Chapter 74: The Boomerang

“Hanxi Dongling Gaokē Company!”

The BBC television host, with awkward pronunciation, said the name of Dongling Gaokē: “You may be unfamiliar with this company, but the tech industry certainly won’t be!”

Less than half a year ago, this Chinese company from Hanxi engaged in a major patent lawsuit with America’s Microsoft over mouse patents, ending the legal battle with Microsoft paying compensation—a first in nearly a decade for any tech company to force Microsoft into paying damages!

Some tech industry experts believe this lawsuit may have triggered Microsoft’s greatest crisis ever, indirectly causing computer manufacturers, software firms, semiconductor companies, and all related industries to form an informal “First Anti-Microsoft Alliance,” but Microsoft’s timely concessions averted the threat of being broken up!

After briefly introducing Dongling Gaokē, BBC continued its report: “This electronic pet device is Dongling Gaokē’s second product; since its release, it has spread among youth in Japan, America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, and elsewhere at an unimaginable speed, evolving into a new trend and culture!”

Such a cultural phenomenon triggered by a single electronic product had never occurred before; previous electronic entertainment devices—computers, game consoles, portable music players—had never achieved such cross-regional, cross-language, cross-age popularity.

BBC will continue reporting on the electronic pet device; our reporter in Hong Kong will soon travel to Hanxi Province to interview Dongling Gaokē!

Feng Miaoyu watched the news on TV and felt her mind momentarily unable to process it.

Having been in Britain for over a year, her greatest impression was the arrogance beneath the British veneer of gentility—they looked down on Americans, seeing them as mere nouveau riche; they despised the French as lazy; they regarded Germans as country bumpkins.

As for Asians, the British held even lower opinions; the media never reported anything favorable, brimming with contempt; to the British, China was still stuck in the past century…

For a television network to dedicate a special report to a company or individual was unheard of; yet now she saw it—BBC running a special feature on a domestic company. Though it didn’t praise Dongling Gaokē, it showed at least basic respect, with no condescension whatsoever—something truly rare in Britain or Europe!

For a moment, Feng Miaoyu developed a certain interest in Dongling Gaokē; seeing its report on foreign media, thousands of miles away, she subconsciously felt Dongling Gaokē must be among China’s top tech companies—otherwise, why would BBC feature it? In this era, foreign media still carried considerable influence in the eyes of many Chinese, even regarded as daring enough to report the truth…

Not just Feng Miaoyu—Chinese students in Britain and viewers who could receive BBC—all now had some impression of Dongling Gaokē and the electronic pet device after this report.

The apartment phone rang; Feng Miaoyu got up from the sofa, picked it up, and upon hearing the voice, cried out, “Sister!”

The Feng sisters—Feng Miaoyu’s older sister, Feng Miaoyu, was an editor at the Beijing Business Daily. Their mother died early; when Feng Miaoyu’s father went into business, Feng Miaoyu was raised by her elder sister—she might as well have been a mother. Their sisterly bond, of course, needed no explanation.

After chatting with Feng Miaoyu on the phone, Feng Miaoyu remembered the news she’d just seen on TV: “Sister, have you heard of Dongling Gaokē?!”

“Dongling Gaokē?!”

Upon hearing this, Feng Miaoyu paused briefly, recalling events since the year began—she assumed Feng Miaoyu was referring to Dongling Gaokē’s lawsuit with Microsoft and its refusal of Sitong Group’s investment.

“I’ve heard of it. It’s a new tech company that’s made quite a stir this year. But why are you bringing it up now?!”

“Just now, BBC ran a special report on Dongling Gaokē, saying its product is selling like crazy in Japan and America!”

“Silver Mink mouse?!”

Hearing this, Feng Miaoyu was also stunned. As a media professional, she knew BBC’s reputation well—but for the Silver Mink mouse to be selling out? She’d never heard that. Even domestically, the Silver Mink sold decently, but nowhere near “crazy” levels; if it wasn’t selling out at home, how could it be doing so overseas?

“Not the mouse—it’s called the electronic pet device!” Feng Miaoyu said.

Hearing this unfamiliar product, Feng Miaoyu, as a media professional, instinctively sensed a major news story she’d missed.

“Take care of yourself in Britain. Call your father when you get a chance—he misses you terribly!”

After giving Feng Miaoyu these instructions, Feng Miaoyu hung up and immediately got to work.

This was not yet the internet age, where everyone was a self-media publisher and any event anywhere instantly spread worldwide and topped headlines in every country.

Feng Miaoyu first gathered newspapers and media from Guangdong Province—close to Hong Kong, they carried more overseas news; their resources were indeed superior to inland media.

After flipping through several newspapers, she finally found a report on the electronic pet device: it stated the device was the most popular electronic product among young men and women in Hong Kong, already a blockbuster—any store stocking it attracted hundreds of customers in line.

Other media outlets had scattered reports on the electronic pet device in Japan, Singapore, and elsewhere—but none mentioned Dongling Gaokē.

This very absence only deepened Feng Miaoyu’s interest. She went to the chief editor, requesting contact with the newspaper’s overseas news partners. Though the Beijing Business Daily had no foreign correspondents, it maintained cooperative ties with media in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, New York, and London—gathering information was not difficult!

The next day, Feng Miaoyu, with dark circles under her eyes from an all-nighter, gulped down a large mouthful of cold tea. She felt no sleepiness—only sharp alertness. She was certain that once this report was published, it would shake the entire domestic business world.

This report was compiled from multiple overseas media partners of the Beijing Business Daily. Though exact figures were still uncertain, she had roughly estimated Dongling Gaokē’s electronic pet device sales volume, revenue, and even its impact on Japan’s Bandai Company.

After reviewing it once more, Feng Miaoyu walked into the chief editor’s office.

“The Eastern Magic Machine: Sweeping $60 Million Overseas!”

As one of China’s oldest economic newspapers, the Beijing Business Daily had a large readership, especially known for publishing theoretical articles, commentary, and inviting industry experts to analyze sectors—or even hint at upcoming policy shifts. As such, it was taken seriously by many government departments and corporations, wielding considerable influence in Beijing and surrounding regions.

When readers received the Beijing Business Daily that day and saw this headline, many were startled—first thought: had one of China’s big-name companies just pulled off another major move?

But upon opening it, they saw the name Dongling Gaokē—Feng Miaoyu’s report on the electronic pet device.

“Dongling Gaokē’s electronic pet device, in less than two months since launch, has an estimated sales volume exceeding four million units. At overseas retail prices, total revenue has reached $60 million, making it the highest foreign-exchange-earning private company in China today. The electronic pet device is also the most popular Chinese export product ever, without exception!”

“Japan’s Bandai Company, which distributes the device, has seen its stock price surge over 60%—becoming this year’s best-performing company on the Japanese stock market. America’s Toys ‘R’ Us has also seen its stock rise over 17%, hitting a three-year high…”

When the Beijing Business Daily published this report, many’s first reaction was confusion—and disbelief.

They’d never heard of the electronic pet device. Moreover, it shattered their assumptions: normally, Chinese companies developed new products, sold them domestically first, then tried to “dump” them overseas at a loss—yes, at a loss. Exporters never imagined making real profit abroad; they sold overseas cheaper than at home, relying on volume to earn foreign exchange, then compensated losses with export subsidies.

Dongling Gaokē’s model—bypassing the domestic market entirely, selling directly overseas, and earning massive foreign exchange—had never happened before in China. Readers’ first reaction was to doubt the report: was this fake news?

At least Wang Tian’an, boss of Beijing Tiancheng Trading Company, upon seeing this paper, immediately thought it couldn’t be true. He had previously criticized Dongling Gaokē for teaming up with Hanxi Jiaotong University and Pingyang University to establish a joint lab—calling them arrogant, having too much money, forgetting who they were, pretending to be like foreign giants with labs, pure nonsense. His view: Chinese companies could only work as subcontractors for foreign firms.

But if this report was true, Wang Tian’an recalled his public remarks and felt his face burn—he couldn’t believe the boomerang had struck him so fast.

“It can’t be true!”

Wang Tian’an gritted his teeth, picked up the phone, and prepared to contact his overseas partners to verify the facts—then expose the Beijing Business Daily’s lie. He’d been in foreign trade for decades—he knew exactly what Chinese companies were capable of!

(End of Chapter)