The spring of 2010 slipped quietly away amid this feverish atmosphere.
Longyao’s first-generation mobile phones officially entered mass production in Lancang. The first batch of 100,000 phones had already rolled off the assembly line, and Yu Xin had spent an entire month stationed at the factory with her team, making sure nothing went wrong with the initial production run.
After confirming that the mass-produced phones were working properly, she flew straight to the United States to prepare for the launch event.
The number of users participating in WeChat’s closed beta had expanded from 30,000 to 300,000 in one go. The product’s stability continued to improve through round after round of repeated testing and iteration.
Longxin’s yield rate for its 65-nanometer process had finally climbed steadily to 78%. At the same time, a research team for the 45-nanometer process was officially formed. A group of younger engineers were transferred to the team and began tackling the next process node.
Wanlong Aerospace’s rocket engine was about to undergo its second full-system test.
Construction of the infrastructure at the Qingyan Mountain lithium mine had begun in full swing. Excavators and fleets of transport trucks worked day and night, steadily pushing deeper into the mountains.
The two businessmen from Harbor City, Zhang Ting and Xie Jichuan, flew to Jinchuan almost every month, eager to get their projects into production as soon as possible.
The two Wanlong Plazas in Jinchuan had also entered the stages of interior finishing and tenant move-in. The construction barriers around the sites were already covered with advertisements seeking potential businesses.
On Weibo, discussion of Apple’s next-generation phone began heating up rapidly.
Overseas technology media outlets successively leaked spy shots and detailed specifications of Apple’s new phone. Everything from its dimensions to its camera specifications was exposed in exhaustive detail.
Each new leak sparked an enormous wave of discussion on domestic tech forums.
Across major Baidu Tieba communities and online forums, searches for the keyword “iPhone 4” were climbing rapidly. Unboxing predictions, price-guessing threads, and related discussions were multiplying by the day.
Everything was progressing according to plan.
May 7, San Francisco, across the Pacific Ocean—the Moscone Center.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
The date appeared to be about a month earlier than it had been in his previous life.
When Jobs stepped onto the stage wearing his trademark black turtleneck and blue jeans, technology media outlets around the world turned their cameras toward him. The sound of camera shutters filled the livestream.
A phone slowly appeared on the giant screen.
It had a rounded-rectangle body, with only a single circular physical button on the front. The back was made of glass, with the camera and flash arranged in the upper-left corner.
The phone’s design was so clean and simple that it bordered on severe. Even the number of buttons along the sides had been reduced to a minimum.
“Today, we’re introducing a revolutionary product—one that will change everything all over again!”
Jobs began introducing the iPhone 4’s various features: a Retina display with a resolution of 960 by 640, a 5-megapixel high-definition camera, a brand-new video-calling feature, and the powerful A4 processor.
With every feature he unveiled, the applause from the audience grew more enthusiastic. It barely stopped throughout the presentation.
The launch event was livestreamed across the world over the internet.
In China, even though the presentation took place in the middle of the night, more than a million people still stayed up in front of their computers to watch it.
The servers of major technology forums were nearly overwhelmed. On Tieba and Weibo, new discussion threads about the iPhone 4 appeared at a rate of dozens every second.
“The design is way too gorgeous! Apple’s design really is in a league of its own.”
“A Retina display and a 5-megapixel camera? This configuration is incredible. I heard the mainland version starts at 4,999 yuan. It’s definitely expensive, but after watching the launch, I think it’s worth it.”
“4,999? I’m going to throw all the money I make from my summer job into it. If that’s not enough, I’ll ask my parents for more.”
“I only make a little over a thousand yuan a month. I’d have to go four months without eating or spending anything just to afford it.”
“I make only eight hundred a month. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to own this phone.”
“Does anyone know when the mainland version goes on sale? I’m already preparing to spend the night lining up.”
“…”
Several days later, in front of an Apple store in the capital.
A girl wearing a blouse and with long, straight hair stood anxiously at the edge of the crowd, making a phone call.
“Xiaoyan? Why are you calling at a time like this? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“Mom, I need some money.”
“How much?”
“Five thousand.”
The girl named a figure that was exactly enough to buy an iPhone 4.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Xiaoyan could hear her mother speaking quietly to someone, as though they were discussing something. Her mother kept her voice low.
After a long while, her mother finally spoke again.
“What do you need that much money for?”
“I’m preparing for the graduate school entrance exam. The prep classes and study materials are really expensive.”
“All right. Your mother will figure something out. Don’t worry. Your father and I don’t earn much, but we can still manage to scrape together five thousand yuan.”
Xiaoyan gave a quiet acknowledgment and hung up.
She felt a little guilty, but this was hardly the first time she had told her parents a similar lie, so she wasn’t particularly nervous.
By the time the money arrived, it was already afternoon.
Xiaoyan pooled the newly transferred money with her living expenses. After setting aside enough for her train ticket home, two days of meals, and a small emergency fund, she had exactly enough to pay the official price of the iPhone 4—not a yuan more, not a yuan less.
Fortunately, she didn’t have many classes during her junior year, and taking leave was easy. She casually made up an excuse for her counselor, then hurried to the flagship store before dawn to join the line.
Only after arriving did she discover that more than a hundred people had already lined up at five in the morning. The line stretched around two corners of the sidewalk, and quite a few people had brought small folding stools and were dozing off where they sat.
After waiting all day, the line had barely moved.
Someone near the front turned around and said that they probably wouldn’t have any luck that day either. The store had brought in too few units, and only sold a small number at a time. Every time customers were allowed inside, it took less than ten minutes for the store to put up the “Sold Out” sign again.
Xiaoyan stood in the crowd, her legs numb from waiting.
But the moment she heard that scalpers were already selling the phone for 6,000 yuan, her spirits lifted.
Six thousand!
If she managed to buy one, she could make a thousand yuan in pure profit right away!
And judging by the situation, the price might climb even higher.
At the thought of that, Xiaoyan began to grow restless.
What if she bought two phones? Wouldn’t she make even more money?
Xiaoyan had bought her train ticket and rushed overnight to the capital on the second day after the iPhone 4 launch.
She had learned that the capital was the site of the phone’s mainland debut, while other cities would not receive it for at least another month.
This timeline was also several months earlier than Liu Yutong remembered from her previous life.
When Xiaoyan arrived outside the flagship store two nights earlier, that day’s stock had already sold out. All she could do was wait for the next shipment.
While waiting, she had also taken the opportunity to find out what the scalpers were offering, giving herself a reference point before asking her parents for money.
She had always been proud and ambitious. Put kindly, she had a strong sense of self-respect; put less kindly, she was somewhat vain.
Her family was clearly ordinary, yet she wanted to surpass everyone else in every possible way. Since high school, she had liked presenting herself as a wealthy heiress, someone whose family had deep pockets.
But after entering university, she had been crushed mercilessly.
Her classmate, Liu Yutong, could outshine her in every respect.
She was prettier than Yu Xin, scored better than Yu Xin, and used more expensive things than Yu Xin. She had even been the first one in the dorm to buy an electric scooter at the start of the school year.
Yu Xin had eventually gritted her teeth and bought one too, but after riding it for only a few days, she discovered that Liu Yutong was actually being driven around in a Mercedes-Benz. Later, Liu Yutong upgraded to a Maybach.
After that, she became the most famous person on campus. Her net worth was said to exceed ten billion yuan.
Yu Xin didn’t understand.
They had all lived in the same dormitory. So why was the gap between them so enormous?
What made it worse was that Lin Lele and the others had joined Liu Yutong’s company before even graduating. They all had stable sources of income, and their lives began improving as well. The things they ate and used were no worse than Yu Xin’s—sometimes even better.
It was impossible for her not to feel jealous.
But because she and Liu Yutong had clashed in the past, there was no way she could join Liu Yutong’s company. She could only rely on the living expenses her family sent her, occasionally working as a private tutor to make ends meet and barely keep up with the others’ standard of living.
Even so, she had never lowered her head in front of Lin Lele and the others. She had even made up a story, claiming that a major company had recruited her early, before she had graduated, all to protect that pitiful shred of self-esteem.
She accepted that she couldn’t compare with Liu Yutong.
Liu Yutong simply wasn’t an ordinary person. There was no way to compare herself with her—the gap was far too great.
But there was absolutely no way she could allow herself to live worse than the others.
After Fruit 4 was released, every student on campus was talking about it. Wealthier students had even hired people to purchase the phone overseas and bring it back for them. They had all switched to the new device, which was being hailed as a revolutionary smartphone.
Yu Xin wanted one too. Its appearance and cutting-edge features had opened her eyes.
So phones could actually have fully edge-to-edge screens.
So unlocking a phone could be done with nothing more than a light swipe.
From that night onward, her desire for a Fruit 4 became impossible to suppress.
That was why she had decisively requested leave and come to the capital.
Of course, she couldn’t possibly afford to buy one at the inflated price scalpers were charging. Her only option was to queue at an official store.
But waiting in line was excruciating. She had stood there for two days without managing to buy a phone, forced to watch helplessly as the scalpers’ prices continued to climb.
Yet the experience also made her realize there was money to be made.
A person could earn one or two thousand yuan by reselling a single phone. What if she bought two more when her turn came?
Then she could make an even bigger profit.
Once the thought occurred to her, she couldn’t suppress it. The more she thought about it, the more tempted she became. In the end, even she felt that after enduring two full days crouched outside the flagship store, she deserved to seize this opportunity and make a substantial amount of money.
On the third day, just before dawn, she called her family again.
This time, she called her father.
“Dad, I need another sum of money for my postgraduate entrance exam. It’s mainly for a prep course—fifteen thousand yuan.”
“Why do you need money again? We’ve already sent you money twice this month.”
“The exam is expensive, and I can’t help it. As long as I pass, it’ll all be worth it.”
“...All right. I’ll find a way to get it. Don’t worry.”
After hanging up, the girl spent five hundred yuan to hire someone to stand in line for her. She hurried to the bank, withdrew the money, and paid the person.
The going rate for hiring someone to queue was extremely high these days. Otherwise, no one would be willing to spend hours baking under the blazing sun.
A little over an hour later, she finally got the money and rushed back.
There was now more than enough in her account to buy three phones. She would keep one for herself and resell the other two, earning a considerable profit from the price difference.
She then began planning what she would do once she had made the money. She would treat herself to a delicious meal and take a proper shower.
For the past three days, her skin had been sticky with sweat, and she had begun to smell sour.
But the other people in line were no better. For example, the bespectacled young man standing beside her smelled even more strongly of sweat and sourness.
Yet for the sake of a phone, all of them seemed possessed. Each one stubbornly endured it.
“Hey, bro, do you think we’ll make it to the front today?” A fat man in a basketball jersey turned around and asked the bespectacled man beside her.
“How would I know? I didn’t make it yesterday either. Those scalpers at the front were cutting in line like crazy.”
“I heard they stocked more phones today. We should have a chance.”
“A chance, my ass. They said the same thing yesterday.”
“...”
The girl listened to their intermittent conversation while watching the store entrance draw closer and closer. Her excitement grew with every passing moment.
She would have the phone soon.
If she hadn’t been short on money, she would have bought out every Fruit 4 in the store.
Just as the girl was lost in her thoughts, a sudden commotion broke out near the front of the line.
A convoy of black cars was slowly approaching from the end of the street.
The people waiting in line turned to look.
Leading the convoy was a black Maybach, followed by five identical black Mercedes-Benz vehicles. All six cars stopped conspicuously in front of the flagship store.
The doors opened at the same time.
The first to step out were the men in black from the five cars behind. They were all dressed in black suits, with muscular builds. After getting out, they quickly formed a line in front of the flagship store, separating the waiting crowd from the entrance.
Their imposing presence instinctively caused everyone in line to hold their breath.
“Holy crap, what kind of entrance is this? Five Mercedes-Benzes and a Maybach—and the license plates are all consecutive numbers.”
“Look at what those guys are wearing. All black suits. That’s obviously no ordinary person.”
“Let me count... More than twenty bodyguards. What kind of person needs more than twenty bodyguards every time they leave the house?”
“I think I’ve seen that emblem somewhere before... I can’t remember clearly, but it looks familiar.”
“Is that a Maybach in the middle? I’ve seen it in magazines. It must cost at least seven or eight million yuan after everything.”
“Seven or eight million? I couldn’t earn enough in my entire life to buy one of its tires.”
“...”
Before long, the convoy came to a stop. A man in black opened the rear door of the Maybach parked in the middle.
A stunningly young and beautiful girl stepped out.
She was also wearing a black suit. Her features were delicate, and she wore no heavy makeup or unnecessary jewelry. The only adornment on her was a watch on her left wrist that was clearly worth a fortune.
What drew the most attention, however, was the badge pinned to her chest.
Unlike the silver badges worn by the men in black beside her, hers was pure gold, with a vividly detailed dragon engraved across it.
The moment she appeared, a powerful aura swept over the area. The people who had been whispering instinctively fell silent.
Soon, the manager of the Fruit flagship store and several employees hurried outside to greet her.
The manager was a man in his forties, wearing the standard blue polo shirt of a Fruit company employee. As an employee of such a major corporation, he should have been calm and composed, but at that moment, his expression was extremely nervous and awkward.
“Miss Liu, you’re here. Please, come inside! This way, please!”
Liu Yutong gave a slight nod. With the manager leading the way, she walked straight into the store.
The men in black followed closely behind. Some remained outside to guard the entrance, while the others accompanied her inside.
Their movements were highly professional, and their execution was exceptionally efficient.
Only after her figure disappeared from view outside the shop did the invisible pressure gradually lift.
Only then did the people waiting in line dare to start chatting again.
“Whoa! That girl’s presence was terrifying. I didn’t even dare breathe when she showed up.”
“The store manager practically knelt before her. She must come from a seriously powerful background.”
“Could she be some huge celebrity? But even celebrities don’t put on that kind of show when they go out, do they?”
“No celebrity has that kind of aura. Not even close.”
“I bet she’s some big shot. Anyway, she’s definitely not someone ordinary people like us can afford to offend.”
“Did you notice? She didn’t look at us even once the whole time.”
“Well, obviously. Why would someone that important look at a bunch of lowlifes like us?”
“True…”
The girl standing among the crowd also waited until that figure had completely entered the shop before she dared raise her head.
At the same time, feelings of envy, jealousy, inferiority, and unwillingness surged through her.
She had never expected to run into her classmate, Liu Yutong, here.
