-14- Breakfast

Lu Kai turned to look at Tomato behind him. "Brother, a first edition of 30,000! How the hell am I supposed to ask her to stay?" Tomato gave him a wry smile. He didn't respond, but walked straight back to his workstation, pulled out a long-prepared A4 sheet from his desk, and shoved it into Lu Kai's arms. "What is that?" It was a printed screenshot of a webpage. Lu Kai glanced at it and realized that, just as Tomato had said, he had completed his evil plan: patenting the original Little Freckles. But a closer look… the applicant column didn't say Waikiki Studio, but Liu Xiyao. That was Dorasi's real name. Lu Kai looked up at the stern-faced Tomato and smiled with relief. Even Tomato, who had always been stubborn, had long been prepared to let Dorasi go. Ultimately, while they didn't have the ability to build a successful utopia, they also hadn't created the qualities of a successful company. Lu Kai relaxed and said to Dorasi, "Doraxi, from the company's point of view, we must do whatever it takes to keep you, but... but we are not only colleagues working together, we are also..." He walked over and turned on the TV that was turned off by Sister Zou. Dorasi screamed, "Ah!" and was about to rush to the TV again, but was held back by Sister Zou. Lu Kai pointed at the silly cartoon on the screen: "We are still friends, partners." He handed the A4 paper in his hand to Dorasi, "If you want to adventure further, TD is obviously a better choice." After Lu Kai said this, he did not forget to look at Zhao Jinghuan who was still shocked by the fact that he could get 1.2 million by signing a contract. He said with some embarrassment: "I'm sorry, classmate Zhao. We may have to walk the next road on our own. But don't worry, I said that we will give you a good platform for growth. I will definitely not go back on my word this time." "Ah, okay..." Perhaps because Zhao Jinghuan's response was a bit reluctant, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became cold. Dorasi glanced at Zhao Jinghuan from afar for a few moments, her eyes suddenly reddening. She mustered her courage, walked over to Zhao Jinghuan, and gave her a big hug. Then, blushing, she spoke strangely: "O newborn brought by the tide, our meeting is but a fleeting flash of starlight over millions of years. Time is but a dimension of the universe's emptiness. The gravitational pull between starlights has nothing to do with how many times they gaze upon each other. The glory of Doram has already shone upon you, and it will never fade. I believe your new path will be paved with flowers. And I, together...

Lu Kai turned his head and looked at Tomato behind him:

"Brother, it's a 30,000 yuan first edition. How the hell am I supposed to ask her to stay?"

Tomato gave a wry smile. He didn't respond, but walked straight back to his workstation, took out a piece of A4 paper that he had prepared long ago from the table, and stuffed it into Lu Kai's arms.

"What?"

It was a printed screenshot of a web page. Lu Kai took a quick look at it and realized that just as Tomato had said before, he had completed his evil plan: to patent the original Freckles.

But if you look more carefully... the applicant column doesn't say Waikiki Studio, but Liu Qianyao.

That's Dorasi's real name.

Lu Kai looked up at the stern-faced Tomato and smiled with relief. Even Tomato, who had always been stubborn, had long been prepared to let Dorasi go. Ultimately, while they didn't have the ability to build a successful utopia, fortunately, they also didn't have the qualities to build a successful company.

Lu Kai relaxed and said to Dorasi, "Doraxi, from the company's perspective, we must do whatever it takes to keep you, but... but we are not only colleagues, we are also..."

He walked over and turned on the TV that Sister Zou had turned off. Dorasi screamed "Ah" and was about to pounce on the TV again, but was held back by Sister Zou.

Lu Kai pointed at the silly cartoon on the screen and said, "We're still friends, partners." He handed the A4 paper to Dorasi, "If you want to venture further afield, TD Club is obviously a better choice."

After Lu Kai finished speaking, he glanced at Zhao Jinghuan, who was still recovering from the shock of "getting 1.2 million just by signing a contract." He said with some embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Zhao. We may have to walk the path ahead on our own. But don't worry, I promised you a great platform for growth. I won't go back on my word this time."

"Ah, okay..."

Perhaps because Zhao Jinghuan's response was somewhat forced, the atmosphere suddenly cooled. Dorasi glanced at Zhao Jinghuan from a distance for a few seconds, and suddenly her eyes reddened. She mustered up the courage to walk over to Zhao Jinghuan and gave her a big hug. Then, with a blushing face, she said something strange:

"O newborn brought by the tide, our meeting is but a fleeting flash of starlight over millions of years. Time is but a dimension of the universe's emptiness. The gravitational pull between starlights has nothing to do with how often they gaze upon each other. The glory of Doram has already shone upon you, and it will never fade. I believe that your new path will be paved with flowers. And I, along with my subjects and companions..."

Dorasi trotted back to Sister Zou's side and gave Zhao Jinghuan a thumbs-up from afar. "I, along with my subjects and partners, will bless and celebrate your future. I hope you'll come back often."

As usual, Lu Kai didn't quite understand what Dorasi said, but he vaguely felt that Dorasi's position was a little strange. He pointed at Sister Zou and asked Dorasi, "Why are you holding Sister Zou? Are you trying to poach her too, or is Sister Zou also looking for a new employer, TD?"

Sister Zou said, "I am leaving, but I haven't found a new job yet." After she said that, she looked at Dorasi beside her with a puzzled look.

"Doraxi, what did you say about subjects? Where are you going back to? Jinghuan isn't leaving, it's you who's leaving, you know that, right?"

Dorasi was stunned and even forgot to think of a word: "I'm not leaving. Why should I leave?"

Everyone in the room was stunned. Sister Zou held the TD contract in her shaking hands and said, "Because of the contract!"

Dorasi said, “I didn’t sign it.”

"What do you mean you didn't sign? If you didn't sign, sign now!" Even Tomato, who was most resistant to Doraemon's departure, got upset. "The first order is 30,000, and for the 9+1 plan, they're going to make 270,000 blind boxes for you right away, not counting the hidden editions. Where else can you find such conditions? Why don't you sign?"

Dorasi shrugged, as if the answer was obvious:

"Because they are not from Doraemon."

Lu Kai's eyes widened. "There's also the household registration issue involved here. Tell me what the policy is for settling in, and I'll help them. He wants to buy a house from you, right? I'll sell him mine!"

Dorasi looked at Lu Kai with an aggrieved expression, as if about to cry. Lu Kai then realized his gaffe and quickly put his hands together to apologize, "No, I'm just a little anxious. I wouldn't give my household registration to anyone else. I'd give it all I have. I'm a loyal resident of Dormammu."

"Doraemon," Dorasi corrected.

"Yes, yes, I'm worried, Doraemon Doraemon." Lu Kai grinned, looking like he was about to get into trouble. He winked at Wanfeng, who had been silent the whole time, and told him to quickly persuade Doraemon. However, before Wanfeng could say anything, Doraemon glared at him:

"Knight holding the golden sword, will you also become a forsaken disciple who breaks your oath?"

“No…no…”

Wanfeng silently retreated, but Zhao Jinghuan suddenly spoke, although the question she asked was somewhat of an interruption: "Um...are all the contracts for trendy toy designers this big?"

Obviously, the figure of 1.2 million is a bit too bizarre for the night riders whose average unit price is 4 yuan.

Zou said, "In recent years, everyone has been pushing prices down quite a bit. New artists' royalties are generally 3-5%. Dorasi is a designer with established work, but Little Freckles is only a mid-level or even lower IP. 8% royalties is high, not to mention that TD Publishing House offers tiered royalties. Furthermore, 30,000 yuan in first orders is incredibly high, abnormally high, even... amateurish."

Lu Kai said, "Maybe it's because TD is recruiting a lot of people, so the conditions they offer are better."

Zou said it wasn't a question of "a little better." Fanqie added, "I know two designers who were poached by TD, and their contracts were significantly worse than what Dorasi got. I can't say who they were, but their previous performance was just as good as Dorasi's, if not better."

Lu Kai said, "So... they saw potential in Little Freckles?"

No one spoke, apparently feeling that this reason was a bit far-fetched. Lu Kai nodded: "Then I understand. He still has a part-time job in Myanmar."

Zhao Jinghuan frowned and stopped talking. Sister Zou noticed her unnatural expression and asked her, "Bao'er, what's wrong with you?"

"No...it's okay."

Sister Zou said, "Just tell me what you think. It's okay."

Zhao Jinghuan waved her hand and said she had no other thoughts. "I just think that maybe TD knows something that we don't know yet."

Sister Zou said, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly. I deliver food..." Zhao Jinghuan subconsciously corrected herself. "I heard from a delivery driver the other day that there was a breakfast shop on Xinglin Street that wasn't doing well. Suddenly, two people came and took it over for a hefty fee. The original owner thought he'd been taken advantage of, but within two months, Zhulian Street behind the shop became a one-way street, and several elementary and middle school buses were rerouted. The new pick-up point was moved to the front of the breakfast shop, and the shop, which was about to go bankrupt, suddenly became incredibly popular."

Lu Kai asked, "Can you still chat with the rider?"

Tomato interjected, "It seems some drivers are like this. They really like chatting with girls. I saw a video online the other day where a driver was chatting with a female customer in the backstage while delivering food. It even involved a rather mind-boggling murder case."

Lu Kai was surprised: "Ah, what case?"

"Stop!" Sister Zou glared at them. "Do you two have ADHD? Why do you like interrupting so much?"

Lu Kai awkwardly changed the subject: "Yes, yes, Dorasi, breakfast."

Dorasi shook his head: "I never eat breakfast."

Sister Zou felt her solar plexus tighten, wondering how she could have run into such a scoundrel. Lu Kai was also amused by her Doraxi. "Miss, you're standing here, but you never open your ears to listen to us, right? Can we turn off your energy-saving mode?"

Tomato complained to Lu Kai: "It's because you like to interrupt that people don't listen to us."

Lu Kai raised an eyebrow: "Why am I the one who likes to interrupt? It was obviously you who just..."

"Shut up!" Sister Zou couldn't stand it anymore and pointed at the two of them and said, "You two will be silenced for five minutes!"

Seeing Dorasi's bewildered expression, Sister Zou asked Zhao Jinghuan to repeat what she had just said. Dorasi's eyes lit up after hearing it, and it was obvious that he had thought of something. Even the exclamation mark above his head seemed to become straighter and brighter.

Sister Zou asked her, "What's wrong?"

Doraxi thought for a moment and cleared her throat: "The song left in the wind becomes the glory of the promised day, and the dawn of the country of midsummer is heading towards..." She had just said a few words when Sister Zou suddenly held her shoulders.

Dorasi turned his head and saw that Sister Zou's dark pupils were as cold as a Haier freezer.

"Speak nicely to me."

Dorasi's hair stood on end, and he said politely:

"The Mini Awards seem to be about to be announced. I entered them with Freckles at the end of last year."