The next day, in the Arts Department.
As if light had seeped through the once-chaotic place, the department was peaceful and contributed to the employees’ harmonies.
They all worked with high enthusiasm, no one even wanted to be distracted from their work. As much as they liked gossip and loved to see drama happening every day in the department, they were also fed up.
Every employee in MystiArt Productions was currently serious. And they felt like the Arts Department was greatly lacking behind.
If Annie hadn’t returned, Priscilla would have been working their ass off apart from making trouble every few minutes in the department.
So no matter how they tried to be serious, they couldn’t get anything done really.
But Annie’s appearance again dissipated their worries. The department was almost back to the way it had been in the past. Annie didn’t add to or reduce their workload. They could spend the whole day designing a character and also take some rest now and then.
Surprisingly, Priscilla didn’t linger all day in the Manager’s office the way she always did. She was in her cubicle, but no one could tell whether she was working or not.
The employees still feared her, but not as much as before. None even wanted to associate with her, therefore, they treated her like the air.
And those who had to pretend that they didn’t like Annie couldn’t keep up with their pretense anymore. They grew confident and even had the courage to openly throw remarks.
“Ms. Lin, this character you gave me to draw is so complex. Could Ms. Lin be so nice to give me some directions?”
Annie was in her cubicle, silently drawing a character on her desktop. She looked up and her brows furrowed at the girl’s question.
Sensing Annie’s confusion, the girl smiled and walked forward to her cubicle. “Ms. Lin, It is this villain character you gave me to draw. I wish I could do it perfectly the way you do, but I can’t. Ah! Why is it so hard to draw villain characters?”
Annie took the girl’s tablet and assessed her drawing. “It isn’t that hard. Pay more attention to the details about the character. Often, villain characters have sharp features and use striking colors. Also, pay attention to the personality stated in the template. You won’t be confused.”
“Ms. Lin, you can say that easily all because you’re a master at it.” While Annie lectured her patiently, the girl put on a sad look.
“People like Ms. Lin are rare geniuses. Her explanation just enlightened my mind.” Another employee chipped in.
“If we could have Ms. Lin coach us once in a while, wouldn’t it be great? I also encounter problems with drawing villain characters, I could do with some help.”
“Eh? Why is it so hard to draw villain characters by the way? Doesn’t that surprise you?”
“You’re right, I’m also curious. If even a protagonist can be drawn with great ease, why not the villain characters too? After all, they’re not as significant as the protagonists in a story.”
“They’re also not as good-looking. Ms. Lin, could you enlighten us regarding this?”
“Sure.” Annie nodded. “The difference between the protagonists and the villain characters lies in their personalities. Most of the time, our protagonists don’t observe extravagant lifestyles. All in all, the protagonists are easygoing which is shown in their body language and facial expressions. As for the villain characters, they can be termed the opposite. The reason why their characters are complex is because most villain characters are two-faced, some male villains included.”
“As the Artist.” She continued. “You have to maintain the momentum or balance between the villains’ ever-changing personalities. To the outside world, they mostly act nice, and they can change instantly when no one is watching. So even if they possess these two qualities, you can’t make the villain’s good side especially nice. You have to present it in such a way that it will only serve as a façade to the dark side. So balancing these two is pretty complex.”
“Ms. Lin, you’re a great teacher.” The employees’ eyes shone with admiration after Annie was done explaining.
“Although we have been taught all these in Arts College, you just explained it in a clear and comprehensive way.”
“My memory has just been refreshed, all thanks to you, Ms. Lin.”
“Even though drawing a villain character is difficult, if one knows the rules and the presentation of that character, it becomes easier and even enjoyable. Right, Ms. Lin?”
“You’re right, Sabrina.” Annie smiled at the girl. “I’m happy you were all able to understand it. The protagonists and the villain characters are very important, which is why we must pay good attention to their designs.”
“Ms. Lin is the most clever.”
“Haha, If Ms. Lin could continue enlightening us this way, everyone in the Arts Department will soon become a genius.”
“Those imps from the Innovation Department won’t be able to catch up with us then once they finally join us.”
“You’re a great leader, Ms. Lin. Sadly, you also applied to transfer to the CEO’s secretariat. Isn’t that a waste of talent?”
“Says who?” Layla looked at that employee in amusement. “That is when she’ll even get to use her talent to its full potential. If we get to transfer there, don’t you know that we’ll overlook every report that comes from the Arts Department?”
“That’s what I heard also.” A male employee nodded in agreement. “Although a Secretary’s position isn’t as important as a Manager’s, the Manager has to always report to the CEO’s secretary through his assistant. Then the secretary will assess the reports before handing them to the CEO’s assistant. The reports go from the assistant to the CEO who has the final interpretation.”
“Wow! That’s awesome! If only I could get to that position.”
“We might be lucky, who knows?”
“If Ms. Lin becomes one of the CEO’s secretaries, this position as the Assistant Manager will be insignificant in comparison. Ms. Lin will also be free from drawing characters every day unless she feels like it. All she has to do is judge the reports from this department.”
While the employees chatted busily, they were unaware of the black smoke rising from a particular cubicle.
Priscilla was so annoyed that her face twisted in disgust. She made a loud sound while pushing her chair back and standing up.
Glaring at all the employees, she stormed into the Manager’s Office.