Chapter 92: He Redefined Fashion!

After the turn of the millennium.

New technological products were constantly appearing in Huaxia.

Computers…

MP3s, MP4s, digital cameras, mobile phones…

This era was changing at a breakneck pace.

Many people found it hard to adapt to this society.

It was changing far too quickly.

Who could have imagined that in just the five years from 2000 to 2005, the world around us would look different every single year?

During those five years.

The most profound transformation occurred in mobile phones!

Everyone defined a mobile phone simply as a communication tool. There were only a few criteria for judging whether a phone was good or bad.

Strong signal, high quality, durable enough to survive a drop, and ideally waterproof…

Without a doubt.

Novia phones perfectly embodied the desires deep within everyone’s hearts.

They swept through the Huaxia market with a vengeance, suppressing all of Huaxia’s domestic phone manufacturers…

Lin He stood at a crossroads.

Walking forward…

Was the Novia sales department.

He had a thousand yuan tucked in his pocket and was currently torn.

In fact…

Although his budget was limited, a Novia was definitely his first choice.

Current Novia prices were still quite high. There were cheaper options, but the cheapest were black-and-white models. Those were considered “god-tier” devices by middle-aged and elderly people – the kind that could be dropped from the sixth floor, and even if the battery popped out, you could still make a call.

Older people loved them to death!

Lin He looked down on such phones. A young person should at least use a color-screen phone that could play MP3s and MP4s, right?

The concept of fashion…

Was something no generation of young people could ignore.

Carrying a clunky, old-fashioned black-and-white phone next to a girlfriend felt inexplicably embarrassing!

However, Novia phones that actually had those features cost over a thousand yuan, a price he clearly couldn’t afford.

Maybe he should just buy a color-screen one. Another Novia model cost over eight hundred yuan and did have a color screen. It felt decent in the hand and wouldn’t make him lose face.

And Samsung seemed to have color-screen phones too…

He could buy things like MP3 and MP4 players later…

That was what he was thinking!

But just as he made up his mind, he suddenly saw an advertisement being unfurled in front of a nearby building.

He instinctively looked toward the ad.

He suddenly noticed Zhou Yang looking incredibly cool, holding what appeared to be a very fashionable phone, striking a pose in the center of a stage.

A few words were written below.

“My territory, my choice!¹“

“Phelps, the trendy fashion phone…”

“…”

The moment the advertisement appeared, Lin He froze!

Then, he instinctively walked toward that mobile phone store. When he entered the mall shop, he saw a crowd of young people surrounding a counter!

He headed toward the counter!

“Fashion edition, endorsed by Zhou Yang for only 998! 998! It supports MP3, MP4, can take photos, can chat on Q-Dog, and can download educational software…”

“You heard right! Not 3,800, not 1,800, but only 998! Take a fashion phone home today!”

“…”

A series of loud announcements blared from the speakers at the counter.

Lin He’s mind was reeling with shock!

Then…

He instinctively moved forward.

He squeezed through the crowd and found a phone with a relatively large screen sitting on the counter.

He watched as the clerk demonstrated the device.

“Our product line is divided into three series. The one currently on sale is our first generation!”

“…”

He saw the clerk demonstrating the phone’s camera.

He realized the photos were incredibly clear!

They seemed even clearer than those from a Novia worth over two thousand yuan…

Lin He was suddenly tempted.

Then, he watched the clerk demonstrate the MP3 and MP4 functions…

A wave of admiration rose from the young men and women. They had never seen a phone with such powerful features!

Then…

The clerk began demonstrating other features…

Every single one was top-tier!

…………………………

Shenzhen.

Lei Chao sat silently in his room, smoking.

His eyes were fixed on an opened box and the incredibly handsome Zhou Yang on the packaging. He was in a terrible mood.

Yes!

As a phone manufacturer himself, he had also bought a Phelps Phone.

He hoped to find system vulnerabilities in this device.

How could a phone selling for as cheap as 998 not have any flaws?

As a fellow manufacturer, he hoped this phone would have as many defects as possible!

But…

He found that the more he looked for flaws, the more despair he felt.

It was a sense of helplessness coming from the abyss, a pressure so heavy it almost made it impossible to breathe!

The software on this phone was completely different from the mobile operating systems on the market. This was a brand-new system that seemed remarkably smooth!

Moreover, this system seemed to have a feature where, in addition to the built-in software, it could download other applications!

This was an utterly revolutionary advancement!

It had even broken the market dominance of Novia phones…

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed and incredulous he became.

Why had such a phone suddenly appeared? It even felt somewhat like a smartphone…

“Is my phone business really over just like that?”

Lei Chao gritted his teeth!

A ruthless determination filled his heart. As he stared at the television, an idea suddenly struck him!

Since he couldn’t beat the Phelps Phone in terms of performance, could he run advertisements on TV to make a quick profit first?

This was an era where television advertising was just beginning to boom!

In this era, many people had made a fortune selling health products² on TV!

Since their price was 998, he would set his phone at 788. He’d be cheaper than them, and he would also include features like a camera!

Maybe even a little bit of exaggeration in the TV commercials…

That shouldn’t be a problem, right?

At that moment, Lei Chao’s eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately turned on the television, intending to see which station had the most effective commercials.

But…

The very instant he turned it on…

“On this turf of mine, You’ve got to listen to me. Harvesting the music, finding joy through sound, Starting to carve…”

“My territory, my rules! Phelps, the stylish smartphone!”

“…”

He heard a fast-paced, incredibly catchy melody.

In the video…

Zhou Yang was dressed in trendy clothes, performing breakdance moves on a stage!

In one hand, he held a Phelps Phone. As the phone flickered in the light, its marquee lights shimmered brilliantly, looking like a dazzling holy light!

Lei Chao’s eyes widened.

His mouth hung wide open…

His mental state collapsed on the spot.

“Why!”

“Why is it that just as I spotted a business opportunity, just as I realized I could make a fortune by loading phones with MP3 and MP4³ capabilities, you’ve already beaten me to it!”

“Why is it that the moment I thought of using TV commercials to drive sales…”

“You appeared instantly?”

“Why? Why do I feel like I’m living in your shadow?”

“Why!”

Sounds of uncontrollable despair echoed through the hall…

……………………….

The tide of an era…

It is something you can never stop.

If someone surpasses their era, even if they only bring about a change a year or two early, the impact is staggering.

“Oh my god, this phone is actually so cheap!”

“This is the brand endorsed by Zhou Yang! I heard it’s a product from a major multinational corporation…”

“Its features are so powerful. Look, even in this kind of weather, it can take clear photos of people’s faces. It’s simply amazing!”

“Guess the price…”

“Wrong!”

“Wrong again!”

“Not 3800, not 1800, but only 998!”

“Yes, are you shocked? A powerful phone of the era like this costs only 998!”

“Hurry and call the number on the screen, 838**”

“The first fifty viewers to call in will also receive an autographed photo of Zhou Yang!”

“…”

After a busy day, Ding Ziguang liked to lie in bed and watch TV once he got home…

The family dramas on screen allowed him to briefly forget the headaches at the company.

However…

Today, right in the middle of his drama, a TV commercial suddenly cut in!

He was speechless.

But he was too lazy to change the channel…

He could only endure the commercial for now!

The man and woman in the ad were incredibly passionate, screaming at the screen with all their might. Their exaggerated acting gave Ding Ziguang a headache.

Then…

He saw a familiar phone brand: Phelps!

Wait, wasn’t the name of the phone Zhang Yang’s Universe Technology had sent him for no reason a few days ago also called Phelps?

Uh…

The appearance seemed a bit different…

He felt a bit stunned after he pulled out the phone.

It was exactly the same…

This phone only cost 998?

Staring at the figures on the TV screen, Ding Ziguang’s expression suddenly became quite colorful!

He had once thought this was a smartphone worth over ten thousand yuan!

…………….

“Boss, help me download a song. I want ‘My Territory, My Rules’! Zhou Yang’s new song! I want the MV too…”

“I want ‘Common Jasmine Orange,’ Boss. Help me download it…”

“Boss, I want to buy a memory card. Everything about the Phelps Phone is great, but the memory is too small. It runs out after downloading just a few songs.”

“Boss, I’m here to buy a phone!”

“…”

Inside the A-Wei Mobile Store.

Business was exploding.

While Wang Wei was happy, he felt increasingly dejected.

A few months ago, Tong Wei was still that useless, defeated young man whose fiancée constantly belittled him.

But now, the gap between him and Tong Wei seemed to be growing wider and wider.

He heard that the factory over there was already planning to expand with a second facility. The demand for mobile phones among young people seemed to have hit a blowout point overnight!

After finally finding a moment of peace after the rush, Wang Wei looked out at the street and fell into deep thought.

Starting from October 17th.

Everyone discovered that the Phelps Phone had begun to ravage Huaxia like a brainwashing plague.

TV commercials, street posters appearing everywhere, and even on the internet, Zhou Yang’s new music video for “My Territory, My Rules”…

Everything seemed to be filled with the presence of Phelps.

Photography, marquee lights, MP3, MP4…

These trendy concepts, which left young people intoxicated, suddenly became the standard symbol of the era for the youth!

It was a massive trend!

October 25th.

Walking through the streets and alleys, you would suddenly find many young people unconsciously swaying to the music coming from their phones. With their marquee lights flashing and their loud speakers blaring, they were as excited as the young man at the village entrance who frequently had seizures.

They were immersed in it, completely disregarding the gazes of others.

This had inexplicably become a fashion trend.

And Zhang Yang!

He seemed to have redefined the very concept of a mobile phone!

In Wang Wei’s mobile store.

The sales of memory cards were terrifying. 128MB, 256MB, 512MB – he was selling thirty or forty of these cards every day…

Not to mention the other mobile phone stores.

It seemed…

A tide belonging to the youth was surging frantically.

Wang Wei lowered his head.

He suddenly felt a bit bitter.

In truth, aside from the phone’s operating system, this device didn’t really have much technical substance. Even its appearance was “borrowed” from foreign phones, hovering in that gray area where they could be sued, yet were untouchable!

Tong Wei and that technician of Chu Meng’s could do it.

He could do it too!

Once upon a time…

Zhang Yang had come looking for him!

He had watched as such an opportunity slipped right through his fingers!

………………..

Universe Technology.

Zhang Yang looked over the latest mobile phone reports.

In just one short week, sales of the “Phelps” in Huaxia had already surpassed twenty thousand units, and the trend was skyrocketing.

While the profit margin on this phone wasn’t incredibly high – around fifty percent, and even less after accounting for TV commercials and Zhou Yang’s endorsement – it was the weapon Zhang Yang was using to storm the market.

It was like a bomb!

It had exploded across the entire market, even showing signs of tearing a hole in Novia’s dominance.

The emergence of the Phelps phone had certainly caught Novia off guard…

“Even though this phone has many, many flaws from a future perspective, and the system will frequently encounter bugs or even risk brief crashes!”

“But…”

“For this era, it should be enough!”

“…”

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Immediately after, he placed a call to Zhao Hang and Zhong Chongwen…

Soon, the two of them arrived at the office.

Zhang Yang looked at them.

Compared to when he first met them, both men were now full of energy. Not only were they dressed in sharp suits, but they even carried an air of leadership about them.

They were growing.

Growth meant they would soon be able to take charge on their own!

“Gentlemen…”

“How is the development of Plants vs. Zombies coming along?”

“Th-this, this g-game has slightly more content than the previous single-player games. After all, it needs to be r-refined, so we might need more time… probably until mid-November…” The old Zhong Chongwen used to stutter, but after coming into money, he had immediately sought treatment. The results were quite significant; at least he didn’t struggle for ages just to get a single sentence out anymore.

“Good!”

After hearing this, Zhang Yang nodded and continued looking at Zhong Chongwen and Zhao Hang.

“Old Zhong, Old Zhao, I want to establish a mobile game department…”

“What’s a mobile game?” Both men were stunned when they heard this.

They had absolutely no concept of it in their minds.

“Games played on mobile phones.”

“Huh? Can that make money?” Zhong Chongwen was still bewildered.

Mobile games?

What were those?

It was 2005!

Although the concept of mobile games existed, he felt they were just things pre-installed on phones; he didn’t necessarily think they could be profitable.

“Old Zhong, I want you to start recruiting a group of Java developers… We’re currently laying the groundwork for the future. Also, I want to make some adjustments to the game Desert Bicycle. If it can be ported to mobile, give it a try. At the same time, I want to develop some new mobile games…”

“Alright!” Zhong Chongwen nodded, only half-understanding.

“…”

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang’s gaze drifted toward the distance.

He was both full of anticipation for the future and felt a sense of challenge.

According to his latest information.

Over in America, it seemed iOS was going to be released ahead of schedule!

Could he manage to intercept them…

Before the American Apple onslaught arrived?

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes