“I am not feeling well!” Professor Chen, unwilling to suffer such an insult, was ready to show his guest out.
“Ten thousand dollars!” Billy Howard said, holding up one finger.
“What do you take me for?” Professor Chen reprimanded him.
“Twenty thousand dollars, we are sincere!” Billy Howard continued to raise his offer.
“Who are you, really? What is the point of you doing this? What is it all for?” Professor Chen asked, a note of caution in his voice.
“I am the head of public relations for this Motorola incident! I am here to clear Motorola’s name and, at the same time, to strike a blow against your competitor, Jiangnan Group!” Billy Howard stated his identity with complete candor, believing they shared a common goal: to tarnish the reputation of Jiangnan Group.
“I see. But it is very difficult for me to admit to fabricated charges!” Professor Chen said.
“Thirty thousand dollars. For the sake of our common enemy, don’t you want revenge? We can cooperate!” Billy Howard pressed on.
“I would certainly like to cooperate with you, but if I admit to this, my reputation will be ruined,” Professor Chen said hesitantly. “Besides, Motorola also believes I stole their chips and technology. Of course, they are being misled, being used by Jiangnan Group. The truth is not like that.”
“Forty thousand dollars, this is my absolute limit!” Billy Howard sighed. “As for Motorola, I am willing to do my utmost to intercede for you. After all, we three parties have a common enemy. I believe they will be willing to understand the injustice you have suffered!”
“I understand. For the sake of justice, what is a little personal grievance? I am willing to admit to these fabricated charges! At worst, I can just cease to be human!” Professor Chen declared with righteous indignation, then added, “Oh, and when will the money arrive?”
“As soon as you sign this contract, the money will be in your account by tomorrow morning!” Billy Howard said crisply. With trembling hands, Professor Chen signed the contract.
Seeing the signature, Billy Howard nodded with great satisfaction. With this, the sharpest dagger aimed at Jiangnan Group was in hand. Now came the matter of how to wield it for maximum effect, which was Billy Howard’s forte.
As for Motorola, Billy Howard merely inquired if Professor Chen existed. Motorola took some time to reply, confirming that there was indeed a Professor Chen who had stolen Motorola’s technology and chips.
However, they clarified that these were old, obsolete chips and technologies. If Billy Howard wished to leverage this matter, he had full authority to handle it on behalf of Motorola without further consultation, clearly indicating Motorola had not taken the matter seriously.
With Motorola’s permission, Billy Howard was completely at ease and began to implement his plan.
Billy Howard’s plan was indeed quite ingenious. Firstly, the news he released was not to smear Jiangnan Group but to praise them extravagantly, or rather, to sing the praises of the Tianxing 5 phone.
Capitalizing on the current nationwide criticism of Motorola and the association, he posed as a staunch supporter of the Tianxing 5, lavishing praise on it, especially on the chip used in the Tianxing 5.
***
The next morning, as Americans opened their computers, checking Weibo for interesting news and jokes about Motorola, they suddenly noticed that a prominent influencer with six million followers had published an article titled, “Treading on Nokia, Punching Motorola, Sitting on Samsung, Why is the Tianxing 5 Phone So Awesome?”
The author of this article appeared to be a loyal fan of the Tianxing 5, showering it with endless praise.
First, the article raved about the phone’s cool design, the exquisite ingenuity of its full keyboard and side-sliding mechanism, and the incredibly smooth and seamless user experience. Finally, this fan attributed all these excellent experiences to the chip used in the Tianxing 5, declaring it to be the world’s best mobile phone chip, thus enabling the phone to perform so many outstanding functions.
So, what was this chip?
The author stated that he had checked the phone’s device list and found a unique codename for the chip, which did not appear in the mobile chip lists of any current company. Therefore, he believed this was the mobile chip currently under development by Jiangnan Group.
The article then introduced the natural base chip technology developed by Jiangnan Group last year and mentioned that Jiangnan Group had offered a $100 million reward for chip architecture, indicating Jiangnan Group’s absolute confidence in this chip, which, in turn, lived up to expectations.
In short, the chip was praised to the heavens from start to finish. Even Mr. Huang would have been moved and awarded the prominent influencer a loyal fan prize.
Soon after, these articles were wildly reposted by dozens of prominent influencers and then by many individual accounts. For a time, it seemed that all of Weibo was filled with praise for the Tianxing 5 phone, declaring it the best phone in existence.
Whether Mr. Huang saw this article was unclear, but Edward Zamp did.
Ever since the battle erupted on Weibo, Edward Zamp had been paying close attention to the platform. Seeing various posts insulting his company had significantly raised his blood pressure.
Then, he saw this post, and his spirits immediately lifted. He summoned Billy Howard and interrogated him fiercely, demanding to know why he had handled the situation so poorly, not only failing to resolve the crisis but allowing the enemy to become even more audacious.
“Sir, you are mistaken. In fact, I published these articles!” Seeing the furious Edward Zamp, Billy Howard was not offended but instead smiled broadly.
After all, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing a prominent figure erupt in anger due to ignorance, only to be utterly impressed by one’s plan after hearing the truth.
This was indeed one of those rare, satisfying moments of showing off.
As expected, upon hearing Billy Howard’s words, Edward Zamp displayed a look of confusion. Billy Howard seized the opportunity to explain that he had hired people to publish these articles.
“Why did you change it like this?” Edward Zamp asked, puzzled.
“Sir, the peak of Caesar’s ascent was also the moment of his demise!” Billy Howard said with a smile. “What I aim to do is to elevate the Tianxing 5 to another peak, to the point where many ordinary people find it excessively flattering.”
“And when that happens, I will arrange for another group of people to proclaim the Tianxing 5 phone as the best in the world, its chip as the best, and all American phones and chips as garbage!”
“Just like this morning, it will appear instantly to all users. At that moment, users who are already disgusted by the nationwide fawning will suddenly find someone so denigrating their own country and praising another. What do you think their reaction will be?” Billy Howard asked.
“Naturally, they will begin to feel aversion,” Edward Zamp nodded, beginning to grasp the intention.
“Exactly, and this will be the beginning of our offensive. I will strike a bombshell at the very moment the Tianxing 5 phone reaches its zenith, revealing that the Tianxing 5 phone’s chip achieves its remarkable technology by stealing someone else’s!”
“I have a person in my possession, the same one I inquired about previously. He is indeed involved in chips, and all his technology has fallen into the hands of the Chinese!” Billy Howard stated.
“I know this person,” Edward Zamp nodded, then asked with some doubt, “But his technology was stolen from our Motorola, and what was stolen wasn’t advanced technology, but products from seven or eight years ago. That’s not exactly cutting-edge technology!”
“It doesn’t matter. Ordinary people don’t know which technology is advanced and which is not; it all depends on what our articles say,” Billy Howard chuckled. “As long as you can find a way to silence some professionals and prevent them from getting involved in this matter, then it will be fine!”
“Actually, even if some professionals reveal the truth, it won’t be a big deal. After all, their voices are too small, with a reach of only dozens, or even fewer than twenty people. But we can mobilize hundreds of thousands of accounts instantly for promotion, and their words will quickly be drowned out, leaving no one to know!”
“And what happens next?” Edward Zamp nodded excitedly and couldn’t help but ask further.
“The next part is the most spectacular moment of this performance!” Billy Howard also became excited. “At this time, I will arrange for that Professor Chen to appear.”
“He will hold a press conference, where he will publicly admit everything, and also confess that he stole Motorola’s technology, and that the Tianxing 5’s chip was created using Motorola’s technology.”
“In this way, all the previous praise for this chip, and all the anger generated by the denigration of American technology, all these emotions will simultaneously transform into immense goodwill directed towards you and your Motorola!” Billy Howard narrowed his eyes. “Esteemed sir, what do you think of my plan now?”
“Perfect!” Edward Zamp exclaimed with genuine admiration. This was indeed a flawless plan. He could hardly wait to witness the pathetic sight of Jiangnan Group being backlashed by public opinion.