Huang was slightly worried: "Do you think it'll work? Even though Teacher Chen Qi is famous in the industry, it was a year ago—he probably doesn't even remember you."
"And those big shots usually do promotions for clearly stated fees. Each of them has quite a high status, and we're asking them to help promote Ghost General without being able to offer anything..."
Ruan Guangjian shook his head: "Not necessarily. From what I've observed, these artists are generally quite friendly. Although they do take on commercial promotions, it's pretty common for them to casually promote each other's works on social media."
"The key is whether or not they like our illustrations."
"If they like them, someone might be willing to help by reposting. If not, then there's nothing we can do."
Huang nodded in agreement: "Well, I guess we can only give it a shot."
Ruan Guangjian opened the group chat. Huang leaned in and glanced at the screen. And sure enough, the group was full of well-known people.
The group admin was Chen Qi, who had long been a famous figure in China's gaming and illustration circles. He regularly appeared as a judge at various concept art competitions.
The group's other admins were all renowned individuals too.
Some were highly respected in the domestic animation circle.
Others specialized in concept design.
The group even had a few game designers, producers, novelists, and more.
These were all people Chen Qi had connections with—mostly artists, with a few professionals from gaming, animation, and other related fields.
Speaking in a group packed with big names, Ruan Guangjian felt tremendous pressure.
After some thought, he realized he couldn't immediately ask for help promoting the game, as that would seem impolite and likely be ignored.
So he typed very politely:
"Hello everyone, I'm a fourth-year art student. Recently, I completed a set of illustrations. Could I please ask for your advice on these illustrations? Are there any areas for improvement?"
His tone was extremely respectful.
Although Ruan Guangjian was confident in his skills, he was still a junior, and humility was essential.
The group wasn't very active; these big names generally maintained restraint, rarely chatting idly.
Therefore, Ruan Guangjian's message stayed visible for a while instead of getting quickly buried.
About two minutes later, someone named "Old Liu the Illustrator" responded: "Sure, send them over. Let's have a look."
Ruan Guangjian posted a few illustrations he was particularly proud of: "Thank you for your guidance!"
Old Liu the Illustrator replied: "No problem. We're all peers here, exchanging ideas and growing together. I've just been in the industry a few years longer than you, that's all."
A few seconds later, Old Liu the Illustrator sent another message:
"Damn... I take back what I just said—you're the real expert here! These lights and shadows, the poses, the details! Are you seriously just a senior student?"
Very quickly, the group members who'd been silently observing came alive, drawn out by the striking artwork.
"Another big-shot artist pretending to be a beginner? With such skill, you dare to call yourself a newbie? If you're a newbie, then what am I?!"
"Your fundamentals are incredibly solid!"
"This style is really unique. Is that dragon Guan Yu? Such a fresh take—but strangely, it doesn't feel awkward at all. It actually feels natural!"
"This whole approach feels majestic—characters, landscapes, everything has such strong visual impact."
"Are newcomers nowadays all monsters?!"
"Artwork at this level can't even be evaluated purely based on technique anymore—this is pure talent!"
"It honestly feels like the work of an international master—illustrations from Fantasy World probably wouldn't even surpass this!"
"Well, maybe that's overstating it a bit; there's still slight room for improvement in details… but it's definitely way beyond my level…"
As soon as Ruan Guangjian posted the images, the entire group erupted with excitement!
These were all professionals, so they immediately recognized merits that regular people wouldn't even notice.
Ordinary viewers typically judged artwork based on whether it "looked right," if it seemed "detailed," or based purely on subjective feelings.
But professionals could accurately discern nuances in lighting, composition, details, and more.
In other words, two similar artworks might appear equally good to an amateur, but professionals could instantly distinguish which artist possessed superior skills.
And now, the illustrations Ruan Guangjian had posted belonged to that rare class of artworks even industry leaders would consider extraordinary!
"Incredible! The key here is imagination!"
"Breaking free from conventional character designs and creating something entirely new requires exceptional imagination; translating that imagination into clear visuals demands profound skill and innate talent!"
"If these illustrations were actually used in a game, it would be phenomenal!"
The person speaking now was Chen Qi, the group's Admin, who was himself a renowned concept design master in China's gaming industry.
He paused briefly, then typed, "When did this friend join the group? How come I have no memory of him…"
Ruan Guangjian's mouth twitched slightly.
Sure enough, Chen Qi had completely forgotten him.
After all, Chen Qi had invited him into the group casually a year ago. Since Ruan Guangjian hadn't spoken since then and many new people had joined afterward, it wasn't surprising Chen Qi forgot about him.
But that didn't matter. For artists, the most important thing was letting the artwork speak for itself!
As soon as he posted these images, everyone in the group immediately took note of this talented newcomer, Ruan Guangjian.
"Brother, are you considering coming to our company after graduation? We'll definitely offer above-market salaries!"
"Join us instead! Our projects have better prospects, and we offer higher profit-sharing opportunities!"
The group had already started competing to recruit him.
Ruan Guangjian naturally felt delighted. Receiving such high recognition from industry experts was incredibly gratifying!
In fact, before completing these illustrations, he had been deeply unsure whether his original style would ever succeed.
Creative fields always shared similar uncertainty: no one could predict a book's success before its release, nor whether a film would become a box-office hit before it premiered.
Illustrations, being so subjective, made predictions even more challenging.
But now, seeing the enthusiastic response from these professionals, Ruan Guangjian felt completely confident in himself!
However, he didn't forget his original goal for coming to this group chat.
"Actually, these illustrations were commissioned by a game called Ghost General," Ruan Guangjian explained, typing carefully. "Unfortunately, the game is facing some small difficulties, so I'm here hoping to ask you all for a bit of help."
Chen Qi responded, "What's wrong?"
Ruan Guangjian elaborated, "Well, the company behind the game is a very fair but small business without much money. They've invested every penny into developing and improving the game's quality, leaving absolutely nothing for marketing!"
"Therefore, I'm humbly asking if you all could help promote this game, even just a quick repost on Weibo would be great!"
Chen Qi replied immediately, "Sure, no big deal—it's just posting on Weibo. What's the game's name? Which company made it?"
Ruan Guangjian: "The game is Ghost General, and the company is Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd."
"Tengda? Tengda… why does that sound so familiar?" Chen Qi typed, feeling somewhat puzzled.