[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-starting-from-1993":3,"chapter-reborn-starting-from-1993-reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn Starting from 1993",{"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},2357024,4611,"Chapter 40: A Gift Delivered to the Door","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>The plane pierced the sky, rising above the clouds, as Li Dongling flipped through the documents in his hands: an enemy of my enemy is my friend; if we rashly confront Microsoft directly, it’s like banging our heads against a wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what Li Dongling needed to do this time was to rally every opponent of Microsoft and form an anti-Microsoft alliance—no formal agreements required, just enough quiet whispers from hardware giants, software titans, and computer peripheral manufacturers to signal their opposition to Microsoft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need these companies to sever ties with Microsoft outright; he only needed to ignite a massive wave of public opposition to drive Microsoft’s stock price down—then the Wall Street institutions, U.S. state pension funds, and countless domestic and international investors who held Microsoft shares would teach Microsoft a lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Easy to say, hard to do—after all, the power gap was simply too vast; Microsoft had too much money, and in America, money truly could move mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Dongling knew this had to be a swift, decisive strike—land a hard punch while Microsoft was still unprepared; he couldn’t hope to knock it down, but if he could force Microsoft to retreat just a little, to wash away the stain of plagiarism from Dongling High-Tech, that would be enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they delayed more than three months, their chances of victory would drop to zero; once Microsoft recovered and launched a full-scale counterattack, Li Dongling felt even taking the case to the U.S. Federal Court wouldn’t guarantee a win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongling High-Tech would inevitably play the vanguard; whether Logitech, Dell, HP, Apple, Lotus, IBM, Oracle, and other giants would intervene was beyond Li Dongling’s control—it was up to fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the northern shore of Lake Geneva, the International Olympic Committee and numerous other international institutions were headquartered in this Olympic City; Lausanne was also known as the City of Art, where European artists flocked for refuge—Byron, Rousseau, Hugo, Dickens, Hemingway had all come here to escape or vacation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car bumped along uneven roads; Lausanne was a mountain city, small in area but packed with halls, churches, and ancient castles—passing the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne Cathedral, and the newly opened Olympic Museum from last year, all came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were a vacation, the scenery here was decent, and one could enjoy Lake Geneva’s views—but Li Dongling had no leisure for such thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring his fatigue, after checking into the hotel, Li Dongling took a shower, changed clothes, and headed straight for Logitech’s headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who wants to see us?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel, Logitech’s founder and CEO, was startled when his assistant reported that an Asian company he’d never heard of wanted to meet him and Logitech’s other two founders, Pacosta and Marinelli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel had been ready to dismiss them, but one sentence from his assistant changed his mind: “He said he’s here because of Microsoft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let him in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel thought for a moment and summoned Pacosta and Marinelli as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why call us here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most urgent task is launching our own ergonomic scroll mouse—Microsoft’s new mouse unveiled at the Las Vegas Computer Expo has already secured multiple orders; that’s the future of the mouse industry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pacosta and Marinelli both spoke urgently to Daniel, their faces tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Microsoft was Logitech’s single biggest rival in the mouse industry; they simply couldn’t understand why such a giant company, eager to enter the computer market, didn’t go after IBM, HP, or Apple—why obsess over the mouse industry? Even if they sold a hundred million mice a year, they’d make less than Microsoft earned from casually releasing one software product to fleece users. Logitech had no idea what the minds of Microsoft’s hardware division were made of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An Asian company’s founder wants to meet us—he says it’s related to Microsoft,” Daniel said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Japanese company?” Pacosta asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe South Korean—they’ve made huge strides in semiconductors and electronics these past few years; America’s been propping up South Korea’s semiconductor industry, splitting and relocating Japanese semiconductor production there to counterbalance Japan’s threat,” Marinelli added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shrugged—he kept close tabs on industry shifts; right now, the two hottest places in electronics, besides America, were Japan; Japan had plenty of mouse, screen, and keyboard manufacturers, making them Logitech’s rivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoever it is, we’ll find out soon enough. Our war with Microsoft won’t end immediately, and we can spare a little time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel, as Logitech’s leader and the eldest of the three founders, saw further ahead; though he seethed with hatred for Microsoft, he knew that fighting Microsoft meant preparing for a long war—even if you gained temporary advantage, it was nearly impossible to topple a behemoth with such thick health bars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling and Yao Luoying entered the office under the watchful eyes of Daniel and his two partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an honor to meet the pioneers of the mouse industry—your names, like Douglas Engelbart’s, will be remembered forever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Douglas Engelbart was the father of the mouse; by placing Daniel and his two partners on the same pedestal as Engelbart, Li Dongling was clearly flattering them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they knew it was flattery, Pacosta and Marinelli couldn’t help but smile slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel remained far more composed: “You’re from Asia…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Dongling, Dongling High-Tech, Hanzhong Province, China.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Dongling High-Tech was from China, Daniel was genuinely startled; to him and Logitech, China was still a technological desert—barely any computer users, let alone any tech companies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So,” Daniel’s interest waned now that he knew Dongling High-Tech was Chinese, “what exactly is this thing you say is related to Microsoft?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dongling High-Tech is suing Microsoft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling’s opening line left Daniel, Marinelli, and Pacosta momentarily stunned. Li Dongling glanced at Yao Luoying, who handed them several documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Silver Mink mouse and its patent, Daniel, Pacosta, and Marinelli all froze, their minds struggling to process it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel felt absurdity mixed with disbelief: “You mean Microsoft’s newly released mouse copied your product?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongling High-Tech’s case had stirred up chaos in China’s tech industry, but overseas, it had drawn zero attention; if not for the connection to Microsoft, Daniel might never have agreed to meet Li Dongling at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hate to admit it, but the facts are undeniable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel, Pacosta, and Marinelli exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I sympathize with your situation, but this has nothing to do with Logitech—we can only express our helplessness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel said; in a way, Logitech and Dongling High-Tech were already rivals—if Dongling High-Tech truly fought Microsoft, Logitech could just sit back and watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, if Microsoft really stole Dongling High-Tech’s mouse patent, that was good news for Logitech—if the patent wasn’t Microsoft’s, then Logitech could use it however it pleased; tomorrow, Logitech could launch a perfect clone of the Silver Mink mouse and start selling it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right now, it has nothing to do with Logitech—but if Dongling High-Tech loses its patent lawsuit against Microsoft, then it will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling wasn’t surprised by their attitude: “Over the years, how many companies has Microsoft copied? Xerox, Lotus, Apple, IBM—when this one goes unpunished, who’s next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Dongling High-Tech falls, can Logitech still protect its own patents?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Daniel’s expression shift, Li Dongling added fuel: “Dongling High-Tech is just a small company—compared to Microsoft and Logitech, we can’t sustain a prolonged lawsuit. If we’re pushed to the brink, we might even sell our ergonomic mouse and scroll mouse patents to Microsoft just to survive…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel’s face darkened—he finally understood Li Dongling’s meaning: if Logitech refused to help Dongling High-Tech, Li Dongling would drag Logitech down with him. The Silver Mink patents were useless in Dongling High-Tech’s hands, but in Microsoft’s, they could crush Logitech and every other computer manufacturer—unless they paid massive licensing fees, they couldn’t use those patents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li, what do you want?” Daniel forced himself to calm down and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dongling High-Tech can license the mechanical Silver Mink mouse patent to Logitech for $1.5 million per year, and grant Logitech the exclusive five-year European distribution rights for the Silver Mink brand—Logitech can take 30% of Silver Mink’s revenue in Europe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel studied Li Dongling closely; $1.5 million in patent licensing fees was practically a giveaway, and the European distribution rights were essentially handing Logitech free money. He knew Li Dongling was tying Logitech to the same war chariot—but the offer was undeniably tempting, especially on the patent front, where Logitech had plenty of room to maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Licensing the mouse patents to Logitech was a last resort for Li Dongling—you couldn’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child; to win Logitech’s support, he had to offer real leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the European distribution rights, Silver Mink couldn’t possibly build sales channels in Europe anytime soon—through Logitech’s network, he might at least earn something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you want Logitech to do?” Daniel asked directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cover Dongling High-Tech’s legal fees in America, and help us win the patent lawsuit against Microsoft in Europe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dongling said; Logitech was the local powerhouse in Europe. If Dongling High-Tech sued Microsoft in Europe, no one would take it seriously—but if Logitech filed the suit, everything changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since the EU had just been formally established last year, eager to flex its muscles—what better way to assert its presence than by taking down Microsoft? A gift like this, delivered straight to their door—Li Dongling didn’t believe they’d refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>",1548,"2026-06-21T04:42:08.057Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5a2fd3bf502e65d86f46e2a2c7941d30d615e35708ff4d092ac187842974fe81","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-41","reborn-starting-from-1993-chapter-39",989,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-starting-from-1993-cover.jpg"]