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In the late autumn of 1998, a negotiation that would change the landscape of China's mobile phone industry was underway in the model room of the Suzhou Industrial Park Management Committee.

In front of the model, Chinese-American entrepreneur Su Ning traced his finger across a plot of land marked "A3-07".

Today he specially wore a dark gray Zhongshan suit with faintly visible fretwork patterns embroidered on the cuffs, which was both dignified and characteristic of Chinese businessmen.

“Director Zhao, we plan to build a research and development center here, with twenty supporting suppliers distributed within a five-kilometer radius.” His fingernails tapped lightly on the sand table, his voice particularly clear in the quiet conference room. “But we will only take a stake in the assembly plant, not hold a controlling stake.”

Director Zhao of the Suzhou Investment Promotion Bureau adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses scrutinizing: "President Su, your model is quite novel. Conventionally, wholly foreign-owned enterprises are easier to manage..."

"So we have a wholly-owned subsidiary in the US and a joint venture in China." Suning smiled slightly and gestured to his secretary to distribute the documents.

The document's title page is printed with the words "Yongren Industrial Chain Ecosystem Plan" in gold lettering, and the inner pages detail the transformation plans for fifteen state-owned enterprises.

When Zhao Zhiming turned to the page about the Suzhou electronic component factory, his eyebrows twitched involuntarily...

This old state-owned enterprise, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, will be transformed into a high-end circuit board production base in the plan, with an investment of up to 2.3 million yuan.

"President Su, are you trying to be a Good Samaritan?" Director Zhao asked half-jokingly, his fingers gripping the edge of the document tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Suning picked up the blue-and-white porcelain cup in front of him, and the delicate fragrance of Biluochun tea wafted up.

He gazed through the tea smoke at the industrial park bathed in the autumn sun outside the window, his voice low: "I'm not that noble. I just don't want to cause too much trouble."

As the teacup was placed back on the table, a supplementary agreement slid down in front of Director Zhao.

This "local technology patent fee" clause, meticulously designed by the Yongren Law Firm, promises to pay 0.5% for each mobile phone, which both circumvents policy restrictions and provides long-term benefits to the local government.

“Lightning mode.” Su Ning pointed to the terms of the agreement with his Montblanc pen, leaving an almost invisible ink dot on the paper. “Like lightning striking the earth, the energy is dispersed but the pattern is clear.”

Three hours later, when the agreement was basically finalized, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.

A middle-aged man in a navy blue suit strode in, and Director Zhao immediately stood up: "Mayor Li!"

Mayor Li of Suzhou walked straight to the model and picked up the blue sign representing Yongren R&D Center: "President Su, I heard you're planning to locate your mobile operating system R&D in Suzhou?"

His Mandarin had the soft, gentle intonation characteristic of Wu dialect, "not Shanghai Zhangjiang?"

The conference room instantly became so quiet that you could hear the air conditioning blasting out.

Everyone knows this is the most crucial issue...

Research and development centers mean high-end talent and continuous tax revenue, making them highly sought-after assets by every city.

Suning closed his laptop with a soft "click": "Yongren Group had a very pleasant cooperation with Suzhou in the past, which led to this new cooperation."

He paused, his gaze drifting to the Dushu Lake Higher Education Zone under construction outside the window. "Moreover, the University of Science and Technology of China Suzhou Research Institute is located here. Zhangjiang can't compare to the talent advantage of the Silk Capital."

Mayor Li smiled, took the pen from his secretary, and signed his name on the agreement: "President Su, it seems you know Suzhou better than the locals."

“Mayor Li, I’ve always disliked trouble and only want to do business without getting involved in worldly affairs.” Su Ning nodded slightly, a glint of something unfathomable flashing in his eyes.

"Understood! The municipal government will definitely make all the necessary arrangements," Mayor Li said with a hearty laugh.

Just as the pen touched the paper, thunder rumbled outside the window.

The last autumn rain in the Yangtze River Delta in 1998 came at just the right time.

……

The conference room on the third floor of Shenzhen SEG Technology Park was filled with smoke.

The owners of fifteen potential suppliers sat around a long table, staring blankly at the "Yongren Standard" on the projection screen.

Most of these bosses were in their early forties, dressed in typical 90s business attire...

He wore wrinkled trousers with a polo shirt, and a Motorola pager, a symbol of status at the time, was clipped to his waist.

"USB interface tolerance can't exceed 0.05 millimeters?" A bald boss wiped his sweat; his shirt was soaked through under his armpits. "The Japanese standard only requires 0.1..."

"The battery needs to maintain 80% charge at -20 degrees Celsius?" another young man in a leather jacket exclaimed. "Motorola only manages 65%!"

Suning stood beside the screen, the red dot of the laser pointer stopping at the last line: "The purchase price of accessories that pass the above tests will be increased by 15%."

A buzz of discussion immediately filled the conference room.

He waited a few seconds, then suddenly switched slides...

Data from Consumer Reports shows that for every 1% improvement in quality, customer loyalty increases by 3.7%.

"Gentlemen," Sun Ning said, turning off the laser pointer and placing his hands on the conference table, "do you know why Japanese electronics dominate the world? It's not because they're cheap, but because they won't break even after being dropped three times."

Liang Yongfeng, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly raised his hand.

The founder of Shenzhen Fengtai Electronics is known for his fiery temper; he once smashed a defective circuit board in public because of a quality issue.

He was unusually dressed today in a neatly pressed white shirt, but his tie was tied crookedly.

"President Su, the production line upgrade will cost 20 million, but I only have 8 million left in my account." Liang Yongfeng's voice was hoarse, as if he had been up for several sleepless nights.

“Yongren Group can provide interest-free loans.” Suning was prepared. He snapped his fingers, and his assistant immediately handed out a brown paper bag to everyone. “Use the orders for the next three years as collateral.”

When Liang Yongfeng turned to the last page, his hand visibly trembled.

There was a check tucked inside; the amount field was blank, but the signatures were complete.

"This is……"

"Earnest money." Su Ning smiled, fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes. "How much you put in depends on your ambition."

"This……"

After the meeting, thirteen out of the fifteen business owners signed contracts on the spot.

The remaining two companies, still undecided, "bumped into" Yongren's marketing director at the Shangri-La Hotel restaurant the next day...

He was having breakfast with the vice president of Nokia's purchasing department.

New Year's Day, 1999, the banquet hall of the Shangri-La Hotel, Pudong, Shanghai.

Under the crystal chandelier, three hundred "Lightning S1" mobile phones slowly rotated on the circular display stand.

This is Yongren Group's first self-branded mobile phone. Its streamlined body gleams with the cool light of magnesium-aluminum alloy, and the boot screen is a yellow lightning bolt that cuts through the darkness.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Suning said, standing under the spotlight, alternating between Chinese and English, "this is not yet another flip phone that imitates Motorola."

He pressed the demo button, and the phone suddenly split in two...

The top half is a screen, and the bottom half is a keyboard. "This is the world's first modular phone!"

There was an uproar.

Reporters crowded to the front row, their flashes going off one after another.

A reporter from The Wall Street Journal seized the opportunity to ask a question: "Mr. Su, modular design increases costs by 30%. How will you price it?"

“US market price: $399.” Suning paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over every Chinese reporter present. “Chinese market price: 1999 RMB.”

This price sparked even greater unrest.

At the time, Motorola phones with similar specifications were priced at over $500.

"Because we cut two fees," Suning said, holding up two fingers. "One is the channel fee—the Lightning phone is only sold at the Yongren Experience Store and on the official website; the other is the 'stupidity tax,'"

He made a rare joke, saying, "Chinese people deserve affordable high technology."

Just three days ago, the yield rate of the Suzhou factory was stuck at 78%. It was Liang Yongfeng who led the workers to work tirelessly for three days and nights to bring it up to 91% before the press conference.

During the reception, the engineers from Silicon Valley and the representatives from the Suzhou factory communicated in a haphazard manner, which ironically sparked some interesting ideas.

Li Wentao, president of Yongren China, leaned over and whispered, "President Su, the leader from the Ministry of Information Industry just asked if we could include modular technology in the industry white paper?"

“Yes, but there are conditions.” Su Ning took a sip of champagne, the bubbles in his glass reflecting his deep eyes. “Next year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will include our twenty standards in its mobile phone network access testing.”

"clear."

He looked out the window.

Across the Huangpu River, the Oriental Pearl Tower is changing the colors of its lights.

The city's night sky, once illuminated only by the lights of ships, is now lit up by countless electronic screens.

In a sense, what Yongren is doing is equipping Chinese-made products with self-illuminating chips.

At the end of the banquet, a waiter handed Su Ning an envelope.

Inside, after being opened, was a yellowed drawing sheet...

In 1978, the Shanghai Radio Factory No. 18's "Color TV Technology Breakthrough Plan" had a line of faded pen writing on the edge: "One day, our technology will also be exported to the United States."

On the back of the drawing, Mayor Li wrote in his vigorous handwriting: "Lightning has arrived, await the thunder."

……

On the top floor of Yongren's headquarters in Los Angeles, Emily Chen whistled at the wall full of sales reports.

In its first month on the market, the Lightning S1 sold over 100,000 units in North America, with the Chinese community accounting for 37% of the sales.

Even more impressively, through modular design, the wear and tear rate of parts has been reduced by 60%, and maintenance costs have been reduced by 45%.

“Darling, you’ve created a miracle.” She spun around in her office chair, the tips of her high heels tracing elegant arcs in the air. “Do you know what BusinessWeek called you? ‘The Deconstructionist from the East.’”

Meanwhile, at the Suzhou factory on the other side of the world, Liang Yongfeng was pointing excitedly at the newly commissioned S2 production line, with the bronze plaque reading "Yongren Standard Demonstration Unit" shining brightly behind him.

This former factory director of a state-owned enterprise, who was once on the verge of bankruptcy, now leads the most advanced mobile phone circuit board production line in China.

Suning took a titanium alloy box from the office safe.

The box contains nine mobile phones from different eras, from Motorola's "big brother" to the latest Lightning S1, arranged in an evolutionary tree-like array.

“It’s not a miracle.” He gently closed the lid, the metal clanging together with a crisp sound. “It’s just like soldering American technology, Chinese manufacturing, and Yongren’s distribution channels together like a circuit board.”

“Su Ning, I am now even more convinced that you can still succeed even if you don’t inherit the Five Blessings Gang.”

Outside the window, the Pacific Ocean sky is ablaze with stars.

Some of those rays of light had already traveled for hundreds of years before reaching Earth. Just like certain business ideas, they need to wait for the most suitable soil.

……

In a conference room on the 38th floor of the Yongren Group headquarters building in Los Angeles, USA, more than ten investment banking executives in suits sat upright.

“Mr. Su, Goldman Sachs is willing to underwrite Yongren’s convertible bonds to be issued next quarter, with a valuation of $200 billion.” James Wilson, President of Goldman Sachs Asia, tapped his fingers lightly on the table in his Oxford-accented English. “This figure is 15% higher than Morgan Stanley’s.”

Suning sat in the main seat, toying with an engineering prototype in his hand...

The upcoming Lightning S2.

He was wearing a navy blue stand-up collar shirt today, without a tie, which made him look particularly casual among a group of bankers in suits.

"20 billion?" Suning chuckled and slid his phone to the other end of the table. "Last week, the Lightning S1 broke 200 pre-orders in India in a single day. Shouldn't this number be updated?"

A few awkward coughs echoed in the conference room.

Director Zhou from Merrill Lynch hurriedly opened a folder: "Our latest model shows that, considering the potential for a surge in the Southeast Asian market, Yongren's valuation should indeed be revised upwards to..."

Before the words were finished, the conference room door was pushed open.

The CFO quickly walked over to Suning and whispered a few words in his ear.

Su Ning frowned slightly, then regained her composure: "I apologize, everyone, but there's an urgent meeting. President Lin will continue the discussion with you all."

Five minutes later, Suning appeared in a Mercedes-Benz luxury car in the underground parking garage.

After the car window rolled up, Lin Shimin immediately handed over a tablet computer: "President Su, I just received news that vulture funds have started building positions in our stocks."

The screen displays Carlson Capital's trading records. This Wall Street fund, known for shorting Chinese concept stocks, has quietly bought 2.3% of Yongren's outstanding shares over the past three days.

“Matthew Carlson…” Su Ning’s fingertips traced that familiar name. “He was the one who spearheaded the short selling of South Korean semiconductors in 98.”

He looked out the window at the street scene rushing by, "Contact Caitlin of The Wall Street Journal, I need to know what cards they have in their hands."

As the car crossed the Tsing Ma Bridge, Suning's phone rang.

On the other end of the phone, Liang Yongfeng from the Suzhou factory spoke in a hoarse voice: "President Su, Motorola's people came to the factory today, saying they want to 'visit and learn,' and they brought a letter of introduction from the Shenzhen Municipal Government..."

“Let them see.” Suning’s lips curled into a cold smile. “But the S2 production line is completely closed, with only the A-zone workshop, which was phased out last year, open to the public.”

"clear."

After hanging up the phone, Suning opened his laptop and pulled up an encrypted file—"Feasibility Analysis of the Starlink Project".

The document was last modified at 3:27 AM, and the header reads "Top Secret".

……

On the first day of the Shenzhen Electronics Fair, the Yongren booth was packed with people.

Unlike other booths, there were no sizzling models here; instead, there was a transparent laboratory…

Engineers are demonstrating the module replacement process for the Lightning S2 on-site.

"If the motherboard is damaged, you only need to replace this thumb-sized module, and the repair cost will drop from 800 yuan to 80 yuan," the engineer explained to the onlookers, his hands moving smoothly and efficiently.

Among the crowd, several foreigners wearing Motorola overalls were recording the entire event with miniature cameras.

In the VIP area behind the booth, Suning was having a quiet conversation with an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Today he wore a modified Zhongshan suit with a Yongren lightning bolt badge pinned to his left breast, making him stand out among the many businessmen in suits.

“President Su, your standards are indeed ahead of the industry,” Director Wang said, taking a sip of tea. “However, mandatory implementation might offend certain interest groups…”

“Director Wang,” Su Ning took a document out of his briefcase, “this is the test report from German TV. Using Yongren standard parts, the service life is increased by 2.7 times.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "If the entire industry adopts this approach, it could save Chinese consumers at least 60 billion yuan in repair costs every year."

As Director Wang was reviewing the report, Marketing Director Emily hurried over and whispered in Suning's ear: "The BBC just released a report stating that the Lightning S1's signal attenuation problem in low-temperature environments is 35% more severe than that of competing products."

Su Ning remained unfazed and continued chatting and laughing with Director Wang.

Only after seeing the officials off did he stride toward the lounge, giving Emily instructions along the way: "Immediately activate Plan B, contact the Electromagnetic Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and prepare for a joint press conference."

In the break room, Liang Yongfeng was yelling into his phone: "...I don't care about international standards! Our products are qualified as long as they pass the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's inspection!"

Upon seeing Su Ning enter, he hurriedly hung up. "President Su, the three suppliers just notified us that they want to renegotiate the price, saying that someone offered them a 30% higher price."

Suning took champagne from the ice bucket and slowly poured it into a crystal glass.

As the bubbles rose, he suddenly smiled: "Director Liang, do you remember what you said when we first met?"

“I said… there’s only eight million left in the account.” Liang Yongfeng scratched his head.

“No! You said, ‘Quality is the backbone of a company.’” Suning handed over a wine glass. “Now someone wants us to bow down. What do you suggest we do?”

Liang Yongfeng downed his champagne in one gulp and slammed the glass down on the table: "President Su, I understand what you mean! I'll fly to Suzhou tonight to personally oversee the quality control of S2!"

"Alright! I'll leave the Suzhou matter to you."

……

In a sea-view suite on the 28th floor of The Peninsula Hong Kong, Matthew Carlson stands in front of the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Victoria Harbour.

The 45-year-old head of the vulture fund has a striking contrast between his graying sideburns and sharp blue eyes, resembling a snow leopard poised to pounce.

"Mr. Carlson, Ms. Su has arrived," the assistant announced softly.

Su Ning walked into the room alone, carrying a sandalwood box in her hand.

He wore a custom-made suit today, which was unusual for him, but he didn't wear a tie and left the collar open, which made him look casual yet charismatic.

"Matthew, long time no see," Su Ning greeted in English, placing the wooden box on the coffee table. "It's been seven years since we parted ways in Seoul in '98, hasn't it?"

Carlson turned around, a professional smile on his face: "Su, I didn't believe you back then when you predicted the rise of South Korea's semiconductor industry."

He walked toward the wine cabinet. "Now, your Yongren interests me more than Samsung."

"Let's get straight to the point, Matthew." Su Ning put down his wine glass. "You've built up a base, are you looking for cooperation or a hunt?"

Carlson laughed and took a document from his briefcase: "Just wanted to share some... interesting findings."

The document's cover is titled "Yongren's Technical Barrier Analysis," and the inner pages list all of Lightning Mobile's core suppliers in detail, even indicating the capacity utilization rate of each factory.

Suning flipped through the documents, his gaze lingering briefly on a particular page…

The document records Liang Yongfeng's secret visit to a military research institute in Xi'an last month.

“A very comprehensive investigation.” Su Ning closed the file. “However, one thing was missed.”

He opened the sandalwood box he had brought and took out a peculiar circuit board. "This is the Starlink phone prototype we will release next quarter. It can directly connect to low-Earth orbit satellites. It's what people usually think of as a satellite phone."

Carlson's blue eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure: "Su, you know about the US government's export controls on this type of technology..."

“That’s why we met in Hong Kong,” Su Ning smiled. “Carlson Capital holds shares in three satellite companies, doesn’t it?”

"..."

"So, are you willing to cooperate?"

"Well, you're really too clever for your own good."

As dusk settles over Victoria Harbour outside the window, cruise ships glide by, creating shimmering reflections on the water.

The two business giants stared at each other in silence, much like rivals facing off on a chessboard.

……

The conference room of the Yongren Research Institute's Beijing branch in Zhongguancun, Beijing, was filled with smoke.

The twelve core engineers had been working continuously for 36 hours, with energy drink cans and half-eaten boxed lunches scattered on the table.

Suning stood in front of the whiteboard, which was covered with complex formulas and sketches.

“So the key issue isn’t signal strength,” he circled a node on the whiteboard with a marker, “but the phase synchronization of the antenna array.”

Chief Scientist Zhang Yi suddenly stood up, almost knocking over his coffee cup: "President Su, if we switch to the completely new technology, the cost will increase by 200 yuan per unit!"

“Then we’ll increase it,” Suning said decisively. “But it will only be limited to high-priced international custom-made models. The mainland and third-world markets will continue to use the existing scheme, with the price difference being used to subsidize the selling price.”

"Yes, Mr. Su."

The conference room door was pushed open, and Emily hurriedly walked in with her laptop: "President Su, the stock price has dropped another 5%, and the short position has reached 12% of the circulating shares."

Suning didn't even look at the screen, but instead asked another question: "Has the press conference for the cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences been arranged?"

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, in the Beijing Hall of the Great Hall of the People." Emily paused, "but Academician Wang requests to see the demonstration prototype first..."

Suning took a silver metal box out of his briefcase, entered the password, and opened it.

Inside was a uniquely designed mobile phone with a miniature phased array antenna embedded in its back: "Tell Academician Wang that this is the world's first civilian satellite communication mobile phone, and Yongren is willing to share some of the patents with the national laboratory."

The engineers present all stared wide-eyed.

This secret project was unknown even to most of the executives, so why is it being made public now?

As if reading everyone's thoughts, Suning gently stroked the phone case: "Technological leadership isn't about hiding it."

He pointed to the huge billboard on Zhongguancun Street outside the window...

There hung a 5G promotional poster for an international brand: "We want to make Chinese standards the world standard."

Just then, Liang Yongfeng's video call connected to the conference room's large screen.

Against the backdrop of the brightly lit Suzhou factory, he exclaimed excitedly, "President Su! The new antenna passed the -40℃ test! Its performance is 20% higher than Motorola's latest model!"

Su Ning looked out the window. The stars in the Beijing night sky were obscured by the city lights, but he knew that there lay the future that Yongren was about to touch.

Today, Yongren Group has become an unstoppable force, and Suning has never taken those Wall Street financial tycoons seriously.

...(End of chapter)