Chapter 75: Then Let Me Hear You Call Me Hubby
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Then Let Me Hear You Call Me Hubby
But as soon as he logged onto QQ, a coughing sound started playing from his speakers nonstop. Shen Ying’s profile picture was flashing insistently.
"Boss, are you there are you there are you there are you there?"
"Boss, I have something huge to report!!!"
"Ahhhhhh! Boss, please answer me!"
"Boss..."
The moment he clicked on the flashing profile picture, the chat history was immediately flooded with messages from Shen Ying. God only knew how many messages she had sent.
"Here," he replied with a single word.
"Boss! You’re finally online!"
"What’s up?"
"Two media companies contacted me today! They said our *Cat and Mouse* is really well done and they want to partner with us, but I can’t make the call on something this big," Shen Ying quickly typed in reply.
"Media companies? What did they say?"
Shen Ying couldn’t quite explain it, so she just sent him the screenshots.
After reading the chat logs, Jiang Xia frowned in deep thought. ’For a media company to approach Qitian Animation now, it’s clearly because they see the potential in *Cat and Mouse*. They want to use their channels and resources to make a deal with me so they can take a huge piece of the pie.’
Their little scheme was so obvious even the sea turtles in the Pacific could hear it.
’Besides, I’ve already decided to partner with a local TV station, so I’m not going to consider other media companies. I’m not an idiot; there’s no way I’m giving a cut of my profits to someone else.’
"Don’t worry about them. Just reject them directly," he typed back.
"Huh? Just reject them? But didn’t they say they could get *Cat and Mouse* aired on the CCTV Children’s Channel?" Shen Ying asked, confused.
’That was the CCTV Children’s Channel! Countless animation companies were fighting tooth and nail just to get on there.’
"Yeah, reject them."
Jiang Xia sighed. "Shen Ying, remember this: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. They say they want to partner with us, but they’re really just trying to take money that should be ours. If you were the boss, would you agree to something like that?"
"Of course not!" Shen Ying immediately understood, realizing she had almost fallen for it.
"They’re despicable! *Cat and Mouse* hasn’t even aired yet, and Qitian Animation is still a small company, but they’re already trying to bleed us dry."
Jiang Xia chuckled. "It’s not your fault. You’re still young and don’t have much experience. You have to understand, the business world is full of treachery and deceit. Besides, if we weren’t a newly-founded small company, they probably wouldn’t have even extended this so-called ’olive branch’ to us."
"No way, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!" Shen Ying typed angrily.
"There’s no need. Just ignore them. Some companies operate like that, using the banner of ’partnership’ to lay traps for smaller companies in their contracts. In the end, they make a killing off the exorbitant breach-of-contract fees."
As he typed out those words, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but think of his past life. Back then, he had founded his own studio right after graduating, and the animation he produced became known for its exquisite visuals.
But in the end, he had underestimated how cruel the world could be. When he partnered with another company, he was trapped by a predatory contract that led to his complete ruin.
Shen Ying was stunned. ’To think that kind of thing actually happens... It’s just despicable!’
"Alright, from now on, report things like this to me first. If you can’t reach me on QQ, call me. My phone is on 24/7."
"Okay, Boss."
"By the way, how has the online buzz for *Cat and Mouse* been lately?"
"The hype has died down a bit compared to before, mainly because there haven’t been any new updates."
Jiang Xia thought for a moment, then typed, "Put out the word that Qitian Animation Company is in negotiations with several TV stations, and that *Cat and Mouse* is expected to air soon."
"Huh? For real?!"
"If you believe it hard enough, it’ll be true," he replied mysteriously.
News on the internet was a mix of truth and lies. Whether dealing with competitors or potential partners, everyone always put their own interests first.
And *Cat and Mouse* was the latest breakout hit. Anyone wanting to partner with Qitian Animation Company had to wonder if they would be the first to test the waters.
This was what they called "all’s fair in war."
Shen Ying stared blankly at Jiang Xia’s reply. ’He’s becoming more and more inscrutable,’ she thought. ’He doesn’t seem like the high school student I knew anymore. He’s more like a crafty veteran who’s been navigating the cutthroat world of business for years.’
’Is this the kind of maturity that comes with starting a company and being the boss?’
After getting his daily update on the company’s situation, Jiang Xia started searching online for the email address for Yu Du TV Station. Fortunately, it wasn’t a secret.
Once he found the contact information, Jiang Xia sent them an email with a promotional video for *Cat and Mouse* and an explanation of his intentions.
All that was left was to wait. Of course, if the station didn’t give a clear reply, he could always pay them a visit in person. With so many TV stations in the country, there was bound to be one that was a good fit.
Having done all that, Jiang Xia began to quietly outline the scripts for the next few episodes of the animation. There were so many versions of *Cat and Mouse*; even within the same production company, the art style differed from one era to the next.
Luckily, he didn’t have to worry too much about that. Too many art styles would just make the audience feel like the animation was inconsistent. He just needed to lock in the classic character designs and then adapt the storylines from other versions wholesale.
Two hours later, he had already mapped out the general direction for more than ten upcoming episodes. Looking at the timeline, that would be his workload for the summer break.
The sounds of voice recording from the living room gradually faded. Lin Yanwan knocked on the door, then pushed it open and came inside.
"Finished with the voice recording?" Jiang Xia asked with a smile.
"Not that fast," she pouted. "I should be done tomorrow."
"Mm, I’m not in a rush. Anyway, we still have a few days of production left on episode eleven. In terms of progress, the voice acting is always faster than the animation."
Lin Yanwan said, "Xiao Man is getting out of school soon. I’m going to pick her up. Are you coming?"
Jiang Xia glanced at the time. He hadn’t realized it was already almost three o’clock.
"Of course I’m going. She’s my little sister-in-law, after all."
"Shameless. When did she become your sister-in-law?" Lin Yanwan shot him a glare.
He chuckled. "She already calls me brother-in-law. I’m claiming her as my sister-in-law!"
"Well, I’ve called your dad ’Dad’ in front of him before," Lin Yanwan muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing."
They both knew perfectly well that Xiao Man would only truly be his sister-in-law if they got married. Until then, all these titles were just playful banter.
"Then let’s get going."
Jiang Xia put away the animation scripts and unhesitatingly took Lin Yanwan’s hand as they left the apartment together.
In the elevator, he couldn’t resist teasing her. "Babe, when we run into my mom later, you’re not going to have another slip-up, are you?"
"Hmph, you think I’m like you? I’ve already gotten used to calling her ’Auntie.’"
"Oh? Is that so? Feeling confident, are we?" Jiang Xia gently lifted her chin. "Then let me hear you say ’hubby’~"
"You mutt!"
She opened her mouth and bit his finger.
...
(Good night, and don’t forget to send a heart to my Yanwan before you go to sleep~ Jiang Xia? Who’s that? Never heard of him.)