You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 202 Zhou Xiao'ou

Lu Ran looked at Tan Yu with a hint of relief in his eyes.

This kid has really grown up.

Lu Ran was originally worried that he had neglected Tan Yu during this period and that Tan Yu might go astray again if he was not careful.

It seems that Tan Yu has indeed grown a lot.

"Alright, stop getting sentimental." Lu Ran stood up. "Once filming is over, let's promote it properly. When it's released, I'll have TUTU put on a special screening for you guys."

"Really?!" Tan Yu's eyes lit up again. "Brother Lu is so generous! Brother Lu is awesome!"

"Stop flattering me." Lu Ran walked out. "I'm going to the animation department. You guys go back to what you were doing."

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back: "By the way, who put those two stone lions there?"

"I... I was the one who asked them to put it there. Isn't it incredibly impressive?" Liu Jun thought Lu Ran was going to praise him, so he eagerly raised his hand and said.

"Impressive my foot." Lu Ran said, both amused and exasperated. "We're moving out tomorrow. What kind of place is this? People who don't know us will think our department is some kind of shady business."

"..."

Liu Jun's expression was worse than if he were crying.

...

After finishing eight long-running dramas, Lu Ran went straight to the animation department.

The animation department, being newly established at the time, occupied an entire floor.

Compared to the bustling atmosphere of the eight-part long-running drama, this place is much quieter. The only sound in the corridor is the hum of the air conditioner. Posters of "Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things" are pasted on the walls, and the images of rabbits inspire a sense of awe.

Lu Ran pushed open the door and went in, and found that there were not many people in the office area, only seven or eight employees were working at their workstations.

In the corner, there was a row of display cases filled with merchandise related to "That Rabbit"—rabbit dolls, badges, T-shirts, and even limited edition enamel mugs.

"Mr. Lu?" A young man wearing round-framed glasses looked up, paused for a couple of seconds upon seeing Lu Ran, then jumped up. "What brings you here?"

"What, can't I come?" Lu Ran walked over. "You are...?"

"My surname is Zhou, Zhou Xiao'ou." The young man rubbed his hands nervously. "You can just call me Xiao Zhou. I met you once at a meeting before, but you might not remember me."

"Oh...it was you." Lu Ran had no recollection of it at all.

After all, most of the people in the animation department came from other departments, and he hadn't spent much time with them, so he didn't know most of them very well.

Zhou Xiao'ou was recruited from outside the animation department later.

He is said to be a veteran anime fan. He serialized comics online during his university years. After graduation, he worked as a storyboard artist at an animation company for three years before being poached to become the person in charge.

At that time, Lu Ran had no intention of managing the place, so when Zhou Xiaoou came, Lu Ran didn't even meet him.

"I remember, I remember." Lu Ran patted his shoulder. "Don't be nervous, I just came to check. I watched the second season of 'That Rabbit,' it's pretty good."

Lu Ran certainly couldn't say he didn't know him. Although he really had no impression of this person at all, his first impression was still acceptable.

Zhou Xiaoou was unaware of what Lu Ran was thinking, but he breathed a sigh of relief. He had indeed put in a lot of effort for the second part of "That Rabbit," and now it seemed that President Lu was well aware of it.

Zhou Xiaoou smiled and replied gratefully, "Thank you, President Lu! The response to the second season was indeed very good. The People's Daily even contacted us to discuss collaborating on a special National Day episode."

"I know, they've contacted me." Lu Ran sat down on a chair next to his workstation. "What have you been busy with lately?"

Zhou Xiaoou scratched his head: "We're mainly keeping an eye on the follow-up production of the second season, as well as the development of merchandise. Our rabbit plush toys are selling like hotcakes, and the factory is constantly pushing for more orders."

"That's all?"

"Uh..." Zhou Xiaoou hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I've had some new ideas lately. I feel that our animation department can't rely solely on the 'That Rabbit' IP. The team has gelled pretty well over the past few months, so how about we consider developing new works?"

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow: "Got an idea?"

It's good that you have an idea. It'll be a good opportunity for Lu Ran to see just how competent this person in charge is.

"I have a few preliminary ideas, but they're not quite mature yet." Zhou Xiaoou pulled a notebook out of the drawer, opened it, and showed it to Lu Ran. "Look, this one is a campus theme, this one is a fantasy theme, this one is a science fiction theme... but I always feel like something's missing."

Lu Ran took the notebook and flipped through it.

The ideas are all good, but they all lack something.

What's missing?

It lacks a soul.

The reason why "That Rabbit" became popular is not only because of its excellent production, but also because it has an emotional core.

The reverence for history, gratitude to ancestors, and love for one's country are all deeply reflected in "That Rabbit".

Zhou Xiaoou's ideas are technically sound, but they lack something that can resonate with people.

Lu Ran closed his laptop and looked at Zhou Xiao'ou: "Have you been paying attention to market trends lately?"

"Wind direction?" Zhou Xiao'ou was taken aback. "You mean..."

"Wuxia (martial arts)." Lu Ran said, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes became a hit, Heroes made a comeback in terms of reputation, and The Return of the Condor Heroes just started filming. Right now, the entire entertainment industry is chasing the wuxia trend. Have you ever thought about combining wuxia with animation?"

Zhou Xiaoou's eyes lit up: "To be honest, I do have some knowledge of martial arts, but when it comes to making martial arts animation, I want to produce something of higher quality, so I've put my idea on hold for a while."

After speaking, Zhou Xiaoou took out a notebook from the drawer, which contained a new image.

Perhaps influenced by "That Rabbit", there are some simpler art styles on this, and it also uses animal images.

The main character is even a rabbit.

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow. This rabbit was drawn well, but it looked somewhat familiar.

The more I look at this female rabbit, the more it resembles the rabbit from my past life.

...