chen put down his pen at exactly 11:00 AM.
He still has two hours left to reach the four-hour limit.
Huang Zhihua stood up and walked over. He didn't say anything. He collected Su Chen's test paper and handed it to a deputy chief engineer in charge of engineering.
"Approval will be done according to procedure. Each question will be checked or crossed out independently. I will arbitrate any disputed questions at the end."
Grading begins.
Two deputy chief engineers were discussing answers at a long table near the window. Several other engineers were gathered around them. The meeting room was so quiet that you could almost hear the pens scratching across paper.
The first forty questions—fundamentals of semiconductor technology—took about ten minutes. The two deputy chief engineers occasionally exchanged glances while checking their answers. Su Chen couldn't see their expressions, but he could tell what was happening from the frequency of their eye contact.
Questions 40 to 100—specifically, the section on deep-hardening temperature control—are the core of the entire paper. This part took the longest to grade. It took 35 minutes to grade all the papers.
Throughout this process, Huang Zhihua stood behind the two deputy chief engineers. He started with the standard posture—hands behind his back—but gradually and unconsciously leaned forward. His right hand rested on the table.
The last fifty questions—MEMS wafer fabrication and packaging—took twenty minutes.
The grading was completed at 1:15 PM.
A deputy chief engineer looked up and glanced at Huang Zhihua.
"Mr. Huang, please compile the data yourself."
Huang Zhihua took the test paper. He walked to the whiteboard. He picked up the whiteboard marker—then his hand paused on the whiteboard for two seconds.
He turned around.
"One hundred and fifty questions." His voice was a little dry. "Six were wrong. Out of one hundred points, Mr. Su got ninety-six."
It felt like half the air had been sucked out of the conference room.
"I scored 94 points this year," Huang Zhihua continued, his voice more steady than before, but with a certain tension he had to exert considerable effort to maintain. "General Manager Zhao scored 88 points. Mr. Su—96 points."
Everyone looked at Su Chen.
Lin Shiming showed no surprise. He simply nodded slightly, as if something he had expected had finally happened.
Zhao Jiancheng was the first to speak.
"President Su, you..." The question he wanted to ask circled around his lips twice, finally settling on one sentence: "How did you do that?"
Su Chen didn't answer directly. He looked at Huang Zhihua.
"Mr. Huang, have I solved all three of those advanced problems you added?"
Huang Zhihua paused for a moment. He looked down and flipped to the section on deep-hardening temperature control, finding the three questions. He stared at them for ten seconds.
"You got them all right," he said. "The third sub-question of the second question—your answer is more precise than the standard answer. Our original reference answer used a simplified model, while you provided the complete heat conduction equation."
"My answer can serve as the new standard answer," Su Chen said, "for your reference."
Huang Zhihua closed the test paper. He looked up at Su Chen.
"Mr. Su, did you—" He paused, "...look at this exam paper beforehand?"
This was a difficult question to ask. The exam paper had been in Huang Zhihua's office safe from yesterday afternoon until this morning. Only Huang Zhihua, the two deputy chief engineers, and Zhao Jiancheng knew the password.
Su Chen looked at him.
Do you think it's possible?
Huang Zhihua stared into his eyes for five seconds. Then he lowered his head deeply.
"I was wrong. I apologize. You are qualified to guide the micro-steel improvement process."
Lin Shiming picked up a cup of tea at the window.
Over the next half hour, the atmosphere in the meeting room completely shifted.
The other engineers took turns apologizing to Su Chen. They admitted that they had also been prejudiced from the start—thinking it was just a formality. Now they began to see Su Chen as someone who could truly contribute to the process.
Then comes a more subtle twist.
When Zhao Jiancheng formally confirmed the cooperation terms with Su Chen, the deputy chief engineer who had originally sided with Huang Zhihua took the initiative to speak up.
"President Su, you don't need to cover the costs of the trial production. This is a process improvement project for Microsensor, and it should be borne by Microsensor."
Zhao Jiancheng nodded immediately.
"Yes. We'll cover the cost. 800,000 per round, 2.4 million for three rounds. Even if we do five or six rounds, MicroSense will cover it all. What you're contributing is your expertise and time. That's an invaluable investment."
Su Chen glanced at him. He didn't reply immediately—he understood the logic behind this statement. Saving Su Chen 2.4 million today would give Microsensor more leverage in the future when it encounters bottlenecks in next-generation processes—such as automotive-grade IMUs or higher-precision barometers. In the semiconductor industry, personal connections are more useful than contract terms.
Su Chen placed his hand on the table.
"Alright. I'll pay the 2.4 million micro-sensors. But I have one condition."
"You said."
"I'll still reserve the on-site engineer position. An engineer from Hongyuan will be with the production line the entire time. He won't participate in decision-making, but he can provide me with real-time process data."
Zhao Jiancheng narrowed his eyes. This condition was more important than paying money.
"Can."
Lin Shiming put down his teacup at that moment. He spoke.
"Mr. Su, as a consultant for MicroSense, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the company. Your score of 96 today is not surprising. I've been observing you since yesterday. Your speaking rhythm, your sensitivity to MEMS processes, your reaction to Mr. Huang's hostility—these are habits of someone who has truly worked in system processes. I've worked at Bosch for forty years. I've seen it."
Su Chen nodded to the old man.
The meeting ended at 2:10 p.m.
The official text of the cooperation agreement was signed by Zhao Jiancheng and Su Chen that afternoon.