As predicted by Xu Dachuan, the news of Zhang Tianxing wanting to recruit people to develop a mobile phone spread like wildfire, causing a sensation at Harvard.
"Anything can happen these days. Even a sow wants to climb a tree. Does Zhang Tianxing really think he's a god, doing whatever he pleases? Why doesn't he invent an engine to propel Earth into the universe?"
"In my opinion, Zhang Tianxing is simply making too much money and wants to bask in the limelight. He's just being overly optimistic and doesn't know his own limits. It's best for him to stick to being a short-seller. At least in the stock market, he has some influence. In the mobile phone industry, who even knows who Zhang Tianxing is? Nobody does."
"Alas, you guys don't know this, but I heard from someone that Zhang Tianxing started out selling crayfish. He should just stick to selling his crayfish honestly. When the time comes, some of the more successful people in our alumni association can help boost his crayfish sales. Why should Zhang Tianxing make phones? He has no patents, no technology, just two bits of money. I'm being completely honest here, I hate people like this the most!"
"I'm also unconvinced. Making a mobile phone isn't something anyone can just do. If that were the case, mobile phones wouldn't be so expensive. Look at who can afford a phone these days; it's a luxury item that ordinary families can't afford."
"Yeah, my annual salary isn't enough to buy a phone. I'm letting down the people of our country, but I'll work hard. I'm about to apply for a job at the phone company. Even though I can't afford a phone, I can assemble them. I just don't take the conventional path, so are you impressed or not!"
Hearing that Zhang Tianxing was entering the mobile phone industry, people vied to mock him.
Wanting to fly before you could even walk was impossible. Zhang Tianxing was simply daydreaming, with no chance of success.
Everyone was shocked by Zhang Tianxing's idea. It seemed like Zhang Tianxing had lost his mind. Damn it, now I finally understand why I'm penniless; it's because I'm not the crazy one.
God wants to make a man successful, so he must first drive him mad. The reason Zhang Tianxing could short the Nasdaq was precisely because his ideas were unconventional.
A bizarre viewpoint emerged, with the majority labeling Zhang Tianxing as a complete lunatic and mentally ill.
When Li Dan heard the news, she burst into laughter. She didn't expect Zhang Tianxing to have such notoriety; even haters were fans.
However, Li Dan still didn't think Zhang Tianxing had a good chance of succeeding in the mobile phone industry, lacking both connections and resources.
Especially since, as Xu Dachuan mentioned, the recruitment was in China, not the United States, which further diminished his prospects.
Virtually all of the world's top hundred companies were rooted in the United States; other countries lacked the soil and strength.
This wasn't something one person could change. The United States had developed rapidly for over two hundred years, while China had only developed for about fifty.
It was likely still struggling to overcome poverty. In China, that mysterious Eastern country, developing the food industry seemed more reliable.
Everyone knew that the "first pot of gold" for the top short-seller came from selling crayfish.
This was enough to prove that China's domestic industrial environment was unsuitable, as the rise of any industry would inevitably lead to industry-wide transformations.
The mobile phone industry was a chain of manufacturing with numerous upstream factories.
It was impossible for them to build all the parts themselves; everyone played the game of assembly, with only core components produced in-house. Even then, some core components were purchased, and the company simply handled the assembly.
The current giants of the mobile phone industry were Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia, and Motorola – the "Four Heavenly Kings" – who monopolized the market. Other knock-off products couldn't sell at all.
The Four Heavenly Kings occupied eighty-five percent of the market, leaving only scraps for others to compete for.
Many people wanted to enter this sunrise industry, but the Four Heavenly Kings were unfazed. Building phones wasn't a matter of a day or two; Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were phones.
Zhang Tianxing returned home with a worried frown, sighing helplessly in his heart. Damn it, he couldn't even find a single talented individual, let alone two; it seemed people here had no desire to return to China for development.
Damn them, a bunch of ungrateful wretches. However, this didn't solve the fundamental problem. What was most valuable in the 21st century? Talent was most valuable. With talent, you had everything.
Without talent, Zhang Tianxing could only build a model of a phone; he truly didn't know how to build a phone.
Just then, Li Dan walked over with a charming smile, "Little brother Zhang, why the long face? What's bothering you? Tell older sister, and let me help you resolve your worries. Was it that little secretary Guo Jiajia who came the other day and poisoned your ears? Do you want older sister to stand up for you?"
The sun had risen from the west today. Li Dan's sudden gentleness surprised Zhang Tianxing. In the past, this beauty would distance herself from him as much as possible, as if afraid he would have wicked thoughts and try to take advantage of her.
Bah, that vixen wishes! I, Zhang Tianxing, am not that kind of person. At most, I'm casual to the point of being inhuman...
"There's a question I want to ask you: after you graduate, will you return to China or stay here?" Zhang Tianxing asked earnestly.
"To be honest?" Li Dan asked with a smile.
"Of course. What's the point of lying?"
"Then I'll be direct. Don't get angry." Li Dan spoke slowly, "I'll definitely stay abroad, preferably in the United States. There are many alumni here, and the mentors are all experts and scholars here, making it easy to find jobs and utilize our strengths. These ten-plus years of hard study won't be in vain."
Li Dan's tone shifted, "If we return to China, those who studied theory might be fine; everyone speaks based on theory, so the gap isn't obvious. But what about other disciplines? You can understand the gap without me saying it. China started from scratch. After fifty years, there has been some development, but it's still more than a hundred years behind."
"Stop! You're saying you won't return to China for development, no matter what, right? Can I understand it that way?" Zhang Tianxing interrupted Li Dan directly and asked.
Li Dan blushed slightly, "Under normal circumstances, I won't return to China for development. There might be special circumstances where I might."
"What kind of circumstances would make you return?" Zhang Tianxing became curious, wanting to see what could attract Li Dan back. If he could solve one issue, he could solve others.
"For example, if the person I love is developing in China, then I'll have no choice but to return," Li Dan said, looking at Zhang Tianxing with dreamy eyes.