Chapter 527: 90th Birthday

September 18, 2012, Shenzhen.

In the banquet hall of Wanshang Hotel, more than a dozen banquet tables were set. No outsiders, only members of the Li Family, the Chen Jianghe family and the Sha Zhu family, and the old brothers who have followed Li Ping'an all their lives.

Li Ping'an sat in the main seat, wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, his hair jet black, his back straight, looking at the room full of people, a smile on his face.

Lin Xueqing sat beside him, wearing a dark red cheongsam, her hair still black, only a few silver strands at the temples.

She poured Li Ping'an a cup of tea and said softly, "You're the elder today; drink less wine."

Li Ping'an nodded.

He Xiao walked over, holding a cup of wine.

"Uncle Li, I toast you. Ninety years old and still so vigorous."

Li Ping'an lifted his tea cup and clinked it with his.

"Where's your father?"

He Xiao turned his head and glanced.

"He's over there chatting with Uncle Chen."

Li Ping'an followed his gaze.

He Yuzhu and Chen Jianghe were sitting in the corner, heads close together, their conversation unknown.

He Yuzhu was eighty‑four, his hair completely white, wrinkles on his face like old bark. Chen Jianghe was eighty‑six, his back slightly hunched, yet his voice remained as booming.

Ma Dongmei sat beside He Yuzhu, her hair also white, but full of spirit, talking with Li Pingle.

Li Pingle was eighty‑five, five years younger than his brother Li Ping'an, a smile on his face, occasionally nodding.

Li Ping'an looked at them, silent for a few seconds.

"All old now."

Lin Xueqing said from beside.

"As long as you're not old."

Li Ping'an smiled.

"You'll always be eighteen in my heart."

"Old and restless, still saying this."

Li Chengye carried a drink and walked over.

Eighteen, a freshman at Shenzhen University, wearing a white shirt, hair cut short, a youthful innocence still on his face. He is Li Yaozong's son, Li Ping'an's eldest grandson.

"Grandpa, I toast you."

Li Ping'an looked at him, light in his eyes.

"Chengye, how's university?"

Li Chengye scratched his head.

"Not bad. Lots of classes; senior brother said freshmen need to build a solid foundation."

Li Ping'an nodded.

"What major are you studying?"

"Computer Science."

"Why choose this?"

Li Chengye thought for a moment.

"Because Wanshang needs it. In the future, AI, chips, systems will all rely on code."

Li Ping'an was momentarily stunned.

Then he smiled.

"Alright."

Li Chengye sat down beside him.

"Grandpa, may I ask you a question?"

Li Ping'an looked at him.

"What question?"

Li Chengye was silent for a few seconds.

"In your life, what wish remains unfulfilled?"

Li Ping'an did not answer immediately.

He looked at the room full of people before him.

Li Yaozong was talking with He Xiao, a wine glass in hand. Li Nuanqing and Su Jingming sat together, their conversation unknown, laughing heartily.

Li Yaoyang held his just‑turned‑eight‑year‑old son, Zhang Xiufen was beside him making the child laugh. Chen Anbang sat with a few youngsters, talking about something.

There was also He Xiaodong—He Yuzhu's younger son—who personally handled the kitchen today. When he came out to toast, he hadn't even taken off his apron.

Li Ping'an stared for a long time.

Then he turned his head, looking at Li Chengye.

"I have two wishes."

Li Chengye listened attentively.

"The first, I hope to celebrate a hundred‑year birthday together with your grandmother."

He glanced at Lin Xueqing.

Lin Xueqing held his hand.

"The second," Li Ping'an paused, "I hope to see you start a family, to have a great‑grandson."

Li Chengye's face turned red.

Grandfather, I'm only a freshman...

Li Ping'an smiled.

You can date at school too, study while dating, and after graduation you can get married!

Li Chengye fled in defeat, and everyone burst out laughing.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Yaozong stood up.

He held his wine cup and walked to Li Ping'an's front.

Dad, today you are ninety. I raise a cup to you.

Li Ping'an lifted his tea cup.

Li Yaozong did not drink right away.

He looked at his father.

Dad, these past ten years, you haven't been in the group, but I've always remembered what you said.

He paused.

Keep a low profile in life, be high-profile in work. Hold compassion in your heart.

Li Ping'an nodded.

Just remember: don't forget your original aspiration, keep your mission in mind, and be true to your word!

Li Yaozong drank that cup of wine.

Then he turned around, facing everyone at the table.

Everyone, today is my father's ninetieth birthday. Let's all raise a cup to him.

Everyone stood up and raised their wine cups.

Wishing Uncle Li (Grandfather) good health and a long life of a hundred years!

Li Ping'an raised his tea cup, looking at everyone in the room.

There were his children whom he had watched grow up.

There were old brothers who had followed him in building the empire.

There were the younger generation he had seen born, now parents themselves.

And there was his grandson, an eighteen-year-old college student, asking him what wish he had.

He lifted his tea cup.

Thank you everyone, I hope to still be able to celebrate the next birthday with you all this afternoon.

After the birthday, Li Yaozong threw himself back into work.

October 20, Samsung Note3 released. 6.3-inch curved screen, 32-megapixel camera, fingerprint recognition, 4000 mAh battery. Priced at 5999.

October 25, iPhone 5S released. Fingerprint recognition, A7 processor, 12-megapixel camera. Priced at 5288.

October 28, Huawei Mate2 released. 6.1-inch screen, 4000 mAh battery, aimed at business. Priced at 3999.

November 2, Xiaomi 4 released. 5.5-inch screen, Snapdragon 800 processor, 13-megapixel camera. Priced at 1999.

Next, the days for the Fenghuang Phone were not easy.

Samsung and Apple's ads blanketed the sky, while Huawei and Xiaomi's cost-performance offensives came wave after wave. The sales of the Fenghuang Fourth Generation dropped each month.

Online, voices of pessimism began to appear.

Fenghuang is done, beaten flat by Samsung and Apple.

Domestic phones are just a fleeting bloom.

Better sell it now, it'll be worth even less later.

Wang Bo stared at these comments every day, feeling angry inside.

But he knew that saying anything now was useless; only by producing a better product could he shut those people up.

Li Yaozong sat in his office, looking at the market report sent by Fang Wenshan.

The sales of the Fenghuang Fourth Generation dropped by twelve percent month-on-month this month.

He closed the report and said nothing.

He Xia knocked on the door and entered.

Mr. Li, there's also movement on the automobile side. Tesla's Model S has entered China, starting at 640,000. Mercedes-Benz launched a new electric car, and BMW is also pushing hybrids.

Li Yaozong nodded.

I know.

He Xia looked at him.

Mr. Li, regarding the phone side...

Li Yaozong stood up and walked to the window.

How is the progress on the Fenghuang Fifth Generation Device?

He Xia flipped open his phone and took a glance.

Zhao Ming just sent a message saying the Fenghuang Fifth Generation Prototype can come out next month.

Li Yaozong turned around.

Tell him to hurry up.

November 15, the Fenghuang Fifth Generation Prototype came out.

Zhao Ming held that prototype and appeared at the door of Li Yaozong's office.

Mr. Li, please take a look.

Li Yaozong took it.

The silver-white curved screen, thinner than the fourth generation, felt like a block of ice in the hand. The screen lit up, a 4K wallpaper filling the entire curved surface, colors saturated, details clear.

"Facial recognition." Zhao Ming said.

Li Yaozong picked up his phone and pointed it at himself.

0.3 seconds later, the screen unlocked.

"Voice assistant." Zhao Ming said.

Li Yaozong said to the phone.

"What's the weather like tomorrow?"

0.5 seconds later, a soft female voice sounded.

"Shenzhen will be sunny tomorrow, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 30 degrees, suitable for outdoor activities."

"There's also smart photography." Zhao Ming said.

Li Yaozong opened the camera, pointed it at Fenghuang Mountain outside the window, and casually pressed the shutter.

The phone auto-focused, auto-framed, auto-adjusted exposure. In the resulting photo, the mountain ridge's outline was clear, the cloud layers distinct, and even the windows of distant buildings could be counted.

Li Yaozong looked at it for a long time.

Then he returned the phone to Zhao Ming.

"How much battery?"

"4200 mAh. Fast charging, thirty minutes to sixty percent."

"Camera?"

"Rear 13 megapixels, front 6 megapixels. Optical stabilization, night mode."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"When can it be produced?"

Zhao Ming thought for a moment.

"Next March."

"We need to speed up while ensuring quality."

March 18, 2013, the Fenghuang Fifth Generation Device was released.

Still the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, still a venue for 20,000 people, still broadcasting globally via Fenghuang Broadcast.

Li Yaozong stood on stage, holding that Fenghuang Fifth Generation.

"Everyone, welcome to the launch of the Fenghuang Fifth Generation Device."

He paused.

"In the past six months, our competitors have released seven new models. Each is strong, classic, and worth Wanshang learning from."

He looked down at the audience.

"But today, what we are releasing is stronger than all of them."

A video began playing on the big screen.

Facial recognition, unlocks in 0.3 seconds.

Voice assistant, understands Chinese, comprehends context.

Smart photography, auto-framing, auto-exposure, auto-beautification.

Optical stabilization, shoot while walking, picture doesn't shake.

Fast charging, thirty minutes to sixty percent.

Screen, 6.2-inch curved, 2K resolution.

Processor, Fenghuang Chip V, dual-core 1.4G.

Price, base model 3499.

Mid-tier model 4199.

High-end model 5199.

Applause thundered from the audience.

Three days after the launch, the data came out.

Pre-sales, exceeded two million in 48 hours.

On Fenghuang Broadcast, unboxing videos increased by 100,000 overnight.

Keji Lao Zhang's review video surpassed 10 million views.

In the video, he held the Fenghuang Fifth Generation and spoke to the camera.

"Everyone, I've used this phone for a week. Let me say three points."

He pointed the screen at the camera.

"First, facial recognition. It's really fast, really accurate. Even with the lights off at night, it can unlock."

He pointed the camera at the window outside.

"Second, smart photography. Look at this photo I took casually; its composition is better than what I could compose myself."

He put the phone on the table.

"Third, voice assistant. Not the kind that doesn't understand human speech. You ask what, it answers what."

He looked at the camera.

"Samsung, Apple, Huawei, are you nervous?"

The comments were all praise.

"I've already placed the order, just waiting for delivery."

"Fenghuang NiuB!"

"The pride of domestic phones."

Those pessimistic voices disappeared overnight.