Chapter 43: A New Project

Dormitory 602.

After a short holiday, the students who had just returned to campus seemed somewhat lethargic. Some were lying on their beds, while others sat in chairs, scrolling through their phones, savoring this rare moment of leisure.

Hearing the dormitory door open, the three of them looked up almost simultaneously. Seeing it was Li Ping'an, they immediately lost interest and went back to their devices. Since there was no one else in the dorm that afternoon and Li Ping'an’s computer was missing, everyone assumed he had gone to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Base to work.

Seeing his roommates lounging around, Li Ping'an quipped, "Yo, you guys are back early? Why aren't you studying? The postgraduate entrance exams are in December; you don't seem worried at all."

Hearing this, Zhao Peng didn't even lift his head from the bed and replied, "This is called balancing work and rest. Don't worry, after tomorrow, once we finish our two classes, we’ll be back in the swing of things. By the way, how’s your company doing? Don't forget about our internship certificates."

Li Ping'an shrugged. "Same as usual. Steady progress. I’m considering a new project, but I don’t have any leads yet."

Although he had reached a preliminary agreement with Wan Xia, Li Ping'an didn't intend to tell his roommates yet that he had secured a plot of land and was preparing to build a high-rise. Whether the partnership would proceed depended on whether the preliminary design proposal Wan Xia provided met his aesthetic standards.

"Take your time, no rush. Sometimes, just maintaining stability is an achievement in itself."

Listening to Zhao Peng’s reflection, Li Ping'an nodded in sincere agreement. With nothing to do for the moment, he laid down on his bed and started browsing short videos, enjoying the rare downtime. Accompanying his younger sister on a trip over the past few days had been fun for her, but it had left him utterly exhausted. Shopping with her, in particular, was an absolute test of physical endurance.

While scrolling, Li Ping'an was drawn to a video blogger.
[Daily life of a blind college student]

The video was long, but in this age of fast-paced living, Li Ping'an watched it to the end with rare focus. As he watched, he felt as if he were being pulled into a first-person perspective, as if the blogger in the video were himself.

For ordinary people, obstacles are trivial, but for those with visual impairments, they are difficult to navigate; they can only rely on their white canes to explore the world bit by bit. A single misstep can lead to a fall, and bumps and bruises are a way of life.

What impressed Li Ping'an most was the blogger's optimistic attitude toward life, as well as the selfless help from fellow students and the cafeteria staff. He couldn't help but click on the blogger's homepage to check out their other videos. He browsed the comments section while watching; it was rare to see so many comments that were surprisingly "clean," lacking the toxicity found in other online spaces.

"Peng-zi."
Zhao Peng, lying on his bed, looked up at Li Ping'an. "What's up, Old Four?"

Thinking that Li Ping'an was having trouble with his company, he hesitated for a long time before asking, "Is there some kind of problem with the company?"

As soon as he said this, the other two roommates turned their attention toward him as well.

"Oh, no," Li Ping'an said. "I was just wondering, is there any potential in blind navigation? Like developing a robotic guide dog combined with artificial intelligence to assist with navigation?"

The entire dormitory fell silent.

After a long pause, Zhao Peng spoke slowly: "The idea is good. Not to mention the global scale, the number of blind people in our country is already very large. But leaving aside whether it’s technically feasible, have you thought about how many blind people come from wealthy families? My advice is to focus your energy on software instead."

Is that so? Li Ping'an fell silent.

As for the robotic guide dog and the software, Li Ping'an wasn't worried. With his current command of artificial intelligence, the software side was perfectly manageable. The biggest R&D cost was the hardware. A guide dog didn't need to handle extreme environments—it wasn't built for war. It didn't need the agility or high-load capacity of a combat robot. For a blind person, a guide dog is primarily needed for alerts—to lead the way while identifying safety hazards and obstacles.

The next evening, after class, Li Ping'an arrived at the incubation base just as the interns were finishing their shifts. After exchanging greetings, he ducked into his private workshop. He opened his computer and began planning the design for the robotic guide dog.

One month later, in June—the time of the National College Entrance Exam.

Inside the incubation base, Li Ping'an finally completed the design work. He didn't choose a four-legged walking scheme like his previous robot, "Iron Egg," but opted for the most basic wheel configuration. Six wheels provided the guide dog with sufficient stability, and combined with a retractable small mechanical arm, it was enough to handle most places a blind person might go.

Following the design plan, Li Ping'an began buying various parts online. It’s amazing how convenient shopping is these days; even for custom parts, as long as you have the money, you can buy them at night. As for the quality... at this design and research stage, that wasn't something Li Ping'an needed to worry about yet.

On a Saturday evening, Li Ping'an and his roommates sat around a bustling roadside barbecue stall. The charcoal fire was roaring, the meat skewers were sizzling with oil, and the aroma was mouthwatering.

Once a few bottles of beer were cracked open, the conversation flowed freely. It started off relaxed and cozy, with everyone tossing around comments about which girls on campus were pretty or had a distinct charm.

After a few rounds of drinks, the discussion grew more intense, and the topics climbed to surprisingly lofty heights. The group of hot-blooded youths went from campus trivia to social phenomena, and then began seriously discussing national affairs.

From the latest breakthroughs in technological innovation to heartwarming measures for improving livelihoods; from the shifting tides of international politics to the inheritance and promotion of local culture—they gestured wildly and spoke with passion, as if they weren't ordinary college students, but a think tank plotting the course of the nation.

Right in the middle of this heated discussion, the tone shifted abruptly. Zhao Peng seemed to remember something important. He put down the skewer he was enjoying, cleared his throat, looked straight at Li Ping'an, and asked, "Are you still tinkering with that guide dog?"

Li Ping'an remained unruffled, tilted his head back, took a swig of ice-cold beer to rinse his mouth, and gave a simple "Mhm."

"Of course," he said slowly. "The preliminary design is finished. Now I'm just waiting for the parts to arrive. Once it's assembled, I'll test it immediately to see how it works."

"For real?" Zhao Peng’s eyes widened in skepticism; he seemed unable to believe it.

Li Ping'an shrugged, spread his hands, and said honestly: "It’s just the experimental stage. I haven't actually tested it yet. Whether it's truly usable remains to be seen."