Recently, Zhu Lei, Gree Electric Appliances' marketing director, took to Weibo with back-to-back posts. He pointed out that a flurry of videos using strikingly similar scripts to denigrate Gree have been popping up online. He urged, "Let's get the manufacturing industry back to basics and stop the act of sweet-talking with a dagger concealed. Cut it out, group." This statement swiftly grabbed netizens' attention, with many assuming it was a jab at Lei Jun and Xiaomi. Though Zhu Lei didn't explicitly name Xiaomi, given the long-standing rivalry between Gree and Xiaomi, the public widely believes his comments were aimed at Xiaomi.

Some netizens noted that the latter part of the videos in question actually praised Gree, joking that Zhu Lei was "cyberbullying himself." However, Zhu Lei maintained that these videos were the work of "online trolls aiming to smear Gree."

This controversy is just another chapter in the enduring rivalry between Gree and Xiaomi. Since their "century bet" in 2013, competition between the two has only intensified, particularly in the air conditioning sector. In 2018, Xiaomi's entry into the air conditioning market cranked up the heat between the two. Lately, they've repeatedly clashed over air conditioning sales, product quality, and other issues.