37: Chapter 37 2299 yuan? Sorry, I have someone on my phone!

August 15th.

The cicadas in Mingzhu City sounded particularly noisy this afternoon.

Inside the Guanghui Technology building, the central air conditioning was set to sixteen degrees, but it could not suppress the restlessness filling the room.

Only twenty-four hours remained until the product launch that would determine their future.

In the largest conference room, the full-screen projector was broadcasting the Tianqiong Entertainment product launch in real-time.

In the center of the screen, Zhang Yuqing stood on the stage, the focus of everyone's attention; his custom-made black suit made him look imposing.

He used to be a timid product manager at Guanghui Technology, but now, he had transformed into the vanguard of Tianqiong's foray into the mobile phone industry.

"Everyone is guessing, what kind of specifications will the tianqiong t1 actually have?"

Zhang Yuqing paced back and forth on stage, enjoying the cheers from thousands of audience members and invited bloggers below.

Even the marketing manager sent by Guanghui Technology to observe was sitting in the audience, watching him with a livid expression.

The two of them had even eaten together at company gatherings in the past.

"Someone once told me that making phones requires balance and compromise." He stopped pacing and smiled contemptuously at the camera. "But I say, screw compromise!"

The big screen suddenly lit up.

A line of golden parameters slammed into everyone's retinas.

[Snapdragon 835 processor]

[5.9-inch original Sharp screen]

[Sony IMX362 sensor]

[Tianqiong OS deeply customized system]

A collective gasp echoed throughout the Guanghui Technology conference room.

"These specs... they're all top-tier."

"It looks like they're aiming straight for the 3000-yuan flagship tier."

"Is Zhang Yuqing crazy? This isn't product development; this is just piling on hardware."

The pen in the marketing manager's hand dropped onto the table with a sharp click.

But that wasn't the most lethal part.

Zhang Yuqing on stage waved his hand abruptly, and the number that would make all competitors despair appeared on the big screen behind him.

[6+64 GB ¥2299]

[6+128 GB ¥2499]

Boom!

The live stream comments instantly covered the entire screen, so dense that the footage could barely be seen.

"Holy crap! 2299? Did I read that right?"

"They're basically giving away the phone for free with the purchase of the processor and camera!"

"Who needs anything else! Why bother with Guanghui Technology's launch tomorrow? They should just give up!"

"Is this the power of capital? It's too brutal!"

"This price is a massacre. That one manufacturer that focuses on nostalgia might as well bury themselves."

Zhang Yuqing looked at the frenzied crowd below, the arrogance in his eyes practically spilling off the screen.

"It's not over yet."

He pressed the remote again.

"Every user who purchases the tianqiong t1 will receive a one-year Tianqiong Video VIP membership! Furthermore, we are exclusively premiering the remastered version of the mobile game 'Quest for Immortality OL', and purchasing the phone comes with a game gift pack worth 388 yuan!"

This combination of moves was no longer just about selling phones. This was dumping. This was meant to force all competitors to their deaths.

There was a deathly silence in the Guanghui Technology conference room.

The CFO tremblingly took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue. "Su Qingxue, the numbers don't add up. The current procurement price for the Snapdragon 835 is 35 USD. Adding the screen, memory, mold... their BOM cost is at least 2550 yuan. Selling at 2299 means they lose 300 yuan on every unit sold."

"And that's not even counting marketing and channel fees." The marketing manager's face was deathly pale. "This is a suicide attack. They aren't trying to make money on hardware; they want to capture the market quickly. This is the same strategy Xiaomi used back in the day, but even more ruthless and extreme!"

For the well-funded Tianqiong Entertainment, this kind of strategy was a bearable strategic loss.

But for Guanghui Technology, whose cash flow was already drying up, it was a dimensional strike.

Zhang Yuqing clearly understood Guanghui Technology's current weaknesses.

Director Gu Yang leaned back in his chair, twirling his lighter. He wore an expression that said, "I knew it would come to this."

"Su Qingxue, do you see reality clearly now?" He glanced sideways at Su Qingxue, who sat at the head of the table, his tone filled with a hint of schadenfreude.

"This is the market. I said from the beginning, just use MediaTek honestly and find a top-tier celebrity for an endorsement; at the very least, we would survive."

"You just had to listen to that kept man and push for a Full-screen display. The cost was so high. The samsung s8 was stunning when it launched, but sales weren't good. Maybe users don't even like phones with high screen-to-body ratios?"

He stood up and looked down at Su Qingxue from his towering position.

"Now look at this. Once our launch happens tomorrow, if our price is higher than 2500, we'll just be waiting to get roasted."

Su Qingxue didn't speak. She sat at the head of the table, her back straight. Her hands, resting on her knees, were clenched tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

She was waiting. Since that man had said to watch his performance, he would never break his word.

It was just... the price gap was too large, so large that even she, the helmsman, felt panic.

After all, there was a saying online: "It's so cheap, what more do you want?"

Moreover, back in March, the starting price for a 6+64 GB Xiaomi 6 was 2499 yuan. This tianqiong t1 was significantly better than Xiaomi in terms of camera and system, yet it was selling for so much less.

The atmosphere in the conference room was suffocating.

Chen Shuyu hid in the corner, looking at the screen full of ridicule, and sent a WeChat message with trembling fingers.

"Lu Li, the tianqiong t1 is selling for 2299 and includes a membership... do we really not need to change our pricing strategy? Everyone is very panicked."

Almost the next second, her phone vibrated.

Chen Shuyu looked down and almost laughed in anger.

On the screen was a game screenshot. It was a pixelated game scene where Steve was holding a rifle, and in the center, it was written [Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner]. It was clearly the newly updated battle royale mode for minecraft.

"This guy, not coming to the meeting, just playing games in the office." Chen Shuyu squeezed the Guanghui Mobile 6pro in her hand.

She continued reading, and below it was a line of text: "Why panic? They are taking the value-for-money route, but we are going for quality and innovation. Just watch the show tomorrow."

Chen Shuyu looked at that line of text, and her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, suddenly settled back down.

This guy. But this carefree attitude actually acted like a shot of adrenaline. If he wasn't even worried about this situation, it meant he definitely still had an ace up his sleeve.

The meeting ended in a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. At least the heads of each department were in a pessimistic state.

...

Approaching evening, the door to Su Qingxue's office was pushed open. Lu Li walked in slowly, carrying a large plastic bag of takeout. He ignored the heavy atmosphere in the room and walked straight to the leather sofa where he usually sat.

"Clack." The takeout was placed on the coffee table.

"What's wrong with you all? Too busy to even eat?" Lu Li took the takeout containers out of the bag one by one.

"You haven't cared about the details of the launch at all; I've had to go through everything bit by bit." Su Qingxue sighed, her eyes never leaving the computer screen.

She had to check the PPT used for the launch over and over again, along with various animations and a public service announcement.

She really didn't know what this public service announcement was for. But since Lu Li said it would be used at the launch and wouldn't let her see it, it made her even more curious.

A public service announcement needed for a product launch? That's too weird.

"You've worked hard. Come eat. I'll give you a surprise after you finish." Lu Li looked at Su Qingxue; his wife really worried a lot for this company.

Sometimes, being a kept man made him feel embarrassed.

"Mhm, wait a second, let me finish watching this video." Su Qingxue still didn't leave the computer, and Chen Shuyu was also nearby, holding two walkie-talkies.

The walkie-talkies were connected directly to the Mingzhu City Grand Theater. That's right, tomorrow's Guanghui Technology new product launch would be held at the Mingzhu Grand Theater.

Lu Li sighed, took out a Guanghui Mobile 6, and placed it on the desk. "Don't worry. Any conspiracy or trickery is vulnerable in the face of an absolute dimensional strike."

"What is this?" Chen Shuyu leaned in, curiously examining the phone.

This Guanghui Mobile 6 was no different; it was just a mass-produced Guanghui Mobile phone with thick top and bottom bezels.

"Open it. This is another nuclear bomb for us tomorrow."

Lu Li sat back on the sofa and picked up a piece of boiled beef, popping it into his mouth.

Su Qingxue picked up the phone and pressed her thumb on the side power button.

The moment the screen lit up, there was nothing different.

On the empty phone desktop, there was no messy pre-installed software, only an icon she had never seen before.

It was an avatar of a beautiful girl with short silver hair; the lines were simple yet full of spirit.

Below the icon were two characters: [Xiao Dou].

Su Qingxue's finger hovered over the screen. She had a strong premonition. Once she tapped it, the landscape of the entire mobile internet might be completely rewritten tonight.

"Tap it. It's been waiting a long time." Lu Li's voice echoed in the room.

Su Qingxue lowered her index finger.

A ripple of light blue suddenly appeared at the bottom of the phone, and immediately after, a voice came from the speaker.

It wasn't the stiff, electronic-sounding mechanical synthetic voice found on the market.

It was a lively, crisp, and even slightly lazy-sounding girl's voice.

The anime-style avatar on the screen enlarged, entering directly into a chat box, and the girl even blinked at them: "Hello, I am Xiao Dou. How can I help you?"