Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 239 Award Ceremony
After visiting ByteDance's headquarters, Chen Mo took Zhou Yumeng and Xiao Zheng back to their villa in Yosemite to rest.

The next day arrived, the day I had arranged to meet with Lei Jun.

The car sent by Lei Jun was waiting at the villa entrance early in the morning, and the driver was very polite.

Chen Mo, as always, only brought Zhou Yumeng and Xiao Zheng with him, and happily went.

The vehicle eventually drove into a quiet area in Zhongguan Village and stopped in front of a courtyard house with an extremely low-key appearance and only an inconspicuous bronze plaque.

Unlike the Western style of the last wine tasting, this place exudes a profound Chinese cultural heritage.

Xiao Zheng and Zhou Yumeng were politely led by the driver to the rest room in the side courtyard.

A middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant suit, exuding a capable and composed demeanor, was waiting at the door. She introduced herself with a smile.

"Mr. Chen, hello! I'm Mr. Lei's assistant! Mr. Lei is waiting inside, please follow me!"

Chen Mo nodded slightly and followed the assistant through the screen wall.

The courtyard is a hidden paradise, with winding corridors, swaying bamboo shadows, the sound of flowing water intertwining with the faint sound of a guqin, and a faint sandalwood fragrance in the air.

The interior decoration is a typical new Chinese style, which perfectly blends traditional elements with modern comfort. The materials used are exquisite, and the details show understated luxury.

They passed several elegant rooms with their doors closed, and finally stopped in front of a heavy, carved solid wood door.

The assistant knocked three times gently, then slowly pushed the door open and announced, "Mr. Lei, Mr. Chen from Orange Technology has arrived!"

The scene inside the private room came into view.

The first sound that reached my ears was a relaxed chuckle, lacking the rigidity and formality of a business setting, more like a casual chat between old friends who had been separated for a long time.

Instead of a formal round table, a large root-carved tea table was set up along a huge floor-to-ceiling window in the private room.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window lattice, cutting into soft patches of light that, along with the warm yellow lamplight on the table, spilled onto the steaming purple clay teapot and several exquisite teacups.

Lei Jun was sitting sideways in a comfortable wicker chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the warm rim of the cup.

Upon hearing the announcement, he immediately looked up, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"Oh! Mr. Chen is here! Please come in, please come in!" He put down his teacup, stood up to greet him, and casually placed the teacup on a corner of the tea table: "You've come at the perfect time. I just brewed some pre-Qingming Longjing tea, the water temperature is just right."

A few people were casually sitting around the tea table, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Lei Jun smiled and put his arm around Chen Mo's shoulder, introducing him to everyone one by one.

"These are all my old friends!"

This is Qiu Bojun, the founder of Xinshan;
This is co-founder Wang Guoquan, CEO Wang;
This is the current CEO, Zhang Jianghong, Mr. Zhang!

The three giants of the Xinshan Group smiled and greeted each other, exuding a calm and composed aura.

"These two are my partners in the seniority system, Xu Dalai, President Xu, and President Chen, they are old acquaintances of yours!"

And this one, Zhou Shouzi, who just joined the ranks, is General Manager Chen! I have high hopes for him. Let him train under Lao Xu first, and then transfer him to Xiaomai when the opportunity arises!

Xu Dalai nodded gently, while Zhou Shouzi stood up and shook hands with Chen Mo, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny towards this "Orange Chen".

Last year, he and his good brother Zhang Yiming parted ways, one joining Orange and the other joining Mai. In fact, both of them are doing very well now and are highly regarded by Lei Jun and Chen Mo!
Finally, Lei Jun pointed to two other people who surprised Chen Mo.

"This is Ding Sanshi, the 'Internet Depression' guy. You should have heard of him!"

"And this one," he paused, "the person in charge of Tencent's WeChat platform, Zhang Xiaolong!"

When Chen Mo heard that the middle-aged man in front of him, with a thin face, focused eyes, and a somewhat aloof air typical of tech professionals, was Zhang Xiaolong, he was momentarily stunned.

It's worth noting that MaiTalk and Weixin are currently locked in a fierce battle in the mobile instant messaging field, making them absolute mortal enemies.

Chen Mo never dreamed that he would meet Lei Jun's key figure in such a private setting within Lei Jun's circle of friends.

Lei Jun noticed Chen Mo's surprise and smiled. Knowing that Chen Mo and Tencent's Little Ma were alumni, he offered an explanation:
"President Chen, please don't misunderstand!"

Xiaolong and I have known each other for a long time. I admired him a lot when he was developing Fox Email, and I even tried to acquire it!
What a pity! Mr. Ma beat me to it. I still regret it now!

His tone was filled with regret, yet also with candor.

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, surprised that there was such a connection between them.

Lei Jun's seniority in the Chinese internet industry is so long that he is practically a living history book. His network of connections is unfathomable, and he seems to possess a unique charm that attracts many top talents.

Take Wang Guoquan, co-founder of Xinshan, as an example. In 1994, he was earning an annual salary of up to $12 (about 104 million yuan) at Microsoft in North America.

Lei Jun was impressed by the encryption software they developed and their understanding of the North American market. He personally flew to North America and managed to persuade them to give up their high-paying job and return to China with their own money to join Xinshan, which was still relatively unknown at the time.

Lei Jun's succubus-like allure is truly extraordinary.

Lei Jun pulled Chen Mo to sit in the empty seat next to Zhang Xiaolong, and the group chatted about some interesting things from the early days of the internet.

Chen Mo noticed that for today's gathering, Lei Bu specifically invited Ding Sanshi, who has a close personal relationship with Tencent's Little Ma.
And as someone who is also an alumnus of Pony Ma, it was clearly to make Zhang Xiaolong's attendance seem more "pure" and avoid unnecessary commercial speculation.

Ding Sanshi and Xiao Ma were old acquaintances from the Huiduo.com BBS, and they had made several special trips to Shenzhen to meet offline "drinking beer and chatting about the internet".

In the early days of his business, Pony Ma even considered selling QChat to Ding Lei for 60 yuan. Later, the two sat at the same table at the Wuzhen Summit, which shows their friendship of more than 20 years.

The relationship between the two is somewhat similar to that between Lei Jun and Chen Mo—both rivals and friends!
Business rivals, but good personal friends!

Lei Jun solemnly introduced Chen Mo to several old friends, his words conveying a strong sense of mutual support and assistance.

During the meeting, Lei Jun also emphasized Zhou Shouzi's abilities to Chen Mo again, and jokingly said, "I heard from Shouzi that his good brother Zhang Yiming is rising rapidly in his career with your support, President Chen!"

Chen Mo waved his hand modestly: "Mr. Lei, you flatter me!"

Yiming was a hidden dragon in the abyss; I merely happened to be there and slightly accelerated his growth.

Even without me, he can still soar to great heights with a little time!

Lei Jun laughed and invited Chen Mo to have some tea.

As Zhou Shouzi listened, his admiration for "Orange Chen," who was so young yet so accomplished and so humble, grew even stronger.

Afterwards, Chen Mo chatted for a while with Qiu Bojun and Wang Guoquan, two veterans in the internet industry, listening to them talk about the early days of the industry.

The first half of the party was spent immersed in a relaxed and nostalgic atmosphere.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and the gathering drew to a close.

Lei Jun stood up and personally escorted the three giants of Xinshan Group, Ding Sanshi of NetEase, and Zhang Xiaolong of Weixin to the door, bidding them a warm farewell.

Before leaving, Ding Sanshi and Zhang Xiaolong made a point of nodding to Chen Mo in farewell.

After seeing the guests off, Lei Jun returned to the private room, where only Xu Dalai, Zhou Shouzi, and Chen Mo from the Shunwei Group remained.

"Mr. Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Lei Jun said apologetically, "Now, let's talk about some business!"

Chen Mo glanced at Zhou Shouzi, who was still present, and understood that Lei Jun regarded him as an absolute core confidant.

His ability to build trust and unite people is truly well-deserved.

"Please speak, Mr. Lei!" Chen Mo gestured with his hand.

Lei Jun's smile faded, and his expression turned serious: "President Chen, you should be very clear about the battle between MaiTalk and Weixin in the mobile instant messaging field, right?"

Chen Mo nodded.

Lei Jun then revealed with a wry smile: "Our Mailiao was launched 40 days earlier than Weixin, giving us a head start."

However, starting in September of last year, the other party began to divert users from QChat, and we were overtaken that month.

Currently, MaiChat's user base is barely around 2000 million, while Weixin has surpassed 1.2 million and is still growing at a rate of nearly 2000 million per month.
Our MaiTalk service is at its last gasp; it's about to collapse!

Chen Mo's heart stirred, and he thought of some possibilities, but he did not rush to speak, waiting for Lei Jun to continue.

Lei Jun patiently explained, "I heard that Mr. Chen, you planned a matrix of seven major mobile applications for Chengbao a long time ago."

Chengbao now controls several major traffic entrances, including input methods, app stores, browsers, and payment, making it one of the largest mobile traffic platforms in China.

We can definitely cooperate!

OrangePay provides strategic traffic support to Mailiao, and Mailiao can integrate OrangePay, thereby conversely strengthening OrangePay's position in the mobile ecosystem.

This is a win-win situation!

Chen Mo pondered for a moment. This plan seemed promising, but it was contingent on MaiChat having the potential to rival Weixin.

Currently, MaiChat is gaining 200 million new users per month, while Weixin is gaining 2000 million, making the disparity in strength obvious.

Lei Jun has practically gotten something for nothing.

He did not refuse outright, but expressed it tactfully.

"Mr. Lei, your suggestion is very constructive."

However, the Orange Group has now split up and implemented a general manager responsibility system. I need to respect the professional judgment and operational autonomy of Orange Treasure's general manager, He Jian.

When Lei Jun realized that his "get something for nothing" strategy was not working, he finally revealed his trump card.

"Mr. Chen, what do you think of this?"

I completely separated the MaiTalk business from Xiaomai Company and operated it independently.

Relying on the nearly ten million units sold annually by Wheat phones and your Orange phones, plus the system-level integration of MAIUI and Orange OS...
At least in the mobile instant messaging field, we can maintain a stable base and preserve our industry position!

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then looked sharply at Lei Jun: "Mr. Lei, I have a potentially better way to cooperate. Would you be willing to hear it?"

"Please speak, Mr. Chen!" Lei Jun gestured with his hand.

Chen Mo slowly explained: "QChat's model of making money while lying down in the PC Internet era was the envy of everyone."

However, WeChat's ability to drive traffic from QChat is simply too powerful.

Mr. Lei, please ask yourself honestly, even if we combine the strengths of both Xiaomai and Chengzi, what are our chances of shaking Tencent's deeply entrenched dominance in the instant messaging field?

Lei Jun frowned, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed sadly: "Does President Chen mean we should give up too?"

"Who said we're giving up?" Chen Mo's lips curled into a meaningful smile: "Two companies aren't enough, we can bring in a few more!"
On the Zhicheng unified procurement platform, besides Apple having its own ecosystem, Tesla doesn't have mobile phones, but we also have Vivo, OPPO, and even Huawei!

We could easily bring all these terminal manufacturers in and share the mobile instant messaging market.

I refuse to believe that, with the combined strength of the four major smartphone manufacturers and annual sales of nearly 3000 million units, MaiTalk couldn't even maintain its position as the second-largest player in the industry!

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun's eyes lit up!
This approach breaks away from the framework of going it alone and attempts to counter Tencent's software ecosystem advantage through an alliance of terminal manufacturers.

This situation is indeed difficult for Lei Jun to achieve on his own, but with Chen Mo, who has good relations with all parties, taking the lead, perhaps MaiTalk can really turn the tide!

"Okay! This is a good idea!"

Lei Jun immediately made the decision and instructed Zhou Shouzi, who was standing next to him: "Shouzi, you get started right away and quickly separate MaiTalk from the Xiaomai system, and prepare to introduce strategic investors!"

This time we're going to turn the tide!

After finishing their business, Lei Jun was in a great mood and said to Chen Mo, "Mr. Chen, I'm very grateful to you for reminding me this time. As a token of my gratitude, I have a small gift for you, or rather, a message for you!" "Oh? What is it?" Chen Mo asked.

"Kailide, a leading domestic map provider, is about to officially launch its Series B financing round."

I remember that Orange Treasure's strategy includes a D category (map and location services) layout. Why don't we invest in it together with the top performers?
Old Xu will take care of it for you!

Leibusi looked at Xu Dalai.

Xu Dalai also nodded gently to Chen Mo.

Should I invest in Kailide?

Chen Mo blinked; this was one of the few investments Lei Jun had misjudged in his memory.

He politely waved his hand and then asked, "Mr. Lei, Mr. Xu, do you know anything about another map company called 'Gaode'?"

Zhou Shouzi looked at Xu Dalai, and after receiving his tacit approval, he took the initiative to speak.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Xu recently asked me to conduct in-depth research on the domestic map market. How about I report to you on the current situation of Gaode?"

After Chen Mo nodded, he continued, "Simply put, Gadek is currently focusing on a free strategy, but its technology relies on the still immature '16-star' Beidou system, and its positioning accuracy is not as good as the mature North American GPS for the time being."

Moreover, they have not yet found a clear profit model, and their development path runs counter to the charging model of Google Maps North America.

Based on current experience in internet development, replicating the successful North American model is a more prudent choice.

Chen Mo smiled, thinking that this was a classic case of how empiricism can kill people, and it seemed that Lei Jun was definitely going to suffer this loss.

He explained, “Mr. Lei, Mr. Xu, in the past, during the PC Internet era, we were indeed followers of North America, and Sun Zhengyi’s ‘time machine theory’ has proven effective time and again.”

But with the advent of the mobile internet era, we are now on the same starting line as North America.

The other party's model may no longer be suitable for our environment.

Free services plus ongoing value-added services might be a more suitable approach for the domestic market!

Lei Jun clearly trusted Xu Dalai and Zhou Shouzi's professional judgment more, and seeing that Chen Mo's attitude was clear, he did not try to persuade him further.

Xu Dalai then said, "Since President Chen thinks highly of Gaode, that's perfect."

A while ago, Gaode did contact us to inquire about their Series A funding intentions.

I'll recommend your oranges to them tomorrow and make the connection!

Chen Mo smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "That's great! I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Xu."

I'll have Lin Junfeng from the company's legal department contact you directly. I'll have Yumeng send you his contact information; he'll be in charge of the negotiations!

Lei Jun asked with some surprise, "Mr. Chen, you've put the legal department in charge of investment business?"

Chen Mo chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"My makeshift team is no match for your well-equipped and powerful crew, General Manager Lei. Lin Junfeng is capable in many ways, so the more capable one is, the more he should be given more work!"

Lei Junsi thought of Lin Junfeng, the shrewd and capable legal elite of Orange. He admired Lin Junfeng as much as Zhou Shouzi, and even tried to contact him privately, but unfortunately he failed to recruit him.

At this moment, Lei Jun naturally couldn't reveal his true feelings, so he just laughed it off and changed the subject.

Chen Mo was fully aware of the situation. He knew that Lei Jun had poached Lin Junfeng, that he had privately contacted He Jian and Wang Teng of Chengbao, and that Lei Jun had even met with Xu Mingyuan of Yuancheng as a shareholder.
Wang Teng, in particular, has been relentlessly criticizing Lei Jun on Weibo ever since his idol Lei Jun's image collapsed.

Chen Mo was quite troubled by Zhou Hongyi's recent support for Lei Jun, who had challenged Lei Jun to a fight.

Soon, the third day arrived.

Chen Mo and the other fourteen candidates came to the CCTV studio for their final rehearsal and run-through before the awards ceremony.

The production team repeatedly emphasized that this was a live broadcast on XXTV-2, and although there was a three-minute delay, they were determined to ensure that everything went perfectly.

Chen Mo became very familiar with every step of the process, from going on stage to receiving the award, giving a speech, and leaving the stage.

The awards ceremony was held the following day.

Chen Mo changed into a tailored suit from the "VC" brand, specially customized for him by Chen Lan. The suit was well-tailored and made of crisp fabric, which was both dignified for formal occasions and exuded the sharpness and vitality of a tech upstart.

He knew he looked remarkably young among middle-aged and even elderly entrepreneurs, and that trying to appear mature would only seem pretentious; it would be better to simply show the sharpness that was appropriate for his age.

Since the higher-ups intend to establish a young technological benchmark, it will be futile for him to try to hide his shortcomings.

The CCTV studio was brightly lit and packed to capacity.

The nominated entrepreneurs attended in designated areas.

Thus, a "famous scene" that netizens later talked about with great interest was born:
Behind the long table covered with green velvet, Sister Dong turned to the side, her gaze unabashedly sweeping over Lei Jun, who was not far away, her expression complex.

Lei Jun could only awkwardly avert his gaze, turn to Chen Mo beside him, and smile helplessly.

Chen Mo couldn't help but find it a little funny, but seeing Sister Dong's increasingly gloomy expression, he immediately suppressed his smile and sat up straight.

I don't know which nosy reporter captured this moment in a classic photo.

The older sister looked at Lei Jun with a complicated expression; Lei Jun looked at Chen Mo awkwardly; and Chen Mo was secretly laughing.
The awards ceremony officially began.

First, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Guo Henian, a highly respected Malaysian Chinese business leader and the "Sugar King of Asia".

He was commended for his outstanding contributions to opening up new avenues for the domestic sugar industry and to preserving the vitality of the domestic soybean oil industry amidst the impact of North American soybeans.

Following this was the presentation of the five main awards:
1. Wang Wanda (Chairman of Wanda Group, recipient of the Pioneer Award)

Award citation: "With a world-shaking acquisition, he brought North American AMC Theatres under his control, making it the world's largest cinema operator."

This is not only a victory for capital, but also a brand-new exploration of cultural export and business model, opening a new chapter in the internationalization of Chinese flower companies.

Wang Wanda spoke with great enthusiasm: "Wanda's goal is to become a world-class multinational corporation!"

We will combine the commercial real estate model of flower cultivation with cultural experiences and export it globally!

2. Yang Qingyuan (CEO of Fantasy Group, Leader Award)

Award citation: "Under his leadership, Fantasy not only secured a place among the top three in global PC sales, but also made a strong entry into the mobile field through the acquisition of Motorola, ranking among the top seven global mobile phone manufacturers."

He is painting a picture of a future where 'smart terminals + cloud services' converge.

Yang Qingyuan's speech was calm and confident: "The mobile phone of the future will not only be a communication tool, but it will be your portable treasure chest."

Imagine being able to project documents, photos, and videos anytime and instantly share them with family and colleagues, breaking down spatial boundaries.

3. Representative of the Beidou Satellite Navigation System Team (Innovation Award)
Award citation: "From nothing to something, from something to excellence!"

With six years, sixteen launches, and a 100% success rate, they have etched the name of China onto the map of global satellite navigation.

China has become the second country in the world, after North America, to provide positioning services with an accuracy of within ten meters!
Every setback is a stepping stone for them to mature;
Every success embodies the dedication and hard work of independent innovation!

The team representative's speech was powerful and resounding: "Beidou is the Beidou of flower cultivation, and it is also the Beidou of the world!"

We will continue our efforts to provide better and more reliable services to users worldwide!

4. Lei Jun (CEO of Xiaomai Technology, recipient of the Rising Star Award)

Award citation: "He became famous at a young age and entered the Forbes China Rich List early on."

But when he was over forty, he chose to start afresh and embark on a seemingly 'whimsical' entrepreneurial venture—selling mobile phones only online.

He firmly believes that customizing products based on the feedback of millions of users and listening to their voices is the greatest innovation of Wheat!

Lei Jun, with his signature smile and accent, said, "Thank you to all our fans! Wheat's success is a miracle created by the internet model and user participation! We will continue to befriend our users!"

Chen Mo (General Manager of Orange Technology, recipient of the Science and Technology Award)
Award citation: "When mobile phone hardware technology was still firmly in the hands of foreign companies, and when many peers were keen to chase quick money in the market."

However, he led Orange Company on a stubborn and unconventional long march of hardware research and development.

From Far Orange's gaseous lithium batteries to Orange Technology's micromotors, gyroscopes, optical glass, and liquid cooling systems.
He not only wants to overcome technical hurdles, but also to lead the establishment of hardware industry standards for smartphones.

Some ridiculed that "setting standards is asking for trouble," while others asserted that "domestic technology will have a hard time gaining international recognition."

But he used a piece of 'Phoenix Glass' to open the door to the heavily guarded optical glass industry in Germany, making 'Smart Orange Public Standard' a 'must-have' option that international giants such as Apple and Tesla had to consider.

In his view, technology is never about blindly following trends and chasing hot topics, but about focusing on blazing a new trail for the domestic industrial chain through "technological breakthroughs + standards speaking for themselves".

Let "Chinese-made products" be more than just selling products; let's establish and lead new rules on the global technology stage!

Sitting in the audience, Chen Mo listened to the highly concise and lavish award speech, and couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"Is this 'final act' really referring to me?"

But after experiencing several big events, he quickly suppressed his excitement.

When it was Chen Mo's turn to go on stage, he walked steadily and politely accepted the heavy crystal trophy and certificate of honor from the award presenter.

Facing the camera and the audience, he succinctly stated: "Thank you for the judges' recognition!"
I believe that Chinese companies will have an increasingly stronger say in setting rules for the global technology industry in the future.

We at Orange will continue to strive, using technology and standards to earn the world's respect.

After the six awards were presented, the remaining ten nominees also went on stage to receive their nomination certificates, but no speeches were arranged.

During the final group photo session, the six award winners, holding crystal trophies, naturally stood in the center of the first row, posing for a group photo with the ministerial leaders who came to present the awards.

Chen Mo noticed that Sister Dong, who was standing directly behind Lei Jun, seemed to have an even more somber expression than before.

It seems that the feud between her and Lei Jun has deepened even further.

After the awards ceremony, there was a group interview with the media.

Chen Mo had no specific publicity mission this time, so he declined all interviews and quickly left through a special passage, avoiding the reporters who were surrounding him.

He also declined the invitation from Tsinghua University to hold a technical report meeting and decided to return to Shenzhen immediately.

Chen Mo knew very well that with this national-level award, staying in Beijing would inevitably lead to countless social engagements and attempts to curry favor.

He needs to go back and lay low for a while. At the same time, he also needs to push forward the plan he previously agreed with Lei Jun to jointly invest in Mailiao with major smartphone manufacturers.

In her previous life, relying solely on the efforts of Xiaomai's family, MaiLiao struggled for two years before quietly withdrawing from the scene.

In this lifetime, if a "terminal alliance" can be formed to work together, even if it still cannot shake Tencent's position, it is still very promising to maintain its second place in the industry and form a stable mobile ecosystem entry point.

This is the first time Chen Mo has completely abandoned his memories of his past life and made crucial adjustments to Orange Treasure's strategic layout based solely on the resources and market judgment he currently possesses.

"Oh, right!" After getting into the car, Chen Mo immediately instructed Zhou Yumeng in the passenger seat: "Contact Lin Junfeng immediately and have him follow up on Gaode Map's Series A financing with all his might."

Give him this advice: At all costs, make sure you reach the safe threshold of 33.4% controlling stake before the other party goes public!

Remember, we do not interfere with operations; this is merely a strategic step to fill the strategic gap in Orange Treasure's seven major mobile entry points—specifically, the crucial piece of the puzzle: 'maps and location services'!

Orange Treasure is not Orange's main business, but the internet will definitely be Orange's biggest cash cow in the future!

Especially after Orange Technology took on debt leverage, Chen Mo had no choice but to plan ahead and prepare to launch Orange Treasure to raise funds!
As for Far Orange, he was also obligated to accept the money he had received, so he opened up the Series A financing ahead of schedule to let the national team in, which not only showed his attitude but also allowed them to get a share of the profits.

The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit!
(End of this chapter)