Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 124：Cell Phone

Second Floor of the Beijing International Trade Mall!

The Huawei mobile store was crowded with people. A man with bright red hair, dressed in a garish outfit of red and green, pointed at the distressed female sales clerk and yelled loudly.

"Stop talking nonsense! You have to give me a phone today, or I'll smash your store to pieces!"

The female clerk, her face full of embarrassment, explained meekly, "Sir, our Huawei P10 model is currently out of stock. The manufacturer hasn't shipped the goods yet. Could you please wait another two days? Once it arrives, I will deliver it to you immediately, okay?"

"Stop spouting nonsense! Three days ago, you told me to wait two days. How many days has it been now? I want my phone today!" The red-haired man persisted, unwilling to relent.

"But we really don't have this model in stock. Would you consider another phone instead?" she suggested.

"Do you not understand what I'm saying? I want the P10!" the man snapped.

"Sir, we truly don't have it in stock. Perhaps I could refund you the money instead?"

"A refund? Fine, I'll take the 3,780 yuan for the P10, and I want 10,000 yuan as compensation. Then we'll call it even!" the man demanded, his tone menacing.

"That... Sir, that's impossible! According to the terms, I can only compensate you 10% of the original price," she stammered.

"I don't care about your terms! Either give me the phone now, or pay me 10,000 yuan!" the red-haired man snarled, jabbing his finger in her face.

...

As the argument between the man and the sales clerk escalated, Manager Zhang, the mall supervisor, arrived on the scene. In an effort to avoid any harm to the mall's reputation, he spoke soothingly to the red-haired man and managed to negotiate a compensation of 1,000 yuan.

"Such an idiot, no phone, and still making me pay a deposit," the red-haired man muttered as he stormed off to the nearby Apple store.

Seeing that the drama was over, the crowd dispersed. Manager Zhang, who had planned to reprimand the clerk for the incident — as it was the seventh or eighth such occurrence in the week — was about to speak, but seeing the clerk with reddened eyes, her tears hovering on the brink of falling, he refrained and left without saying anything.

...

Huawei Technology Company, Beijing Branch – Marketing Department Office!

"Apologies, Manager, please give us some more time. The issue will be resolved soon!" The voice on the phone was apologetic.

"Of course, rest assured!" came the response.

"Definitely, absolutely!" the voice continued.

"We really appreciate your understanding, and we'll treat you to a meal soon!"

"Okay, absolutely. Goodbye!"

Manager Feng of the Huawei mobile marketing department hung up the phone with a furrowed brow. He oversaw 112 Huawei stores in Beijing. Everything had been going smoothly, and according to his plan, by October he would have completed the sales targets set by headquarters for the year.

However, the sudden shift in the market had thrown everything into disarray. For the past week, he had been receiving no fewer than twenty to thirty complaints from mall managers every day because the Huawei manufacturing plant had been unable to ship products.

After over two hours of calls, Feng was about to go get some water when his phone rang again. It was Manager Zhang from the International Trade Mall. He didn't need to think twice – it was another complaint call!

Sighing in resignation, he reluctantly picked up the phone.

"Hello, Manager Zhang, how are you?"

"Sorry to trouble you!"

"The manufacturer is dealing with some issues, but don't worry, it will be fixed soon!"

"Please give us a few more days!"

"Understood."

"Okay, I understand, thanks again!"

"Alright, take care!"

After dealing with the call from Manager Zhang of the International Trade Mall, Manager Feng made his way to the water cooler. Passing by the HR department, he overheard the HR manager soothing a caller.

Shaking his head in resignation, Feng suspected another employee was probably asking to quit. When he returned from the water cooler, he crossed paths with the HR manager, who was walking out of the office with a gloomy face. They exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the chaos with a wry smile.

The situation at Huawei Technology was dire. The shortage of supply was directly linked to the United States' sudden decision to halt chip shipments to Huawei. At the same time, the chips that the Huawei manufacturing plant had been using were running out.

Without chips, the factory couldn't produce a single phone, forcing them to sell only from existing stock.

The worst part was that the P10, a high-end Huawei model that had been recently launched, was now in jeopardy. This phone, known for its elegant design and excellent performance at a reasonable price, had become extremely popular, especially among young people.

In just three days after its release, 100,000 units had been pre-sold, making it the most successful Huawei model in recent years. The company had even signed a contract for 200,000 high-performance chips with the Beautiful Country prior to the phone's release.

Huawei had hoped that the P10 would allow them to capture more of the Chinese market, but the sudden suspension of chip supplies from the Beautiful Country caught them off guard, plunging the company's market into chaos.

Not only was the 100,000 units of pre-sold P10s impossible to deliver, but the remaining phones they had were running low too. When customers arrived to pick up their pre-ordered phones, they were informed that the store had no stock, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.

Some consumers with more patience agreed to wait or opted for a refund. However, those with shorter tempers caused incidents like the one with the red-haired man on the second floor of the International Trade Mall.

This led to many store employees being scolded, and some chose to quit their jobs.

Such issues weren't just happening in Beijing but across the entire nation, with similar complaints pouring in every day.

Meanwhile, as Chinese domestic mobile phone companies struggled, Apple and Samsung were flourishing, quickly capturing over 75% of the Chinese market.

Some of China's domestic mobile companies, unable to withstand the pressure, were forced to send their CEOs to the Beautiful Country to negotiate and resolve the chip shortage.