T/N[1]
The launch of QQ Speed Mobile was a sensation.
Smooth graphics.
Tight gameplay.
Quality that didn't just rival PC games—it surpassed them in some areas.
No wonder Penguin Company set the bar high:
Only phones with benchmark scores above 60,000 were allowed in the closed beta.
On Weibo, public opinion shifted almost overnight:
"Damn, why did Penguin drop such a nuke? I'm downloading it the moment it launches!"
"Sure, Penguin games are pay-to-win—but screw it, I've got money!"
"I thought Chinese games were trash... but this? It's better than those big-name overseas studios!"
Penguin Company had pulled off something rare:
They turned ridicule into respect.
The hardcore digital crowd especially got it.
They knew this wasn't about just CPU strength—
The game stressed both CPU and GPU performance.
Lower-end phones didn't stand a chance.
Weibo buzz turned heavily positive.
People who once trashed the game now praise its craftsmanship.
Internally, Penguin's game division was ecstatic.
They could already envision the future:
Premium vehicles
Skins and costumes
A goldmine of microtransactions
Meanwhile, at CS Lab 2, Lu Haifeng made his quiet moves.
He ordered Li Jun to found a dedicated software company—
transferring all shares from their earlier cooperation with Penguin into this new entity.
It was still small. Barely structured.
But Haifeng was optimistic.
He knew:
Once 4G networks matured, mobile apps and games would explode in popularity—
And he intended to claim a slice of that future.
After a few instructions, Haifeng returned to China Star headquarters.
The stage was set:
CS Technology's smartphone launch event was near.
The 10th arrived.
Two titans, Dami (Xiaomi) and Huawei, went head-to-head in their second and third round sales.
The result?
Dami sold out in under ten minutes—again.
Huawei's Honor 3X managed around 300,000 units, but momentum slowed.
The release of Dami 4 had crippled the Honor 3X's appeal.
Demand for Honor devices plummeted.
But then, another twist.
QQ Speed Mobile officially launched on Android.
Within 30 minutes, downloads topped 10 million.
The catch?
The comment section is split into extremes:
Negative reviews:
"Trash game! My phone crashes playing this!"
"If I ever play Penguin's crap again, call me their grandson!"
Positive defenses:
"Learn to read specs before downloading, morons!"
"This is the best racing game ever—better than PC!"
"Playing on my Hongmeng X1 is buttery smooth!"
Despite the noise, one fact was undeniable:
QQ Speed Mobile demanded high-performance phones, and it brutally exposed the gaps.
Ironically, this saved Huawei.
Many users who couldn't grab a Dami 4 turned their eyes toward the Honor 3X.
It had a good enough chipset to run QQ Speed Mobile—
And it was still available.
In just 48 hours, Huawei sold out its third batch of Honor 3X units.
Zhao Liangyun finally exhaled in relief.
The crisis, for now, was averted.
[1] I've begun to abbreviate china star with CS