It was early in the morning when Aryan went out to buy some medication for his headache. On his way back to the studio, he was accidentally injured when some people had fought by the roadside.
“I’ve asked you to rest, but you refused to listen. Now, you can finally get the rest that you needed, right?
Elena did not know whether the accident was a good thing or a bad thing. After she arrived at the studio, she asked Luacs to escort Aryan to the hospital. That guy finally decided to stop working and take a rest. In addition to the bandage that covered the injury on his arm, the doctor said that he had a cold and fever, which might have turned into pneumonia if he had not sought medical attention. The doctor scolded him for quite a long time too.
“We still have five chapters to go” Aryan, who was on a drip, looked at Elena with a worried expression.
“I don’t know if it is a blessing or a disaster to have an employee like you.” Elena sighed.
“Why?” Layla was confused. “He is the best employee that any boss could ask for.”
“It is good to have a hardworking staff, but it would also be a disaster if he is too hardworking.”
Would they consider his injury as a work-related injury? Elena sighed.
Too much is as bad as not enough. However, she understood why Aryan worked so hard. It was a unique circumstance. After he took the drip and returned to the office lounge, it was already eight-fifteen in the morning. They had about three to four lessons in the morning, and the class would start at ten o’clock. They still had about an hour to go before their classes.
Aryan wanted to continue with his sketches. Elena shot Luacs a look.
Luacs threw Aryan onto the bed and coldly said, “I’m going to call in sick for you. I’ll break your leg if you get up before lunchtime.”
Even though he was only, Luacs’s tall and tough figure was intimidating enough. Aryan was not afraid of anyone, well, except for Luacs. That guy’s fists were as hard as iron. When he hit the sandbag in their office’s fitness room, it almost ripped after his multiple rounds of attacks. Who would dare to provoke a person with such a physique and temper?
“You should rest well today. It’s Friday, and the semi-final is tomorrow.”
They only had one day to go before the semi-final round. Even if they could finish their sketches, they would not have enough time to pencil the lines and color, so why bother with that?
“Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, we have completed the second season. The results for tomorrow would not have anything to do with your work today.”
Layla poured him a glass of water so that he could take his medication. Then, she put down the glass and pulled the quilt over him.
“My sketches today are for the final.” Even though Aryan was afraid of Luacs, he was still a stubborn little man.
For the final round in the following week, he had planned to complete all four seasons for the title so that they could participate with finished work. Therefore, he would only get busier after the semi-final round.
“Don’t worry about it. The organizers have changed the rules for the final round. From next Monday onward, we would not be able to participate with an existing title. We would have to create a new one and go through another three rounds of competition.”
Lois had gone to the studio with the news that morning. “This news has not been released yet, I heard it from an inside source.”
“What do you mean?” Why could they not use their existing title?
A new creation; did that mean an entirely new title?
“I’m not sure yet. A senior in Sharp Corporation’s new animation business department had only told me this.”
Lois was really adept at getting hold of exclusive news.
She said, “What I know is that they would not be referencing all our previous works in the final round.”
“The final has three rounds of live competition. It would probably be a three-day event. Perhaps Monday, Wednesday, and the last round would fall on a Friday or a Saturday.”
“Does that mean we have to draw the comics on the spot?”
“Yes, paint on the spot!” Lois felt that they had a fair chance to get an outstanding result.
“Aryan can draw extremely fast, Rufus can keep up with his speed to draw the lines, and we have Caleb and Layla to color.”
Lois’s eyes shone so brightly that it was as if victory was within their reach.
“Elena, do you think we could make it to the top three?”
They dared not hope for the first place, and they probably had no chance to collaborate with the Sharp Corporation. After all, they did not have the necessary abilities yet. As long as they could gain some fame in the competition, they might stand a better chance to work with the other animation companies. In short, it was an excellent chance for them to earn a better reputation.
“Not referring to the existing work…” Elena thought about the new rule.
Well, as the saying went, everyone had to start somewhere. The person who came up with the suggestion must have been very courageous. That was why Sharp Corporation was such a success. They were capable and had strong visions.
“Elena, we would need a new plot as well.”
“I see.” Elena nodded.
In other words, they would not only need to draw on the spot, but they would have to write the script there and then too.
Elena looked at Aryan and asked with a smile, “What do you think? Can you rest now?”
Aryan nodded; he was extremely relieved. However, one would require the highest skills to draw and paint on the spot.
“We should do a simulation later.”
“You should go to bed first. We will talk about that later.”
Elena got everyone to exit the lounge so that Aryan could get some rest.
She looked at Lois, but she was still not convinced. “Aryan’s drawing speed is too fast. Layla won’t be able to keep up with the coloring by herself. We have Caleb, but he is not from our class.”
“Do you know if we are qualified to get external assistance?”
Lois waved her hand and said with a smile, “I am confident that we can get through the semi-finals.
“As soon as the semi-final is over, I’ll immediately apply for an upgrade for our team’s qualification. We can definitely get it done before the final round.”
Elena and Layla glanced at each other and shook their heads as they grinned widely. Their class monitor might have looked like someone with a mediocre skill set, but she was an absolute all-rounder. She had outstanding skills in interpersonal relationships and in acquiring news too.
“Okay, let’s play our parts the best that we can.”
Elena returned to her place and continued to write her script. She could not do much the previous night because Eldest Young Master Williams interrupted her. Even though they did not need those scripts for the final round, she still had to continue with it since the storyline had quite a smooth progression. They also had a very encouraging rating on the platform.
“I’ll finish coloring the remaining chapters.” Layla also felt motivated.
“Then, I shall prepare the documents for the application for our team’s upgrade.” Everyone was busy, and their days were pretty fulfilling. Luacs also had a lot of things to do on the hardware at their office. However, it was as if he was frozen on the spot. He stared at the corner in a daze. Then he walked toward it and sat down quietly as he continued to stare at the unfinished table.
“Are you alright?” Elena was the first to realize that he did not seem okay.
She walked to him and waved her hands in front of his eyes. “What are you thinking of?”
Luacs looked at her. His thin lips quivered as if he had something to say, and yet he said nothing. It was rare to see him in that state.
Elena was about to probe further when Luacs suddenly asked, “I heard… that the back of Williams mansion was on fire yesterday. How is Old Madam Williams?”