Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack...
As Zhao Yingjun finished speaking, she turned and left.
The click-clack of her high heels striking the ground gave off an air of suffocating pressure, as if treading on one's ribcage.
Only when Zhao Yingjun entered the elevator and the doors closed did everyone in the conference room finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew... The look in Director Zhao's eyes just now scared me. Wang, you're the only one in the whole company who dares to speak to Director Zhao like that. You're incredible!"
"Yeah, Wang, you really hit the nail on the head. I can't understand... why the well-prepared plan was abandoned just like that? Professor Xu Yun hasn't reached an agreement with any company yet, so we still have a chance!"
"At this point, with little time left until the release of the Rheim brand, how could we develop a new product? All our previous plans were based on Professor Xu Yun's moisturizing cream plan."
"Sigh, if we can't get authorization from Professor Xu Yun and produce that groundbreaking new moisturizer, I'm afraid this new Rheim brand might really be doomed to failure. It's such a pity for the adorable Rheim Cat..."
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy and despondent.
It was evident that everyone was disappointed, puzzled, and helpless.
Morale was low.
With sighs, they left.
...
After all the attendees had left.
Lin Xian neatly collected the Rheim Cat dolls from the table and returned them to his own office.
Then he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 22nd floor.
The elevator ascended slowly.
Lin Xian wasn't sure what Zhao Yingjun wanted to talk to him about...
It was probably work-related.
On the 22nd floor.
Standing in front of the familiar double-layered password-locked door.
"Come in," came Zhao Yingjun's tired voice from the video doorbell.
With a click, the heavy door swung open.
Lin Xian entered the office and closed the door behind him.
In the spacious office, it was almost identical to the previous times he had been here... Lin Xian even had a feeling of infinite loop in the dream.
Passing by the sofa and coffee table, Lin Xian noticed a layer of fine dust on the glass surface.
It was clear... Zhao Yingjun was indeed a workaholic. Apart from the desk, everything else in the room seemed like mere decorations to her.
Zhao Yingjun was busy signing documents.
Lin Xian approached the desk.
"Director Zhao, what did you call me here for?"
After finishing signing the documents on hand, Zhao Yingjun looked up at Lin Xian, motioning for him to sit down.
"Lin Xian, I've reviewed the 3D design of the Rheim Cat you did before, and it looks fine."
"But in terms of character design, voice setting, catchphrases, and lines... I'm not quite satisfied. I feel it's a bit too childish, like something out of a children's comic book."
Hearing this, Lin Xian inwardly chuckled.
It was originally copied from a children's picture book... How could it not be childish?
The Rheim Cat was designed and developed as a children's toy in the dream world, and all the books about the Rheim Cat in that bookstore were either children's literature or picture books.
As for the Rheim brand and MX company, they had long been buried in the dust of history, with no information available.
Even the fact that Lin Xian was the founder of the Rheim Cat was not mentioned in any Rheim Cat design collections or on the internet... Lin Xian had a big problem with this.
"I'm not saying that this childish feeling is bad."
While flipping through the documents, Zhao Yingjun explained:
"But after all, we're not selling Rheim Cat dolls. Our main focus is to have the Rheim Cat endorse Rheim cosmetics and serve as a mascot for publicity. So... in terms of the Rheim Cat's audience, we should design her character and lines to be more youthful, lively, and attractive."
"You must distinguish her from Kitty Cat on this point. The target audience for the Rheim brand is women aged 18 to 28, so the character and lines can be youthful, but definitely not childish."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Xian nodded:
"I understand."
Zhao Yingjun couldn't find the file she was looking for and went to search through another stack of files:
"I remember... I put your previous design draft here... I've made some notes on it—"
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Countless sheets of paper fell down.
There were just too many files cluttering Zhao Yingjun's desk.
While searching, she accidentally knocked over another stack of files, causing them to collapse and scatter on the floor.
Lin Xian bent down and picked up the fallen files, arranging them on his arm.
Suddenly.
He saw something that made his heart race!
He froze for about 0.5 seconds.
Lin Xian discreetly held it in his left hand, then acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to pick up the files from the floor.
After tidying up the floor, he placed the files back on the desk and put them in order. Then, he casually inserted his left hand into his pocket and put the "stolen" item inside.
Zhao Yingjun pushed the files aside, feeling embarrassed:
"Sorry, my desk is too messy, I haven't had time to tidy up."
"Director Zhao, you could hire a secretary to handle these miscellaneous tasks."
Director Zhao tossed her long hair behind her neck with a meaningful shake of her head.
"Never mind, I can manage it myself."
"Oh, Lin Xian, I found you." Director Zhao handed Lin Xian a design draft filled with various notes, corrections, and suggestions.
It was the same one Lin Xian had given her previously, densely filled with meticulous annotations and feedback.
Lin Xian nodded as he accepted it. "Alright, I'll go back and make some changes."
With a loud bang, the heavy double-layered door closed behind them.
Lin Xian stood outside the door, feeling like he was in a different world from Director Zhao.
But now...
Lin Xian reached into his pants pocket and felt the round object he had "acquired".
What a great find!
He glanced back at the imposing double-layered door, then turned and headed for the elevator.
Entering the elevator, he pressed the button for his own office floor.
The elevator squeaked as it descended.
Lin Xian felt his heartbeat gradually quicken as he touched the object in his pocket.
Although he had committed acts of petty theft almost every day in his dreams, this was the first time in reality, and he couldn't help feeling nervous.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened, and Lin Xian quickly walked back to his office.
Click.
He locked the door behind him.
Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief:
"It's quite thrilling to steal something in real life for the first time. And what I stole is really something extraordinary..."
He reached into his left pocket and pulled out a red, flattened wax block.
He pinched the red block between his fingers and spun it on his fingertip.
This red block was slightly larger and thicker than a one yuan coin, and its shape wasn't a perfect circle.
Lin Xian had seen it before.
It was the wax seal on the invitation letter from the Genius Club.
At that time, the invitation letter had only stayed in Lin Xian's hand for a few seconds before Director Zhao took it away. But Lin Xian had clearly seen the details on both sides.
"I'm sure of it... the fold of the invitation letter was sealed with this wax block."
This type of wax block was called a "sealing wax seal", usually made of rosin, paraffin, and pigment. It melted slightly when heated and had adhesive properties, used for sealing letters and invitations.
When in use, it was heated first, then a large drop was dripped onto the seal, and the seal was pressed onto it.
Lin Xian faced the side of the wax block where the card was pasted, smooth and uniform.
And the other side of the wax block was self-evident...
[It's the seal of the Genius Club.]
Lin Xian's heartbeat quickened.
Perhaps turning it over would reveal another mysterious and dark world, the colossal hidden hand lurking in the mist of history.
Perhaps it would lead him into an irreversible abyss, stepping into an unreturnable dark forest.
Lin Xian held his breath.
In his mind flashed the words of Big Face Cat.
Flashed the tragic scene of the truck crushing the old man and the child.
Flashed the black hand covering the sky and the earth.
Flashed the five heavy golden characters on the back of the invitation letter.
With a determined bite, he flipped the wax block over!
...
On the front of the wax block, there was a standard circular seal.
Inside the circle was a right hand pointing straight up with the index finger.
And below the circle, two English words were evenly written —
Genius Club.