Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 161 A Quietly Intersecting Fate

In the afternoon in Shenzhen, sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and fell on Chen Mo's desk.

He had some free time and was flipping through a stack of local newspapers. The Shenzhen International Industrial Expo would open tomorrow.

This time, three companies under the Orange Group (Yuancheng New Energy, Chengbao Mobile Internet, and Chengke Micro Motor) will be participating in the exhibition, so he naturally needs to pay attention to the public opinion.

In fact, if time hadn't been running out, Chen Mo would have even considered pushing the leaderless Orange Creation team to the China International Industry Fair.

Several mainstream local newspapers, each with a distinct style.

The Shenzhen Special Zone Daily is a political and economic authority.

The front page prominently featured the headline, "Industrial Upgrading Boosts Universiade: Shenzhen Industrial Expo to Open Soon," with the subtitle, "Focusing on Intelligent Manufacturing and Green Energy, Record-Breaking Scale of Participating Enterprises from 40 Countries."

The special reports offer a high-level perspective, shifting the focus from "Made in Shenzhen" to "Created in Shenzhen," highlighting the Shenzhen Industrial Fair as a barometer of industrial transformation.

The Jinbao newspaper has a mainstream urban style.

The front page grabs attention: "The whole city is focused! The Industrial Expo takes you to see the factory of the future," with the introduction specifically highlighting "The first appearance of a model of a domestically produced large passenger aircraft at the South China City Exhibition Hall."

The people's livelihood version is very down-to-earth: "Free shuttle buses are available for visitors to the Industrial Expo, and hotel bookings in the surrounding area have increased by 30%."

The Shenzhen Business Daily, on the other hand, leans towards financial expertise.

The business section's headline went straight to the heart of the matter: "Shenzhen companies leverage the China International Industry Fair to gain a foothold in overseas markets, attracting over 500 foreign buyers."

Data supports this claim: "Previous sessions saw transaction volumes reach 600 billion yuan, and this session is expected to break records."

Industry analysts astutely pointed out that "the expansion of the New Energy and Power Electrical Engineering exhibition area by 200% reflects Shenzhen's advantages in new energy."

The Shenzhen Evening News, on the other hand, is more mainstream.

The lifestyle section features a heartwarming and practical guide: "Family Guide to the China International Industry Fair: Take Your Kids to Experience the Interactive Technology Zone This Weekend," complete with helpful tips.

The urban topic focused on service: "Industrial Expo volunteers, the 'little blue shirts' rehearsed the Universiade service standards six months in advance."

"New energy is definitely the hottest topic!"

Chen Mo put down the newspaper, his finger pausing on the words "First Exhibition of Domestically Produced Large Passenger Aircraft Model": "Entropy C919? They're already hyping it up so early?"

He was somewhat surprised that at this point in time, Entropy's C919 had already been designed.

"Dong dong dong!" There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!"

Secretary Zhou Yumeng pushed open the door and came in, looking much more capable in her professional attire: "President Chen, President Zhao and President Gong have arrived."

"Let them in!"

Chen Mo moved to the spacious and comfortable reception area.

Zhao Tiezhu took the lead, casually sitting down on the sofa, tossing a stack of documents he had brought onto the coffee table, grabbing the large celadon cup that had been turned upside down from the tray, gulping down more than half of the water, wiping his mouth, his actions incredibly bold.

Gong Yun then came in and saw Zhao Tiezhu's "guzzling" posture, but just lowered her eyes and smiled lightly.

Chen Mo shook his head helplessly, took out a delicate little celadon cup, and poured a cup of warm water for Gong Yun.

"Tell me about the main things that happened while I was away from the company!" Chen Mo got straight to the point.

Zhao Tiezhu flipped through the documents and spoke first: "The sales of Orange 1Q are very stable! Combined with online and offline channels, monthly sales are stable at around 60 units, and the Nietzsche 1Q manufactured by us is stable at around 80 units. Our two companies currently occupy 86% of the domestic mobile phone power bank market."

This is not surprising at all. After all, although the sales of universal chargers have dropped, there is still a large market demand. No one realized that there would be more and more phones with non-removable back covers in the future.

"Gangcheng Feichi's channel really stepped up last month, taking in 50 worth of goods in one go! Monthly revenue is steadily around 8400 million."

He changed the subject, his tone slightly disdainful.

"It's our 'internet direct sales' channel. Tsk, apart from the time we jumped on the bandwagon of 'Apple Companion' during the Double Eleven shopping festival, it's waned again now, accounting for only 3%, and we only sell about 15,000 Orange 1Q units a month. It's a waste!"

Chen Mo laughed: "We started out by relying on Huabei Qiang's offline distribution system, and we truly believe that offline channels are king."

"The internet approach was just a trial run back then. Without investing real money and resources, it would be strange if it didn't succeed. Let it be, we'll see how much we can sell, and we won't invest any more."

After he finished speaking, he remembered something.

"By the way, is the flagship store in Chongqing finished with its renovations? How's it going?"

Zhao Tiezhu raised a smirk at the scar on his right eyebrow.

"Brother Chen, you mean that Half Orange Building? It's been finished for ages! Manager Chen made it really fancy, it's called something like 'Orange Flagship Store Center with an Immersive Shopping Experience'!"

"Sounds impressive!" He paused, his tone becoming even stranger: "However, our own flagship store on the first floor only sold a little over 3000 Orange 1Q units this month, barely making any profit! But..."

Zhao Tiezhu deliberately drew out his words, with a hint of surprise.

"Thanks to the gimmick of the 'Half Orange Reflecting the River' light show, we attracted a large number of people, and the entire building's rental income reached over 6 million yuan in February!"

"Huh?" Chen Mo was dumbfounded, his face full of absurdity: "Our flagship store makes a living by collecting rent?"

This is so different from the high-tech flagship store image he envisioned!

Zhao Tiezhu chuckled and handed over a thick document: "Here, this is the building's functional area blueprints and operational status reported by Manager Chen's channel team. Take a look for yourself."

Chen Mo opened the drawing and saw that it was densely marked with the business types of each floor:
Floor 1: Orange Flagship Store (A Lonely Tech Oasis)

2nd floor: Luxury goods (LV, Gvcci), jewelry, cafes
3rd Floor: Image Consulting Store, Beauty Salon (Sephora), Light Dining (Wages)

4th Floor: Lifestyle concept store (MUJI), family area
5th Floor: Hot Pot Restaurant
6th floor: Internet cafe complex, gym
7th Floor: Cloud-top Observation Deck (Glass Walkway), Photography Studio
8th Floor: SPA Club
9th Floor: Business casual dining area, staff lounge, auditorium, tea room

10th Floor: Flagship Store Headquarters Offices
11th Floor: Smart Warehousing Center
12th Floor: Sky Bar, Stargazing Observation Deck
The operational highlights also include "circuit design", "technology empowerment" and "night economy" (open until 2 a.m.).

Chen Mo's lips twitched as he looked at it: Is this...is this Orange's flagship store or some kind of mixed-use commercial complex?

This Half Orange Building always gave Chen Mo the feeling that oranges could make money and oranges could be spent, but he never wanted to take any home!

In his memory, the only place that could blend commerce, tourism, and office space so seamlessly was the three-story LV ship in Shanghai, but even that immersive shopping experience didn't have 12 floors!

Chen Mo couldn't help but rub his temples, feeling powerless against his second sister's "landlady" style of operation.

"Fine. Let her do it this way for now. At least the cash flow looks healthy, and we don't need support from headquarters!"

Another one, being a typical STEM guy, couldn't think of a better way to guide his second sister, this "business prodigy."

Then, the topic shifted to Orange2's supply chain.

Zhao Tiezhu immediately perked up and started complaining: "Brother Chen! That kid Xu Mingyuan is so dishonest!"

"Whether it was Zeng who went to negotiate or I went to negotiate in person, Yuancheng stubbornly insisted on a price of 70.2 yuan per YC-2.0 gaseous lithium battery!"

"The battery is a full 8 yuan more expensive than the one used in the Orange 1! They didn't give us any face at all, and the cost of our Orange 2 has gone up immediately!"

Chen Mo was amused by his "wronged" look.

"Is your pride more important than money? Each battery costs 8 yuan more, so a million units would cost 800 million!"

"In the past, Orange started at 1, and we could just benefit from Yuancheng's popularity. Now, even between brothers, we'll settle accounts clearly and pay whatever is due!"

He pointed at Zhao Tiezhu and said with a smile, "You should also think about the shares of Yuancheng that you have as incentives; you'll definitely get your share of the year-end bonus!"

It's worth noting that Yuancheng's current market value is at least 60 billion yuan, and it has also secured a 120 billion yuan military procurement order. There are also another wave of large orders from state-owned enterprises coming up. By the end of this year, Chen Mo can't even predict how much Yuancheng's revenue will expand.

When Orange first appeared on the scene, it was at most a newcomer to the smartphone industry, while Far Orange started as an industry leader.

Zhao Tiezhu then nodded reluctantly and changed the subject.

"Alright. The MYT-2 gyroscope from Orange Technology is 9 cents more expensive than a regular MEMS, but its performance is indeed stronger. The three major components—chip, screen, and memory—are all sorted out, so the supply chain is not a problem."

"What about the marketing and promotion for Orange 2?" Chen Mo asked.

"The offline rollout hasn't even started yet, but the online Weibo promotion has already begun."

Zhao Tiezhu took out his phone, opened Orange Technology's official Weibo account, and handed it to Chen Mo.

The screen displays a teaser poster for Orange 2:
[With heartfelt sincerity, the Orange 2 motion-sensing device has arrived! Thousands of "Apple Companions" are available – come and try your luck!]

The core message is: Share this post on Weibo with the hashtag #Orange2 and enter a giveaway of "Pingguo Companion" (a popular Apple product).

At this time, Pingguo Companion was still quite attractive to domestic users because it was "expensive"! The price of Pingguo Companion, which was as high as 399 yuan, consisted of: Orange 1Q 168 yuan + Huabei Qiang OTG shell 20 yuan + Pingguo brand authorization 211 yuan.

Chen Mo once again deeply experienced the harsh reality that "first-class companies set standards, second-class companies build brands, and third-class companies do manufacturing."

Pingguo can collect 211 yuan in brand fees without lifting a finger, easily crushing the manufacturing profits of oranges. Meanwhile, those hidden giants that set industry standards (such as Bosch and Gaotong) are at the top of the food chain.

Just as Chen Mo was about to return the phone to Zhao Tiezhu, his gaze inadvertently swept over the latest comments, and one message caught his attention.

@XiaoshiWorld: "I finally gritted my teeth and bought an Apple 4! But after heavy use, I found that the battery only lasts for half a day. Is there a lottery for the co-branded 'Apple Companion'?"
399 is even more agonizing than when I was agonizing over the Apple 4 last year! I wish the Orange 2 great success, and please bless me to win it!
@OrangeTech, do all the programmers at your company understand my battery anxiety?

(Image: Screenshot of Apple 4 with low battery)

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and clicked into the "Small Test World" homepage. Sure enough, he saw that the previous Weibo post was a complaint that the first generation of Apple was too slow and that he was struggling with whether to buy the Apple 4.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he turned his phone screen toward Zhao Tiezhu: "Tiezhu, arrange an Apple Companion for this 'trial world'."

"Huh?" Zhao Tiezhu was taken aback: "Brother Chen, you know him?"

"do not know!"

Chen Mo waved his hand with a smile: "I just thought his comment was quite interesting. It expressed the sentiments of many Apple fans. It's just an Apple Companion. We're going to give away 20 units every day to attract customers anyway. Adding one more won't hurt!"

This interaction was purely his little mischievous hobby!
"Sure! No problem!" Zhao Tiezhu patted his chest and assured him, "I'll add him to the list of winners when it's announced today!"

Next came Gong Yun's financial report, her voice as gentle and clear as ever.

"The company currently has a cash pool of 36 billion yuan, of which 28 billion yuan has been allocated to wealth management according to the previous strategy. About 3 million yuan of the cash flow is tied up in the Orange 1Q supply chain, and there is 8 million yuan of cash available on the books."

"Orange Technology's net monthly revenue is about 300 million yuan. Although it is not much, it can cover daily operations and channel maintenance, which is not easy in the off-season."

She opened another report: "Status of idle funds: The 28 billion yuan portfolio allocated last October will mature in April."

“12亿银行6个月大额存单，4月2日到期，年化约1.1%。”

"A structured deposit of 13 billion yuan will mature on April 5, with an annualized return of 4.83%."

“3亿T+0货币基金，4月6日到期，年化约2.5%。”

Gong Yun closed the report and casually summarized: "Overall, from October last year to April this year, the average annualized return on the 28 billion yuan in cash was about 2.3%, with a cumulative return of about 1128 million yuan in six months."

"Clap! Clap! Clap!" Chen Mo clapped heartily: "Sister Gong, awesome!"

Zhao Tiezhu also exclaimed from the side, "Sister Gong is awesome!"

Gong Yun smiled modestly: "Mr. Chen, you flatter me. These are just ordinary financial investments, nothing special!"

"Sister Gong, this is no ordinary level of skill." Chen Mo said seriously, "Everyone says that making money with money is easy, but most people take that for granted."

"If you asked me to activate billions of yuan in idle funds and safely and steadily generate tens of millions in returns, wouldn't that be a joke!"

Chen Mo looked at the financial report, at the returns generated by the investment portfolio of 28 billion yuan.

"This ten million is enough to pay our company's salaries for three months, right? This is a really big surprise!"

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

A hint of emotion flashed in Chen Mo's eyes: "Thinking back to June last year, the three of us were still working in that small workshop in Huabei Qiang. It feels like it was just yesterday!"

"Now, we have a large office, over a hundred employees, and we pay more than three million in salaries every month. It feels like a lifetime ago!"

He looked out at the magnificent sunset through the floor-to-ceiling windows and extended an invitation.

"The China International Industry Fair opens tomorrow. I want to go and check out our Orange Group booth, and also see the outside world. Tiezhu, Sister Gong, shall we go together?"

Zhao Tiezhu immediately responded, "We absolutely have to go, Brother Chen! I heard there's an airshow, I have to go see the big planes!"

Gong Yun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, indicating some concern.

"Mr. Chen! If we all go, what about the company?"

Chen Mo waved his hand and said confidently, "Don't worry, Sister Gong! If the company falls into chaos if the three of us are away for even a day, then it just means that our management system and talent structure need to be upgraded. It's settled then!"

Since the three big bosses are away from home for a day, we can conduct a stress test on the company so that any problems can be found and resolved early!
After experiencing the storm in September last year, Chen Mo came to a conclusion: eat and drink as usual, the sky won't fall, and you can deal with whatever comes your way.

Gong Yun then smiled and said, "Okay! Tomorrow, shall I bring Xiaomi along too? Mr. Chen, you don't mind, do you? After all, she's our 'Fourth Veteran' who's been through thick and thin with us in this small workshop!"

"Haha! Sorry, sorry, I forgot about our 'Manager Mi'!"

Chen Mo and Zhao Tiezhu both laughed.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the afterglow of the setting sun elongated the shadows of the three people, reflecting the promising future of this young company.

Meanwhile, at Shenzhen Experimental Middle School, not far from the Huabei Qiang Building, Class 1 of Grade 11 (Science) is taking a break between classes.

The homeroom teacher said earnestly, "Xiaoyu, this year before your senior year is the most crucial! This 'little blue shirt' volunteer program includes the Industrial Expo in March, the Cultural Expo in May, and the Universiade in August. There are only 465 days left until the college entrance exam! Why don't you... quit?"

Xiaoyu shook her head firmly: "Teacher, this is a rare opportunity, I can manage it!"

The homeroom teacher looked helplessly at her two friends: "Xiao Wei, Xiao Quan, why don't you two try to persuade her?"

The quiet Xiaowei smiled gently: "Teacher, I support Xiaoyu. If it weren't for my health, I would also like to sign up."

Xiao Quan immediately took out the orange Orange 1 spare phone that Xiao Wei had given her and quickly brought up the calendar.

"Teacher, I've calculated it, it's 465 days, right?" She pointed at the screen: "The Industrial Expo is 3 days, the Cultural Expo is 2 days, and the Universiade is 5 days. That's only 10 days in total!"

She spread her hands, looked at Xiaoyu, and smiled teasingly: "Right? What could a top student like you, who's in the top 50 of the city's unified exam, possibly miss in 10 days?"

Looking at the three girls who seemed united in their hatred of the enemy, the homeroom teacher smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright! You're all such loyal and good sisters! It just makes me seem like I'm meddling!"

The three girls looked at each other and smiled, their eyes sparkling with youthful energy.

Xiao Quan kept telling Xiao Yu to remember to bring back interesting materials from the Industrial Expo.

Xiaoyu tossed her head back, put the pink angel hat on her head, and flapped her little wings: "No problem! As long as I bring it back, Xiaowei and Xiaoquan will both get a share!"

Meanwhile, far away in Beijing, a struggling internet startup was keeping its office lights off to save on electricity bills, creating a dim and oppressive atmosphere.

A young programmer with a baby face and bangs was secretly refreshing his Weibo page on an Apple 4.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he sprang up from his chair, excitedly whispering, "I won!"

A man with dark circles under his eyes and a stubble beard jumped up as if he'd been electrocuted, rushed over hopefully, and grabbed him: "What's wrong? Did the higher-ups unblock our website?!"

The bespectacled programmer blushed deeply, scratched his head awkwardly, and showed his phone screen to his boss.

"No, no... it's just that I won a 'Pingguo Companion' in a Weibo raffle!"

This young programmer is currently short of money and often needs his wife's financial support. He won a 399-yuan Apple Companion, so he was naturally overwhelmed with excitement.

On the screen was a notification from Orange Technology.

Congratulations to @小试世界! You've become the 210th "lucky winner"! (Just between you and me: We programmers don't use Apple Companion, we use Orange 1Q!)
The Apple 4 is a classic, and our Orange 2 is great too! Order now and receive a free "Battery Anxiety Cure Guide" hand-drawn by our engineers~ (Order link)
PS: Your Weibo post has been automatically added to the #OrangeUserProgram#, and you will receive priority notifications for future new product beta testing!

(Image: Mysterious silhouette rendering of Starry Blue Orange 2)
"."

The dejected boss stared at the "winning" notification, then looked at the programmer he relied on, whose face was full of excitement, but also a little embarrassed.

He then looked at the website's backend, where the "Unable to access" message was still displayed.

In the end, all his hopes were dashed, and he could only let out a heavy sigh before sitting back down in his chair.

The server's network cable still hung coldly on the ground. No one told him when he could be reconnected to the operator's core switching node, nor how to change this predicament.

Want to give up?

The harsh realities of starting a business were something both the boss and the young programmer were acutely aware of, as this wasn't their first time.

Meanwhile, at Haneda Airport, far away in Japan.

Paul, ASMI's Asia Pacific Ultra Precision Technology Inspector, has boarded a Botox 787 bound for Shenzhen.

As the China International Industry Fair draws ever closer, the butterfly effect brought about by Chen Mo will eventually bring together different people and different destinies.

(End of this chapter)