Chapter 44: Breaking the Wall

Not enough funds to buy new equipment!
As for second-hand equipment, there were serious concerns about quality and reliability!
Buying core modules was impossible because Hong Kong lacked the necessary supporting infrastructure!
In a short span, all three pathways were completely blocked.
Chan Ping-man remained silent, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk, producing dull thuds.
His mind operated at high speed, flashing through a vast reservoir of information encountered during his past life as an investment banker, countless analyzed cases, and even snippets from food industry journals flipped through during leisure time, all spinning past like a revolving lantern.
He needed a breakthrough, a "shortcut" capable of bypassing this astronomical barrier.
He repeatedly leafed through the materials handed over by Professor Chow, his gaze lingering on keywords such as aseptic filling, high-temperature sterilization, and vacuum degassing.
Suddenly, a case study from his previous life that had left a profound impression on him flashed sharply into his mind!
That was an emerging juice enterprise which, operating under limited capital, cleverly avoided the prohibitively expensive aseptic cold-filling route, instead adopting a relatively traditional yet customized and optimized process.
It successfully manufactured high-quality juice beverages with a shelf life of over six months, not only drastically reducing equipment investment but also rapidly penetrating the market through unique flavor and cost-effectiveness!
If this technology were appropriately adjusted, would it not also be suitable for dessert soup production?
At this thought, Chan Ping-man looked toward Professor Chow and said, "Professor Chow, have we boxed ourselves in by restricting our thinking to the concept of aseptic filling?
Our ultimate goal is to produce bottled dessert soup that can be safely preserved at room temperature for at least six months while retaining its flavor to the greatest extent possible!
Aseptic filling is one way to achieve this goal, but it is by no means the only way!"
Professor Chow was taken aback and instinctively retorted, "Chan Sang, aseptic filling is currently the most advanced method, best at preserving flavor and nutrition..."
"Aseptic filling is indeed the highest-end, most cutting-edge technological route, capable of maximizing flavor and nutritional retention.
However, it is also the most expensive and utterly unrealistic approach for us at present!
If the price of an aseptic filling production line were within Chan Kee's financial reach, we would undoubtedly choose aseptic filling.
Yet, Chan Kee does not currently possess such financial strength. Under these circumstances, what we need is not the most advanced method, but the most suitable one.
It is the optimal solution capable of achieving our objective under existing conditions!"
Chan Ping-man's words made Professor Chow realize that he had indeed been somewhat overly idealistic, failing to think from the perspective of Chan Kee Food.
Instead, he had been preoccupied with how to research technology that would surpass industry peers and make a name for himself in the field.
"Professor Chow, just think about it," Chan Ping-man continued, "if we do not pursue a completely sterile environment throughout the entire process, but instead perform thorough high-temperature short-time sterilization once the dessert soup has finished simmering, instantly destroying all microorganisms,
and then immediately conduct vacuum degassing followed by hot filling, would that not achieve the sterile environment we previously required?"
Chan Ping-man's words left Professor Chow momentarily stunned.
"High-temperature short-time sterilization... vacuum degassing... hot filling..." Professor Chow muttered to himself, his fingers instinctively tracing patterns in the air. "High-temperature sterilization technology is mature, vacuum degassing equipment is not overly complex, hot filling... Yes! Hot filling! Why didn't I think of this direction?"
An unprecedented brilliance instantly erupted across his face, sweeping away the previous gloom: "Chan Sang! Your line of thinking is sheer brilliance!
By bypassing the most expensive core equipment of aseptic filling and combining mature technologies to achieve our purpose, this is simply... simply turning decay into magic!"
The more Professor Chow spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already witness the dawn of success: "High-temperature short-time sterilization technology is mature, vacuum degassing equipment is not particularly complicated, and while hot-filling lines also require certain levels of cleanliness, compared to the cost and maintenance expenses of aseptic filling lines, the difference is astronomical!
Chan Sang, your approach... is truly a stroke of divine inspiration!
By bypassing the most expensive core barrier and using a combination of mature technologies to accomplish our goal,
this is not merely saving money; it is finding the breakthrough path best suited to our current reality!"
Chan Ping-man smiled and said, "Professor Chow flatters me.
I have merely provided a direction; the specific technical details must still rely on the professional expertise of you and your team to conquer."
"No problem!" Professor Chow was now brimming with motivation, the previous sense of defeat completely swept away. "I will immediately organize the team to adjust our research direction.
Give me a week—no, five days! I will deliver a detailed feasibility plan and preliminary experimental data!"
"Good! I await your good news!" Chan Ping-man nodded firmly.
Emerging from the research center, Chan Ping-man let out a long breath and raised his hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead.
That brainstorm just now, seemingly effortless, had actually consumed a tremendous amount of his mental energy.
Translating information from his past life's memory, combining it with current technological conditions and the expertise of Professor Chow's team to forge a viable path—only he knew the pressure involved.
Fortunately, the breakthrough had been found, and Professor Chow's fighting spirit had been reignited.
The next day, at the office of Siyuan Film Company.
Ah Keung came early to report to Ng Siyuan.
"Ng Sang, I've checked it out.
Chan Ping-man, eighteen years old, son of the owner of Chan Kee Dessert Soup Stall on Kln Street, Sham Shui Po.
Originally, this stall was close to going out of business, but during this year's Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair, this Chan Ping-man used some unknown method to shell out fifty-five thousand to secure all four cooked-food stalls, earning him the title of Dessert Soup King in the newspapers."
Ng Siyuan raised an eyebrow: "Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair? Dessert Soup King?"
"Yes," Ah Keung continued. "He has opened two food factories in Cheung Sha Wan and Kwun Tong, set up dozens of mobile spots in the Kowloon industrial area to sell dessert soup, and established five very upscale 'dessert soup stations' in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Central.
Recently, I heard he even traveled to Thailand.
This person has a very clean background; no ties to any triads have been found. He is purely doing business."
"It seems he is truly an industrialist looking to use film for advertising..." The doubts in Ng Siyuan's mind largely dissipated, replaced by an eager desire for that two-hundred-thousand investment.
The script for *Drunken Master* had been polished to maturity, Jackie Chan was in prime condition, and everything was ready except for the crucial element.
Those two hundred thousand served as timely rain in a drought!
He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the business card.
Simultaneously, at the Kwun Tong Food Factory.
The telephone bell rang.
Chan Ping-man picked up the receiver, and hearing the voice on the other end, a slight curve formed at the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Ng, how have you considered it?"
"Chan Sang, I have thought it over," Ng Siyuan said with a smile. "Siyuan Films accepts the two-hundred-thousand investment.
Regarding product placement, as long as it does not disrupt narrative continuity and artistic integrity, we can cooperate.
However..."
His tone shifted: "Concerning the box office revenue share, Chan Sang, film investment carries high risks, and industry convention dictates prioritizing the production company's recovery of costs.
How about this: we guarantee the safety of your principal investment, and if the box office hits the projected target, we will grant you a certain additional return, the percentage of which we can discuss further.
Splitting profits directly according to investment proportions is genuinely difficult at present."