Lu Haifeng held a completed smartphone for the first time—his company's creation.
"Is this the Huaxing Hongmeng S1?"
The senior executives gathered around, each holding a unit of the newly produced phone. Everyone's eyes were full of anticipation.
"President Lu, turn it on and show us!"
Smiling, Lu plugged the device into the computer and began flashing the system.
Once the OS was installed, he pressed the power button. Everyone held their breath, staring at the screen.
There was no flashy startup animation. Instead, a single point of light appeared on the screen—then bloomed into full brightness. The sleek Hongmeng logo pulsed at the center, then faded as the startup was completed.
Just like opening the heavens.
The user interface came alive: crisp, clean, and elegant. System apps like Weather, Maps, Calendar, Camera, and Notes were pre-installed.
Lu Haifeng slid his finger across the screen—it moved with zero lag.
"Perfect," he muttered with satisfaction. "Xiao Ai."
"Yes, President Lu?"
"Tell the production department: full capacity, three shifts. I want the Hongmeng S1 filling our warehouses."
"Understood!"
There was no question about how many to make. The phone was a generational leap—no amount would be too much.
"When is the product launch scheduled?" one executive asked.
Lu didn't answer directly.
"How long will it take to produce five million units?"
"With current capacity—around 50,000 per day."
"Then, set the launch for the end of September. We'll go live in three months."
The system wasn't ready for mass exposure yet. The OS still needed to be masked behind Android. They needed to be strategic.
Just as Lu was preparing the internal R&D structure, a news headline broke across the local tech scene:
"Apple's iPhone 4: Opening the Intelligent Era."
People in the country didn't know much about Apple back then. But tech insiders did.
Founded in 1976, Apple had exploded onto the global scene. It had always been a company that disrupted the norm—from personal computers to music players and now smartphones.
Their latest model, the iPhone 4, made international waves with its bold slogan: "Opening the Intelligent Era."
Lu Haifeng, hearing the buzz, only smiled.
You're launching the iPhone 4?
I'm launching something built on top of the iPhone 5.
The most classic model from my past life—already intercepted, improved, and in my hands.
Three months later
Xiao Ai entered Lu Haifeng's office.
"President Lu, the launch event is in two hours. The car is ready."
Lu nodded and stood, ready for war.
Outside, a sleek business car waited. Leaning against it was Li Gang, now the Head of the Mobile R&D Center.
"President Lu," he greeted, "I've been waiting for this day."
"Let's go," Lu said. "It's time to make history."
Li Gang drove. Lu took the back seat.
Xiao Ai, now used to being left behind during their strategy meetings, took a second car. Over the past three months, Lu and Li Gang had grown highly close—constantly discussing ideas the rest of the company couldn't hear.
In the car, Li Gang gave his final report.
"The Android optimization is complete. Hongmeng OS has been fully skinned to look like Android."
"Did you send it to Google yet?"
"No. Instead, I developed it into a standalone app that any Android phone can install."
"What's it called?"
"System Accelerator."
Lu grinned.
"If they don't take the bait, offer it to other manufacturers—for a service fee."
The car pulled up to the launch site: a rented Science & Technology Museum that could seat 500–600 people.
Most attendees weren't supporters. They were skeptics—there to see the factory that almost went bankrupt try to sell smartphones.
Some were fans or influencers. A few were invited industry insiders.
But everyone was here for one reason:
To see whether Huaxing's so-called "revolutionary smartphone" was real—or a joke.
And Lu Haifeng? He was about to show them exactly what a miracle looked like.