Chapter 36: A Shared Honor

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When Chen Tao and the other members of the mouse project team heard Li Dongling’s words and looked at the mouse resting on the workbench, their first reaction was relief, followed by excitement. Yet in the end, they felt inexplicably bereft.

It was not that Chen Tao and the others missed the torment of having Li Dongling make them redo the work over and over again. Rather, it was the emptiness that came from finally succeeding in developing a product into which they had poured so much of themselves.

Li Wentao, who was responsible for making the models, nearly burst into tears. In those days, there was no such thing as 3D printing; every model had to be crafted by hand.

The early mouse prototypes were all made from wood and then polished. Li Wentao was the one responsible for producing those wooden models. His hands were covered in calluses, and he had nearly grown sick of making mouse prototypes.

Upon receiving the news, the other members of Dongling Hi-Tech—Hu Zixian, Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, Li Dongshan, and the rest—hurried to the laboratory.

When Hu Zixian, Yao Luoying, and the others saw the mouse, their first impression was that it was refined and beautiful. Even people who knew nothing about mechanical technology would feel the same upon seeing it.

The ivory-white mouse had smooth, flowing lines. It was not the boxy sort of mouse that was popular at the time. All its sharp edges and corners had been rounded, leaving nowhere that might scrape or bruise the hand. One hand could easily envelop it.

Hu Zixian, Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, and the others each tried it out. Their first impression was how natural it felt in the hand. It was comfortable to hold, and when the index finger pressed down, there was a faint mechanical resistance. The silver-gray trackball at the bottom had some weight to it, but did not feel clumsy. Its surface was soft and matte, and paired with the dedicated mouse pad, it gave Yao Luoying an exceptionally satisfying sense of control.

After using it for several minutes, Yao Luoying felt that operating a computer with this mouse was far more convenient than entering commands in DOS.

Reluctantly setting it down, she looked at Li Dongling. “What is this mouse called?”

“Perhaps the Silver Sable. This is Dongling Hi-Tech’s first mouse—the Mechanical Silver Sable Mouse.” After noticing the gazes directed at him by Yao Luoying, Hu Zixian, and the others, Li Dongling thought for a moment before answering.

The group moved to the conference room beside the laboratory. Looking at everyone, Li Dongling said, “From this point forward, the most important tasks for Dongling Hi-Tech are production, promotion, and sales.

“But before that, the patents and technology for the Silver Sable Mouse must be registered worldwide!”

“If we apply for patents globally, I’m afraid it will cost a considerable amount of money,” Hu Zixian said.

Hu Zixian’s thinking was still confined to the domestic market. For most companies in the country—indeed, for nearly ninety percent of them—everything revolved around their own little patch of land. As for overseas markets, they had essentially given up before even trying. They fought viciously among themselves at home, endlessly undercutting one another. As long as selling a television, air conditioner, or refrigerator still brought in even a single yuan, they would continue competing domestically rather than venture overseas to battle foreign brands.

Or perhaps they simply did not dare. In those days, whether in automobiles, electronics, clothing, furniture, or other high-end industries, foreign brands held nearly all the power. The prevailing consensus was that foreign products were simply better than domestic ones. This belief was shared not only by consumers, but also by most of the companies producing those goods.

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Under such circumstances, no one cared about patents or proprietary technology. There was no need for them at home; everyone simply copied everyone else’s work.

Applying for patents overseas required spending even more money, so naturally, no one wanted to do it.

But Yao Luoying, who had studied at Hong Kong University, immediately understood what Li Dongling meant. Companies in Hong Kong were currently facing a branding crisis. The clothing, textile, electronics, and home-appliance industries there were at the height of their prosperity, with products being sold all over the world.

Hong Kong companies now wanted to break into the high-end market and claim the fattest slice of the pie, but the obstacles were formidable. In the past, most Hong Kong electronics, clothing, and jewelry companies had focused on imitating and copying foreign brands. They had never seriously considered building brands of their own. How could they possibly enter the high-end market overnight?

“The patents and technology for the Mechanical Silver Sable Mouse must remain in the hands of Dongling Hi-Tech, no matter what it costs!” Li Dongling said solemnly. He then turned to Hu Zixian and the others. “Who says only foreign brands can enter the domestic market? Why shouldn’t domestic products be sold overseas?”

Hu Zixian was left speechless. This was an era that had produced all kinds of extraordinary figures, including reckless magnates like the Boss Mu and the founder of Giant Group. Yet even the latter had merely called himself the second-greatest figure in the country’s technology industry, behind Bill Gates. Not a single person had yet dared to say they would compete with foreign brands and sell their products overseas.

Compared with Hu Zixian, Yao Luoying and Gao Peng were much younger, at the age when one’s blood ran hottest. Hearing Li Dongling’s words, they could not help feeling stirred. Yao Luoying looked at him with a strange new light in her eyes.

Gao Peng’s face flushed red. He clenched his fists tightly. In those days, how many people would dare say they intended to go head-to-head with foreign brands?

Hu Zixian shook his head. As an old hand, he knew how difficult this path would be. What surprised him was not whether Li Dongling could fulfill his bold declaration, but the fact that, in an age such as this, a company daring to proclaim that it would compete with foreign brands was already as rare as a phoenix feather or unicorn horn. For the first time, Hu Zixian felt he was seeing Li Dongling in a new light.

“There are companies in Hong Kong that specialize in handling patent and technology applications,” Yao Luoying said. “We can commission one of Hong Kong’s patent agencies to apply for the patents on behalf of Dongling Hi-Tech. The agency fees may be somewhat high, though.”

Companies in Hong Kong dealt frequently with overseas firms and had even suffered patent-related sanctions and fines. They had gradually come to understand the importance of patents. Some Hong Kong companies had begun specializing in patent services. Wherever there was money to be made, someone would enter the business, no matter how obscure it was.

“You’ll handle this,” Li Dongling said to Yao Luoying. “Find a reliable company. The patent applications must be settled as soon as possible.”

Having a specialized patent agency handle the matter would make things considerably more convenient, even if it meant paying a fee. Otherwise, Dongling Hi-Tech would have to fly all over the world to apply for patents, and no one knew how long the process would take.

“Manager Hu, you’re familiar with the situation in Guangdong Province. I’d like you to lead a team there and find suitable component manufacturers for the Silver Sable Mouse. Get it into production as quickly as possible!”

“No problem!” Hu Zixian agreed at once.

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Li Dongling turned to Gao Peng. “To promote the Silver Sable Mouse, advertising alone won’t be enough. We need to display it at computer exhibitions so that more computer manufacturers can see it. Gao Peng, take the mouse and the people from the sales department to the Yangcheng Computer Exhibition!”

After the Lunar New Year, the news released the previous year about reducing computer tariffs was officially confirmed. By midyear at the latest, computer tariffs would fall to twenty-six percent. This meant that giants such as IBM, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard would soon descend upon the domestic market. As a result, this year’s Yangcheng Computer Exhibition would become the liveliest in history. Countless computer manufacturers and component suppliers were rubbing their hands in anticipation, ready to make their move.

“Dongling Hi-Tech should first seek cooperation with domestic computer manufacturers, then look for opportunities to secure orders from overseas companies,” Li Dongling said.

He intended to establish a foothold at home before venturing abroad. Although he had just said that the Silver Sable would compete with foreign mouse brands such as Logitech, courage did not mean recklessness. They needed a secure foundation and had to survive first.

Although mice were already sold individually, most sales still came from being bundled with computers. Even Logitech, the world’s largest mouse manufacturer and the king of computer peripherals, had to work for someone else.

Hewlett-Packard’s mice, for instance, were purchased from Logitech. Logitech handled both the technology and production, while the Hewlett-Packard logo was placed on the finished product. Only after gaining a reputation over the following years and collaborating with Apple on a mouse did Logitech begin to place its own logo on mice.

Li Dongling hoped the Silver Sable Mouse could secure orders from domestic computer brands such as Legend, Great Wall, Inspur, 七喜, and SED. Only then would it challenge the overseas market. Slogans could be shouted, but one had to fill one’s stomach first.

Hu Zixian and Gao Peng led their teams south to Guangdong Province. Yao Luoying contacted her former classmates at Hong Kong University to find a patent agency to handle the applications. The mouse project team continued refining the Silver Sable Mouse. Once mass production began, they would still need to deal with technical issues. Chen Tao, meanwhile, had no time to rest either; he moved on to the digital cordless telephone project and became busy once again.

Dongling Hi-Tech suddenly grew quiet. Li Dongling spent nearly every day on the phone with Hu Zixian and Gao Peng.

After the new year began, Li Dongling visited the Yuanqi Factory in Shangguan Town only once. He collected a dividend and then paid little further attention to it. The satellite-dish market had already descended into complete chaos. More than a hundred satellite-dish brands had appeared across the country, waging a fierce price war. The era of dirt-cheap satellite dishes had arrived.

At the Yangcheng Computer Exhibition, a light drizzle fell, yet a long line had still formed outside the venue. Bonaisi hurried over and raised his staff badge. The moment the venue personnel saw it, they let him enter through the exhibitor entrance. The badge belonged to Microsoft.

As a Microsoft employee, Bonaisi was immensely proud. Wherever he went in the world, all he had to do was show that badge, and he would receive envious and respectful looks, along with preferential treatment. That was the power of the world’s greatest technology giant, a technological empire with a market value exceeding forty billion dollars. Even an ordinary employee could bask in its glory and enjoy the applause and radiance that came with it.

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