Back in Huaxia, the first thing Zhang Tianxing did was finalize the frequency and pricing for the PHS phone with the leaders of the telecom bureau.
"Zhang Tianxing, I've given you the standards. However, only Zhonghai city is being opened up for now. Whether other cities can promote the PHS phone is still an unknown," said the leader from the telecom bureau.
"I understand. It's mainly a technical issue. Everyone believes this PHS technology is obsolete and shouldn't be promoted. But I believe it still has great potential," Zhang Tianxing said with a smile.
"If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't agree. But you spearheaded this, so I trust you. Also, the person Old Hou recommended, I trust him. And given your track record, I trust you as well," the telecom bureau leader was very satisfied with Zhang Tianxing.
He was the future leader of Zhonghai University. Otherwise, Zhonghai University wouldn't have vouched for Zhang Tianxing. It was precisely because of Zhonghai University's backing that Zhang Tianxing's PHS business was approved.
However, whether Zhang Tianxing's first shot could hit the mark in Zhonghai would depend on his capabilities.
Under Zhang Tianxing's arrangement, Guo Jiajia contacted the Zhonghai Daily and booked a full-page advertisement for four consecutive issues.
The content of the first page was a simple landscape painting, without a single word of promotion.
Upon seeing it, people started discussing, "Whose brushwork is this? The Zhonghai Daily dedicated a whole page to a landscape painting with nothing else. Are they rich enough to burn money?"
"They are burning money, and their minds are muddled. This full-page advertisement must be expensive, and all they put is a landscape painting. What does it mean?"
"No, there's a line of text above it, 'To be continued.' What does that mean?"
"I don't understand. The entire page is just a painting, with no plot, no content. And it says 'To be continued.' What the heck is this?"
Amidst everyone's bewilderment, the next issue of the Zhonghai Daily came out. It was the same layout, but this time it featured a painting of a soaring dragon.
People were once again confused, "Damn, this isn't over yet? It still says 'To be continued'?"
"Is the person behind this burning too much money? It's just a painting, not even a single advertising slogan. What are you selling? You say nothing, just a painting. I can't guess the mystery behind this."
"Let's wait for the next issue. Then we'll know the situation. It says 'To be continued,' so they won't keep pouring money like this. They just want to attract our attention."
"Hey, you're right. This approach has indeed caught my eye. I'm very curious now, what are they selling that requires such a grand gesture?"
The Zhonghai Daily on the third day was released, and people, upon getting it, immediately flipped to the advertising page. "My goodness, another full page of ink wash painting. Everyone was completely impressed."
"I'm bowing down. This person is truly amazing. Three full pages without a single advertisement, yet these three pages have piqued everyone's curiosity."
"I feel the same. I just want to know what tomorrow will bring. Who is behind this advertisement, and what are they selling? This person has really whetted my appetite."
On the fourth day, the page in the Zhonghai Daily finally revealed the answer.
On it was a woman in a qipao holding a mobile phone, with text announcing the Tianxing PHS launch conference, inviting friends from all over the world, followed by the date and contact number.
The crowd erupted in a commotion. "My goodness, Tianxing PHS instantly became a trending topic."
People met and asked, "What's this Tianxing PHS about? That advertisement is quite creative."
"Oh, you're right. I specifically went to look at the last advertisement with the phone. That phone looks really good. I want to buy one, but I don't know how much it costs."
"Exactly. I think the phone's design is good. Tianxing PHS, is this a domestic brand?"
"Can domestic phones be used now? Does this Tianxing PHS work?"
"It's hard to say. Does our country have the technology for this level? As far as I know, domestic brands don't currently have it. They're all OEM products without patents."
"There's no choice. We're not as good as others technologically, so we have to use foreign-made products. We can't deny it."
"But it's not certain. Tianxing PHS, this is clearly made in China. Besides, not long ago, Tianxing Company applied for quite a few patents, they're almost a patent application regular."
"There's such a thing? Tell us more."
"It's like this. Tianxing Company, for some reason, went crazy and applied for a series of patents related to mobile phones. They applied for anything that could be a loophole, which is really frustrating."
"Who's not saying that? Many of their applications were just for novel designs, with no other changes, yet they went ahead and applied."
"This isn't the most outrageous thing. Even more outrageous is that most of their applications were approved. We don't understand, and we don't dare to ask, and we don't dare to say."
"Is this Tianxing Company you're talking about the one that distributes that game, 'Legend'?"
"That's the company. To be honest, that company is quite capable."
"Tianxing Company's website navigation is well done. It lists most of the websites I frequently use, so I don't have to remember so many URLs."
"Tianxing Company seems to have quite a few patents. The internet café assistant is probably made by them. That internet café assistant is really easy to use, and it ranks among the top paid software."
"Based on what you're saying, this Tianxing Company has good profitability?"
"Among internet companies, they're quite good at making money. They have partnerships with Baidu and NetEase, and it seems they also have dealings with Pony Ma."
"This company has a bright future. When will they go public? If they go public, I'll support them and see if their stock price can make me some money."
"That's what I'm thinking too. They don't have plans to go public yet."
"This boss is really patient. Before, as long as a company was related to the internet concept, its stock price would soar upon listing. It's only recently, after the internet bubble burst, that internet company stock prices have plummeted."
"We don't know, and we don't dare to ask. This boss seems to be a celebrity, he made his fortune with crayfish, and he's even the president of the Crayfish Association."
"That's amazing! Truly a talent."
"More than a talent, this guy has won countless awards. Ten Best Youths, Good Citizen Award for Bravery, various levels of Three-Good Students, Entrepreneurial Model, my goodness, this guy must have an extraordinary background. He's the type who wins awards until his arms ache."
"Who's not saying that? I estimate he himself can't remember all his titles, mainly because there are too many. I briefly checked just now, and there are over a dozen titles. This guy is definitely a talent."