Chapter 167 - 165: Authorized to Inform

Chapter 167: Chapter 165: Authorized to Inform

Jiang Xia silently listened to the conversation between his father and father-in-law, quietly serving himself food without offering any comment.

As for the *Cat and Mouse* merchandising rights, many companies had indeed come knocking lately wanting to partner with him, but he had rejected them all without a second thought.

To be fair, many of those companies had made sincere offers, even giving the vast majority of the profits to Qitian Animation Company just to get a slice of the action.

But since this was about making money, of course he had to save it for his own family’s factory. Sincerity, in the end, didn’t matter.

In fact, Jiang Xia wasn’t worried about bootlegs circulating on the market. Before *Cat and Mouse* had even officially aired on TV, he’d had Shen Ying proactively file for trademarks, patents, and a whole slew of other intellectual property rights.

If any unauthorized bootleg merchandise was found on the market, a lawsuit against them would be an open-and-shut case.

Although taking legal action was a hassle, it would at least prevent large quantities of counterfeit products from disrupting the market.

But then again, it really was time for the official merchandise to get a head start and secure the market. In other words, it was about time to hand the merchandising rights over to his father-in-law.

But how to do it... he still needed to work out the specifics.

He gave his wife a subtle look, and Lin Yanwan, getting the message, nodded.

"Dad, Uncle Jiang is right. Why don’t you try contacting them? How will you know if you don’t try? It’s a long shot, but you’ve got nothing to lose. What if it works out? I heard the creators of *Cat and Mouse* are local. That gives us a perfect geographical advantage. It would be a waste not to make use of it, wouldn’t it?"

"Oh? They’re local?"

Staring at *Cat and Mouse* on the television screen, Lin Gaoyuan paused. He’d never heard of such an impressive animation company starting up in their city.

If that was true, he should definitely find some time to pay them a visit.

The profit margin would be negotiable. Even a non-exclusive license would be fine. He’d be satisfied as long as he could get a piece of the pie.

"Daddy, Xiao Man has a secret for you. *Cat and Mouse* was actually drawn by Brother Jiang Xia~" his young sister-in-law chimed in with a grin, her eyes still on the cartoon.

"Huh?"

Her words stunned everyone at the table. Lin Gaoyuan turned to Jiang Xia, a question in his eyes.

Jiang Xia said awkwardly, "Dad, don’t listen to Xiao Man’s nonsense. I studied art, and since she loves *Cat and Mouse*, I just try to copy the characters from the cartoon for her."

Lin Gaoyuan nodded. That, he could believe. How could an animation as brilliant as *Cat and Mouse* possibly be created by a recent high school graduate like Jiang Xia? Besides, even if he had the talent, one person could never handle such a massive workload.

Xiao Man was just a kid who jumped to conclusions; it was normal for her to get things mixed up.

"I get it."

"Still, Dad, you really should try contacting them," Jiang Xia suggested. "Even if you can’t agree on a price in the end, you won’t lose anything. And what if it works out?"

After he spoke, the couple exchanged a glance, their hearts still pounding. Xiao Man’s words had nearly scared them to death.

"Hmm, I’ll need to give this some serious thought."

Lin Gaoyuan frowned in thought. He still knew far too little about *Cat and Mouse*; he didn’t even know the name of the production company. He’d have to spend some time and energy doing thorough research before approaching them to discuss business.

"Dad, I actually saw a job posting for *Cat and Mouse* online a while back," Jiang Xia said after a moment’s thought. "If you need it, I can try to find it again and send it to you."

Lin Gaoyuan’s face lit up. "Could you?! That would be a huge help, thank you."

"Dad, we’re family. You don’t have to be so formal."

"Could you go back to calling me Uncle Lin like before? Hearing you call me ’Dad’ sounds... a little strange."

Lin Gaoyuan cringed. He’d been so preoccupied that he hadn’t even noticed. This kid had been calling him "Dad" left and right, so smoothly and without the slightest hesitation. Anyone who didn’t know better might think *he* was the boy’s actual father.

He was starting to figure it out. This kid might not be much else, but he was certainly a smooth-talker.

Jiang Wende beamed, not minding at all. "It’s fine, it’s fine. Whether he calls you that now or later, he’ll be calling you that eventually. You gain a son, I gain a daughter. What’s not to like?"

He picked up his cup, his arm wobbling as he reached across. "Come on, my dear in-law, let’s... let’s have another!"

"Liquor is the spirit of the grain; the more you drink, the younger you get! Let’s go!"

◇

By the end of dinner, the two old-timers had each put away nearly half a jin of liquor. They were now passed out drunk on the sofa.

Ji Wanqiu was unfazed by the scene. Lin Gaoyuan often came home drunk from business dinners, and she’d had to drag him to bed more times than she could count. Though she wasn’t happy about it, she understood it was for the sake of the family.

In the bedroom, Jiang Xia locked the door to prevent his unpredictable little sister-in-law from barging in and demanding a "real-life Mortal Kombat" match in the buff.

"So, how do you plan to tell my dad about the merchandising rights?" Lin Yanwan asked, sitting on the bed.

Jiang Xia mulled it over for a moment. "We can’t tell him directly. We have to take a roundabout approach. Once his factory is through this rough patch, we can find a chance to come clean. He’s a proud man. I’m worried that he’ll see our good intentions as a handout—charity in exchange for his approval of our relationship. That would just create friction between us."

"Mm."

Lin Yanwan nodded. That resonated deeply with her. She didn’t want that either. Family was family, and business was business. Sometimes, not knowing the truth made life easier. Knowing too much wasn’t always a good thing.

"So, what’s your plan?"

"I’ll find a trustworthy person to act as a proxy and sign the licensing contract with Dad," Jiang Xia said. "As for the profit-sharing, I’ll make our cut as low as possible. That way, even though Dad earns a little less, he’ll believe it’s a contract he fought hard for, and he’ll value it more. Otherwise, even if I offered him the exclusive rights for free, he’d just worry about hidden traps or shady deals and wouldn’t dare to sign."

"That makes sense."

Lin Yanwan completely agreed. After a few seconds of thought, however, a strange realization dawned on her. ’Is this guy making my entire family work for him? And for a low-profit gig, at that.’ It was one thing for her to be working without a salary, but now her dad had unknowingly been roped onto Jiang Xia’s ship, and would likely be working for him for the rest of his life.

This form of exploitation was unheard of. It was enough to make a hardened capitalist weep.

She pursed her lips, about to say more, but Jiang Xia pulled her into his arms, forcing her down onto his lap. Her bottom was round and perky.

He couldn’t resist raising his hand and giving it a slap. Lin Yanwan, face flushing with embarrassment, let out a soft whimper.

"Babe, you were pretty bold in front of our parents just now. You like chicken soup so much, don’t you? Come on, I’ll let you have your fill now!"