Chapter Forty-Four: Incapable Ruler (1/2)

Xiao Yu was not very interested in Yan Jin’s dull and tedious paperwork, but he had a lot of interest in the Autumn Release Conference. Even if he wasn’t willing to, Xiao Yu still forced himself to search for any related content from those densely packed paragraphs.

As if Yan Jin had seen through Xiao Yu’s torturous expression, he lifted his hand, took away the lengthy documents, and swapped it with another pile of documents that were covered with pictures.

“These should be more interesting. Play with these.” Yan Jin kind-heartedly explained to his hamster.

“Squeakkk!” It’s not time to play! Am I a hamster with no resolve?! I just want to see any news related to the Autumn Release Conference, okay?!

Xiao Yu turned to look at those colorful pictures in disapproval and stomped on them scornfully.

The moment he raised his foot, Xiao Yu realized that something wasn’t right.

Why were these documents so fancy? What were these? Why do these kinds of documents exist?

At a closer look, Xiao Yu was overjoyed. Those weren’t really documents – the thick pile of papers were actually a pile of design drafts.

Design drafts? Design drafts of what?

That question sounded a bit foolish. To have the chance to be placed on Yan Jin’s work desk at such a critical period, what else could those design drafts be? Obviously, they were the design drafts for the Autumn Release Conference!

Xiao Yu had already begun calculating the time. Today was Friday, September 12th. By the time Yan Jin brought these documents home, finished them off over the weekend, and brought them back to his company, they would be exactly two months away from the conference. Setting aside time for factory production and accounting for miscellaneous details, everything would take about half a month. That would mean that they had a month and a half left. There was sufficient time, so these drawings couldn’t be the latest ones.

For the upcoming Autumn Release Conference, aside from the exhibition for the new product releases, most companies would allocate some space for existing products that were already on the market. No companies would be an exception to this practice. Each company would use the exhibition as a chance to promote their best-selling products from the previous year. YL was one such case, except that the judgement of ‘best-sellers’ laid in Yan Jin’s hands.

This was where YL was different from SI. SI would base their decisions on the market sales data, making the need to go through their chairperson redundant.

Xiao Yu would not make any judgement on the merits and drawbacks for such arrangements. Any matters related to the company’s operational matters of philosophy had nothing to do with him, nor would he understand them. What he knew was whether a drawing was good or bad – That was his job scope.

It was just like a mathematics question that needed to be solved.

This pile of drawings had a total of thirty pieces, and every piece was the masterpiece of the world’s greatest designers. The sales volume and marketing related data were all stated in the side columns of the drawing – there was no need for Xiao Yu to analyze the data. He only needed to roughly understand the meaning behind those numbers and the additional requirements of having a unique platform such as the Autumn Release Conference. All the prerequisites were mentioned above, and they would select the five most suitable drawings to be displayed at the exhibition from there.

Five was a general numerical amount that Xiao Yu could understand. Even if YL was determined to be unconventional, they would not stray too far from that figure.

Yet Yan Jin passed those drawings to Xiao Yu as a plaything. Not that the chairperson would be worried that Xiao Yu would accidentally chew on it. After all, those were just photocopies – he could have as many as he wished; there was no need to worry about the cost of paper.

Under Yan Jin’s unrestrained actions, a mysterious scene unfolded.

Xiao Yu put down the drawing that were in his paw, wobbled his way over to Yan Jin’s hand and dipped his little paw into the ink bottle beside the fountain pen!

Yan Jin couldn’t stop his hamster in time. He looked on helplessly as that white little paw was stained black.

“Fishy!?”

Yan Jin had made a mistake. He had chosen to close the ink bottle first before reaching out to grab Xiao Yu. That move made him miss the opportunity to capture his hamster as Xiao Yu nimbly rolled over and successfully escaped his hands.

Xiao Yu, who had successfully made an escape, quickly ran onto the drawing, settled his butt on it, and stretched out his paw –

Boop.

The black little paw was pressed onto the drawing.

Although Yan Jin was mentally prepared to be tormented by Xiao Yu, when the chairman witnessed Xiao Yu’s method of torment, he couldn’t help but to be deeply shaken by it.

This is one hell of a mysterious hamster. Yan Jin could not refrain from ridiculing.

Yan Jin, whose attention was successfully diverted, put aside the work in his hand and devoted himself to watch as Xiao Yu fooled around.

Xiao Yu had wrecked one of the drawings, but did not touch the second one. He lowered himself to bite on that drawing, threw it aside, and revealed the next drawing.

Boop. Sealed.

Sshh. Thrown away.

The black-colored paw stopped on the top corner of the drawing as Xiao Yu lowered his head, throwing that drawing aside.

No sealing; he did not put a seal on that drawing.

Sshh. Thrown away.

This drawing had no seal either.

Initially, Yan Jin was only quietly watching his pet play around. Moments later, he couldn’t help but realize something.

Could he be selecting the drawings?

After watching for a few more seconds, Yan Jin felt that the possibilities were getting higher.

Chairman Yan picked up the few drawings that Xiao Yu had thrown aside. As expected, he arranged them neatly, flipped through them, and found that not all drawings had paw prints – only two drawings among those ten pieces had paw prints.

A coincidence? Yan Jin looked at Xiao Yu in bewilderment.

The expensive ink was splattered everywhere, yet Yan Jin did not seem to mind at all.

Very quickly, all thirty drawings were completely ‘evaluated’.

The ink on Xiao Yu’s paw was unclear by the fourth drawing. The hardworking Xiao Yu squeaked at Yan Jin, and the latter expressed his understanding as he opened up the ink bottle.

Xiao Yu unreservedly stuck his short little paw into the ink bottle and stirred in it.

All thirty drawings were now in Yan Jin’s hand. Chairman Yan frowned as he looked through them once again.

There were a total of seven drawings that Xiao Yu had sealed his paw print on. Six of those happened to be the choices that Yan Jin had in mind.

Hm, it must be coincidence.

Fishy had proven himself to be the hamster that he kept – he knew Yan Jin’s thoughts too well.

Yan Jin, who was deceiving himself, scooped Xiao Yu into his hand and tenderly stroked that little paw whose fur had been rubbed off.