Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 170 Dog Kidnaps Orange

The main venue, the Golden Hall, at the Beijing Hotel.

As the partition was removed, 32 club directors who had just finished their small meeting entered the main venue, instantly becoming the focus of the entire room.

More than two hundred entrepreneurs and dozens of media outlets focused their attention on them like searchlights.

Guided by the hostesses, the board members went straight to their reserved seats in the first row.

Shen Yiwei was positioned in the middle row, near the front. As Chen Mo passed by, he winked and made faces, his face beaming with undisguised excitement and pride, as if to say, "See! I didn't lie to you!"

His expression was one of joy for his good brother, but also mixed with a hint of indescribable envy.

In the lineage of Bubu Gao (a traditional Chinese medicine), the second-generation Jin Ming is at the peak of his career and reaping honors, while Cheng Yonghao is also a key figure. It will be even more difficult for Shen Yiwei to stand out.

This is a unique dilemma for entrepreneurs with mentorship backgrounds. Although it is easier for them to get started than for ordinary entrepreneurs, the honors raise their standards considerably. There are gains and losses.

Chen Mo's position was at the far left of the first row.

The name is affixed to the back of the dark red velvet seat: Chen Mo -- Orange Technology.

He sat down in order, his gaze sweeping over the bigwigs around him. The seating arrangement was almost identical to that in the small conference area, except that it had changed from a U-shape to a long row. He imagined Liu and Ali Ma sitting in the middle, flanked by others, symbolizing the handover between the old and new "leaders" and between the first and second generation of entrepreneurs.

The only exception is Chen Mo, the only son of a third-generation entrepreneur, who sits at the very end on the right!
The main leaders of the Enterprise Association walked to the podium in the center of the stage, and the entire audience fell silent instantly.

He solemnly announced: "The inaugural meeting and forum of the First China Entrepreneurs Club are now officially open!"

Before the words were even finished, a flurry of flashes lit up the already prepared media area, and the sound of camera shutters exploded like a sudden downpour, capturing this historic moment.

"Next, I will introduce the first 32 council members of the China Entrepreneurs Club!" The leader's voice echoed through the hall via microphone: "Please give a round of applause after all the council members have been introduced!"

The list was read aloud in order of seating:
"Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of Fantasy Group!"

Liu stood up steadily, wearing his signature smile, and bowed slightly to those on either side.

Before the applause could begin, there was only the clicking of camera shutters.

"Zhang Ruimin, Chairman of Haier Group!"

Mr. Zhang rose gracefully and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Wang Wanda, Chairman of Wanda Group!"

Wang Da smiled broadly and waved.

"Ren Zhengfei, founder of Chrysanthemum Company!"

Mr. Ren nodded slightly with a serious expression.

When Lei Jun was introduced, his action of standing up clearly made Sister Dong, who was standing far away, frown and her nostrils twitched almost imperceptibly.

As Wang Chuanfu, Jin Ming, and others stood up one after another, hushed discussions and confirmations arose in the entrepreneurs' area at the back of the venue.

These names and the companies behind them are already legendary figures in China's business world.

Finally, the leader's voice came to the end.

"Chen Mo, founder of Orange Technology!"

brush!
Chen Mo stood up in response.

Unlike the previous faces, which were either dignified, refined, or wealthy, this newly appointed director was excessively young. He wore a well-tailored dark suit, but it couldn't hide his youthful vibe.

Most notably, he was wearing a white face mask that covered most of his face!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The flashes from the media area reached their peak at this moment, like a frenzied wave, almost engulfing his figure!
The reporters, like sharks smelling blood, excitedly pressed their shutters.

This is the biggest news story of the day!

A mysterious, masked director who may be the only one born in the 80s or even the 90s!

Among a group of accomplished bigwigs whose average age far exceeds his, he stands out as both incongruous and dazzling!
A murmur of surprise and discussion arose from the back of the hall.

"So young!"

"Orange Technology? That Orange Chen who went head-to-head with Liu and Ma last year?"

"That's him! He's on par with these big shots; he must be worth at least tens of billions! My goodness!"

"The future is terrifying!"

Even entrepreneurs who didn't know Chen Mo, after being introduced to the topic by those around them, cast complex and unspoken glances at him, marveling at the surging power of the younger generation.

After the introduction, the entire audience erupted in applause that lasted for a long time.

Subsequently, the association leaders directly announced the voting results of the council meeting: "With the unanimous vote of all council members, Mr. Liu Chuanzhi was elected as the first chairman of the club, and Mr. Ali Ma was elected as the rotating chairman!"

The result was expected by everyone, and applause rang out again.

Liu took the stage to deliver his chairman's address, making a polite and official promise to promote harmony in the business community and build consensus.

Next was the thematic discussion session: Green Development and Sustainable Innovation.

Directors such as Ali Ma, Wanda Wang, Lei Jun, and Dong Dajie took turns on stage to share their views and speak eloquently, each showcasing their charisma under the spotlight.

Finally, Liu announced that after the meeting, he would organize the council members to visit scenic spots and experience the cultural heritage of Beijing.

State media interview area (after the meeting).

After the meeting, the hostesses informed the board members to stay for a group interview arranged by the official media.

Several low-profile bigwigs, including Hai Er Zhang and Ju Hua Ren, took their leave directly.

Chen Mo wanted to slip away quietly, but the staff "enthusiastically" invited him to stay: "Mr. Chen, you are a key interviewee, you must attend!"

Chen Mo had no choice but to stay.

When he saw Chai Qingquan, the host who was riding high in the interview area and known for his "sharp" style, alarm bells went off in his mind!

At this moment, Chai Qingquan has just been selected as one of the top ten hosts and is at the height of her popularity. Her program "Oriental Affairs" has extremely high ratings, and today's theme is: "The Entrepreneurs Most Admired by the Directors of the China Entrepreneurs Club".

The interviews were conducted in the order of the board members' seating arrangement.

Fantasy Liu was the first to be interviewed.

The Shiba Inu was gentle and had a friendly smile: "Mr. Liu, may I ask who your favorite entrepreneur is?"

Mr. Liu spoke eloquently, praising Mr. Ren of Chrysanthemum for his management, technological layout, and international vision, and then expressed his inferiority.

When it was Ali Ma's turn, the Shiba Inu was equally friendly.

Ali Ma stated that he had visited Kazuo Shimamori, the "Saint of Management" in Japan, multiple times, and frankly said, "I greatly admire Mr. Shimamori" and believe that his management philosophy is worth learning.

Facing the camera, Lei Jun expressed his admiration for Liu Xiang, emphasizing that he had been studying Liu's management philosophy and methodology when he was CEO twenty years ago.

It was finally Chen Mo's turn.

He walked to the interview area and sat down, still wearing his mask.

With a professional smile on his face, but his eyes were probing, Shiba Inu asked casually, "Mr. Chen, why are you always wearing a mask? Is there some special meaning behind it?"

The question seems concerned, but it actually hides a deeper meaning.

Chen Mo was prepared, and his tone was formulaic: "Thank you for your concern, host. I have a bit of a cold and I'm afraid of infecting everyone."

At the same time, he was on high alert.

As expected, Chai Qingquan didn't dwell on the mask. He changed the subject, his gaze sharpening as he stared intently into Chen Mo's eyes. Even through the mask, one could feel the pressure of his gaze.

"Mr. Chen, as the youngest director, who is the entrepreneur you admire most?"

Chen Mo calmly replied, "President Ren of Chrysanthemum!"

"Oh? Could you elaborate?" Shiba Inu leaned forward slightly, his tone suggestive.

"Mr. Ren's tenacity in tackling technical challenges and his vision for collaboration across the industrial chain are things I should learn from."

Chen Mo's answer was brief and watertight.

The smile on the Shiba Inu's face instantly changed, turning into a sharp, condescending gaze, like a blade chilled to ice.

She deliberately raised her voice towards the camera, each word carrying an unquestionable "moral height."

"Mr. Chen's words seem a bit narrow-minded!"

Damn! Another one talking about grand strategy!
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the camera, as if declaring to millions of viewers: "You hold the 'new key' of gaseous lithium batteries, which is enough to change the world. Are you only thinking about corporate interests?"

The Shiba Inu's tone suddenly became more serious, full of questioning.

"Haven't you thought about taking responsibility for the energy revolution for all mankind? Making the technology public and allowing more countries and companies to participate—that's true entrepreneurial vision, isn't it?"

The aggressive look in her eyes was almost tangible, as if Chen Mo daring to say "no" would be a betrayal of all humanity.

Under the table, out of the camera's view, Chen Mo's fingers curled slightly, his nails digging into his palm as he reminded himself to stay calm!
We must not repeat what happened to Academician Ding last year, where she provoked him and he was labeled as "emotionally out of control"!

He tapped his fingertips lightly under the table, and his voice rang out clearly and steadily, meeting the gaze of the Shiba Inu.

"Ms. Chai's vision is very grand, and I personally admire this kind of idealism."

Chen Mo first acknowledged the other party's "high level" of understanding, then changed the subject.

"But I have a very practical question to ask. From a flash of inspiration in the laboratory to a product that has been successfully mass-produced and brought to market, our Orange and Far Orange have invested billions of yuan in research and development, and the hard work of hundreds of engineers working day and night has been condensed."

Who will bear the sunk costs and ongoing investments if the technology is rashly disclosed now?

Chen Mo's gaze was sincere, as if he were seeking an answer.

"Without a mature patent protection system and industry standards, blindly disclosing technology will only lead to its abuse and the market being flooded with inferior imitations. Ultimately, this will not only harm the interests of enterprises, but also the development prospects and security of the technology itself."

"This is probably not a responsible attitude towards all of humanity."

"Of course we hope that advanced technology can benefit a wider range of people," Chen Mo's tone turned serious, "but this requires a healthy and sustainable process!"

"For example, recovering costs through a reasonable business cycle, ensuring continuous R&D investment, promoting technological iteration and upgrading, and reducing costs."

When the technology is mature enough, safe enough, and affordable enough, the achievements of gaseous lithium development will naturally be shared with global partners through patent licensing, technological cooperation, and other means.

He looked at the Shiba Inu, his eyes above the mask calm and open, with even a faint, knowing smile on his lips.

"Ms. Chai, you are demanding that a startup and growing company bear all the risks alone in the name of 'all mankind,' even sacrificing its own foundation for survival and development. Forgive me for speaking frankly, but this is more like a form of moral blackmail."

True technological progress that benefits humanity is never driven by moral blackmail, but rather by countless pragmatic individuals who work step by step, diligently and steadily.

This response is logically sound and progresses step by step: from practical costs to technology protection, from long-term development to a shared path, and finally exposes the essence of "moral blackmail".

Chen Mo spoke calmly and composedly throughout, presenting his arguments logically and respectfully, a stark contrast to Chai Qingquan's slightly agitated and idealistic demeanor.

After the interview, Chen Mo and Shen Yiwei arranged to climb the Badaling Great Wall the next day, and Chen Mo quickly left this troublesome place. Hilltown Hotel, Beijing, Presidential Suite.

Although Chen Mo's response was perfect, Chai Qingquan controlled the editing.

In the program "Oriental Affairs" broadcast that evening:

The segment where Chen Mo explained "wearing a mask when you have a cold" was completely deleted.

In the narration, Shiba Inu subtly comments: "This young business upstart seems somewhat arrogant when faced with the grand issue of technology sharing, emphasizing the boundaries of his own corporate interests."

Okay! He is such a "selfish" person, and some viewers who don't have much discernment have already believed it.

Don't think that such people don't exist. There are even people in later generations who were raised in placenta and support the unilateral sharing of our space technology and lunar soil with North America!
Cheap! So cheap!
Chen Mo's core arguments on cost, responsibility, and sustainable development were significantly cut, leaving only Chai Qingquan's questioning and his final response regarding "moral constraints." The editing made Chen Mo appear somewhat "resistant" and "evasive."

See! No wonder big shots like Hai Er Zhang and Ju Hua Ren don't like being interviewed. Chen Mo has been very careful, but he can't avoid this one.

Nevertheless, Chen Mo still managed to make a big splash in front of the national audience.

Labels such as "mask council member," "billionaire heir," and "tough on talk show host" were attached to him, quickly igniting a frenzy online.

On the sofa in the suite's living room, Zhao Tiezhu held his phone, scrolling through news on portal websites like Sohu and NetEase without a care in the world.
30MB of 3G data for 5 yuan? Who cares! I'll deal with it when I'm done!

"Brother Chen! Look! You're famous!" Zhao Tiezhu excitedly shoved his phone in front of Chen Mo.

The screen was filled with eye-catching headlines:

"Masked Man Makes a Stunning Appearance! Mysterious Post-80s Director with a Net Worth Exceeding 10 Billion, Youngest Face in Enterprise Association Causes Camera Shutter to Crash"

"The Rising Stars of Capital Under the Spotlight: A Post-90s Mask Industry Director Makes His Debut, His Billion-Dollar Fortune Reshapes the Power Landscape of the Business World"

Dark suit + face mask = billionaire heir? A mysterious second-generation entrepreneur appears at the Business Association Club, prompting business leaders to exclaim, "This generation of young people is ruthless!"

From the last seat in the meeting room to the top of the trending searches: What secrets does that masked young man who caught the attention of many 50s-generation leaders hold?

"He's not wearing a mask, he's wearing capital! A post-80s board member makes his first public appearance; his net worth leaves reporters trembling."

Zhao Tiezhu leaned closer with a sly grin, raising a brow above his right eyebrow.

"Brother Chen! Is your net worth 1000 billion or 100 billion? You're really keeping a low profile!"

Chen Mo gave him a playful kick, annoyed: "Don't you have any idea whether I have a hundred billion or not? That's all just talk!"

"As for wealth! Although it's just a figure of speech, it will give our Orange a stronger backbone when we go out to do business, won't it?" Zhao Tiezhu said with a sly smile.

Helpless, Chen Mo counted on his fingers for him.

"Our Orange Group companies are neither extremely profitable nor loss-making. Let's simply calculate the market value as 1 times the revenue!"
Orange Technology: 38 billion

Yuancheng New Energy: 186 billion x 82.62% = 153.6 billion

Orange Treasure Mobile Internet: 500 million/quarter x 4 x 85% ≈ 0.17 billion

Orange Micro Motors: 600 million/month x 12 ≈ 0.72 million

Orange Creation Materials: Ignore

Strategic shareholding in Nietzsche: 30 billion x 33.40% = 10.02 billion

The total is approximately 202.51 billion.

"So, if we're really talking about net worth, I'm already over 10 billion thanks to Far Orange. Some media outlets are being conservative!" He paused. "However, as long as I don't want to sell shares to cash out, the only money I can use is the 6 million I received as a share of the catalyst profits last year."

Then Chen Mo complained a little: "If I had known that I would have to pay a million yuan in 'membership fees' every year to keep the club running, I should have turned it down!"

"No way, Brother Chen!" Zhao Tiezhu immediately objected: "Although I don't know the specifics of what we'll be doing, the fact that you can sit on equal footing with these big shots means that any fools who want to mess with us will have to think twice. It will save us so much trouble!"

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I was just saying!"

Zhao Tiezhu continued scrolling through the news, his face suddenly darkening: "Damn it! Brother Chen, look! It's those troublemakers again!"

The screen displays:

Fang Chuanzi, a conscientious anti-fraud activist, posted on Weibo: "@OrangeTech, even North American hydrogen-based gaseous lithium can't solve safety issues! What makes you, Yuancheng, think you can? You're just bragging! If you're so capable, disclose the details of your safety technology and let everyone judge! Science needs transparency!"

The words are filled with a clumsy attempt at provocation.

Gou Rixin, a senior researcher at the Public Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with a financial media outlet.

"Yuancheng's monopoly on the core technology of gaseous lithium is a narrow-minded form of technological protectionism that is very detrimental to the international community's view of my country's open and cooperative science and technology industry!"

We urge Far Orange to relinquish its technological controls and integrate into the global industrial chain, which is the right path to industrialization!
This is a matter of the entrepreneur's vision!

Zhao Tiezhu was so angry that he jumped up and down, cursing loudly: "Shameless! Despicable! You can't stand to see others doing well!"

He impulsively pulled out his phone, logged into Orange Technology's official Weibo account, and started cursing at Fang Chuanzi and Gou Rixin.

The moment I sent the message, the page displayed: Your account has been banned for 48 hours for violating community rules.

"Holy crap! Is Weibo's official account out of its mind?!" Zhao Tiezhu was so angry he almost smashed his phone.

Chen Mo remained calm and told him to sit down.

"Don't fall for their trick! They just want to force us to prove our innocence, extract our technology, and thus trap us in their propaganda. The more we engage with them, the more they'll try to influence us."

Zhao Tiezhu angrily suggested, "Brother Chen! Why don't we let Wang Teng set up an 'Orange Treasure Weibo' too? It's too stifling to be on someone else's turf! If we don't seize the right to speak, these bastards will take it away!"

Chen Mo shook his head and smiled meaningfully.

"You think social media is so easy to do? QChat launched Weibo this year, did it make any waves?"
"Don't rush! At Lei Jun's hometown gathering this time, I caught a big fish. Once it starts swimming in the social networking arena of mobile internet, our voice will naturally become stronger!"

"Big Fish? What app?" Zhao Tiezhu asked curiously.

"A lightweight mobile text application called 'Internal Jokes' hasn't been launched yet!"

Chen Mo explained, "The founder wanted 500 million, but I gave him 800 million, securing the right to match the offer first, which will facilitate strategic control in the future!"

"Ah!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes widened, and he reached out to touch Chen Mo's forehead: "Brother Chen! Are you running a fever? Did you get scammed? Investing 800 million in some app that doesn't even exist?"

"Go away!" Chen Mo laughed and slapped his hand away, full of confidence: "Who's being fooled! Just wait and see, the return on investment will be at least 200 times!"

Zhao Tiezhu gave him a look that said, "You've definitely been scammed." He said, "Brother Chen! I've heard that people's IQ tends to drop after they get rich. Why don't you deposit your money with me for safekeeping?"

"Ha! You little brat, you're asking for it!" Chen Mo laughed and pretended to kick him.

As the two were playfully bickering, their secretary, Zhou Yumeng, led Lin Junfeng, who was dressed in a suit and exuded an air of sophistication, into the room.

"Ahem! Mr. Chen, Mr. Zhao," Lin Junfeng greeted politely.

Chen Mo coughed, cleared his throat, and casually gestured for Lin Junfeng to sit down, then asked Zhou Yumeng to pour tea.

"Manager Lin, has the investment been finalized?"

Lin Junfeng took out an agreement from his briefcase: "It's settled with President Chen. The eight million investment has been transferred to the designated account. The agreement has been signed. Here's a copy!"

He handed over the documents.

Zhao Tiezhu snatched it away, saying, "I want to see what kind of amazing company it is. It's worth eight million even though it has nothing!"

He opened the agreement: "'ByteDance Transfer'. This name... tsk tsk, not as imposing as Baidu, not as catchy as Tencent, and it doesn't even have an animal logo. How are they going to make a living in the internet industry?!"

If you don't like something, you can always find fault with it.

Chen Mo laughed and kicked Zhao Tiezhu, then took the documents back and returned them to Lin Junfeng.

"Manager Lin, there's one more thing. How's the evidence against Fang Chuanzi, the 'conscience tech anti-counterfeiter' who slandered our Orange 1 last year for using a defective screen that prevented it from turning on?"

Lin Junfeng pushed up his glasses, his eyes sharp: "The chain of evidence is very complete, and has been secured by my senior colleague at a law firm in Beijing. It can be activated at any time."

According to our assessment, his rumors caused our "Orange Wind Rises" marketing campaign to lose at least 3 million in potential revenue last year.

There's no problem claiming compensation according to the law; the process can be completed and a judgment obtained in as little as half a month.

Chen Mo waved his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips: "No, no rush! Let those new intern lawyers in the company's legal department get some experience."

"We'll file the lawsuit in the Takihawa District Court. We don't need to rush to a quick victory. We'll slowly wear him down, keep him on the line for six months, and wait until he's exhausted, overwhelmed, and the public opinion has been brewing for a while before delivering the final blow."

Lin Junfeng instantly understood, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"President Chen is brilliant! He's made an example of someone to scare others! Let everyone who wants to take advantage of our Orange brand know that spreading rumors comes at a heavy price, and the longer it drags on, the stronger the warning effect will be!"

Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction.

Zhou Yumeng, who was pouring tea nearby, was secretly shocked. She didn't know that the gentle President Chen also had such a sharp and ruthless side.

With a loss of 3 million, even a basic contract would cost more than 1000 million. Fang Chuanzi is "lucky"; for the next six months, he will be served by three interns from Orange Technology's legal team in turn.

Zhao Tiezhu clapped excitedly: "It should have been like this a long time ago! It's a pity that we couldn't deal with that so-called expert Gou and that sarcastic Shiba Inu together!"

Chen Mo smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"We can't deal with them right now, but we can retaliate!"

Once the 48-hour ban period is over.

Orange Technology's official Weibo account has been updated:
@Top Ten Hosts - Chai Qingquan @Fang Chuanzi, a Conscience-Driven Tech Fraud Buster @Gou Rixin, Senior Researcher at the Public Center of the Social Shell Institute.
Did you know? I bought a watch last year!
[Image caption: On Zhao Tiezhu's dark arm, a brightly colored, extremely childish cartoon plastic watch is prominently displayed, with a Hello Kitty pattern on the watch face!]
The caption is concise, while the image is striking and has a charmingly unexpected contrast!
The clever use of the pun in "I bought a watch last year" instantly went viral online!
The original material from "Neihan Duanzi" was taught to Zhao Tiezhu by Chen Moxian.

Netizens were initially taken aback, but then they realized what was happening and burst into laughter, frantically forwarding, commenting, and making jokes.

"Hahaha! Orange Technology is so clever!"

"Sold a watch! That response is brilliant! So insightful!"

"Fang Zhouzi, Expert Gou, and Host Chai: We feel offended!"

"Calculate the area of ​​Fang Chuanzi's psychological trauma!"

"This watch gives Mr. Zhao a peculiar feeling when he wears it!"

"So sophisticated! He swears without using any profanity!"

Zhao Tiezhu looked at the sudden surge in comments and reposts, and saw his arm and Kitty Watch emojis everywhere on Weibo. Instead of being annoyed, he was overjoyed and slapped his thigh in delight.

"Brother Chen! That's brilliant! I love it! We'll do it like that from now on!"

The scheme by San Gou to morally blackmail Cheng Zi through public opinion has thus failed.

A public opinion storm has temporarily come to a darkly humorous end thanks to Orange Technology's witty and humorous counterattack and the impending legal proceedings.

Public opinion is always mostly driven by amusement, and netizens' attention is easily diverted.

Chen Mo and Shen Yiwei climbed to the Hero Stone on the sixth floor of the North Tower to take photos, and then walked to the Sunrise Viewing Platform on the eighth floor of the North Tower to overlook the panoramic view. This marked the end of their hike along the Badaling Great Wall.

The undercurrents against Orange Technology are still surging, but the responsibility for these hidden dangers now falls on other guardians of the Dark Wall.

(End of this chapter)