Despite the successful reveal of the Hongmeng S1, Lu Haifeng wasn't satisfied.
They've seen the phone—but not its soul.
He stepped back and gestured casually. The background dimmed, and a PowerPoint slideshow projected onto the screen behind him. The first image, the S1, is half-veiled in light and radiates premium craftsmanship.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Slide after slide, the phone was shown from every angle—polished, precise, a work of industrial art.
"When we made the Hongmeng S1," Lu began, "we had one goal—beauty."
"We revised the design countless times. Our head of industrial design nearly quit."
"But we didn't stop—because I believe this is the most beautiful phone we've ever made."
His tone was calm, but the impact was thunderous.
"The front and back are stainless steel. It's wrapped in aluminum alloy. And its thickness?" He paused.
"Only 7.6 millimeters."
The crowd erupted. Online, comments exploded:
"666!"
"Damn, that's amazing!"
"This isn't just tech—it's art!"
Reporters who had come to mock now scrambled to snap photos. Camera shutters clicked nonstop.
"President Lu, is this your new smartphone?"
"Did you borrow a high-tech model just to hype us up?"
"President Lu...!"
Hands shot up across the room. Lu raised his hand and pressed down—a subtle motion that silenced the crowd.
"I know many of you here have never even seen a real smartphone before today. That's okay."
"To help everyone understand what makes the Hongmeng S1 different, I brought something for comparison."
He clicked his remote. The slideshow shifted.
On the screen appeared a side-by-side comparison: two smartphones.
Left: the Hongmeng S1.
Right: an unnamed—but unmistakable—device: the iPhone 4.
Though the logo was hidden, everyone recognized it instantly. After all, the iPhone 4 had just launched today.
It's so apparent that he's going for the throat!
Lu didn't hesitate.
"What you're seeing here is a competitor's new smartphone. It's considered cutting-edge."
"Ours?" He smiled. "The Hongmeng S1 has a 4.0-inch display with an 85% screen-to-body ratio."
The S1's image zoomed in. Full glass front. No buttons. Pure elegance.
People gawked. Shock overtook the crowd.
Phones can look like this?
Until today, most phones were clunky, with small screens and physical keyboards. But this... this looked like it came from the future.
Meanwhile, across the ocean in the Beautiful Country...
CEO Steve Jobs was finishing his keynote at Apple's Company's press event.
Suddenly, an assistant approached with urgency.
"Boss… something's happening in China."
He leaned in, whispering into Steve's earpiece.
The CEO's eyes narrowed. A moment later, he gave a sharp nod and stepped off stage.
Backstage, he immediately called for an emergency meeting. Every senior executive involved in the iPhone 4's development gathered, expecting a celebration.
Instead, they were met with a stormy face.
Steve Jobs, known for his arrogance and temper, was visibly seething.
Something in China had gone wrong.
And its name… was Hongmeng S1.