Chapter 34: I Am Twenty Years Ahead on the Mobile Phone

Over the course of this week, under Liu Nian’s guidance, everyone came to fully understand their so-called factory: it was just a single-story house with a few machines inside, and fewer than ten workers in total, all engaged in simple tasks. The heart of the entire operation was Liu Nian himself. Due to the poor quality of the equipment, automation was impossible, so any job requiring skill fell to him alone. This explained how they managed to produce several dozen units a day—it was simply a matter of lacking skilled personnel.

At the same time, Huang He got a look at the knockoff phones Liu Nian had built. They were a bit larger and much thicker than a Nokia, but the casing was coated in metallic paint, a silvery-white that was actually rather attractive.

The screen was a 3.2-inch color display, capable of showing images and even playing low-bitrate, low-resolution video. It supported text messaging and 2G networks.

Even Huang He was astonished by these specs—such features were only found on flagship models from top brands like Nokia and Motorola, each typically priced over five thousand yuan.

When Huang He inquired about the cost, Liu Nian replied that, excluding labor, the total cost was eight hundred yuan, and with labor included, about nine hundred. Of course, he hadn’t factored in his own wages.

Huang He was dumbfounded—the price-to-performance ratio of these knockoff phones was truly frightening.

“I have a few suggestions,” Huang He said, stroking his chin. “Can we add a gaming function to our phones?”

“It’s possible, but it would require more storage. That means we’d need to add a memory chip, which would increase costs by about twenty yuan,” Liu Nian replied.

“Twenty yuan is nothing!” Huang He waved dismissively. “Games are crucial—they’re a huge selling point. We must add games to the phone.”

“And where would the games come from?” Liu Nian frowned. “Adding games is easy, but developing them is expensive—just one game could cost thousands to make, and there’s no guarantee it would even be fun. None of us have any experience making games; it’s actually quite difficult.”

“Not at all!” Huang He waved his hand again. “You know Nintendo’s Famicom, right? It had plenty of classic games that were hugely popular. Here’s what you do—take Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Snake, Space Invaders, and Contra… those five. Adapt them and put them on our phones. That should be doable, right?”

“Boss Huang, that’s illegal—that’s infringement. If Nintendo sues us, we’ll be in real trouble…”

“We’ll just pay the damages!” Huang He said unconcernedly. “First off, we’re an unknown knockoff brand—it’ll take Nintendo years to even notice us.”

“Secondly, even if they do notice, they’ll have to consider whether it’s worth the legal costs. Lawsuits take about a year, and by then we can simply declare the company bankrupt. No matter how big the damages, it won’t affect us. Don’t worry, your financial interests will be protected—the parent company will make up for any losses you incur.”

“If you’re attached to the Tianxing brand, that’s fine. Just put a little more effort into it: don’t copy everything outright. Change the character names and appearances, tweak a few levels—spend a hundred thousand or so to hire professional programmers to modify the games. None of this is difficult. I know you can handle it!”

“Even if Nintendo still sues us for plagiarism, at most the court will rule partial infringement, not outright violation. The worst that can happen is we pay a fine—no one’s going to jail over this.”

“Understood!” Seeing Huang He so resolute, Liu Nian realized this was actually workable—he just needed to consult a lawyer in advance and make the games distinct enough to avoid legal trouble. He wasn’t a stickler for morality; it was just that he’d already spent a year in prison and wasn’t eager to go back.

“By the way, I’ve heard that some phones now come with cameras. See if you can find a way to add one to ours, so our phone can also serve as a camera,” Huang He added.

“That’ll be a challenge, but I’m confident I can do it!” Liu Nian nodded vigorously.

For a whole week, Huang He and Liu Nian discussed modifications to the phone—features, appearance, everything related to its design.

Huang He was eloquent and inexhaustible; after all, in the future, he would change phones every year and was deeply familiar with every trend in the industry. If he weren’t worried about his words leaking out and becoming the guiding light for someone else, he might have even described the concept of smartphones.

Liu Nian, for his part, began to look at Huang He with something akin to reverence.

At first, as a technical person, Liu Nian had looked down on Huang He, the nouveau riche upstart. But after hearing Huang He’s predictions and plans for the future of mobile phones, all full of dazzling but seemingly feasible ideas, Liu Nian became his devoted fan.

Originally, Huang He had planned to stay longer, continuing to steer the future of China’s mobile phone industry. However, Leng Zhimeng sent word that she had already established contact with the team behind Coral QQ, and they agreed to meet with Huang He. But their team was in the capital; it was impossible for them to come all the way to Wenzhou or Shenzhen to see him.

“Zhiruo, there are still some programming matters to handle here, so you should stay and fully represent Jiangnan Group in dealing with these tasks,” Huang He instructed Leng Zhimeng.

“Brother-in-law, are you going to the capital alone? Don’t you need someone to look after you?” Leng Zhiruo asked worriedly.

“Oh, Zhihmeng will be with me—she’ll take care of me,” Huang He replied offhandedly. He could swear to the heavens that he really just said it casually. Besides, Leng Zhimeng absolutely had to go, since she was the intermediary. Without her, how could he contact and gain the trust of the Coral QQ team?

Unexpectedly, Leng Zhiruo’s expression changed dramatically. She glanced at Leng Zhimeng, who was playing on the computer, then at the nonchalant Huang He, forcing a smile. “Well, that’s good. Zhihmeng just graduated, but she’s an adult now. She may not be good at taking care of others, but it’s time she learned. If you think well of her, brother-in-law, keep her close. It’ll help you get along in the future.”

“Yes, Zhihmeng is a little genius, especially gifted with computers—very clever. Who knows, she may become an indispensable part of my work!” Heaven knows, Huang He meant an indispensable part of his business empire.

But Leng Zhiruo was no fool—she understood instantly. Her eyes glistened with tears as she fought the urge to cry, forcing a smile and excusing herself to the bathroom, where she stayed for a full hour.

She had long sensed something different in the way her brother-in-law treated Leng Zhimeng—indulging her in everything. This whole trip to Shenzhen was for buying QQ for her, while she herself was only summoned to handle various tasks, like an employee. Her sister, meanwhile, seemed to have become the master.

These days, Leng Zhiruo had been so troubled that she could neither eat nor sleep. Now, after this direct blow, she had no choice but to retreat to the bathroom to let her feelings out.

“This child—could it be an adverse reaction to the local climate?” Huang He wondered, growing concerned. He found Leng Zhimeng, who was playing games. “Later, you should accompany your sister to the hospital.”

“What’s wrong? Is my sister sick?” Leng Zhimeng asked, puzzled.

“I’m not sure—she’s been in the bathroom for an hour,” Huang He said, rubbing his nose. “She hasn’t had much appetite lately—barely eating, often feeling unwell, and always running to the bathroom. Ever since she came to Shenzhen, she’s seemed out of sorts. You’d better take her to the hospital for a thorough checkup.”

“All right,” Leng Zhimeng nodded. At first she didn’t think much of it, but when she later watched TV and saw the character Xiaoyanzi clutching her stomach and announcing she was pregnant, Leng Zhimeng suddenly jumped up from the bed, staring in disbelief in the direction of the bathroom.

[PS: Quick poll—are you interested in this five-sisters love triangle plot? Reply 1 for yes, 2 for no.]