Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

The car got on the highway and started moving steadily.

Lin Dong kept his eyes closed, but his mind was racing.

Futian CBD is definitely a must-visit.

That's how you present yourself now. If your image isn't presentable, people won't even give you a second glance when you go out to talk to them.

We need to rent this place as soon as possible and put up the sign.

Right now, the most important things are three: people, land, and money.

The money is enough for now, but how to spend it is an art.

The land and the people must be mobilized immediately.

He opened his eyes, and without saying a word, immediately began assigning tasks.

"Uncle Cai." Lin Dong's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard in the car.

"Hey, Mr. Lin, what is it?" Uncle Cai immediately turned half his body around.

"Once you arrive in Shenzhen, you have two things to do."

Lin Dong spoke slowly, "First, we need to find an agency to look at office buildings in Futian CBD. We have a few requirements: the floor can't be too low, the view has to be good, we need to book the entire floor, and the property management and internet have to be reliable."

I'll go with you to see it in a bit; I'll decide on the location.

Listen up, all the subsequent contract signing and company registration matters will be handled by you.

You look familiar; you run these fast.

Uncle Cai listened and nodded, quickly calculating in his mind which reliable real estate agents he knew.

Boss Lin has entrusted him with the public "face-saving project," which is a sign of trust.

"The second thing," Lin Dong looked at him, his tone becoming more serious, "is to investigate a few people for me privately."

Uncle Cai perked up, knowing that the important part was coming.

"I'll give you the name and general direction later."

Your task is to use your connections to find out exactly where they are, what they are doing, how they are doing, and if they are in any trouble.

Remember, investigate, don't make contact, and don't let anyone know it's us investigating. The more detailed the report, the better.

After Lin Dong finished speaking, he immediately cut to the specific list, his tone confident, as if these people were already on his roster.

"The first one is Zhang Mingyuan, in Guanlan. He's a hardware expert, proficient in motherboard and power supply design. He's probably stuck in a small factory now, possibly in debt. You should focus on finding out about his situation, including the creditors and the specific amounts owed."

He is the "skeleton" engineer of the future mobile phone, and the core engineer we must win over first.

"Secondly, go to the Shenzhen campus of Harbin Institute of Technology, and focus on the School of Computer Science or the School of Electronic and Information Engineering."

Find a doctoral student named Zhou Chengyu, or his supervisor Professor Fang Wenshan's laboratory.

Their team is probably researching the underlying drivers and gesture recognition algorithms for capacitive touchscreens; the paper may not have been published yet.

"Find out Zhou Chengyu's personality, family background, and whether the lab intends to collaborate with companies outside the university."

The soul of Apple is its smooth touch interaction.

Lin Dong remembers that Zhou Chengyu later became a top figure in the field of touch algorithms in China, and now is the golden time to recruit him.

"Thirdly, find a designer named Su Xiaowen."

She probably left a Shenzhen studio that did design work for a Korean company last year, and is currently either freelance or working for a small design firm.

She is skilled in minimalism and ergonomics, and has great ideas about the application of metal and glass materials in consumer electronics.

Find where she is now.

We need a designer with good aesthetic sense and knowledge of materials and processes.

Su Xiaowen's later works proved that she has this potential, and now is the best time to make a move as she is in a period of uncertainty in her career.

"The fourth one is to go to Chang'an Town in Dongguan."

Find a small factory called "Jingcheng Precision Mold" and the boss's name is Zhao Dezhu.

This factory isn't large, but it has several imported five-axis CNC machines that specialize in making high-precision mobile phone structural parts. Currently, it mainly takes orders for counterfeit phones, and business is neither booming nor bustling.

"Find out Boss Zhao's character, the factory's true financial situation, and whether he has any plans to expand or transform the business."

Good design requires top-notch manufacturing to realize. Zhao Dezhu's factory has the technology and equipment, but lacks orders and direction. Investing in or partnering with him now is the lowest-cost option.

Lin Dong rattled off four specific names, locations, and characteristics in one breath, then looked at Uncle Cai.

Uncle Cai was shocked, but also thrilled. As expected of the boss, he accurately identified the target from all angles! He quickly wrote down: Zhang Mingyuan, Zhou Chengyu/Fang Wenshan Laboratory, Su Xiaowen, and Zhao Dezhu's Jingcheng Factory.

"Understood, Boss Lin!"

Uncle Cai's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, "Don't worry, I will investigate these people thoroughly, just like raiding their homes... no, like conducting scientific research. I guarantee that once you take action, you'll be able to get straight to their hearts!"

Only with an accurate list can actions be efficient.

Zhang solved the hardware problem from scratch, Zhou Chengyu gave the product its initial soul, Su Xiaowen defined the product's character, and Zhao Dezhu ensured that we could build it.

With these four people in place, the company's first-generation product finally had all the necessary components and manpower to move from blueprints to reality.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, and next to the blueprint of the future mobile phone in his mind, the portraits of four key figures had already lit up.

He was just waiting for Uncle Cai's intelligence connection, and then he would personally take action to recruit these unsung talents under his command.

Then, he looked at Zheng Hao, who was driving.

"Ah Hao."

"Brother Dong," Zheng Hao responded immediately, his gaze still fixed on the front.

"Once you arrive in Shenzhen, you'll have only one primary task."

Lin Dong's tone was clear and without any complicated instructions: "Stay close to me, don't worry about anything else. Wherever I go, you go."

Zheng Hao glanced quickly at Lin Dong in the rearview mirror, his eyes showing no doubt or disappointment, only a deeper focus: "Understood, Brother Dong."

Zheng Hao was the sharpest knife in his hand, and also the last line of defense. But now, the knife must be sheathed. The glitz and glamour of the CBD, the trivialities of investigation, and the skills of negotiation were not things he should be involved in.

His task was to ensure that Lin Dong could appear wherever needed without any worries. Loyalty and reliability are more valuable than any skill in the early stages of a startup.

As for the future... once the company's foundation is solid, there will naturally be more bloody and important battlefields for him to defend.

This arrangement was extremely simple, yet it put Uncle Cai in the front row at ease.

He understood. Boss Lin was dividing up the inner circle: his Uncle Cai was in charge of external relations and paving the way; Ah Hao was his close confidant, only responsible for the most crucial aspects of security and transportation. The division of labor was clear, and the responsibilities were well-defined.

Several key names flashed through Lin Dong's mind: touch screen manufacturers, mobile phone chip manufacturers, battery manufacturers... These factories may not be very big now, or they may not have connections with big manufacturers like Nokia and Motorola.

Once the product direction is determined, we need to start negotiations immediately, even if it's just signing a letter of intent first to lock in future production capacity and pricing. This can't be rushed, but it must be on the agenda.

The car continued driving towards Shenzhen.

Lin Dong leaned back in his seat, and the sense of unease he felt due to the enormous goal gradually filled in by these specific, even trivial, things.

That's how entrepreneurship works. Grand dreams eventually have to be broken down into the roads you have to travel, the people you have to meet, and the documents you have to sign.