Chapter 63

When Ma Zhen called Shen Zhenghui the next morning at seven o'clock, the sky in Beijing was already bright, which Shen Zhenghui was still not used to. The intense exercise last night had drained a lot of his energy, making him sleep very deeply. When he was woken up by the phone, his mind was still not fully awake.

"Mr. Shen," Ma Zhen on the other end of the phone also seemed a bit embarrassed, "we were wondering, when should we go over?"

The book signing event for Teacher Song was only in the morning, starting at eight o'clock. Ma Zhen was probably worried about not making it by eight, so he called Shen Zhenghui to remind him. Shen Zhenghui thought that they were not going to attend the book signing but to talk to Teacher Song after it was over, so there was no point in going too early. He casually said, "You can go to the restaurant first, get ready, and we'll leave at eight."

"Mr. Shen, the book signing starts at eight," Ma Zhen said, then suggested, "How about I go over first, and you guys can come later?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? The book signing starts at eight, not ends. We are going to meet Teacher Song, and we need to wait until he is free. Let's leave at eight. Didn't we agree that a car would pick us up?"

"Ah? Eight o'clock?" Qing Nao Zhizhao, who was lying next to Shen Zhenghui, immediately woke up from her daze upon hearing "eight o'clock" and almost jumped out of bed, "Oh no, the class starts at eight."

Ma Zhen on the other end of the phone heard a woman's voice and immediately felt uneasy. He hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, Mr. Shen, we'll leave at eight." He hung up the phone with a lingering fear, frowning, "How am I going to explain this to President Liu?"

Shen Zhenghui turned to see Qing Nao Zhizhao hurriedly getting dressed and couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry," he said, looking at the clock on the pillow, "It's only seven, not eight. We have time."

Qing Nao Zhizhao, who was in a hurry, paused, jumped to the bedside to confirm the time, and then sighed in relief. However, she still dressed quickly and said, "Considering the time it takes to get to school, it's a bit tight."

"Let's have breakfast together before we go!" Shen Zhenghui also got out of bed, searching for his clothes on the floor, and suggested to Qing Nao Zhizhao.

"No, it's not good if your colleagues see me," Qing Nao Zhizhao said, already starting to comb her hair in the mirror.

"What's the big deal?" Shen Zhenghui acted as if it didn't matter.

Qing Nao Zhizhao smiled, walked over, and kissed Shen Zhenghui on the cheek, "Still, no." Although her expression was calm, her tone was firm.

"At least have breakfast," Shen Zhenghui said.

"There are pancake stands near our school. I buy one every morning for breakfast." Qing Nao Zhizhao had already finished getting ready and waved to Shen Zhenghui, "I'll go first."

Shen Zhenghui followed her to the door, "You do your thing. I can go by myself." Qing Nao Zhizhao stood at the door, holding the doorknob, "Don't let anyone see us."

"So what if they see us? They don't know me." Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips, "I'll pick you up tonight?"

"No, you have work, don't you? You have to meet someone," Qing Nao Zhizhao said.

"This will be done during the day." Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips and took out a room card from his pocket, "Here, if I'm busy, I'll call you. You can wait for me in the room."

"Okay..." Qing Nao Zhizhao took the room card with a strange smile.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," Qing Nao Zhizhao covered her mouth, "I'll go first."

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth and wash your face?"

"I'll do it at my place." Qing Nao Zhizhao walked out, ignoring Shen Zhenghui's objections, and gently closed the door. She then ran to the elevator.

Shen Zhenghui opened the door again, watching Qing Nao Zhizhao turn around and smile at him before entering the elevator. He closed the door and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After getting ready, when he arrived at the restaurant, Ma Zhen and two other animators were already eating heartily, and the driver from the Wang family, Lu Ji, was also there.

Ma Zhen saw Shen Zhenghui and flashed an awkward smile. Shen Zhenghui took a plate, chose some food from the buffet, and sat down with them. Everyone greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Shen."

"Everyone, let's eat and rest a bit, then leave at eight," Shen Zhenghui said. Everyone agreed, and Ma Zhen's awkward expression did not escape Shen Zhenghui's notice.

...

Teacher Song's book signing was not very successful. Not many people came, although those who did were very enthusiastic, asking Teacher Song all sorts of questions, but not many books were sold.

Teacher Song had time to chat with Shen Zhenghui while signing books.

"Mainstream Chinese fighter jets around 2020?"

"Yes, large-scale deployment of the J-10 is the most likely. The J-8s will probably be retired by then. Yes, the successful test flight hasn't been officially announced, but you already know. You are well-informed!"

"Besides the J-10, there might be a more advanced fighter, but it's unlikely to be operational by 2020. At most, there might be one or two experimental aircraft. Oh, what do you want to name it? J-10 doubled? J-20?"

"Large-scale air combat? In animation form? I'm quite interested in that, but our country won't cooperate. It's all military secrets. Yes, you won't be allowed to see it. Parameters? No, impossible, all military secrets. Yes, the appearance? This... is... Yes, you mean the J-9? Indeed, from J-9 to J-10, there is a clear lineage."

"Promotion strategy? I can ask, but I can't guarantee anything. These things can't be decided by just anyone."

"Yes, this is not a small matter. If it leaks, no one can take the responsibility. Just wait a bit longer."

Teacher Song seemed very approachable, but Shen Zhenghui still felt that he didn't get much. He didn't get any core information. However, it was still good that Teacher Song showed a strong inclination towards the cooperation. After the book signing, Shen Zhenghui invited Teacher Song to have dinner.

It was a nearby Shandong cuisine restaurant, and the driver from the Wang family had already reserved a table. Shen Zhenghui sat with three of Teacher Song's fans in a private room. Teacher Song looked at the table full of dishes and said it was too lavish, insisting that it was wasteful. This frugal attitude made Shen Zhenghui, who was used to luxury, feel a bit embarrassed.

"Teacher Song, which level of leadership do we need to consult for this matter?" Shen Zhenghui asked cautiously.

"Probably the highest level," Teacher Song said, taking a bite of rice.

"Really?" As a time traveler, Shen Zhenghui found this a bit absurd, "We are just making an animation, it shouldn't be this complicated."

"Fighter jet parameters are all military secrets, so we need to consult the highest authority," Teacher Song explained.

Shen Zhenghui looked troubled, "Teacher Song, you are really a great help. But this is all our fault for thinking too much. We could just find a designer to create a plane design ourselves. We could use the parameters of the American F-16 or something. Why trouble you so much? I feel really bad about it."

"It's fine," Teacher Song waved his hand, "I'm also quite interested. Do you have any materials ready?"

Shen Zhenghui looked at Ma Zhen, who quickly said, "We brought some of the finished images, and..." He glanced at Shen Zhenghui, "We also brought some sample scenes from 'Tokyo Fortress.'"

"Did you finish 'Tokyo Fortress'?" Shen Zhenghui opened his mouth, "What scenes did you bring?"

"F-16 and F-22 combat scenes," Ma Zhen said in a low voice, "We copied them privately. The sound effects are complete, and we just need the voice actors to dub them." Having lived in Japan for a long time, Ma Zhen was familiar with Japanese anime terminology.

Teacher Song became even more interested, "Let's find a place this afternoon to watch it. How about at my place?"

The combat scenes in 'Tokyo Fortress' included various U.S. military aircraft like the F-16, F-18, and F-22. The meticulous Japanese character and ample budget, under the supervision of Murahama Shoji, ensured that 'Tokyo Fortress' was produced with great attention to detail. Considering the need to gather material for the prequel of 'Battle Fairy Yuuki,' the supervisor almost spent money without restraint. The result was very impressive, and Murahama Shoji was already considering editing a movie version to promote 'Battle Fairy Yuuki.'

Ma Zhen brought back a VCD of the post-production scenes, which included some animated scenes with voice dubbing. Thus, the group had the opportunity to visit Teacher Song's home. It was a simple and comfortable apartment in Beijing, far from being luxurious.

Teacher Song had a VCD player, so Ma Zhen carefully inserted the disc. The group sat down to watch the animation scenes. Lu Ji, the driver from the Wang family, was also there, though he thought it was a bit silly for a group of adults to watch an animation together.

However, he soon changed his mind. The roar of the planes and the sound effects of missile launches instantly captivated the heart of this former military man. He stared in amazement at the planes performing various incredible combat maneuvers on the screen, accompanied by almost realistic sound effects, which left all the men in the room deeply moved.

"Is... is this an animation?" Lu Ji opened his mouth in disbelief.

Ma Zhen introduced to Teacher Song, "We made this ourselves. It still needs a lot of improvement. We used the J-8 as the prototype, but it doesn't feel quite right."

Teacher Song was also impressed. He blinked, "It's very good."

Lu Ji nodded, "Yes, very good."

The few minutes of air combat soon ended.

Shen Zhenghui waved his hand, "Let's see the Japanese version."

So, the animator Wang Fangyuan came forward to change the disc.

The combat scenes in 'Tokyo Fortress' included various U.S. military aircraft like the F-16, F-18, and F-22. The meticulous Japanese character and ample budget, under the supervision of Murahama Shoji, ensured that 'Tokyo Fortress' was produced with great attention to detail. Considering the need to gather material for the prequel of 'Battle Fairy Yuuki,' the supervisor almost spent money without restraint. The result was very impressive, and Murahama Shoji was already considering editing a movie version to promote 'Battle Fairy Yuuki.'

Ma Zhen brought back a VCD of the post-production scenes, which included some animated scenes with voice dubbing. Thus, the group had the opportunity to visit Teacher Song's home. It was a simple and comfortable apartment in Beijing, far from being luxurious.

Teacher Song had a VCD player, so Ma Zhen carefully inserted the disc. The group sat down to watch the animation scenes. Lu Ji, the driver from the Wang family, was also there, though he thought it was a bit silly for a group of adults to watch an animation together.

However, he soon changed his mind. The roar of the planes and the sound effects of missile launches instantly captivated the heart of this former military man. He stared in amazement at the planes performing various incredible combat maneuvers on the screen, accompanied by almost realistic sound effects, which left all the men in the room deeply moved.

"Is... is this an animation?" Lu Ji opened his mouth in disbelief.

Ma Zhen introduced to Teacher Song, "We made this ourselves. It still needs a lot of improvement. We used the J-8 as the prototype, but it doesn't feel quite right."

Teacher Song was also impressed. He blinked, "It's very good."

Lu Ji nodded, "Yes, very good."

The few minutes of air combat soon ended.

Shen Zhenghui waved his hand, "Let's see the Japanese version."

So, the animator Wang Fangyuan came forward to change the disc.