The name of this dynasty struck a chord deep in Qiuyun's heart.
The reason she chose to be a blogger online without showing her face was precisely to preserve the traces of the Great Qi Dynasty in this modern world. And now…
“Young Master Pei, how much say do you actually have in your company?” Qiuyun was the kind of person who, once she made up her mind, would act on it immediately.
Pei Cizhou snapped back to attention. “One hundred percent, of course.”
After saying this, he tilted his head. “I mean, I’m basically the child of a high-ranking official. If I couldn’t have full control over a small company I started in Jing City… do I strike you as someone who works as a front for others?”
Ha.
That was true enough.
Someone with such a nasty temperament only knew how to cause trouble for others.
“Understood.”
Qiuyun didn’t beat around the bush with smart people. “President Pei, I can take charge of all the art and set design for the ancient world section, including but not limited to street architecture, costumes and styling, hair accessories, courtyard gardens, cultural customs, and so on. But I have three conditions.”
Seeing that there might be progress, he straightened up and said, “Go ahead.”
“First, since I’m the lead artist, none of the anchor points I provide can be altered in any way.”
“Second, the copyright for this ancient world setting must belong entirely to me, and the right of interpretation is mine alone.”
“Third, after the game launches, I want thirty percent of the revenue from the ancient world content.”
The terms were undeniably harsh.
Pei Cizhou, being a businessman at heart, pondered for a moment before looking at her. “I can agree to your terms, but you’ll have to show me you’re worth it.”
“Of course,” Qiuyun replied. “Do you have a brush pen here?”
“…Yes.”
The cash-strapped Young Master Pei had recently taken on some calligraphy work on the side.
The two went to Pei Cizhou’s office, where Qiuyun ground the ink and picked up the brush. “Hairstyles and clothing are the clearest markers of an era’s aesthetic. Don’t laugh, President Pei. These things are actually the ideal utopia I created for myself back in middle school when I had my chuunibyou phase.”
Stroke by stroke, she sketched out her lady’s most everyday attire.
“Oh?” Pei Cizhou glanced at her refined, almost perfect side profile. “I never expected someone as composed as Miss Qiu to have had such an innocent side.”
“Well, what girl hasn’t fantasized about being an emperor in ancient times?” she said, her strokes fast and steady. “I even had a clear picture of the counties and prefectures under my rule. Now, President Pei, letting me bring the ideals of my girlhood to life—this is like fulfilling a dream for me.”
Gradually, the image came into focus, taking shape. A distinctly different style of women’s clothing and hairstyles, clearly unlike those of Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties, leaped off the paper.
Pei Cizhou came from a scholarly family and had grown up reading history books.
He could say with certainty that this was truly a style never before seen in any historical dynasty.
Colloquially put: a stunning world premiere.
“Everything in your head… is it all different from actual history?” He was genuinely astonished.
“Of course,” Qiuyun replied without batting an eye, her gaze calm as she looked at him. “When you were in middle school, did you like wearing the same clothes and shoes as everyone else?”
No.
Pei Cizhou understood.
All chuunibyou sufferers thought they were unique and incomparable.
“I accept your terms.” Pei Cizhou pressed the intercom. “Daniel, come in and draft a contract.”
Half an hour later.
The newly appointed director of the art department for the Dream Quest ancient world section was born.
“I’ll provide new designs during our nightly video meetings,” Qiuyun said as she joined the art department’s work group, speaking to Pei Cizhou. “But you’ll need to tell me the order of your requirements in advance.”
Since Qiuyun was still paying social insurance and housing fund elsewhere, and the salary here was lower than what her young lady paid her, she had to trade a higher salary for remote work and flexible hours.
“No problem.” Pei Cizhou added the lead planner for the ancient world section to the group as well. “She’ll handle things with you.”
“Good.”
After the contract was signed, Jiang Chuling had just finished a mission and came out to hear the news.
“Rest assured, miss. I won’t let this affect my regular work,” Qiuyun said. Jiang’s contract had no restrictions on side jobs, so she was able to make this decision.
Jiang Chuling shook her head, clutching the drawings Sister Xiaoqiu had made with delight. “Sister Xiaoqiu, this outfit is so beautiful! Can I be the final boss in the game? Or at least a key NPC!”
“…”
That really was every kid’s dream.
“Sure,” Qiuyun promised generously. “I’ll design the most beautiful outfit for my lady.”
Jiang Chuling clenched her fists in excitement. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
At noon, the newly promoted art director generously treated everyone to lunch and afternoon tea.
Thick-skinned as he was, President Pei piggybacked on the meal, and to top it off, didn’t even give up the five-thousand-yuan reward he had initially promised!
Qiuyun raised an eyebrow in displeasure.
“Miss Qiu, do have any idea what thirty percent of the profit means?” Pei Cizhou snorted. “I may have full decision-making power, but there are other original shareholders in this company. After deducting program maintenance, company operations, shareholder dividends, employee salaries, marketing and advertising, and so on, the share left for you is practically my entire cut as founder.”
In other words, he himself would hardly earn anything from the ancient world content.
Qiuyun: “…”
Okay, she had indeed been a bit ruthless with her demand.
But she had thought that in business, people would always haggle, so she had raised her ideal price by ten percent to leave room for negotiation. Who would have guessed that President Pei would suddenly be so generous this time and not cut her price at all?
“Ahem.” Qiuyun immediately switched her tone. “I understand. In the early stages of starting a business, cash flow is tight. Now that I’m basically a co-founder of the ancient world section, if you have any difficulties, President Pei, you can tell me. Maybe I can help figure something out.”
Pei Cizhou set his buzzing phone to silent. “I don’t have any difficulties. But you’ll need to work as fast as you can. The company’s account can hold out until the beginning of next year at best.”
Qiuyun accidentally glimpsed the screen. “Not answering the call?”
“No.” Pei Cizhou hung up again. “Someone very annoying.”
He wouldn’t answer the calls, but it turned out he was confronted in person almost immediately.
Three minutes later, a middle-aged man in a suit and slicked-back hair burst in through the door. “Xiaozhou, what did you just post in the company group? Saying you want to scrap all the initial plans for the ancient world section and start over from scratch! Do you have any idea how much funds and time we have left? Can you ever be mature? Mr. Ruan sent me to get things done here, not to play house with a little brat like you!”
Qiuyun instantly understood.
It seemed that because Young Master Pei was still young and lacked market experience, Mr. Ruan had assigned him a business safety net—someone to keep an eye on him.
The words were a bit harsh. Pei Cizhou’s secretary, Daniel, immediately stepped in. “President Sun, our President Pei is the lead programmer and lead planner for this project. He has poured a tremendous amount of effort into it. You can’t just come in and blindly accuse him without knowing the facts, let alone dismiss him with age-based attacks!”
Out of respect for the fact that Pei Cizhou was the mayor’s son, the man named Sun held back even harsher words. Instead, he turned his gun on Qiuyun, who was standing nearby.
