Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 80 The Real Person VS The Label
Lu Laowu and Jiang Laodi, coal bosses from the coal-producing province who had traveled all the way to Shenzhen, were leaving the police station under the scorching sun.

Lu Laowu wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to curse at Brother Jiang.

"Damn it! You're sitting in the police car pretending you don't know me, that's pretty ruthless!"

Brother Jiang shrank his neck and hid in the shadows: "Brother Lu! I need to clear myself up first so I can free up my hands to help you out! Besides, if it weren't for the trouble caused by your sworn brother Zhao Jie, would we be in jail drinking cold tea?"

Lu Laowu, his neck stiff with rage, wanted to lash out, but ultimately realized he was in the wrong and muttered a remark in a low voice.

"Let's call it even!"

The two walked to the parking lot, and Brother Jiang sighed as he looked at the license plate of Lu Laowu's Mercedes-Benz G500.

"If Zhao Jie is finished, all that business we planned back then will be for naught."

"What's the panic!" Old Lu laughed, patting his big belly, making the gold chain around his neck dangle. "This is Shenzhen! Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged knock-off factories can pile up like mountains!"

He opened the car door, picked up his copy of "The Will to Power," and yelled at the driver.

"Go to North China Power! Find me the best knock-off factory, I want to make smartphones!"

As the Mercedes rolled over the speed bumps in front of the Public Security Bureau, Lu Laowu pulled out his 8838 titanium alloy cell phone and called his secretary.

"Xiaoli! Find out the biggest mobile phone OEM factory in Shenzhen for me! If they won't sell, raise the price. We're open to any terms. Damn it, I don't believe there's anything money can't solve!"

As Brother Jiang gazed at the road signs flashing past the car window, he suddenly recalled the question the police had asked him at the station: "Is Zhao Jie's drug business related to Lu Laowu?" A chill ran down his spine.

Lu Laowu should be fine, right?

He turned to look at Lu Laowu, who was squeezing pimples on his face through the car window. A moment later, his shiny bald head was reflected in the sign for "Huabei Qiang Electronics Market".

The Mercedes braked suddenly at the intersection of Huabei Road. Lu Laowu, wearing crocodile leather shoes, jumped out of the car and waved to Brother Jiang.

"Damn it! Brother Jiang, what are you dawdling for! If you don't get this smartphone sorted out today, I'll make sure you and your mistress are sleeping on the street!"

Under the scorching sun, the North China Strong Market was bustling with noise. Lu Laowu squinted and saw a group of little girls gathered around the corner ahead, chattering away.

Three of them were taking pictures with a small orange phone, while the others looked on with envy.

Lu Laowu had seen this orange phone many times along the way. He licked his chapped lips, forced a wrinkled "kind" smile, and leaned closer.

"Little girl! This phone..."

Before he could finish speaking, the girls scattered like startled sparrows, leaving his raised hand frozen in mid-air.

"Brother Lu, don't worry!" Brother Jiang, with his sharp eyes, pointed at the boxes they were carrying and shouted, "Look at the boxes they're carrying, they must be from a nearby stall. Just ask the nearest shopkeeper, you can't go wrong!"

When the two turned into Lao Zhang's stall, Lao Zhang was wiping the glass display case behind the counter.

Lu Laowu stared at the same orange phone on his shelf, then casually pulled out a wad of red banknotes and slammed them on the counter, making the glass vibrate.

"Two units, please! Keep the rest for now! I need to ask you something!"

Old Zhang's eyes widened instantly, and he bent over to pull out three Orange 1st generation mobile phones—orange, white, and black—from under the counter.

"You two have excellent taste! This black and white version is an exclusive item that just arrived this morning. I wouldn't normally..."

Lu Laowu had no time to listen to his nonsense. He unpacked the package and grabbed the black phone.

Brother Jiang, on the other hand, had his eye on the white version.

At first, the two just fiddled with it casually, after all, they had used even the most expensive cell phones before.

But when the two discovered the smooth interface of the phone after it was turned on, and witnessed the charging miracle that Lao Zhang demonstrated on the spot.

When the battery level spiked from a sliver at the bottom to full in about 30 seconds, the two looked at each other and their Adam's apples bobbed simultaneously.

Brother Jiang's fingers flew across the screen, while Lu Laowu asked for two more phones to test the charging speed, his rough fingers almost leaving marks on the charging cable.

"Boss! What's the background of the factory that makes this phone?" Old Lu suddenly looked up, leaning forward, his big belly making the counter creak.

Old Zhang was overjoyed to receive the nearly ten thousand yuan, and patted his chest as he boasted about his good brother Zhao Tiezhu.

"You two have come to the right people! Orange Technology is just down the alley ahead! Don't let the small size of the factory fool you, they've independently developed gaseous lithium batteries, and you won't find another company like them in the entire North China region!"

Without saying a word, Lu Laowu stuffed his phone into his pocket, grabbed Brother Jiang, and rushed out.

Amidst the sweltering wind and the repetitive calls of vendors in the market stalls, the two strode through the outer stalls and into the alley. As Lu Laowu touched his slightly warm phone in his pocket, he felt as if he had discovered a new "coal mine."

In Orange Technology's small workshop, Chen Mo had already gone to Ningde to discuss OEM production expansion. Currently, the production capacity of gaseous lithium batteries has become the biggest constraint on Orange 1's sales.

"Is there anyone?"

Seeing two nouveau riche rushing over, Gong Yun raised an eyebrow at Zhao Tiezhu, signaling him to step forward.

As Lu Laowu patted his belly and stepped through the door, he bumped into Zhao Tiezhu, who was sitting with his legs crossed, gnawing on a chicken foot. Just as he was about to frown, he saw the boy suddenly jump up.

"Oh my! We're all from the same hometown in Hanxi, Hubei!" He wiped his greasy hands on the corner of his clothes, reached out and pulled over two chairs: "Please sit down, gentlemen! I'm Zhao Tiezhu, the marketing manager of Orange Technology!"

Zhao Tiezhu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gong Yun: "This is Sister Gong, she's in charge of logistics."

Gong Yun couldn't help but lower her eyes and chuckle softly, then brought out two paper cups filled with water.

The paper cups were also printed with the words "Daqianghua Supermarket Grand Opening Special Offer: Free Gift".

When Brother Jiang took the water, his gaze lingered on her face for half a second longer, only to be glared at by Old Lu: "Get to work, what are you looking at!" He felt wronged; he had simply thought the woman looked somewhat familiar.

Lu Laowu glanced at the piles of cardboard boxes in the small workshop and the shipping slips covered with "/" marks on the wall, then tapped the outside of a paper cup with his fingertip.

"Manager Zhao, right? Let's be frank. I want to make OEM machines. I'll provide the brand, and you'll provide the technology. Can you do it?"

Zhao Tiezhu wiped his mouth, thumping his chest loudly: "Absolutely! Apart from the battery, you can put anything on it. Change the logo however you like, adjust the system however you like, and configure it according to your specifications!"

He suddenly lowered his voice: "To be honest, just a few days ago, a foreign customer wanted to rebrand our Orange phones and sell them in North America!"

When this kid gets into it, he talks a lot of nonsense, but Gong Yun watched his performance with great interest.

Lu Laowu raised an eyebrow and slammed his handbag on the long table: "Let's make this clear first, I want 1 million units, and you'll have to give me a fair price after I give you a 30% deposit!"

Zhao Tiezhu glanced at the deformed gold chain around Lu Laowu's neck and pondered for three seconds.

The cost of selling orange 1 without using the strong distribution channels in North China is 383 yuan.

"One 403 unit, delivery time 45 days."

It just so happens that the battery production capacity of Orange 1 cannot keep up with the demand, and the pre-ordered production capacity of the contract manufacturer can be used for OEM production.

Lu Laowu slammed his fist on the table: "Are you robbing me?"

Zhao Tiezhu shrugged with a forced smile and said, "Alright! Fellow villager, let's each compromise! 393, any lower and I'll be starving!"

Lu Laowu suddenly stared at the original blueprint of the abandoned Orange 1 case in the corner.

What kind of phone is this with an "X" on it?

"Ahem! Internal elimination plan!" Zhao Tiezhu pulled out the blueprints: "Resistive touchscreen + Android 2.3, it can't compare to the current Orange 1, but it has the advantage of low cost. Look at this bill of materials, 175 yuan at most!"

Lu Laowu traced the words "resistive screen" with his fingertip and suddenly grinned.

"Give me a chin like the Apple 4, and remove the keyboard. How about 199 per unit, the pre-order price you offer?"

Zhao Tiezhu almost bit his tongue: "Is Boss Lu making a work of art?!"

Despite saying that, he quickly made changes to the drawings.

"Remove the three capacitor buttons? Okay!"

"The round shape is infringing on copyright, so how about changing it to a single-button square? Okay!"

Cancel full keyboard input?

"With your design talent, it's a shame you're not going to Pingguo to be their creative director!"

With each change, Zhao Tiezhu mentally calculated the profit. He deducted 3 yuan for the keyboard, added 2 yuan for changing the chin capacitor from three to one, and then calculated the license plate fee.
Originally, each Orange 1 unit could earn 10 yuan. Now, after being redesigned by Mr. Lu, this "great" artist, Orange Technology can immediately earn 20 yuan per unit.

This is art. Zhao Tiezhu's praise is sincere and heartfelt, without a trace of insincerity!

"Alright, Manager Zhao, then it's settled!"

When Lu Laowu made the decision, Zhao Tiezhu almost couldn't help but burst into song.

As the two left the alley where Orange Technology was located, Brother Jiang whispered in Lu Laowu's ear, "That price! They must have made a killing."

Lu Laowu glanced back at the "Orange Technology" sign in the alley and touched the discarded configuration file in his pocket.

"Let them make money first, consider it tuition. Once we've settled things with the factory, we won't be afraid of not figuring out the ropes."

As Lu Laowu's Mercedes galloped over the fallen leaves, he suddenly caught sight of "The Will to Power" on his seat and slapped his thigh.

"Calling a phone 'Laozi' (劳子) is unlucky. Let's call it 'Nietzsche Phone'! It sounds much cooler!"

Meanwhile, in Orange Technology's small workshop, Zhao Tiezhu was grinning foolishly at a calculator.

Gong Yun held Xiaomi in her arms, looking at him thoughtfully.

It seems this brat has some skills after all.

The mechanical female voice of the calculator kept repeating "equals 24".

If one million units are rebranded, that's 24 times the profit of one million.

Aside from needing to source resistive touchscreens and batteries separately, the X solution can utilize the same supply chain as Orange 1 for other components such as the casing, chips, and loose parts.

Moreover, if the original product and the OEM product use most spare parts, the supplier can further reduce the price.

25 million...

Hey hey hey.
If this deal goes smoothly, then I...
Zhao Tiezhu's lips curled into a wild smile at that moment.

Unbeknownst to Chen Mo, the Orange 1 phone's third competitor had emerged.
I don't make it!

As soon as you walk in, you see Orange Technology's left and right hands fighting each other!
Nietzsche (branded): Bro! Fighting is fighting, but give me some air!
Orange (the real person): I don't have a brother like you, a disgrace to smartphones!

The real deal versus the rebadged version will be a dramatic showdown 10 days after the first batch of X phones are delivered.

(End of this chapter)