Xiaomi Heavy Industry, its first entrepreneurial venture!

Chapter 494 Rehearsal! (Second Update!)

Arlington, Virginia.

Autumn has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. Moisture from Bermuda moves northward, while cold air from the Arctic Circle moves southward. They eventually collide in the Alabacia Mountains, bringing abundant rainfall to Virginia and other areas south of the Alabacia Mountains.

And to cool down.

At 8 a.m., Dmitri finally crawled out of his warm bed. The automatic heating had been turned off in the middle of the night, and as soon as he opened his mouth, a blast of cold air came out.

feeling bad.

I took a bottle of chilled mineral water from the refrigerator, gulped it down, and felt incredibly refreshed.

The sip of cold water completely woke Dmitry up. After washing up, he returned to his bedside, picked up his phone, and immediately saw the messages on it.

Especially those photos.

After seeing clearly what was in the photo, the CIA's second-in-command's eyes lit up immediately.

In recent years, mobile phones and communication networks have developed rapidly, bringing people closer together.

Therefore, mobile phones are an essential product for almost every American.

Especially with the rise of smartphones in recent years, this has become something that some young people pursue and use to show off.

The problem is that even in a developed country like America, there are people who are not well-developed.

These underdeveloped people cannot afford high-end goods, so they can only resort to smuggling.

However, smuggled goods have virtually no after-sales service; if they break, they can't be repaired.

In the photos Lin Yi provided, these phones looked quite good.

Their appearance alone can attract many people. If the price is also attractive, their smuggling business can make a fortune. With genuine parts, they can even make money from subsequent repairs.

Furthermore, some people who had served the CIA and were injured could be assigned to work in such repair shops.

This way, I won't let my brothers down.

Moreover, because mobile phones are relatively small, the space that would normally be used to transport a refrigerator can now carry hundreds or even thousands of them.

It's less risky and easier to make money.

Indeed, doing business with Chinese people is still the most reliable.

After silently saving the photo, Dmitri found Lin Yi's contact information, edited a text message, and sent it:

Mr. Lin, on my personal behalf, I wish you a successful launch of your new product. I hope that once the price is announced, you can arrange a batch of goods for me as soon as possible.

I believe your goods will definitely shine in America.

After sending the message, Dmitry put his phone in his pocket, packed his things for work, and then went out, driving slowly towards the George Bush Intelligence Center.

Upon arriving at headquarters, Dmitry did not immediately go to his office to work. Instead, he asked the logistics department for a cup of coffee and waited in front of Navarro's office with the coffee in hand.

Navarro finally arrived around 11 a.m.

Seeing Dmitri holding a coffee at the door, he raised his hand in greeting, turned around, opened the door, and went inside.

Navarro asked the secretary next door for a cup of coffee, and as he held it up, he looked at Dmitry.

"By the way, what are you doing blocking my door so early in the morning?"

Dmitri put down his coffee cup, took out his phone, opened the photo album, and showed Navarro what Lin Yi had sent him:
"Something Lin Yi sent me not long ago."

"The phone has a Qualcomm chip, looks good, and he also said the price is very attractive."

“Our next growth point in smuggling is probably in this area. If the price of Lin Yi is right, we can make at least 20% profit once we get our hands on him.”

"Besides, those damn functions for tapping smartphones and collecting smartphone data are much better now."

"Besides the domestic market, we can also produce some mobile phones, install our own eavesdropping software on them, and then deploy these phones in South America and Africa."

"What do you think?"

Navarro took the phone, zoomed in on the pictures, and carefully looked at each one. He then handed the phone back to Dmitry.

He finished half his coffee, gave Dmitry an approving look, and said:
"Your idea is indeed very good; software is more convenient than hardware."

"What's more, we can make money while eavesdropping."

"And the people who use these phones are essentially being sold out by us, yet they're still helping us count the money."

"not bad!"

Seeing that he agreed, Dmitri nodded, turned and walked towards the door, saying quickly as he went:
“Since you agree to this, I will allocate funds and once Lin Yi officially announces it, I will immediately snatch a batch back.”

"However, the development of the eavesdropping software will have to be postponed because we need to spend some time adapting the eavesdropping software to this new device."

"With proper software compatibility, we can be more discreet and more convenient."

“It’s alright!” Navarro reached out, trying to keep Dmitri there, but Dmitri’s figure had already disappeared through the doorway with his voice.

Left with no other option, Navarro had to withdraw his hand and continue drinking his coffee.

Back in his office, Dmitri began arranging for people to make preparations. If the prices of these phones were available, and if the prices were below $600, they would try to buy 1 units.

If the price is below $400, I'll try to snag 5 units.

If the price is below $300, let's start with 100,000 units to get a feel for it.

Before long, Debit's funds were in place, and all that was left was to wait for the merchants to stock up.

…………

798 Art District.

Lin Yi, holding a megaphone, began to act as the director of this technology launch event, standing below the stage gesturing confidently.

"The first step is for the speaker to enter. The lights first shine on the curtain, the curtain slowly opens, and the speaker appears in the light. Then the light follows the speaker to the center of the stage."

"The spotlight goes out, and the stage lighting comes on!"

"Let's go through it now!"

With a snap, the lighting technician turned on the spotlight and aimed it at the entrance of the stage. A few seconds later, the curtain at the entrance slowly opened, and Lei Jun, dressed in a casual suit, smiled broadly, holding a microphone in his left hand and a script in his right. As soon as he appeared under the spotlight, he waved eagerly.

Then, with a few quick strides, he walked to the center of the stage, looked to the left, then to the right, and finally nodded slightly forward.

After he finished these procedures, Lin Yi put the megaphone to his mouth:

"Could you slow down a bit?"

"Take steady steps, don't walk like someone's chasing you. Slow down, move slowly and steadily." "Try it again!"

Lei Jun returned to the entrance, the spotlights were turned off, and the curtain was drawn. Two minutes later, the spotlights were turned back on, locking onto the curtain at the entrance.

The curtain slowly rose, and Lei Jun, with a faint smile on his lips, moved forward steadily, finally stopping at his speaking position.

"Your expression and movements didn't look natural when you walked. You need to practice more."

"Next, let's look at the presentation. Sound engineer, please have the equipment team start up all the equipment."

The sound and light equipment set up around the stage was activated one by one, and Lei Jun, who was standing in the very center, stood there for a long time before finally stammering out:
"Um... what was the procedure again?"

"Greetings!" Lin Yi reminded him from below the stage. Lei Jun, standing on the stage, first glanced at the script hidden in his right hand, then brought the microphone to his lips:

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for taking the time to attend our press conference on what should have been a leisurely weekend..."

"Our ancestors used every means possible to transmit information."

"They created the 800-li urgent delivery system, beacon towers, messenger geese, and carrier pigeons..."

"Until March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the world's first patented telephone, successfully tested his wired telephone. He spoke the world's first words in the form of an electrical signal to his assistant, Thomas Watson: 'Mr. Watson, come here for a moment, I need you.'"

"Since then, the way information is transmitted has been completely changed."

"In 1900, America inventor Reginald Fessenden achieved wireless voice transmission for the first time using banner radio waves."

"Building on his work, in 1917, Finnish inventor Erik Tegerstein applied for an early patent for a portable wireless telephone."

"In 1924, Germany officially tested the first onboard wireless telephone system on a train from Berlin to Hamburg."

"In 1946, America AT and Bell Labs launched the MTS, the first commercial car radiotelephone system, but unfortunately, it was very heavy."

"In 1956, Ericsson of Sweden introduced a portable wireless telephone that required connection to a base station."

"In 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper invented the world's first civilian cellular mobile phone system, which officially heralded the arrival of the mobile phone."

"Up to today's smartphone era, more than 100 years have passed since the telephone was invented and is now widely used."

"But if you look back over the past 100 years, you'll find that these things are not cheap."

"This continued until a few years ago, when smartphones emerged after feature phones saw a large-scale price reduction."

"It's starting to repeat the scene from when feature phones first appeared: expensive, scarce, and only a small number of people could afford them."

"So I thought, why not make a reasonably priced, cost-effective product?"

"And so, we have what we're presenting at today's press conference..."

Lei Jun held the microphone on stage and spoke these words, while the image on the LED screen behind him began to adjust, turning into some black and white documentaries, and then directly into close-up photos of several mobile phones.

Below the stage, Lin Yi calmly rubbed his face and picked up the megaphone:

“Props team, change it to a headset. He keeps picking up and putting down the microphone, making it feel like he's ordering songs at a karaoke bar.”

"Change it and start over!"

The props team worked quickly and soon found a suitable headset for Lei Jun.

The props team stepped back, and Lin Yi's voice resounded throughout the venue through the loudspeaker:

"One more time..."

"If you're not familiar with the lines, then memorize them thoroughly. You can't make a single mistake. When you're memorizing, you also have to figure out what kind of expression you should have when you say those lines."

"Your facial expressions must be well done. They don't need to be too vivid, but they need to be able to evoke other people's emotions so that others can feel your state of mind."

"Director, after the price is announced, you need to turn the camera to the people in the audience. Our content only needs to show them one shot. You need to capture all the shock, curiosity, and all sorts of random expressions on their faces."

"Director, please adjust the names of our partners at the end of the film, from shortest to longest, in order of number of characters."

One by one, the demands came out of Lin Yi's mouth.

Every requirement was being revised according to his instructions. Time slipped away quietly during these revisions and rehearsals.

Before we knew it, it was time for the technology launch event.

In early autumn, Yanjing (Beijing) experiences occasional light drizzle, enough to keep you from getting completely soaked, but enough to be annoying.

The press conference was scheduled for 7 p.m., but Lin Yi left home at 3 p.m., not to act as a receptionist at the venue, but as a driver to pick up people.

The people he pulled were naturally Guo Song, as well as those he had invited because of him.

And so, Lin Yi, along with several people from the security department, drove several cars, carrying several groups of people, and headed to the venue in a grand procession.

Lei Jun stood at the entrance of the venue and saw Lin Yi's car arrive. Just as he was about to go forward, he suddenly saw the several people sitting in the car, his eyes widened, and he stopped himself in his tracks.

He had seen the people sitting in Lin Yi's car in the news and newspapers before.

Sure enough, Lin Yi was just a front man put forward by these big shots, helping them handle some difficult tasks.

The vehicle pulled over to the side of the road, and Lin Yi helped Guo Song and the others out of the car. He then waved to Lei Jun, signaling him to come over.

When Lei Jun came to his side, Lin Yi pointed at him and calmly explained:
"Our partner, Lei Jun, the chairman of Xiaomi Group, used to be involved in computer software programming."

Turning his head, he winked at Lei Jun and said, "Call me leader! Just call me leader!"

After the introductions, Lin Yi led the way, guiding each group of people into the venue and to the VIP seats that had been prepared beforehand.

After they entered, the people Lei Jun invited arrived one after another and found their seats.

After sitting down, these people who had been invited to the press conference started chatting with those around them in a very natural and friendly manner.

The most discussed topic was product price.

After all, Lei Jun had already posted all the phone's specifications on the forum.

Knowing the relevant parameters allows you to search for equipment of the same level. If you find it, all the better, and you can use it as a model to conduct research and discussion.

"I think their phone with the Snapdragon 23 chip will cost no less than 5000."

"5000? Not only that, definitely more than 5000."

"But if they set a high price, Xiaomi Group is a newly established brand. What gives them the right to set a high price? What right do they have to make decisions for others?"

"You're right! But I still stand by my opinion: their phones won't be priced too high; the price should be very affordable."

"Look. I just found a new post on the forum. Someone said that his Xiaomi phone had problems right after he bought it."

(End of this chapter)