"Hmm? What is it, Xia? Tell me," Li Weiya said.
Jiang Xia put down the duck head in his hand and walked alone to the outside railing, feeling the cool river breeze gently blowing.
He took a deep breath: "There are exactly two months left before the start of the semester, but I want to use these two months to quickly produce the second season of Tom and Jerry. However, right now there are only two illustrators in the company, me and Amin. I've calculated carefully that only by maintaining high efficiency 24 hours a day can we complete this task, so..."
"So you want me to help you find a few reliable illustrators?" Li Weiya continued.
"No, I want to directly ask Aunt Li to be the original animator for this period of time," Jiang Xia said seriously.
With the help of a seasoned expert like Li Weiya, producing 12 episodes of animation in two months should be feasible in terms of time.
"I?"
Li Weiya frowned. She had joked with Jiang Xia before that her fees were quite high, but now that the Tom and Jerry cartoon had the potential to become a huge hit, it wasn't that they couldn't afford her salary. It wasn't that she cared about whether it was shameful for a teacher to work for a student. The key issue was that she was quite busy lately and couldn't find the time.
"Is it not possible?" Jiang Xia said nervously, "Aunt Li, salary is not a problem, I can afford it."
"Ah Xia, it's not about the salary."
Li Weiya sighed: "To be honest, it would be an honor to be able to participate in the production of Tom and Jerry, but the team I lead just happened to take on a game CG animation project, which caused a time conflict."
"Okay, I'll think of another way."
Jiang Xia was not surprised by the result; in his memory, Li Weiya was always very busy.
After all, in this day and age, it is already difficult for a woman to support a family on her own. If she wants to live better than other families, she has to put in even more effort.
“If you’re in a real hurry, I can help you find two good animators. As for the salary, we’ll pay them according to Amin’s standards. There’s no need to sign a labor contract; it’ll be like outsourcing, like temporary workers. As for me, I can act as the animation supervisor to help you oversee the quality of the original drawings. What do you think?” Li Weiya said after thinking for a moment.
"That works too."
Jiang Xia immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Then thank you, Aunt Li."
"Xia, don't be so polite with me." Li Weiya smiled and said, "I'll contact you again tomorrow. You two should celebrate tonight."
"Okay, goodbye Aunt Li."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xia watched the cruise ships slowly sailing past on the river. With Li Weiya's help, his biggest worry could finally be resolved. Completing the production of 12 episodes of the video before the start of the semester should not be a problem.
His job was simply to draw storyboards; the original artwork was handled by others.
Back at his seat, he saw that the fragrant grilled fish had already been served. The three men hadn't waited for him and had already drunk two glasses of beer.
Especially after having a little wine, his wife's face looked rosy and charming.
"Why did you talk to my mom for so long?" Wang Ming picked up a lamb skewer and handed it to her, asking with some curiosity.
Jiang Xia bit down on the last piece of meat on the bamboo skewer, shoveled it all the way to the bottom, and said, "I originally wanted to ask Aunt Li to help me draw it, but she was very busy."
“Yes, my mom seems to be in charge of the CG animation for a game recently, Monster World, you know? There are quite a lot of people playing it. The only downside is that you need to buy game cards and recharge to play.” Wang Ming also took a bite of lamb skewers.
Jiang Xia was taken aback, then realized that the monster world should refer to World of Warcraft. Although it was criticized by domestic players in later generations, it was the undisputed king of PC games in this era. Its warrior-mage-priest system became a classic that countless games tried to imitate.
From this perspective, it's quite remarkable that Li Weiya's company was able to secure an outsourcing project for World of Warcraft.
His Tom and Jerry series is just starting out, so what right does he have to try and compete with the hottest games right now?
"Yes, so she refused, but promised to find me two competent temporary workers. With two more illustrators, the pressure on you and me won't be so great." Jiang Xia picked up Wei Yi and filled his glass, smiling.
"At least you have a conscience."
Wang Ming took a big gulp of beer, let out a long breath, and said, "If the two of us really had to work on 12 episodes of animation in two months, we probably would have to work non-stop to barely manage it."
"really."
Jiang Xia nodded in agreement, then raised his glass and said, "Come on, let's all have a drink on this celebratory day!"
"cheers!"
All four were delighted and downed their drinks in one gulp. Even Jiang Xia, who usually minded his wife drinking, didn't stop her this time.
After three cups of wine, Lin Yanwan's face had turned rosy. The hazy moonlight and the dim yellow lights of the food stall made her profile look exceptionally alluring.
Jiang Xia was somewhat dazed by what he saw, and suddenly leaned in and kissed her, which caused the other two to keep teasing him.
What are you doing?
Lin Yanwan blushed and wiped her face, her voice tinged with a hint of intoxication. She wasn't a big drinker; being happy today was one thing, but her main reason was to help Jiang Xia fend off drinks. Otherwise, she wouldn't have drunk at all.
"Baby, you're so beautiful, I can't help but want to kiss you," he chuckled.
Lin Yanwan glared at him with a captivating charm, her slightly tipsy state making her appear charmingly shy.
"Ugh, they're showing off their love again! Can't they stop today?"
"How about we kill me to liven things up for you two?"
Jiang Xia took a bite of grilled fish and said smugly, "That won't do. Showing affection needs an audience. How can it work if no one is watching?"
"You're such a dog!" Wang Ming said speechlessly.
"Yanwan, could you grant me one of my little requests?" Shen Ying suddenly chuckled.
"Um?"
"Well... could you and the boss have a toast together?" She blinked. "I just want to see it beforehand."
"Yes, yes, yes, let's drink from the same cup! Don't think I don't know, you two have already kissed and hugged, drinking from the same cup should be easy, right? Just consider it practice for your future wedding." Wang Ming also started to cheer.
"This...this..."
Lin Yanwan, her face flushed, was still hesitating, but Jiang Xia readily agreed: "A toast together, right? No problem, you two can have your fill of PDA tonight!"
"Why are you joining in their commotion?" Lin Yanwan poked his cheek with her slender white finger. The nuptial wine is only drunk at the wedding.
"Hehehe, I'll be drinking sooner or later anyway." Jiang Xia blinked, and for some reason, he just wanted to tease his drunk wife.
There's no guarantee that this opportunity won't come again.
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