Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 943 System Maintenance Notice
On May 20, Ant Group officially announced its plan to launch a simultaneous IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Main Board.

On July 25, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange simultaneously accepted Ant Group's listing application.

On August 18, the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Science and Technology Innovation Board Listing Committee approved in principle Ant Group's IPO application. The entire process proceeded at lightning speed, which was dubbed "Science and Technology Innovation Board speed" by the media.

On September 13, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) issued a document approving Ant Group's registration application for its initial public offering (IPO) on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR ​​Market).

No sooner had the news broken than another announcement quietly appeared on the official website of Beyond Technology Group—

Maintenance Announcement Regarding Security Hardening of National-Level Infrastructure and Data Environment Switching

Dear users of the Beyond product:

In order to implement the guidance and suggestions of relevant regulatory authorities, actively respond to the requirements of laws and regulations such as the Cybersecurity Law and the Data Security Law, and further protect the information security of users and the stable operation of core business systems.

Beyond Technology Group will soon carry out security hardening and data environment switching for its three core businesses: WeChat, games, and cloud computing, which are nationally critical infrastructures.

Maintenance Time

2018年9月15日（周六）12:00-13:00，预计持续1小时。

【Scope of Impact】

WeChat: Message sending and receiving, WeChat Pay, mini-programs and other services may experience brief delays or interruptions;

Games: All of our games will be temporarily unavailable. In-play games will be automatically saved.
Cloud computing: API calls and data storage services for some enterprise customers will be temporarily suspended.

As a critical national infrastructure, the core system of the other side needs to complete security hardening before the specified time to effectively safeguard national data sovereignty and cyberspace security.

This data environment switch and vulnerability patching effectively prevents external attacks and data breaches, strengthening information security defenses.

At the same time, maintenance will optimize the underlying architecture of core businesses, laying the foundation for the continued stable operation of subsequent services.

Users and partners are advised to back up their data and make necessary arrangements in advance, and to avoid conducting important transactions or game matches during the maintenance period.

We understand that this maintenance may cause you inconvenience, but network security and user information protection are always our bottom line, and this maintenance is a top priority that cannot be postponed.

After the maintenance is completed, we will give all users a WeChat red envelope cover gift pack, in-game benefits, and cloud computing renewal coupons (specific instructions on how to claim will be sent via app push notification) to express our sincere apologies and gratitude.

Beyond Group always prioritizes national responsibility and user safety.

Thank you for your continued support. We will repay every trust with safer and more stable services.

Beyond Technology Group
April 13, 2018

The announcement quickly caused a huge stir on the internet, and was interpreted by many industry insiders and media as a strong statement made by Beyond Group at a critical time for Ant Group's listing, with a clear intention and profound meaning.

The news quickly went viral, sparking heated discussions among netizens on platforms such as Weibo, Zhihu, and Tieba.

The number of views on related topics on Weibo exceeded hundreds of millions in a short period of time, and the comment section has become a battlefield for the clash of opinions.

Supporters argue that "national data security outweighs corporate interests, and the other side's response to regulation is perfectly justified," and "With such tight regulatory scrutiny lately, emergency reinforcement is absolutely necessary; support the other side!"
Skeptics joked: "Is it a technological necessity or a business game? The timing is too coincidental; there's more to it than meets the eye." "Ant Group's IPO push, 'precise maintenance' for an hour? I don't believe it wasn't intentional."
Some bystanders and netizens commented: "It's only an hour, just enough time to have lunch and come back." and "Can't you live without WeChat and games? Just wait a bit and it'll be over."

Financial media outlets quickly followed up.

A leading financial channel published a lengthy analysis stating: "This is the first time since its establishment that Beyond Group has implemented such a large-scale business shutdown for maintenance during the day. It is highly likely a response to the recent strengthening of data security regulations, both an echo of the regulatory attitude and a demonstration of its own technological sovereignty."

On a deeper level, this also reflects that the competition between the two internet giants, Alibaba and Beyond Cloud, is entering a deeper strategic stalemate. WeChat and gaming businesses affect the user experience of hundreds of millions of users, while Beyond Cloud serves leading global and domestic cloud computing giants, with annual revenue of nearly $300 billion and clients including numerous enterprises and merchants. The chain reaction caused by its brief outage should not be underestimated.

This matter has even attracted the attention of foreign media.

On the other hand, Liu Qiangdong, who had just returned from the United States, has been unable to eat or drink properly lately.

Of course, he wasn't recalling what happened after he blacked out from being drunk that night, but rather he was thinking about it repeatedly and felt that he owed Chen Mo a huge favor, second only to the debt of being given a second life.

If Chen Mo hadn't intervened at the crucial moment, he probably wouldn't be reflecting on his actions at home now, but rather repenting in a detention center.

Liu Qiangdong has always been a man of great loyalty and strong sense of right and wrong, so he could naturally see that the other side was currently in dire straits.

Previously, JD.com partnered with Ele.me to launch "instant delivery," intending to lend a helping hand to the other side, but unexpectedly, JD.com ended up being the bigger beneficiary.

Instead of helping others, I was helped by them.

Now I feel even more indebted to Chen Mo.

These past few days, he's been holding back a strong urge to do something for his brother.

Therefore, when he saw the shutdown notice issued by the other side, he immediately understood Chen Mo's intention.

His first thought was: The opportunity has arrived!
It's just a shutdown for maintenance, JD.com can do it too, at least pay some interest first.

But then he thought again that relying on JD.com alone might not be enough to create enough momentum.

After a moment's thought, Liu Qiangdong had a plan. He took out his phone and dialed a number:
"Where are you? I need to talk to you over the phone; it's hard to explain in a few words. Wait for me to come over so we can talk in person!"

An hour later, at Xiaomi headquarters, in Lei Jun's office.

Liu Qiangdong sat casually on the sofa and got straight to the point: "I think we, as older brothers, should lend this little brother a hand this time."

Lei Jun smiled and handed him a cup of tea: "That's just how Xiao Mo is. He shares the good times, but he shoulders the bad times on his own."

Actually, I've wanted to help him for a long time, but as you know, he's as stubborn as a mule. He always thinks he's the most important person in the world and can handle everything by himself.

In terms of business operations, Xiaomi really can't get involved much; I can only ask someone to put in a few words of persuasion behind the scenes.

"What good idea do you have for me this time?"

Liu Qiangdong laughed and said, "They already issued an announcement, so I plan to have JD.com follow suit with a maintenance."

"Shutting down the machine to express a stance? That's a good way to send a signal outwards."

"Just tell me, are you going to go or not?"

"We have to follow suit. However, compared to Xiaomi, JD.com will suffer significant losses if it stops for even an hour."

"It's just an hour, JD.com doesn't care about that little bit of revenue," Liu Qiangdong waved his hand, looking like he was rich and powerful.

Lei Jun had an idea: "Since we're going to do it, let's go big. It's not enough for just the two of us. Our 'Other Shore Group' isn't called that for nothing—to paraphrase what Xiao Mo often says, 'Unite all forces that can be united.'"

"Alright, I'll take care of it!"

(End of this chapter)