Restart life

Chapter 409 0399 [HarmonyOS Phone Makes its Debut]

Chen Guiliang shook hands with He Jiong and Xie Na, and the female host named Yang Yi finally stepped forward to greet them.

Yang Yi understood these social etiquette rules, but she didn't want to be too obviously different from others, and she was also embarrassed to continue standing there waiting.

This is true for most people in life.

For example, someone knows they should flatter their boss, but can't bring themselves to do it or overcome their mental hurdle. However, if they don't do something, they feel they haven't done enough, so they try to make amends. In these situations, attempts to salvage the situation often turn into awkward small talk.

Yang Yi's attempt to salvage the situation when facing Li Yanhong was rather awkward. She abruptly praised Li Yanhong for his pleasant speech, which disrupted He Jiong's hosting rhythm, forcing He Jiong to repeat his question.

At that time, Yang Yi was quite popular on Hunan TV, co-hosting "Yue Ce Yue Kai Xin" with Wang Han. However, she was a rather laid-back person and got married and retired from the entertainment industry before she turned 30.

Even those who are indifferent to worldly affairs sometimes want to express themselves.

This time, Yang Yi spoke up before He Jiong could: "Wow, the audience's reaction is so enthusiastic!"

Xie was clearly taken aback for a moment.

Whether it's shaking hands or exchanging ideas, He Jiong always goes first; Yang Yi never gets a chance to lead.

He Jiong, without changing his expression, continued with a smile: "Yes, the students were all very enthusiastic, like seeing old friends. How did President Chen become friends with us high school students?"

“I’m a student too, and students naturally have common topics,” Chen Guiliang said. “There are also many high school students on Renren.com, and I often communicate with them. Of course, there are also times when we argue, but we become friends after arguing.”

Xie Na exclaimed, "Wow, he's still a student and he's already taken his company public. And he's so handsome!"

Chen Guiliang said, "Your boyfriend is quite handsome too."

"Oh~~~~~"

The high school students in the audience started to cheer, and rumors about Xie Na and Zhang Jie spread like wildfire, but neither of them admitted to it.

Of course, I don't deny it either.

Xie Na had always wanted to go public with her relationship, but she was afraid that it would offend both herself and Zhang Jie's fans. So she was happy to have people bring it up, to cultivate her fans' acceptance, and to test their reactions little by little.

He Jiong chuckled and joked, "President Chen, you're a big boss, do you still have time to pay attention to Nana's scandals?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I know her boyfriend; we knew each other before she participated in the Super Boy competition."

"Wow!"

Another gasp rippled through the audience.

He Jiong exclaimed with an exaggerated expression, "This is big news!"

“We won’t discuss personal matters today,” Xie Na said, knowing when to stop. “All the students we’ve invited today are 18-year-olds. What was Mr. Chen doing when he was 18?”

Yang Yi suddenly blurted out, "I know, they're participating in the New Concept Writing Competition!"

Chen Guiliang said, "I was only 18 years old after I took the college entrance examination. At that time, I was waiting at home for the admission notice from Peking University. They said it was also possible to participate in the New Concept Writing Competition at the age of 18. The essay finals were held in January of that year."

He Jiong said, "It seems that back then, all the teachers at ten prestigious universities, including Tsinghua, Peking University, and Fudan, were vying for you? Some schools even promised not to look at your college entrance exam scores?"

"The rumors are true." Chen Guiliang nodded.

"Wow!"

The high school students at the scene gasped in surprise again.

These students all come from key high schools across the country, and Hunan TV invited them during the May Day holiday.

The program team directly liaised with the schools, who then selected outstanding students to participate. A large number of students were confirmed for direct admission, and those who weren't weren't too worried about the college entrance exam.

He Jiong then asked, "Back then, many people thought you would study Chinese literature and pursue writing or other cultural work. Why did you suddenly start a company?"

Chen Guiliang joked, "I've been poor since I was a child. To save money to buy books, I couldn't afford meat for two years in high school. At that time, I had more than 100,000 yuan in royalties and bonuses. I had never had so much money before. I didn't know what to do with it, so I simply opened two companies to manage it."

“Listen to this, does this sound like human speech?” He Jiong deliberately got so excited that his voice cracked. “I had money in my hands and didn’t know what to do with it, so I just randomly started two companies, and before I knew it, they were listed on the US stock market.”

Xie Na asked, "Mr. Chen, I also have some money but I don't know what to do with it. Could we start a company together?"

"Hahaha!"

The high school students burst into laughter again, finding Chen Guiliang's conversation with the host quite amusing.

He Jiong's tone became serious: "The students here are all 18 years old and will soon be entering university. Perhaps some of them are thinking about starting a business while in university. What experience does Mr. Chen have to share with them?"

Chen Guiliang also put away his smile: "I don't recommend college students start their own businesses. First, it's extremely tiring, even more tiring than preparing for the college entrance exam in the senior year of high school. At that time, I was managing two companies at the same time, and I also had to write novels to earn royalties to support the companies. I also enrolled in 14 courses, and I didn't dare to skip classes frequently in my freshman year. So, I was sleep-deprived every day, and I don't even know how I got through it."

Yang Yi quickly seized the opportunity to say, "It seems that all successful people have put in tremendous effort behind their success."

Chen Guiliang continued, "Secondly, the success rate of college students starting businesses is very low, especially for those without background or connections. My earlier comment about handling royalties was a joke. The reason I chose to start a business is because I was confident. I was convinced that Web 2.0 was the future trend of the internet, which is why I created an SNS website. Even so, I also simultaneously started a game company. Because running an SNS is extremely risky, if it fails, the game company will be there to cover my losses."

The Professor Yang incident has been brought up again recently. Furthermore, the release of the criteria for diagnosing "internet addiction" as a mental illness has sparked heated debate in public opinion.

Fearing unnecessary trouble, He Jiong quickly changed his tune, saying, "Both of Mr. Chen's games have been selected for the 'China National Online Game Project,' earning a lot of US dollars for the country's export revenue!"

Chen Guiliang added, "Game Science has been recognized as a key national cultural export enterprise. This list was announced at the end of last month and was jointly determined by five national ministries."

"Wow, a key cultural export enterprise, this is bringing glory to the country!" Xie Na flattered at the opportune moment.

The director reminded the host to be mindful of the time, and He Jiong immediately asked, "Besides your entrepreneurial experience, Mr. Chen, is there anything else you'd like to say to the youth here and across the country?" Chen Guiliang replied, "You must be focused when you do things. Study hard when you're studying, and play hard when you're playing games. Don't be half-hearted, otherwise you won't study well or play well. By the way, when I came on stage just now, I gave the middle finger. That's uncivilized behavior, kids shouldn't imitate me."

"cut!"

Some of Chen Guiliang's online fans at the scene were jeering at his words.

Chen Guiliang's interaction with the audience was quite enjoyable, and He Jiong actually wanted to do more of that. But the director kept urging them to hurry, so he could only speed things up: "Today, all the guests are supposed to bring a gift for the young people. What gift did Mr. Chen bring?"

Chen Guiliang pulled out a mobile phone: "This is the HarmonyOS smartphone that I developed myself. It hasn't been released yet; we've just finished making a prototype. I will invite 10 lucky friends to visit the HarmonyOS smartphone R&D base this summer to experience the research atmosphere of the industrial application laboratory. Before the HarmonyOS smartphone is officially sold, I will give them a phone to experience it firsthand."

"So beautiful!" Xie Na exclaimed sincerely, staring at her phone.

Chen Guiliang handed her the phone: "The application software hasn't been installed yet, and the SIM card can't be inserted. Try it."

He Jiong said, "Why don't we start with a lucky draw and let the winners experience it together! Mr. Chen, please press the button."

Chen Guiliang received something that looked like a remote control, and the large screen kept scrolling numbers.

"Alright, the first winner has been chosen. Number 1385!" He Jiong announced.

The boy with seat number 1385 stood up excitedly, waving his hands wildly and saying, "I... I won the prize!"

Nine remain; select them all at once.

Ten high school students happily went up on stage. Six were boys and four were girls, all with clear, bright eyes.

One of the male students, who had been jeering and calling out Chen Guiliang's nickname from the audience, became reserved now that they were actually in close proximity, his body trembling slightly as he stood next to Chen Guiliang.

The cameraman zoomed in to take a close-up shot of the phone.

Chen Guiliang wasn't just there to join the fun; he was also there to promote the HarmonyOS phone. He demonstrated, saying, "Apple and Meizu phones both use a Home button design. The HarmonyOS phone uses a triple-button design, which we've already patented. This is the back button; it can return to the previous page or menu, close the keyboard, and close dialog boxes..."

Not to mention the ten lucky students, even the three hosts were watching intently.

They had never used Apple or Meizu before, and this was the first time they had seen a real full-touchscreen smartphone in person.

It's incredibly novel and amazing!
If HarmonyOS phones were available for sale now, He Jiong would definitely buy one to try it out.

"Wow!"

A gasp of amazement rippled through the audience, both on and off the stage.

More than 2000 high school students sitting in the audience watched the live feed on the big screen and had high expectations for the HarmonyOS phone, which is still under development.

so cool!
They could operate the phone freely by swiping with two fingers, something they had never seen or even heard of before.

To pull off this stunt, Chen Guiliang not only didn't receive an appearance fee, but also gave Hunan TV a sponsorship fee.

Otherwise, they could do whatever they wanted on set, but 99% of the phone demonstration footage would definitely be cut from the broadcast.

Xie Na was so fond of the HarmonyOS phone that once it was in her hands, she wouldn't let it pass to her anymore. She kept swiping and pressing the buttons with her fingers, while the students could only gather around her to watch.

"Haha, don't worry, Mr. Chen will give each of you a mobile phone," He Jiong received another reminder from the director. "This gift is very meaningful. It's not just a mobile phone, but also a high-tech product made in China. This proves that Chinese manufacturing is also moving towards the high-tech field."

Chen Guiliang said, “Indeed. High-tech manufacturing cannot be separated from innovation, and young people are the most innovative. The average age of employees in my companies, ByteDance and Game Science, is less than 30. The average age of employees in HarmonyOS, a subsidiary of ByteDance, is also only around 30. We respect the elders, but we also value the youth. We hope that all Chinese youth can strive for excellence!”

Yang Yi, who hadn't had a chance to speak until now, quickly chimed in, "President Chen spoke so well!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen, for bringing gifts and words of encouragement to our youth. Thank you!" He Jiong finally began to see the guests off; there were still many singers, dancers, and guests waiting to appear.

The entire audience cheered and gave them a send-off.

Chen Guiliang, however, refused to leave: "Hey, give me back my phone."

Sheena joked, "Can I buy it?"

Chen Guiliang deliberately spoke into the microphone: "The phone doesn't even have a network access license, so it can't insert a SIM card to make calls. What are you going to do with it? Just use it for fun all day?"

"Hahahaha!"

The audience burst into laughter again.

"Okay, here you go." Xie Na said reluctantly. Actually, most of it was an act; she was intentionally promoting Chen Guiliang's phone.

Chen Guiliang explained, "This is an engineering prototype and needs to be verified and tested before mass production can begin. If you want to buy it, you should be able to get it within this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

He Jiong said, "This phone is so cool, just as cool as President Chen. It's also super high-end. Nana and I will definitely support it once it's released!"

Chen Guiliang then put away his phone and left, waving all the way to the audience.

Now that the engineering prototype is complete, Chen Guiliang's publicity campaign is about to begin!
We hope to see long queues like those seen with Meizu on the first day of HarmonyOS phone sales.

The supply chain must be well managed; we need to communicate repeatedly with suppliers and persuade them to increase their production capacity.

If the promotion is too good, a large number of fans will rush to buy the phones, resulting in insufficient production capacity, which would be embarrassing.

Meizu is in a rather awkward position right now, constantly facing stock shortages. A batch of phones that just rolled off the assembly line sells out within days, and then they have to wait for the suppliers to deliver chips.

(End of this chapter)