Chapter 67: Company’s First Team Building
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Company’s First Team Building
June 8th, 5:00 PM sharp.
As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the last English exam, Jiang Xia felt as if he could hear a collective, long sigh of relief from everyone.
Regardless of how well they did, their three years of high school had finally come to an end at this very moment.
And his life was just beginning.
He packed up his exam supplies, left the classroom, and met Lin Yanwan at their usual spot. Their hands found each other naturally.
"Whew, it’s finally over," he sighed.
"You mean you finally have time to focus on your animation, right?" Lin Yanwan glanced at him, reading him like a book.
"Hehe, you know me best, babe."
For most people, the summer after the college entrance exams was a time of pure happiness and relaxation. But for him, there was still a mountain of work to be done.
The most important task at hand was to take Cat and Mouse to the television stations and negotiate for the initial broadcasting rights. The very survival of Qitian Animation Company depended on it.
They each called their families to report on how the exams went, adding that they would be having lunch with classmates and wouldn’t be coming home.
After hanging up, Lin Yanwan looked at Jiang Xia and asked, "What’s your plan?"
"First, I’ll call my two employees to grab a meal. We can discuss the work ahead. Our schedule is tight, so we can’t afford any delays. Cat and Mouse has to premiere successfully by the end of this month at the latest."
"Okay."
The two of them managed to find a small restaurant near the school, which was no easy feat. With the exams over, nearly every restaurant was packed.
Jiang Xia ordered eight stir-fried dishes and two soups in one go. The pocket money Xia Shanshan had given him over the past couple of days was almost gone in an instant.
Half an hour later, Wang Ming and Shen Ying arrived one after the other.
Staring at the table laden with food, Wang Ming looked surprised. "Yo, boss, what’s the special occasion? You really went all out."
"Nothing much, just celebrating the company’s first team-building event. I also wanted to let you know that now that the exams are over, the company is going to start getting on track. There won’t be much time to mess around."
Jiang Xia smiled. "Speaking of which, how did you two do on the exams?"
Shen Ying sighed. "Don’t even ask. I couldn’t understand the English, and I couldn’t do the math. I’m so screwed."
Among the four of them, Shen Ying’s grades were the worst. Otherwise, in his past life, she wouldn’t have ended up working as a real estate agent.
"It’s not that bad. If you work hard, you won’t be any worse off than anyone else in the future," Jiang Xia said with a smile.
"Waaaah, Yanwan! Boss lady! From now on, I’m really going to have to rely on you to feed me!" Shen Ying went over and hugged Lin Yanwan’s leg, pretending to wail dramatically.
"Then just work hard, Yingying. You don’t want to end up selling houses, do you?" Lin Yanwan said with a serious expression.
"Sell houses? No way. I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that. Everyone says only people with no real skills sell houses." Shen Ying shook her head like a rattle drum.
Jiang Xia’s expression was odd. In the decade from 2010 to 2020, a period of explosive growth in housing prices, countless real estate agents had struck it rich. Of course, many more never made much money, and Shen Ying had been one of those stuck in the middle, never quite making it.
"I won’t say much more. From now on, let’s all work hard together. Here’s to Qitian Animation’s continued success." As the boss, he raised his drink to give a speech.
"Cheers!"
The four vibrant young people clinked their glasses together, creating a crisp, clear sound.
Although their current ragtag team was still rudimentary, without even a proper office, it didn’t dampen the fiery, youthful ambition in their hearts.
At the very least, the quality of Cat and Mouse spoke for itself. It was far superior to any other animation currently on the market. As long as it aired successfully on TV, it would show everyone just what an incredible company Qitian Animation was.
"Old Jiang, just say the word. What’s the next job for me? The exams are over, so I can draw 24/7 without a break!" Wang Ming downed his drink in one gulp and declared with heroic spirit.
Jiang Xia stood up, his expression serious. "Old Wang, future animation director, your next task is a heavy one. In a bit, I’ll give you the storyboards for episode eleven. You have one week to complete the key animation."
"No problem," Wang Ming agreed readily. A week was a tight deadline, but he was no longer a newbie when it came to Cat and Mouse. His drawing technique had become quite skilled.
"Babe, I need you to quickly put together the voice-over for episode ten. We don’t have any more time to delay," Jiang Xia said, looking at his girlfriend.
"Okay, I’ll start recording this afternoon. I’ll try to send you the finished cut by tomorrow," Lin Yanwan said with a nod. She knew a little about Jiang Xia’s plans.
"What about me, boss?" Shen Ying asked.
"As our company’s director of operations, you’re going to go full throttle. Keep hyping up Cat and Mouse online to build momentum for my negotiations with the TV stations."
"Got it." Shen Ying rubbed her hands together and nodded emphatically.
She was admittedly an amateur when it came to animation production, and she didn’t think this fledgling company started by high school students could go very far. But she genuinely loved the show Cat and Mouse, and whenever she talked about it online with others, she felt a deep sense of pride.
Besides, they were only doing their own assigned tasks. But Jiang Xia, the boss, was so short-staffed that he had to do everything himself: storyboarding, key animation, editing, post-production, voice acting, and operations. He wished he could split himself into several people.
Under these circumstances, she had no reason to drag the whole team down.
Jiang Xia pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject. "Old Wang, can you arrange a time for me to meet with Teacher Li soon?"
"Why are you looking for my mom?" Wang Ming asked, puzzled.
"Teacher Li is an industry insider, so she should have extensive connections. I’m a nobody, so I’ll be at a disadvantage during negotiations. But if we have an industry veteran vouching for us, the outcome will be very different."
He paused, then continued, "You don’t want to see the animation we’ve worked so hard on crash and burn before it even premieres, do you?"
"My mom is usually pretty busy. Even though she’s a middle school art teacher, she puts most of her energy into her company. And it seems like her company recently took on a new animation project, so I see her drawing late into the night every day."
Wang Ming pursed his lips. "Alright, how about after my mom gets off work tomorrow? I’ll call you then."
Jiang Xia’s face lit up. "Perfect."
He had been mulling over this meeting with Li Weiya for a long time. After all, if he could leverage an acquaintance’s resources, he could avoid a lot of detours.
Besides, when it came to negotiating with the TV stations, he also needed Li Weiya’s advice.
"Come on, everyone, eat up! We’ve got work to do after this."
...
(The initial setup is complete. From now on, the story will focus on the business arc. Of course, there will still be plenty of sweet romance.)