31: Chapter 31 The Mysterious God Who's Been Searched for Online Is Actually Right Beside You

The keyboard warriors' fingers froze in midair, the blue light from their screens reflecting their blank faces.

Just a minute ago, they were frantically copying and pasting "Guanghui is finished," "Photoshopped phone," and "Su Qingxue has gone crazy for money" in the comment section.

A minute later, Apple's official website across the ocean updated with a global push notification.

That pop-up was like a resounding slap in the face, burning hot on everyone's cheeks.

It was a conceptual teaser image of Apple's next-generation flagship phone.

It lacked Apple's signature Home button, and its bezels were extremely narrow.

Except for the black notch at the top, jokingly referred to as "the bangs," the overall design of the phone was ninety percent identical to the poster Guanghui Technology released last night.

The Weibo servers instantly overloaded.

A blank space of five seconds appeared in the comment section, and then, the data stream refreshed frantically like a floodgate opening.

"Holy crap! What am I looking at? Is this fucking posted by Apple?"

"If Guanghui Technology was boasting, is Apple boasting too? Apple is the absolute king of supply chain management! If they dare to post it, it means this technology can really be mass-produced!"

"The person above missed the point! Put the two pictures together and compare them!"

Some quick-handed bloggers immediately stitched together a comparison picture and posted it.

On the left was Apple, keeping the notch with slightly thick bezels. On the right was Guanghui Technology, pure, transparent, a single complete screen with bezels so narrow they were practically negligible.

The contrast was brutal.

Under this comparison image, the Apple concept phone, which had just been put on a pedestal, suddenly looked a bit... outdated.

"The more you think about it, the scarier it gets... If Apple's image is real, then does that mean Guanghui Technology's image last night... is also real?"

"Where are the people who called Guanghui Technology a Photoshopping dog yesterday? Come out and take your beating!"

The public opinion instantly reversed.

The big V accounts that had been shouting the loudest earlier were now as quiet as mice.

The user with the ID 'Gaoji Shaonian' was actually Xiaomi's engineer Wang Shunteng. Upon seeing Apple's new model, he immediately apologized:

"I'm sorry, Guanghui Technology. I spoke out of turn yesterday. Actually, I am also a professional in our industry. If Guanghui Technology's actual device is really like this, I am willing to buy three units to give away randomly to people in the comment section as an apology!"

Seeing his sincere apology, the fans of Guanghui Technology naturally let him off the hook.

Netizens then swarmed the Weibo of Samsung's Vice President of the China Region.

"@Samsung VP, why don't you come out and take a few steps? Did Apple's graphic designer's hand slip too?"

"@Vivo Product Manager, don't play dead. Didn't you say yesterday that the technology wouldn't see a breakthrough even in three years? Did Apple time travel back from the future?"

Someone noticed that the Vivo product manager had already set his account to 'visible for three days only,' and last night's mocking post had vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, those marketing accounts that had been paid to trash Guanghui Technology were frantically deleting their posts. After deleting them, they immediately changed their tune and forwarded Apple's Weibo: 'Who is the true leader of the Full-screen display? Let's wait and see!'

They made absolutely no mention of how they had insulted the pioneer who had truly unveiled the curtain last night.

...

Tianqiong Entertainment, top-floor office.

"Smash!"

An exquisite bone china coffee cup smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces. The brown coffee liquid trickled down the wallpaper like an ugly scar.

Zhang Yuqing stared intently at the computer screen, his chest heaving violently. His tie had been pulled askew, choking his neck red.

"Is Cook going senile?!"

He kicked his office chair aside, pointed at the screen, and roared, "Why didn't he post it earlier or later, but had to post it right now?! This is endorsing Guanghui Technology! This is saving that woman Su Qingxue!"

As an industry insider, he knew all too well the sheer weight of this development.

If Guanghui Technology was the only one talking about a 'Full-screen display,' it would be a pipe dream.

But if Apple said 'Full-screen display,' it would be the industry trend.

The most fatal thing was that the solution Guanghui Technology came up with was actually even more beautiful than Apple's!

This would implant an incredibly formidable subconscious thought into consumers—that Guanghui Technology's technology was even more badass than Apple's!

And that the first 'true' Full-screen display was actually made by Guanghui Technology!!

Once this perception was solidified, all of Guanghui Technology's previous negative reputation would instantly rebound from rock bottom, perhaps even transforming into a retaliatory consumption frenzy.

And without a doubt, a traitor like him who jumped ship at the last minute would be roasted to shreds by netizens.

"Mr. Zhang..."

The assistant stood at the door, holding a tablet, her voice trembling. "The public opinion... we can't suppress the public opinion. Netizens are all asking, since even Apple can do it, why did you insist back then that Guanghui Technology couldn't make it? Someone also dug up your remarks when you resigned, saying you are..."

"Saying what?" Zhang Yuqing whipped his head around.

"Saying you are... a traitor who can't bear to see your former employer succeed."

"Bullshit!"

Zhang Yuqing grabbed the documents on his desk and slammed them onto the floor, papers flying everywhere.

He didn't believe it.

He had been at Guanghui Technology for three years; that was his home ground.

He knew exactly what that R&D team was capable of. Even if every single one of them worked themselves to death, they couldn't possibly pull off that kind of Full-screen display technology.

It must be fake.

Su Qingxue is playing with fire.

She must have used some highly clever sleight of hand, or simply resorted to reckless false advertising, betting that no one would be able to expose it before the launch event.

"Want to make a comeback? Keep dreaming."

Zhang Yuqing strode over to the French windows, looking out at the high-rise buildings. His breathing slowly stabilized, replaced by a desperate, ruthless determination.

Since they had already torn off their masks, they might as well rip them off completely.

Guanghui Technology scheduled their launch for the 16th?

Then he would schedule his launch event a day earlier to make Guanghui Technology a laughingstock!

"Notify the technical department to lock in the final build of Tianqiong OS 2.0."

Zhang Yuqing grabbed the intercom on his desk, his voice cold. "Also, contact all media channels and live streaming platforms. We are moving up our launch event."

The person on the other end of the line froze for a moment. "Mr. Zhang, moved up to when?"

"The 15th! Exactly the day before Guanghui Technology's launch event!"

Zhang Yuqing stared at Guanghui Technology's flawless poster on the screen, a cold arc pulling at the corner of his mouth.

So what if the hardware is fancy?

The biggest pain points of current Android phones are lagging, bloatware, and the terrible user experience caused by garbage system optimization.

"Su Qingxue, I will use the ultimate smoothness of Tianqiong OS to make your so-called Full-screen display look like a piece of electronic trash that's only good for showing the desktop!"

Hanging up the phone, he sat back in front of his computer and tapped rapidly on the keyboard.

He knew Guanghui Technology's software department all too well. Without him, Guanghui UI 6.0 was just a PowerPoint presentation hanging on the wall—good for looking at, but untouchable.

Even if the Full-screen display was real, he could still crush Guanghui Mobile from the system side.

A minute later, Zhang Yuqing's verified personal Weibo updated.

The attached image was a highly dynamic light-flow UI design, full of futuristic technology.

"[A body without a soul is ultimately just a walking corpse. Tianqiong OS 1.0, redefining what a true smart experience is. On August 15th, let's show certain competitors who only know how to draw pictures what a real technological barrier is.]"

Click send.

At this moment, the horn of war was completely blown.

It was no longer just a war of words from afar.

It was a fight to the death with bayonets drawn.

...

Early morning, Redstone Villa.

Golden sunlight streamed through the massive French windows into the living room, casting a warm, glowing edge on the dining table.

Su Qingxue sat cross-legged on one side of the dining table, a laptop open in front of her.

She was browsing the public opinion trends online. When she saw Zhang Yuqing's highly provocative Weibo post, instead of getting angry, she handed her phone to Lu Li, who was peeling an egg next to her.

"He's anxious," Su Qingxue pointed at the screen. "He even deliberately moved his launch event to the day before ours. He wants to intercept us and steal this wave of traffic."

Lu Li glanced over and placed the peeled egg on her plate. "Only when someone is anxious do they make mistakes. The more he emphasizes the phone system, the more ridiculous it will be when his attempt to show off fails."

Su Qingxue took a small bite of the egg white. The subtle, sweet flavor relaxed her tense nerves slightly.

"Speaking of this deeply customized system, you need to think of a name for it. Anyway, let's not call the system Guanghui UI anymore. That name reminds me of that traitor."

Lu Li hesitated slightly. In his eyes, a name was merely a code.

In his previous life, this system rebuilt on the bottom layer of Android was called 'Xingshi' (Star Stone). It wasn't until later, when the kernel architecture was completely replaced with a domestically developed one, that it was renamed 'Xingchen' (Stars), symbolizing the evolution from an ordinary stone to a brilliant star.

In this life, since the starting point was higher, he might as well get it right in one step.

"Let's just call it Xingchen OS."

Lu Li said casually, simply too lazy to think of another name.

Su Qingxue frowned slightly, then nodded. "Fine, let's keep calling it that then. Hubby, you're really lazy, you didn't even want to bother thinking of another name."

Lu Li smiled and didn't reply. He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the washed-blue sky in the distance.

He pulled out a cigarette, slowly lit it, and said deeply:

"No matter how vast Tianqiong is, it is but a backdrop for Xingchen. Wherever Xingchen reaches, Tianqiong shall shatter."

"Ooh..." Su Qingxue was stunned for a moment. Lu Li really had put some thought into it. These words sounded a bit chuunibyou, but coming from Lu Li's mouth, they were surprisingly overbearing. "Mhm, hearing it like that, it indeed sounds much better!"

"I think so too, the name Xingchen really sounds quite nice!"

A gentle voice came from the kitchen.

Qin Ya walked out holding a plate of freshly fried dumplings. She had worked too late last night, so she had simply stayed in the villa's guest room.

Her clothes had been taken by Auntie Wu to be washed in the morning, so today she was wearing Chen Shuyu's clothes.

Chen Shuyu and Su Qingxue had an extremely close relationship, and Chen Shuyu had her own bedroom in the villa, so she naturally kept some clothes here.

The hem of Qin Ya's white shirt was tucked into her pencil skirt. Her long legs were wrapped in black stockings that emitted a delicate luster, and she wore a pair of plush slippers on her feet.

This morning, she had volunteered to show off her culinary skills.

"So annoying!!"

At this moment, Chen Shuyu, sitting on the other side of the dining table, couldn't help but complain in frustration.

She slammed her mouse down in a huff and complained, "Just what kind of weirdo is the creator of minecraft!"

Lu Li raised an eyebrow and calmly sat back down next to Su Qingxue. "What's wrong?"

"A few days ago, I sent an email to the developer's inbox to discuss licensing the mobile version, and I even left a message under his Weibo," Chen Shuyu scratched her hair, looking completely defeated.

"And the result? It sank like a stone into the ocean! Not even an automatic reply!"

Su Qingxue leaned over to look at the screen. "Maybe they were too busy and didn't see it?"

"Impossible!"

Chen Shuyu pointed at the news page on the screen, her tone anxious:

"Look, the industry is going crazy with rumors. Dami Company is also looking for this person. President Lei even let it be known that he's willing to pay a high price for the exclusive porting rights, wanting to make this game the debut title for their new phone. And Wangyi Games is also said to have sent people to Steam's headquarters to search for more information about this author."

At this point, Chen Shuyu sighed. "The popularity of this game right now is terrifying. It's practically a phenomenon.

If we could secure it, our launch event would be even more of a hit, and we could also deal a blow to Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment. I heard that Tianqiong Mobile is preparing to cooperate with their own Tianqiong Games—buy a phone, get a free annual membership, and log in to get benefits. Unfortunately, they probably look down on our company!"

Chen Shuyu sighed, collapsing back onto the table with her chin resting on the keyboard, looking like a deflated balloon.

"I can help with this matter!"

At this moment, Lu Li swallowed a fried dumpling that Su Qingxue had blown cool for him, and couldn't help but speak up.

Instantly, the gazes of the three women focused on his lazy yet handsome face.