Chapter 98: The Shift from Defense to Offense

Joseph, standing among the crowd of salespeople, stared at the small mountain of cash and felt, for the first time in his life, a deep longing.

The sales staff recruited by Lu Chao were hardly elite sellers; Joseph, before this, had never done sales at all—he used to work as a clerk at a small company that went bankrupt, and just happened to catch the European branch of Dongling Gaokē’s hiring drive, so he joined.

Joseph’s former life had been routine and unremarkable—from university to work—and he’d never dreamed of becoming rich, but now, facing this mountain of cash, he began to waver.

It wasn’t just Joseph—all the sales staff present, though from various European countries, earned roughly $1,500 per month, and while average wages were average wages, most ordinary people in nearly every country earned less than the average—this was true worldwide.

When a mountain of over a million dollars in cash was actually laid out before them, the visual impact was overwhelming for Europeans and North Americans who rarely saved and relied mostly on credit cards.

Whether in Europe or North America, both were money-driven societies where money’s role and influence were amplified endlessly—what would people do when they had a real chance to earn $500,000 in a single month?!

Lu Chao, standing beside Zhang Ao, could clearly sense that the previously lazy, scattered group now had wolf-like hunger in their eyes.

“Is this true?!” asked Rodelia, a middle-aged man from Bulgaria in Eastern Europe, his voice trembling as he addressed Zhang Ao.

Since the collapse of the Bear, Eastern Europe had been in constant turmoil; many had fled westward to survive. Skilled engineers, teachers, and academics found jobs easily in Western Europe, but people like Rodelia, middle-aged and without specialized skills, weren’t so lucky.

Getting hired by Dongling Gaokē’s European office was already good fortune for Rodelia—many of his countrymen couldn’t find work at all and survived only on emergency food rations, sometimes not even getting those.

“You can hire a lawyer to notarize it—the $500,000 bonus will be deposited in the bank and paid out upon maturity!”

Hearing Zhang Ao’s words, the thirty-odd sales staff had no more doubts; their eyes burned with greed for money. A $500,000 bonus was far more effective than any amount of motivational nonsense.

“So, whoever sells a Shenzhou phone gets a commission, right?!” someone else in the crowd asked.

“It’s legal and fair—you get users to willingly pay $150 for a phone,” Zhang Ao emphasized, “and on that basis, whether you sell it yourself or get others to sell it for you, as long as the phone is sold and payment is collected, the commission is paid immediately!”

Zhang Ao’s emphasis drew laughter from below, but it also sparked new thoughts in many—selling alone was exhausting and yielded few units; if you mobilized relatives and friends, you could earn commissions—and possibly even the $500,000 bonus!

“Will this… even work?!” Lu Chao asked Zhang Ao, watching the sales staff scatter. Could this ragtag band of amateurs possibly compete against Siemens’ seasoned professional sales team? He had no confidence.

“Do you have a better idea?”

Zhang Ao shot him a sidelong glance. Lu Chao fell silent—he now understood exactly what Ren Yuefeng had felt. These inland folks were wild beyond imagination, utterly unbound by convention!

In the morning, Frankel woke in his small villa, put on his robe, and walked into the living room where milk and bread had already been prepared.

As usual, Frankel ate while turning on the TV, first switching to the sports channel—Germans loved football, and Frankel was no exception; even if he no longer played, he still attended matches when he could, and at the very least followed daily football news to stay updated on European soccer.

He’d barely taken a bite of bread when he heard a name he despised.

“Last night in the Eredivisie, PSV Eindhoven faced Ajax, the previous season’s champion. The 18-year-old striker Ronaldo, playing for PSV, scored a hat-trick; PSV won 5-1!”

“Ronaldo delivered a superstar moment—his performance last night silenced all doubters and proved he truly deserves his $8 million endorsement fee!”

Frankel stared, stunned, at the highlights of Ronaldo’s performance last night—he was unstoppable, unleashing all his fury on Ajax. Ajax’s defense, perhaps stunned, was virtually torn apart by Ronaldo alone.

Ronaldo unveiled his Death Swing dribble for the first time before the world; every Ajax player, including the goalkeeper, was left behind by him one by one.

In this match, Ronaldo pulled out his entire arsenal—especially when surrounded by four Ajax defenders, he unleashed a long-range shot that shattered the entire defensive line, igniting the stadium.

Last night’s match drew the highest viewership in Eredivisie history in years, turning previously skeptical media and fans into fanatics, many of whom became Ronaldo’s new supporters.

And when Frankel saw Ronaldo make a “making a phone call” celebration gesture after every goal, his eyelid twitched—this was advertising for the Shenzhou phone!

“Damn it!”

Frankel abandoned his breakfast and immediately dialed out. He didn’t know how Shenzhou had found a player like Ronaldo—who had been obscure just yesterday—how had he exploded last night? He cursed under his breath, convinced Shenzhou had gotten lucky.

After calling several times and confirming that European retail giants like Carrefour and Metro hadn’t stocked Shenzhou phones, he finally relaxed. If Metro or others had started displaying Shenzhou phones today, given Ronaldo’s performance, Frankel couldn’t imagine the consequences.

But now, no store was willing to stock Shenzhou phones—even if Ronaldo had reached millions of viewers, if they couldn’t buy the phone, the ad was useless.

“Tell the retailers again: Siemens can offer them another 2% discount, but absolutely no Shenzhou phones on the shelves!”

Back at Siemens, Frankel summoned the head of marketing and repeated his warning—he wouldn’t give Shenzhou even a sliver of opportunity.

Shenzhou and Siemens’ digital cordless phones launched simultaneously today—Shenzhou launched across mainland China, Southeast Asia, and Europe, while Siemens focused mainly on Europe. But when you walked into European chain stores like Metro, Carrefour, or MediaMarkt, you’d see Siemens’ digital cordless phones on the shelves—Shenzhou’s? Not a single unit in sight.

“Technically, Shenzhou’s phones are indeed independently developed—they’re probably less stable than ours, and their range is shorter.”

“But they have voicemail, caller ID, call rejection, number recognition, time display, alarm functions—far more features than ours!”

Siemens engineers had dismantled a Shenzhou phone they’d managed to buy from a small local store.

After disassembling it, one Siemens engineer was surprised—the Shenzhou digital cordless phone’s technology wasn’t advanced, certainly no match for Siemens’, but the build quality was solid, and several design details made the engineer’s eyes light up.

As for features, the Shenzhou cordless phone actually offered more than Siemens’. And one thing the engineer didn’t say—he wasn’t a professional designer, but he thought the white model looked noticeably more appealing than Siemens’ black one.

Frankel’s face darkened. Siemens hadn’t even pulled ahead by much technically. He snorted, “Users need a phone to make calls, not all these flashy gimmicks!”

“What about patents? Has Shenzhou used our patents?!” Frankel asked the most pressing question.

The engineer shook his head. “A more detailed disassembly and testing requires a lab, but based on what I’ve seen, there may be some technical overlaps in certain components, but no intentional patent infringement.”

Frankel’s expression shifted slightly. He coldly ordered, “Keep dismantling!”

…

Inside the Beijing Business Daily office, Feng Miaoyu passed an editor’s desk and noticed several editors gathered, talking. She hadn’t paid attention until she heard the words “Shenzhou, Siemens, defeat”—then she stopped.

“What’s going on?” Feng Miaoyu asked.

The editor, responsible for European news, handed her an unpublished draft, sighing, “Shenzhou phone crushed in Europe!”

“European data agencies have released first-day sales figures: Siemens sold 5,500 units, revenue exceeding $1 million. Shenzhou? Less than 500 units sold in Europe—essentially a total defeat!”

A tenfold sales gap on day one—what else could it be called but defeat? Feng Miaoyu stared at the draft and sighed.

Dongling Gaokē hadn’t released sales figures yet, but eager media had already reported: Shenzhou phones sold roughly 4,200 units on day one!

That seemed decent—but nearly 3,700 of those were sold in mainland China and Southeast Asia; in Europe, only 500 units were sold, and even that might be inflated, since most Shenzhou phones in Europe were sold in small shops with unreliable sales tracking.

“Shenzhou Phone Crushed in Europe—Dongling Gaokē Suffers a Waterloo Overseas!”

Once the Beijing Business Daily and other media reported it, domestic TV economic channels, newspapers, and magazines quickly followed. The result wasn’t surprising—many had expected it—but the scale of the defeat, the tenfold gap with Siemens, still left people stunned.

The news triggered a wave of attacks on Dongling Gaokē—including those who’d been humiliated by the overseas success of the electronic pet and had lain low—now they jumped out.

“I’ve always said domestic companies shouldn’t overreach. A lucky break isn’t success. History proves me right again. Shenzhou phone is a pity—but when Siemens’ digital cordless phones start selling overseas, that’s when Shenzhou collapses!”

“The facts show domestic brands still can’t match world-class legacy companies. Of course, Tiancheng Trading is happy to become Siemens’ agent, bringing our customers the experience of premium global products!”

Wang Tian’an, boss of Beijing Tiancheng Trading, reappeared in the media, expressing regret for Shenzhou—and hinting his company would import Siemens’ digital cordless phones into China.

After Wang Tian’an, Yan Lixiang, the media commentator who had previously harshly criticized Li Dongling and Dongling Gaokē after his interview, published another scathing editorial.

“Eight million dollars in foreign exchange vanished overnight—how many shirts or leather goods must we sell to earn it back?!”

“Even if this money was earned by Dongling Gaokē, can it be squandered so carelessly? This sum could have bought countless advanced technologies and machines—yet it was spent on a single advertising endorser. Shouldn’t there be reflection?!”

“Failure came faster and fiercer than I expected. Dongling Gaokē’s management has been blinded by a success they never deserved. I believe their leadership must reflect—and some key figures should step down and cool off!”

“At this stage, domestic companies should learn—humbly and comprehensively—from overseas firms like Japan. If necessary, Dongling Gaokē should bring in foreign investors to adopt advanced management systems and experience—not recklessly oppose foreign brands!”

Yan Lixiang’s criticism was razor-sharp, directly targeting Li Dongling—he called Dongling Gaokē a makeshift troupe that had won twice by luck and now acted arrogantly, only to be instantly humiliated by a real opponent.

Yan Lixiang’s suggestion: Li Dongling and all Dongling Gaokē executives should leave immediately—they were harming the company. The only salvation was foreign investment to lead Dongling Gaokē back on track!

Before, Yan’s comments would’ve been ignored. But now, with Shenzhou’s crushing defeat, the fragile hope many had felt—that domestic brands could compete—was crushed again. The old refrain “domestic brands are hopeless” resurfaced, and his proposal gained surprising support.

Suddenly, strange rhetoric swept the nation: Dongling Gaokē was still profitable; the Silver Mink mouse remained the standard PC accessory, with annual shipments expected to exceed 300,000 units.

The electronic pet was still in high demand domestically and abroad, generating massive foreign exchange and revenue daily.

Shenzhou’s digital cordless phone had sold over 4,200 units on day one, generating over $630,000 in revenue—over five million RMB. How many domestic companies could match that in a single day?!

Yet in this media storm, Dongling Gaokē seemed already defeated, on the brink of collapse—as if Li Dongling must leave, and foreign investment or foreign management must be brought in, or the company was doomed.

Watching the media’s flood of reports and criticisms from every angle—even seeing outlets already writing obituaries for Shenzhou’s overseas campaign, as if defeat were final and irrecoverable—Li Dongling just shook his head.

Perhaps this was the era’s spirit: when you succeeded, media and society showered you with praise and flowers, lifting you to the heavens.

But when you failed, you felt hell—swarms of insults and curses swept over you.

People in this era craved recognition but lacked confidence, even sensitivity—especially toward foreign companies, celebrities, and culture—and they amplified these emotions endlessly. Earlier, they praised Dongling Gaokē to the skies; now, they tore it down with equal fury.

“Ignore the media’s noise—they don’t know the truth…”

The torrent of public opinion flooded Dongling Gaokē’s phones with constant media calls. Yao Luoying, worried, came over and urged Li Dongling.

Li Dongling smiled. “The game isn’t over. Why worry? This game is far from finished.”

Yao Luoying stared at him, puzzled—but his expression showed he hadn’t given up on Europe.

Outside, the public opinion storm raged; media in Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea began reporting on this “asymmetric war” between Shenzhou and Siemens in Europe.

But even negative attention was attention—despite the media backlash, the Shenzhou brand’s name was now firmly established across Southeast Asia.

Yet Dongling Gaokē gave no response—instead, they kept promoting, ramping up Shenzhou phone production, and even began shipping units to Europe on a fixed schedule.

…

Joseph rang the doorbell of a house. A young woman answered. Joseph immediately said, “Excuse me, madam, I’m a Shenzhou phone sales rep—I’d like to recommend this…”

“Bang!”

The door slammed shut. This was the umpteenth door slammed in his face in three days. At first, he’d felt disappointment, despair, helplessness—but now, those emotions were gone.

After being turned away, whether they heard him or not, Joseph still called out to the door: “If you decide to buy a Shenzhou phone or need after-sales service, call our company—we guarantee to fix any phone-related issues within 48 hours!”

Then he left. Since Shenzhou’s launch, Joseph had been out selling. He could’ve stayed home—but seeing others earn commissions, even $5,000 or $10,000 in bonus per day—who could remain unmoved, watching helplessly?!

Zhang Ao hadn’t lied—he really paid bonuses. In three days, Rodelia had sold the most phones. Excluding commissions, Rodelia alone had earned $35,000 in bonuses—nearly two years’ income for a typical British middle-class family!

Joseph watched Rodelia like a rabid dog, knocking on doors across London’s streets and alleys, even dragging his family and dozens of fellow Bulgarians into the sales push.

For those Bulgarians in London, there were no decent jobs—sometimes they couldn’t even get dishwashing or manual labor. Selling Shenzhou phones for commissions? Cold shoulders? Rejections? Exhausted legs? What was worse than hunger, watching your family starve?

Selling just one Shenzhou phone a day earned $30 in commission—enough to feed a family for a day. For Rodelia’s group, that was enough.

Siemens’ salespeople sold for salary and performance. But for Rodelia’s group, selling Shenzhou phones meant whether their families ate or not—the stakes were utterly different; the latter were fighting for survival.

After leaving that house, Joseph rang another doorbell. A tattooed giant opened it. Seeing the man, a full head taller and covered in muscle, Joseph tensed.

“What do you want?!” the tattooed man snapped.

Joseph, nervous, forced himself to speak: “I’m with Shenzhou Phone—I’d like to recommend this…”

“Come in!” The tattooed man waved him inside.

Inside, Joseph saw no scene he’d imagined—no armed men, no drugs. Instead, the place was clean; photos on the wall showed the man competing in sports.

“Are you an American football player?!” Joseph asked.

“Yes!”

The tattooed man beamed with pride in his profession, then asked Joseph, “Can this thing really let me take calls while grilling in my backyard?!”

“Yes, I guarantee that within a 350-meter range, you can receive the signal. Our Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone is specially designed with superior call security—far safer than ordinary landlines or brick phones!”

“Install one for me!”

Hearing the request to purchase and install a unit, Joseph was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Joseph’s expression, the tattooed man frowned and asked, “What’s the problem?”

“No, no problem—I’ll install it right away!” Joseph pulled out a Shenzhou phone from his backpack and began setting it up.

More than half an hour later, Joseph stepped out of the house, staring at the cash in his hand as if in a dream. In just this short time, he’d earned thirty dollars in commission. He knew that before, working at that small company, his daily wage was barely over fifty dollars!

He glanced back, then walked with firm steps toward the next house.

Just like Joseph, many others were vigorously promoting the Shenzhou phone—not only Rodelia and the sales team from Dongling High-Tech’s London office.

If you visited any of London’s universities, you’d see students, right after class, carrying the same backpacks as Joseph, wearing jackets printed with the Shenzhou phone logo, promoting the device.

At first, only Chinese students studying in Britain took up sales after class. But soon, students of other ethnicities began doing the same—because this job paid far better than washing dishes. How many dishes would you have to wash, how many times would your hands blister, to earn thirty dollars? But with the Shenzhou phone, if you were lucky, you could earn more than thirty dollars a day—even double it!

The Shenzhou phone first spread among lecturers, professors, and other university staff families in London, because so many people were pushing it that refusing to install one became nearly impossible.

One week after the Shenzhou phone went on sale, shipments from mainland China to Europe surged. First transported by sea, then, under pressure, switched to air freight.

The Shenzhou phone still hadn’t been stocked in major retailers like Carrefour or MediaMarkt, yet sales in London and many other British cities began skyrocketing.

The same scene was unfolding not just in Britain, but in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and even Germany—the home of Siemens.

It always started at local universities, where users of Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phones surged, then spread rapidly to every corner of the cities.

“We need to define our target market, target ads precisely, and have our sales team form partnerships with more customers…”

In Siemens’ Phone Division meeting room, Frankel listened as the head of advertising laid out their promotion plan.

Frankel was in high spirits. In the past half-month, Siemens’ Digital Cordless Phone sales had continuously broken records, with daily sales now reaching 9,300 units—just a step away from breaking the 10,000-unit daily mark.

Once that happened, monthly sales exceeding 300,000 units would mean Siemens’ Digital Cordless Phone had entered its sales peak.

In these past few days, Siemens’ stock price had already surged, largely due to the phone’s sales performance. Clearly, investment institutions recognized the Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone’s sales potential—this gave Frankel a major boost in front of Su Bile and the Siemens board.

Mid-meeting, an assistant rushed in and whispered something to Frankel. Frankel didn’t catch it and instinctively asked, “What did you say?”

The assistant glanced around the room and sighed, “The third-party market data firm has issued a report: Shenzhou phone daily sales in European countries have surpassed 5,000 units!”

“How is that possible?!”

Frankel abruptly ended the meeting, leaving only a few managers behind. Furious and betrayed, he demanded of the assistant, “Which retailer has partnered with Shenzhou?!”

Frankel assumed it was a major chain like MediaMarkt, Carrefour, or Media.

“Not a big retailer. Shenzhou phones are still sold through small and medium stores, plus door-to-door salespeople. Shenzhou is also bundling the phone with electronic pets—buy a Shenzhou phone and get a free electronic pet!”

Hearing this, Frankel was furious—and thought he’d heard a joke. “Fuck, door-to-door sales?!”

Door-to-door sales weren’t new. European and American companies used this method years ago, and it still exists—but it’s no longer mainstream, having long been abandoned by giants like Siemens.

Because compared to modern TV advertising or telemarketing, door-to-door sales are inefficient. More importantly, the cost is enormous: maintaining so many salespeople means massive monthly payroll expenses.

Big companies in Europe and North America chase every penny. Spending huge sums on door-to-door salespeople is like torture to them—why not keep that money for board dividends?

“How many salespeople do they have? How many can they possibly afford?!” Frankel’s mind was reeling. Worse, he was now terrified—he couldn’t imagine what would happen if Siemens lost to Shenzhou.

“We don’t know!”

The assistant shook his head. Seeing Frankel’s glare, he hurried on, “Honestly, we’re unclear. Shenzhou employs not only professional sales staff but also many part-timers—especially international students in university towns, and immigrants from Eastern Europe!”

“They don’t pay fixed salaries to these part-timers—they pay commissions: thirty dollars per unit sold. And… we’ve heard Shenzhou is offering sales bonuses in Britain, Italy, and even Germany: the top seller each day gets five thousand dollars; the monthly sales champion gets a five-hundred-thousand-dollar reward…”

“Thirty dollars commission per unit? They’ve gone mad!”

Frankel stared in disbelief. Thirty dollars commission per unit, half a million dollars for the monthly champion—it was insane. Shenzhou’s phone price was similar to Siemens’, but its cost was far lower, especially on labor. Now Shenzhou was giving thirty dollars commission per unit—this was beyond Frankel’s wildest expectations.

Hearing this, Siemens’ Digital Cordless Phone division executives grew anxious. One executive said to Frankel, “Should we raise our commissions, hire more salespeople?”

He trailed off. Siemens could never pay thirty dollars commission per unit—it was impossible. Frankel would be fired instantly if he suggested it to Su Bile. That money belonged to the Siemens board!

“We have the most professional sales team—how can we lose to a bunch of amateurs?!”

Frankel forced himself to speak, trying to rally his courage. “Increase advertising spending. Give retailers a bigger profit margin—push them to promote Siemens harder!”

Humans always chase hot news, but few stick around for the aftermath. Fish have seven-second memories; human attention to a news story lasts at most two weeks.

Shenzhou phone’s first-day sales in Europe were under 500 units. After media outlets flooded the headlines with reports of Dongling High-Tech and Shenzhou’s crushing defeat in Europe, coverage vanished.

But Konaris, a European market research firm, took interest in this battle between Shenzhou and Siemens in the digital cordless phone market.

“Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone daily sales in five European countries—Britain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Germany—exceeded 5,000 units!”

Konaris’s sales report drew slight attention from some European media that had previously covered Shenzhou and Ronaldo. But it was only mild interest.

But from that day on, Konaris began daily reports on Shenzhou and Siemens’ sales figures—even sending out large teams to track Shenzhou’s sales.

On Shenzhou’s 19th day of sales, Konaris announced: “Yesterday, Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone sales surpassed 6,500 units. The daily sales gap with Siemens has narrowed to under 3,000 units!”

On the 20th day: “Today, Saturn Electronics partnered with Shenzhou Phone—marking the first time a major European electronics chain has partnered with Shenzhou. Shenzhou phone sales exceeded 7,800 units!”

“Shenzhou phone daily sales surpassed 9,000 units. In Europe, Shenzhou is exploding. Thanks to its excellent sales and after-sales teams, it’s becoming more popular than Siemens outside major cities like London, Paris, and Rome!”

“Shenzhou phone broke 11,000 units in daily sales in Europe, 17,000 globally, and surpassed $2.55 million in daily revenue!”

When Konaris reported that Shenzhou phone daily sales had overtaken Siemens’, European media finally took notice.

“Siemens is losing the market of 197 million European households!”

The London Financial Times ran a sensational headline: “Before Shenzhou, every European company believed door-to-door and direct sales were obsolete. But Shenzhou proved they’re not!”

Shenzhou Phone is building a powerful sales force through high commissions—from professional sales staff to students, from unemployed homemakers to Eastern European immigrants. Word-of-mouth promotion is now Shenzhou’s most vital marketing channel.

Where Siemens wasn’t looking, the offline European market has already been seized by Shenzhou Phone. If Siemens fails, this will become a classic MBA case study: never underestimate any opponent until they’re down!

“Now we can finally declare: Ronaldo is not a marketing poison. Shenzhou phone sales have surpassed Siemens!”

Dutch telecom media and football outlets reprinted these reports. After Shenzhou’s first-day sales, Ronaldo had been branded a marketing curse, a brand-killer—any company that hired him would fail. Even his brilliant on-field performances made firms fear hiring him. But now, these rumors seemed to be crumbling.

As media everywhere reported Shenzhou surpassing Siemens, Carrefour, MediaMarkt, Walmart, and Media finally couldn’t hold back. Shenzhou’s commission was too high, its sales already exceeded Siemens’, and selling Shenzhou was far more profitable than selling Siemens.

After Walmart partnered with Shenzhou, Carrefour, MediaMarkt, and Media no longer cared about Siemens’ feelings—they announced they would stock Shenzhou phones. If Shenzhou captured Europe’s digital cordless phone market—197 million households—how many units would they sell? How much commission would they earn? Who could afford to miss this?

“Shenzhou phone daily sales break 30,000 units—setting a new record for digital cordless phone sales!”

“Siemens accuses Shenzhou Phone of predatory marketing by bundling it with electronic pets!”

Germany’s Bild also cried out: “Shenzhou phone daily sales in Germany exceed 10,000 units—topping all German electronics daily sales. Asian white goods are sweeping Germany!”

When Germany’s Bild reported Shenzhou’s explosive sales in its homeland, the battle between Shenzhou and Siemens in the digital cordless phone market had reversed. A wildfire of Shenzhou phone popularity had ignited across Europe.

Major European chains began stocking Shenzhou phones. Combined with their growing door-to-door sales force and the “buy a Shenzhou phone, get a free electronic pet” strategy, and Ronaldo’s constant goal celebrations—mimicking phone calls to promote Shenzhou—all these factors combined to create a frenzy of Shenzhou phone sales across Europe.

“Shenzhou Phone officially enters multiple European markets, setting a new daily sales record of 50,000 units, daily revenue of $7.5 million, surpassing Siemens and other brands to become Europe’s top household phone brand!”

The European Times also reported: “Rumors suggest Siemens’ board is deeply dissatisfied with Siemens Phone sales, which fell below market expectations. Siemens’ stock price has dropped, and Frankel may be ousted.”

Mainland media’s coverage of Shenzhou, though still critical of Dongling High-Tech and Shenzhou, had noticeably cooled.

But then, a job advertisement from the Hanxi Pingyang Daily was picked up by Hanxi Provincial Daily, Huashang Daily, Hanxi Metropolitan Daily, and others—and suddenly went viral across China: “Shenzhou is openly recruiting staff for its overseas offices in Europe and America!”

Soon after, another news item spread: “Shenzhou phone monthly sales in Europe exceed 240,000 units, revenue surpasses $36 million—setting a new record for Chinese electronics sales in Europe!”

(End of Chapter)