Chapter 11: The Battle for Design Rights

The call from the HR department at YunChuang was slower than Zhao Ping'an had imagined. One can imagine that their internal relationships are not so 'close.' This is also a common issue in large companies; the business departments often ignore the efforts of the smaller departments and attribute all the hard work to themselves. Over time, this leads to internal class struggles within the company and cultivates a group of qualified negative analysts.

On the morning of the third day, when Zhao Ping'an stepped into the design hall on the 19th floor of the company with three parts trepidation and seven parts anticipation, he naturally became the most outstanding and envied employee in the company's history, all because of a single sentence from the chief design director, Zhou Xinghua.

"Xiao Zhao, the office equipment hasn't been procured yet, so for now, you can sit in my office. I also have some matters to discuss with you."

So, in the large office lobby, amidst the astonished gazes of the employees, this guy, who was so young that he hadn't even grown a full beard, boldly sat down in the office of the Chief Designer on his first day of reporting for duty.

Zhou Xinghua indeed had something to discuss with Zhao Ping'an. He first inexplicably handed over a bank card and then said with a smile, "Your matchstick sticker idea was liked by Chuan Yu Zhongyan. Here, this is the 100,000 yuan creative fee. You keep it for yourself."

"100,000?" Zhao Ping'an was taken aback and hurriedly took the bank card with great seriousness. His mother had always told him that knowledge changes destiny, but Zhao Ping'an had never taken it to heart until this moment. He finally understood that this saying might be the simplest and most profound truth in the world.

"Of course, this matter is being handled privately. After all, that thing isn't even a complete design yet. Keep the money, but don't mention it in the office, understood?"

"Leader, I understand! "Zhao Ping'an blinked and gave Zhou Xinghua a relaxed look.

Zhou Xinghua was also amused by his self-assured demeanor, unable to hold back a laugh as he said, "Last time I looked into the design of the air umbrella, I made a detailed design plan. You can check it later to see if there's anything missing. For now, our top priority is to create a prototype. The client is pushing us hard."

"Good leader, no problem! "On the first day of work, he earned 100,000 yuan, and Zhao Ping'an's heart was practically bursting with happiness; at this moment, whatever you say goes.

For more than a week afterward, Zhao Ping'an practically became an on-site worker following Zhou Xinghua. Apart from the first two days when he was busy running to the mold company, he later flew to Beijing to order a set of graphene-based lithium-ion batteries from Dongxu Optoelectronics. After returning, he just stayed in the cold and desolate product center of the company.

It's quite exaggerated that after more than half a month, apart from Zhou Xinghua, he hasn't made a single friend in the huge Yun Chuang Building. Even Shen Mengyu, who is in a large department, only met him when she specifically went to repay a debt.

This class is so isolated, that it's almost cut off from the world.

Fortunately, after 17 days of relentless effort, the first air umbrella in human history was finally born in the product center of the YunChuang Building. He then spent another day conducting product tests.

After everything was settled, the acceptance personnel from the entrusting party, the Paradise Umbrella Group, received the information and arrived.

"Ha ha, Manager Zhang, hello! We meet again. Sorry for keeping your company waiting for so long. I hope I haven't let you down!"

This time, the Paradise Umbrella Group sent three people. One was a slightly plump middle-aged man referred to as Manager Zhang by Zhou Xinghua. The second was a young woman wearing black-framed glasses, just like Zhao Ping'an, but hers were high-end—Prada's latest model, a pair that could easily overshadow his nose. The last one was dressed in a technician's uniform, presumably one of their company's technical staff.

Zhou Xinghua warmly invited the three to take a seat in the conference room, while Zhao Ping'an hurriedly prepared the relevant materials that might be needed for the product acceptance meeting. As for the finished umbrella, it had already been smoothly handed over to the eager Manager Zhang.

Manager Zhang held the highly futuristic air umbrella in his hand, marveling, "Director Zhou, you are undoubtedly the most imaginative designer I have ever seen. This design is exactly what we need. It will become the first product in our company's transformation and upgrade, and its significance is extraordinary!"

"Hehe, I'm flattered, really flattered. Manager Zhang is exaggerating about Zhou," Zhou Xinghua said, while also noticing Zhao Ping'an's somewhat unnatural expression. He then smoothly changed the subject, saying, "Actually, the initial concept for this work was proposed by Xiao Zhao."

Saying that he also pointed to Zhao Ping'an, who was organizing the materials.

"Uh, that's also because Director Zhou leads well! "Manager Zhang glanced in the direction he was pointing and didn't take it to heart at all.

At this moment, Zhao Ping'an was struggling intensely in his mind. He had long heard that there were some unspoken rules in the big company, but he never expected to actually encounter one. He wasn't worried that Zhou Xinghua would dare to cheat him; once this deal was done, his share wouldn't be small either. However, he couldn't swallow this anger.

"Does every newcomer have to go through this?" Zhao Ping'an couldn't help but ponder in his heart. This came too suddenly, leaving him completely unprepared!

Out of the blue, he recalled the efforts he had put in during this period. Eventually, when he felt his emotions were about to spiral out of control, Zhao Ping'an hurriedly walked out of the office.

At this moment, Zhou Xinghua also came out, seemingly not feeling anything amiss, as if it were only natural. He quietly said to Zhao Ping'an, "Xiao Zhao, don't worry, all the design fees are yours. I don't want a single cent."

"But you want this piece, don't you? "Zhao Ping'an looked at him and said.

Zhou Xinghua's expression immediately turned serious, "If you put it that way, it loses all meaning. I believe I've worked hard, and if it weren't for my help, could you have produced the umbrella? I've done so much, and all I'm asking for is a title. Isn't that reasonable?"

After saying this, Zhou Xinghua paused, looked at him deeply, and then his tone became gentler, "Xiao Zhao, you are still young, and there is plenty of room for you to grow. I have high hopes for you. I believe that in less than a year and a half, you can become an associate director. Young people need to be patient."

Zhou Xinghua is so eager to obtain the design credit for the air umbrella because, unfortunately, Jiang Yaqi has hit the nail on the head with this piece. Based on his years of experience, he is almost 80% confident of winning the CF Design Award. It has been a while since he last added a significant achievement to his resume, and for the sake of his future, he is determined to secure this work.

If it were an ordinary person, they might really be persuaded by him, but Zhao Ping'an is different.

First, the recent deep dives into the industry have caused him to miss the opportunity to understand the industry's dark side in advance, leaving him completely unprepared mentally. 

Second, although he cares about money, he also values the enhancement of his reputation. He is clear in his mind that if he wants to achieve great things in this life, the Craftsman System is undoubtedly his best helper. Therefore, he must work hard to improve his reputation in order to obtain more valuable resources from the system. Currently, the fastest way he can think of to gain a reputation is to design a product that can

So, he couldn't easily part with this piece! 

Moreover, there's something he never mentioned: Zhou Xinghua initially gave him 100,000 yuan, claiming it was the price offered by Chuan Yu Zhongyan for the matchstick post. But coincidentally, his good buddy Song Xiaohu's dad is a mid-level leader at Chuan Yu Zhongyan, and the price he mentioned was actually 300,000 yuan!

It was from that time onwards that Zhao Ping'an began to be wary of Zhou Xinghua in his heart.

"Sorry, boss, my design is mine, and no one can take it away."