Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 79 The Opponent's Preview

"Sister Gong! We just received two new models, one black and one white." Chen Mo held up the white model, which was covered in transparent tape. The colorful printed packaging box gleamed mattely under the light. "Pick one, consider it an employee benefit."

Gong Yun glanced down at the white version with its torn protective film in his hand, then looked at the black version with its intact protective film on the table, and chuckled as she reached out.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with Mr. Chen's kindness; white does indeed suit me better."

As Chen Mo watched her put the new phone into the canvas bag, he suddenly remembered Zhao Tiezhu's mutterings from earlier that morning.

"Brother Chen! This woman is wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer, acting all sneaky." He shook his head. What she wears is her own business.

"Sister Gong! Pull down the roller shutter before the bank closes!"

Gong Yun understood, got up and pulled up the roller shutter, leaving only a sliver of the setting sun through the window, and then she turned on the incandescent light.

Chen Mo turned to open the safe, while Zhao Tiezhu silently stood behind him with his back turned, not giving the crazy woman any chance to see the password.

When the safe was opened, the cash inside was piled up like a toppled brick pile, with bundles of hundred-yuan bills rolling onto the ground, still exuding the smell of new banknote ink.

"Tiezhu! Come help pack the bags!"

In no time, the two backpacks, one large and one small, were full.

"Let's go! I'll help you!"

Taking advantage of Chen Ge's strength, Zhao Tiezhu directly slung the larger Cardinon backpack over his shoulder, stretching the zipper until it was deformed.

"Hey! Brother Chen! This package is still Xiao Zheng's. The packaging supplier from Dongguang just delivered it to me yesterday with the shipment."

"Xiao Zheng's?" Chen Mo picked up his smaller backpack, the weight making his shoulder feel heavy. "You've taken his bag?"

"No way! I did lose it, but I replaced it with local specialties as an apology!" Zhao Tiezhu retorted, sticking out his neck. "Besides, if I run into him again, I'll buy Xiao Zheng ten or eight Hermes bags. He'll be so happy!"

As the two walked out of the stall, the sunlight was slanting across Huabei Qiang's alleyway.

Gong Yun leaned against the roller shutter door and saw the sharp corner of Chen Mo's backpack. It contained the three million yuan in cash that she had personally counted last night, stacked in two whole safes.

"Brother Chen! That woman..." Zhao Tiezhu suddenly lowered his voice, glancing at Xiao Mi at the alley entrance: "Really not going to change her? I heard she used to..."

"What happened before?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed at his stammering appearance: "Are you trying to get revenge for stepping on my foot? Who told you to take advantage of Sister Gong's seniority? Don't you know your place?"

Zhao Tiezhu shook his head with a bitter face. This was not a "grudge for stepping on someone's foot," but a grudge for squeezing someone's balls!

"She... I get scared whenever I see her!"

"Oh! I see." Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I was wondering why you've suddenly become so well-behaved these past couple of days!"

"Isn't this perfect?" Chen Mo nodded. "I can't control you, you little rascal. It's good to let Sister Gong teach you a lesson so you don't go astray!"

Zhao Tiezhu wore a bitter expression. He had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead; how did he end up getting himself involved?

If Brother Chen gives the order, wouldn't that crazy woman be able to openly target him?

Oh! No! Please!

The bank lobby was still open for business, and a blast of cold air hit them. Chen Mo and Zhao Tiezhu placed their backpacks on the counter, and the moment the zippers were unzipped, the teller's pupils contracted sharply.

Three bundles of hundred-yuan bills stood upright, their bright red color almost suffocating.

Who in the family understands?

Almost time to get off work, but a big job is coming!
"Sir! Are you depositing cash?" The teller's polite voice had a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Yes! Please check them." Chen Mo pulled out an ordinary-looking business card from his wallet.

The light blue background features the "Orange Technology" logo, with "Chen Mo/General Manager" printed in the center and his contact number below.

"Also! We'd like to apply for a business account. Do you offer door-to-door payment collection service? Our transaction volume has been quite high lately, and it's inconvenient to go to the bank every day."

His words were interrupted by Zhao Tiezhu's exclamation.

"Holy crap, that's awesome!"

The young man was staring at the television screen above the hall, which was showing the midday news from Shenzhen.

"Xinshan's former CEO Lei Jun announced today that Shunwei Capital will invest in some of the mobile phone supply chain companies in the Pearl River Delta to help the rise of domestic smartphones."

Chen Mo watched as Lei Jun and CEO Zhang of Meizu looked like best buddies on the screen.

Lei Jun spoke fluently to reporters, occasionally exchanging knowing smiles with President Zhang... Chen Mo couldn't help but twitch his lips. They'd already raided his base...

Okay! Although Lei Jun's trip to the Pearl River Delta to investigate and prepare to invest in the mobile phone supply chain took a detour to me, he turned back!
"Ding dong!"

He took out his phone to check his messages, and when the screen lit up, a multimedia message photo sent by Gong Yun caught his eye.

Little Mimi was lazily lying on the packaging box of White Orange 1, with half a color-printed flyer under her pink and white paws.

The phone on the flyer has sleek lines, and its metallic body exudes a sense of refinement under the light and shadow, clearly indicating that it is a new phone that is about to be released.

The gilded lettering on the flyer is clearly visible in the photo: On July 15th, Duowei invites you to witness the charm of "feminine aesthetics".

The accompanying image shows a silhouette of the mysterious phone's back, with a line of small print below stating: "3.2-inch ultra-narrow bezel, non-removable glass back cover, ultra-thin."

The MMS message followed immediately: Mr. Chen! Today, a large number of sales staff at the market are distributing this color-printed flyer, which also comes with a "pre-deposit 100 to get 200 off" voucher for purchasing a mobile phone.

The other party said they would be holding a press conference at the Shenzhen Grand Theatre, and that they would be inviting a mystery Hong Kong star to make an appearance, which would cause quite a stir.

The silhouette of the mysterious phone on the back of the flyer contrasts subtly with the white version on the Orange 1 packaging box under Xiaomi's paws, making it somewhat pale in comparison.

Even with a piano lacquer finish, the engineering plastic base can't compete with the combination of a metal frame, glass back cover, and ultra-thin design!

On its own, Orange 1 is quite beautiful, but when the two are displayed together, one is like a meticulously crafted rose, while the other is like an orange full of grassroots charm.

Hey buddy, who are you?

After Orange 1 failed in his previous life, Chen Mo only knew about the four giants formed by the first smartphone war: China, Huawei, and Coolpad. He only remembered Meizu, one of the smaller manufacturers.

I only remembered this nickname because of the wildly popular gossip about the feud between Lei Jun and Zhang Ziyi.

Chen Mo had expected Orange 1 to have competitors, but he didn't expect them to appear so quickly. He always thought he wouldn't face pressure from those big companies until at least October.

It turned out that he had oversimplified the situation.

With arms crossed and looking down, do we, the four giants, even need to intervene when we're beating up your mere small workshop's premium oranges?

"Ding dong~"

Gong Yun's MMS message brought yet another flyer.

Hey buddy, you're... uh... so you're from the green camp!

The flyer for this phone from OPPO claims it will have a "stunning debut on July 10th," highlighting its "2000mAh large battery + ultra-thin body" configuration.

To be honest, Chen Mo felt that the one from the other brand should be thinner, because the back cover of the green brand should be removable.

Nowadays, except for Apple OS, most mobile phone operating systems are very unstable and prone to freezing, requiring the battery to be removed to restart.

These two companies are a high-end brand that I had no recollection of in my previous life and a famous green factory in my later life.

Orange 1 will soon no longer be the only standout in the domestic market, as two significant competitors are about to enter the fray.

Chen Mo stared at the green factory flyer in the MMS message, his fingertips tapping softly on the screen.

In his previous life, he only remembered the four giants of the first phase of China's Cool and Fantasy and Meizu, but he forgot that the domestic smartphone market in this era has never lacked dark horses.

Since Orange can't avoid this battle, she might as well reveal her strength and confront it head-on.

Who says grassroots mobile phones lack core technologies?

The Orange 1 comes with a battery that boasts 30-second fast charging technology, yet it insists on planting its own flag in the first major battleground for smartphones in China.

After depositing the cash, the bank manager opened a corporate account for Chen Mo and enabled door-to-door collection services.

Although there are some transaction fees involved, it's still better than keeping cash in a small workshop and having to watch over it anxiously overnight.

Well, Zhao Tiezhu didn't think that way. He wanted to sleep in the dorm; it wouldn't be convenient for him to go out at night.

Outside the bank, the afternoon sun was even brighter today.

Chen Mo rubbed his sore eyes, slung his empty backpack over his shoulder, and walked out of the bank.

Orange Technology, this seemingly flimsy little workshop in North China, appears to be at risk of being blown away by a gust of wind at any moment, but it may also take off with the wind and fly higher than everyone else.

(End of this chapter)