Chapter 236 - 234: Pigtails = Reins

Chapter 236: Chapter 234: Pigtails = Reins

Jiang Xia was in a great mood after getting a positive response from Luo Peng. With this, the company now had three artists, which was just barely enough to manage.

"I haven’t asked yet, what type of animation is your studio planning to make?"

"Have you seen Cat and Mouse?" Jiang Xia asked.

Luo Peng nodded. "I get it. You’re planning to make an animation like Cat and Mouse?"

Jiang Xia gave a small smile, planning to blow his classmate’s mind.

"No, what I mean is, the hit show Cat and Mouse... our studio is the one that made it."

Luo Peng’s jaw dropped.

He was utterly stunned.

’Everyone else comes to college to learn professional skills so they can find a good job later. But this guy? He shows up with max-level skills just to stomp on us newbies, is that it?’

It was hard to believe.

"You’re sure you mean the Cat and Mouse with Tom and Jerry, right?" he asked, swallowing nervously.

"Is there some other Cat and Mouse on the market?"

Jiang Xia shrugged. ’I do have an idea to remake it with regional dialects, though. Adding funnier voice-overs to the original animation would guarantee its popularity never fades.’

Luo Peng took a deep breath and asked, "If your studio is already so amazing, why invite me?"

’After all,’ he thought, ’the manga I poured my heart into was rejected by several publishers, while Cat and Mouse has been met with a tidal wave of praise across the country.’

"The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Like I said, the studio is short-staffed, and I truly recognize your talent. A few rejections don’t mean anything. Failure is just paving the way for your next success, wouldn’t you agree?" said Jiang "Life Coach" Xia.

Luo Peng fell silent for a few seconds before letting out a soft sigh. "If you’re willing to take a chance on me, then I suppose I have no reason to refuse."

Jiang Xia smiled and extended his hand. "Welcome to Qitian Animation Company."

Luo Peng silently repeated the company’s name to himself twice, then reached out and shook Jiang Xia’s hand.

"I’ll introduce you to the others when I get the chance, but for now, I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. As for the contract, we’ll sign it once the new office space is ready. Later, I’ll give you some storyboards so you can start getting a feel for this style of key animation. If you don’t understand anything, feel free to ask me. Do you have any other questions?"

Luo Peng nodded slightly, then hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Are you the owner of the company?"

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but laugh at the question. ’Everyone seems so concerned about this. Is it really that important? Or do they just find it incredible that a student could start an animation company?’

"The owner is someone else, a big shot in the industry. I’m just an employee, like the others," he said with a smile.

Luo Peng let out a subconscious sigh of relief. ’Because the person who created Cat and Mouse must be truly incredible.’

"How about this? I’ll give it a try for a while. If you feel I’m not a good fit, or if I’m really holding the team back, I’ll leave on my own accord."

"That’s fine," Jiang Xia agreed with a nod. "You take your time and eat. I’m going to get back to my girlfriend."

Luo Peng turned his head to glance in Lin Yanwan’s direction. ’Damn, is that side profile even real? It’s perfect.’

Jiang Xia carried his beef noodles back to Lin Yanwan’s side. She had already finished her soup and was fanning herself with her hand. It was really hot eating in the summer.

"Did you invite him?" Lin Yanwan asked.

Although she hadn’t heard what they were talking about, she saw them shake hands.

"Yep. He’s a budding genius whose talent has gone unnoticed. It’s a good thing I’m a great judge of talent and discovered him early," Jiang Xia chuckled.

Generally, talented people like him would try to start their own business after a year or two of college. Take Old Wang, for example. In his past life, Old Wang created the animation Blind Dog in his sophomore year and even won an award for best animated short.

"If you’re the great judge of talent, then what am I?"

"You’re the reins I use to ride the horse," Jiang Xia said with a wicked grin.

"???"

Lin Yanwan blushed and shot him a glare. ’Does that mean I have to wear my hair in pigtails so he can grab them and yell ’giddy-up’?!’

After dinner, they both returned to their dorms. Jiang Xia gave some of the old storyboards to Luo Peng so he could start familiarizing himself with the art style for Cat and Mouse.

That evening, Jiang Xia and Su Qing moved their chairs onto the balcony to chat and watch the girls’ dorm across the way. Meanwhile, Zhou Zijian made a trip to the computer lab. He used a card reader to copy the installers for some programming and design software, then happily went back to install them on Jiang Xia’s computer.

"Nanny Su, I recruited someone else. It’s Luo Peng from our class. He’s very talented."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Su Qing. "So what about you? Have you made up your mind? Join my studio. We can make a name for ourselves in the animation industry together."

"Haven’t you already made a name for yourself?" Su Qing replied.

’With the title of lead creator on Cat and Mouse, he could find a great job anywhere. While everyone else is still at the starting line, he’s already reached the industry’s finish line.’

"Just one Cat and Mouse isn’t enough." Jiang Xia exhaled softly and looked up at the clear, starry sky. "I want to leave a mark on history."

"That’s an ambition not just anyone can achieve," Su Qing said with a laugh.

"Ideals are ideals because people like us exist to chase them. They may seem out of reach, but every effort brings us closer. One day, we’ll be standing at the pinnacle of the industry, and when we look back, we’ll still be incredibly excited about the decision we’re making today."

"I’m starting to suspect you’re a pyramid scheme recruiter," Su Qing remarked. How else could every single word he said resonate so deeply?

"So, is that a yes?" Jiang Xia asked, smiling at him.

Su Qing nodded with a sense of resignation. "I’ll do my best. I haven’t really worked on children’s projects before. What if I’m not any good at it? Wouldn’t that be a waste of your good intentions?"

"What type of animation do you like?"

"Action, I guess. Sports series are good, too. I used to love watching The Legend of Black Cat, White Rabbit, and the Seven Heroes, but unfortunately, it got banned."

"One step at a time. We’ll get there. The studio won’t only make children’s shows forever. We’re still just in the startup phase. We’ll branch out sooner or later," Jiang Xia said with a grin.

’When it came to action and sports series, he had a treasure trove of classics in his mind. He could pick any one of them at random and it would be a world-class IP. But the team wasn’t even fully assembled yet, so for now, those were just thoughts.’

Su Qing remained noncommittal. An excellent action series required a complete world-view, character development, and a captivating story. It couldn’t be compared to an episodic slapstick cartoon like Cat and Mouse. The creative difficulty was higher by several orders of magnitude.

But still, at least Jiang Xia had the guts to try, right?