Chapter 125 - 124: Only Children Make Choices

Chapter 125: Chapter 124: Only Children Make Choices

"I was just taking a shower."

After a short wait, Lin Yanwan replied.

"Heh heh heh, I wanna see." Jiang Xia’s spirits lifted, and he immediately closed his deskmate’s chat window.

"Black stockings, white stockings, a maid outfit, or maybe some animal-themed lingerie?"

"Only kids have to choose!"

"Fine. I’ll call my mom right now. If she says yes, forget photos—I’ll wear them for you in person."

Jiang Xia instantly backed down. "Never mind, never mind! Mrs. Xia, please don’t. Is it okay if I just don’t look?"

Lin Yanwan snorted silently. ’To deal with this pervert, nothing else works. You just have to dump a bucket of cold water on him. No matter how hard-headed he is, he’ll soften up immediately.’

"Shameless. Who’s your wife? Don’t call me that anymore."

"Okay, Mrs. Xia."

"..."

’Forget it. Arguing with someone so shameless is just asking for trouble. In their eight years of marriage, she’d never won an argument with him anyway—unless it was in bed. There, he could never outlast her.’

"Are you staying up late to draw again tonight?"

"Not tonight. I’m not in the mood. If *Cat and Mouse*’s ratings are just so-so tomorrow, I’ll have to start thinking about whether I should make a different kind of animation."

"Don’t worry. You just have a classic case of pre-game jitters. Who could possibly say no to a fun episode of *Cat and Mouse*?" Lin Yanwan typed back.

When it came to *Cat and Mouse*, she sometimes had more confidence than its creator, Jiang Xia. Perhaps it was a case of an outsider seeing things more clearly. The quality of a work simply came down to whether the audience liked it.

In any case, she and Xiao Man really liked it. Plus, this era didn’t have as many paid online trolls as the future would. You could tell at a glance whether something was good or bad.

"You know, you’re right. I really am a little nervous. I wasn’t even this nervous for the college entrance exams. It feels just like when I made my first animation. I thought it would be an overnight success, but in the end? Practically no one watched it."

Recalling the arduous process of making animation in his past life, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but give a self-deprecating smile. Even though he had eventually managed to secure a foothold in the animation industry with his outstanding storyboarding and visuals, he still ended up falling into a contract trap.

"Even if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you not believe in *Cat and Mouse*?"

"Heh, you’re right. How could I possibly question the god of animation?"

Jiang Xia was momentarily speechless, then broke into a laugh. In his past life, *Cat and Mouse* was the absolute king of the animation world, an insurmountable peak. It had won a total of 13 Academy Awards, not to mention countless other major and minor accolades.

Even if the version he was recreating now was a "crude" one, the essence remained unchanged. As long as the core was there, the soul of the animation was there. It was simply a matter of polish.

Once it aired, it was only a matter of time before it stood out from the crowd of other cartoons.

"Alright, stop overthinking it. Just get some proper rest tonight. Otherwise, I’m worried you’ll get so excited tomorrow that you’ll pass out from a lack of oxygen. It’s supposed to be a happy day, and I’d have to call an ambulance for you."

"Why call an ambulance for a lack of oxygen? My favorite baby can give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation." Jiang Xia typed at lightning speed, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"Pfft! In your dreams. Alright, I’m off to bed. Good night."

"Wait, what about my daily kiss!?"

After a dozen seconds with no reply, Jiang Xia figured his wife had turned off her phone and tossed it under her pillow. But then, he saw an incoming call from her. His fingers moved faster than his brain, and he answered in a split second.

"Mwah~"

Before he could even say a word, the line went dead. Jiang Xia froze for a moment. ’His wife called just to give him a kiss?’

That move was just... unbelievably cute!

’To have married such a wonderful wife in his last life... he must have saved the world in a previous reincarnation.’

Jiang Xia let out a soft sigh and gazed at the bright, starry sky outside his window. Tomorrow was bound to be another beautiful, clear day.

He shut down his computer, went to his room to grab a change of clean clothes, and headed into the bathroom for a shower before bed.

◇

June 30, 2009. The eighth day of the leap fifth lunar month. A day deemed auspicious for all endeavors.

Early in the morning, while Jiang Xia was still dreaming about doing some "edging" exercises with his wife, he was jolted awake by a ringing phone.

He was about to lose his temper when he saw the caller ID: Zhou Lu, the executive editor for the children’s channel at Yu Du TV Station.

"Morning, Chief Zhou... YAAAWN..." he said through a yawn, his voice thick with sleep.

"Oh, is Boss Jiang still asleep? So sorry to disturb your sweet dreams. But I’m calling with two pieces of good news today—one about *Cat and Mouse*, and one about you. Which would you like to hear first?" Zhou Lu said with a laugh. You could tell from her voice that she was genuinely pleased.

Jiang Xia sighed. "If it’s not news that’ll make me rich overnight, it’s bad news."

"In that case, I’m sure Boss Jiang will be very satisfied with this news."

Zhou Lu chuckled. "The first piece of good news is that the payment on the contract has been fully approved. The money, several tens of thousands of yuan, should be transferred to your company’s account today. It may not be a fortune, but it’s a start toward getting rich overnight, isn’t it?"

At this, Jiang Xia shot up in bed. His first thought was: ’After all this time since I was reborn, I finally have some fucking money!’

He wouldn’t have to miserably borrow money from his wife for his June living expenses. He wouldn’t have to pinch pennies every time he bought something. From now on, with money in his wallet, his confidence would soar.

"So, what’s the second piece of good news?"

Zhou Lu laughed and cited a statistic. "Over the last couple of weeks, during the daily teaser slot for *Cat and Mouse*, Yu Du TV Station’s viewership rating has climbed from 0.8% to 1.6%."

Jiang Xia froze for a second, then it hit him. Did this mean his *Cat and Mouse* was likely to be a massive hit on its premiere?

You had to understand that in this era, the national television station dominated the ratings, leaving the various provincial stations with an average viewership rating of barely 1%.

And yet, with just a short, seconds-long teaser, *Cat and Mouse* had managed to double Yu Du TV Station’s overall rating.

You could just imagine what would happen once the full cartoon aired tomorrow. The viewership for Yu Du TV Station’s children’s channel was bound to skyrocket in a very short time!

His wife was right. Who could possibly say no to a fun episode of *Cat and Mouse*? Whether they were kids or adults, everyone would be captivated by Tom and Jerry’s antics.

"So, what you’re saying, Chief Zhou, is that *Cat and Mouse* might be about to take off?"

"Exactly. Congratulations in advance, Boss Jiang. You’ve created a truly remarkable animation. Based on our projections, *Cat and Mouse*’s premiere-day rating could exceed 5%. After that, it could grow by 1% each day. By the time all 12 episodes have aired, the final rating could settle at around 10%. It might even take the crown for the highest-rated show of the year."

Zhou Lu added, her voice suddenly filled with emotion.

"Boss Jiang, after tomorrow, your company might really be about to hit the big time."

...

(My dear shareholders, your author Nanfeng is so sorry. My wedding is just around the corner, and I’m swamped, so the updates have been a bit erratic. *sobs* Just tell me, how can I make it up to you all? Should I just drop my pants, or should I put on a wedding dress for you?)