"It's a bit surprising that Dami Corporation would invite you to their product launch, President Lu," Zhang Yu said, holding up the sleek invitation card.
"Think they're eyeing our chips?"
Haifeng leaned back in his chair, expression calm.
"Come with me tomorrow."
Dami Corporation has made a big splash in China's mobile market over the past year.
Despite being a young company, they had already broken into the top ten manufacturers, thanks to brilliant strategy and aggressive growth. It was impressive—especially for a brand that hadn't even existed a year ago.
📍 October 16th – Evening
The Dami product launch was packed.
Fans flooded the venue—loud cheers, flashing lights, media everywhere.
Haifeng and Zhang Yu stood near the entrance, quietly observing the chaos.
"Still a lot to learn," Zhang said, impressed by the atmosphere.
Just then, a staffer in a Dami t-shirt approached them.
"Excuse me, are you President Lu and Manager Zhang from China Star?"
They nodded.
"Our President Lei would like to meet you. Please follow me."
Lei Jun casually chats with his assistant, Lin Wen, inside the private lounge.
As soon as Haifeng and Zhang Yu entered, Lei stood and greeted them warmly.
"President Lu, it's been a while."
"Almost a year," Haifeng replied with a smile.
The greetings were brief but sincere. Lei gestured for them to sit, then nodded at his assistant.
Lin Wen opened a nearby box and revealed a phone.
"Let me show you the star of today's launch," Lei said, lifting the device.
"This is our newest product—and Dami's first sub-brand: Mi Hong."
Haifeng took one look at the phone and instantly recognized it.
"Let me guess… ¥799 (≈ $110 in 2025)?"
Lei blinked. "You guessed it?"
He had expected a reaction, maybe a surprise. "Over a thousand?" But Haifeng's accurate prediction caught him entirely off guard.
Zhang Yu glanced over, also surprised—but quickly understood.
Cost-performance models… This is what China Star's Xingchen series is preparing to do.
Lei Jun didn't know that Haifeng had owned four different Mi Hong phones in his past life.
He knew the model inside out.
Mi Hong has revolutionized low-cost smartphones.
Their competitive prices—under ¥1,000—helped wipe out the last wave of knockoff brands.
Lei Jun collected himself and smiled.
"You're exactly right. And now, to the point... President Lu, are your chips available for external sale?"
"Not at the moment," Haifeng said.
Lei Jun wasn't surprised—but he respected the directness.
Currently, most domestic phones still rely on imported chips. But China Star was different. They had three top-tier chip lines—Kunpeng, Zhulong, and Jinwu.
Two of the top five mobile processors in the world now belong to China Star.
Even Huawei's Kirin had once held that status. Like Kirin, China Star had no intention of releasing its chips to outside brands.
"Let us know when you're ready," Lei said sincerely.
Haifeng nodded. "Of course. We'll let you know as soon as external sales open up."
With the business talk done, the tone softened.
The three discussed the market over tea, chatting about the future of smartphones.
Despite only having met once before, Haifeng and Lei Jun shared a common vision:
They both saw the coming smartphone boom
They both understood the importance of cost-effective models
And they both knew how much of the market was still up for grabs
Two hours passed in what felt like minutes.
As evening set in, Lei Jun invited them to dinner at the Dami campus. Haifeng accepted, and they dined casually before parting ways.
On the drive back, Haifeng asked:
"Old Zhang, what do you think of Lei Jun?"
Zhang paused, thinking carefully.
"He's bold. Insightful. A threat in the long run—but also a blessing."
Haifeng smiled.
"He's got charm. Consumers will love him. Competitors will fear him.
But no one will genuinely hate him."
He turned to the window.
"We'll launch the Xingchen series in April next year. Let's give the rest of the industry six months to adapt."
Haifeng had initially planned to launch it this month—at a rate of one million units per month—but now that Dami had moved first, he was willing to delay.
After all, Dami didn't yet have the production capacity to dominate.
That night, Dami's official launch began.
The Mi Hong phone, priced at ¥799 (≈ $110 in 2025), stunned the market.
Its integration with Penguin Corp's Penguin Space platform pushed buzz even higher.
For the average user, the phone wasn't just cheap.
It was revolutionary.