Chairs are left out of place around the meeting room.

  Paper cups left on the table still give off residual warmth, a faint scent of coffee lingering.

  Door is pushed open once more.

  Footsteps follow in succession.

  “You’re back~ I’ve already submitted it~”

  The boss stands there, casually swinging the phone in hand.

  The director whips around.

  “It’s only been ten minutes—what could you even have submitted!?”

  “I do know where to draw the line, alright?

  I just happened to see a contest titled ‘’ (a Bad Ending–themed challenge), so I submitted .”

  “Oh… I see…”

  Just as relief begins to settle in, the boss speaks again.

  “But I did spot one that suits us quite well.”

  A casual tap, and the wall projection lights up.

  All eyes turn toward the screen.

  The art lead has just sat down, eyes half-lidded.

  “…? What caught your eye?”

  “Heh heh heh, there’s a badge just for entering!” The boss sounds like he’s found treasure.

  “A super cute badge!”

  “…Don’t make me say something I’ll regret.”

  “No, no, I’m not done yet!”

  “That event allows actor borrowing and even fan works.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  We can just use existing resources to shoot one. No downside, really! ”

  The screenwriter is already on the relevant page, nodding while reading.

  “Actors have to appear for more than half the runtime, and it only runs one to six minutes. Pretty lightweight.”

  The boss spreads his hands.

  “And it’s a short film, so the pressure won’t be too high.

  We can switch things up a bit, too~”

  The director flips through notes.

  “Alright, everyone take some time to go through the contest rules and the original work.

  Let’s regroup in thirty minutes and compare notes.”

  Everyone nods and begins looking things up.

  After confirming everyone is seated, the screenwriter taps the touchpad.

  “I think we can make use of these elements:

  , of each lunar month, , and .”

  “Mm… maybe a bit of ?”

  “In any case, we can go full angst.

  A tragic past life, a rebirth that forgets love, and finally love remembered.”

  The art lead leans back in the chair in agreement.

  “And the setting is ancient, with that semi-legendary narrative atmosphere.

  It works well with the style of .”

  After glancing over the details, the director adds,

  “The original work’s character only needs to appear for half the runtime.

  We can have Solas, Xiyu, and the rest appear as well—and get a bit of promotion in the process.”

  The art lead catches on immediately.

  “Exactly! We already have costumes, set assets, and props. No need to make anything new. Don’t let it go to waste!”

  The manager closes the folder.

  “That makes talent coordination simpler too. Communication won’t be too complicated.”

  Discussion shifts from logic to visuals, then back from characters to production flow.

  Pace tightens, yet the atmosphere stays unusually smooth.

  Three hours later, the minute hand on the wall clock slips quietly past a few notches.

  The screenwriter closes the laptop and lets out a long breath.

  “Alright, we’ll leave the first draft of like this for now.”

  The boss stands up with the last donut in hand.

  “Mission accomplished~ Alright, alright, time to call it a day, everyone~”