"Dear Chinese users, hello, I apologize for meeting everyone in this manner."
"I have already heard about what happened. Please trust me and Apple Inc. That was merely a personal opinion and does not represent our company, nor is it consistent with our company's values. After the incident, I have ordered the dismissal of the personnel involved."
"Finally, I also hope my Chinese counterparts do not fan the flames. This is inherently a small matter; let it return to peace."
Chen Pingjiang almost laughed after seeing this apology letter.
"Damn it, Old Man Qiao, your level is not good enough. If you get hit, stand firm; if you apologize, apologize honestly, don't pass the buck."
Lin Bin held back his laughter:
"Chairman Chen, but the apology letter asks you not to fan the flames; it's dissing you."
Chen Pingjiang spread his hands:
"It's fine, I have a thick skin. Now that things have developed this far, you don't need to ask me; just see if the vast number of netizens agree or not."
Just as Chen Pingjiang expected, as soon as the apology letter was released, it caused a huge uproar online.
Originally, if Apple had sincerely apologized and dismissed the relevant personnel, the big matter could have been trivialized.
"I'm truly fuming; every line of text reveals arrogance and prejudice!"
"Personal opinions don't represent the company, how interesting."
"You did poorly yourselves, and yet you blame Chen Pingjiang for fanning the flames. Why don't you reflect first? You were the ones who cursed others first."
"Isn't this the typical American style? I can hit you, but you can't fight back. If you fight back, it's a unilateral change to the status quo."
"Alas, I originally had a good impression of Steve Jobs. I admired his spirit of innovation and his unyielding struggle against cancer. Now, he has completely lost public goodwill, turning fans into haters."
"Upstairs, you have a good impression of him, but he treats you like leeks and calls you a loser."
However, what was unexpected was.
Because the focus shifted to Apple and Steve Jobs, some of Steve Jobs' spiritual followers and loyal Apple fans couldn't sit still and jumped out.
"I think the store clerk wasn't wrong. Those who use Orange phones are smelly losers! Getting called out a bit and actually getting upset."
"An apology has been made, and dismissals have happened. What more do you want? Is it necessary to escalate things like this and be so relentless?"
"Chen Pingjiang is truly disgusting, purely riding the coattails of traffic. I don't believe he would speak out if it were about other phones being criticized."
Passive-aggressive type:
"Originally, I also thought Apple might be at fault, but it wasn't until Chen Pingjiang posted on Weibo that I understood the entire incident was a marketing ploy."
"If Steve Jobs doesn't like China, he doesn't have to. That's his freedom. Likewise, it's my freedom to use an Apple phone. What do I care which company produced it? I'm using a phone."
"That makes perfect sense; your IQ truly can't handle Apple products."
"If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. No need for so many excuses."
"I think it's precisely because China has people like you that Steve Jobs dislikes China!"
"In Steve Jobs' eyes, there are only geniuses and garbage. He perfectly illustrated the phrase, 'I'm not saying you're trash; I actually think all of you are trash.'"
For a time, online opinions split into two factions.
Of course, the Apple faction had far fewer people, as the insults had already extended to those using phones from the four "Zhonghua Ku Lian" (ZTE, Huawei, Coolpad, Lenovo) manufacturers.
These people might think, if Orange phones and iPhones, which are similarly priced, are called loser phones, then what are we?
When the commotion grew larger.
Consumers of phones from ZTE, Huawei, Coolpad, and Lenovo all joined the fray.
The battle was fierce and indistinguishable.
From Renrenwang to Weibo, from Zhihu to Hupu, from Tianya to Xici Hutong.
This matter was being discussed everywhere.
The authorities didn't step in, nor were they willing to.
At this point, helping anyone would be problematic.
Chen Pingjiang originally did not plan to speak again, but he was named by Old Man Qiao in the apology letter, forcing him to respond.
"Personally, I still respect Old Man Qiao. But respect is one thing; it doesn't mean I agree with Apple Inc.'s and its employees' statements. I believe Apple should seriously reflect on its mistakes and apologize to the vast number of consumers, rather than adopting a placating attitude."
"Furthermore, as the Chairman of Orange Technology, this brand was created by me. My users have been slandered and abused, and I don't believe I should choose to ignore it. Therefore, stop saying I am fanning the flames; the ones truly fanning the flames are precisely yourselves."
That's right, Chen Pingjiang chose to stand firm!
As soon as the Weibo post was published, it received a flood of praise.
"Chairman Chen still has gravitas. They almost pointed fingers and called you out for fanning the flames, yet you still show them respect."
"Apple should really come and learn."
"What Chen Pingjiang said is also correct. His own users were insulted, and he's allowed to speak up? What kind of logic is that?"
"Some people are still kneeling, singing praises to Steve Jobs."
"The comments from those Apple fans are simply disgusting, and the comment section is a mess."
"..."
Steve Jobs also felt deeply wronged.
It was just an employee's personal opinion, why was all of Apple dragged into it?
An apology letter has been issued, what more do they want?
Seeing the matter escalate, he still felt very innocent, but when Cook came to ask if they should make another sincere apology, Steve Jobs shook his head.
However, Apple's stock price immediately taught him a lesson!
Chen Pingjiang and Bo Housheng had dinner together that evening, discussing the matter during the meal.
"We earned quite a bit this time, at least three hundred million US dollars conservatively."
Chen Pingjiang was a little surprised:
"That much?"
Bo Housheng nodded:
"As per your request, as soon as the news broke, we put all Apple shares up for sale, selling them all at the high price of 364. Then, we shorted the stock. Currently, Apple's stock price has been hammered down to 320. At this rate, I feel it's not impossible for it to drop below 260. I'll buy it back then. Going back and forth, we'll earn even more."
"Haha, Old Man Qiao is truly... beyond tears this time."
"I heard some shareholders have already expressed dissatisfaction."
Chen Pingjiang smiled:
"Mm, you handle it yourself, know when to stop."
After these two years, Tianyuan Capital, which had been behind Chen Pingjiang, also grew robustly.
Not only did it make a lot of money from stock trading, but it also invested in many domestic and international enterprises.
What was surprising was that every company invested in by Tianyuan Capital performed well without exception.
This also solidified Chen Pingjiang's reputation as the God of Wealth.
As expected, after only two days, Steve Jobs had to come out and speak publicly.
Apple dismissed over a dozen people in a row and issued a very frank apology.
Chen Pingjiang did not press further and expressed welcome on Weibo.
This made those Apple fans feel deeply betrayed.
"Your subjects were just about to fight to the death, why has Your Majesty surrendered first!"
To be able to subdue such an international giant was undeniably impressive, and many netizens were overjoyed.
"When arrogance and prejudice are thrown to the ground and brutally crushed!"
"Apple doesn't actually think they were wrong; they just don't want their stock price to fall further."
"Everyone was very united this time, but Apple's apology came too late. Personally, I cannot accept it, and I will absolutely not use any Apple products in the future."
"..."
After such a commotion, Orange's sales exploded even further.
This incident, in turn, helped promote Orange phones.
Many consumers who currently had no intention of changing phones, or who were only planning to buy assembled phones, chose to grit their teeth and support Orange phones.
In just seven days of release, Orange phones surpassed 9 million units!
Even if it were the combined sales of S1 and S2, this number would be extraordinary.
The industry cried, "Wolf!"
You might not feel much just hearing this number, but according to relevant departments' statistics, the total sales of smartphones in China will reach 100 million units in 2011.
That means Orange phones almost reached 10% of that in just seven days of listing.
Even if sales gradually decline over the next 12 months, the estimated total annual sales could still exceed 40 million units.
Chen Pingjiang got both the honor and the practical benefits.
The Orange Super Factory in Qingshan Lake has recently been working two shifts, frantically working overtime, just to ensure production capacity.
But even so, some models are still sold out.
The second phase of the Orange Super Factory is already under construction, and it will take at least another year to become operational, including equipment debugging and trial production time.
For this reason, Zhou Guangping had to contact contract manufacturers to ship products frantically.
The contract manufacturers were no longer Foxconn and Inventec, but BYD, personally designated by Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang entrusted the OEM business to BYD partly because his hometown, Tongcheng, was very close to Wang Chuanfu's hometown, making them half-fellow villagers.
On the other hand, BYD's phone batteries were well-made and BYD was already a battery supplier for Orange S2.
In 2008, BYD launched the world's first dual-mode electric vehicle F3DM, which does not rely on professional charging stations, making it the first to commercialize electric vehicles.
At the same time, it completed its new energy product layout from solar + energy storage + electric vehicles, fully entering the new energy industry.
Even more, last year it formed a joint venture with Daimler—Denza New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., and the world's first batch of pure electric taxis e6 began mass operation, along with the rollout of electric buses K9.
The cooperation was negotiated by Zhou Guangping.
Wang Chuanfu had privately expressed a desire to invite Chen Pingjiang to visit BYD, but Chen Pingjiang had been abroad during the Chinese New Year and was busy with the Orange S2 launch after returning, so he never got around to it.
With the massive sales of Orange S2, BYD's stock price also soared.
Firstly, BYD was the contract manufacturer for Orange S2, and it also joined the Orange phone supply chain with its impressive performance in anti-freeze batteries.
It can be said that Chen Pingjiang was eating the meat in front, and the boatman (Wang Chuanfu) was drinking the soup behind.
Tianyuan Capital also bought a large number of BYD shares in the Hong Kong stock market under Chen Pingjiang's instruction.
If he weren't someone from the future, Chen Pingjiang would find it hard to imagine how strong BYD would be in 2023.
The price war caused many competitors to suffer heavy losses, with a Seagull or Qin PLUS available for 60,000-70,000 yuan.
Relying on a "sea of cars" strategy, it overwhelmingly claimed both national and global new energy champions, with total sales reaching 3,024,417 vehicles.
For every three new energy vehicles exported domestically, one was a BYD.
They sold particularly well in Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia.
What left the deepest impression on foreigners were the Seal and the Yangwang U8; Middle Eastern tycoons who bought them all spoke highly of them.
It must be said, the U8 also opened Chen Pingjiang's eyes.
Not only can it turn in place, but it can also drive like a boat in water; who could resist that?
"If possible, I really don't want to be rivals with Brother Boatman,"
Chen Pingjiang sighed.
He would definitely enter the new energy vehicle market, but certainly not take the low-end route, otherwise he would be crushed by BYD.
Even Tesla was forced to lay off employees.
Back then, seeing the BYD car logo on the road, people used to joke "B-born," only to learn years later that it stood for "Build Your Dreams."
...
After finishing up most of the matters at hand, Chen Pingjiang took some time to accompany Yan Yan and Li Yuhua to see off Yan Liming.
Yan Liming, just turned 50, was ultimately unwilling to settle for an ordinary life and still wanted to advance further.
But to make this move, he had to be transferred to another region; there was no other possibility.
"Uncle Yan, you must take good care of your health when you go to Tongnan."
Yan Liming was very pleased that Chen Pingjiang could come to see him off.
"Got it, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Chen Pingjiang added:
"Don't think that just because Aunt Li isn't around, you can do whatever you want, smoking if you want to smoke, drinking if you want to drink."
"Pfft!"
Yan Yan, who had originally been a little reluctant to part, laughed out loud upon hearing that.
Li Yuhua also chimed in:
"Pingjiang is right. Without me nagging you, be mindful of your limits. Yan Yan and I will visit you often."
Ultimately, Li Yuhua still did not plan to accompany him to Nantong.
She was reluctant to leave her current job, didn't want to move as she was getting older, and even less did she want to integrate into a new environment.
The most crucial thing was that if she left, her daughter would be home alone, and she would be even more worried.
They couldn't just let their daughter move into the Chen family's home now; what would that be like?
Yan Liming listened to his wife's nagging and said with a smile:
"I know. Tongnan is only about two hundred kilometers from Dongjiang; it's just a two or three-hour drive. I can come back on weekends with a short detour, it's not like crossing provinces."
After their chat, Yan Liming got into the car.
He wasn't going directly to Tongnan, but rather to the Provincial Party Committee Office first.
As per custom, he was to meet with the deputy director of the Organization Department there, and then travel together to Tongnan.
(End of Chapter)