The next day, around 5 PM, the two successfully arrived in Jianing City.
Meng Qiuyan, despite her parents' objections, resolutely followed Lu An, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, she didn't tell her parents exactly where she was going.
Walking along a pedestrian street in the city center, Meng Qiuyan looked around and said, "The environment here looks quite good, and the transportation is decent. It would be even better if there was an airport."
Hearing this, Lu An calmly replied, "If Jianing City wants to build an airport, it depends on how much our Metaverse Intelligent Control boosts the city's economy in the future."
Meng Qiuyan couldn't help but chuckle, and said playfully, "Confidence is good, but don't be so overly ambitious."
Lu An smiled slightly and said nothing.
After a small interlude, the two found an apartment in a residential community in the city center that same day.
It was over fifty square meters, fully furnished, with one bedroom, one living room, a separate kitchen and bathroom, and a balcony. The apartment was rented.
After settling her luggage, Meng Qiuyan came to the living room, sat beside Lu An, and asked in confusion, "The rent for two years would be cheaper, why only rent for one?"
Lu An laughed, "No need, one year is completely enough. Maybe we'll be able to move into a large, detached villa in less than a year."
Meng Qiuyan was slightly stunned by his words, then let out a charming laugh, saying, "The company only has a name right now, and you're already starting to make all sorts of grand promises, aren't you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Qiuyan suddenly turned and sat on Lu An's lap, her sparkling, alluring eyes gazing at him, exuding a captivating and charming aura.
She wrapped her arms around Lu An's neck and said with a smile, "You know, I don't like empty promises. I prefer you to be more practical…"
Lu An tilted his head slightly to meet her gaze and said seriously, "Coincidentally, I have a big project worth several hundred million. Do you want it?"
Meng Qiuyan said with a beaming smile, "Then what are we waiting for? Give it to me quickly."
And so, the two began to advance this big project, engaging in an in-depth discussion on the specific details of the project, and ultimately Lu An handed over the several hundred million to her.
…
Over the next few days, the two became busy with their careers.
Lu An found and rented an office space in a commercial area of the city. After securing it, he went to the industrial and commercial bureau to register the company, and he directly served as the legal representative of Metaverse Intelligent Control.
Undoubtedly, Lu An knew that the company's legal representative had the nickname of a "scapegoat."
Many company founders do not serve as the legal representative themselves, but instead find someone else to take their place to reduce risk, allowing them to avoid legal accountability if something goes wrong with the company.
To put it bluntly, it's a self-serving maneuver, but Lu An clearly disdained such practices.
Because he genuinely wanted to build the company well and was confident he could do so. Even if something went wrong with the company, he intended to solve the problem, not shirk responsibility, and certainly not run away.
While Lu An was looking for office space and registering the company for Metaverse Intelligent Control, Meng Qiuyan was not idle.
She began drafting personnel recruitment plans for Metaverse Intelligent Control, as well as a financing agreement. Qin Yiyun had already transferred the money to the account early on, but the agreement had not yet been signed.
The company's approval process was very fast, and it was completed within three days, with the business license successfully obtained.
These days, canceling a company can be a huge hassle, but registering one is still very quick.
…
The next day, at the Metaverse Intelligent Control office.
"Though the sparrow is small, it has all its internal organs. Everything that should be here is here," Lu An said, looking around the open-plan office area with satisfaction.
The rented office space was in the city center, with an area of 350 square meters, equipped with complete facilities such as air conditioning, elevators, and meeting rooms.
However, the rent was not cheap, costing 30,000 yuan per month.
This price, in 2013, was considered very expensive for a third-tier city like Jianing City, though certainly cheaper than first-tier cities.
Meng Qiuyan took out a document and handed it to Lu An, saying, "This is the financing agreement I drafted. Please take a look and see if there are any issues or anything that needs to be added."
Taking it and quickly reviewing it, Lu An nodded, "Hmm, no problem. I'll call Qin Yiyun shortly to let him know."
Lu An then glanced at Meng Qiuyan and smiled, "From now on, the company officially enters its startup phase. I've already transferred the funds to the company account. Next, you'll be responsible for hiring people, and also for purchasing some equipment and materials. I'll make a list for you later."
Lu An had a clear plan for how Metaverse Intelligent Control should proceed in its initial stages.
The company's first product would be a smart Bionic Prosthetic Limbs mechanical arm, as the potential of the Bionic Prosthetic Limbs market is actually enormous.
According to a 2011 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15% of the global population, or over 1 billion people, suffer from some form of disability, with the number of people with varying degrees of physical disabilities being a massive 200 to 300 million.
Domestic data shows that the number of people with physical disabilities nationwide is approximately 24 to 25 million, of which those with limb loss may be between 2.4 and 3.75 million.
These figures are estimates only, and the actual situation may vary due to statistical standards and coverage. Some disabled individuals may not be included in official data due to not applying for disability certificates, living in remote areas, or statistical omissions.
In other words, the actual situation is even more extensive than the statistical data suggests.
Even based on current data, the scale is extremely vast, and the market potential is self-evident.
Despite so many people with physical disabilities, very few are fitted with Bionic Prosthetic Limbss.
This is because current related products are quite inadequate, still in an early stage of development, basically more for show than for use. The products are not user-friendly, and their prices are not cheap.
Especially the prosthetic products developed by some European and American companies, which often cost seventy or eighty thousand US dollars, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of RMB, an price unaffordable for ordinary people.
The key is that even at such a high price, they may not be effective.
Therefore, despite so many people with physical disabilities, the group fitted with prosthetics is not large.
But if there was a truly flexible and easy-to-use Bionic Prosthetic Limbs that was also affordable and accessible, so that the general public could afford it.
Such a product would definitely not lack sales in the current market; millions of people with physical disabilities would not refuse it.
It's important to know that losing a limb leads to an inability to live independently, and the bitterness and pain of it are only truly known by those who experience it. Furthermore, disabled individuals also suffer from the torment of phantom limb pain.
…
In the following days, Meng Qiuyan was responsible for recruiting personnel, drafting salary and benefits, and procuring equipment and materials.
Lu An didn't need to do these things; he focused on technology development, starting with software programming and algorithm development for the Bionic Prosthetic Limbs product, including the development of key components like sensors.
At this early stage of Metaverse Intelligent Control's entrepreneurship, it was impossible to recruit top technical experts, so Lu An became the company's most crucial and only capable technology developer.
It's no exaggeration to say that for the company's first product, he was solely responsible for all technical development.
However, it wasn't a big problem; he could easily handle all technical issues by himself.
Meng Qiuyan was not just a pretty face; during her time at university, she majored in four fields: Computer Science, Data Statistics, Accounting, and Business Administration, achieving excellent grades.
Originally, if she had planned to study abroad at Stanford University, her goal was to earn doctoral degrees in all four of these majors.
Now, choosing to stay and assist Lu An in his venture, she focused on the daily operational management of the company, as Lu An was far superior to her in technology development.
With Meng Qiuyan's assistance, Lu An didn't need to devote too much energy to handling the company's many trivial matters, allowing him to concentrate on technological advancements.
It's worth mentioning that Lu An was not without connections.
During his time at university, he met many alumni, senior and junior students, but many capable alumni were recruited by numerous military industrial enterprises or large private companies.
Lu An also had no intention of poaching from the national team; primarily, they might not even come.
His only true close friend was Qin Yiyun, and his good brother also had his own career.
However, none of these were major issues for Lu An. The problem of technical talent was not urgent; he only needed to recruit some ordinary programmers and engineers to assist Lu An in improving work efficiency.