Zhao sat in his office, staring at the latest Star Series poster from China Star.
His face darkened.
Shameless.
That was the only word he could think of.
"This company... this ridiculous company..."
"This is the most despicable thing I've seen in 30 years."
He'd been working hard to promote Honor's launch, staying calm under pressure.
But this? China Star's response campaign had pushed him to the edge.
Even the company's copywriter beside him looked pale.
"Manager Zhao, what should we do?"
But before he could respond, a knock at the door interrupted.
"Manager Zhao! Xiaomi just cut the price of the Mi Red phone!"
"From 799 RMB to 699 RMB (≈ $96.21), and they're throwing in a 200 RMB (≈ $27.52) headset for free!"
Zhao's heart sank. He didn't even look at the staffer—just clenched his fists and stared at the screen.
First, we are flanked by China Star's Star Series.
Now Xiaomi's stabbing us in the back?
He'd worked at Huawei since graduating over a decade of dedication.
And now that he finally had control of a significant sub-brand… it felt like the world was collapsing on top of him.
Honor should've been the dark horse, the underdog that shocked the industry.
Instead, they were getting boxed in:
Star Series blocking the front
Mi Red cutting off the rear
Was it necessary to bully me like this?
At Xiaomi HQ
Lei Jun and Lin Wen sat sipping tea on a sofa.
They hadn't planned to interfere in the battle between Honor and China Star—until they saw Honor's pricing.
Lei Jun immediately called an emergency executive meeting and slashed the Mi Red price overnight.
Why?
Xiaomi has produced 5 million Mi Red units
1 million still sat unsold in warehouses
If Honor or Star Series gained traction, Xiaomi's inventory could become dead weight
Lei Jun knew the truth:
"The sub-1,000 RMB segment (≈ $137.59) is the battlefield."
"Whoever dominates this tier... dominates the future."
Mi Red sold nearly 4 million units in just a few months.
Lei Jun's goal?
Clear the field before Star or Honor could establish a foothold.
So when Honors new poster dropped.
Lei countered—fast and vicious.
Lowered price. Bundled accessories. Instant press release.
Meanwhile, at China Star HQ – 9:00 AM
The Star Series went live again.
1 million units listed online
Back to full retail price for the Q1 (no rush promo this time)
Liu Jianyu sat in the conference room, watching the live dashboard.
"How long do you think it'll take to sell out?" he asked his assistant.
Elsewhere, both Lei Jun and Zhao were watching their screens.
Everyone was waiting.
And then—nine minutes in...
Sold Out.
One million Star Q1 units—gone in under ten minutes.
In his office, Jianyu watched his teammates celebrating. He smiled with pride.
"Didn't disappoint the boss."
Lei Jun: Speechless
He stared at the greyed-out purchase button.
"Sold out? Again?"
"This fast?"
Mi Red had sold out, too—but never this fast.
"We started the same year... how is the gap this wide?"
He closed the China Star site, rubbing his temples.
"This mobile market... what the hell is it becoming?"
T/N: 60 chapters in and not one review?! Please let me know what you think of the translation.