Chapter 396 - 391: We Will Definitely Be Together

Chapter 396: Chapter 391: We Will Definitely Be Together

At the awards ceremony, Jiang Xia stood on stage, holding the certificate for Best Animation Director and the Golden Dragon Award trophy.

The female host, all smiles, looked at the handsome, new-generation animation director and began to ask,

"Director Jiang, you previously posted a video on D Station to clear up some rumors. Netizens all said that President Jiang is too low-key—we’ve only heard his voice but never seen the man himself. Now we’ve finally met you in person, and you are indeed brilliant and exceptionally handsome. Would you like to take this moment to say hello to everyone?"

"Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Xia. My dad’s surname is Jiang and my mom’s is Xia. As the fruit of their love, they named me Jiang Xia," Jiang Xia said with a smile, looking into the camera.

His words drew a laugh from the crowd.

"That’s Director Jiang for you—the man who created *Cat and Mouse* in high school! You’re just brimming with humor."

The host chuckled. "Director Jiang, you’re only a college freshman, yet you’ve won so many top awards today. What’s going through your mind right now?"

Jiang Xia held the microphone, his mind racing. By the time the host had finished speaking, he had already composed his thoughts.

"This is a star-studded evening, and I’ve seen so many outstanding veterans and peers from the industry. To be honest, in many respects, I truly don’t feel I deserve so many honors tonight."

"When the Golden Dragon Award nominations were announced a few days ago, I was completely taken by surprise. I thought just getting a single nomination would have been incredible. I never imagined I’d receive such a wonderful surprise."

"To be able to stand here today representing the *Cat and Mouse* project team is a great honor, and I’m incredibly excited. This award represents the recognition of countless viewers and the esteemed judges for our show."

"I want to thank my team, my parents who have supported me my entire life, and everyone who has supported *Cat and Mouse*. They have all given me so much encouragement and support. In the future, my team and I will continue to work hard and innovate to bring even more amazing works to everyone who loves animation, and to do our part for our nation’s animation industry."

"Thank you all!"

As he finished speaking, Jiang Xia turned to the audience and gave a deep, ninety-degree bow. The venue erupted in thunderous applause.

Even though he had won so many top awards, he didn’t take the credit for himself, instead sharing the glory with his team and never once mentioning that he was the sole creator of *Cat and Mouse*.

Many of the animation industry veterans in the audience nodded in approval of this outstanding young man.

Composed and humble, confident yet not arrogant—in terms of character and temperament, he was practically perfect.

At that moment, the D Station live comments exploded.

「President Jiang is so humble, I’m literally crying!」

「So this is President Jiang? He shines as brightly as a star, yet he’s willing to let his team take the spotlight. I love him so much~」

「President Jiang’s emotional intelligence is off the charts!」

「President Jiang has so much class!」

「Damn, I’m a guy and even I think President Jiang is ridiculously handsome.」

「Ah, I’m hard.」

「To the guy above, being horny on main will be the end of you.」

「...」

"Director Jiang, you are far too modest. To create an animation at the age of nineteen that is beloved by people all across the country, young and old alike... In you, I see the vigor and sense of responsibility of our new generation, and I also see hope for the future of our nation’s animation industry."

The host continued with a smile, "Director Jiang, could you tell us a bit about the journey of making *Cat and Mouse*? What made you decide, during the second half of your senior year of high school no less, to get into animation and start a company? I’m sure everyone here, as well as our viewers at home, is very curious."

At this, Jiang Xia gave a relaxed smile.

By any measure, his story was legendary.

He paused to think for a moment. He picked up the microphone as if to speak, then gently set it down again. After taking another deep breath, he began slowly, "I come from an ordinary family. My father is a driver, and my mother is an elementary school teacher. Growing up, my mother had high hopes for me, but I was always passionate about drawing."

"I have a childhood friend I was inseparable from, Wang Ming, who is now also one of the lead creators on *Cat and Mouse*. His mother was a middle school art teacher back then, and she was the first great benefactor I met on my journey."

"I learned so many drawing techniques from her, and my passion for art only grew deeper. Eventually, in high school, Wang Ming and I both enrolled as art students."

In front of her computer, Li Weiya watched the D Station live stream, her eyes suddenly welling with tears.

"My mom is a fairly traditional language arts teacher, so for me to choose art was a bit of a rebellion. But in the end, she chose to understand and support me. So right now, I want to say thank you, Mom."

"After my art school entrance exams finished last March, I suddenly had the idea to create an episodic children’s cartoon. I considered all sorts of animal characters, like a wolf and a sheep, but ultimately chose a cat and a mouse. I figured their natural antagonism could generate hilarious conflicts all on its own, without needing much of a plot."

"I slowly developed the character designs, wrote the scripts, drew the storyboards, and used my free time after class to animate, until finally, I had the first episode fully edited."

Jiang Xia turned to look at his fiancée beside him and smiled gently. "And here, I must thank my fiancée. Because when it comes to the world of music, I have... absolutely no idea what I’m doing."

The crowd burst into laughter.

The broadcast director cut to Lin Yanwan, who was wearing a beautiful evening gown. Her delicate features, flawless makeup, and perfect proportions were breathtakingly beautiful.

"But she, on the other hand, has had a deep passion for music since she was young, perfectly making up for my own shortcomings. The classic soundtrack she created has become an indispensable part of *Cat and Mouse*’s soul."

Lin Yanwan lowered her head slightly, a shy blush creeping onto her cheeks. She hadn’t expected Jiang Xia to praise her on such a grand occasion.

"The rest of the story is pretty well-known. My childhood friend, his friends, and I started an animation company. With the help of my friend’s mother, we successfully signed a broadcasting contract with Yu Du TV Station."

"And then it became a massive hit right after its debut," the host chimed in with a laugh.

"Haha, yeah. It became so popular, it even caught me by surprise," Jiang Xia said with a bashful smile.

The host couldn’t resist a bit of gossip. "So, does that mean Director Jiang and Teacher Lin’s romance blossomed because of *Cat and Mouse*?"

Jiang Xia looked over at Lin Yanwan, a wide grin on his face. ’The truth was that they had been reborn into this life with all the tangled emotions of their last one, but right now, he was very curious to see how his fiancée would answer.’

Lin Yanwan’s gaze was full of tenderness as she looked back at him, a sight that made countless viewers smile fondly.

"Yes, and no," she said, her voice soft yet earnest. "With or without *Cat and Mouse*, I believe we would have found our way to each other in this life. The path might have had more twists and turns, but in the end, we would definitely have ended up together."

"I believe that too," Jiang Xia said, looking into her eyes.

The two of them exchanged a smile.

...

(Recommending a friend’s book: *Who Wants to Be a Villain When You Can Cuddle with Witches?*)

(It’s a love story about an experienced connoisseur with a foot fetish and a wealthy young witch. Friends who are interested can check it out.)