380: Chapter 380 Year-End Review: Starry Sky's 2020

On December 31st at Shenzhen Bay, the sea breeze blew from the south, carrying the chill of a winter night, but the Spring Cocoon Stadium was as hot as midsummer. All twenty thousand seats were filled, from government officials and corporate executives in the first row to ordinary employees and college students in the last; every face was filled with anticipation. On the giant screen, Xingchen's silver logo rotated slowly against a deep blue background, like a real star.

Spring Cocoon is a landmark of Shenzhen, shaped like a giant silkworm cocoon, its silver shell shimmering with a soft luster under the lights. Tonight, it had been transformed into a massive broadcasting studio—in the center of the stage, holographic projection equipment was already in place, and the LED screens surrounding the stage unfolded in an arc, with a total length exceeding two hundred meters. In the audience, some held glow sticks, some held national flags, and others held light-up signs that read 'The Sea of Stars'.

At exactly eight o'clock, the lights dimmed.

The moment the holographic projection lit up, the breath of all twenty thousand people in the venue hitched simultaneously. The Earth rotated slowly in the center of the stage, with azure oceans, pure white clouds, and emerald continents—everything was lifelike. Then, the camera pulled back, the Earth grew smaller, and satellites in orbit began to appear—one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, until 13,080 satellites wove into a giant silver web in orbit, gently enveloping the Earth.

Su Chen rose from the center of the stage.

He wore a dark gray custom suit without a tie, the top button of his shirt undone, and his sleeves casually rolled up. At thirty years old, with a lean face and bright eyes, he stood before twenty thousand people as composed as if he were standing in his own living room. On the giant screen behind him, there was only one line of large white characters:

“2020, We Conquered the Stars.”

The entire venue fell silent.

Su Chen spoke, his voice calm and steady: “In 2019, many people asked me the same question—is Xingchen moving too fast?”

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the venue: “Today, I want to answer that question. It’s not that we are fast; it’s that the era is accelerating.”

Applause broke out from a corner and then swept through the venue like a tide. Twenty thousand people clapped simultaneously, the sound echoing under the dome of the Spring Cocoon.

He continued, his voice growing more powerful: “When five nations—Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain—bypassed the European Union to sign technical agreements with us; when the NASA Administrator admitted, ‘We have fallen behind in the field of commercial aerospace’; when the Kunlun Space Station began orbital operations and yinghuo-1 flew toward Mars—I knew that the era had truly accelerated.”

On the giant screen, the perspective of the satellite network continued to pull back, and the Earth became a small blue dot, vanishing into the boundless starry sky.

Su Chen's voice echoed in the darkness: “And we are the ones defining this accelerated era.”

The stage lights came back on.

On the giant screen, numbers began to scroll. Su Chen stood in the center of the stage, with a waterfall of data streams cascading behind him. His voice was as calm as if he were reading an ordinary report, but every number was like a bomb exploding in the audience.

“The Spark Technology Group plus the Xingchen Industrial Group, total annual revenue—six trillion rmb.”

The number froze in the center of the giant screen: ¥6,000,000,000,000

Someone in the audience gasped. Six trillion was equivalent to six percent of China's GDP. A single company sustained six percent of the nation's economic output.

“Net profit—1.8 trillion.”

Applause rang out. Someone started clapping, and then more and more people joined in.

“Global employees—one million.”

Su Chen paused and added: “One million is not just a number. It represents one million families, and one million responsibilities.”

The applause grew even louder.

The giant screen switched, and new numbers appeared.

“Satellites in orbit—13,080. The tianting project is sixty-five percent complete. In 2021, we will launch another seven thousand.”

“Annual chip production capacity—five million wafers. From twenty-eight nanometers to seven nanometers, one out of every three chips in the world is from Xingchen.”

“Battery production capacity—700 gigawatt-hours. Enough to equip fourteen million electric vehicles, sufficient to supply batteries for all electric vehicles in Europe.”

At this point, the corners of Su Chen's mouth curled up slightly: “Car sales—six million units. Surpassing Honda.”

The applause and cheers from the audience mixed together, nearly blowing the roof off. Six million units meant that Xingchen Motors had become the sixth-largest automotive group in the world by sales. From its founding to the top ten, it had taken less than three years.

“Patent applications—120,000.” Su Chen smiled, a hint of mischief in his expression. “120,000 a year, 330 a day. Our legal department is even busier than our R&D department.”

Laughter erupted from the audience. Lin Wan, sitting in the first row, also smiled. She wore a white evening gown, her hair tied in an elegant bun, and was recording with her phone.

Su Chen's voice became more composed: “These numbers aren't for showing off. They are to answer those questions—in 2019, some said we were too fast. In 2020, we used numbers to tell them that we are not only fast, but also steady.”

The lights dimmed.

Only a single spotlight remained on the center of the stage, focused on Su Chen. The holographic projection lit up again—this time it wasn't the Earth, but the Moon. On the gray lunar surface, a blueprint for a base slowly unfolded, with transparent domes, silver modules, and solar panel arrays, like a small city.

Su Chen's voice dropped an octave: “In 2021, Xingchen has five goals.”

On the giant screen, five goals popped up one by one:

Lunar Base Construction Begins

“The site selection data for Chang'e-Spark has been transmitted back. The Oceanus Procellarum region has ample sunlight, flat terrain, and rich water-ice resources. In 2021, we will drive the first stake there.”

Mars Rover Landing

“yinghuo-1 has already entered Mars orbit. In February 2021, it will land on Utopia Planitia. That Mars rover is named ‘Zhurong’. It will look for traces of life on Mars on behalf of humanity.”

Seven-Nanometer Lithography Iteration

“The upgraded version of Suiguang-14, with a thirty percent increase in precision. In 2021, we will make sure Chinese chips run at the very forefront of the world.”

Xingchen Bank Opening

“The acquisition in Hong Kong has been completed, and it will officially launch in the first quarter of 2021. Xingchen's financial blueprint begins today.”

Employees Surpassing 1.5 Million

“Adding 500,000 new jobs. Not because we have money, but because we need more people to head toward the sea of stars together.”

Su Chen paused, his gaze sweeping the venue: “These goals are not just a PPT presentation. They are a future that is already on its way.”

Su Chen stood in the center of the stage, facing twenty thousand people and the global live-stream cameras. Lights from all directions hit him, casting a golden halo around him.

“Five years ago, some said that Chinese companies could only do low-end manufacturing.”

On the giant screen, a screenshot of an old news article appeared—the headline was 'Made in China: When Will Quantity Lead to Quality?'

“Three years ago, some said that Xingchen's technology was stolen.”

Another screenshot—'Xingchen Technology: Technological Breakthrough or Commercial Theft?'

“One year ago, some said that Xingchen was moving too fast and would trip and fall.”

Yet another screenshot—'Xingchen's Mad Dash: When Will the Bubble Burst?'

Su Chen smiled, a calm and effortless composure in his expression: “Today, we have answered them with numbers.”

He paused, raising his voice: “Finally, I want to thank this era—for giving a Chinese company the opportunity to define the future.”

The entire audience stood up.

Applause surged like a tsunami, wave after wave, lasting for a full five minutes. Some clapped, some cheered, and some were moved to tears. Twenty thousand phones were held up simultaneously, their flashes flickering in the darkness like a man-made starry sky.

At exactly ten o'clock, a line of characters appeared on the giant screen:

“2021, the sea of stars, the expedition continues.”

Su Chen gave a deep bow.

The lights came on, and music began to play.

Fireworks erupted over Shenzhen Bay—red, yellow, blue, and purple—turning the night sky into a brilliant garden. In the square outside the Spring Cocoon, tens of thousands of spectators who hadn't managed to get tickets were also cheering. In the distance, the lights of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge were like a golden dragon stretching across the sea.

Su Chen walked off the stage, passed through the cheering crowd, and came to the square outside the Spring Cocoon. Lin Wan followed behind him, holding a coat and draping it over his shoulders.

“Are you cold?” she asked.

“No,” he said, but his voice was a bit raspy—after a two-hour speech, his throat was nearly at its limit.

Lin Wan stood beside him, watching the fireworks fill the sky. On the surface of Shenzhen Bay, the fireworks were reflected in the water like a flowing oil painting. In the distance, the Hong Kong skyline flickered in the night sky, with the lights of Victoria Peak faintly visible.

“A-Chen,” Lin Wan said softly, her gaze never leaving the fireworks, “It's 2021. I've been with you for six years now.”

Su Chen turned to look at her.

She also turned her head, her gaze gentle yet firm: “When are you going to marry me?”

Su Chen was stunned for a moment, then he smiled. He was silent for a few seconds, looking at the distant fireworks and then at Lin Wan beside him. At twenty-six, standing under the fireworks, her long hair was blown by the sea breeze, and there were stars in her eyes.

“Wait for me a little longer,” he said softly. “On October 1st, 2021, we'll get married. We'll celebrate with the nation.”

Lin Wan's eyes lit up, brighter than the fireworks in the sky. She smiled, a smile that contained six years of waiting, six years of companionship, and six years of trust.

“Okay,” she said, “I'll wait for you to marry me.”

The two stood side by side outside the Spring Cocoon, watching the fireworks dissipate into the night sky. On the surface of Shenzhen Bay, the last firework fell, and the water returned to tranquility.

The new year had begun.

Su Chen's phone vibrated. He glanced down; it was a message from Chu Tianming: “Mars orbit data is normal. Zhurong is waiting for the landing window.”

He smiled and looked up at the night sky. The moon was hanging over Shenzhen Bay, large and round. He didn't know exactly which side the Oceanus Procellarum was on, but he knew that in 2021, Xingchen would drive its first stake there.

Lin Wan leaned on his shoulder and said softly, “What do you think people a hundred years from now will think of tonight?”

Su Chen thought for a moment: “They will say that on the last day of 2020, humanity decided to stop just staring at their feet and instead looked up toward the stars.”

The sea breeze blew past, carrying the scent of the New Year. In the distance, the myriad lights of Shenzhen flickered in the night, like a starry sky on the ground.

And the starry sky above was waiting for them.