While we were ordering four cups of milk tea, the other two people arrived from home one after another.

"What's up, Lao Jiang? Why did you call us here from home so mysteriously? There's still a lot of original footage for episode nine." Wang Ming glanced at Shen Ying and noticed that she also looked bewildered.

"You wouldn't draw when I asked you to before, but now you're working overtime every day?" Jiang Xia joked.

Wang Ming blushed slightly. He had no idea that making animation was so interesting. Now, after working with Jiang Xia on two episodes, he was eager to see Tom and Jerry on TV.

Moreover, the current online buzz makes him feel a greater sense of accomplishment than anything else.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I'm just in a good mood today and wanted to treat you to a cup of milk tea," Jiang Xia said with a smile.

Lin Yanwan pushed the two cups of milk tea to them, laughing and scolding, "Stop dawdling and tell them already."

"All right."

Jiang Xia dared not disobey his wife's order. He took out the labor contract he had prepared several days in advance from his bag: "Take a look. If you think there are no problems, then sign it."

Upon seeing the words "labor contract," Wang Ming and Shen Ying exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"Why are you suddenly telling us this? Does it mean the company has already been registered?"

"right."

Jiang Xia smiled and took out the official seal from the document bag in front of them. He had worked hard for more than half a month just for this.

"There aren't many other things to note in the contract, except for the most basic confidentiality agreement and the salary. There's a three-month probation period, and the salary is paid according to the local minimum wage. After that, the salary is paid according to the actual position."

“For example, Wang Ming, you are an original artist, and your salary after probation is 2,500. Shen Ying is an operations person, and her starting salary is 2,000.”

Shen Ying asked blankly, "What is the local minimum wage guarantee?"

“The minimum wage in Chongqing this year is 680 yuan, but I’ll calculate it at 700 yuan for you,” Jiang Xia explained.

"Didn't you tell me it would be 300 per month?"

Shen Ying could hardly believe that her salary had more than doubled.

"Now that the company has been established, it must naturally operate in accordance with the country's rules and regulations."

Jiang Xia's smile remained unchanged: "If you think it's too much, you can choose not to sign. I'll treat you as a part-time summer job and still pay you 300 every month."

"No way! Boss Jiang, a man's word is his bond, don't even think about going back on your word!" Shen Ying protected the contract with both hands, and before she had even finished reading the contents, she hurriedly picked up a pen and wrote down her name and ID number.

In her view, the so-called three-month probationary period was just the three-month summer vacation after the college entrance examination. Even if she didn't work for Jiang Xia in the future, she could easily earn half a year's tuition. Where could a high school student like her, who hadn't even graduated yet, find such treatment?

Seeing Shen Ying's impatient look, Jiang Xia was both amused and exasperated. Of course, he was just joking.

Although he is currently broke and unable to pay salaries, all his predicaments will be alleviated after he sells the first-run broadcast rights to a television station.

"By the way, boss, what exactly does the operations position you mentioned do?"

Jiang Xia thought for a moment and said, "It's similar to what you're doing now, such as helping the work establish a complete fan system, conducting planned fan recruitment, actively carrying out promotion and publicity, and assisting the supervisor in planning and executing marketing campaigns for the anime works, etc."

Shen Ying nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Operations is a very deep subject. You can learn more about it and develop a mature system as soon as possible, instead of just flooding forums and online communities like this now."

Jiang Xia continued to paint a rosy picture with a smile: "When our company grows and expands in the future, you will be the operations director, and the overall operation of the company's products will be subject to your guidance."

The naive young girl was somewhat swayed by his words and filled with longing for a bright future.

After finishing talking about Shen Ying, Jiang Xia turned his gaze to Wang Ming.

"Old Wang, what do you think?"

"I have no doubts. We've been inseparable since we were kids, you wouldn't betray me, would you?"

Wang Ming shrugged and signed the contract decisively.

"Don't you have any other ideas about the company's future?" Jiang Xia asked with a smile.

"At first I thought you were just messing around, but you single-handedly built Tom and Jerry into a company, and now you've even started your own business. I'm not blind; I can see you have a very clear life plan. All I need to do is cling to your coattails and follow you around to enjoy the fruits of your labor," Wang Ming said calmly.

He saw things very clearly; in some ways, Jiang Xia's excellence far surpassed that of his peers. He wasn't jealous; he was overjoyed to have such a good brother guiding him.

“My ambitions certainly go beyond that,” Jiang Xia smiled.

"So Tom and Jerry is just a trial run for you? Once you've made your first fortune, you're planning to start other projects?" Wang Ming stared at him; this question was very important to him.

"Of course not."

Jiang Xia gently shook his head and said, "Tom and Jerry is the cornerstone of the company. For a long time to come, the company's resources will be heavily focused on this project. I have written it very clearly on Baidu Encyclopedia. Tom and Jerry is a long-running comedy animation, and the planned number of episodes is at least several hundred. Even if the company has new works in the future, there will be at least one studio to serialize and update Tom and Jerry."

He paused, then looked at Wang Ming and his smile deepened: "Maybe you'll be the one leading that team then."

Wang Ming was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, I can't do it."

"If it's not possible now, does that mean it won't be possible in the future?"

Jiang Xia signed the company name, affixed the company seal, and handed one copy of the contract to each of the two individuals.

"Old Wang, keep up the good work and grow into an animation director who can handle things on his own as soon as possible. I really need you."

Looking at the words "Qitian Animation" on the contract, Wang Ming nodded emphatically. From now on, he was a formal employee of the company.

We're all learning to paint together, so we can't let him down, can we?

"Is there anything else you need to report on regarding work?" Jiang Xia asked.

"Me! Me! Me!"

Shen Ying quickly added, "The online discussion about Tom and Jerry is increasing every day. The forum I created gains hundreds or thousands of followers every day, and many people are asking where they can watch the cartoon."

"This is your job to manage the operation. Keep the topic trending and occasionally release some information to whet people's appetite."

"My only problem right now is that I draw rather slowly, which is slowing down the work schedule a bit," Wang Ming said.

"That's okay. Speed ​​can be developed through practice. Draw more, but you must ensure quality."

Jiang Xia continued, "However, the college entrance examination is just over half a month away. You should still focus on your studies during this time. Our real stage is in the summer vacation and in university. This is just the beginning."

He smiled with absolute confidence.