Just as he was preparing to take a nap on the desk, Chen Rui walked in from the outside, called Qin Guanglin’s name, and summoned him into the office.
"Sit."
Chen Rui, holding a paper cup, went over to the water dispenser to fill two cups of water, and placed one in front of Qin Guanglin, smiling in praise as he said, "I took a look at your work this morning. You are learning fast, huh? You’ve really never done this before?"
"No, first time." Qin Guanglin picked up the cup and took a sip, "Does this mean... you’re making me a full-time employee?"
He pondered how Chen Rui stood behind him watching for a long time that morning, probably feeling that he was doing pretty well.
After becoming a regular employee, he wouldn’t have to deal with those four-panel or six-panel cartoons anymore... Hmm, seems like he didn’t need to bother with them now either?
"Why are you always thinking about becoming a regular?" Chen Rui laughed, "Alright, you’re now a regular." He paused for a moment, gathered his composure, and continued, "Actually, there’s nothing much, just wanted to have a casual chat, hmm... What are your career plans? Do you have any thoughts about this job?"
Plans? Thoughts?
Qin Guanglin was taken aback for a moment and then spoke up after some contemplation, "My thoughts... it seems I don’t have any plans or thoughts."
He glanced at Chen Rui, then picked up his cup for another sip, and spoke his mind, "I’ve only recently got into this job. Although I have a background in art and picked it up quickly, my main profession is still in traditional paintings, honestly speaking. Comics are more like a... hobby for me, yes, I am somewhat interested now."
Chen Rui sat in his chair, listening without interruption. Qin Guanglin smiled and continued, "If I had to express some thoughts, I’d say I like that style of yours... there’s a real sense of achievement when those kinds of drawings come to life. I quite like that feeling. I don’t really want to touch those messy four-panel comics."
"So you like it?" After hearing him out, Chen Rui nodded and then suddenly asked, "What about your previous job? Didn’t you like that one?"
"Before..." Qin Guanglin hesitated for a moment, "that was also a hobby, I liked it."
"That’s right, it’s all about liking it," Chen Rui smiled, "Is there any difference?"
"They are indeed the same." Qin Guanglin pondered for a moment and then laughed along, "So, what are you suggesting?"
"To make the studio bigger and stronger... Ha ha ha, these empty words are meaningless."
Chen Rui shook his head with self-deprecation, "Every company has these goals, but I’m different. I want to create more than just a studio. Like..." He paused here, glanced toward the door, and leaned forward slightly, "What do you think about Sun Wen’s abilities? Be honest."
"Uh..." Qin Guanglin felt conflicted, "pretty good, I guess."
Sun Wen’s abilities were not low, but not exactly high either, somewhere in between, which was perfectly sufficient for a studio of this sort. But to match up with Chen Rui’s coloring, it was indeed a bit of a letdown.
"Yeah, pretty good."
Chen Rui laughed, "But don’t you think my drawings would look even better with a more skilled colorist? They could go up a couple of notches at least, right?"
Qin Guanglin nodded, "Roughly."
"That’s what I mean. If we wanted to hire a good colorist, one or two companies could afford it, but that’s not what I want." Chen Rui leaned back in his chair, took a sip from his cup, and then continued, "You won’t understand much if I explain too much now, but we are still just a studio, only a studio with me alone. That’s why I need partners. If you have the desire to progress in this industry, I hope you’ll seriously consider it."
"I really don’t understand." Qin Guanglin was somewhat dizzy from the roundabout talk, "Someone half-baked like me... couldn’t you just hire a bunch of experts if you increased the salary a bit?"
"It’s not the same. Although that would build a good reputation, but..." Chen Rui smacked his lips, "Anyway, just focus on improving yourself, you’ll understand later."
He waved his hand, "Oh right, about that story you’re working on now, even though you completed it independently, its copyright was purchased by the company. So after deducting the company’s operating and copyright fees, we’ll split the net profit fifty-fifty. No objections, right?"
Fifty-fifty?
Qin Guanglin blinked in surprise.
Although there was talk of profit-sharing during the initial interview, the specifics weren’t mentioned. He thought it was just going to be a bonus.
"Of course, no objections."
"Don’t be so surprised." Seeing his expression, Chen Rui smiled smugly, "Alright, I won’t keep you from your rest any longer."
"Okay." Qin Guanglin stood up, ready to go back to his nap. As he was about to turn around, he paused and looked back at Chen Rui, "You don’t want just a studio... what do you want, then?"
Setting up a company not for money? He thought Chen Rui was quite unusual.
"A platform."
Chen Rui spun lightly in his chair, "The largest comic platform."
"Like that one...?"
"No, not like that one. That’s destroying comics," Chen Rui interrupted, "A platform for comic artists themselves."
"Uh..."
"Does it sound ludicrous? Right now, we’re just a tiny studio."
"No," Qin Guanglin shook his head, "I just don’t understand what the difference is."
"Difference?" Now it was Chen Rui’s turn to be astonished, looking up at the ceiling considering how to explain it in an understandable way.
"Let’s say you quit here," he pointed out the window, "went home, but still continued in this field. All you have to do is publish the stories you think up and the comics you draw on our platform. You can still earn just like working here, as long as operational costs are deducted, everything else is yours, whether it’s profits or copyrights."
"Is that enticing?" Chen Rui raised his eyebrows at Qin Guanglin, "True mutual benefit."
"Then no one will come to work," Qin Guanglin laughed at him, "If you can draw from home, who would work for you?"
"Creation itself shouldn’t be a job, should it?"
"..."
"Only in this way can the industry be full of vitality, and everyone can focus on creating without worrying that one day the art they draw suddenly no longer belongs to them."
Qin Guanglin gave him a thumbs up, "I wish you success."
To change the entire industry with one’s individual strength was indeed quite a lofty dream...
"I hope one day it’ll be ’we succeeded’."
"I’m just a newcomer..." Qin Guanglin smiled and turned around, "We’ll see when the time comes. Anyway, I’ll definitely support you."
"Anyone can gain experience, but talent is not so common," Chen Rui said behind him, "You are very talented. Keep it up."
"Thanks."
After leaving the office, Qin Guanglin lay on the desk, sleep eluding him, his mind filled with the planning mentioned by Chen Rui.
Planning?
It’s the internet age now, and once you learn the ropes, you can start a column on any public platform and likely make a living.
That was his plan.
Chen Rui’s platform sounded great, but somehow it didn’t seem very realistic.
Uh... well, maybe there was a bit of a chance.
He looked up at the drawing board next to him and couldn’t deny that the idea was very tempting.