"Oh."

"Ah."

For a while, both Li Caiyi and Dai Shenqiang couldn't say anything but those two words. Shao Jingfei took them to look around the company, and Li Caiyi must say that this company was much bigger than she expected. Of course, not as big as Meng Pharmaceutical, but it was still huge.

Then, Shao Jingfei took them to the 11th floor, where the workshop was held.

Honestly, Li Caiyi kind of underestimated it at first. She thought it would be just like any regular workshop out there. But the workshop apparently included the direct practical course too.

In the spacious hall, which was similar to a classroom in college (only twice bigger), Li Caiyi and Dai Shenqiang followed Shao Jingfei's lead. They sat on the back row seats while observing what happened.

Standing behind the podium, in front of the class, was a middle-aged woman with a gentle face, currently speaking about her life experience.

Li Caiyi looked around and saw that the other people who came to participate in the workshop listened carefully to her speech. Each of them had a sketchbook with some rough drawings on it.

It seemed the workshop had been going for quite some time.

Shao Jingfei, who sat beside her, leaned in to speak in a small voice. "We are not here to participate in the workshop. Shenqiang, the woman on the podium, is the one I'd like you to meet."

"I see," Dai Shenqiang replied while looking forward, visibly showing interest in her speech.

"The workshop will end soon, then I'll take you to her. In my opinion, you will learn many things from her."

After saying that, the three went silent and let the workshop continue.

Li Caiyi didn't know much about art, but she couldn't deny that the middle-aged woman was very inspiring. She spoke slowly and didn't look imposing but still had that charm which pulled you in. Listening to her made you want to grab a pencil and try drawing too.

Beside her, Shao Jingfei listened closely to her speech while Dai Shenqiang pulled out his note again. He diligently participated and sometimes asked some questions too.

Thirty minutes later, the workshop finally finished, and the woman bade the audience goodbye. Some went over to her to ask some questions or to take some pictures together. Hence, the trio needed to wait another 10 minutes before everyone dispersed.

Shao Jingfei was the first to stand up among the three, and Dai Shenqiang followed robotically behind him. He looked very tense, and it even made Li Caiyi awkward too.

Thankfully, they had the easy-going Shao Jingfei with them.

"Mrs. Mei. That was a good speech. Thanks for your hard work."

"Oh my, thank you. I noticed you came in earlier. It's been a while since I last saw you, Jingfei. How are you?"

"You can find me easily around here every day. It's you who is very difficult to meet," Shao Jingfei chuckled, which made the older woman smile as well.

"But jokes aside, I'm doing pretty well too. Do you remember what I told you the last time? About someone I'd like to introduce to you?"

"Oh yes, of course. Are those two behind you.."

"Yeah. It's them. Well, specifically this guy," Shao Jingfei pulled Dai Shenqiang forward by the elbow.

"This is Dai Shenqiang. He is my acquaintance, which I think has a good potential."historical

"I see. Nice to meet you, young man. My name is Mei Ning, and I'm a contracted illustrator here."

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am!" Dai Shenqiang quickly made a polite bow stiffly.

Mei Ning chuckled in amusement. "You don't have to be so rigid in front of me. I won't bite or scold you."

"She is right, Shenqiang. Loosen up a little. You are here to learn from her, so relax." Shao Jingfei patted him on the back.

"And the young lady here is..."

"She is one of the new writers I am responsible for."

"How are you, Mrs. Mei? I'm a new contracted writer here. My name is Li Caiyi. Nice to meet you."

Mei Ning looked pleasantly surprised. Her face brightened, and her smile grew wider. "Oh my, I didn't expect to meet you this fast. I read your first work. You did such a great job with that."

"Oh!" The surprised Li Caiyi blushed before quickly adding in a grateful tone, "I'm honored to hear that."

She never thought she would meet one of her readers in a place like this. Having a person as great as Mei Ning as one of her readers had made her day.

"You deserve the praise. I have always been curious since I heard Jingfei speak highly of you. Sure enough, I can always trust Jingfei's judgement."

"Thank you very much!"

"Haha, alright. Now, shall we talk about how I can help you?" Mei Ning's gaze shifted to Shao Jingfei.

"Yeah. It's actually pretty simple. Mrs. Mei, do you think you can accept Dai Shenqiang as your apprentice? He is still young and inexperienced, but his talent is real. I can vouch for it. He might even become an illustrator of children's books like you one day."

Li Caiyi and Dai Shenqiang turned their heads simultaneously at Shao Jingfei. Both had confusion written all over the place.

Shao Jingfei noticed their bewilderment and cleared his throat before continuing.

"This is what I mean when I said your drawing style would better suit something else. How about you try learning a bit or two from Mrs. Mei and see if you want to try drawing something else other than manhwa?"

"Jingfei, what are you planning to do this time?" Mei Ning stared at him suspiciously, but there was also a hint of amusement and indulgence in her smile.

"Mrs. Mei, I'm not planning anything. Just helping an unpolished gem to find his true calling. If it doesn't work, I will no longer say anything."

"And if it works? Are you planning to drag him to sign under our company too?"

Dai Shenqiang's eyes widened in disbelief before he turned at Shao Jingfei. There was a glimmer of hope and expectation in his eyes. "Big Brother Shao, is that true?"

"Don't feel happy just yet. We must first observe how you are doing while staying under Mrs. Mei Ning's tutelage. If she deemed you a good resource for our company to invest in, I don't see any reason we can't give you a contract."

"But, are you really planning to make him an illustrator?" Li Caiyi chimed in after finally understanding where Shao Jingfei tried to lead them.

"Like I said, he will have to pass our verdict first. But if he does pass it, we can offer a non-exclusive contract."

"Non-exclusive contract?"

"Yeah, unlike your exclusive contract, Dai Shenqiang will have more freedom to take on a job outside of what we will make him do. For an artist, this kind of contract is usually preferable. Isn't that right, Mrs. Mei?"

"Yes. I, myself, have been through this process before. So if you have the desire and drive to do it, I'd be delighted to help Jingfei's acquaintance."

"Mrs. Mei, I know you are the kindest lady in the world." Shao Jingfei blew up a kiss to the older woman, which was responded by a light wave from her.

"Your family has helped me a lot, so this is the least I can do to thank you."

There was a complicated feeling in Mei Ning's gaze as she stared at Shao Jingfei, but whether he noticed it or not, he certainly didn't show it on his face.