-55- Factory
Zhao Jinghuan showed Wanfeng's work to Sister Zou, hoping for some advice. After reviewing it, Sister Zou just shook her head helplessly. "Those of us in the trendy toy industry are most afraid of products that have no flaws but also no highlights." Wanfeng's design was well-crafted, but lacked a single, defining, memorable element. For a work of art, all aspects can be awful, but as long as the key is compelling, you have a chance to gain a foothold in the market. Conversely, if your work lacks a compelling element, even if all aspects are perfectly executed, it's meaningless. In the trendy toy market, mediocrity is the ultimate evil. Sister Zou said she didn't have the Midas touch. "If a work is poor in every way but has a memorable element, I can still work on it. If it's the other way around, I'm completely helpless." Zhao Jinghuan refused to give up. She asked Sister Zou if Dorasi would be willing to help with Wanfeng's problem. Sister Zou said: "It's the same problem. What Wanfeng's works lack is not completion, but a main axis. Let's assume that Dorasi can do it and create a brand new selling point for Wanfeng's IP. Let it be reborn, but after the transformation, is it considered Wanfeng's work or Dorasi's... "...If you ask me, this thing of turning stone into gold can only be done by Wanfeng himself. " Zhao Jinghuan was at a loss, and Lu Kai's situation was not much better. He was upset by Wanfeng's affairs, and he had a stern face for several days in the company, and he didn't even have the mood to speak. When he got home that night, he rummaged through the boxes and took out all the dusty cutting boards and leftover clay materials. He still didn't want to believe that Wanfeng's design was mediocre and worthless. He thought about making a sample and seeing it intuitively, maybe he would have a different feeling. Usually, the work of making samples was all handed over to Wanfeng and the 3D printer. Lu Kai hadn't made any models by himself for a long time. He sat in front of the workbench, spread out the cutting board, and unpacked the clay, but found that his hands were so clumsy that he couldn't even make a ball. After slowly deciding on the basic shape of the head, Lu Kai realized that he had forgotten to seal the remaining materials, and they began to dry and harden. He said to himself, "How long have I been kneading this broken head? "He stood up and took a small bowl to get some water. Just as he sat down, the phone beside him suddenly rang. It was his mother calling. Lu Kai frowned and pressed the answer button. It was just as he thought. His mother called, it was...
Zhao Jinghuan showed Wanfeng's work to Sister Zou, hoping she could give some suggestions. After reading it, Sister Zou just shook her head helplessly.
"Those of us who make trendy toys are most afraid of products that have no shortcomings but also no highlights."
Evening Breeze Design's image is well-executed, but lacks a single, defining, memorable element. For a work of art, even if all its components are poorly executed, as long as its key elements are compelling, it has a chance to gain a foothold in the market. Conversely, if your work lacks a compelling element, even if all its elements are highly polished, it's meaningless.
In the trendy toy market, mediocrity is the greatest evil.
Sister Zou said she didn't have the ability to turn stones into gold.
"If a work is poor in every aspect but has some memorable moments, I can still work on it. If it's the other way around, I'm completely helpless."
Zhao Jinghuan still didn't want to give up. She asked Sister Zou if Dorasi would be willing to help if it was Wanfeng's problem.
Zou said, "It's the same question again. What Wanfeng's work lacks isn't completion, but a central theme. Let's assume Dorasi can do that, creating a brand new selling point for Wanfeng's IP. It can be completely transformed. But after that transformation, will it still be considered Wanfeng's work, or Dorasi's...?"
"...If you ask me, only Wanfeng can turn stone into gold."
Zhao Jinghuan was at a loss, and Lu Kai was not much better. He was upset by Wanfeng's incident and had a stern face for several days in the company. He didn't even have the mood to speak.
That night, when he got home, he rummaged through his boxes and cupboards, pulling out all the dusty cutting boards and leftover clay materials. He still refused to believe that Evening Breeze's designs were mediocre and worthless. He thought about making a sample and seeing it firsthand, perhaps he would have a different feeling.
The usual sample-making work was all handed over to the evening breeze and the 3D printer. Lu Kai hadn't made any models himself for a long time. He sat in front of the workbench, spread out the cutting board, and unpacked the clay, but found that his hands were so clumsy that he couldn't even knead a ball.
After slowly finalizing the basic shape of the head, Lu Kai realized that the remaining material, which he had forgotten to seal, had begun to dry and harden. He muttered to himself, "How long have I been working on this lousy head?" He stood up and fetched a small bowl of water. Just as he sat down, his phone rang.
It was my mom calling.
Lu Kai frowned and pressed the answer button. Just as he thought, his mother called to ask about the progress between him and Zhao Jinghuan.
"Have you met Xiao Zhao again recently?"
Lu Kai patted the dried resin material with his hands and replied unhappily, "Of course I have. We work together."
"Who asked you about your work? I asked if you met in private?"
"Yes, I see."
"Is it true or not? Don't scare me. What did you two do when you met?"
Lu Kai kneaded the resin vigorously, and spoke with an unknowing fierceness: "I am a bank robber. I am 27 years old. Why do you care about what I do when I meet with others?"
"Why should I care about you? Isn't it enough for me to care about you? It's not easy to meet a good girl like Xiao Zhao, you have to take the initiative. If you don't take the initiative, are you still waiting for girls to take the initiative?"
Lu Kai's knuckles were numb from kneading the clay, and he slammed it onto the cutting board. It was a normal movement, but now it felt like a way to vent his anger. His mother, overhearing the slamming and banging, wasn't happy either. She asked him over the phone, "What are you doing? Are you upset with me?"
"How dare I."
My mother was so angry at the "How dare you" that she called him by his full name: "Lu Kai!"
His mother's voice was raised, and Lu Kai's suppressed anger also flared up. He slammed the resin clay on the table and said, "Just love, love, you keep thinking about this trivial thing all day long. I said I don't want to talk about it, but I have to be in a good mood to have a good relationship. There are only two and a half people in the studio. Tomato is a big deal, and Wanfeng is also a worry..."
The mother was obviously surprised that Lu Kai would yell back. She was stunned. Lu Kai also knew that he shouldn't get angry with his mother. He paused for a moment and apologized to his mother in a gentle tone: "I was really upset these past two days because of Wan Feng's incident."
The mother across the street sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. All good things must come to an end. And it's not like we won't see each other again. Don't be upset."
Lu Kai was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean by not seeing each other again?"
"Huh?" Mom was surprised by Lu Kai's reaction. "Didn't you just say that you were upset because of Wan Feng?"
"Because of what happened in the evening breeze?"
My mother then realized that they might not be talking about the same thing: "Hmm... what are you talking about?"
Lu Kai frowned: "Mom, why do you say that all good things must come to an end?"
…………
After the Lantern Festival, good news came one after another. During the Chinese New Year, the sales of Little Freckles continued to rise. When Zhao Jinghuan collected the data after the holiday, the sales of Little Freckles had indeed surpassed Mr. Beard.
Wanda Plaza, which had previously collaborated with Mr. Hu Zi, also sent an invitation at this time, hoping to hold a joint event with Little Freckles at the end of March.
However, all this good news was somewhat overshadowed by the studio's recent turmoil. Zhao Jinghuan hadn't returned to Waikiki in the past few days, having only spoken to Lu Kai a few times. The usually cheerful Lu Kai seemed like a different person, speaking in a calm tone, clearly still in a state of depression. He didn't react much to the good news Zhao Jinghuan relayed, at most offering a few words of thanks for Zhao Jinghuan's hard work.
This Friday, Hu Mingyuan finally came to the company. Before dealing with the backlog of work, he called Zhao Jinghuan into the office and asked her about the sales of Little Freckles during the Spring Festival holiday.
Zhao Jinghuan sent the sorted data to Hu Mingyuan. Hu Mingyuan looked through the sales of each company. Although it was something he had expected, he still couldn't help but sigh that it was not easy for an independent studio's IP to sell to this level.
He looked up at Zhao Jinghuan for a moment, then handed over a termination letter. "I accept the loss. After signing this, you can begin the resignation process."
There was no hysterical bickering, no sarcastic insults. Hu Mingyuan, in a rare display of the decency of a defeated man, showed a touch of grace. He couldn't help but finally say, "Of course, this is only a temporary victory. We'll definitely have many opportunities to meet in the future."
Zhao Jinghuan smiled politely, trying not to provoke any further complications at this moment. The termination letter was a thin sheet of paper, a dozen or so lines of simple text, stating that after amicable discussions with the company, she and the company had terminated their employment contract and waived her severance pay. Zhao Jinghuan examined it carefully, finding no hidden traps.
After signing her name, Zhao Jinghuan felt a little relieved, as if a burden had been lifted, but she was not as excited as she had expected.
I don’t know if it’s still because of the influence of the evening breeze incident.
She left Hu Mingyuan's office with the completed termination letter and went to see the HR colleague. She didn't have to worry about the rest of the process. Zhao Jinghuan had almost nothing of her own at her workstation, so she didn't have to find a large cardboard box and carry it away like in TV dramas.
After turning off the computer, she put down her access card, slung her shoulder bag, and said goodbye to this place she had no attachment to.
When Zhao Jinghuan got downstairs, she thought about calling Lu Kai and telling him the good news that she had escaped. However, before she could dial her phone, the factory boss Chen called.
Zhao Jinghuan slid the screen to answer the call. Boss Chen on the other end of the phone said something incoherent:
"By the way, Xiao Zhao, I asked someone in the same city to deliver the contract to you guys, didn't I?"
Zhao Jinghuan was confused:
"Contract? What contract? Wasn't the contract that Freckles added signed before the New Year?"
"It's not Freckles. It's..." Boss Chen said, "What's it called? Oh my god, I even forgot. It's that new doll you guys made. Lu Kai came to me with the design a few days ago. Don't you know it? It's a little boy with a round head and a round face, a bit like Dimoo."
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