Chapter 525: A Future‑Defining Press Conference

March 18, 2012, Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.

At 2:00 p. m., the venue that seats 20,000 was packed. In the center of the stage, a huge circular screen slowly lit up, displaying only one line of text:

"Fenghuang Fourth Generation, coming for the future."

This was the largest press conference in Wanshang's history. Three hundred media outlets, two thousand dealers, five thousand pre‑registered users, and eight million viewers watching the live stream via Fenghuang Broadcast.

Backstage, Li Yaozong stood before a mirror, adjusting the collar of his dark‑gray shirt. Fang Wenshan stood nearby, giving the final check of the procedure.

"Mr. Li, the live signal has already been streamed to Fenghuang Broadcast, Fenghuang Chat, and thirty‑seven partner platforms. It's synchronized worldwide; viewers in 230 countries and regions can see it."

Li Yaozong nodded.

Zhou Ye pushed the door open, holding an Engineering device in his hand.

"Mr. Li, the final stress test passed. The concurrent online peak is expected to reach 10 million, and the servers can handle it."

Li Yaozong took the phone.

The silvery curved screen felt in his hand like a warm jade. Its edges were slightly bent, extending along the side of the body; when lit, the image seemed to float in mid‑air.

He pressed the power button.

The familiar star rose from the bottom and hovered at the screen's center. Then the display lit up, covering the entire curve with a 4K wallpaper—a night sky shot in Tibet, the Milky Way clearly visible, every star sparkling.

He stared for three seconds.

Then he handed the phone back to Zhou Ye.

"Let's begin."

At 2:30 p. m., the lights in the hall dimmed.

The circular screen lit up, and a video began to play.

In the footage, a young man walked down the street holding a Fenghuang Third Generation phone. He stared at the screen, his brow furrowed. The camera cut to him on a bus straining to read a novel, the screen's glare obscuring the text. He then tried to charge it, a power bank plugged in with tangled cables. He took a photo, but the edges of the frame were blurry.

Then the screen went black.

A line of text appeared: "Is your phone really enough for you?"

The hall was silent for a second.

Then the screen lit up again.

A brand‑new curved‑screen phone appeared at the center, slowly rotating, each facet gleaming.

"Fenghuang Fourth Generation, coming for you."

Thunderous applause erupted.

Li Yaozong walked onto the stage.

He stood at the center of the stage, waiting for the applause to subside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Fenghuang Fourth Generation press conference."

He paused.

"Today, we won't talk about sentiment, only about the product."

He pressed a button on the remote in his hand.

Four images appeared on the big screen, each representing a color: black, white, silver, and cyan.

"Fenghuang Fourth Generation, four colors. Obsidian, Pearl White, Aurora Silver, Celadon."

Someone in the audience began taking photos.

Li Yaozong continued.

"Screen: 6.2‑inch curved flexible display. Resolution: 2K. Pixel density: 480 PPI."

The screen switched to a comparison chart.

"This is the Fenghuang Third Generation screen, and this is the Fenghuang Fourth Generation screen. The same photo, enlarged five times—see for yourselves."

The photo showed a flower's stamen. The Fenghuang Third Generation image was already a bit blurry; the Fenghuang Fourth Generation version rendered even the tiny fuzz on the stamen clearly.

A chorus of amazement rose from the audience.

Li Yaozong turned to the next slide.

"Battery: 4,000 mAh. Fast charge: 50% in 30 minutes."

He picked up a Fenghuang Fourth Generation phone, plugged in the charger, and the screen displayed the charge level in real time.

"Current charge: 0%. We'll wait 30 minutes."

He set the phone aside and continued speaking.

"Processor: Fenghuang Chip 4, dual‑core, 1.2 GHz. Forty percent faster than the previous generation, with twenty percent lower power consumption."

"Memory: up to 2 GB. Storage: up to 64 GB."

"Camera: rear 12 MP, front 5 MP. Supports night‑scene mode, portrait bokeh, and 4K video recording."

After finishing, he picked up the charging phone.

The screen read: 51%.

He angled the screen toward the audience.

"30 minutes, 51%."

Applause rose again.

"Fenghuang Fourth Generation, three tiers."

Prices appeared on the big screen.

"Base model: 2,299."

"Mid‑range model: 3,999."

"High‑end model: 4,999."

Someone in the audience began clapping.

Li Yaozong and the others' applause subsided.

"Today's press conference will be streamed live in full by Fenghuang Broadcast. Those who place orders now, the first 100,000 will receive an accessory gift pack worth 500 yuan."

He glanced at the countdown on the big screen.

"The pre‑sale channel opens in three minutes."

Behind the scenes, real‑time data began to surge.

The first second after the three‑minute pre‑sale opened: orders—8,000.

The tenth second: 50,000.

The thirtieth second: 120,000.

The first minute: 230,000.

Fang Wenshan stared at the screen, sweat beading on his palms.

Zhou Ye made a Telephone call beside him.

"Add another fifty servers; the traffic is still climbing."

At the tenth minute, orders broke past 500,000.

At the thirtieth minute, they surpassed one million.

Li Yaozong stepped down from the stage and glanced at the figures.

"Not bad."

Fang Wenshan was momentarily stunned.

"Not bad? President Li, this is the fastest we've ever broken a million."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Keep watching."

That evening, the headlines of all major tech media outlets changed.

Titan Media: "Fenghuang Fourth Generation Launch, Curved Screen + Fast Charging, a New Benchmark for Domestic Phones"

36Kr: "Thirty‑Minute Pre‑sale Breaks One Million, What Gives Fenghuang Fourth Generation the Edge?"

iFanr: "We Got Fenghuang Fourth Generation Early, This Is First‑hand Experience"

On Fenghuang Broadcast, Keji Lao Zhang's review video went live for two hours and amassed over five million views.

In the video, he held the Fenghuang Fourth Generation up to the camera and said.

"Everyone, this phone—I've used it for three days. Three words: value, speed, beauty."

He pointed the screen at the camera, showcasing the curved display.

"Look at the edges—no color shift at all. Watching movies, the side images extend outward; the immersion is exceptionally strong."

He demonstrated the charging again.

"Thirty minutes, from zero to 51 %. I plug it in when I get up, and after freshening up it lasts a whole day."

Finally, he summed up.

"Samsung is panicking, Apple is getting nervous. Domestic phones have truly stood up this time."

Samsung's reaction was swift.

Three days after the press conference, the Samsung China President was interviewed and asked his view on the Fenghuang Fourth Generation.

He smiled.

"We had curved screens three years ago. We're also developing fast‑charging tech. The China market is huge; it can accommodate multiple brands."

The reporter followed up.

"Do you think the Fenghuang Fourth Generation threatens Samsung?"

He was silent for two seconds.

"Any excellent product deserves respect. Samsung will continue to focus on its own business."

In plain language: we're not panicking.

But the market doesn't see it that way.

A week after the press conference, Samsung's stock fell three percent. Analysts said it was due to the Fenghuang Fourth Generation.

Apple's side remained silent even longer.

On the fifth day after the press conference, a reporter in the United States asked Kuke.

"What's your take on China's Fenghuang Fourth Generation?"

Kuke smiled.

"Apple focuses on making the best products, not on watching competitors."

The reporter asked again.

"Have you used the Fenghuang Fourth Generation?"

Kuke gave no answer.

That night, Apple's China division quietly contacted the Wanshang supply‑chain department. They wanted to purchase that curved screen.

When Liu Yang received the Telephone, he was taken aback.

"Apple? Want to buy our screen?"

The other side spoke very politely.

"Just want to learn more. If cooperation is possible, we can discuss it."

Liu Yang reported the matter to Li Yaozong.

Li Yaozong listened, then thought for a moment.

"Tell them we can talk, but the terms must be equal."

Liu Yang nodded.

"Understood."

Domestic manufacturers' reactions are more direct.

The day after the launch event, Huawei held an internal meeting, disassembled the Fenghuang Fourth Generation, and analyzed each component.

On the third day, Xiaomi convened a meeting and readjusted the configuration and pricing of the next‑generation flagship device.

OPPO was the most straightforward—simply lowered the price of the upcoming new phone by three hundred yuan.

Wang Bo reported these pieces of news to Li Yaozong one by one.

Li Yaozong listened and just nodded.

"Normal. That's how market competition works."

He looked out the window.

"If we run fast, they have to chase. If they can't catch up, they'll be eliminated."

On the tenth day after the launch event, the first batch of Fenghuang Fourth Generation began shipping.

At the entrance of the Wanshang exclusive store in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, a line had been forming since 4 a. m.

In the queue, a young man holding a Fenghuang Third Generation phone was video‑chatting with a friend.

"I'm sixth in line; I should get one. How about you over there?"

The friend's voice came through the phone.

"Beijing is queuing too; there are probably over two hundred people ahead."

The young man smiled.

"Wait, I'll send you photos once I get one."

In the queue there was also a middle‑aged woman in her fifties, holding a thermos.

Someone beside her asked.

"Auntie, are you also buying for family?"

The woman shook her head.

"I'm buying for myself. My daughter said the photos look good, so she wants me to use it when I travel."

Someone ahead turned and glanced at her.

"Auntie, you queued so early; thank you for the effort."

The woman waved her hand.

"No hardship; it's worth it for something good."

On the day the goods arrived, countless unboxing videos surged on the Fenghuang Broadcast.

Someone took the phone out of the delivery box, carefully peeled off the protective film, and pointed the screen at the camera.

"Look at this curved screen; it's so beautiful."

Someone tested the fast charging on the spot.

"Thirty minutes, from ten percent to sixty‑two percent. Really fast."

Someone did a photo comparison.

"This was taken with my old phone, this with the Fenghuang Fourth Generation. See the difference yourselves."

Wang Bo stared at the backend data, scrolling through it line by line.

That day's unboxing videos amassed over 200,000 uploads.

The most viewed one exceeded eight million views.

In the comments, everyone asked:

"Where else can I buy it?"

"I waited a month before it shipped."

"So good."

On the fifteenth day after the launch event, Li Yaozong went to the Creators Academy.

The second batch of the practical training camp was underway, this time with a hundred people.

He stood at the back of the classroom, watching the lecturer on stage.

The lecturer was a first‑batch alumnus, a food blogger whose online name is "Chi Huo Xiaopang". His current fan count has risen to 500,000, and he was invited back as a lecturer to teach newcomers how to shoot food.

"Lighting is the most important," Chi Huo Xiaopang said to the audience. "Look at my angle; the light hits from the side, creating layered shadows, making the food look more appetizing."

The people below took notes diligently.

Li Yaozong watched for a while, then quietly left the classroom.

At the doorway, Wang Bo was waiting for him.

"Director Li, the data for the first‑batch students is out."

He handed over the tablet.

Li Yaozong took it to look.

Of the first batch's fifty students, after three months, twelve had fan growth exceeding 100,000; five exceeded 500,000; one exceeded one million.

The one who passed a million was "Chi Huo Xiaopang".

Li Yaozong returned the tablet to Wang Bo.

"Pretty good."

At 4 p. m., Li Yaozong went to the Wanshang Research Institute.

In the AI lab on the fifth floor, Zhou Mingyuan was debugging a new algorithm.

Seeing Li Yaozong enter, he stood up.

"Director Li."

Li Yaozong walked over.

"What are you doing?"

Zhou Mingyuan pointed at the screen.

"The new algorithm's recommendation system can make Fenghuang Broadcast push content that users like more precisely."

He opened a demo.

On the screen, a user opened Fenghuang Broadcast; the first item on the recommendation page was a food video. The user watched three seconds and swiped away. The second was a gaming video; they watched ten seconds and liked it. The third was a beauty video; they watched thirty seconds and followed.

Zhou Mingyuan explained beside them.

"This algorithm learns the user's behavior; after the second item, it judges that the user prefers gaming and beauty, so subsequent recommendations will lean toward those two directions."

Li Yaozong looked at the screen.

"What is the accuracy?"

Zhou Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"Currently 73%. The goal is to reach over 85%."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Keep going."

In the new materials laboratory on the sixth floor, Liu Jianguo was busy in front of a microscope.

Seeing Li Yaozong, he looked up.

"Director Li, that material has made progress."

He pointed at the structural diagram on the screen.

"We can now achieve a single-layer crystal structure, and the electron mobility has increased by 30% compared to before."

Li Yaozong leaned over to look.

"When will it be usable?"

Liu Jianguo thought for a moment.

"Three years. Within three years we can produce samples."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"No rush. Keep going until it's done."