Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

As soon as Te Wei finished speaking, the sounds of chopping vegetables and washing meat in the east courtyard came to an abrupt halt.

Xu Damao was still holding half a scallion, his mouth agape wide enough to fit a duck egg. Sha Zhu's cleaver hung in mid-air as he stared blankly in their direction. Teacher Zhou and Teacher Chen stood up straight, barely daring to breathe.

Shanghai Animation Film Studio! Animated feature film!

These words carry an astonishing weight in the cultural circles of this era.

That's a top-tier organization that can win major international awards and bring honor to the country.

Zhang Dabiao, however, remained calm and unhurried.

He opened the door first, welcomed the guests in, and led them to the stone table in the courtyard, inviting them to sit down.

Then he picked up the large enamel teapot, took two clean coarse porcelain bowls, and poured two bowls of cooled boiled water.

"Director Zhang, you've come all this way, have some water first." Zhang Dabiao pushed the water over and sat down on a small stool next to him.

Te Wei had no interest in drinking water.

He placed his hands on the stone table, leaned forward, and said urgently, "Comrade Zhang Dabiao, name your price. As long as it's within the factory's authority, the payment will definitely satisfy you."

"If this work isn't brought to the big screen, it would be a crime against Chinese animation!"

Xu Damao, standing nearby, swallowed hard, his eyes darting around. [How much money is that? Two thousand? Three thousand? We're rich!]

Wait a minute... money means nothing to Da Biao, right?

He himself has said that he is not interested in money!

Zhang Dabiao picked up the bowl, took a sip of water, put the bowl down, and said in a calm tone, "Director Te, I'm not selling the copyright."

Upon hearing this, several gasps of astonishment rippled through the courtyard.

Xu Damao was so anxious he stomped his feet, wishing he could rush up and agree for Zhang Dabiao. Sha Zhu also curled his lip, cursing inwardly whether this kid was really stupid, refusing money that was offered to him.

Te Wei was stunned. He had imagined many scenarios before coming, but he never expected to be rejected so decisively.

"Comrade Zhang, are you not satisfied with the conditions? We can discuss it further..."

"It's not about the money," Zhang Dabiao interrupted him, tapping the table with his hand. "I'm not short of money. I hold the copyright to this comic book; I have no intention of exchanging it for a few thousand yuan buyout fee."

Tewei frowned, looking at him with confusion: "Then why are you keeping it?"

Zhang Dabiao leaned back in his chair and smiled: "I want to use the copyright of this book, 'Nezha Conquers the Dragon King,' to get the assistant director position for this animated film from Shanghai Animation Film Studio."

Clang!

Sha Zhu dropped the cleaver from his hand onto the cutting board. Xu Damao also dropped the half-eaten scallion from his hand onto the ground.

crazy!

This kid is absolutely insane!

Drawing a comic book and then daring to claim he's a film director? That's an absurd leap, even more so than jumping from Nanluoguxiang to the city gate tower!

Te Wei was also stunned. He looked the eighteen-year-old up and down, thinking that the other party was joking, but Zhang Dabiao's expression was very serious, and he didn't mean to joke at all.

No, these conditions...

He's never seen this before!

"Comrade Zhang, this...this is against the rules." Te Wei smiled wryly, pulled up a chair and sat down. "Film directing is not child's play. Besides, our factory is facing many difficulties right now."

"The reason we're discussing this today is to reserve it in advance, so that other factories don't snatch it up first."

Te Wei sighed and decided to lay it all out: "To be honest, we are currently facing a severe shortage of production capacity. All the manpower and resources in the factory are focused on working on the sequel to 'Havoc in Heaven,' and there's also a traditional Chinese ink-wash animation called 'The Shepherd's Flute' in preparation for production. There simply aren't enough people or funds to fund a new color widescreen feature film."

"Moreover, the style of your 'Nezha Conquers the Dragon King' is quite unique; no one has ever seen it before. Learning the style, unifying it, and making it run smoothly all take time. This isn't something that can be done by buying the adaptation rights today and launching the project tomorrow."

Zhang Dabiao nodded.

He was well aware of these circumstances. Currently, domestic animated films are funded by the government and cannot be privately invested in, nor do they receive any box office revenue sharing. The factory only has so much money and so few people. The animators are working themselves to the bone every day, with bloodshot eyes. They have no energy to start new projects.

If it were a private investment opportunity, Zhang Dabiao would have already poured money into it.

"I know you can't film now," Zhang Dabiao said, his hands crossed on his knees. "I didn't say we had to film now, did I?"

Te Wei was taken aback: "So what do you mean?"

"Reservation." Zhang Dabiao uttered two words. "I'm only a first-year student at an arts and crafts school. I graduated from vocational school in 1964."

"After I graduate, I'll go to Shanghai Animation Film Studio to work on a production and learn. In the early stages, I'll work alongside you guys to gain experience and help out."

"Once you finish your current projects and the time is right, when we officially launch the 'Nezha Conquers the Dragon King' project, I will be listed as the assistant director. At that time, I will grant the film and television adaptation rights of this comic book to Shanghai Animation Film Studio free of charge."

Te Wei suddenly slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up.

This plan is absolutely perfect! Zhang Dabiao's drawing skills and cinematic flair are evident in that comic book; they're genuine, hard-earned talent. Bringing such a person into the factory would be a huge boost. And we don't even need to pay for the copyright now; we'd get a strong and capable new member for free.

"Great! I agree to this plan!" Tewei's face flushed with excitement. "Once you graduate, I'll immediately process your formal employment and assign you to the highest-level technician position!"

Zhang Dabiao waved his hand: "Director Te, forget about the permanent position. At my current level, Shanghai Animation Film Studio probably can't afford me."

Te Wei frowned, feeling that the young man was being a bit arrogant: "Comrade Zhang, our Shanghai Animation Film Studio is a ministerial-level directly affiliated unit. As long as you have real skills, your treatment will definitely not be bad. You're still a student, what rank could you possibly have?"

Teacher Zhou, unable to contain himself any longer, stepped forward and cleared his throat: "Director Te, you may not be aware of the situation. Our Da Biao is now enjoying the待遇 of a 'section chief,' and his employment is with the Ministry of Foreign Trade. He has generated nearly a million US dollars in foreign exchange for the country, which was personally approved by Director Zhao of the Ministry of Foreign Trade."

"Did you see the sidecar motorcycle in the outer courtyard when you came in? That was provided to him by the ministry."

"There are also special apartments for cadres, apartment buildings, two bedrooms and a living room."

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Te Wei stared, speechless for a long time. He was the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and many of his mid-level managers, who had worked for half their lives, hadn't even reached the rank of section chief. And this eighteen-year-old in front of him was already a section chief?

Xu Damao, listening from the side, was itching with rage. A section chief! He, Xu Damao, had been showing movies at the factory for so many years and hadn't even reached the section chief level, while Zhang Dabiao, who just lounged around the yard every day, was a section chief!

Comparing people is a recipe for disaster; comparing goods is a recipe for discarding them.

But compared to Zhang Dabiao?

They had already given up on that idea two years ago.

"This..." Tewei rubbed his hands together, looking troubled. "We really can't afford this. What about the assistant director..."

"Easy." Zhang Dabiao leaned forward and played his trump card: "On secondment."

"On secondment?"