In this week, under Liu Nian's leadership, everyone fully understood their factory. It was a bungalow with some equipment inside. There were fewer than ten workers in total, all doing simple jobs. Liu Nian was the most important person in the entire factory because the equipment was very poor, making automation impossible. All difficult tasks were handled by Liu Nian alone. This was why the daily output was a decent few dozen units – it was simply due to a lack of talent!
At the same time, Huang He also saw the imitation phones Liu Nian manufactured. They were larger and thicker than Nokia phones, but the outer casing had a silver-white metallic paint, which was quite attractive.
The screen was a 3.2-inch color screen that could display pictures and even play low-bitrate, low-resolution videos. It supported SMS and 2G networks.
Seeing these specifications, Huang He was somewhat amazed. These features were only found in flagship models from top brands like Nokia and Motorola, which generally cost over 5,000 yuan.
When Huang He inquired about the cost of this phone, Liu Nian stated that excluding labor, the total cost was 800 yuan, and with labor, it was around 900 yuan. Of course, this did not include Liu Nian's own salary.
Huang He was utterly astonished. Indeed, the cost-effectiveness of imitation phones was frighteningly high.
"I have a few suggestions!" Huang He said, stroking his chin. "Can we add game functions to our phones?"
"It's possible, but it requires more storage space, which in turn necessitates increasing the storage chip. This would increase the cost by about 20 yuan."
"Twenty yuan is nothing!" Huang He waved his hand. "Games are important. Games are crucial for improving a phone. We must include games in our phones."
"And where will the games come from?" Liu Nian frowned. "Adding games is easy, but the cost of the games themselves is also very high. Producing a game might cost thousands of yuan, and even then, it might not be fun. We have no experience in game development, so the difficulty is quite high!"
"Not high! Not high!" Huang He waved his hand again. "You know Nintendo's FC, right? It has many classic games that were highly acclaimed in the market. How about this: modify Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Snake, Gradius, and Contra from it... hmm, just these five, and incorporate them into our phones. Can you do that?"
"Ah, Boss Huang, this is illegal. This is infringing on their rights. If Nintendo sues us, then..."
"We'll just pay them!" Huang He said dismissively. "Firstly, we are an unknown imitation brand. Nintendo won't notice us for several years."
"Secondly, even if they do notice us, they will have to consider the low cost of litigation. A lawsuit takes about a year. After a year, at most, we can simply declare the company bankrupt. By then, any further compensation will be irrelevant to us. Rest assured, your economic interests will not be harmed, and the parent company will compensate you for any losses."
"If you are reluctant to part with the Tianxing brand, that's fine too. You can put more effort into it. Don't just blindly copy. You can make changes, like altering character names and appearances, or adjusting some of the game levels. You can invest a hundred thousand or so to hire professional programmers to make these modifications. None of this is difficult, and I believe you can do it!"
"Even if Nintendo still sues us for copying, the court will at most rule it as partial copying, not direct infringement. We'll just have to pay some money, but we won't go to jail!"
"Yes!" Hearing Huang He say this, Liu Nian understood. He realized it was indeed feasible, but they would need to consult with a lawyer beforehand to make significant variations to the games, thereby completely avoiding legal risks. He wasn't someone with a moral complex, but he had served a year in prison before and didn't want to go back.
"Oh, and I've heard that some phones now come with cameras. You can look into how to install a camera in our phones as well, turning the phone into a camera!" Huang He added.
"This is a bit challenging, but I'm confident I can manage it!" Liu Nian nodded vigorously.
For a full week, Huang He discussed modification suggestions for the phone with Liu Nian, covering everything from phone features to its exterior design.
Huang He spoke incessantly. After all, having changed his phone every year in his previous life, he was all too familiar with the development trends of mobile phones. If he hadn't been afraid of his words leaking out and becoming a guide for others prematurely, Huang He would have almost revealed the concept of smartphones.
Meanwhile, Liu Nian looked at Huang He with the gaze of a worshiper.
Initially, a technical person like Liu Nian looked down on a nouveau riche like Huang He. However, after hearing Huang He's predictions and development plans for mobile phones, as well as his various flashy but seemingly feasible ideas, Liu Nian became a loyal fan of Huang He.
Huang He originally wanted to stay longer to continue directing the development of China's future mobile phone industry. However, Leng Zhimeng sent news that she had contacted the team behind Coral QQ, and they had agreed to meet with Huang He. The only issue was that their team was in the capital, and they couldn't travel to Wenzhou or Shenzhen to meet Huang He.
"Zhiruo, there are still some program-related matters that haven't been fully handled. You continue to stay here and represent our Jiangnan Group in full capacity to handle these affairs!" Huang He instructed Leng Zhimeng.
"Brother-in-law, are you going to the capital alone? Don't you need someone to look after you?" Leng Zhiruo said with concern.
"Oh, Zhimeng is accompanying me. She will take care of me!" Huang He said casually. Yes, he swore to heaven, he really said it casually. Moreover, Leng Zhimeng had to go, as she was the intermediary. Without Leng Zhimeng as the intermediary, how could he contact the Coral QQ team and gain their trust?
However, he didn't expect Leng Zhiruo's expression to change instantly. She glanced at Leng Zhimeng, who was playing on the computer, and then at the nonchalant Huang He. She forced a smile and said, "Alright. Although Zhimeng just graduated, she's an adult now. Even though she doesn't know how to take care of people, she should learn to care for others. If Brother-in-law thinks Zhimeng is good, then keep her by your side more often; it will be easier to get along in the future!"
"Yes, Zhimeng is actually a little genius. She has great talent in computers and is very smart. Perhaps she can become an indispensable part of me!" Heaven knows, Huang He was referring to an indispensable part of his business empire.
But Leng Zhiruo was so astute. She immediately understood, her eyes welling up with tears. Suppressing the urge to cry, she managed a weak "Okay," and then said she needed to use the restroom. She didn't come out for an hour.
In fact, she had already sensed that her brother-in-law treated Leng Zhimeng differently, indulging her in everything. Even this trip to Shenzhen was to buy QQ for her. As for herself, she was only called here to handle business due to various programs. She felt like an employee, but her sister seemed to have become the master.
In the past few days, Leng Zhiruo had lost her appetite and was filled with worry. Now, she had been dealt a severe blow, forcing her to go to the bathroom to vent her emotions.
"This child, could she be suffering from acclimatization?" Huang He said with some concern, then found Leng Zhimeng, who was playing games, and said, "When you're done, accompany your sister to the hospital."
"What's wrong? Is my sister sick?" Leng Zhimeng asked, confused.
"I'm not sure. She's been in the bathroom for an hour!" Huang He rubbed his nose. "And her appetite hasn't been good lately. She doesn't eat much, often feels unwell, and goes to the restroom. Ever since she came to Shenzhen, she hasn't been well. You should accompany her to the hospital for a check-up."
"Okay!" Leng Zhimeng nodded. At first, she didn't think much of it. It wasn't until she watched TV and saw Xiao Yanzi clutching her stomach and saying she was pregnant that Leng Zhimeng suddenly jumped up from the bed, looked towards the bathroom, and showed an expression of disbelief.
[PS: A quick survey, are people interested in this kind of love triangle scenario with five sisters-in-law? Reply with 1 if yes, 2 if no.]