Chapter 36

Chen Tao and the other members of the mouse project team, upon hearing Li Dongling’s words and looking at the mouse placed on the experimental table, first felt relief, then excitement, and finally an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

It wasn’t that Chen Tao and the others missed the torment of being forced by Li Dongling to redo their work over and over; it was the hollow feeling that came with finally succeeding in developing a product they had poured their hearts into.

Li Wentao, who was responsible for crafting the prototype in the mouse project team, nearly burst into tears—there was no 3D printing technology back then; all models had to be handcrafted.

The early mouse prototypes were all made from wood, then sanded down; Li Wentao was the one who made these wooden models, and his hands were now covered in calluses—he had nearly vomited from making mouse prototypes.

Upon hearing the news, the rest of Dongling High-Tech’s staff—Hu Zi, Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, Li Dongshan, and others—rushed to the lab.

When Hu Zi, Yao Luoying, and others saw this mouse, their first impression was “elegant, beautiful”—even someone with zero knowledge of mechanical technology would feel this way upon seeing the mouse.

The milky-white mouse had smooth, flowing lines—not the square design popular at the time; all its corners and edges were rounded, with no sharp or uncomfortable protrusions, fitting perfectly in one hand.

Hu Zi, Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, and others all picked up the mouse to test it; their first sensation upon touching it was comfort—it felt natural in the hand, and when the index finger pressed down, there was a subtle mechanical click. The silver-gray ball underneath had weight but no clumsiness; its surface was softly matte, and paired with a dedicated mouse pad, Yao Luoying felt the operation was incredibly responsive.

After a few minutes of use, Yao Luoying felt operating with this mouse was vastly more convenient than typing DOS commands.

Reluctantly setting the mouse down, Yao Luoying turned to Li Dongling, “What’s this mouse called?!”

“Silver Mink,” Li Dongling said after a moment, seeing the gazes of Yao Luoying and Hu Zi. “This is Dongling High-Tech’s first mouse—the Mechanical Silver Mink Mouse!”

The group moved to the conference room beside the lab, and Li Dongling looked at everyone. “Next, the most critical task for Dongling High-Tech is production, promotion, and sales!”

“But before that, the patents and technology for the Silver Mink Mouse must be registered globally!”

Hearing this, Hu Zi couldn’t help saying, “If we apply for patents worldwide, it will cost a substantial amount!”

Hu Zi’s thinking was still confined within China’s borders; for most domestic companies—even nearly ninety percent—attention was focused solely on their own tiny domestic market; overseas markets were automatically abandoned. They fiercely competed with domestic rivals, endlessly cutting prices—even if they made just one yuan profit per TV, air conditioner, or refrigerator, they’d keep fighting, never daring to venture abroad to compete with foreign brands.

Or rather, they were too afraid. In China today, whether in automobiles, electronics, apparel, or furniture, high-end brands are almost entirely controlled by foreign companies; foreign brands are simply better—that’s nearly a universal consensus. Not just consumers, but even domestic manufacturers themselves largely believed this.

Under these conditions, patents and proprietary technologies were utterly ignored; since no one in China needed them anyway, everyone just copied each other.

Applying for patents overseas meant even more expenses—no one wanted to do it.

But Yao Luoying, who had studied at Hong Kong University, instantly understood Li Dongling’s meaning: companies in Hong Kong were now facing a brand crisis. Hong Kong’s apparel, textile, electronics, and home appliance industries were at their peak, exporting products worldwide.

Hong Kong companies now wanted to break into the high-end brand market and capture the most profitable segment, but it was extremely difficult. Over the past years, most Hong Kong electronics, apparel, and jewelry firms had merely imitated and counterfeited foreign brands, never thinking of building their own. Now, how could they possibly break into the high-end market so easily?

“The patents and technology for the Mechanical Silver Mink Mouse must be held entirely by Dongling High-Tech—at any cost!”

Li Dongling said solemnly, then turned to Hu Zi and others. “Who says only foreign brands can enter the domestic market? Why can’t Chinese products be sold overseas?!”

Hu Zi stared in shock. In this era, all kinds of people had emerged—some, like Boss Mou, were outright madmen; Boss Shi of Giant was merely self-proclaimed the second-most important figure in China’s tech industry after Bill Gates. But no one had ever dared to say they would compete with foreign brands and sell products abroad!

Compared to Hu Zi, Yao Luoying and Gao Peng were much younger, in the most passionate, fiery years of their lives. Hearing Li Dongling’s words, they couldn’t help but feel stirred—Yao Luoying looked at Li Dongling with new admiration.

Gao Peng’s face flushed red as he clenched his fists tightly; in this era, how many people dared to say they would directly challenge foreign brands?

Hu Zi shook his head—he was an old hand and knew how hard this path would be. What surprised him wasn’t whether Li Dongling could fulfill his bold claims, but that any company daring to declare competition with foreign brands was already a rarity. Today, Hu Zi felt as if he were seeing Li Dongling anew.

“We can hire a patent agency in Hong Kong that specializes in filing patents and technology applications,” Yao Luoying said. “Hong Kong companies have dealt with overseas firms often and have been fined for patent violations—they’ve come to understand the importance of patents. Some Hong Kong firms now specialize in patent services; wherever there’s money to be made, even in the most obscure corners, someone will step in.”

“This task is yours,” Li Dongling said to Yao Luoying. “Find a reliable company—get the patents sorted out as quickly as possible!”

“Hu Manager, you’re familiar with Guangdong Province—take charge and lead a team there to find suitable component manufacturers for the Silver Mink Mouse. Get it into production as soon as possible!”

“I’ve got no problem!” Hu Zi replied immediately.

Li Dongling turned to Gao Peng beside him. “To promote the Silver Mink Mouse, besides advertising, we need it to appear at computer expos so more computer manufacturers can see it. Gao Peng, you and the sales team will take the Silver Mink Mouse to the Yangcheng Computer Exhibition!”

After the new year, the news of reduced computer tariffs had been officially announced; by mid-year, computer tariffs would drop to 26%. This meant giants like IBM, Compaq, and HP would flood into China, making this year’s Yangcheng Computer Exhibition the most crowded ever, with countless computer manufacturers and component suppliers ready to fight for market share.

“Dongling High-Tech should first seek partnerships with domestic computer brands, then look for opportunities to secure orders from foreign firms!”

Li Dongling said. He planned to launch the Silver Mink Mouse domestically first, then overseas. Though he had just declared they would compete with foreign brands like Logitech, courage didn’t mean recklessness—they needed a solid foundation to survive.

Though mice were sold individually, the bulk of sales still came bundled with computers. Even Logitech, the world’s largest mouse manufacturer—the “King of Computer Peripherals”—still had to work for others.

HP’s current mice are sourced from Logitech; Logitech handles the technology and production, but HP’s branding is on them. Only after gaining fame did Logitech, through collaboration with Apple, finally get to put its own logo on a mouse.

Li Dongling hoped the Silver Mink Mouse could secure orders from domestic brands like Lenovo, Great Wall, Inspur, Seven Star, and Shida, then move to challenge the overseas market. Slogans could be shouted, but first, they had to eat.

Hu Zi and Gao Peng led teams south to Guangdong first; Yao Luoying contacted her Hong Kong University classmates to find a patent agency for the patent filings; the mouse project team continued refining the Silver Mink Mouse, preparing to handle technical issues once mass production began; Chen Tao, meanwhile, didn’t rest—he plunged into work on the digital cordless telephone.

Dongling High-Tech suddenly grew quiet; Li Dongling spent nearly every day on the phone with Hu Zi and Gao Peng.

At the Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory, Li Dongling had visited once after the new year, collected his dividend, and paid no further attention—because the satellite dish market had completely collapsed. Hundreds of satellite dish brands had emerged in China, engaging in brutal price wars; the era of satellite dishes being sold for pennies had arrived!

Despite the light, persistent rain, long queues still formed outside the Yangcheng Computer Exhibition hall. Bo Nasi hurried over, holding up his staff badge. The event staff immediately let him enter through the exhibitor entrance—the badge belonged to Microsoft!

As a Microsoft employee, Bo Nasi was proud. Wherever he went in the world, showing that badge earned him looks of admiration and respect—the power of the world’s largest tech giant, a $40-billion market-cap behemoth. Even as a mere employee, he could feel honored, basking in applause and glory.

The Guangzhou Computer Exhibition, though drizzling with light rain today, still had a long queue outside the venue. Bonas hurried over, raised his work badge, and upon seeing it, the venue staff immediately let him enter through the exhibitor entrance—this badge belonged to Microsoft!

As a Microsoft employee, Bonas was proud; no matter where in the world he went, just showing this badge earned him looks of envy and respect, along with privileged treatment—that was the power of the world’s largest tech giant, a market-valued behemoth exceeding forty billion dollars, where even a single employee could share in its glory and bask in its acclaim.