T/N[1]
Heifeng spent nearly half an hour chatting with the soft-spoken musician Zhou Jielun. He asked nothing about hits, charts, or influence—only how Zhou shaped melodies, what colors he heard in certain chords, and how much studio time he needed to feel free. By the end of the talk, the newcomer's initial wariness had melted into shy enthusiasm. Heifengg instructed Secretary Xiao Ai to arrange a quiet apartment near headquarters with an upright piano, two synthesizers, and a pantry stocked with instant noodles. A creator should think about music, not rent.
No sooner had Zhou left than Design Director Yang Qiang slipped in, impatience written across his face. "President Heifeng, that gentleman—he's the spokesperson for the Hongmeng S?"
Heifeng understood the protest before Yang voiced it. A flagship series typically hired first-tier idols, not a rookie whose name trended only on niche forums. "Zhou Jielun is talented," Heifeng said, keeping his tone calm but firm. "Give him a year and he'll bring the Hongmeng S more glory than any second-tier celebrity could."
Yang opened his mouth, then closed it. He had already searched Zhou's limited résumé and seen little to impress a marketer. Still, the boss's decisions were rarely wrong. He exhaled, nodded, and retreated, though the doubt clung to his expression.
"Remember," Heifeng called after him, "a product's fate rests first on its quality. A good phone sells itself; a good spokesperson merely raises the volume." The line—half reassurance, half gentle warning—ended the debate.
Night fell, and with it came Samsung's long-trailed comeback show. At precisely 22:00, Huaxing's senior staff gathered in the main conference room, eyes fixed on the global livestream. On screen, blue spotlights swept across a Seoul stage as multilingual hosts hyped the Samsung S6 Pro, the device meant to erase last year's battery-fire scandal.
Heifeng watched in silence, cataloging every specification and marketing beat.
The new phone played it safe. The display stayed at 5.1 inches—pocket-friendly but unambitious. Battery capacity shrank to 2,500 mAh; Samsung would rather endure ridicule for endurance than risk fresh headlines about explosions. Fast charging slipped from 25 W to 20 W, another concession to caution. For the processor, Samsung dropped Qualcomm's hot-running Snapdragon 815 and chose its in-house Exynos 812, a refined version of last year's Exynos 810 with tighter power control.
Conservative, yes—yet "conservative" in Samsung's hands still meant excellence. The company unveiled a customised 2K OLED panel with brightness and color depth that edged out Sharp's best LCDs. Bezels disappeared under the latest COF packaging, pushing the screen-to-body ratio to an impressive 90.5 %. Paired with a 3-D curved-glass back and a brushed-metal frame, the S6 Pro's silhouette looked like liquid midnight.
Engineers around the Huaxing table murmured grudging admiration. Last year's catastrophe left psychological scars on Samsung's design team, but fear did not dull their craft.
When the presentation ended, the lights rose in Huaxing's conference room. Vice-President Liu Jianyu asked, "Threat level?"
Heifeng folded his arms. "Moderate. They've traded raw power for safety, but battery life will lag, and Chinese consumers notice endurance more than gloss. We counter with two moves."
He raised one finger. "First, tune HarmonyOS to squeeze an extra hour from Kunpeng-A2 Lite. Ensure reviewers repeat 'five percent battery left after a full day' until it becomes gospel." A second finger joined the first. "Second, lean hard on Jay Chou. Release a teaser single shot entirely on S-series hardware, the same week Samsung's units hit stores. If buyers see our phone creating the soundtrack of their summer, the S6 Pro's perfect bezels won't matter."
Notes flew across digital notepads. Marketing chief Li Li added, "We'll pre-record backstage interviews showing Jay composing on the lavender S3 prototype. Viral clips, fifteen seconds each, one per platform."
"Good. Keep the clips raw—people trust rough edges more than studio polish." Heifeng pushed his chair back. "Meeting adjourned. Engineering, update me on battery tests by Friday. Design and finalize Lavender Dream and Mint Frost coatings within two weeks. Li Li, lock the teaser schedule and coordinate with Cai Yinong's team. Move."
Executives dispersed like chess pieces after a decisive move. Alone, Heifeng opened a private forecast on his tablet. Even if Samsung reclaimed some premium share, the math still bent in Huaxing's favor: Harmony X3 would hold the tech-enthusiast peak; Hongmeng S3, armed with Jay's music and the new portrait algorithms, would charm style-hunters; and the upcoming Dove-coded L-series would scoop up selfie lovers who cared more for flawless cheeks than benchmark charts.
He closed the projection and glanced again at the paused feed of the S6 Pro's gleaming form. Beautiful, but ultimately just another rectangle. Compelling stories sold rectangles, and Huaxing now owned the best stories: the unstoppable comeback of Heifeng himself, the quiet genius of Jay Chou, the resilience of Hu Ge. Put those narratives in motion, and even Samsung would struggle to keep pace.
Outside, Jiangcheng's skyline shimmered in neon pinks and blues, reflected on the glass like a horizon made of screens. Tomorrow, Huawei would tease its Nova refresh, Xiaomi would leak a dubious Antutu score, bloggers would dissect every millimeter of the S6 Pro's new frame—but tonight, Heifeng allowed himself a rare moment of stillness. Two years ago, O ChinagoStar's phones were sold from the trunks of rented vans; now, the world's second-largest smartphone brand treats them as equals.
He breathed once, deep and slow, then tapped the screen to erase the forecast. War would resume at dawn; for now, confidence was enough.
[1] Not proofread yet