Started as a comics editor

Chapter 20 The World in the Mind and the Real World

"Why do you look so bad? Did you go robbing graves?"

Tang Yao lowered her head again and asked casually.

On the other side, Kang Ming, whose face was extremely bad, heard Tang Yao's words. He didn't rush to answer, but first pulled out a chair and sat down. Then he said seriously: "Editor Tang... I'm so awesome."

"Eh?"

Tang Yao was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then slowly turned her head and looked at him with wide eyes: "My condolences... Also, if possible, please tell me in detail!"

She is very interested!
"No."

Kang Ming looked at Tang Yao, whose eyes sparkled, and knew she had misunderstood. He shook his head vigorously, then raised the latest issue of "Big Comic" in his hand and said solemnly, "Three years ago, when I just graduated, I saw the single volume of the comic "Girl to Boy and Sword". From then on, I fell in love with this comic. The reason why I came to interview for the comic editor position when I was desperate was also because of this comic.

Because I really, really like this comic."

"……Understood."

Tang Yao's eyes dimmed instantly, and she looked a little disappointed, just like when she saw someone bringing cat food over and was excitedly preparing to eat it, but found that the taste was not to her liking.

However, she did understand the reason why Kang Ming had that expression.

“I really like this comic, but do you know what’s in the latest issue!!!”

Kang Ming suddenly became excited: "Teacher, go all out! No! Old thief! No! That idiot actually..."

"You are noisy."

Tang Yao lowered her head again, adjusting the font of "Human Head Balloon," and interrupted, "I know what you're worried about. I'm the editor of this comic, and I saw the plot unfold in this issue before you did."

"what?"

Kang Ming's expression froze, and he stared blankly at the girl with her head lowered, as if he had just learned about this.

Then, he became even more excited and raised his voice sharply: "Then..."

"I told you not to be too loud."

Tang Yao noticed the other editors were also looking at her, so she could only look up. "I tried my best. You should know the specific reasons. Remember the argument I had with the editor-in-chief when you first came to report? I mentioned the problem with Teacher Ou, and he asked me not to interfere."

"...Mr. Ou?"

"I almost forgot you just got here. Go All Out is a pen name. His real name is Ou Congquan... Yes, that's the Mr. Ou I mentioned."

"..."

Hear this.

Kang Ming's expression froze again, and then the memories of his first day in the editorial department came flooding back.

There's something wrong with Mr. Ou's drawings! Do you think you can understand more than him? Do you know what Big Comic's best-selling work is? Do you know what the impact of a one-week hiatus for Girls to Boys to Sword will be?

Editor-in-Chief Ding's words exploded in Kang Ming's ears.

"He's an idiot too, right?!"

For an instant.

Kang Ming understood the situation. He stood up suddenly and yelled, "This might as well be suspended! This drawing is shit! And there's still no problem!!!"

Because of his yelling.

Suddenly.

The entire editing room fell silent.

Everyone looked at him.

But Kang Ming didn't care at all. He just looked at Tang Yao and waved his arms: "You clearly warned me! Why do you still insist on having your own way? Why do you still want to feed the readers shit!"

"Calm down first."

Tang Yao took her hands off the keyboard and cast a helpless look at Kang Ming: "Can yelling solve the problem? Can it change the current situation?"

"But! This is outrageous! Why are both the author and the editor in chief indifferent after you've said it? This doesn't make sense at all!"

"..."

Seeing that he still hadn't calmed down and that things were getting more and more troublesome, Tang Yao took a deep breath, moved her chair around, and then slowly put away the expression on her face. She stretched out her white and tender finger, pointed downwards, and said coldly: "Sit down!"

"..." Kang Ming looked at the expressionless girl in front of him, who looked completely different from her usual cute and lively appearance. The contrast was so great that he shuddered.

In an instant, he calmed down.

Just sit down obediently.

"I can understand how you feel."

Tang Yao watched him sit down and return to his normal self. She turned her chair around and replied, "I was once a reader too. I know you're dissatisfied and indignant. You can curse if you want, but being so loud in the editorial office will be very troublesome. Don't forget that you just got here, and it's really noisy."

Kang Ming smiled bitterly, looked around, and then withdrew his gaze. He probably understood what Tang Yao meant.

but……

"But I really can't resign myself to this... It's more like my entire fantasy about this profession has been shattered, so what on earth is this old thief thinking by giving it my all?"

Kang Ming lowered his voice this time, but he held the latest issue of "Big Comic" tightly in his hand, and his words were full of strong confusion.

"Everyone has disillusionments sometimes, but it's better to get used to it sooner rather than later. After all, once your hobby becomes entangled with your career, things can get really complicated, even if you were originally planning to work in the gaming industry. You probably didn't know that many online game planners don't even play the games they're responsible for."

"Eh?"

"You really don't know."

Tang Yao lowered her head, constantly adjusting the comic font, and replied helplessly, "So work is just such a boring thing. As for giving it your all, Mr. Ou's idea is actually not uncommon. It's nothing more than losing the reins, then immersing yourself in your own world, feeling good about yourself... After all, to a certain extent, the artist is free and can draw whatever they want, as long as they don't consider commercial issues at all.

But if it is a commercial work, the market will teach them what the real world is and what the price is.

If online game planners don’t play their own games, they won’t understand what the players really want. They may be able to hold on for a while, but they will definitely face retribution in the end.

The retribution for the comics will come even faster. After all, Mr. Ou’s work is far from finished. The next reader survey, the popularity of the comics, and the readers’ grievances will be directly fed back to Mr. Ou.

He will probably soon understand that there is a gap between the real world and the world in his mind."

Speaking of which.

Tang Yao couldn't help but think of an animation from her previous life called 'The Irregular at Magic High School', the one commonly known as the Anti-X Hero.

That animation perfectly illustrates what it means that the world of fantasy in the author's mind is completely different from the real world... The plot that Tang Yao can't stand the most is probably the ending of the first season of the animation, where they righteously stated that they would not pollute the near sea and would wait for the warship to leave the coastline.

When the nuclear waste water discharge incident came out.

Every time Tang Yao thought of this plot, she felt stupid... She wanted to stuff the microphone into the original author's mouth and let him perform it again.

"...But no matter how strong his desire to express himself is, he can't do it this way. Hasn't he considered the readers' feelings?"

After hearing what Tang Yao said, Kang Ming suffered a double disillusionment in a short period of time.

His face was ashen, and his expression was like a beating dog. He murmured, "To be honest, I still feel very upset. Miss Tang, don't you think..."

"I went four times but couldn't change Mr. Ou's mind."

Tang Yao paused, then said, "Actually, editors are the bridge between readers and cartoonists. They're responsible for preventing cartoonists from getting carried away and completely lost in their own worlds. But neither Mr. Ou nor Editor-in-Chief Ding clearly believe this."

"..."

Kang Ming was speechless.

The mainstay author insisted on his own way, and he had also listened to the words of his immediate superior, the editor-in-chief.

In that situation, I was still able to run four times diligently.

This can't be called dedication, it can be called giving one's all.

However, the result remains the same.

This moment.

He felt that all his fantasies were shattered and wanted to quit his job.

"However, judging by your reaction, other readers outside should also be upset. Next, let that Mr. Ou and that respected editor-in-chief have a taste of bitterness."

Tang Yao typed the last character, lifted her hands from the keyboard, and turned back again: "The rest of the story depends on the author himself. If he can't provide an explanation for this plot and conclude it in a better way, I think the mainstay is almost finished. Let's see what he thinks and what he chooses."

Kang Ming was stunned: "Choice... Is there any choice?"

"Turn to the last page."

(End of this chapter)