My son is a reincarnated soul; I overheard his inner thoughts and became the richest man.

Early April, Shanghai.

Chen Feng, who was working from home, received a call from Lin Wan.

"Mr. Chen, there's a new development."

Lin Wan reported, "China Mobile contacted us and said they want to launch a new service called 'Color Ringback Tone,' which replaces the 'beep beep' waiting tone when making a call with music. They plan to conduct a pilot program in four cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang."

"China Mobile knows that we have stockpiled a large number of domestic and international music copyrights and wants to cooperate with us to put these songs into their ringback tone library."

"As for the revenue sharing model... they are quite sincere, only charging a 15% channel fee, with the remaining 85% going to the copyright holder, which means it goes to us."

Upon hearing the word "ringtone," Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.

In order to create an ecosystem for MP3, he casually bought up the copyrights of major domestic record companies at low prices.

Originally intended as an accessory to MP3 players, it has unexpectedly found a new way to monetize.

Moreover, it was a channel that a giant like China Mobile actively offered to us.

"Agree to their request."

Chen Feng spoke calmly, but he had already started planning in his mind: "Anyway, the copyright is just sitting idle, so it's good to have another avenue to pursue."

"With such a large user base, even if we only charge each user one or two yuan, the total cost is still considerable."

"Yes, Mr. Chen, I'll go and sign the contract with China Mobile right away." Lin Wan accepted the order.

Chen Feng hung up the phone and took a sip of the herbal tea on the table.

Due to the SARS outbreak, all schools were closed.

Chen Xiaotian was lounging on the sofa, flipping through a comic book, when he heard the noise and curiously came over.

"Dad, what did you just mention about a mobile company? What do they want with us?"

Chen Feng casually explained, "Oh, China Mobile is going to conduct pilot programs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang to launch a new service called 'Color Ringback Tone,' which basically replaces the waiting tone when making a call with music."

"Our Fengtian Technology has a huge stockpile of music copyrights, and they want to collaborate to put these songs into our library."

Chen Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened in surprise.

[Ringtone?!]

[Holy crap, this was one of the most profitable businesses of the 2000s! I'd almost forgotten that those internet tycoons who made their fortunes through SP (Service Provider) services all earned their first pot of gold this way.]

At its peak, the ringback tone market was worth two to three hundred billion yuan! A single song like "Two Butterflies" or "Mice Love Rice" could earn tens of millions of yuan.

My dad's luck is unbelievable. He bought the copyright for a pittance on a whim to make MP3s, and now it's become a golden goose. This incredible wealth is unstoppable!

Upon hearing his son's heartfelt words, Chen Feng's hand holding the teacup suddenly paused.

A market size of two to three hundred billion?

Can you earn tens of millions just by singing a few songs?

He originally thought it was just a small business to earn some pocket money, but he never expected it to be a hidden gold mine.

The initial purchase of digital rights from domestic record companies was purely to build iMusic's competitive advantage, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a great success.

Chen Feng calmly put down his teacup, turned and walked into the study, closing the door behind him.

He immediately called Lin Wan back.

"President Chen?" Lin Wan on the phone was a little surprised. Didn't they just finish talking?

"Regarding the ringback tone service mentioned earlier, I have a few points to add."

Chen Feng said seriously, "Lin Wan, don't treat this as just an ordinary value-added service. I have a feeling this could be a point of explosive growth."

"Think about it, the number of mobile phone users in China has now exceeded 200 million, and it is still growing rapidly. Young people pursue individuality and are tired of the same old beeping sounds. For them, mobile phones are not just communication tools, but also accessories to show their personality."

"Therefore, this project needs to be upgraded in terms of management. Once the pilot data is positive, we will immediately establish an independent business unit specifically responsible for the operation and promotion of the copyright."

Although Lin Wan was somewhat surprised by the level of importance her boss placed on it, she was already used to Chen Feng's terrifyingly accurate business acumen.

"Understood, Mr. Chen. I will personally oversee the data for this business."

......

Although the shadow of SARS loomed over the city, the gears of commerce did not stop turning.

In May, Shanghai Mobile took the lead in launching a trial commercial service for custom ringback tones.

Following suit, Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang also followed suit.

Initially, China Mobile did not launch a massive campaign to announce GG in the mainstream media; instead, it tested the waters in its physical stores and via SMS.

The result was unexpectedly popular.

Young people are sending text messages to activate services in order to make their phones sound "cooler".

Jay Chou and Stefanie Sun's hit songs have become hot commodities.

Due to limited server capacity, China Mobile was even forced to implement traffic throttling measures, opening only a limited number of slots each day.

Even so, the spots were snapped up in seconds, creating a frenzy similar to a housing rush.

Seeing this momentum, the top management of China Mobile was overjoyed and quickly increased resource investment, fully opening up the application process.

As the largest copyright holder, Fengtian Technology reaped the first wave of benefits without lifting a finger.

Just one month.

Looking at the financial statements, Lin Wan excitedly reported to Chen Feng, "President Chen, this is practically a money-printing machine! Just from the pilot programs in four provinces and cities, our revenue sharing in the first month exceeded one million!"

Chen Feng smiled slightly.

A million may seem like a small number, but it's just a spark.

Once it's rolled out nationwide, it will spread like wildfire.

"Now that the market has proven its success, let's not hesitate. Immediately establish a ringback tone business unit, recruit people, edit content, and promote it to maximize the utilization of our copyright library."

"yes!"

Just as Fengtian Technology was sharpening its knives, China Unicom couldn't sit still any longer.

Seeing its old rival China Mobile thriving in the value-added services market, China Unicom quickly followed suit and launched its own competing product – "Xuanling".

Although China Unicom's user base was smaller than China Mobile's at that time, it was still a huge market with tens of millions of users, and it also had a high-end CDMA user base.

China Unicom proactively approached us seeking cooperation.

For Fengtian Technology, this is a windfall.

The copyright is readily available, and the pre-made ringtones are also readily available; it's just a matter of adding another pipe to let the water flow.

The cost is almost zero, but the benefits are real.

Chen Feng waved his hand dismissively: Sign!

They'll take anyone who pays.

Thus, in the summer of 2003, while most industries were still struggling to recover from SARS, Fengtian Technology set sail in the new blue ocean of ringback tones and made a fortune.

......

June.

With the World Health Organization announcing the lifting of its travel warning for Beijing, the white terror that had shrouded the land of China for months has finally dissipated.

On the streets and alleys, people are taking off their heavy cotton masks, and the long-lost lively atmosphere is rising again.

The pent-up consumer desires of the past few months burst forth like a flood.

Among all consumer goods, electric vehicles are undoubtedly the biggest winners.

Yonghong Auto Dealership, Xuhui District, Shanghai.

The afternoon sun was quite harsh, and the ceiling fans in the shop were whirring loudly.

The boss, Zhang Yonghong, was wiping his sweat with a wet towel when a young couple stood opposite him.

"Young man, don't hesitate. This is a shipment that just arrived today. There are only three in total. The other two were snapped up this morning. This silver-gray Wind Chaser II is the last one left."

Zhang Yonghong pointed to the sleek electric scooter in the center of the store, his tone laced with arrogance, "If you don't make a move now, it'll be gone when you turn around and come back."

In 2003, 2899 yuan was by no means a small amount; it was equivalent to two or three months' wages for an average wage earner.

The young man was wearing a slightly faded Nike T-shirt, and his palms were slightly sweaty.

He looked at the car's futuristic lines, then at his girlfriend beside him who was looking expectant, and gritted his teeth before tentatively asking:

"Boss, this is too expensive. The cheap bikes next door are only 1,800. Can you make it cheaper? A hundred dollars less, or even throw in a lock."

"Brother, it's really not because I'm mean-spirited."

Zhang Yonghong waved his hand, looking helpless. "You've seen the market situation. Fengchi is a big brand, with durable batteries and a powerful motor. It runs like a motorcycle. Other no-name brands will have their batteries ruined after six months. You can do the math, right?"

"Besides, we might have been able to throw in a raincoat or a bike lock before, but now? We have to fight to get our hands on a shipment from the manufacturer. It's a one-price deal all over Shanghai, not a penny less."

Seeing the boss's tough attitude, the young man hesitated.

At that moment, the girl beside him gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Let's take this one. The other brands look too outdated, and I've really been terrified of taking the bus these past few months..."

His girlfriend's words became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Okay! I'll buy it!"

The young man gritted his teeth, took off his fanny pack, and pulled out a wad of hundred-yuan bills that were still warm from his body.

Count them out one by one and solemnly slap them onto the counter.

"That's right, the sooner you buy, the sooner you can enjoy it."

Zhang Yonghong deftly issued the invoice, stamped it, and handed over the keys.

Although his wallet was much emptier, the young man's pain instantly turned into excitement the moment he stepped onto the brand-new electric scooter, turned the handlebars, and felt the vehicle start silently.

"Xiao Nuan, get in the car! Let's go for a drive!"

The girl cheered and lightly jumped onto the back seat, hugging her boyfriend's waist tightly.

Just as the two were about to push the car out of the store, a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase and covered in sweat rushed in.

"Boss! Do you have a Wind Chaser II in stock? I want the silver-gray one!"

Zhang Yonghong shrugged and pointed to the young couple pushing the cart: "We're a step too late. The last one was just taken away by this young man."

"What? It's sold out again? I've already gone to five stores!"

The middle-aged man was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

He turned to look at the young man who was about to leave, and his eyes lit up.

"Hey buddy, I need to make a deal. Can you transfer your car to me? I'll give you an extra hundred bucks!"

The young man was stunned. He could make a hundred yuan just by reselling the car he had just bought?

That's quite a temptation.

But before he could even speak, the girl in the back seat shook her head frantically.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man immediately held up two fingers: "Two hundred! I'll add two hundred! That's a net profit of two hundred, enough for you to have a big meal!"

This scene left the other customers in the store stunned.

The young man glanced back at his girlfriend's determined gaze, then looked at the car he had longed for. The pride of owning his own vehicle instantly overwhelmed the temptation of money.

"Sorry, sir, we've been waiting for this car for a long time, but we really can't sell it."

After saying that, fearing that the other party would raise the price again, he quickly turned on the switch.

The Wind Chaser II sped off in a flash, leaving only a dashing silhouette.

"Sigh! Young people these days..."

The middle-aged man sighed helplessly, turned to Zhang Yonghong, and asked, "Boss, when will the next batch of goods arrive?"

"I can't say for sure, the earliest would be next week."

Zhang Yonghong also looked helpless. "You wouldn't believe it, right now at Fengchi's factory, workers are working in three shifts, and the machines are running non-stop, 24 hours a day. Even so, production capacity still can't keep up."

"To meet production deadlines, the manufacturer even used several contract manufacturers. But there was no way around it; people all over the country recognize this brand. Other electric bikes just sit there gathering dust, but Fengchi bikes are snapped up as soon as they arrive."

"Want to buy it? Or should you pay a deposit and get a number first?"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, but finally took out his wallet: "Okay, I'll take a number, but I only want Fengchi, nothing else."

This scene is not unique to Shanghai.

From Beijing to Guangzhou, from provincial capitals to county towns, Fengchi electric vehicles have almost become a form of hard currency.