"I'm done eating. What is it you wanted to talk about?" Qiu Xi swallowed the last bite of her breakfast before speaking.
"It's not really a big deal. It's about the recruitment we discussed earlier. Since the end of the month is approaching, we were hoping you could help out again and review their finished products."
It wasn't strictly necessary, as the artwork was already done and everyone had a sense of aesthetics. However, after a meeting yesterday, they decided to hold a vote for an extra pair of eyes, and Qiu Xi, along with Nan Hua who worked on the modeling, were chosen.
"No way, bro! Is that all? You could just send me an email about it!" Qiu Xi rolled her eyes at Xu Xuanming. "Why make it so formal..." She had thought it was something important that would delay her.
Xu Xuanming was speechless. "You're such a busy person, are you sure you'll see it if I message you?" He'd been hearing his family nag about his busy cousin, constantly worrying she was starving herself. It all started when Master Du would casually mention Qiu Xi's study progress to her grandparents. Plus, he hadn't received any replies to his previous messages. Since he wanted to slack off a bit today, he decided to stay and talk to her before heading to the company later.
Qiu Xi blinked. "Then you could just call me directly..."
Xu Xuanming was at a loss for words. He could do that, but he wanted to confirm her availability beforehand. "Alright, alright, I admit that was poorly considered." Xu Xuanming lowered his head first, then continued, "So, do you have time during the last week of this month? I'll organize everything and send it to your email."
Qiu Xi nodded. "I should. But just in case, it would be better if you remind me beforehand." What if something unexpected came up at the end of the month? One could never be sure.
Xu Xuanming nodded. "Okay, I'll let you know closer to the date."
"Mhm, alright."
"Good. Then you should go find Master Du. I won't disturb you anymore."
"Okay."
With that, they parted ways, one heading out and the other heading in, each to their own tasks.
...
The students had the weekend off, but the teachers were swamped with work. Those at the training base were busy discussing changes to the plan.
"Regarding the matter you mentioned earlier, after observing for the past couple of days, I think it's feasible," Qi Yun stated her thoughts to the other three.
Jin Qiong listened and nodded absentmindedly. "It is feasible. The three of us discussed it, and Qiu Xi has definitely passed our standards."
"So, you're saying she just needs a final assessment?"
"Yes!" The three nodded in unison. Indeed, after a week of interaction and testing, the girl's skill level had met the requirements. Instead of continuing with basic learning, it would be better for her to finish early and gain more experience.
"This is indeed a problem..." The assessment was originally scheduled for after the new year, when everyone would be assessed together, followed by about a month of practical application, bringing them close to the event's start. Having one person assessed individually was quite inconvenient. The difficulty also lay in the assessment questions themselves. A unique set for each person was time-consuming, and with the tight training schedule, it was proving to be a hassle. Furthermore, allowing one person to start practical training early might cause issues with the higher-ups, leading to a lot of explanations.
"How about we conduct a batch of exams at the end of the month?"
"Hmm? Everyone at once?"
"Yes, let students who feel they are ready take the exam. If they pass, it'll save us a lot of trouble..."
"Hmm... that might work." It did seem like a viable option. The training was meant to ensure the students met the standards and could perform without issues at the event in March. If they could finish theoretical learning early and move on to practical application, it shouldn't be a problem. In theory, this would even help them save on training costs.
"Shall we... just do that?"
"Agreed!"
"Mhm, feasible."
"Great! Since we've all agreed, I'll submit an application on Monday. If it's approved, we'll start preparing for the assessments."
"Thank you, Teacher Jin."
"Don't mention it. It's my responsibility as the person in charge." Jin Qiong shook her head. "If this works out, we'll have to deal with creating the second round of exam questions!"
"That's nothing. If it doesn't work out, we can always keep the students busy," Qi Yun said cheerfully. Honestly, her exam questions were repetitive. If they had to create new ones, she could just modify the basic version for the students who passed. It wasn't a big problem.
"Hahahaha!"
"Teacher Qi, that's a good idea. We might actually try that!"
Qi Yun waved her hand dismissively. "I'm just saying..." As for what would happen then, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
"Understood, understood."
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll go write the application now. Whether it works out depends on next week."
"Okay, we'll wait for good news from upstairs."
"Mhm."
After the short meeting, Jin Qiong went back to drafting the application and finally submitted it before Monday arrived.
...
The second week of training began, but no news had come from upstairs yet. Qiu Xi had requested a day off from Jin Qiong due to matters at Xiguang. Since the girl didn't need any more instruction, Jin Qiong approved the leave exceptionally quickly. It was only for one day, so Qiu Xi arrived at the company early in the morning.
Conference Room –
"Sister Xi, this is what we've been busy with recently."
"I've finalized the endorsement deals, and at Qinqin Studio, Chu Lanzhi has been working on it as well."
"If there are no unexpected issues, the major publicity revamp before the end of the year that you projected should be completed on schedule."
Qiu Xi reviewed the report in her hands and listened to Song Jingshu's briefing, then nodded in temporary relief. "Good. I have no objections." They had handled the tasks she assigned very well, and now they were just waiting for the publicity campaign's results.
"By the way, what about Pei Wen? Has the testing for the new product we discussed been completed?"
"Sister Xi, they replied that it will take some more time, citing the heavy workload at the end of the year..." Qiu Xi frowned upon hearing this. "Is it overdue?"
"Yes, the deadline passed a couple of days ago. I've already followed up."
"Alright, let's wait another couple of days. If it's still not done, we'll investigate the situation further."
"Understood."
"Besides this, have we started the research for the custom series I mentioned to you?" This was the first major release after the new year, and nothing could go wrong.
Pei Wen nodded. "Sister Xi, please don't worry. We started right after our discussion."
"Mhm, good."
"In that case, there are no further issues for now."
"Everyone else can be dismissed. Jingshu, please stay behind."
Song Jingshu replied, "Okay."
After everyone else had left, Qiu Xi picked up the documents on the table and stood up. "Let's go to my office." With that, she walked out, and Song Jingshu followed suit with a nod.
...