Chapter 42

As May 24th approached, global perspectives gradually converged on southern China’s Hainan. During this period, XlouS became a hot topic on the Internet, and unsurprisingly, its fervor didn’t diminish over time, but increased as the day of the launch came closer.

The world’s first wearable smart device is on its way.

This phrase undoubtedly had a magical charm, and one couldn’t help but marvel at the fast pace of the world with previously unattainable technology seemingly close at hand, or rather already within reach.

It was a busy time for XlouS headquarters. The employees were excited and nervous because it was the 24th of May: the day of the new product launch.

At that moment, in the ‘O’ shaped dome of the headquarters, the staff was in the middle of setting up the conference site.

“How much time is left?” Ren Hong asked the assistant beside him. The former stood on the stage of the press conference hall. He had the view of the entire hall. There were a total of 1,580 seats in front of the stage divided into two huge fan-shaped arrangements on either side and split into two in the middle.

“28 minutes to go!” The female assistant answered.

“28 minutes…” mumbled Ren Hong as he looked around the place.

The company’s CEO, Gao Yue, was also present in the hall. Everyone was overwhelmed. Today would be an extraordinary day for the company.

While the conference site was being set up, the outside world was buzzing with excitement. XlouS welcomed a number of guests and journalists today, as well as some loyal users or fans. The people who arrived here today were excited and eager. The world was focused on this event. Rarely was there a Chinese company like XlouS that was expected in the eyes of the world.

This was all based on the charm of ‘S-1’, which was so amazing that it would undoubtedly become a revolutionary electronic product, just like the iPhone had in 2007. ‘S-1’ amazed the world with a short video before even seeing it reveal itself.

“Dear viewers, this is <>, and I am Zou Jing, a front correspondent. These five spectacular skyscrapers behind me must be familiar to you. They are the headquarters of the famous high-tech company XlouS, and on May 24th, today, XlouS will open the press conference hall at 9:30am and officially hold the ‘S-1’ product launch at 10:00am. This mysterious electronic product has earlier revealed the tip of the iceberg and today, at the launch, the ‘S-1’ will officially lift its veil of secrecy!”

“Good morning everyone, this is the frontline report of <>, I’m reporter Bai Hua. I think you, netizens, have already guessed where I’m currently located. And yes, I’m inside XlouS’s headquarters. About this company, again, you are no stranger to this company. It has recently succeeded in making frequent headlines on the Internet and in the technology section. What kind of a device is that mysterious ‘S-1’? It will all be revealed at the launch later at 10:00am. Follow the full live-stream of the event on NetEase!”

“The press conference is about to start in 25 minutes, but let’s also see what the scene is like the moment before it happens.”

“At this moment, the XlouS headquarters is filled with journalists from major newspapers around the world, and of course, some lucky, loyal fans of our Real-time Online Translator are here as well. As you can see, there are many European and American faces holding cameras and microphones as I pass by, and we can also see how fascinating today’s press conference is. The press conference will be held in the middle of the XlouS’s cluster skyscraper in the ‘O’ shaped dome. It is said to have over 1500 seats, which is an unprecedented venue, but judging by the crowd we’re seeing now, I’m afraid quite a few people will be standing!”

On May 24th, the biggest news on the Internet was XlouS’s product launch, which was covered live on CCTV News for up to 5 minutes. In China, which always emphasized innovation among the masses, XlouS took the lead in the technology sector, undoubtedly breaking away from the embarrassing situation of catching up with Europe and the United States, clearly something encouraging and worthy of national pride.

On every major portal on the Internet, the front page of the news section was, unsurprisingly, brushed aside by news of this press conference, which, for no other reason, was of extraordinary significance in the technology community, especially in China.

All the major news sites on the Internet also began special reports and live streams of the launch. This time, XlouS and ‘S-1’ had not only gathered global attention, but it had also become a national phenomenon. For XlouS, which was always very generous with their money, it was apparent that they had been putting in a lot of effort in the past two months. The real-time comments from viewers flying across the screen like bullets featured on the major video sites and more than 8,000 messages accumulated in a short period of time showed how surprisingly passionate netizens were about it.

Time passed by and the set up of the dome was about to be completed. Ren Hong’s clothing remained unchanged—he was still wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of gray jeans. He combed up and parted his dark, glossy short hair, revealing his forehead, looking young and stylish. As he aged, a simple dress code gave him a sense of mature manliness all over.

The staff present began to leave the scene one after another. The conference hall was about to open, but Ren Hong continued to stand on the stage. This handsome young man couldn’t help but spread his hands apart and close his eyes. At that moment, everything felt so ethereal to him. His turbulent heart slowly sank, and he carefully got a sense of the surroundings. He didn’t care about anything that was happening on the outside.

Gao Yue gazed at the venue. This was an incredibly big day. Her eyes wandered to the stage and spotted Ren Hong. The light bathed him as if he were the protagonist of the world. She looked at him obsessively—he seemed so different at that moment.

He was indeed today’s protagonist, and the only protagonist on this stage.

Gao Yue smiled and walked onto the stage with elegant and light steps. Ren Hong seemed to sense her presence and opened his eyes. He looked slightly to the side and suddenly saw a familiar and beautiful face with the charming smile.

“There are still five minutes left, and the hall will open,” Gao Yue said in a soft voice.

“Mm!” Ren Hong nodded and cast his gaze across the venue again.

Gao Yue, beside him, did the same, facing the audience seat and whispering, “How are you feeling now? It’s as if you’re standing on a stage with the whole world watching you. Are you feeling nervous?”

Ren Hong went silent for a moment, before calmly replying. “An hour ago, my head was filled with all sorts of emotions—nervousness, excitement, anticipation, fear, surprise…” He turned to Gao Yue.” Now, there is nothing. As the time approaches, those emotions get further and further away from me, if anything… only aloofness remains.”

“This day belongs to you,” Gao Yue said with a smile.

“Yes, and no!” Ren Hong calmly said, looking at his eye-catching girlfriend. Then, he turned to everyone else in the room and said with a smile. “This day belongs to us!”

“Chairman! The reporters and guests are ready and the hall will open promptly in a minute.” Mu, the female assistant holding a small stack of folders, came up and said.

“It’s showtime!” Ren Hong nodded and sauntered backstage.