Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 126 Mountain City Trip Concludes

Chen Mo stayed at his second sister's small supermarket in the mountain city for two days, helping to watch the store and also indulging in some snacks.

Looking at her younger brother, who was wearing shorts and flip-flops and openly "stealing" her beef jerky just like when they were kids, Chen Lan's initial warmth from the long-awaited reunion was quickly replaced by disdain for "this brat is too much of a spendthrift."

"Hey! Xiao Mo! You've eaten three packs of my beef jerky today! I don't even earn enough for your snacks in a day!"

Chen Lan snatched the beef jerky that Chen Mo had just opened, glared at him angrily, but then turned around and grabbed another, more expensive bag from the shelf next to her and stuffed it into his hands.

"Eat this! Fewer additives, it's safer!"

Chen Mo chuckled, accepted the gift without any hesitation, slumped onto a recliner by the supermarket entrance, and started chewing on beef jerky while playing on his phone.

My eyes lit up when I saw Wei Ge's 30km extreme hiking plan for Baima Mountain in Wulong posted in the Shenzhen hiking group.

Hey, is Viagra in Chongqing too?

Is this still nearby?

"Second sister! I'm going hiking tomorrow. Tell my brother-in-law not to cook for me, as I might not be coming back to stay!" Chen Mo immediately reported.

"Oh, finally couldn't sit still?" Chen Lan teased him while reminding him, "This mountain city has steep roads and slopes, be careful and don't climb recklessly!"

The next morning, the starting point was Huangdu Village in Fengdu.

Shen Yiwei, dressed in professional gear, was exchanging pleasantries with a man wearing a dark blue windbreaker, with a small scar on his left eyebrow and a calm demeanor.

Clearly, this is the "expert" that Shen Yiwei wanted to recruit.

"Viagra!" Chen Mo's voice came from behind with a hint of mockery.

Shen Yiwei turned around and saw Chen Mo fully armed, looking surprised.

"Xiao Chen? Aren't you in Beijing? What are you doing here?"

"Visiting relatives!" Chen Mo walked over with a grin and nodded at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu smiled kindly.

"I saw the route you posted yesterday, Brother Wei, and thought I'd try my luck and see if I could catch you. I didn't expect to actually catch you today."

Although Wei Ge was mainly there to poach Jiang Yu, he couldn't very well send Chen Mo away, so he simply introduced the two of them. Since they were already there, they decided to get together.

Jiang Yu is an "absolute" in extreme hiking and made the suggestion directly.

"Since it's such a coincidence, how about the three of us do something 'extreme'? 30 kilometers, no water, no food, and no stopping. Whoever breaks the rules or stops first loses, and agrees to a small condition for the winner. How about it?"

He looked at Shen Yiwei, his gaze carrying a hint of polite refusal.

Shen Yiwei wanted to poach talent, so how could he back down?
He immediately agreed: "Sure! Whatever Brother Yu says, we'll do. I'll play along to the end!"

Chen Mo was stunned. "Wei Ge, aren't you a laid-back guy? Why are you suddenly working so hard?"

But with the atmosphere already so tense, he could only nod and say, "Fine! I'll risk my life to keep you company!"

Thus, the three embarked on this journey of silent competition.

Wulong Baima Mountain, with its karst landforms and swirling clouds and mist, boasts stunning scenery but also treacherous and difficult roads.

The climb involves a continuous ascent of 1500 meters, steep rock walls, and dense primeval forest.

The three of them remained silent, conserving every drop of water and energy.

Slow down to catch your breath in the shade, grit your teeth and keep going under the scorching sun.

The first to give in was Shen Yiwei, who had been living a life of luxury in North America for three years.

After walking 20 kilometers, I was so thirsty that I silently took out my water bottle and gulped it down, watching the remaining two people compete with a helpless smile.

In the final ten kilometers, the young and strong Chen Mo began to accelerate.

Jiang Yu, whose breathing had long been disordered, finally couldn't help but take out his water bottle in the last five kilometers.

You can endure hunger, and you can move forward with willpower, but the dizziness and suffocation caused by dehydration, where you feel like vomiting but can't, is just too difficult.
In the end, Chen Mo silently completed the entire journey.

Jiang Yu wiped his sweat, smiled wryly, and said to Shen Yiwei, "President Shen, I've lost. Name your terms!"

Shen Yiwei chuckled and patted Chen Mo, who was panting slightly, next to him: "Brother Yu! You've got it wrong, the winner is Xiao Chen, he has to set the terms!"

Jiang Yu looked at Chen Mo with some surprise, not expecting that he and Shen Yiwei were not in cahoots.

Chen Mo then realized that he seemed to have unwittingly gotten involved in Viagra's "gambling game" and even won chips without knowing why.

Of course, he couldn't make any unreasonable demands. He pointed to the hot pot restaurant across the street, which was wafting with delicious aromas, and grinned.

"Brother Yu, just treat me to an authentic Chongqing hot pot. I've been eating at home these past few days, and it just doesn't feel right."

The three of them smiled at each other, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Jiang Yu readily agreed: "No problem! Leave it to me, I guarantee it will be absolutely authentic!"

In a steaming hot pot restaurant, tripe tumbles in the red oil.

Shen Yiwei nudged Chen Mo with his elbow and chuckled in a low voice, "Little Chen, do you know what you've missed? Brother Yu is a god-level figure!"

Then, he embellished Jiang Yu's impressive resume, from a grassroots motorcycle factory apprentice to the director of mobile phone R&D, making Chen Mo's eyes light up more and more.

Wow! This guy is a true tech genius!

Chen Mo was filled with regret; he was so angry he could have kicked himself: trading a hotpot meal for a research and development director was a huge loss!

He couldn't wait to say, "Brother Yu, I don't want the hotpot anymore, come work for Orange as the R&D director!"

But looking at Viagra next to him, he really couldn't bring himself to say it; stealing his brother's girlfriend was just too underhanded.

To change the subject, Chen Mo cooked a piece of tripe and casually asked Shen Yiwei a question.

"Brother Wei, you've gone to so much trouble to recruit Brother Yu, are you planning to start a mobile phone business?"

"Of course!" Shen Yiwei immediately chimed in, his voice rising several decibels, both in response to Chen Mo and also to Jiang Yu: "The domestic smartphone market is a blue ocean right now. The Pearl River Delta has a complete industrial chain, and North China is strong. Feature phones will be phased out sooner or later!"

Jiang Yu was in charge of the R&D of counterfeit feature phones at Xunmei Technology, a local company in Chongqing. He pioneered the PCB layout design of MTK platform mobile phones and the dual-SIM dual-standby technology for feature phones. His achievements were once "borrowed" by four manufacturers, and even the other party registered the relevant patents.

Don't underestimate counterfeit phones; in fact, many functions and technologies were first developed and applied by counterfeit phones.

For example, Orange Mobile is preparing to develop a feature without hardware battery display, which Chen Mo is "paying homage" to the knock-off phones of later generations that used NTC sensors to save on battery power.

Of course, this wasn't due to Chen Mo's consideration of hardware costs, but rather because there are currently no miniaturized NTC power sensors on the market.

"My project is all set up, all that's missing is a master like Brother Yu to oversee it!" He looked at Jiang Yu with eager eyes.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yu simply drank his tea politely, unmoved.

"Oh? What's your phone name, Brother Wei?" Chen Mo asked casually, stuffing the hot tripe into his mouth.

"Let's call it Blue Machine!" Shen Yiwei announced with great pride.

"Pfft cough cough cough!!!"

Chen Mo choked on a mouthful of tripe, the spiciness shooting straight to his head, causing him to cough violently and tears to well up in his eyes.

"What's wrong, Xiao Chen?" Shen Yiwei and Jiang Yu were both startled.

"Cough cough... No, it's nothing! This hot pot is way too spicy! Much spicier than what we eat at home!"

Chen Mo gulped down a large mouthful of herbal tea, his face turning red, but his mind was in turmoil.

I rely on!

The owner of Blue Factory?

Viagra is actually the owner of Blue Factory!

In my past life, I actually refused this big shot's invitation?
Wouldn't that mean missing out on the opportunity to lie down and pay off debts, plus achieve financial freedom and reach the pinnacle of life?
I must have suffered a huge loss in my past life!
No wonder people say that sometimes the choices you make in life are more important than blindly working hard!
"By the way, Brother Yu, there's a really popular company in Shenzhen that makes gaseous lithium batteries for mobile phones. I heard they also started out in North China!"

Seeing that he was alright, Shen Yiwei turned to Jiang Yu, trying to get Chen Mo to help him out. "Little Chen, you're more familiar with North China Power, can you help me find out some inside information? My Blue Machine also wants to use this battery!"

"Pfft, cough cough cough!!!" Chen Mo spat out the herbal tea he had just drunk to calm his nerves.

The two men once again cast concerned and questioning glances at him.

Chen Mo was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground: "Uh, would you believe me if I said the tea was too hot?"

He quickly changed the subject.

"Brother Wei, this is no easy task. You know Lei Jun, right? He invested over 5000 million yuan to secure one of the only two six-month exclusive rights!"

Shen Yiwei waved his hand: "Go ahead and ask around, I'll handle the rest."

All three had technical backgrounds, so the conversation quickly turned to the technical details of gaseous lithium batteries, and then they talked about the design philosophy of the Orange phone.

Jiang Yu's eyes grew brighter as he listened, and he nodded repeatedly.

Shen Yiwei sensed something was amiss; how did their conversation turn into an advertisement for oranges?
He quickly steered the conversation back to his Blue Machine project and extended another invitation to Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment, then finally relented: "How about this, Mr. Shen, I'll go to Shenzhen in a while to take a look and then think it over carefully."

Chen Mo looked at Shen Yiwei, feeling a surge of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Viagra is indeed Viagra; he's so efficient at poaching talent, while he still hasn't found a research and development director for his own Orange Phone.

Chen Mo spent another day at his second sister's small supermarket, and then, carrying her packed bag of local specialties from the mountain city, he boarded a plane back to Shenzhen.

Chen Mo is gone, but the story of the mountain city continues to unfold according to the script he left behind, trying to give his trip to the mountain city a perfect ending.

The Shancheng Qianke Micro Motor Factory, with a registered capital of only 200 million yuan, fewer than 50 employees, is mired in debt, owing 29.4 yuan in taxes, defaulting on debts, and being subject to enforcement proceedings.

This small factory, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, suddenly had a turning point.

A lawyer wearing frameless glasses arrived.

The plain titanium ring on his left ring finger gleamed coldly in the sunlight, drawing a second glance from General Manager Feng and employees like Fan Xingping who came to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Feng! I'm here on behalf of the investors to discuss the acquisition!"

Attorney Lin got straight to the point. In his simple office, he clearly and logically analyzed the factory's valuation and the huge debt risks, and finally offered a solution.

"The company will be acquired for one yuan. The original employees and management will remain unchanged. A finance department will be dispatched to conduct quarterly audits. Subsequently, the boss will personally invest 200 million yuan to help you develop."

For Mr. Feng, who was about to go to jail, this was like a savior from heaven!

He signed without hesitation.

"Attorney Lin, do you think we should change the company's name? A new factory, a new look!" General Manager Feng asked cautiously.

Lin Junfeng, thinking of Chen Mo's style, nodded: "Let's change it! Let's call it 'Chengke Micro Motor Factory'."

"Does the big boss have any other key instructions?" President Feng probed.

"From now on, we'll focus on developing vibration motors for mobile phones!" Lin Junfeng pushed up his glasses. "The investor is also the owner of Orange Mobile, so you'll definitely get plenty of orders."

"Orange phone!" Mr. Feng was both surprised and delighted, almost jumping up: "Attorney Lin! I use Orange phone myself, I promise to do a good job and absolutely not let Orange phone down!"

Lin Junfeng smiled slightly and changed the subject.

"There's one more thing! Does your factory have someone named Fan Xingping?"

"Yes, there is!" Mr. Feng's heart skipped a beat.

"What position, and how much is the salary?"

"For a skilled, long-term employee, the salary is around 1800!"

Mr. Feng gave a conservative and truthful answer, saying it wasn't worth offending the big boss's agent for the sake of a long-time employee.

Attorney Lin nodded: "The acquiring party's intention is to promote him to workshop director with a salary of 18,000!"

After Attorney Lin left, General Manager Feng immediately called over the bewildered Fan Xingping and asked him indirectly if he knew the owner of Orange Mobile.

Fan Xingping shook his head vigorously: "How could I, a mere factory worker, possibly know any big boss like that!"

Without asking any further questions, General Manager Feng made the announcement directly.

"Xingping, you've done a great job during this difficult time for the factory. Starting today, you're the workshop director, with a salary of 18,000 yuan!"

Fan Xingping was stunned, overwhelmed with joy, and thanked him repeatedly.

As he walked out of the office, he clenched his fists, his hands trembling with excitement, wishing he could fly home immediately to tell his wife this incredible good news.

A few days later, Chen Lan was tidying up the shelves in the supermarket when a handsome, aloof man with frameless glasses and a titanium alloy ring on his left ring finger walked in.

That undeniable air of sophistication was completely out of place in this small supermarket.

He took out a beautifully crafted letter and handed it to Chen Lan.

"Ms. Chen Lan, on behalf of Orange Technology Co., Ltd., I would like to invite you to serve as the manager of our first directly operated flagship store nationwide!"

Chen Lan accepted the invitation with a puzzled look and unwrapped the exquisite outer packaging:
Orange Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
Address: No. 301-01, Huabeiqiang Road, Futian District, Shenzhen

Contact number: 0755-8888XXXX
November 2010, 8

Open to Ms. Chen Lan
Letter Inviting You to Serve as Manager of Orange Mobile's Flagship Store in Chongqing

Dear Ms. Chen Lan: As decided by the Orange Technology Marketing Channel Committee, we sincerely invite you to serve as the manager of Orange Mobile's first directly operated flagship store in Chongqing, and to be fully responsible for the strategic operation of the store.

Core Invitation Content

Strategic positioning: This store will serve as a product display center and customer experience benchmark in Southwest China (including innovative modules such as a new product experience area and a future technology demonstration area).

Scope of authorization: Has the final approval authority for store decoration plans, the autonomy to form a 15-person team, and the authority to approve a quarterly marketing budget of 200 million RMB.

Special incentives: Employees who achieve performance targets in the first year will also receive stock options as a reward for the directly operated flagship store (see the attached "Equity Incentive Plan" for details).
Attachments included:

Job Description (including KPI assessment details)

"Competitive Analysis Report of Shancheng Business District" (Latest Q2 2010 Edition)

Orange Technology Corporate Culture Training Manual (with founder's autograph)
Please confirm your intention by August 25, 2010, and we will arrange for someone to handle the signing of the contract.

We look forward to working with you to create a new paradigm for direct-sales retail!

Sincerely,
商祺
Chen Mo
[General Manager of Orange Technology (electronic signature of company seal)]

When Chen Lan saw the invitation from the manager of the Orange Mobile flagship store, her hands trembled uncontrollably, and her mind went blank with dizziness.

As she looked further down—her heart skipped a beat!
The signature and electronic seal of "Chen Mo"!
"The big boss of Orange Technology is named Chen Mo?" Chen Lan's voice trembled, and the tangerine in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

“Yes, Ms. Chen Lan!” Lin Junfeng replied in a formulaic manner, then handed over a folded piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from a hotel notepad: “President Chen also left you a letter.”

Chen Lan trembled as she opened the simple piece of paper, and familiar, slightly messy handwriting jumped into view:

Hahaha! (Attached is a simple, wide-mouthed, laughing soybean emoji)
You didn't expect that, did you, Second Sister!
I already told you I'm the owner of Orange Phone!

Just between you and me, every time we order 100 phones, the standard package includes 10 phone cases, 20 phone stands, and 50 screen protectors.

Da Lanzi, you'd better be more careful!

The Chen family is the shrewdest businessmen, so don't you dare lose my 8 million yuan investment in the Southwest headquarters!

Oh, right! Mom doesn't mention it, but she actually misses you a lot. Remember to bring your brother-in-law back to visit when you have time.
Upon seeing the familiar words in the letter, words that were both teasing and caring, Chen Lan's tears streamed down her face.

The younger brother who used to rummage through snacks in her little supermarket, wearing flip-flops and baggy shorts; the young man with a sharp suit and a commanding presence at the airport; and the childish yet heartwarming "big boss" in this letter.
At this moment, all the images overlapped in Chen Lan's mind, gradually solidifying into Chen Mo's smiling face—gentle and clear.

She clutched the note and the gold-embossed invitation, cursing at the air with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"That brat! He saw through it all but didn't say so sooner, making me worry for nothing!"

(End of this chapter)