The competition was about teamwork and team spirit. It had a simple format in which the team had 5 hours to complete their story, from ten o’clock in the morning to three o’clock in the afternoon. It was a difficult feat, indeed.
However, it was quite a dull process for the judges and the audience. By noon, many spectators had left the venue. None of the judges could leave because both Eldest Young Master Williams and Second Young Master Sharp were still there. The two men had their laptops set up and were busy with their work. They were both young masters from prominent families and the core figures in their corporations. Of course, they could not simply waste five hours of doing nothing. However, there was also no need for them to come in person either. They could have just sent their representatives or employees to select the best team to work with their company. It was a waste of their time to attend the event personally.
The management of Jiang University had set up a table in the arena and invited Michael and Henry to dine there. As for the contestants, the university had prepared fast food for everyone.
The direction of the storyline had already been set, but it was not concretely specified. Elena completed the entire script in one hour. As for Aryan, he had started to work on the thumbnails as soon as Elena wrote the first line of words in her script. They did not waste a single second.
Lois was busy too. She was there to serve tea and water for her team members and to send them food and clear up their mess. As soon as Aryan the grids, he would pass them to Rufus.
It was a similar process for Rufus too. As soon as he was done with inking, he would immediately pass the illustration to Layla and Caleb for coloring. They had only five members in their team, while the others had at least ten people. They were at a disadvantage in terms of manpower.
Fortunately, Elena was quick with her scripts, and Aryan was also working at top speed on the sketches. Even if there were only five of them in a team, their progress did not trail behind the other teams. After Elena wrapped up the script, she began to help Rufus with inking.
At midday, she looked up and saw the back of Aryan as he worked on his sketch. She was so touched that she almost cried. How vital was trust in a team? She believed that he would come back to them, and he affirmed that she would not find a replacement. If something had gone wrong or if either one of them had not trusted the other party, they would find themselves in a precarious situation. They had made it! It looked like they had regarded each other as a teammate!
“Elena, here, eat something first.” Lois handed her the fast-food box.
“Okay.” Elena took the fast-food box and inadvertently saw the man in the judges’ area.
He sat at the dining table that faced the stage where the competition was ongoing. When Elena lifted her head, she seemed to have met his gaze. She was startled, but she wanted to see him again. However, when she lifted her gaze again, his gaze was no longer on her. He had his eyes on some other teams instead. She sighed and bowed her head to eat, but her mood had been instantly killed.
The five-hour competition was time-consuming and dull. It was not a competition to find the fastest team, nor were they allowed to leave if they had finished early. It was all about working together as a team to fully utilize the five hours to produce the best comic. That was the real challenge. If the script was too simple, and they completed the job far too quickly, then the product would lack competitiveness. On the other hand, if the storyline were too complicated and took too much time to complete, then points would be deducted for their failure in time management. All the rounds in the competition had been a difficult challenge thus far.
However, a capable team would have loved exciting challenges. There was no doubt about who would bag the grand prize that day. With Aryan’s return, the September Studio seemed to have a high point of synergy among its teammates as they worked seamlessly. Everyone did their best. When their work was displayed on the big screen, the audiences were amazed. The illustration and the storyline were unbelievably beautiful. Everything fell into place like pieces of puzzles.
“This is no longer a comic. One could say that it is an animation.”
“No, it still falls short to the standard of an animation project.”
“Of course, the illustrations for a single animation project could take several days.”
“But for a comic, this is definitely top-notch.”
Even some members from Nina’s team had to turn around to have a look. They were also awed by what they had seen on the screen. “Simply perfect!”
Nina’s hand shook, but she held onto the pen tightly. It was as if her pen might break into two at any time! There was no need for her to check it out! She had seen Elena’s script on the first day of the competition. She also knew better than anyone how skillful Raphael was in drawing. As for that bloody girl named Layla, her coloring skill was also commendable! They were an excellent team, indeed! She knew about that!
“What are you looking at? Hurry up!” Her assistant glared at one of the team members angrily.
That member immediately turned around and continued to work on his inking; he no longer dared to look up. It only took one glance to imprint the entire image into the deepest part of one’s memory; it was unforgettable.
The other teams lost their spirit to fight when they saw September Studio’s work on the big screen. They were like a bunch of withered flowers. Sometimes, it did not take a strong opponent for one to admit defeat in a match, but it was one’s weak mentality instead. It was apparent that September Studio had utterly subdued the rest of the teams with the quality of their work!
Five hours later, all the teams had handed in their artwork. Half an hour after that, the host announced the results of the competition on the spot. Jiang University Studio took third place, and Shuxin Pavilion had won second place.
Then they announced that September Studio had won first place in the competition. The audiences had returned to the stadium in time for the award presentation, so there were loud cheers in the venue.
The host invited the judges onto the stage to present the prizes. The management of Ning University presented the award for the third-place winner, and the management of Jiang University presented the prize for the second place. Nina did not even go up onto the stage to receive the award. She was too embarrassed that her team only got second place! She had never obtained a second place in any inter-campus competition. Never!
Nina sat in the waiting area because there were two other important announcements. Sharp Corporation had yet to announce the team that would collaborate with them to set up a new animation company. They would probably pick September Studio, but there was no guarantee about that.
Elena was so ugly that her appearance might have repulsed Second Young Master Sharp.
Even if Sharp Corporation selected September Studio to work with them, there was a rumor that Mu Corporation would choose a team too. It was not a groundless claim. Nina had sent her people to investigate the story, and it seemed like Williams Corporation was prepared to do just that. However, there was only one September Studio. If Sharp Corporation had selected them, then, the Williams Corporation would have to go with another team. Shuxin Pavilion had quite a high chance of being chosen by either of the corporations.
Flora had the same idea. Even though her team did not make it to the top three, she was a gorgeous woman. Perhaps Eldest Young Master Williams would choose her for her beauty. She was the queen of her faculty, and she was more beautiful than Nina, so why would she worry? When a man chose a woman, they always looked at their appearance, and their abilities and talents were secondary. Was that not true?
“Congratulations.” Henry presented the award to September Studio personally as an invited guest.
Elena took the trophy from his hands and held it up high with her teammates.
The audiences took photos and even broadcasted the event live on their stream; it was so lively.
Henry took the microphone from the host and smiled at Elena. “Sharp Corporation had decided to choose September Studio as our partner to form a new animation company. Is September studio willing to accept the invitation?”
Elena and her friends were overwhelmed with excitement. They did not expect another judge would make his way onto the stage too.
A microphone fell into his hands. ” Williams Corporation is also setting up a new comic company next month. We hope that September Studio will join us as a shareholder.”
There was a sudden uproar in the auditorium, and everyone was wonderstruck. The two companies had openly fought over September Studio! Sharp Corporation versus Williams Corporation; Second Young Master Sharp against Eldest Young Master Williams. Both of them were so handsome too!