Read The Dawn Code :: CHAPTER 3: TIME

"Kitty cat? Aww, so cute!"

Linden's colleague next to her cooed at his simple sketch, utterly smitten. "Linden, this design is amazing! Why didn't you show it to Juan earlier?"

Huh?

Swish!

Suddenly, all eyes in the conference room darted towards them. The design department colleagues, especially, looked at him with pleading eyes.

"What? Let me see!"

Thump, thump, thump!

Li Juan strode over. She was putting on a brave face, using anger to mask her panic. In truth, she was more nervous than anyone. Although CEO Zhao sat silently, everyone could tell she was extremely displeased, extremely angry.

Slap.

Li Juan snatched Linden's sketchpad with a swift grab.

Gradually...

Her breathing softened, her breaths became calm, and the raging fire on her head seemed to extinguish.

"You... this..."

Li Juan scratched her head, smacking her lips. "This... I actually think it's pretty good!"

Li Juan placed the sketch in front of CEO Zhao. "CEO Zhao, take a look. This is the brand image Linden designed for our new brand."

After she set the sketch down, everyone leaned forward, craning their necks to get a look.

On the clean A4 paper, there was nothing extraneous. Just a few simple strokes outlining a cartoon cat's head.

Simple.

Clean.

Minimalist lines.

Yet, it cleverly captured every nuance of expression and spirit. Although it was just a simple drawing sketched with a black pen, the cat's cuteness and vibrancy leaped off the page as if it were alive!

Immediately, everyone began discussing it:

"Wow... Linden's cat head is good! Seriously, there's an indescribable cuteness and sophistication to it."

"This, this looks even cuter than Hello Kitty to me. Kitty Cat is a bit too prim and proper, and she doesn't even have a mouth. But Linden's cat truly gives off a more youthful, vibrant feeling!"

"Young, girlish, youthful, energetic... The cat Linden drew perfectly aligns with our new brand's keywords! Linden, you're amazing! Why didn't you show us this great design earlier?"

"A good brand image needs to be simple enough for better recognition and easier dissemination. I think on that front... Linden's cat has the same magical quality as Kitty Cat, Mickey Mouse, and Doraemon."

...

This cute and simple cat head received unanimous praise from the design department colleagues!

Li Juan, whose heart had been in her throat, finally let out a sigh of relief. She looked at CEO Zhao timidly... waiting for her to speak.

Zhao Yingjun.

She was the founder of MX Company and its current chairperson. After returning from studying abroad, she founded MX Beauty Company. In less than two years, it had already gained some renown among young people. Beautiful, elegant, with both shrewdness and talent, she was like a protagonist straight out of an urban novel!

At this moment, she stared intently at the sketchpad, deep in thought.

Everyone waited for her to speak!

Finally...

Zhao Yingjun's graceful brows relaxed. "Not bad."

"Ri-right, CEO Zhao! Hahaha, you see, our design team still has talented people!"

Seeing her crisis averted, Li Juan lavishly praised Linden: "Linden is our secret weapon in the team! Our rock! Our anchor! Ahem... I usually give artists like her absolute creative freedom, never interfering or asking too many questions."

"Linden, quickly tell CEO Zhao how you designed this cat character? What was your inspiration?"

Zhao Yingjun also looked up, a hint of expectation in her eyes as she gazed at Linden.

"I dreamed it."

Linden stated honestly.

"Linden, you! Oh..."

Li Juan sighed, exasperated. This was such a perfect opportunity to shine! This silly kid didn't appreciate it at all!

Many colleagues were amused by Linden's blunt honesty.

Zhao Yingjun, however, smiled and nodded. "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Many great inventions and creations throughout history were conceived in dreams."

"The chemist Mendeleev, after working tirelessly for three days and nights, combined the elements for the Periodic Table in a dream."

"Einstein also had a dream about skiing that inspired him to consider the effects of the speed of light, leading to his theory of Special Relativity."

"But it's undeniable that without prior effort and accumulation, dreams alone won't yield results. I imagine Linden... you must have put in a lot of hard work and thought for this project."

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

Someone started it, and the entire conference room erupted in applause for Linden. It made Linden feel a little awkward. He felt undeserving.

"However..."

After the applause died down, Zhao Yingjun picked up the sketchpad again, looking at the cute cat head. "Just a cat head won't be enough. Whether it's for print packaging, posters, or brand collaborations... we need a full-body illustration."

"Including limbs, clothes, shoes... While these can be changed later, we need an initial design for reference."

Zhao Yingjun put down the sketchpad and looked at Linden. "Linden, would you mind drawing the body and attire for this cat too?"

Hearing Zhao Yingjun's words, everyone suddenly realized they had celebrated too soon. Indeed, a head alone wasn't enough! What would this cartoon cat's body look like? What proportions? What pose? What clothes? What shoes?

Everyone looked at Linden expectantly.

Linden, meanwhile, was strategically taking a sip of water.

This...

He took a gulp of tea. The Big-faced Cat's mask only had a cat's head on it; who knew what the cat's body looked like!

But this didn't faze Linden. The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. He just needed to find the Big-faced Cat in his dreams again and ask about the origin of the mask.

"No problem."

Linden put down his teacup. "The design sketches are at home; I'll bring them tomorrow."

...

Evening.

After washing up, Linden checked the clock by his bed. It was 9:01 PM.

From yesterday's dream, Linden had pieced together the full sequence of events: the Big-faced Cat and the female cryptographer had agreed to rob a bank together. They didn't know each other, so they set up a "secret password." The one wearing the cat mask was the Big-faced Cat. The one wearing the Ultraman mask was the cryptographer.

Yesterday, Linden had picked up an Ultraman mask and put it on, which led the Big-faced Cat to mistake him for the cryptographer and take him along to rob the bank.

"Therefore, today, if I just wear the Ultraman mask again, like yesterday... the Big-faced Cat will definitely reappear."

Linden closed the window. He'd experienced the winter chill yesterday, so today he needed an extra blanket. He set his alarm, placed his phone on the nightstand, and turned off the light.

"Time to sleep."

...

Whoosh!

A hot summer breeze swept by, and Linden smelled the unique fresh scent of tender green leaves. He opened his eyes.

In the brightly lit plaza, children chased each other.

"Hehehehe! Catch me! Catch me!"

"Take this! Ultraman Slide!"

"I want candied hawthorn! Waaah!"

"I don't want to go home! I want to play more!"

"Mommy! I want to ride my bike!"

Linden looked up at the electronic billboard in the center of the plaza. The time was displayed in the upper right corner:

[August 28, 2624]