Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 359 Welcome to Our Press Conference (Part 2)

July 11, Beijing North, Xinglang Headquarters.

"Tina, the first phase of marketing for Hongtu OS is complete, and the current data feedback is exceeding expectations by 30%. Should we reduce our investment in the second phase?"

In the office of Xinglang Weibo in Beijing, Li Tiantian shook her head: "Execute according to the original plan. No cuts are allowed. It's a good thing if there are results that exceed expectations."

Li Tiantian stood up with her coffee cup in hand and walked around the whiteboard in the office, which displayed a mind map of the "Hongtu OS" launch project.

As she got to know more and more, Li Tiantian had a feeling.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, all mobile phone manufacturers nationwide, the two major telecom operators, Harbin Institute of Technology
I am witnessing a momentous event that will be recorded in the history of Chinese commerce.

Whether this leads to the creation of a business empire or a technological legend, or it brings the technology down to earth and proves that high technology cannot be born in China or in the hands of young people.
This will all be a big event.

July 18, Bulk Province, Dongyang.

It was an ordinary afternoon at Maofang Middle School, a key high school in Qianshi.

"Look! It turns out that the 'Mechanical Core Research Institute' that was all the rage a while ago was set up by senior student Zhai Da!"

"Really? It was all over the internet a while ago, the name is really awesome."

"Holy crap! Is Zhai Da really that awesome?!"

"Show some respect! Call me Captain!"

In the noisy corridor, the new graduating class of high school students, who were once Zhai Da's juniors, were having a heated discussion.

The name "Mechanical Core Research Institute" has long been known throughout the country, but it receives particularly high attention here.

A middle-aged male teacher wearing glasses paused slightly, listened for a moment, smiled, and continued walking into his office.

But then I saw a flat delivery bag on the table.

Shen Rui tore open the seal, took out the exquisite matte black invitation with gold foil stamping, and smiled slightly.

"We cordially invite you to attend the next-generation smart product launch event to be held in northern Beijing on August 8, 2009. Please contact the designated person below to arrange your travel and accommodation."

Shen Rui looked at it against the light.

"Even though I just took leave, I still have to go."

July 19, Shanghai, Fudan University back gate on Daxue Road, Zhichuang Space.

Chu Xiang placed several invitations on Xiang You's desk.

"Here you go~ Boss's invitation."

Xiang You opened it and glanced at it: "Why are there so many?"

“It’s not just the two of us. Our company was one of the first to adopt Hongtu OS. We are enterprise-level invitees and can bring ten people with us.”

"So here's the question: Our company has eight people in total."

"Then we need to find two more urgently. We can't let the boss's side fall silent. We have to go and make him look good."

Xiang You tilted his head: "This works? What kind of people can a small company like ours hire to make us look good?"

"We need to hire two receptionists with thin legs; the boss will love that."

"I think you want to get slapped by Lu Wei, or maybe Little Deer will jump up and headbutt you to death."

7 month 24 day.

As the days go by, the "Mechanical Core Research Institute" is increasingly coming into the public eye.

With the bombardment of Star Wave's exposure, almost everyone who frequently goes online has heard of these words, and no one in the industry is unaware of them.

The continuous buzz led other media outlets to join in creating this traffic surge, with NetEase and Sohu News also reposting the stories in bulk. Amidst the mix of true and false information, this research institute, which seemed to have sprung up from a crack in the rock, became a contradictory combination of "famous" and "mysterious".

It's famous because news about it is everywhere, and mysterious because few people know what it's planning.

Countless invitations have been sent out, and most of the invited companies and individuals are responding positively, while Zhai Da from Harbin is packing his bags.

This time, the team consisted of many people from the research institute, and they returned after the press conference.

He had to get there in advance to handle various tasks, and most importantly, he needed to participate in the rehearsals.

He was the most important speaker at the entire press conference, and his speech alone was tens of thousands of words long, taking more than an hour to finish.

Timing, transitions, and mood are also important.
Furthermore, he also chose to incorporate some small magic tricks into the entire press conference.

Tang Xiao Kui squatted down to the side, helping Lu Wei fold clothes for Zhai Da, and whispered, "Brother, why did you go so early?"

For the past two weeks, although Zhai Da has been spending most of his time at the research institute, he has also managed to take his family around the area every few days.

Zhai Da stroked Tang Xiao Kui's soft fur: "It's for work. If you're bored, talk to your mom and you can come to Beijing earlier. But once you get there, you'll be staying in a hotel, which isn't as comfortable as home."

Half an hour later, Zhai Da drove to the research institute, and then led a team of more than ten people towards northern Beijing.

July 31, Chaoyang District, northern Beijing.

International Conference Center.

This large conference and exhibition center, built for the 08 Olympics and recently put into use, boasts the highest venue specifications in northern Beijing, with top-notch hardware design and management facilities.

The price too.

Interestingly, although we have hosted some events since we started operating in May this year, this is the first time we have held a large-scale product launch.

Inside the grand banquet hall, since the venue was not yet theirs to use, no set was set up, but some rehearsal work had been permitted.

On the dimly lit stage, Zhai Da, dressed in sportswear, stood under the spotlight, moving left and right to mark the positions of the lights.

The thousands of seats below were mostly empty, but the sheer emptiness created a sense of oppression.

If you are not comfortable speaking in public, then stand here.
Adrenaline needs to be pumped into the brain.

Zhai Da looked up at the dark and intricate ceiling, imagining the threads hanging down.
Although it was his first time performing magic on stage, he still needed to find a balance.

Magic is just a highlight, not the main point. Don't get confused.

He overdid it by showing off, and when the video got out, people thought he was filming a TV show, which also made "Hongtu OS" look fake.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The days passed by.

Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for arrived: August 8th.

Outside the international conference center, crowds were already gathering.

Countless invitees filed in, either through the regular entrance or the VIP entrance.

Nearly 3000 people attended the press conference today. It's fortunate that this place was originally designed and planned for important meetings, otherwise it would probably have been as chaotic as a concert entrance.

A huge live broadcast van was parked in a corner of the outdoor area. A reporter from Xinglang News addressed the camera: "Viewers, you are now watching a live broadcast exclusively by Xinglang News of the Mechanical Core Research Institute's 2009 Developer Conference and Product Launch."

Starting from 6 PM, the prime time, the live stream link was pinned to the top of Star Wave's homepage, Star Wave News, and Weibo.

In 09, organizing a live webcast required a huge undertaking; it was something that only professional teams and large companies could manage, as server and bandwidth issues alone were a major hurdle.

Starwave has given its full support this time.

But they are still not the only protagonists; on the other side, reporters from Yangshi are also recording footage.

Although the city government will not be broadcasting live, they have still sent a team, and depending on the response, it may be included in the news in the next few days.

As many as 80 other media outlets also participated, some bringing cameras and others simply sending reporters to take photos. Such a gathering of media at a product launch was extremely rare in 09.

Occasionally, reporters would stop attendees who were about to enter for a chat, and they especially liked to approach international attendees.

A white man, clearly a foreigner, was stopped and asked in English, "Hello, what is your name?" The white man smiled and replied, "Linus Torvalds."

"Why did you come to this press conference?"

“Oh, I met ‘Mo Cheng’ on a developer forum. We had a great time chatting, and he invited me here.”

"Which company do you belong to?"

"I am currently a freelance developer."

The reporter was somewhat disappointed not to hear the name of the impressive company. Seeing the name tag was the color of a VIP inviter, it seemed like just another passerby.
So they decided to let the foreigner go.

Little did they know that a true mastermind had slipped through their fingers.
Inside the grand banquet hall, after a rapid 24-hour setup, the place has been transformed. A huge screen now surrounds most of the stage in an arc, and many of the 3000 seats below have already been filled.

The seating was divided into three sections: left, center, and right. Each section had dozens of rows, with the first three rows being VIP seats.

An executive from Shenzhen-based Huawai Communications is talking with Yang Jie, head of China Telecom's mobile business.

Before the official start, there were many small-scale social gatherings like this, after all, being able to bring together so many industry professionals and bigwigs has high business value in itself.

"Our fourth-generation base station technology has been finalized; you must visit Shenzhen to see it..."

Yang Jie looked around for a while and saw Lu Qinjian, the head of the department, and Wan Gang, the head of the department, enter. He immediately gestured with his hand and said, "Let's talk later, let's talk later! I'll go say hello."

These two will attend but will keep a very low profile, with no one accompanying them, and their seats will be arranged in a corner of the first three rows.

After Lu and Wan, the two bigwigs, sat down, they looked around and thought to themselves that President Zhai was really going all out this time. They wondered how this press conference would be organized.
This is absolutely a novelty in the country; previously, only foreign car companies would do this.

Inside the grand banquet hall, the emcee, dressed in formal attire, guided guests among the seats as more and more people entered. In particular, the media area was filled with cameras and microphones.

The lights gradually dimmed, adjusting the atmosphere inside the venue, and the participants' voices gradually lowered.

The main character of this press conference has already quietly entered the venue.

Zhai Da wore a black suit and black shirt. The tailored cut revealed his tall and upright figure, making him look capable and sharp. A vest was also faintly visible in the lining. He looked like a combination of a gentleman and an engineer, a genius and a business elite.

This outfit was hand-tailored by his own mother, and Zhai Da wore it to the most formal occasion, so as not to let down Ms. Yu who had stayed up for several long nights.

Zhai Da walked past the front row, greeting everyone he passed.

"Minister Lu, Minister Wan, General Manager Yang, General Manager Liu, thank you for coming."

"Fan Junwei, it's amazing you managed to buy this outfit. So handsome! He looks like a thug in a suit!"

"Teacher Shen, it's been a long time."

"Principal Wang, what brings you to this seat? Oh, perhaps you'd like to chat with the members of Pi?"

"Uncle Lu, Xiao Lu. I won't introduce the lady next to me, Ms. Gao Yuanyuan, one of the few female celebrities I'm familiar with."

A series of simple social interactions, but because everyone who came was important, it took more than ten minutes to walk from left to right.

Finally, after a staff member reminded him to keep track of the time, Zhai Dacai patted Wu Yue on the shoulder and returned to his seat in the middle of the first row.

Xiao Mutou, Ms. Yu, and Tang Xiaokui were already waiting for him; the best spot was reserved for the person closest to him.

After sitting down, Zhai Da glanced at his watch and took a deep breath.
Looking back, the banquet hall was already dark and barely visible due to the dim lighting, but it remained completely shrouded in darkness.
That's the limit of his influence at this moment.

If this goes wrong, it'll probably be on the news for days, and it'll also ruin the opening of "Hongtu OS".

At that moment, a cool, soft hand was placed on the back of his hand.

Turning his head, he saw Lu Wei, a math prodigy from Harbin Institute of Technology, giving him a firm smile.

"It'll be fine."

Zhai Da also grabbed that hand: "Of course!"

Tang Xiao Kui, wanting to join in the fun, reached out and placed her hand on it, saying, "Brother! Good luck!"

Yu Xiaoli also offered a hand; she was a mother who never spoiled the mood: "Xiaoda, don't be nervous!"

Zhai Da smiled slightly: "Just wait and see my performance."

Beijing time, August 8th, 8:08 PM.

The first product launch event of the Mechanical Core Research Institute has officially begun.

As announced over the loudspeaker, the lights in the grand ballroom dimmed again, leaving only a faint warm glow on the stage.

The crowd fell silent, and even at this point, 90% of the people in the room still did not know what the announcement would be.

At that moment, the large screen on the stage lit up.

What appeared was a huge logo, a giant gear with a metallic texture, inside which was a "π".

The two lines of smaller text below read "Mechanical Core Research Institute" and "Infinite, Boundless, Fearless".

This is the research institute's logo; it's simple, clear, and powerful.

Next up was the Harbin Institute of Technology's school emblem.

Finally, the big screen dimmed again; it wasn't time for it to unleash its power yet, because the main character hadn't taken the stage.

Suddenly, a powerful melody began to play.

The broadcast, in both languages, announced: "Now, please welcome Mr. Zhai Da, CEO of the Mechanical Core Research Institute, to the stage to host the event."

A spotlight shone down on Zhai Da, who was sitting in the front row.

The capable and sharp young man stood up, turned around, waved to the 3000 participants, and nodded in thanks.

In front of countless people, Zhai Da adjusted the small microphone on his collar, paused for a few seconds, then turned and walked towards the stage, with the spotlight following his steps.

However, someone quickly realized that something was wrong.

This huge stage is a full 1.5 meters high, like a low wall, and most people can't even climb it. The entrance should be on the sides.

But this young man, who has recently gained fame again, walked step by step toward the center, as if he were about to crash into the stage or perform a wall-climbing act in public.

Zhai Da deliberately slowed down his pace. At the very beginning, everyone's attention was most focused, and some commotion could even be heard.

Until he walked to the front of the stage and raised his left leg.

They stepped onto steps that didn't exist.

"Holy crap! What the hell is that?"

"Am I seeing things?!"

Zhai Da continued to lift his right leg, the movement fluid and natural, stepping onto an even higher step.

Step by step, we climbed the stairs.

Amidst gasps of surprise, Zhai Da stepped into the air and steadily ascended onto the stage.

After turning around, he opened his arms to the crowd.

Before anything could be said, and before many people could even process what was happening, they were left speechless.

Thunderous applause erupted in the grand banquet hall.

He has always been more likely to receive applause.

At this moment, Zhai Dacai uttered the first words of the press conference.

"Welcome 3000 developers, media, and industry professionals from 18 countries around the world."

"Welcome to our press conference."

(End of this chapter)