Chapter 95: Kissing Again, Shame, Shame
Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Kissing Again, Shame, Shame
After dinner, Jiang Xia returned to his room to continue grinding out the storyboards for the twelfth episode of *Cat and Mouse*.
It was for no other reason than the fact that when his darling baby called him "hubby" in that sweet, delicate voice, he felt like he was floating on air.
To make sure she kept calling him that, there was only one thing to do: grind!
◇
Meanwhile, the family of four was having dinner as usual. They were only halfway through the meal when Lin Gaoyuan’s phone suddenly rang. His brow furrowed as he looked at the caller ID.
"What?"
"They’re cutting the order again?"
"But we already gave them such a huge discount!"
"Damn it, didn’t we just agree yesterday..."
Realizing he’d lost his composure, he gently set down his chopsticks and walked out onto the balcony. He slid the glass door shut before raising his voice.
Hearing the commotion outside, Lin Yanwan averted her gaze. ’What’s meant to happen will happen,’ she thought.
’If I remember correctly, this is the factory’s last batch of orders. After this, production will halt for a long time, right until the factory goes bankrupt.’
"Mom, what’s been going on with the factory lately?"
"It’s nothing. You two eat. I’m going to go check on him." Ji Wanqiu forced a smile, also putting down her chopsticks and walking to the balcony.
Lin Yanwan sighed softly, suddenly losing her appetite.
The only thing that could help her family out of their current predicament was a massive toy order. But under the effects of the financial crisis, times were tough both at home and abroad. Countless companies were going bankrupt, and against this backdrop, the toy market was even more sluggish.
’Perhaps only after *Cat and Mouse* premieres and becomes a huge hit, after kids and adults alike fall in love with that lovable pair of frenemies, Tom and Jerry, will it be possible to reignite consumer desire in the market.’
’Fortunately, she had Jiang Xia in this life. The family’s toy factory could hold on for at least another half a year, which should be enough time.’
"Xiao Man, do your classmates know about *Cat and Mouse*?"
Lin Xiaoman was taking small bites of her food. Hearing her sister’s question, she couldn’t help but pout. "I told a bunch of them about it, but they don’t believe a cartoon could be that good. They said I was bragging."
Lin Yanwan smiled faintly. "It won’t be long before you can see *Cat and Mouse* on TV. You have to promote it, even if it’s just for our family’s sake, you know?"
Xiao Man nodded, only half-understanding. "Sister, when exactly is it?"
"June 30th, at 7 PM."
She glanced at the time. The clock showed it was two minutes to seven. On a whim, she turned on the TV and switched to the children’s channel on Yu Du TV Station.
Right then, a commercial for Bishengyuan Changrun Tea was playing: *Time to give your intestines a bath~*
When the commercial ended, the screen suddenly cut to the *Cat and Mouse* animation.
"Xiao Man, look! It’s *Cat and Mouse*!"
In fact, Lin Yanwan didn’t even need to say anything; Xiao Man’s attention was already captivated by the screen.
The TV station had done a professional job, editing together a series of classic clips, all of them scenes where Tom failed to catch Jerry, making Xiao Man burst out laughing.
Though it was only a dozen or so seconds long, it was more than enough to capture everyone’s attention.
"June 30th, 7 PM, on Yu Du TV Station’s children’s channel! *Cat and Mouse* will be waiting for you. Don’t miss it~"
After the animated teaser ended, *Big-Headed Son and Small-Headed Mom* started to play, and Lin Xiaoman immediately lost interest.
"Sister, you were telling the truth! It’s really going to be on TV soon!"
After watching the trailer, Lin Xiaoman was still craving more. Even though she had already seen those clips at her brother-in-law’s place, she was still eager to watch.
"Your sister would never lie to you," Lin Yanwan said with a smile. "Now your classmates should believe you, right?"
"Hmph, hmph, hmph! I’m going to go to school and laugh at them tomorrow!"
Just as she finished speaking, Lin Gaoyuan ended his call, slid open the glass door, and walked back in from the balcony, his expression grim.
"Yanwan, your dad and I have to go out now. Can you help with the dishes in a bit?" Ji Wanqiu said softly.
Lin Yanwan nodded. "Okay, sure. Mom, Dad, you two go ahead. Don’t worry about things here. I’ll take good care of Xiao Man."
’This wasn’t the time to try and console them; nothing she could say would help. This was the reality adults had to face.’
’Perhaps, only when Dad is truly at his wit’s end will Jiang Xia’s order be the godsend they need.’
Grabbing their wallets and car keys, the couple hurried out the door.
Lin Yanwan had no mood to eat either. She just watched her little sister, occasionally wiping a grain of rice from the corner of her own mouth.
She took out her phone, logged into the extremely minimalist-looking QQ, and just as she expected, the company group chat was already being bombarded with messages from Shen Ying.
[Yingying]: AHHHHH!! Boss! Boss Lady! You stinky artist! Did you guys see it? At 7 PM, Yu Du TV Station’s children’s channel started airing the teaser trailer for our *Cat and Mouse*! [Screenshot] [Screenshot]
[Yingying]: The trailer looks so good!
[Yingying]: Why is it only the 13th? There are still 17 days until the 30th. Boss, can I just sleep until the 30th?! [Going crazy]
[Yingying]: Where are you guys? Come out, come out! I really want to share this happy moment with you all right now!
[Jiang Xia]: 138****4979. This is the contact info for the editor in charge at the TV station. Shen Ying, when you have a moment, get in touch with them. Starting today, the online buzz for *Cat and Mouse* should see explosive growth. Guide public opinion properly and keep getting more people to pay attention to this animation.
[Yingying]: Okay, Boss!
[Jiang Xia]: @Art/Key Animation - Wang Ming, Old Wang, how much of the key animation for episode eleven do you have left to do?
[Wang Ming]: A little less than half, probably. I can finish it by the day after tomorrow at the latest.
[Jiang Xia]: Mmm, I’m in about the same boat. I can finish the storyboards for episode 12 the day after tomorrow. We can work on the key animation together then.
[Wang Ming]: Okay, Boss.
Watching Jiang Xia work so seriously, Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but smile. Although he could be infuriatingly unreliable at times, the moment something important came up, he would get completely in the zone. That was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him back then.
She silently sent a message to Jiang Xia.
[Lin Baobao]: Make sure you rest. Don’t work yourself to exhaustion.
[Jiang Hanhan]: Is my baby worried about me?
[Lin Baobao]: Hmph! No!
[Jiang Hanhan]: Then I’ll just have to work myself to exhaustion and see.
[Lin Baobao]: ?? [Hmph_Right]
[Jiang Hanhan]: [Hmph_Left]
[Jiang Hanhan]: Got a kiss, hehehe. I’m getting back to work. Love you, muah~
Lin Yanwan’s face flushed slightly. The two emoticons of heads turning in opposite directions looked like they were kissing.
Xiao Man gave her a suspicious look. She was staring at her phone, her smile so sweet.
"Sister, what are you smiling about?"
"Sister, your face is so red."
"Sister, are you blushing?"
"I know! Sister, you’re messaging Brother-in-law, aren’t you!"
She blinked, craning her little head to peek at the phone.
"Eww, kissing again. For shame."
...
*(Good night)*