[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp":3,"chapter-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-141":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Get Stronger Every Payday—With One Billion Employees!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264354,4419,"Chapter 141: 1999 Yuan? If You Don","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-141",141,"\u003Cp>August 6, 9:15 a.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the entrance of the Sky Garden Hotel in Xucheng, luxury cars lined up and crowds surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A banner hung in the lobby: “Chengzi Tech New Product Launch — Let Technology Change Life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Journalists present raised their cameras and snapped photos of the entrance materials, silently pondering the meaning behind the slogan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If targeting ordinary people, Chengzi Phone’s price likely wouldn’t exceed 3,000 yuan;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>if aimed at a niche segment, Chengzi Phone might be positioned as a flagship model, priced at 3,499, 3,699, or 3,999 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen, Wang Teng, and Wang Zihao stood in the lobby, greeting visiting competitors, suppliers, and media scholars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sen-ge, Principal Tang is here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zihao nudged Chen Yansen, who was speaking with Huang Zhang, and whispered a reminder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huang Zong, excuse me for a moment. Zihao, take Huang Zong to the banquet hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen instructed Wang Zihao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned and walked toward the entrance, Wang Teng following behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Teng felt that as Product Director of R&D, he shouldn’t be handling brand or marketing duties, but since his boss assigned him here, he had no choice but to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Tang, I didn’t expect you to arrive so early — let me take you upstairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen smiled, adopting the demeanor of a good student, stepping forward to greet Tang Qingshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You go on with your work. My colleagues and I are just here to enjoy the buzz — no need to bother with us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Qingshan smiled broadly at being called “Professor” by Chen Yansen, his grin stretching nearly to his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who wouldn’t be proud to have a student as accomplished as Chen Yansen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, whenever he attended meetings and entrepreneurship came up, he’d bring up Chen Yansen as his favorite talking point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen glanced at the group accompanying Tang Qingshan — all department heads — and insisted on escorting them to the banquet hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tang Qingshan feared delaying him and waved him off repeatedly; under the hotel staff’s guidance, he sidestepped Chen Yansen and walked straight into the elevator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He often dined here — he knew the place well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen smiled and let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Chen Yongming from OPPO arrived with his assistant, striding forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Teng watched Chen Yongming approach, feeling dazed — half a year ago, he was still a product manager at OPPO’s R&D center; now he was the product lead at Chengzi Tech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Zong, thank you for coming to Xucheng — please go upstairs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen stepped forward, shook Chen Yongming’s hand warmly, and greeted him enthusiastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yongming smiled back, secretly sizing up Chen Yansen, and couldn’t help but reflect: today’s young entrepreneurs are far more aggressive than our generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Chen Yongming was only in his early forties — quite young among entrepreneurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After brief pleasantries at the entrance, Chen Yongming followed Wang Teng toward the banquet hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Wang Zihao had finished settling Huang Zhang from Meizu and returned to the first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commotion erupted outside — Xiaomi’s Lei Yijun and Li Wanqiang had just entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lei Zong, welcome to Xucheng! After the launch, let’s have a proper chat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen gripped Lei Yijun’s hand, speaking with obvious familiarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby journalists quickly snapped photos, puzzled: these two rivals seemed to get along well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun, seeing Chen Yansen’s warmth, immediately lost whatever little hostility he’d harbored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether one more or one fewer competitor mattered little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to be cold or hostile!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Chengzi Phone’s ultra-narrow bezels and fully virtual buttons made Lei Yijun secretly think: this move was too bold — users might not accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you choose to build your own factory?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun asked, standing still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, aside from OPPO considering building its own production base, Xiaomi, Meizu, and Coolpad all relied on partners like Yinghuada, BYD, and Foxconn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, management costs were lower; second, contract manufacturers had rich supplier networks, better controlling procurement costs, quality, and delivery cycles; third, smartphone production lines were extremely expensive — initial equipment investment alone required hundreds of millions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun had money, but before Xiaomi’s IPO, he lacked the confidence to build a phone factory — the cost was simply too high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If production-line technology advanced too quickly, you’d have to buy new equipment — which phone maker could bear that pressure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaomi only built a 10-million-unit-per-year factory in Changping, Yanjing, six years later when funds were plentiful — but its mid- and low-end models were still outsourced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Building our own factory is more expensive, but it lets us control production schedules and ensure stable quality and output.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen smiled, offering a casual excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun nodded — Chen Yansen’s reasoning made sense, but he sensed it wasn’t the real reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t press further; if the other side didn’t want to say, asking was pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen had Zihao escort them upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By 9:40 a.m., attendees had gradually arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen had greeted dozens of people at the entrance — he now deeply felt such events required a brand manager who understood people and knew proper etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Ye Qiuping wouldn’t join until mid-August.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sen-ge, it’s about time — the host is urging us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Teng came downstairs and reminded Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen replied, followed Wang Teng into the elevator, ascending directly to the top-floor banquet hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike last time when he attended the annual meeting, this hall now held rows of chairs instead of round tables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first three rows seated representatives from Qualcomm, Sharp, and Sony; representatives from Xiaomi, OPPO, Meizu, and Coolpad; and the university president and department heads from Xucheng University.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle rows were for media personnel; the back rows were for Aurora OS fans, including Weibo contest winners and FoxTao Diamond-level users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At exactly 10 a.m., the host handed the stage to Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Sky Garden Hotel was the most luxurious in the city, it still fell short of a professional conference center — barely fitting over 500 seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some print and self-media outlets without invitations stood along the side corridors, staring at the central stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen took the microphone and walked onto the stage with calm confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first product launch, but he’d attended countless financing talks, all-hands meetings, and corporate year-end gatherings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone like him, nervousness didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stepping on stage, Chen Yansen didn’t speak immediately; he calmly scanned the room from left to right, then smiled lightly and said: “Thank you to our competitor colleagues, partners, media friends, and Aurora OS users for attending the Chengzi Phone launch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s theme is: Let Technology Change Life! Before the launch, I’d like to share the original motivation behind Chengzi Phone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on stage, Chen Yansen spoke clearly, as if chatting with friends, his tone warm and approachable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An iPhone 4 with 16GB storage sold for 4,999 yuan; the 32GB version cost 5,999 yuan. At the time, I wondered: how long would a young man from a small town like me have to work to afford a smartphone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One month? Two months? Three months? Too expensive — and it takes too long! I believe phones shouldn’t cost this much!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring down the price! Let technology serve the masses — let everyone benefit from technological progress, not just a few.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen’s few words instantly energized the atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those present — especially media and fans — weren’t all able to afford iPhones; many earned less than 5,000 yuan a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides phones, daily expenses included food, clothing, housing, and transportation — all cost money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Chen Yansen didn’t immediately reveal the Chengzi Phone’s price; instead, he pressed a remote, switching the display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the large screen appeared three Chengzi Phones in different colors: black, white, and silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, let’s look at the ‘brain’ — the processor. We chose the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 dual-core processor, Cortex-A9 architecture, with a clock speed of 1.5GHz.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Simply put, performance is stronger — multiple apps can run simultaneously without lag, and high-demand games like ‘Black Pegasus’ and ‘Auto Academy’ run smoothly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chen Yansen described the processor, Lei Yijun tensed slightly, then relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2011, the Snapdragon MSM8260 was a best-selling S3-series chip, widely used in many domestic models.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference? Prices varied — 2,999 yuan, 3,699 yuan — but Lei Yijun’s price was 1,999 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next, memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This specification would be considered e-waste over a decade later, but in 2011, it was flagship-tier memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many were guessing Chengzi Phone’s price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Chen Yansen’s lofty words, no businessman operates without profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most judged from the processor and memory and assumed the price would be between 2,999 and 3,299 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The screen is a 4.5-inch TFT panel supporting multi-touch, with a resolution of 960×640 — delivering clearer, finer image quality and an excellent experience for video viewing and photo browsing...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen introduced each feature in the style of a future product launch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then detailed the 8-megapixel camera, LED flash, 2,200mAh battery, and core sensors: gravity sensor, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun’s brow tightened further, filled with confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the battery capacity, Chen Yansen hadn’t cut corners — but where were the screen driver circuits and flex cables placed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Lei Yijun glanced at Li Wanqiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Wanqiang shook his head — several ideas flashed through his mind, but all seemed too risky or too costly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if reading minds, Chen Yansen shifted from hardware to software.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He discussed the technical challenges of narrow bezels and their solutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To media and fans, this segment was dry; to engineers, it opened new perspectives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Aurora OS optimization details, he shared insights on COF packaging and rear cover material changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, Lei Yijun finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a result, the material cost of the Orange Phone exceeded the original plan by 200 yuan, but I believe it's worth it—abandoning touch buttons in favor of full-screen gestures is the future of smartphones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen stood on stage, swiping left and right across the screen, the pages scrolling smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To exit an app, a simple upward swipe suffices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With fewer steps, the experience improves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think this phone should sell for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen looked around and saw everyone waiting for him to announce the price; he merely smiled and tossed the question to the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many raised their hands, eager to participate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The host, seeing this, handed the microphone to one of the fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, to ensure smoothness and avoid surprises, this young man who looked like a white-collar worker was in fact an engineer from Orange Tech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think 2999 yuan is more appropriate,\" the pre-arranged 'plant' said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meizu's M9, released earlier this year with an 8GB version priced at 2499 yuan, was far inferior in screen, processor, RAM, and camera compared to the Orange Phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the branding team had prepared the 'plant' with the script: 2999 yuan—500 yuan more than Meizu's M9.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"2999 yuan—do you all think that's acceptable? Can everyone afford it?\" Chen Yansen asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many reporters had never seen such an down-to-earth launch event and couldn't help laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I still think it's too expensive! Drop it another 1000 yuan, and it might just be reasonable!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the laughter subsided slightly, Chen Yansen said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun's mind buzzed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt everything Chen Yansen said was exactly what he had planned to say at Xiaomi's launch—Xiaomi's date was already set, and the price had long been decided internally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Orange Phone, Xiaomi clearly lagged in system and storage RAM, yet the price was identical, making it easy for users to compare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, Xiaomi might end up becoming the Orange Phone's stepping stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he drop it another 10 or 20 yuan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun silently calculated in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Chen Yansen spoke, the CEOs of Meizu, OPPO, Coolpad, and other manufacturers immediately frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This configuration of the Orange Phone, sold for only 1999 yuan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who would buy their phones? How could they make easy profits anymore?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But personally, I still think 1999 yuan is a bit too high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen paused, then added lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell is this kid trying to do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yijun's face lost all trace of a smile—if they lowered the price further, no one would make any profit. How could they even play the game?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had intended to be the one to flip the table, but Chen Yansen had already flipped his entire table!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The representatives from the first row of phone manufacturers now had ashen faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen's pricing decision had offended every domestic first- and second-tier brand—everyone's material cost was 700 to 800 yuan, including R&D and production expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why not just puff it up at the launch and sell it for 2999 or 3999 yuan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don't want to make money, don't cut off everyone else's livelihood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2169,"2026-06-19T19:17:18.227Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3b006d931c64eb5180391cad203ba22fb4dcd6d26baede3abe59199bbe402b7b","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-142","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-140",387,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-cover.jpg"]