Chapter 288 - 285: Zhou Lu

Chapter 288: Chapter 285: Zhou Lu

In early December, Season Three of *Cat and Mouse* was successfully completed. It was a few days behind schedule, but a newly formed team always needs a break-in period. Efficiency was low at first, but as everyone got to know each other, their coordination became much smoother, and their productivity improved significantly.

As such, the slight delay was well within an acceptable range. Besides, they hadn’t approached a TV station for a partnership right from the start, so there was no time pressure.

As the chief director, Jiang Xia had carefully reviewed the quality of every single episode. Since they had adopted the method of animating on twos, the new season’s picture quality and fluidity were far superior to the previous two. He figured it would garner even more praise once it aired on television.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Du TV Station contacted Jiang Xia immediately. But this time was different. Qitian Animation was no longer based in Yu Du; they had officially relocated to the Imperial Capital. Thus, if the station wanted to acquire the broadcast rights for Season Three of *Cat and Mouse*, they would have to come up with a more sincere offer.

And so, the very next day, an editor from Yu Du TV Station’s children’s channel flew to the Imperial Capital for a business trip to negotiate with Qitian Animation.

Zhou Lu sat in the conference room. She cradled a teacup in both hands and took a sip of the hot tea, feeling a wave of warmth spread through her body.

The weather in the Imperial Capital was much colder than in Yu Du. Temperatures hovered around five or six degrees below zero, and it snowed every few days. Back in Yu Du, it was still about ten degrees Celsius. She had rushed to the Imperial Capital for this business trip with only a single, somewhat heavy coat and had been freezing from the moment she stepped off the plane.

Thankfully, Qitian Animation had the heat on, and after a few moments of adjustment, she gradually began to warm up.

Zhou Lu glanced around the Qitian Animation Company offices. At first sight, it seemed much like any other animation studio, but this one was filled to the brim with *Cat and Mouse* memorabilia. The employees were all drawing or creating things related to *Cat and Mouse*, and the atmosphere was wonderful.

But who could have imagined? Just a few months ago, Qitian Animation didn’t even have a permanent office. Now, they were renting a suite in a high-end office building in the Imperial Capital and had over thirty employees.

Zhou Lu was gazing out the window at the blanket of white snow, lost in her thoughts, when a familiar voice from behind suddenly broke her reverie.

"Chief Zhou, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting," Li Weiya said with a smile.

Zhou Lu turned to see Li Weiya dressed in casual wear, and a smile lit up her eyes.

"Director Li, long time no see."

The two of them had worked together many times and could be considered old friends by now.

"It has been a while, hasn’t it? Over two months, I think," Li Weiya said with a laugh, shaking Zhou Lu’s hand before leading her to her office.

"How have you been lately, Chief Zhou?"

"What can I say? Same as always. Just a cog in the TV station’s machine, going wherever I’m needed. And look where it’s brought me today—all the way to you." Zhou Lu shook her head gently, her smile tinged with a hint of resignation.

"You must be busy, traveling so often for work."

The office was toasty warm. Li Weiya shrugged off her trench coat and hung her scarf on a coat stand. She was wearing just a black, high-necked, form-fitting sweater that accentuated her slim figure.

"Well, what can you do? You’re the ones who insisted on moving your company all the way to the Imperial Capital. Now I have to take a plane just to see you," Zhou Lu joked. "If I were a city official, I would’ve died before letting you guys leave. I’d have held up your approvals forever."

"You can blame our boss for that," Li Weiya said with a smile. "He’s the one who dragged me all the way out here. And now he gets to be the hands-off Shopkeeper while I’m stuck running the company for him day in and day out."

She couldn’t help but remember how, not long ago, Jiang Xia would message her constantly, complaining about his troubles. In the end, she had a soft spot for him and agreed to his request.

At first, she’d only intended to help him get the company stabilized. But bit by bit, she found herself completely invested, treating the business as her very own.

"Director Li, you’re a classic case of ’to the able go the labors.’ I’m just an employee. We’re on different levels," Zhou Lu said, sighing at the difference between them. "Speaking of, where’s President Jiang?"

"Him? He should be in class right now, I think?"

Li Weiya glanced out the window, which had a direct view of Tsinghua University.

Zhou Lu froze for a second. It suddenly hit her that Jiang Xia was still just a college freshman, yet he was already the owner of an animation company, earning millions every month.

Truly, the gap between some people was wider than the distance between heaven and earth.

"President Jiang is just incredible," she lamented. "When I was his age, the only thing I was doing was handing out flyers on the street."

"So, Chief Zhou, what do you think of our new place?" Li Weiya asked with a smile.

She lifted a kettle and refilled Zhou Lu’s cup with hot water.

"The environment is great, but the rent in the Imperial Capital can’t be cheap, right?" In Zhou Lu’s experience, just being able to set up a company near Zhongguan Village was an impressive feat in itself.

"This is Tsinghua Science Park," Li Weiya explained. "They have all sorts of subsidy policies for high-tech enterprises. And since our boss is a Tsinghua student, his startup gets to enjoy a variety of exemptions and reductions. When you add it all up, it’s not too expensive."

Most importantly, this was the Imperial Capital, the nation’s political and economic heart. Its potential for future growth was on a scale Yu Du could never hope to match.

"Impressive," Zhou Lu said, taking a small sip of her tea.

"As I was coming in, I noticed the suite next door is also under renovation. There was a Qitian Animation sign on the door. Are you already planning to expand?"

Li Weiya nodded. "The company is thinking about starting a new animated series, so we’re hiring."

Hearing this, Zhou Lu instantly perked up. As an editor for the children’s channel, animation was her specialty. The sole reason she had gained the favor of the station’s leadership was that she had been the one to sign *Cat and Mouse*, which was currently a massive hit.

If she could manage to sign another phenomenal animated series, a promotion to chief editor after this year wasn’t just possible—it was likely.

"Oh? What type of animation? Can you tell me more about it?"

Li Weiya smiled faintly. "I can’t do that. It’s still a secret for now."

She knew exactly how TV stations operated. If she said too much, her words could be taken out of context, or it could give ideas to their competitors. Someone might even preemptively trademark the name, which would be a huge headache to deal with later. Even if they were going to announce news about *Slam Dunk*, it had to be done on their own terms, through an official announcement from Qitian Animation after all the necessary preparations were complete.

"Fair enough."

Zhou Lu felt a pang of disappointment, but it was, after all, another company’s strategic secret. Of course it couldn’t be casually revealed. She realized she had overstepped.

She took a delicate sip of tea, then pulled a prepared contract from her bag and passed it over.

"Director Li, I won’t beat around the bush. I’m here today mainly to discuss the licensing agreement for Season Three of *Cat and Mouse* with your company. This is the contract our station drafted. Please, take a look and see what you think."

The reunion between old friends was over. It was time to get down to business.