Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

The car drove back to Futian from Nanshan.

Not far from the Harbin Institute of Technology campus, Lin Dong had Ah Hao stop in front of a clean-looking chain hotel.

"Mingyuan, you can stay here for the next couple of days," Lin Dong said to Zhang Mingyuan. "The room is booked, and the deposit has been paid. Order whatever you want to eat, and it will be charged to your room account."

Looking at the hotel's gleaming glass doors, Zhang Mingyuan was a little flustered: "Boss Lin, this...this is too expensive. I'll just find a cheap guesthouse..."

"You're mine now," Lin Dong interrupted him. "Your living situation needs to be decent. Tomorrow, Uncle Cai will take you to the company's temporary accommodations, and the lab and equipment will gradually arrive. Get a good rest tonight and sort out what's on your mind."

Zhang Mingyuan's throat moved, but he couldn't speak; he could only nod vigorously.

"Call me if anything happens." Lin Dong handed him a slip of paper with Uncle Cai's and Ah Hao's numbers on it, and added, "Uncle Cai has already contacted the hospital about your mother's illness, and we should have news in the next couple of days."

These words are more effective than any comforting words.

Zhang Mingyuan's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded emphatically, "I understand! Boss Lin, don't worry!"

Lin Dong patted him on the shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to get into the car.

The car rejoined the traffic flow.

As dusk settled, the streetlights outside the window gradually illuminated the scene.

Lin Dong leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, but the curve of his lips was more pronounced than when he arrived.

Zhang Mingyuan, the foundation of hardware.

Zhou Chengyu, an interactive soul.

The two names swirled in his mind like two chess pieces that had just been polished and placed in the correct positions.

He could almost see the future: the precision circuit board drawn by Zhang Mingyuan, combined with the silky smooth touch code written by Zhou Chengyu, would become a device that could truly be held in one's hand.

This feeling is even more exhilarating than making hundreds of thousands or millions by reselling goods in Huaqiangbei.

That's just copying answers.

Now he is personally recruiting a group of powerful individuals who will one day make waves in the world, bringing them into his team.

However, one piece is still missing.

What's missing is someone who can make this thing captivate people at first glance.

Having a strong inner self is not enough.

Humans are visual creatures.

Especially in 2005, when mobile phones were still "feature phones," most people bought mobile phones based on their appearance, feel, and whether they looked "prestigious" in their hands.

He needs someone who can wrap cold chips and circuits in captivating curves.

"Uncle Cai," Lin Dong opened his eyes and said to the person in front, "tell me Su Xiaowen's information again. In detail."

"Okay, sure!"

Uncle Cai immediately turned around, pulled out a few sheets of paper from his briefcase, "Su Xiaowen, 23 years old, graduated from the Industrial Design Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, worked for half a year last year at 'Korean Wave Design Studio', and did the appearance design of MP3 players and flip phones for several Korean companies."

She resigned three months ago. The reason... supposedly, it was due to a disagreement with the director. She insisted on using a "seamless metal splicing" process, which was too costly and was rejected. In a fit of anger, she left.

"And now?"

"I currently rent a small studio in Nanshan, taking on odd jobs, mainly designing casings for MP3 players and knock-off phones for small factories. Life is... pretty tough. As for my personality..."

Uncle Cai paused for a moment, then said, "Those who have met him say he's quite arrogant, not easy to talk to, and extremely stubborn about what he does."

"Arrogant?" Lin Dong smiled. "Only those with ability deserve to be arrogant."

He took the documents and his gaze fell on the accompanying photos of several design drafts.

Those were Su Xiaowen's works from her previous studio. The lines were indeed clean and crisp, giving them a more austere and modern feel than those flashy plastic shells on the market.

But that's all; it's still stuck within the aesthetic framework of 2005.

Ask her out.

Lin Dong closed the document. "Tomorrow morning, 10 o'clock, at the coffee shop downstairs from our new office."

"Boss Lin, our office is still under renovation and it's a mess..." Uncle Cai reminded him.

"That's exactly what we want—the unfinished look," Lin Dong said. "To let her see with her own eyes what our project started from—a complete blank slate."

The next morning, at 10:00 AM.

Su Xiaowen was already seated by the window in the "Corner Coffee" shop.

She wore a simple white shirt and black straight-leg pants, her long hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She wore light makeup, her skin was fair and delicate, and her features were clear and defined, possessing a beauty that was almost too alluring to look directly at.

At this moment, she was slightly frowning, looking out the window at the "International Science and Technology Building" across the street that was under renovation, her fingers unconsciously twirling the lemonade glass in front of her.

She was somewhat surprised when she received the call.

A boss named "Lin Dong" invited her to discuss "overall design of mobile phone products".

She has met many bosses, some of whom are nouveau riche who only want knock-off phones with "gold trim and running lights".

They're either fake foreigners who keep talking about "international trends" but actually just want to copy Nokia.

This Lin Dong... his profile says he's only eighteen?

High school student?

She didn't want to come at first, but Uncle Cai mentioned "seamless metal splicing" that she insisted on when she left the company, which aroused her curiosity. He had done his homework.

At 10:03, the coffee shop door was pushed open.

Su Xiaowen looked up and saw a young man wearing a gray jacket and jeans walk in, followed by a clean-cut young man and a middle-aged man with a round face.

too young.

Her youth made her initial expectations sink even further.

Lin Dong walked straight to the opposite side of her and sat down.

"Ms. Su, I'm Lin Dong." He greeted her casually, without being overly enthusiastic. "Sorry, the office upstairs is under renovation and it's a bit noisy, let's talk here."

Su Xiaowen nodded in response.

She waited for the other party to start boasting about the company's vision or asking about her portfolio.

But Lin Dong did not.

He took a thick folder from Uncle Cai, opened it, and pushed it in front of Su Xiaowen.

The folder's inner pages were covered with densely packed pictures.

Nokia's N series phones had bulky bodies, Motorola's V3 had that unchanging flip design with its sharp edges, and Samsung's slider phones with plastic chrome trim.

There are also countless domestically produced knock-off phones with their garish colorful plastic shells, faux leather textures, and blindingly bright decorative lights...

It encompasses the appearance of almost all mainstream mobile phones on the market in 2005.

Su Xiaowen looked at Lin Dong with some confusion.

Lin Dong met her gaze and spoke, his first words like a stone thrown into ice:

"Ms. Su, what do you think of these designs?"

Su Xiaowen pursed her lips. The question was too broad, so she answered cautiously, "Each has its own characteristics, market selection..."

"Rubbish."

Two words cut off all her subsequent words.

He pointed at the images with his finger: "Bulky, cluttered, either made to look like a brick in an attempt to 'sense business,' or piled with cheap elements in an attempt to 'fashion.' Is this how things that users hold in their hands, carry in their pockets, and keep near their faces every day are designed?"

Su Xiaowen was stunned.

She'd seen people criticize knock-off phones for being ugly, but she'd never seen anyone lump mainstream products from giants like Nokia and Motorola together as "garbage."

A feeling of being offended, mixed with a strange resonance, stirred within her.

She herself doesn't like many designs, but... to reject them all so directly?

"Mr. Lin," Su Xiaowen's voice lost its polite gentleness, replaced by a professional detachment, "Judging is easy. Providing something better is difficult."