March 4, 2024, Monday.
Barcelona, Fira Gran Via.
MWC 2024 officially kicked off.
Outside the exhibition halls in the early morning, the sky was veiled in a faint grayish blue as light rain came and went.
In March, Catalonia's air was steeped in a damp chill that refused to disperse.
Along the convention center's main thoroughfare, the crowd had already swelled into a tide, continuously streaming toward the halls.
People of every ethnicity and language, attendees wearing badges of varying access levels, most carrying backpacks, filed through the entrances into the exhibition hall.
Industry professionals, media reporters, brand representatives, technical teams, Wall Street analysts, global carrier executives, hardware supply-chain heads... technology elites from more than 130 countries and regions had gathered here.
The air brimmed with the tension and excitement unique to a premier international technology event.
8:30 a.m.
The exhibition halls opened to the public on schedule.
Hall 1 was instantly flooded with people.
Xuanji Light Realm's booth stood among them, its silver-white key-visual light panels all lit up, with a massive XG-1 promotional poster hanging overhead. The booth's design was minimalist and its experience flow clear, making it especially eye-catching amid the surrounding extravagantly decorated displays.
By the time Tang Song arrived at the exhibition hall, the area around the booth was already packed.
Media reporters, industry analysts, channel partner representatives, technical teams from overseas carriers, and technology professionals who had come specifically by reputation all stood watching with phones in hand.
Some had started livestreams with real-time commentary, some aimed at the product's key visuals to take archival photos, while others squeezed along the edge of the booth, wanting only to get the first glimpse of the demo unit.
The instant Tang Song stepped into the booth area, every camera swung toward him at once.
"Mr. Tang!"