Until he stood in front of Huaying headquarters, Xu An had a trance feeling as if he was in a dream.
It's not that Mu Suxing agreed to his investment right away - any regular company has a specific process for investment decision-making. For this reason, when he plucked up the courage to dial the number that he almost forgot about with a try-it-out mentality, Mu Suxing's response was neither an outright refusal nor a full agreement. Instead, he invited him to bring relevant information about the animated film to the Huaying headquarters for detailed discussion.
It must be said that this response actually made him feel relieved.
The fact that they didn't refuse outright showed that Huaying was not like other companies that were suspicious and prejudiced against 2D animated films; and the fact that they didn't agree outright... was perfectly normal. If Muxuxing had agreed to the investment without a second thought, Xu An would have doubted how the young actual owner of Huaying had gotten to where he was today.
Not only that…
He raised his head and looked at the "new" painting in front of him.
Whether intentionally or not, as an animation producer, it was difficult for Xu An not to know that Huaying had spent a lot of money to build a new headquarters. Even the rough drawings could be seen on the Internet. However, when he actually stood in front of this new and unfamiliar Huaying, he was still shocked.
The well-arranged ginkgo trees, the tree-lined avenues with falling leaves, the sparkling outdoor swimming pool in the sun, the independent and standardized football field... Unlike most animation companies that are huddled in a certain floor or even a corner of an office building, the Huaying headquarters in front of us looks more like a university campus than a company headquarters.
Considering the exclusive internal restaurant of Huaying that he had just passed by, and the word "Xingping" on the restaurant sign, and reminiscing about the Xingping Restaurant where it was difficult to get a meal in Xingning City not long ago and even now, I'm afraid the daily dining level of Huaying's employees alone is enough to be envied.
Thinking of this, Xu An couldn't help but feel complicated.
He did not regret his decision to leave Huaying - even though this decision made him impoverished. In the end, after many twists and turns, he returned to this seemingly familiar but actually completely different place to seek investment and hope.
If I must say something, it would be that I have some regrets.
The file bag he was holding tightly in his hand at the moment contained his lifelong dream of becoming an animation producer. But if he had not left Huaying, but had been an ordinary employee, accompanying such a company through thick and thin, from humble beginnings to where he is today, wouldn't that be another kind of pride
"Wow, look at this!"
Suddenly, a low cry of surprise was heard not far away. Xu An was slightly stunned and subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.
His eyes first caught sight of dozens of young people, and then quickly shifted to behind them - to the corridor filled with various character models and figurines, as well as some original paintings of Huaying's past animation works. From the earliest "IS" to the most recent "Harry Potter" series, Huaying's veins seemed to be clearly displayed in this small corridor.
Although the figures' peripheral products cannot be seen from a distance, since they are neatly arranged here according to the pictures, I think they are definitely not ordinary products that can be bought outside.
As if being misunderstood by Xu An's gaze, the Huaying employee who was accompanying and leading the way explained with a smile: "These are our Huaying fans. Huaying headquarters is not open to the public. It is the first time for fans to come here, so they are inevitably a little excited..." As she said, she led Xu An to another direction: "Mr. Xu, this way."
Xu An responded, but couldn't help but glance towards the corridor.
As an animation producer, he has also studied Huaying's works in private. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a fan of Huaying. If the timing was not wrong and he had important things to do, he really wanted to see the past traces of this huge animation kingdom like these ordinary fans.
The Huaying employee who led the way didn't know what he was thinking, and just smiled as he introduced the various buildings of Huaying to him. Obviously, given the current working environment of Huaying, especially in the context of the sluggish state of most animation companies, it would be a lie to say that they were not proud of being Huaying employees.
"This is Jingzhi Interactive Entertainment, the game department of Huaying..."
"This is the editorial department of Huaying Comics. The staff dormitory is over there. In addition to the editors, some contracted cartoonists also choose to live in the staff dormitory..." At this point, the receptionist blinked and joked, "Originally, the teachers of the comics club didn't want to live inside the company. After all, who wants to be chased by the editors to urge them to submit manuscripts? But the food in our company cafeteria is too good, so we have to accept the editors who live next door urging us to submit manuscripts every day."
Xu An also smiled.
He himself had run a company before, so he certainly understood how much of a benefit a comfortable working environment could bring to employees. Although the other party spoke in a joking tone, considering the current environment level of Huaying, it was not an exaggeration.
The two of them, one introducing themselves and the other listening, soon left the boulevard. The view in front of him suddenly widened, but Xu An's heart was filled with some doubts.
Normally, most conversations should take place indoors, but looking at the direction the other party was heading, it seemed as if he was taking him to the playground.
He was confused in his heart. As the two walked slowly forward, they could hear the rhythmic sound of knocking and people's laughter coming from not far away. As if seeing his doubts, the Huaying employee who was in charge of leading the way said with a smile: "Boss Mu often said that it's not a good thing for everyone to stay in the office all day and work. You should try to take some time out for exercise. Even our Director Mu has been forced by him to come here for exercise."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu An also saw the source of the sound - it was a standard designed tennis court. The impact sound he just heard was the sound of a tennis ball hitting the ground.
"Please wait a moment. I will go and inform Director Mu."
…
The sunlight passed through the dense branches and leaves, leaving a coin-sized silhouette on the ground. A gust of wind blew, and the shadows of the trees on the ground swayed as well.
Mu Suxing sat on a bench beside the tennis court, concentrating on writing and drawing in the notebook in his hand.
There has been no major activity in Huaying recently, and the employees have had a rare period of leisure, so they are clamoring for a long-awaited team building. Mu Suxing has no objection to this. He has been busy with activities such as Huaying for half a year, so it is good to have a chance to do something.
But this "activity" obviously does not include him.
Fang Lian was speechless about his workaholic habits: "Why did I drag you to the tennis court with all my effort? How is this different from you staying in the office and working hard?"
Muxuxing thought about it and said realistically: "Yes, at least the air here is fresher."
Fang Lian glared at him.
Muxuxing raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, I'll exercise. I promise to exercise and keep fit when I get back. I won't be perfunctory. Is that okay?"
Fang Lian was not satisfied with this, but he also knew that with Mu Xuxing's workaholic personality, he would not be able to relax until Huaying's next goal was determined.
Thinking of this, he no longer said anything like persuading Mu Suxing to exercise more. Instead, he resigned himself to his fate and moved closer to Mu Suxing, and started to think with him: "As for TV animation, how about making a sports show? There are not many such topics at present, and both adults and children can understand them. It just so happens that this kind of thing is also popular in comics recently."
Muxuxing pondered: "Sports show..."
He opened his mouth and was about to speak, but the next second someone waved a tennis racket in front of him. Mu Suxing looked up and saw Wen Feihang saying with a beaming face, "Why are you still sitting here? Come here quickly, you're the only one missing!"
Mu Suxing: "What do you mean I'm the only one missing?" Then he looked at the people behind Wen Feihang.
When he asked this, Wen Feihang became even more proud: "What else could it be? Of course it's playing tennis. I've said it before, I won't change my name, I'm the Little Prince of Tennis, but they still don't believe it, and insist that only those who beat everyone in the arena can have this title. Humph, today I'm going to make them convinced."
He finished explaining in one breath, and then began to urge Mu Suxing: "No more words, come quickly, you are the only one missing."
As Wen Feihang was speaking, the crowd over there also started to make a noise.
"Lao Wen, you are being a bit shameless. Everyone knows that our Director Mu works harder for the company than we do. Is it appropriate for you to bully us otakus like this?"
"I don't like to hear that," Wen Feihang retorted, "Who said our Director Mu is the same as you? You can't last more than a few rounds in my hands, that's because you are new. Let me tell you, our Director Mu is a genuine master, the kind that hides his true strengths!"
While he was loudly refuting everyone, he turned around and saw that Mu Suxing didn't move at all. Wen Feihang thought he was worried about losing too badly and being embarrassed, so he lowered his voice to comfort him: "It's okay, I know you don't like sports, I won't cheat you, I promise to let you have a few hands later, you can play ball by the way, just as a workout, how about it?"
Mu Xuxing raised his eyebrows and a slightly strange expression appeared on his face.
He looked at Wen Feihang, then looked around, his expression rather subtle: "Looking for me? Are you sure?"
The author has something to say: I have a lot to say, but when I think about it, I feel that there is actually nothing much to say. After all, there is no such thing as empathy in the world, and compared to some people in Wuhan, I am actually lucky enough.
I just hope that spring will come soon and everyone can spend 2020 safely.
*I don't know what will happen tomorrow, so I can only promise that I will come back to complete the story if I am still alive, but I cannot promise a specific update frequency. ：，，，