That Year, That Rabbit, and Those Things (2-in-1)
"What is it?" Ren asked curiously as Jada hung up the phone.
"It's an invitation from CCTV to produce an animation," Jada replied.
This puzzled Ren. "Why are they looking for our company?"
Ren knew his company had only been established recently, and their only notable work was "The Garden of Sinners." He figured CCTV wouldn't lack animation companies to collaborate with, so why approach them?
Seeing Ren's confusion, Jada smiled and explained, "It's not just us. They've approached multiple companies, asking for samples before deciding on the final producer. As for why..."
She paused and then asked, "Do you know what year it is?"
"2021, but what does that have to do with us working together?"
"Yes, it's 2021, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of our country," Jada said, noting Ren's puzzled look. "This year is very significant, and to celebrate the anniversary, CCTV has received directives to produce a patriotic animation as a tribute before October 1st."
"Patriotic animation?" Ren's expression turned thoughtful.
He hadn't expected his company to receive an official invitation to participate in an animation production. But on second thought, given the success of "The Garden of Sinners" and his reputation for innovative storytelling, it made sense.
"Yes, they want to focus on children, instilling patriotism through the animation, but we can't neglect adults either. Adults need patriotic education too," Jada said.
Her question made Ren think.
It was a challenging task. In the entertainment industry, two genres were notoriously difficult to produce: patriotic education and anti-corruption. The former risked turning into a documentary, while the latter risked crossing lines.
"I need to think about it. When's the deadline?" Ren pondered.
He hadn't immediately agreed, hoping to get some inspiration from his system before the deadline. If nothing suitable came up, he would have to create something himself. He recalled a previous work that fit perfectly—"That Year When the Rabbit Stayed."
In his previous life, this work had gained popularity due to its humorous style and engaging animal characters, depicting significant historical events through their lens. It gradually attracted many online followers.
"Honestly, this was one of my favorite domestic works, along with 'Qin's Moon' and 'Stellar Transformation,'" Ren thought.
Creating something similar to "That Year When the Rabbit Stayed" wouldn't be too difficult. The series was essentially a historical narrative.
"The deadline is the end of March, so we have two months. It's a bit tight," Jada replied, looking at the documents from the company.
"Two months? That's doable," Ren nodded.
However, he wasn't entirely relying on his system. In the past few months, besides "Naruto," nothing noteworthy had come up. Expecting to find something perfect in just two months was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The next day was parent-teacher conference day, and it was also the day Ren's daughter, Yueyue, would get her report card.
Ren found this arrangement odd. When he was in school, there were no parent-teacher conferences for report cards.
"So, how did you do on your exams?" Ren asked, glancing at Yueyue in the passenger seat with some unease.
Although he knew Yueyue usually did well, he worried she might have had a bad day and would be criticized by the teacher, which would be embarrassing.
"I did great! The teacher said I did really well!" Yueyue said, patting her chest confidently.
"Good," Ren sighed in relief as he parked near the school. Finding an empty spot was a small victory.
Before, when there were no final exams, picking up and dropping off Yueyue was a hassle with the lack of parking and traffic congestion.
"Daddy, give me your hand!" Yueyue said as they prepared to cross the street, grabbing Ren's hand. "Be careful of cars!"
"Yes, yes," Ren chuckled, ruffling her hair as they walked to the classroom.
In the classroom, many parents were already introducing themselves and getting to know each other.
Ren followed Yueyue to her seat and was about to sit down when he noticed something.
"Yueyue, Yueyue, over here!" a boy called out, eagerly waving his arm.
This made Ren's alarm bells ring.
But thankfully, Yueyue smiled at the boy and said, "Sorry, I want to sit with Xixi."
She then looked around and spotted a shy girl named Xixi, who timidly waved and patted the seat next to her.
"Yueyue~~~"
"Xixi~~~"
Yueyue rushed over to Xixi, and they quickly began chatting.
Xixi's father extended his hand to Ren, "Hello, I'm Xixi's father."
"Hello, I'm Yueyue's father," Ren replied, shaking his hand. They started chatting while waiting for the teacher.
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Ren and Xixi's father didn't talk for long before Yueyue's homeroom teacher arrived in the classroom.
This immediately quieted the room.
The homeroom teacher looked like she had just graduated, wearing a thick coat and sporting a sleek ponytail.
Looking at the parents, she took a deep breath and began slowly, "Dear parents, welcome to this parent-teacher conference. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend this end-of-semester meeting."
After she finished speaking, a parent led the applause, and soon, other parents joined in as well.
Even though this was the second parent-teacher conference, the homeroom teacher still seemed a bit shy in front of so many parents.
After all, some of the parents here were significantly older than she was.
Once the applause faded, the homeroom teacher continued, "Next, the class monitor will hand out the report cards. I ask that regardless of whether you are satisfied with your child's grades, please do not blame them. They are likely already feeling guilty. What they need now is not blame, but care from their parents. Yan Lei, please come up and distribute the report cards."
A boy stood up in response.
Ren's eyes sharpened at the sight.
Good grief, isn't this the kid who had a crush on my little girl earlier?
As the boy distributed the report cards, Ren noticed some parents poking their children and whispering things like, "Just wait until we get home," making some kids turn pale.
Ren didn't approve of this behavior.
Blaming children constantly is pointless. It will only make them dread school and become anxious about exams.
Ren believed in rewarding children instead, like giving them more practice tests. That's what a smart parent would do.
"Yueyue, your…" The boy reached Ren's little girl.
Before the boy could speak to his daughter, Ren grabbed the report card and said with a forced smile, "Ah, thank you!"
Ignoring the boy, Ren's reaction made him pout and walk away to distribute the rest of the report cards.
Ren opened the report card and saw several big A's on his daughter's grades, making him very happy.
Xixi's father, looking at his daughter's report card with a smile, noticed Ren's face lit up like a blooming chrysanthemum. Curious, he glanced over.
Seeing the grades, he looked envious and whispered to Ren, "Brother, how do you teach your child to get all A's?"
"Oh, it's nothing, really. It's all due to the child's hard work," Ren said modestly, holding back his laughter as he patted his daughter's head.
Then the two fathers began discussing their methods for raising children.
When Ren mentioned expecting a second child soon, Xixi's father sighed, smacked his lips, and shook his head, "Sigh, a second child. It's too expensive, and my wife doesn't want another one."
At that moment, the homeroom teacher started talking about the children's daily life at school.
"I won't name names, but some students often bring toys to school." She took out a box filled with various items.
There were Shining Sticks, Victory Swallows, and Long Rainbow Swords, among other things.
"I hope parents will pay more attention and not let their children bring toys to school, especially these swords." The teacher picked up a Long Rainbow Sword and swung it twice, "The pointed ends of these swords are very dangerous for children…"
"Wow, all these toys belong to the Porter," Xixi's father laughed, "These toys are quite expensive. Just the Shining Stick alone costs several hundred bucks, and that Long Rainbow Sword is a limited edition, worth over a thousand bucks. Making money from kids is easy."
Hearing this, several parents gathered around, "That's right. My child recently asked me to buy an Ultra Star. It's just a glass toy, so I thought it wouldn't be that expensive. But it turned out to be $998. It cost me more than ten days' wages."
"Yeah, toy companies are really ripping us off. Take Meng Black Pig's company, for example. Their toys are all outrageously expensive."
"But to be honest, the Porter's comics are really good," Ren interjected, shamelessly praising himself.
His little girl, chatting with her best friend, heard Ren's comment and was stunned for a moment. She opened her mouth to say, "Dad, aren't you the Porter?"
But then she saw her dad giving her a look and gesturing with a finger.
She wasn't satisfied with that. Did he think she could be bought off with just one bag of chips? So, she held up five fingers.
Ren: 2
Little Girl: 4
Ren: 3
And so they reached a deal!
Both father and daughter were quite satisfied.
Ren continued boasting, "Especially that Ultraman. It's really enjoyable to watch. I wonder how the Porter comes up with such ideas."
A parent agreed, "That's right. Boys must watch Ultraman Tiga from a young age. Not just Ultraman, but Fullmetal Alchemist too! It's a masterpiece!"
Xixi's father added, "I love Fullmetal Alchemist too. It's really popular overseas now! Many foreigners are demanding that Picca Comics release an English version."
Hearing this, Ren was stunned.
He had no idea his Fullmetal Alchemist had become so popular abroad.
He hadn't paid attention to this aspect, but thinking about it, it made sense.
The story was based on foreign alchemists, and the names were foreign too, making it easy for international audiences to accept.
Under Ren's subtle guidance, the conversation gradually shifted from the high price of toys to how amazing the Porter was.
Sitting in the middle, Ren felt a bit embarrassed hearing people call him a genius, a once-in-a-century talent.
See, this is what popularity looks like.
This is the power of popularity, folks!
When people talk about something they're interested in, they easily forget their surroundings.
Their growing conversation caught the attention of the homeroom teacher. She cleared her throat, "Excuse me, parents over there. We are currently having a parent-teacher conference. Please discuss work matters after the meeting.
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