Chapter 245 - 243: Aunt Li, Come to the Imperial Capital

Chapter 245: Chapter 243: Aunt Li, Come to the Imperial Capital

"Huh?!"

The innocent Tang Qiuting hadn’t caught on yet, but Cui Jiaying, who was putting on a face mask nearby, was laughing so hard her stomach hurt.

"Si Si, are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my face masks? You know exactly what kind of ’stirred’ that was. Stirred as in ’flustered,’ ’aroused,’ and ’hot and bothered’!"

Cui Jiaying laughed heartily while adjusting her mask. Looking at Lin Yanwan’s current appearance—her eyes practically dripping with desire—she guessed that some unspeakable things must have happened during their secret rendezvous after military training was dismissed.

"Oh!"

Tang Qiuting blinked, finally understanding.

"Sister Yanwan, so you were moved by that love song Brother Jiang Xia sang?"

"Qiuting, please mind your phrasing," Si Si calmly reminded her. "The word isn’t ’moved,’ it’s ’drilled.’"

"’Drilled’! HAHAHAHA... Oh, I can’t take it, I can’t take it." Cui Jiaying roared with laughter. "Si Si, how did I only just realize you’re actually the quiet-but-wild type?"

Si Si shot her a silent glance. "I wouldn’t dare. When it comes to being the quiet-but-wild type, I can’t compare to you, who always gets the dirty joke in a split second."

Listening to these two little perverts making shameless, dirty jokes, Lin Yanwan’s face twitched. ’If I try to explain, they’ll just gang up on me and make it an even bigger joke. It’s better to just play it cool.’

"Qiuting, don’t listen to them, they’ll corrupt you. Come on, let’s go take a shower together."

◇

Back in his dorm, Jiang Xia was exhausted from a full day of military training. He took a quick shower, got into bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Su Qing, however, found the intensity manageable. After washing up, he practiced the Cat and Mouse art style for a while until the dorm’s power was cut, at which point he went to bed.

The next five days of military training passed in a row. Aside from the first day, which was relatively easy, the intensity shot up starting from day two.

The drill instructors didn’t care whether the freshmen could handle it or not; they doubled the intensity of every training exercise, ruthlessly draining their stamina and leaving them utterly exhausted.

However, even under these conditions, good news about Cat and Mouse kept coming in for several days straight.

Season two of Cat and Mouse premiered on schedule on August 29. The art style was the same as before, and the daily "frenemy" antics of Jerry and Tom were still hilarious, earning rave reviews both online and on television.

Because of this, Zhou Lu, an editor at Yu Du TV Station, even made a special call to Jiang Xia to tell him that the viewership ratings for the first day of season two had broken the record set by season one. If things continued this way, it might even beat out a series of popular TV dramas to take the top spot.

On the phone, Zhou Lu also expressed her regret that they hadn’t been able to sign an exclusive broadcasting rights deal with Director Jiang, otherwise the subsequent ratings would surely be even higher.

Jiang Xia just laughed and gave a few evasive replies. Li Weiya had already signed broadcasting contracts for Cat and Mouse with over a dozen other TV stations, all of them timed to air right after Yu Du TV Station’s priority broadcast window.

And as the popularity of the Cat and Mouse animation grew in the country, more and more manufacturers began to contact Qitian Animation Company, hoping to collaborate on projects related to the show.

For example, a stationery manufacturer wanted to print the animated images of Tom and Jerry on their products, and a relatively famous children’s clothing company hoped to establish a partnership with Qitian Animation.

Jiang Xia unhesitatingly agreed to all these proposals that could expand their influence. However, the specific negotiations would have to be handled by Li Weiya, as Jiang Xia wasn’t very knowledgeable in that area.

Of course, every industry has its unwritten rules. For a hot IP like Cat and Mouse, its value was often many times higher than the market price.

It was worth mentioning that Shen Ying had learned a great deal from Li Weiya during this time. She spent nearly every day with Li Weiya, who even drove her to the university for registration.

When Wang Ming heard about this, he found it a little strange. ’Is Mom really planning to train Shen Ying as her disciple?’

"Ah Xia, how are things on your end lately?" Li Weiya called Jiang Xia from her car. She had just finished negotiating a contract with a local TV station and was on her way home.

"Things are going okay here. I’ve found two artists for now—both top students from Qingmei. They’re still getting familiar with the Cat and Mouse art style. In another two days or so, they should be able to start working on the season three project," Jiang Xia said.

"Mm, what about the company’s location? Ah Xia, you can’t be careless with the office space. Our Qitian Animation has the qualifications and ability to grow big and strong. I suggest you think carefully about the company’s future direction," Li Weiya said.

"I know, Aunt Li."

Jiang Xia chuckled and said, "I’ve already found a specific office space. It’s in a startup park at Tsinghua, can easily accommodate 30 people, and is about 250 square meters. Now all I need is for you to finish up on your end and mail over the relevant company documents so I can apply to move in."

"Okay," Li Weiya agreed with a nod.

She was nearly finished with her work; it would probably be resolved in a little while.

"So, do you still want to keep a branch office here in Wanzhou? If you do, I can go to the Administration for Industry and Commerce in the next few days and register one," Li Weiya asked.

Jiang Xia was silent for a moment. "Aunt Li, come to the Imperial Capital. There are opportunities everywhere here. In terms of development and progress, it’s definitely much better than Wanzhou or even Yu Du."

Li Weiya sighed softly. "Ah Xia, let me think about this some more."

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the logic. It was just that she had lived in her hometown for so many years. All her personal and professional connections were here, and she was reluctant to leave on such short notice.

"Aunt Li, our company is still in its startup phase. We haven’t even fully staffed the studio yet. We simply don’t have the energy to register and manage a subsidiary."

Jiang Xia said earnestly, "I sincerely hope you can come to the Imperial Capital to help me. To be honest, it’s hard for me to manage everything alone here. Ah Ming can’t help me for now, and Yanwan isn’t in the industry. You’re the only one who can solve my current dilemma. If Qitian Animation is to have a bright future, it absolutely needs your guidance."

Since normal persuasion wasn’t working, Jiang Xia decided to play the sympathy card.

"Besides, Ah Ming is here, and I’m here. You wouldn’t be fighting this battle alone. Aunt Li, I know you’ve always treated me the best, ever since I was a child, just like a second mother. I really need you. I want to work with you to make our animation the best in the world, to make the name of Qitian Animation resound across the globe. I’m begging you, please come and help me."

Li Weiya felt helpless. She could only admit that this kid, Jiang Xia, understood her through and through. He had perfectly targeted her desire for family and her pursuit of her dreams.

And all of it could be hers if she just left this place and went to the Imperial Capital.

Just as she was hesitating, Jiang Xia added, "Aunt Li, if you’re really unwilling, could you at least come to the Imperial Capital and help me for three months? Once the studio here is on the right track, you can go back and manage the subsidiary then. How about it?"

In the end, Li Weiya couldn’t win against him. Her tone was full of resignation. "I’ll agree. I’ll agree, alright?"

’She knew full well that with Jiang Xia’s personality, once I get to the Imperial Capital, he’ll never let me leave.’