Chapter Twenty-Three: Some People Disappear as They Walk

Arriving at the dubbing department, Chen Qi peeked inside cautiously. He wasn't sure if it was because everyone now recognized him from his previous visit, or if it was due to the recently aired advertisement, but although his arrival caused a bit of surprise, most people greeted him warmly.

Chen Qi returned their greetings with a smile, then found the beautiful music teacher. She seemed busy, but when she saw Chen Qi, she simply smiled and nodded, acknowledging his presence.

Chen Qi smiled back and gestured for her to continue her work, then wandered about the music room, listening attentively whenever he heard sounds from her direction, trying to discern the music and the instruments she was using.

After more than half an hour, the music teacher finished her work and walked over to Chen Qi. Without hesitation, he explained why he had come, assuring her repeatedly that he wouldn’t interfere with her normal duties.

Hearing his explanation, the music teacher was a bit surprised. Remembering his awkwardness during his earlier visit for the soundtrack, her keen intuition allowed her to guess the reason behind his curiosity.

“Since I’m free now, do you want me to show you around?” she asked with a smile.

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” Chen Qi asked, a little embarrassed.

“It’s no trouble—I’m just idle anyway,” she replied, moving toward the nearest instrument.

Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, then shamelessly followed her.

During their casual conversation, he unexpectedly learned some news: she had just been notified that all colleagues involved in producing his advertisement would receive double their performance bonuses this month.

Hearing her delight as she shared this news, Chen Qi was genuinely surprised. In that instant, his impression of Blueprint as a company improved considerably.

This company is truly generous.

Thinking more carefully, he realized Blueprint’s strengths didn’t end there. He’d been too busy with the advertisement to pay attention before, but now he noticed the high overall quality of the employees. Whether it was Xiao Wu the photographer, the beautiful editor, or the music teacher before him, none of them had shown any impatience toward him as a newcomer; each performed their duties with excellence.

Looking at it this way, there really was a reason for the company’s success.

While Chen Qi was lost in these thoughts, Manager Zhao entered the Creative Department with a thick folder in hand.

“???” Seeing Chen Qi’s empty seat, Manager Zhao was momentarily taken aback.

“Where is he?” he asked, confused.

The five members of the creative team exchanged looks and shook their heads weakly. They’d all returned after lunch, but somewhere along the way, some people had just disappeared…

Frowning, Manager Zhao pulled out his phone and dialed Chen Qi’s number.

“Where are you?”

“I’m next door,” Chen Qi replied, sounding baffled.

Manager Zhao took a deep breath and, forcing down his irritation, said, “Get back here right now!”

With that, he snapped the call shut.

Seeing Manager Zhao’s obvious annoyance, the five creatives exchanged a silent glance and wisely kept quiet.

It was clear the manager wasn’t in a good mood today.

A few minutes later, Chen Qi returned, looking bewildered.

“Why aren’t you at your desk during work hours? Why are you wandering off?” Manager Zhao asked, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

Sensing the bad mood, Chen Qi wisely kept silent and returned to his seat.

The moment he sat down—smack—a folder landed in front of him.

Startled, he caught it and glanced at Manager Zhao in confusion.

“Open it and have a look,” Manager Zhao said, leaning against a nearby desk, massaging his brow with a weary air.

Puzzled, Chen Qi opened the folder.

Inside was an advertising proposal: they needed a precise slogan for a soon-to-be-released mobile phone.

The five behind him instinctively craned their necks for a look, then sat back down with bitter expressions.

They knew it—the mobile phone ad.

Recently, it seemed they’d been facing more challenges than ever before. Fortunately, they’d managed to solve most of them, even the daunting public service ad, which Chen Qi had unexpectedly handled. But this particular mobile phone project had repeatedly failed to pass the client’s review.

Judging by Manager Zhao’s demeanor, they all realized he was pinning his last hopes on Chen Qi. On reflection, they realized Chen Qi had never actually worked on this ad before.

Strictly speaking, Chen Qi hadn’t even officially started working on the Creative Department’s projects.

Recalling Chen Qi’s earlier feats, their extinguished hopes flickered to life. Yet, strangely, alongside anticipation, their feelings were mixed.

The sense of being abandoned by their leader was far from pleasant.

Chen Qi skimmed through the file, then looked up at Manager Zhao in confusion.

His meaning was clear: Why are you giving this to me?

Coincidentally, Manager Zhao, chin propped on one hand, was watching him as well.

“???” Chen Qi was clearly taken aback, his eyes growing wide.

“Any ideas?” Manager Zhao asked, his voice weary.

“Oh…” Chen Qi suddenly understood—they wanted him to handle this ad.

No! Absolutely not!

I didn’t come to Blueprint to write ads! I was hoping to use your platform to meet some beautiful actresses!

Yet just as he was about to refuse, he sensed something and glanced back.

When he saw the five pairs of expectant eyes behind him, he was at a loss.

“Wait—” he said with an awkward smile, “why are you all looking at me like that?”

“We’ve already come up with at least ten proposals for this ad, but almost all were rejected instantly,” one colleague said, bitterness and self-mockery on his face. “If we can’t come up with something satisfactory soon, they’ll probably give up on us.”

“No need to say ‘if’ anymore,” Manager Zhao added, straightening up with a sigh. “KUKU Mobile has been meeting with other ad agencies since three days ago.”

At those words, the entire office fell silent, a heavy mood settling in.

Sitting there, Chen Qi hesitated, wanting to speak but finding himself unable. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse at that moment.