12: Lingxiao

With the release of the Mi 1st Generation, both the phone and Dami Company quickly went viral on the internet.

For just 1999, one could buy a phone with powerful performance and specifications that were not inferior at all to those from major foreign brands costing three or four thousand.

What more could one ask for?

Just go for it.

However, when many fans rushed excitedly to the Dami official website, what met their eyes was a pre-order interface.

“What? Why isn't it on sale yet?”

“Didn't you hear Lei Jun? Pre-order first, then it goes on sale.”

“Does that mean Dami just released a PPT phone?”

Actually, it couldn't really be called a PPT phone.

Lei Jun had prepared some stock for sale.

As for the quantity... sorry.

There were only 1,000 units.

And those were numbered engineering prototypes.

At 10:00 AM on August 17th, 1,000 mi 1 engineering prototypes were put up on the store.

They were gone almost in the blink of an eye after sales opened.

With hundreds of thousands of people trying to grab them, of course 1,000 units would vanish in a heartbeat.

Afterward, Dami opened another round of purchases for 100,000 units.

Similarly, they were snapped up by frenzied consumers in just a few short minutes.

These 100,000 units weren't ready stock.

They were Dami's empty promises; they took the money first and then went to produce them.

Chen Chen looked at the news about Dami online, an imperceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He knew all too well.

A production volume of 100,000 units might be three days' capacity for Red Star—at full throttle, they could even produce it in two.

But this quantity would be difficult for Dami.

Their materials, OEM manufacturing, taxes, invoicing, and packaging would face all sorts of problems.

For these 100,000 orders, it would likely take Lei Jun two months to deliver them all.

Moreover, Chen Chen clearly remembered that next month, a typhoon would make landfall in Thailand, affecting a manufacturer of notification lights, causing the mi 1's components to go out of stock immediately.

Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately picked up his phone and sent a message directly through Red Star's official Social Media Platform account.

Setting out again—the Red Star 1st Generation, more extreme than extreme!

After this post was sent, it also quickly drew tens of thousands of onlookers.

“Red Star 1st Generation? Didn't you guys release that ten years ago?”

“More extreme than extreme? More like more of a scam than a scam!”

“Red Star, don't bother setting out again, just go bankrupt already. If it doesn't work out, selling to Lei Juns nickname is fine too. Look at their Mi 1st Generation—that cost-performance ratio, that price! It's a slaughter, okay? A total slaughter!”

“I've been using Red Star phones for ten years. I've been using them since Mr. Chen first released the Red Star 1st Generation. This phone has accompanied me from my student days to getting married and having children. Now that Red Star is releasing a Red Star 1st Generation again, I hope your brand can be passed down through generations and continue to make our domestic phones better and better.”

“Don't get all sentimental upstairs! How can this Chen Chen compare to the old Mr. Chen? Two months ago, he was still shouting in a bar—'Master Chen will pay for everyone's tab'—and now he can suddenly hold a launch event? Are you kidding me?”

Chen Chen looked at the various comments from netizens and couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. The original owner of this body was really too much of a mess!

Sports cars, young models, paying for the whole bar's tab...

Except for drugs...

He did everything else.

Chen Chen specifically replied to that ten-year veteran fan: Thank you for your support of Red Star. I'd like to give you an admission ticket and a round-trip ticket. You are welcome to come to our launch event, and I will personally replace your phone with our latest Red Star 1st Generation then.

Lei Jun, who was busy and overwhelmed, saw the post Chen Chen sent during a break. He went straight up to give it a like and shared it, saying: Welcome back to Red Star Mobile Phone as it sets out again.

Not just Lei Jun, but several big shots in the industry also liked and shared it one after another. Even the recently appointed Yu Chengbei gave it a like.

Looking at these blessings from the big shots, Chen Chen knew they were only doing this out of respect for the late old man.

If it were just him?

They would at most be politely formal.

Soon, Lu Weibing came to Chen Chen's office. As soon as he entered, he shouted, “Xiao Chen, our adaptation isn't finished yet. Are we in such a hurry to release?”

Looking up to see it was Lu Weibing, Chen Chen said seriously:

“Uncle Lu, it's not about being in a hurry. Right now, the hype for the mi 1 is high, and Lei Jun can't produce the stock to sell. It's the perfect time for us to make a name for ourselves.”

“By the way, Xiao Chen, Dr. Lu just sent a message saying our chip can already be powered on. Testing showed no problems, and adaptation started today. He asked if we want to give the chip a name.”

“Give it a name?”

Chen Chen thought for a moment. He almost blurted out surge S1, but then he thought about how Dami's Legal Department was everywhere. It would be a pity if the book got banned just because he used that name.

After a pause, Chen Chen said, “Uncle Lu, do you have any ideas?”

“How about calling it Red Star C1? C is the abbreviation for Chen, representing the significance Old Mr. Chen has for our Red Star.”

Chen Chen thought about it and said:

“Red Star C1 isn't domineering enough. How about Lingxiao S1?”

“As the ancient saying goes: If one wishes to stay a while, one stops to assist the times; if one wishes to soar, one reaches for the clouds (Lingxiao) and rises lightly—such is the superior man.”

Hearing the somewhat obscure ancient prose Chen Chen recited, Lu Weibing thought about it and felt it had quite a nice ring to it.

Even though he didn't understand this stuff very well.

“Alright, Lingxiao S1 it is then. I'll go talk to the PR team and Dr. Lu.”

After Lu Weibing left, Chen Chen savored the phrase from 'Baopuzi: Releasing Stagnation' to himself, finding it more and more meaningful the more he thought about it.

Naming a crystallization of modern technology with words from ancient Chinese civilization...

Mhm!

It really did have a unique flavor.

Lu Weibing moved quickly, and his execution was particularly strong.

Warm-up news about the Red Star 1st Generation soon appeared online. In particular, the word 'Lingxiao' shot straight to the top of the trending searches.

“I heard that when Old Mr. Chen was alive, he invested heavily in making chips. Are there finally results now?”

“Sigh, what a pity for Old Mr. Chen. Such a good entrepreneur, saddled with such an unworthy son. However, I have to say, this name really has a nice ring to it.”

“The person upstairs is right. Just hearing this chip's name gives me a feeling of ascending to the Heavenly Palace. Lingxiao, it sounds so domineering. Was this name chosen by Old Mr. Chen?”

“Probably not. I heard from Red Star insiders that the name seems to have been chosen by their Young CEO Chen. It apparently comes from some 'Bao-something' book. Too tongue-twisting, I can't remember.”

“Didn't they say this kid was good-for-nothing? He can come up with a name like this? It must have been chosen by someone else and he just took it. I definitely have to check out this launch event. It would be even more interesting if he says 'Master Chen will pay for everyone's tab' on the spot.”

“It's not even certain if he'll be the main speaker. It might be a product manager or Lu Weibing. But now that you mention it, it does have that vibe, haha.”