Chapter 51 N-Replica
Xing Yu's tongue tingled slightly. After a moment, a smile slowly appeared on his lips. It was just that his timing was not right, as he had just interrupted the flirtatious and romantic atmosphere between the two.
"I'm sorry, I've come at a rather inopportune time," Xing Yu said apologetically, but there was no trace of remorse in his eyes. "But now, is it possible for you to come and talk to me about the cooperation, Mr. Chu?"
Chu Beiling smiled and replied casually, "Of course." He pointed to a sofa on the side and said, "President Xing, please have a seat."
Xing Yu: "Won't this bother you?"
Chu Beiling: "No problem. It saves us the trouble of making a special trip since President Xing is here. Thank you for your hard work!"
The two discussed business in a very professional manner, completely devoid of the ambiguity and despair that followed their passionate kiss on the street a couple of days ago. It was as if, as they had said, once the kiss was over, the debt was paid off, and there was no more relationship between them.
Chu Beiling picked up her notebook and walked to the sofa, then called Zhu Qing'an to join her.
Xing Yu sat down on the small sofa opposite him. He had come alone today. He handed the fourth draft and model on his iPad to Chu Beiling, saying, "If there's anything you're not satisfied with, I'll revise it on the spot."
Chu Beiling twitched the corners of her mouth and slowly uttered two words: "Pretty good."
He took the iPad without even looking at it, and handed it to Zhu Qing'an: "If there's anything you're not satisfied with, just change it directly. No need to trouble President Xing."
Xing Yu looked up at him: "Why don't you even glance at me?"
Chu Beiling used the same old rhetoric: "Zhu Qing'an is the art supervisor, so things related to art are his business. I'm only responsible for supervising the project's progress. I think it's unnecessary to waste each other's time."
Zhu Qing'an was looking at the draft drawings. He and Xing Yu basically had nothing to do, and they couldn't just sit there staring at each other. So Chu Beiling simply brought up the work arrangements for the rest of the day.
He opened his notebook: "As for the two of us, let's talk about the 42-episode animated TV series that ECho and Chu Meng are working on together."
Xing Yu asked, "Do you plan to use two-dimensional or three-dimensional technology to create it?"
The most important work in 2D animation is to complete a large number of detailed hand-drawn sketches. Every stroke and every frame of the movement and expression needs to be completed by the artist. After post-production tweening, special effects are created. This is unlike 3D animation, where after the character design is completed in the early stage, 3D modeling is done, followed by post-production rendering and special effects.
Aside from the different visual effects, both have their own production challenges.
The former exhausts illustrators, the latter exhausts animators.
"Two-dimensional." Chu Beiling preferred two-dimensional production.
Two-dimensional animation styles can be more diverse, especially the ink painting style of traditional Chinese painting and the folk paper-cutting art style, which can be better displayed in two dimensions.
Besides this reason, there is an even more important reason: "Nowadays, most domestic animation, including animated films, is 3D, and 2D is relatively rare. But back then, our domestic 2D animation was world-leading. They even incorporated elements of traditional painting, opera, folk art, and landscape painting styles."
After a pause, he continued, "3D can indeed achieve this effect, but the artistic quality preserved in 2D hand-drawn art is something that 3D modeling cannot achieve."
Xing Yu's gaze involuntarily followed Chu Beiling.
If it weren't for animated films, he would have shared Chu Beiling's view and preferred 2D production. Xing Yu initially chose animation because he liked it and wanted to add a touch of pride to Chinese animation.
Domestic animation is no worse than Disney, Pixnet, or X-Com. Their 3D modeling and production are exquisite, while domestic 2D animation can incorporate the characteristics of five thousand years of Chinese culture and use hand-drawn animation to express an artistic effect full of oriental charm.
The profound cultural heritage and unique visual style behind it cannot be defeated by simply saying that the effect is simple, too flat, and lacks a sense of three-dimensionality.
Xing Yu's eyes reflected Chu Beiling's figure, and he chuckled softly, "So?"
Chu Beiling raised his chin slightly and said, slowly and deliberately, "I want to try. What the animation pioneers could do back then, I also want to do."
Outside the window, all was a hazy darkness. Inside, the lights were soft, and the blue light from the laptop reflected off Chu Beiling's profile. His amber eyes sparkled with determination and seriousness, as well as a hint of youthful recklessness.
Chu Beiling remains as dazzling as ever.
Xing Yu's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily: "What are your plans for the animation team?"
Chu Beiling said, "The script is provided by our team, and Zhu Qing'an will be responsible for supervising and providing creative ideas for the character design. You are more professional than me, so you can arrange the rest."
The person who was just talking so eloquently suddenly fell silent when the topic of specific painting techniques came up, acting as if it were none of his business.
Xing Yu looked directly at him: "And what about you?"
Chu Beiling said in a calm tone: "I will develop a detailed overall production plan and ensure that each stage proceeds on schedule, doing what a project manager should do."
Xing Yu glared at him, momentarily annoyed: "So you want to try, but you're just all talk and no action?"
Chu Beiling retorted, "Just because I don't know how to make refrigeration doesn't mean I can't build refrigerators or evaluate whether a refrigerator's cooling effect is good enough, right?"
Xing Yu: "I misspoke."
Zhu Qing'an, who was relegated to the background, spent a long time revising his imperfect drawing, but the two of them kept talking back and forth, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise, even in his area of expertise.
The poor background poster could only stare blankly at the artwork, flipping through it from side to side.
He must have been distracted, because he accidentally exited the software.
The iPad desktop wallpaper comes into view.
The content of the image is:
"A boy lay on the sofa with a 'Human Anatomy Reference Book' covering his chest, surrounded by fluffy Doraemon plush toys, fast asleep."
Blue Fatty Xing Yu, January 12, 2013, Zhanlongkou.
This wallpaper is from twelve years ago today.
Most of the artists have a habit of signing the date and their name in the lower right corner after completing a painting.
What surprised Zhu Qing'an the most was that the artist who signed the painting was Chu Beiling.
Zhu Qing'an had heard Fu Xingzhou say that painting was a forbidden zone for Chu Beiling.
But he didn't know the reason. He thought that Chu Beiling, this great demon king, only cared about the project progress and didn't know that painting was a very tedious thing. So all he did was urge them to rush the progress all day long.
They also looked down on painting, so they always had a dismissive attitude.
Zhu Qing'an never imagined that Chu Beiling could paint.
Moreover, judging from the visual effects and techniques, he was definitely not bad at painting back then.
Zhu Qing'an thought that Chu Beiling did indeed have the right to be arrogant.
Xing Yu glanced at Zhu Qing'an: "Director Zhu, have you finished revising it?"
Zhu Qing'an handed over the iPad, turned her gaze to Chu Beiling, opened her mouth but ultimately asked nothing.
Xing Yu stood up: "I will send the detailed animation plan and the artwork for 'Conquer the World' to your email in a couple of days."
Chu Beiling nodded and saw Xing Yu off.
Two days later, on the 14th, Chu Beiling received all sorts of birthday wishes early in the morning. Colleagues from home and abroad were all wishing him a happy birthday, but Xing Yu was among them.
Chu Beiling responded politely to each question, thanked them, and then continued with her work.
At noon, Zhu Qing'an came and knocked on the door to say that he had to go to the hotel to prepare and left first.
Before leaving, he repeatedly emphasized and reminded me: "Don't make excuses to skip tonight's party. You're the star."
Chu Beiling: "I can't forget it."
If it were just a simple birthday party, he probably wouldn't go. He would book the entire banquet hall, treat his team to dinner, and then stay home to read books or documents.
However, this small banquet was held on the occasion of his birthday, and several partners and investors in the industry were invited. He was in charge and he was in charge of the event, so it would be unreasonable for him not to attend.
Zhu Qing'an was afraid he would forget: "Your ex-lover is also on the invitation list."
Chu Beiling: "You can leave now."
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Li Zhiyi came to knock on the door. Before going to the hotel, Chu Beiling had specially changed into a new suit.
Chu Beiling arrived relatively early; there weren't many people in the banquet hall at the moment.
Seeing him approach, Zhu Qing'an waved: "Bei Ling, over here."
When Xing Yu arrived at the banquet hall, Chu Beiling, the main character, was surrounded and forced to drink.
Xing Yu frowned slightly. If he drank any more at this rate, he would get dizzy again.
Xing Yu quickly stepped forward and put his arm around Chu Beiling, who was so drunk that he was almost unconscious and unsteady on his feet: "He's a little drunk, I'll drink a couple of glasses for him."
The person who came to offer a toast was a technical manager. "General Manager Xing and General Manager Chu, this is..."
“Friend.” Xing Yu smiled politely, lightly clinked his wine glass against the other’s, and then chatted with him in a cheerful manner.
The figures overlapped before her eyes. Chu Beiling slightly raised her eyes, and Xing Yu's smiling gaze melted under the crystal chandelier, making him appear so at ease.
Chu Beiling was in great pain; his stomach ached, his heart ached, and every part of his body hurt.
Still rational, he reached out and pushed Xing Yu away to create distance between them: "I'm fine."
Xing Yu reached out to support him again: "You can barely stand."
"I'm really fine." Chu Beiling took two steps back. "We should keep our distance."
Xing Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, not knowing who he was laughing at: "You're taking this so seriously, what about Zhu Qing'an?"
"What?" Perhaps he was really drunk, Chu Beiling couldn't understand for a moment how Xing Yu connected these two things, or what the necessary connection was!
Xing Yu: "It's nothing."
Chu Beiling took another half step back, as if to accuse and remind herself: "We should maintain a normal social distance and not be so close."
Xing Yu sighed, deciding not to argue with the drunkard for the time being.
He shielded Chu Beiling from several people who came forward to talk to her, and the banquet was almost over.
Xing Yu reached around behind Chu Beiling, put his arm around his waist to steady him, gave Li Zhiyi a few instructions on the cleanup work, and then led him out of the banquet hall and into the underground parking garage.
In the damp and cold winter of Hangzhou, there was no way to turn on the air conditioner. Even though there was a constant temperature system indoors, it was still stuffy, hot, and unbearably dry. Coupled with being drunk, as soon as he stepped outside and was hit by the cold wind, Chu Beiling's vision went black and his stomach churned.
He pushed away Xing Yu, who was supporting him, and stumbled towards the trash can, vomiting violently.
Xing Yu took a bottle of mineral water and some hangover medicine from the trunk of the car and walked up to Chu Beiling. He opened the bottle of mineral water and handed it to him: "Take two hangover medicine pills, it will make you feel better."
"Thank you." Chu Beiling took the medicine, popped it into his mouth, and drank about half a bottle of water.
Xing Yu stepped forward to help him up: "Can you still walk?"
Chu Beiling took a step back and leaned against the wall to support her body.
Feeling increasingly dizzy, he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, suppressing his drunkenness and preserving the last vestiges of his rationality as he distanced himself from Xing Yu: "I'm fine, the designated driver will be here soon, you can go now, thank you for what you just said."
Seeing that Xing Yu didn't move, Chu Beiling walked past him and stumbled toward the car.
Xing Yu quickly stepped forward to support him.
"No need." Chu Beiling slapped his hand away, refusing his touch, and continued walking forward.
Xing Yu quickly grabbed the person who was falling to the ground.
The familiar lemon scent enveloped her, and the effects of the alcohol kicked in completely. Chu Beiling's mind went a beat slower, and she forgot to push him away. She slumped into his arms like a limp lump of mud, letting him do as he pleased.
Xing Yu cupped his cheek and looked down at him: "How is Fanfan? Is anything bothering you?"
This person's embrace made him feel secure and safe as always, allowing Chu Beiling to forget everything.
He mumbled a reply, "I feel a little dizzy, and my stomach isn't feeling well either."
Xing Yu raised his hand and pinched the back of his neck: "Then you go to sleep, I'll take you back."
"Mmm." Chu Beiling immediately relaxed and snuggled into his arms like a kitten before falling into a deep sleep.
The two were about the same height, and Chu Beiling buried his face in Xing Yu's neck, the cold temperature passing through the skin of his face to his body.
Xing Yu frowned slightly. In his memory, Chu Beiling was a hot man. Because he often ran on the basketball court, every part of his body was hot. Now, the drunk man's body temperature was not as high as Chu Beiling's.
If it weren't for the even breathing of the person in his arms, Xing Yu would seriously doubt whether Chu Beiling was still alive.
Xing Yu looked down at him and said, "Stubborn as an ox." Knowing he has a low alcohol tolerance, he still drinks like crazy, chugging down one glass after another, completely disregarding his health.
But Chu Beiling seemed to have always been like this. Back then, during the school sports meet, he didn't care about the patches all over his body in order to protect his precious hands. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
Would such a persistent person really say that he has no interest in painting and give up painting altogether?
Xing Yu still found it hard to believe that Chu Beiling had given up painting so easily.
The dim light from the garage shone through the car window, illuminating his sharp eyebrows and high nose. Xing Yu reached out and smoothed Chu Beiling's furrowed brows. Back then, Chu Beiling was a sunny, cheerful, and handsome young man.
Even if Li Shuying has extremely high expectations of him, he can quickly recover and be fully restored.
Chu Beiling was now covered by an invisible layer of frost and gloom, giving him an inexplicable sense of alienation, as if he did not belong to this world.
Even Xu Tunan said, "If Chu Fanfan hadn't always apologized whenever we met, looking like he'd been bullied and hated us, and if he had just stood there without saying a word, I would have actually been a little afraid of him."
Chu Beiling has changed a lot—
For a moment, Xing Yu's memory was confused; he wondered if the bright, sun-like boy who loved painting in his memory had actually existed.
Xing Yu's mind was in turmoil. He sighed, fastened Chu Beiling's seatbelt, walked around to the other side, opened the door, and got into the car.
Xing Yu only knew the address of Chu Beiling's apartment, which he had learned when he took him home on New Year's Eve. He didn't know the specific unit number of the apartment, so he had no choice but to take Chu Beiling back to his own home first.
Chu Beiling slept until noon the next day. He reached for his phone on the bedside table but couldn't find it. After a moment of drowsiness, he sat up, clutching his head. His head was still throbbing from the hangover.
Memories flooded back; the memories of last night gradually returned. He had run into Xing Yu at a social event last night, and then—
Chu Beiling couldn't remember.
So how did he get back? He remembered pushing Xing Yu away.
The next second, Chu Beiling realized that this was not his apartment.
Chu Beiling glanced around the bedroom; no wonder he hadn't reacted at first.
This bedroom is almost identical to his bedroom in his home in Zhalongkou.
The huge room contained only a 1.5-meter bed and a wardrobe, but no bedside table. A drawing board and painting tools were placed on the floor by the French windows, and a shelf on the opposite wall held many still life objects and paints.
Back in Zhalongkou, whenever he was home, Chu Beiling spent most of his time in his bedroom. His bedroom had the best lighting, and in pursuit of the ultimate lighting effects, he threw almost everything he could clean out of his bedroom.
Chu Beiling had mixed feelings. Xing Yu had replicated his living environment from back then into his own life and work. If he still felt that Xing Yu had no feelings for him at all, then he should go to the Second Hospital and register for a neurology appointment.
Chu Beiling quickly got out of bed and went out. As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, Xing Yu, who was working at the dining table opposite her, looked up and said, "You're awake." He pointed to the kitchen and said, "There's honey lemon water and breakfast in the kitchen."
Chu Beiling didn't go to the kitchen but sat down opposite him, gesturing with his chin: "Explain."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
