Chapter 313 - 310: The First Episode of Slam Dunk Is Complete

Chapter 313: Chapter 310: The First Episode of Slam Dunk Is Complete

The Imperial Capital was cold at night. A bitter wind howled, and the streets were nearly deserted, save for the occasional passing car.

Jiang Xia opened his coat and pulled his wife inside, wrapping her in its warmth. "I’ll make you some ginger tea when we get home to warm you up," he said.

Lin Yanwan nodded. She hadn’t actually drunk much, but she was mentally exhausted. A hot shower back home was all she needed.

A taxi slowly pulled up in front of them. A little over ten minutes later, they arrived back at their rented apartment.

While Lin Yanwan was in the shower, Jiang Xia went into the kitchen. He minced some ginger, pan-fried it over low heat for a bit, then added water and let it simmer.

Then, he went to the bedroom, grabbed his pajamas, and tentatively tried the bathroom doorknob. Just as he’d expected, it was unlocked. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Lin Yanwan crossed her arms over her chest, watching him warily. "What are you doing in here?"

"Taking a shower," Jiang Xia replied, his gaze brazenly fixed on her snow-white body.

He had seen it countless times in his past life, so her body held no secrets for him. Yet, for some reason, he felt like he could never get enough of looking at the wife he had now.

"Couldn’t you have waited until I was done?" she said, a hint of flustered anger in her voice.

"Showering separately takes too long. I’m a little tired today and want to get to bed early," Jiang Xia lied without batting an eye.

"...Pfft."

Lin Yanwan glanced down. ’With how full of energy he is, how could he possibly be tired? He’s obviously lying. He just wants to stare at my body!’

’Hmph. I’m not gonna let him look.’

She turned her back to him and began lathering up with shower gel. Jiang Xia watched the suds glide across her snow-white skin and subconsciously swallowed.

"Are you really going to keep your back to me? I was being a perfect gentleman just now, not thinking about anything at all."

Lin Yanwan’s breath caught. ’This position isn’t safe either,’ she thought. ’If he presses up against me from behind, then...’

She gritted her teeth and let out a heavy sigh, deciding to just throw caution to the wind. Given their relationship, there was truly nothing to hide. They were husband and wife in their past life, and in this one, aside from having a child, he’d already experienced everything else with her.

"Fine, look! Take a good long look! Are you going to get full just by watching me shower?!"

Jiang Xia blinked. "I’m not hungry for dinner. I’d rather eat out."

"..."

Lin Yanwan understood his double-entendre and glared at him. "In your dreams! All you ever think about is lewd nonsense. Beat me on the final exams, then we can talk."

She stopped trying to hide and just washed herself openly in front of him. She knew Jiang Xia’s personality too well; he would never force her if she was truly unwilling. The worst that would happen was letting him get an eyeful.

’Besides, he’s the one who’ll be suffering in a minute.’

Steam filled the bathroom. At first, they showered together without incident, until Jiang Xia shamelessly asked her to lather him up with shower gel...

◇

「One day later, at the Imperial City Airport.」

"Yanwan and Qiuting have to work, so it’s just me seeing you off," Si Si said, looking at Cui Jiaying.

"Yeah, I know. Those two are always pretty busy."

Cui Jiaying watched the people lining up to enter the departure hall. Many of them were students pulling suitcases.

"I’m leaving today and I have you to see me off. But you’re leaving tomorrow. Who’s going to see you off?"

"I don’t need anyone to see me off. As long as you’re thinking of me, that’s all that matters," Si Si said, a smile in her eyes.

Cui Jiaying quietly blushed. Ever since two nights ago, things had felt different between them.

She changed the subject. "What about you? What time is your flight tomorrow?"

"Eight in the morning. After I get to Rongcheng, I’ll have to transfer to a train, and then take a long-distance bus for over an hour. I should be home by the evening," Si Si said.

"It’s about the same for me. Going to school so far from home is such a hassle. But I’m so glad I got to meet all of you," Cui Jiaying said with a smile.

"And I’m so glad I got to meet you."

Si Si gave a faint smile. "All right, it’s getting late. You should hurry inside. You still have to get through security, get your boarding pass, and check your luggage. You’ve got a lot to do."

Cui Jiaying nodded. "Okay, I’m heading in then. We’ll talk on the phone."

She had only taken two steps, pulling her suitcase behind her, when Si Si suddenly called out, "Yingying."

Cui Jiaying turned around, right into Si Si’s embrace.

Si Si hugged her tightly, rubbing her cheek gently against Cui Jiaying’s. "Remember to call me after you land."

"I know..."

Cui Jiaying’s heart was pounding.

Si Si watched until Cui Jiaying disappeared into the departure hall before turning to leave.

Seated on the plane home, Cui Jiaying stared out the window at the clouds, ten thousand meters in the air. She couldn’t help but think back to two nights ago. She had been drunk, and she vaguely recalled Si Si being the one to give her a bath.

The thought that Si Si had likely touched her all over made her blush intensely.

◇

Meanwhile, Qitian Animation Company was hard at work on the fourth season of *Cat and Mouse*. With Chinese New Year less than a month away, they were on track to finish production before the festival.

Similarly, after a period of finding their rhythm, the *Slam Dunk* project team had finally completed the localization of the first episode.

Jiang Xia looked at the visuals, which were in no way inferior to the original, and felt a surge of emotion. They had finally cleared this first hurdle. From here on out, Qitian Animation would only move faster and with a steadier footing.

He was suddenly eager to see what would happen this coming March when *Slam Dunk* officially began its weekly release schedule. He wondered just how massive of a basketball craze the passionate sports anime would ignite in this world.

Would countless people be spamming the "Coach, I want to play basketball" meme online?

"Godmother, the promotional trailer for *Slam Dunk* is about ready to be released," Jiang Xia said, having found Li Weiya. "I think this one is going to shock the industry and our competitors."

In the animation industry, advance promotion is an essential part of operations. Besides expanding an anime’s influence, it also showcases the new work’s content, target audience, and unique features to the public.

After all, Qitian Animation Company had made its name in children’s animation. A new, passionate sports anime would inevitably make people question its quality. An outstanding promotional video, or PV, could easily solve that problem while also directly boosting audience anticipation.

It would show people that Qitian Animation wasn’t just a company that made cartoons for kids, but that it could also master the vastly different art style of a passionate, action-oriented series, greatly enhancing the company’s reputation.

"Now? All right. I’ll hand this task over to Shen Ying in a bit," Li Weiya nodded lightly. "What about the television networks? Should we ask them to help with the promotion?"

Jiang Xia had given this serious thought and shook his head. "No, there’s not much point."

A weekly release schedule is too slow for television. Plus, it would be locked into a fixed time slot and could easily get pushed aside by other shows. The ratings would be mediocre at best, and it would be difficult to build a real fanbase.

Besides, he wasn’t interested in the licensing fees the networks were offering. Even at 100,000 an episode, it was hardly profitable when compared to the long production cycle.

"So we’re not broadcasting it on TV?" Li Weiya asked, a little confused.

"We don’t need to."

Jiang Xia looked out the window at the light piercing through the clouds, his tone calmer than ever before.

"We have our own video streaming site."