The next morning, Lu Haifeng was ecstatic to learn that CCTV had featured him again in a national broadcast.
After watching the segment, he seriously considered sending CCTV an advertising fee.
On the surface, the program promoted national pride by spotlighting Audi's accomplishments. But every line, every frame, was an ad. For Audi. For luxury. For the brand.
What is the value of that kind of prime-time exposure? It dwarfed the billions Haifeng would've needed to spend on traditional ads.
This wasn't just PR. It was a News Broadcast.
Before he could savor the moment, the HR department knocked on his door.
"President Lu, the vice president of Jinling University of Technology, has arrived. They've brought thousands of graduates for interviews."
Dozens of buses had rolled in, accompanied by two VPs and several department heads. The school was taking this hiring push very seriously.
"Got it!" Haifeng replied. "Stick to the plan. Have HR, Design, Tech, and Marketing departments handle their interviews. If they're good, keep them all."
He'd given instructions yesterday: each major department would screen candidates in its specialty. And this was just the beginning—batch one. More were coming.
"Audi won't be short on people anytime soon."
He paused, then added, "Also, invite the university leadership to the reception room."
"Right away, President Lu!"
Ten minutes later, Haifeng sat down with the school officials.
"Please, have a seat. Let's talk properly."
Everyone knew why they were here. Audi needed talent. The university had talent, but nowhere to place them.
A win-win.
Both sides quickly reached a preliminary agreement: Audi would give hiring priority to Jinling Tech's graduates for relevant roles, provided they passed interviews.
"We won't skip standards," Haifeng made clear. "But we're not looking for perfection—we're looking for potential."
The school reps agreed. "The students we're sending are our best."
By the end, both parties were satisfied.
Interviews ran until 8 p.m. Most of the students had solid technical fundamentals. And since Audi was shorthanded, Haifeng greenlit the entire batch.
After the New Year, he planned to assign them to Audi's Phase I and II factories for hands-on training under veteran employees.
Audi's new plant and facilities were still under construction and were only months away from completion.
During this time, Haifeng had focused almost entirely on Audi, letting Huaxing Technology run on autopilot.
But with Audi entering its Spring Festival holiday, it was Huaxing's turn.
Compared to last year, the break was shorter. Employees left in staggered shifts starting from Lunar New Year's Eve. Everyone would return to post by the sixth day of the new lunar calendar.
Originally, Haifeng had planned to spend the holiday in Yanjing with his grandmother's family, but production delays kept him grounded.
Instead, he stayed home, enjoyed the holiday, and headed straight to Huaxing's HQ on the sixth day.
A new year meant a new phase. Huaxing would be pushing hard again.
Last year's market share data had just dropped:
Apple led with 18%, claiming nearly one-fifth of China's mobile phone market, which is still the international benchmark.
Samsung was still powerful, despite a rough year. The S6 explosion scandal forced a recall, leaving only the Note 4 and S5 holding the line. Still, they secured 8%.
The Blue Factory (BBK/Vivo) leaned on strong offline sales and a late-year flagship to take 11%.
Huawei and Xiaomi came in close behind with 10% each.
The Green Factory (likely OPPO) underperformed, ending the year at 7%.
Meizu, despite a light release schedule, grabbed 6%.
And Huaxing?
Only 14%.
Despite strong showings and top-tier specs, Huaxing had faced several setbacks throughout the year. Enough to drag down the overall performance.
10% of the market was split among players like Lenovo and Coolpad. The last 6% was divided among miscellaneous domestic brands.
Haifeng stared at the numbers from his office.
His company's influence outmatched every other domestic player.
But sales? Still lagging.
One bright spot: Huaxing led in net profit among all domestic manufacturers.
Not bad. But not enough.
"This year," Haifeng muttered, "we're going after number one in shipments."
Just as that thought landed, bad news hit his desk.
Samsung was about to launch a remastered version of the S6.
The S6 Pro would arrive in mid-March.
It was Samsung's attempt at redemption—a flagship reboot—redesigned, reengineered, and ready to erase last year's failure.
This time, the S6 Pro was coming in hot. With a new look. New specs.
And a point to prove.