Chapter 288: AI Legend Master: Chen Yan Is My Godfather! Wang Zihao: Still Couldn

"Boss Chen, can you make a profit at this price?"

Lei Yi Army snapped back to reality, turned his head, eyes blazing with anger, and confronted Chen Yan.

"Hardware doesn't earn much—I plan to profit from software. Didn't Xiaomi and 360 phones do the same?"

Chen Yan smiled modestly, unconcerned.

The screen, chip, and memory used in the Qingcheng D1S are actually quite average; the specs look luxurious, but the material cost per unit is just over five hundred yuan, with unnecessary sensors like the gyroscope and magnetometer completely removed.

The battery is supplied by Desai, the screen by Jingdongfang; leveraging his status as a shareholder and major client, Chen Yan secured the lowest possible prices.

As for MediaTek's MT6573 processor, Orange Tech's willingness to purchase it is a favor to MediaTek.

Currently, very few domestic phone manufacturers still opt for MediaTek chips.

Either Qualcomm, or NVIDIA and Shanxing—MediaTek chips are the backup of backups, commonly found in low-end and ultra-low-end smartphones.

"I doubt 360 Phone can sell 600, 00 units again next month," Zhou Hongyi swallowed hard, silently pondering his new model—he'd have to avoid Orange Phone's price range.

Ding Lei frowned, then relaxed his expression again.

NetEase Phone's hardware specs are slightly superior to the Qingcheng D1S, and as an internet phone brand focused on 'fans,' sales would be impacted but not severely.

The most grim-faced were representatives from Lenovo, ZTE, and Coolpad—once the Qingcheng D1S launched, their mid-range models would likely become unsellable.

Low-end models are blocked by the Orange D1, high-end models by the Orange C2 and C3; above that, the 4, 00-yuan-and-up tier is entirely dominated by Apple, Shanxing, and HTC.

"Fuck! If you've got the guts to sell at 4, 99 yuan, go take on Apple!"

Chen Yongming, who had chatted amiably with Chen Yan at the Xiaomi launch, now had a dark expression, silently cursing inside.

After hearing Chen Yan's explanation, Lei Yi Army opened his mouth but couldn't think of anything to say.

For a moment, the faces of all major phone manufacturers' representatives were filled with complex expressions.

Their minds held only one thought: slash prices!

Go back and develop a thousand-yuan phone, teach Chen Yan a harsh lesson!

In terms of supply chains, production lines, and cost control, how could these industry giants possibly lose to Orange Tech?

It's just a matter of whether they want to or not!

Wang Teng stood on stage, taking in the expressions below, then smiled faintly and said, "Now let me introduce the development team behind the Mos Voice Interaction Engine—give them a round of applause!"

Competitors were still lost in the happy fantasy of "developing a thousand-yuan phone → selling 5 million units → crushing the Qingcheng D1S → forcing Orange Tech to beg for mercy," ignoring Wang Teng's words entirely.

The media and fan camps responded promptly, erupting in thunderous applause.

It wasn't out of respect for Wang Teng—it was because the 999-yuan price won everyone's respect.

Daniel and Zhou Chuangxi walked onto the stage together; Wang Teng stepped aside, handing the stage to them.

"Hello everyone, I'm Zhou Chuangxi, Chief Scientist of Orange Tech's Artificial Intelligence Lab."

"Hello everyone, I'm Daniel Povey, Chief Scientist of Orange Tech's Artificial Intelligence Lab."

Daniel's Chinese had improved rapidly; though he still couldn't communicate flawlessly, giving a simple self-introduction came easily to him.

The audience didn't look particularly surprised upon seeing Daniel—they'd already seen Orange Tech's AI lab team in the promotional video.

Half of them were foreign employees!

Daniel spoke slowly, sharing his academic and R&D journey, while Zhou Chuangxi translated in real time.

IBM Research, Senior Engineer in Computer Speech Recognition.

Microsoft Research, creator of the Hidden Markov Statistical Model, developer of the Kaldi speech recognition software.

Johns Hopkins University, Associate Professor at the Center for Language and Speech Processing.

This guy was undeniably a giant in the field of artificial intelligence!

Only now did the media and fans realize that the middle-aged, seemingly shy glasses-wearer on stage had such an impressive background.

"Is this real?"

"Isn't he just an actor hired from Hengdian?"

"Search online—you'll find real news about Daniel Povey. He's a genuine top-tier AI expert."

Reporters and fans whispered among themselves; after confirming Daniel's identity and academic achievements, they grew excited.

Reporters saw another news bomb.

Fans believed the influence of the Mos Voice Interaction Engine and Mos Smart Speaker had been severely underestimated.

As Daniel finished his last sentence, he looked earnestly at Chen Yan and said, "Since coming to China, my technical skills have grown rapidly, mostly due to my boss's influence. His abilities in speech recognition, natural language processing, and speech synthesis far surpass mine. In my heart, he is my mentor and my godfather."

Zhou Chuangxi froze slightly, instinctively glancing at Daniel, his eyes asking: "Is this too flattery? Should I translate it?"

Seeing Zhou Chuangxi silent, Daniel nudged his mouth, urging him on.

Zhou Chuangxi ignored him and turned his gaze toward the boss.

Chen Yan gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, signaling Zhou Chuangxi not to translate that line.

Zhou Chuangxi received the cue, took the microphone from Daniel, and shifted the conversation to the development of speech analysis tools, then to the challenges of natural language processing and speech synthesis.

He also briefly introduced his own background.

Computer prodigy from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Ph. . in Electrical Engineering from UIUC, expert in computer vision, image processing, and speech recognition, mentored by the "Father of Computer Vision" in the Lamp Nation.

The audience below sat stunned, while the two hundred-plus members of Orange Tech's AI Lab mostly possessed comparable elite talents.

This was an ultra-luxury team built by the world's top AI experts—no wonder the $199 Alexa smart speaker sold a terrifying 2 million units in Europe and America. Chen Yan's marketing strategy mirrored that of Haojixing, 8848 Phone, and Xiao Guan Tea.

Xiao Guan Tea partnered with eight master tea makers; Mos (Alexa) Smart Speaker partnered with over two hundred AI experts.

Is 799 yuan expensive?

These are all the R&D achievements of AI experts!

The method is crude, but the effect is powerful.

Before the launch event ended, columnists from Huoseng, iHeima, Toutiao, Sohu, Penguin, and NetEase had already published detailed illustrated articles introducing Orange Tech's AI Lab and the Mos Smart Speaker.

"AI Legend Master: Daniel Povey and Orange Tech—The World's First Smart Speaker!"

"Top American Scientist Daniel Povey: Chen Yan Is My Mentor, My Godfather!"

"Earned 400 Million USD Overseas—Alexa Smart Speaker Shouldn't Be Overlooked!"

Netizens flooded the comments with discussions; some users who had bought the Mos Smart Speaker wrote: "Its performance doesn't match its price—it deserves a higher price!"

"Why buy a speaker? Just buy the Orange C3!"

"Orange Phone keeps getting pricier—next model will probably hit 3, 00 yuan!"

"So you're blind to the existence of Orange C1, Orange D1, and Qingcheng D1S?"

"Go to Orange Mall's official website—links for Orange C3 and Qingcheng D1S are already up!"

Orange Tech's official Weibo and Chen Yan's personal Weibo both reposted the promotional poster for the new Orange Phone at 4: 0 PM.

The comment section instantly filled with netizens eager for spectacle.

The article claiming Daniel Povey regarded Chen Yan as his godfather was soon dismissed by netizens as fake news.

Everyone knew Chen Yan was a liberal arts student who studied journalism—how could he possibly surpass Western AI giants in AI expertise? Impossible!

On the other side.

After the launch event, Chen Yan saw Ma Wenteng, Yu Chendong, Lei Yi Army, and others off into their cars, then let out a light sigh.

"Boss, it's still early—I'll go home and make you red sugar fermented rice wine with glutinous rice balls and tofu pudding, want…?" Ye Qiuping walked over and asked.

Before she finished, Chen Yan cut her off: "I don't like sweet drinks."

Ye Qiuping froze, her delicate brows knitting slightly as she silently cursed: "The one who drank two bowls this morning must be a dog!"

Then Chen Yan got into the back seat of the Ghost and told Xiao Li to return to the tech park.

He still needed to communicate with Pei Yi and Gao Weilin about the acquisition of Nuomi. om—confirm timelines, pacing, and draft takeover steps and plans in advance.

Nuomi. om's organizational structure was rigid, decision-making inefficient, its ground promotion team small and coverage weak, with only about 1, 00 employees—the fewest among first-tier group-buying websites.

Pei Yi needed to restructure its organizational framework and ground promotion model to reactivate its combat effectiveness.

Chen Yan's plan was to abolish the agent system in third- and fourth-tier cities, fully transition to direct operation, and establish a three-tier ground promotion structure: "Regional Manager—Area Manager—City Manager," to enhance cohesion.

He knew the true colors of those agents all too well.

Extorting local merchants was basic operation; some even fabricated nonexistent merchants to sign contracts and fraudulently claim platform subsidies.

The timid ones made a few hundred thousand yuan a year; the bold ones made a few million.

It wasn't hard to imagine how much of Chen Yizhou's monthly 3-million-dollar losses were siphoned off by agents and regional managers working together.

Half an hour later, Chen Yan returned to the tech park, first summoned Gao Weilin, then initiated an online video conference with Pei Yi and Kang Guodong to discuss Nuomi. om's acquisition.

Meanwhile.

Shen Boyang, upon receiving the boss's notice, immediately prepared the relevant financial and operational data for Shenlian Capital's review.

"Boss Shen, is the company really being sold?" the assistant asked curiously.

"Yes, the buyer is Shenlian Capital. Don't make any mistakes during this period—warn the team below, stay sharp."

Shen Boyang spoke seriously, his face grim.

He wanted to use this opportunity to join Shenlian Capital, to get a new boss.

Compared to Chen Yan, Chen Yizhou was ten thousand miles behind; people climb higher, water flows lower—Shen Boyang wanted to advance too.

"Understood, Boss Shen," the assistant nodded and stepped out to carry out Shen Boyang's instructions.

An hour later, the news that Nuomi. om was about to be sold spread throughout the headquarters.

"Sigh, if Baidu had acquired us—it's at least one of the BATs."

"So what if it's BAT? Baidu bought Lashou and didn't improve employee benefits. I say Shenlian Capital is more reliable."

"Dong Ge is right! Shenlian Capital treats all its subsidiaries—including acquired companies' employees—equally: base salary, overtime pay, quarterly bonuses, housing subsidies—all maximized!"

"No way, really?"

"What do you mean 'really'? If you don't believe it, quit!"

"You think I'm stupid?!"

In the office, a chorus of voices erupted in discussion.

In the corner, Zhang Xuhao gave a bitter smile—he had gone full circle and once again became Chen Yansen's employee, forced to survive under Pei Yi's command.

At that moment, his phone rang, the caller ID showing a familiar number.

Zhang Xuhao sighed and pressed the answer button: "Wang Yuan, looks like we're colleagues again…"

(End of Chapter)