-9- Freckles
"We're not collaborating with TD." The group chat stopped there, and no one spoke again. Zhao Jinghuan wasn't exactly bright, but she wasn't dull either. After Sister Zou's emphasis, she understood that T Company was poaching Dorasi. Perhaps... she wasn't the only one with a dual identity at the studio. After two days of rest, Monday arrived. The employees, usually late and leaving early, showed up at the studio at 8 a.m. sharp. Even the elusive Sister Zou made a silent appearance. Lu Kai, who had been working in the back room, pulled out a small stool and sat near everyone. However, the topic everyone clearly wanted to discuss never began. The elephant in the room was weighing on everyone's nerves, yet everyone tacitly pretended it didn't exist. It wasn't until 2 p.m. that Zhao Jinghuan felt the elephant's foot. As soon as she opened her mouth, the words she'd been holding back came out. "Even if Dorasi wants to change jobs, he still needs the company's approval." Sister Zou turned to look at her with a slightly mocking smile. The three men in the room remained silent. Tomato puffed his lips in anger, Lu Kai frowned, and Wanfeng looked embarrassed, picking at the skin on his lips. Something was clearly off about the atmosphere, as if they were hiding something. Zhao Jinghuan frowned, thinking for a moment, then her expression suddenly changed. She opened her computer and flipped through the file Sister Zou had sent her. She scrolled her mouse wheel from top to bottom, then back again. She clearly remembered Sister Zou saying, "All the company's contracts are here. Lu Kai won't be involved. From now on, these will be your job." However, Zhao Jinghuan flipped through the folder of contracts from top to bottom, bottom to top, and found no mention of IP authorization for Dorasi or Little Freckles. Zhao Jinghuan couldn't believe it, but seeing the crowd's reaction, she felt compelled to believe it: "Dorasi, didn't she sign a contract with the company?" No one spoke, but no one jumped to deny it. "Why?" Zhao Jinghuan was a little confused. "Because we're in a utopia here." Sister Zou shrugged, her tone somewhat gloating. "How can we have a contract? Contracts are the shackles of capitalism." Lu Kai rolled his eyes at her. "Stop being so sarcastic. It's not like I don't sign contracts. Dorasi is our own designer. I trust her, so we don't need a contract." Sister Zou nodded. "Yes, yes, she must be one of us. We...
“We have no cooperation with TD Society.”
The group chat history stopped here and no one spoke after that.
Zhao Jinghuan couldn't be said to be particularly smart, but she wasn't dull either. After Sister Zou jumped out to emphasize the point, she understood that T Club was trying to poach Dorasi.
Even... maybe I am not the only one with a dual identity in the studio now.
After two days of rest, Monday came again. The employees who were always late and left early showed up at the studio on time at 8 o'clock in the morning. Even the mysterious Sister Zou showed up quietly.
Lu Kai, who was originally working in the inner room, also moved out a small stool and sat near everyone.
However, the topic that everyone obviously wanted to discuss never got started.
The elephant in the room was straining everyone's nerves, yet everyone tacitly pretended it didn't exist. It wasn't until two o'clock in the afternoon that Zhao Jinghuan was stepped on by the elephant. She opened her mouth, and the words she had been holding back came out.
"Even if Dorasi wants to change jobs, he still needs the company's consent."
Sister Zou turned to look at her with a slightly mocking smile. The three boys in the room remained silent: Tomato puffed his lips in anger, Lu Kai frowned, and Wanfeng looked embarrassed, subconsciously picking at the skin on his lips.
The current atmosphere was obviously a little off, as if these people had something to hide. Zhao Jinghuan frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly his expression changed.
She turned on the computer and looked through the files that Sister Zou had sent her.
The mouse wheel slid from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top. She clearly remembered what Sister Zou said when she handed the document to her: "All the company's contracts are here. Lu Kai doesn't care about anything. From now on, these are all your responsibilities."
However, Zhao Jinghuan flipped through the contracts in the folder from top to bottom and from bottom to top several times, but did not see any IP authorization from Dorasi or Little Freckles.
Zhao Jinghuan couldn't believe it, but seeing everyone's reaction, she seemed to have no choice but to believe it: "Doraxi, didn't she sign a contract with the company?"
No one spoke, but no one jumped out to deny it.
"Why?" Zhao Jinghuan was a little confused.
"Because this is a utopia." Sister Zou shrugged, her tone somewhat gloating. "How can we have contracts? Contracts are the shackles of capitalism."
Lu Kai rolled his eyes at her and said, "Stop being so sarcastic. It's not like I won't sign a contract. Dorasi is our own designer. I trust her, so I don't need a contract."
Sister Zou nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. He must be one of us. We've worked together for four years. Lu Kai, you and Dorasi alone should have spoken... at least seven or eight times, right?"
Sister Zou looked at him with a smile: "Guess how many words the TD Club's business manager has said to Dorasi now?"
Zhao Jinghuan still couldn't accept the fact that Dorasi hadn't even signed a contract:
"Freckles has already done six or seven series. We should have some control over Dorasi, no matter what."
Sister Zou nodded. "Yes, the main constraint is conscience. However, the conditions that T Company can offer Dorasi must be much better than ours, right?"
Before she finished speaking, Tomato couldn't help but stood up and said, "We can't let Dorasi get away like this!"
Lu Kai frowned and said, "They haven't said they're leaving yet."
Tomato's face turned red with anxiety. "Freckles is her original creation, but don't we have any credit? When she went to HEC to exhibit on her own and didn't sell a single baby, squatting on the ground crying, who told her that she was great and that she would definitely be popular? Who gave her money, helped her run factories, and promoted her? Wasn't it all us? A set of blind boxes for 8 months, all her own designs, right? Who didn't help her? We did all the dirty work for her." He pointed at Wanfeng, "Don't mention that Wanfeng was there every day to make samples for her, make white films for her, and mix colors for her. When she couldn't come up with a plan, wasn't it Wanfeng who gave her ideas?"
Wanfeng smiled awkwardly: "I just did some hard work... Most of the suggestions I made were not adopted. I, I am still far from being as good as Dorasi."
Tomato turned his head and looked at Wanfeng: "What do you mean by that? Do you think Dorasi can just leave?"
Wanfeng's voice faded: "I didn't say that. I just said... I didn't play a big role."
Tomato suddenly got angry: "Yeah, you're useless. Your biggest use is just sitting here all day complaining about your own uselessness!"
Lu Kai was a little unhappy: "Tomato, if you have something to say, just say it. What is Xiong Wanfeng doing?"
"Shouldn't he be fierce with the way he's acting? He's so cowardly when things get tough. Business wants to run, and Little Freckles wants to run too. Yeah, just ignore them all and let them go." Tomato said to Lu Kai, "Only when they leave will you look like a good man. You started a company together, gave people money to sell blind boxes, and didn't even sign a fucking contract. When asked, you just say we're all friends, no need for all that nonsense. You're so fucking proud of it, thinking you've built a utopia, right? The company only has this one IP that sells in large quantities, and they just shake their butts, pack it up, and leave, giving it away. She's your friend, are you her friend? What a utopia! Once that girl leaves, we'll be the Beggars' Gang!"
Lu Kai frowned and retorted, "What does this have to do with being gay? Does the fact that there are no female designers mean it's gay? But Apple was founded by two men, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, in a garage, and no one ever said they were gay."
"Beggar! Beggars! Ge ai beggar! What's wrong with your ear? Otitis media? What does that have to do with being gay?" Tomato's face turned red with anger. "Bill Gates is from Microsoft!!!"
"No, no, no." Lu Kai shook his head. "I've read the biography of Steve Jobs. Bill Gates and he were together."
Sister Zou, watching the fun from the sidelines, didn't mind the trouble. She leaned forward and tugged at Lu Kai's clothes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, their story even helped advance the legislation of same-sex marriage!"
Lu Kai shook off Sister Zou's hand: "Don't talk nonsense, I already said they are not gay."
Sister Zou shook her head. "Impossible! Why don't you believe it? Just search AO3. There's tons of written evidence."
"What is AO3?" Lu Kai was shocked. "The two of them? That's impossible?"
Seeing these two people actually chatting back and forth, Tomato was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "No, what? Changing the subject already? Just letting this Dorasi thing go? Just letting it go with the wind?"
Tomato shouted, "Anyway! No matter what, we can't let her get away! She's going to kick us out after using us? Why? That doesn't make sense! Without our help, she's nothing, and now she's crying in HEC!"
Sister Zou suddenly waved her hand, lowered her voice with a nervous look on her face, and told Tomato to stop talking.
When they saw Sister Zou pointing towards the door, they realized that everyone in the room had their backs to the door, and only Sister Zou could see the situation at the door.
Sister Zou bit her lip in embarrassment: "Doraxi..."
Before the other few people turned around, they had already realized what had happened. After all, that's how it's played out in TV dramas: when you say bad things about someone behind their back, the person behind it will definitely hear it.
Everyone turned around in embarrassment, and then found:
There was no one at the door.
Sister Zou burst out laughing: "Look how scared you guys are. I really should have recorded this for you."
Tomato was furious. He slammed his mouse on the table, picked up his phone, and stormed off. Lu Kai wasn't happy either. He carried his small stool and returned to the inner room with a gloomy expression. Only Wanfeng looked up, gazing sadly at the row of "Freckles" on the figurine display case.
He stared blankly for a long time, and finally stood up and left the room.
Zhao Jinghuan felt a little distressed and a little worried at Wanfeng's appearance. She hesitated, wondering if she could catch up, but in the end, she didn't move. When Wanfeng's footsteps faded from the door, Sister Zou suddenly spoke. Unlike when Lu Kai and the others were in the room, there was no longer any gloating in Sister Zou's tone.
"Look, I told you, this is a ship that could sink at any time."
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