Chapter 241: A Glimmer of Hope Amidst the Darkness? You mean this setting…
After a heavy thunderstorm last night, the sweltering heat of the port city seemed to have suddenly cooled down a few degrees with the dampness brought by the rain. Fortunately, the station platform had a roof, and the ground remained partially dry, preventing the water from ruining the two design drawings that were about to be submitted.
But Huang Jiaze would rather both design drawings be soaked and damaged by the water, so that his design would not be outdone by such a new and inexperienced one.
Before he started this line of work as a child, his eccentric great-uncle, Old Huang, had told him that talent was required for this profession, and hard work might bring some rewards, but talent plus hard work would inevitably lead to perfection...
After his uncle, Professor Huang, confirmed his talent, he worked so hard to follow in his uncle's footsteps in this field—but why didn't his great-uncle tell him that the difference in talent between people could also be a huge blow?
Perhaps it was because he inadvertently revealed some ideas he had inherited from his father, which displeased his eccentric great-uncle?
Huang Jiaze arrived at the holiday campus with mixed feelings. The bleak and cold atmosphere unique to the winter season made him feel a winter chill that was rare in the port city.
Halfway there, Huang Jiaze couldn't resist sitting down on a bench under a tree and taking out the two design drawings that were similar in color but very different to examine them closely.
They are so similar, even somewhat alike, so why is there such a big difference between his design and the design of this junior sister who has only been here for less than a year?
Could this be the legendary talent gap? No, impossible, absolutely impossible!
His great-uncle was a famous fashion designer in Hong Kong, and his uncle was a professor of design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Given his inherited talent and family background, it was impossible for him to be inferior to a little girl from a lowly squatter family!
Actually, it was her uncle, Professor Huang, who gave her the initial draft but didn't have time to refine it, so Zhou Huichang, this young girl, got a great opportunity and "drew" such a good design, right?
Yes, that must be it!
Comforting himself with this thought, Huang Jiaze opened the folder and found several drafts of the naval cap design. From the initial draft to the first draft and then to the final product, it was clear that the design was still immature and lacked the flair of a newcomer. Judging from the brushstrokes, it was clearly not something that his uncle, Professor Huang, with decades of experience, would produce.
So, this really is how Zhou Huichang, after her uncle Professor Huang outlined the general direction and main theme for her, gradually...
The finished product, created by her amazing talent...
Just then, his cell phone suddenly rang, startling Huang Jiaze, who was lost in his own world. He quickly answered the phone: "Hello?"
It turned out that his uncle, Professor Huang, had asked him when he would send over the design drawings, saying that the owner of the Southern Football Club would be coming to inspect the new jersey design soon.
"I...I'm stuck in traffic here. Please let me and my uncle know, and I'll get there as soon as possible." Huang Jiaze managed to suppress his panic and manage to get away with it.
This title also explains why Professor Huang dared to secretly hand over this good opportunity for a newcomer to rise to the top—because Huang Jiaze is not only Professor Huang's cousin, but also the nephew of Mr. Shi, the owner of the Southern Football Club.
After hanging up the phone, Huang Jiaze felt a growing sense of fear and unease at being outdone. He hurriedly pulled a pen from his bag, hoping to find inspiration from Zhou Huichang's design and then make some last-minute modifications to his own...
While looking at and revising, Huang Jiaze looked at the drawing in his hand after about ten minutes and realized it was clearly a copy of Zhou Huichang's design.
After reviewing many new design drafts, he let out a wry smile: Although this new draft seemed to have more innovation than his previous drafts, anyone with eyes could see how "similar" his new draft was to Zhou Huichang's design drafts as soon as they were displayed.
A single glance at the comparison reveals that the author of this design sketch clearly copied Zhou Huichang's blue and white navy cap design, resulting in a shoddy imitation that only highlights the difference in quality.
The mere thought of the word "second-hand goods" made Huang Jiaze's anxious eyes grow even darker.
Evil thoughts can often arise in just a moment.
Silently placing the two design drawings back into the folder, Huang Jiaze stood up from the bench, carrying the two folders with their contents swapped, and strode towards Professor Huang's office.
"Why are you only arriving now...?" Professor Huang, who was getting a little impatient, saw Huang Jiaze push the door open and instinctively said this to him.
But just as he was about to continue speaking, he looked down and saw that he was actually holding two folders. Professor Huang immediately asked with some doubt, "Why did you bring two folders with you?"
Could it be that his cousin had a burst of inspiration and drew an extra jersey design, but failed to make a proper selection?
So they brought over both design drafts, asking me to help them choose the best one?
"The other one is for Zhou Huichang. I ran into her on my way here. She was rushing to watch Qizhi's training and visit her younger brother, so I just picked it up for her on the way." Huang Jiaze answered Professor Huang's question without changing his expression.
"Oh, is that so? But Qizhi was only discussed this afternoon. Why don't you put her design drawings on that table over there?" Professor Huang nodded and pointed to another table, instructing Huang Jiaze to put Zhou Huichang's black folder there.
Huang Jiaze responded immediately, placing his blue folder on the table next to Professor Huang, and then walked to the table in another corner that Professor Huang pointed to.
On this table in the corner is the design sketch of Qizhi's home jersey, which Professor Huang had just finished not long ago.
Because Qizhi's sponsor was brought in through connections, Professor Huang was somewhat dissatisfied with the team that had just been promoted back to the top division and insisted on having the jersey designer of the top division champion team design their jersey.
Despite his dissatisfaction, he still put his heart into the work that was imposed upon him, which involved money and personal relationships. He wouldn't be perfunctory just because he didn't like a particular client. He would never treat clients differently because of his personal feelings, whether in terms of his work attitude or the quality of his work.
Therefore, although Professor Huang had no choice but to modify the design of Qizhi's home jersey because it was done in a hurry and the elements and colors were similar, he clearly made a lot of changes and added some iconic details according to the characteristics of Qizhi Football Team. At least it was not like Huang Jiaze's "modification" based on Zhou Huichang's design, which made the problem obvious at a glance.
Of course, it's hard for people to escape the common desires. Professor Huang couldn't resist the urge to keep the benefits within the family and had his nephew design an away jersey. But it was a decision Professor Huang made after much consideration: Huang Jiaze had been learning from him for so many years. With a football team jersey that already had a framework and traditional concepts, it was not easy to make a standout design, but it was also very difficult to make a mistake.
If Huang Jiaze performs at his usual level, he should be able to handle this task. In fact, Huang Jiaze's original design was quite good. Unfortunately, he just happened to run into Zhou Huichang, his "natural enemy".
While the two were lost in their own thoughts, Professor Huang picked up the blue folder that Huang Jiaze had handed over.
Listening intently to the faint sound of a folder clasp being opened behind him, and hearing a slightly heavier breath than usual, Huang Jiaze felt a pang of panic followed by a sense of certainty, and moved...
Without hesitation, he put down the black folder in his hand and slowly turned around to look.
"This... this really was drawn by you?!" Seeing Huang Jiaze turn his head with a normal expression, Professor Huang quickly asked.
Turning around, Huang Jiaze saw Professor Huang's delighted expression and knew immediately that he had made the right bet.
"Yes, when I was looking for inspiration, Zhou Huichang and I looked at a lot of materials. Since we both have a blue and white theme, I looked for inspiration from the ocean, blue sky, and sailboats. In the end, I found inspiration from the 'navy' theme. While referencing the color scheme, I also enlarged the collar of this jersey to imitate the feel of a navy cap... Huang Jiaze had already prepared his speech before he arrived, so he spoke fluently and confidently when Professor Huang asked him questions."
Incidentally, these words also served to criticize Zhou Huichang's clearly plagiarized "blue and white design drawing".
They secretly planted a hidden mine.
Who told Zhou Huichang, that naive little girl, to hand over the entire folder to him so easily?
If she wanted to refute it later, she wouldn't even be able to produce the draft, making it impossible to prove that she actually drew the naval cap design...
Huang Jiaze's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the black folder placed on the other side of the table. Thinking about the design drawing inside, a barely perceptible smile slowly curved the corners of his mouth.
"Great, that's wonderful! Your design will definitely cause a sales boom once it's printed in the brochure!" Professor Huang's smile grew even wider after hearing Huang Jiaze's explanation of his inspiration.
At the beginning of each year, the design sketches of the new jerseys of all the top-tier teams in the port city are collected together and then printed into a color catalog by a merchant and sent to the email addresses of each household that has subscribed to the catalog, so that they can order the same fan version jersey according to their needs.
Although the number of jerseys ordered is often based on fans' preferences for the team, if a stunning and eye-catching design comes out, fans will not hesitate to spend money on an extra jersey, as long as it is not a rival team.
This blue and white jersey design, which breaks away from the traditional framework and features a navy cap, caught the eye of even a designer who has been drawing jerseys for many years. So, it goes without saying that it will be a huge hit with lay fans. This jersey is sure to be a bestseller!
Correspondingly, his cousin was able to take this opportunity to make a name for himself in the design world of Hong Kong...
Professor Huang was secretly pleased with himself, but when his gaze fell upon the home jersey he had designed for the Southern Football Team, his heart...
Then it moved again.
When Professor Huang said that his naval cap design was so good that he was going to switch the home and away jerseys, Huang Jiaze was both pleasantly surprised and indignant.
Why is it that Zhou Huichang could create such a good design and even persuade her uncle to "step down" and let her design be used for the more significant championship team's home jersey?!
But then he thought about it again, and now that the honor had fallen on him, it seemed to turn his resentment into joy.
What's the use of having talent if you don't have it?
Without brains, you'll eventually be used as a stepping stone, exploited and drained until you're completely useless before being ruthlessly discarded.
He's nothing but a pathetic and pitiful wretch.
Huang Jiaze thought to himself
①
Then, he went with Professor Huang to meet his uncle, Mr. Shi, the sponsor of the Southern Football Club, and received his uncle's pleasant surprise and strong support, who decided to make "his design" the new jersey for the Southern Football Team for the coming year.
After seeing off Boss Shi and Huang Jiaze, Professor Huang couldn't help but take out this design drawing to admire it. While he was marveling at how his nephew, whom he had been nurturing for so long, had finally become successful, he suddenly had another idea.
After a long and winding journey, Professor Huang arrived at the nursing home and gently knocked on Old Man Huang's door with great excitement. His father was good in every way, but he was too stubborn and inflexible. He kept shouting that he was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, regardless of how much the world had changed.
Although my cousin's family always thinks about immigrating abroad, how can it be considered "forgetting one's roots" when people strive for better opportunities?
He was so angry that he didn't even want to talk to his talented grandnephew Jiaze anymore. He took this opportunity to bring Jiaze's new masterpiece to show the old man, hoping to repair the old man's impression of him, who valued talent so much.
After receiving permission from Mr. Huang to enter the room, Professor Huang, while thinking, began to talk at length about the naval cap design, his words filled with praise for Huang Jiaze.
Professor Huang also specifically mentioned that his new work failed to break free from the traditional framework, so he decided to make Huang Jiaze's navy cap design the home jersey. The owner of the Southern Football Club also approved the change. When the catalog is released, Huang Jiaze will definitely become famous overnight...
Having seen the design draft from Zhou Huichang a few days ago, Old Huang glanced at it casually and asked with a half-smile, "Oh? You're saying this design was drawn by that disobedient brat Jiaze?"
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