Chapter 677: 309,000 Units in One Day? Is This Even Reasonable?! The Strategic Value of the Nobel Prize for Deep Blue Technology

On October 1st, the Orange Air Conditioner officially went on sale in the official flagship stores on platforms like Orange Mall, Pinbei, Tmall, and Jingdong.

The Orange AC G1, a 1.5-horsepower wall-mounted smart air conditioner, supported remote control via smartphone and could connect to the Moss M7 Smart Speaker, allowing for voice-activated commands like turning it on/off, adjusting fan speed, and switching modes. It was priced at 2,999 yuan.

The Orange AC L1 2-horsepower floor-standing air conditioner was priced at 4,699 yuan.

The Orange AC L1 3-horsepower floor-standing air conditioner was priced at 5,999 yuan.

The pricing was comparable to Haier and Midea, but significantly cheaper than Gree.

Although this was Orange’s first time making air conditioners, the quality of Orange Mobile Phones, Orange electric fans, and Orange electric vehicles had a stellar reputation. Coupled with a ten-year warranty that far exceeded competitors, customers had almost no reservations when placing their orders.

While they had missed the peak summer sales season, the Orange Air Conditioner launch coincided with the October peak season for home renovations.

On the first day of sales, the three models sold a cumulative total of 309,000 units. The 1.5-horsepower wall-mounted model was the bestseller, accounting for over sixty percent of the sales.

In just one day, sales revenue reached 1.17 billion yuan, roughly equal to Xinke’s entire sales volume from the previous six months.

When he heard the news, Qin Shangzhi was struck silent.

He stood by his office window, staring blankly. It was a long while before he recovered, and he muttered to himself, “This can’t be right.”

When Chen Yansen acquired Xinke, he didn’t take over the “Xinke” brand itself.

Therefore, after some consideration, Qin Shangzhi took Chen Yansen’s advice and, following the model of Antarctic People, started a “brand licensing” business.

As long as a company was willing to pay for the trademark, they could slap the Xinke brand label on whatever they produced.

The business had only been running for a few months, but a large number of Xinke Air Conditioners, Xinke televisions, Xinke electric fans, and Xinke refrigerators had already appeared on the market.

Of course, it wasn’t out of the question that the brand would expand into snacks, health supplements, clothing, and luggage in the future.

Yet, after the new Xinke Air Conditioners launched, their total online sales for an entire month were less than 50,000 units.

‘And yet Orange Technology, using Xinke’s workers, production lines, and technology, had easily sold 300,000 units in a single day?’

‘How the hell is that fair?’

But Qin Shangzhi had no way of knowing that after buying Xinke, Chen Yansen had invested over another billion yuan to purchase brand-new equipment and build more efficient, higher-capacity production lines.

The original, decades-old equipment had long ago been packed up by Cao Dahua and sold off to Southeast Asia.

The first-day sales of the Orange Air Conditioner also left Zhou Jieyun of Haier, Fang Hongbo of Midea, and Dong Mingzhu of Gree completely stunned. They had originally thought that with Senlian Capital’s sales channels and corporate backing, the Orange Air Conditioner would sell a few tens of thousands of units at most.

Who would have thought they would sell ten times that amount, moving over 300,000 units in a single day!

Competitors were all left wondering: was it the smart module that made the difference, or was Chen Yansen’s personal charisma just that powerful?

The following afternoon, the Nobel Foundation announced the winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize, and the names Zeng Jiweng, Bi Shanchen, and Gao Zhengxin were on the list.

The rumors were confirmed!

The three top researchers from Deep Blue Technology had actually won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry!

Half an hour later, CCTV’s official social media account was the first to post a congratulatory message.

Immediately after, dozens of mainstream media outlets, including the People’s Daily, the Huake Science Association, and Luzhou TV Station, began reprinting and reporting the story.

This was the first time Hua Country had won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Zeng Jiweng, Bi Shanchen, and Gao Zhengxin were the first scientists with Hua Country citizenship to receive the award.

Following Mo Yan, citizens of Hua Country had once again bagged a Nobel Prize.

And this one carried even more weight!

They brought home three gold medals for Hua Country in one go!

After the news was confirmed, that evening’s seven o’clock news broadcast dedicated a full minute to a special feature on the Deep Blue Battery and Deep Blue Technology’s major contributions to the battery field.

The academic and professional histories of Zeng Jiweng, Bi Shanchen, and Gao Zhengxin were thoroughly dug up by reporters.

“45 Years Old, a Veteran of North American Battery R&D, He Resolutely Returned Home in 2012 to Win Our Nation’s First Nobel Prize in Chemistry—Zeng Jiweng, the Father of the Lithium-Sulfur Battery.”

“Hua Science Today: A Visit with a Scientific Superstar—The Research Journey of Zeng Jiweng.”

“The Greatest Hua Country Scientist of the 21st Century, on Par with Einstein: The Story Behind Nobel Laureate Bi Shanchen.”

“Gao Zhengxin and the Historic Breakthrough in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: From Nobel Prize to Global Impact!”

In an instant, Zeng Jiweng, Bi Shanchen, and Gao Zhengxin became the undisputed biggest names in China.

Unlike Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize in Literature, the achievement of the Deep Blue Battery was directly related to the lives of ordinary people and was destined to change daily life for the masses.

For example, by buying a 999-yuan Orange Q1 electric vehicle or a Yaocheng X1 SE, anyone could experience the magic of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for themselves.

In fact, that was exactly what domestic users were thinking and doing.

After the Nobel Prize winners were announced, sales of the Orange Q1 and Yaocheng X1 SE began to skyrocket. It was just like the previous year when Mo Yan won his award and related books sold out on all major platforms. Within just a few hours, sales of the Deep Blue Battery-equipped Orange Q1 increased by an additional 200,000 units.

Sales of the Yaocheng X1 SE increased by 100,000 units!

All sorts of domestic science and technology honors came pouring in. The application processes were waived; without Deep Blue Technology even having to ask, various associations submitted the trio’s names for consideration.

The Huake Science Association was even internally discussing whether to admit the three as the first academicians to come from a private enterprise.

After all, in terms of scientific achievement and social impact, the trio was more than qualified.