Started as a comics editor

Chapter 56 Reach out
Li Xue looked at Tang Yao's serious profile. When she heard her say that she didn't want to give up, she was not too surprised. She just smiled lightly and was about to speak.

Tang Yao took the initiative to say, "Miss Li... I have two paths before me now. I don't know which one to choose. Can we discuss it?"

“…Two roads?”

"Ah."

Tang Yao was a little embarrassed and said softly, "Although it's embarrassing to break my promise, there's nothing I can do since we've failed here. So the first option is to keep my job, but I'll contact Shang Tao again and confess that I'm the third-rate painter. I'll change my story and say that Fate/Zero has agreed to serialize the comic. Then, using the current popularity of Fate/Zero, we'll agree in advance that no matter how the comic performs, Wenxin Pavilion will license the comic copyright to the mobile game.

Then, I would use the monthly manuscript fees to make preliminary preparations for the game... I would not officially advance the game project until I made a lot of money from the single volume.

However, the problem with this approach is that it's too slow, and we might miss the best time to launch the mobile game. It's also difficult to convince the Literature Museum, and it seems likely that disputes will arise later, as the copyright belongs to the magazine..."

There was a pause.

Tang Yao continued, "The second path is to work tirelessly to draw the sequel to Fate/Zero as quickly as possible... relying on subsequent developments and the hype of free releases to maintain the current popularity, and then quickly finish it. Using the high popularity, we can find a magazine willing to publish a single volume and make a fortune.

However, this approach still has the same problem, that is, no matter how fast you go, it is impossible to update every day. Time is too tight. Publishing and selling single volumes also takes time, and you may miss the best opportunity.

I also have no confidence in finding a magazine willing to publish. If the game becomes a huge hit after its release, that's fine, but relying solely on readers' love and popularity... I feel like it's going to be a long, drawn-out process."

"..."

After listening to Tang Yao's two plans, Li Xue looked at her pretty face and was stunned.

After a long time.

She then asked, "Is this... what you just thought of?"

Tang Yao nodded: "Yes, I want to discuss it with you."

Li Xue stared at Tang Yao blankly, then couldn't help laughing and whispered, "I thought you would be devastated."

"..."

Tang Yao was silent for a moment, her shoulders slowly drooping as she said dejectedly, "...I was indeed shocked, but how should I put it? I can understand Miss Lin Shuang's thoughts. After all, there really had been no successful cases before."

"but."

Tang Yao straightened her back again, reached out and gently patted her face, and continued, "I understand, but I still believe that mobile games with anime-style graphics, weak social interaction, weak competition, light gameplay, and heavy plot and character design have a market... I don't want to give up, so I can only find another way. After all, self-pity won't solve any problems.

What I just said are the two most reliable paths I think, although there are various problems.

But both have their merits. Which path do you think is better, Miss Li?"

"..."

Li Xue looked at Tang Yao and smiled happily: "Stretch out your hand first, and I'll tell you."

"Hmm? Reach out? What for?"

Tang Yao was a little confused, but subconsciously stretched out her fair little hand towards her.

Li Xue did not answer, but turned sideways, gently held Tang Yao's hand, and handed something to her.

Tang Yao was stunned for a moment and looked down.

…That’s a bank card.

Tang Yao was a little confused. She slowly looked up at Li Xue's delicate and beautiful face: "This is..."

Li Xue put her hand on her cheek, looked sideways at Tang Yao, whose mouth was slightly open, and said mischievously, "The betrothal gift, of course you can also think of it as a dowry... There's 1.7 million in it."

"Hire..."

Tang Yao was still a little confused, but as soon as she uttered a word, she reacted, looked at the bank card in her hand again, and then a serious look slowly appeared on her face.

then.

She handed the bank card back to Li Xue and said softly, "No, Miss Li, I can't take your money."

Li Xue didn't seem surprised and asked, "Why?"

"Do you remember what I said?"

Tang Yao pursed her red lips, then said seriously, "Over one million, that should be all your savings. No matter how confident I am in the game, I can't guarantee 100% success. If it fails, your savings will be completely wiped out, and you won't be left with anything... This is too risky. Even if there's only a one percent chance of failure, I won't joke with my friend's life.

I appreciate that, but I really can't take your money, Miss Li."

"..."

Li Xue looked at Tang Yao who flatly refused, and a smile slowly appeared on her pretty face.

She leaned closer to Tang Yao, then straightened up, put her hand on her shoulder, and looked into her beautiful eyes: "Tang Yao, if I borrow money from you, will you lend it to me?"

"That's different. My entire savings total is less than 30,000..."

"If I really need money urgently, would you be willing?"

"...If you're willing, I'll set aside the money my sister needs for living and lend it to you."

"That's it."

"But the little money I have..."

"Tang Yao."

Li Xue looked at the stubborn girl in front of her, chuckled, interrupted her, and said softly, "You know what? I earn 35,000 yuan a month... and I don't have a boyfriend, so I don't need to support my parents. My biggest hobbies are reading comics and cooking. I'm too lazy to choose clothes, so I only wear dresses and shirts like the ones I'm wearing. And my diet is even worse. In order not to gain weight, I strictly control my calorie intake every day. I can't even eat the good food I want... So rather than saying that saving money is a habit, it's more like I have to do it out of necessity in a sense.

What I mean by saying this is not that I have too much money and I feel uncomfortable if I don't spend it. Besides the money I earn from working, there is also the New Year's money and pocket money given to me by my elders since I was a child. If you ask me to spend it casually on others, I definitely don't want to.

Actually, I really like watching the numbers on my bank account grow. It makes me feel like my life has not been lived in vain.”

"That……"

Tang Yao spoke subconsciously.

"Listen to me." Li Xue shook her head. "I'm saying this just to tell you that even if you lose all my savings, it won't be a devastating blow to my life... Also, giving money to others to spend is one thing, but giving it to you is another."

"To be honest, I don't really understand your game plan... After all, different fields are like different worlds."

"That's why I didn't speak up just now. I was afraid of making things worse, not because I was afraid of getting myself involved."

"But... I know you. I've seen the comics you draw, and I've witnessed everything you do at the magazine. Even though you were just rejected by my cousin, you didn't feel sorry for yourself or give up. Instead, you immediately came up with two backup plans."

"Just now, outside the door, my cousin said that your proposal is okay, but you're cutely silly... I think the opposite."

"That proposal is completely irrelevant."

"You are the decisive factor. I lend you the money willingly."

"Also, don't forget, you're still a cartoonist. Lin Shuang doesn't read comics, so she has no idea how valuable your drawings are... But I know that even if you lose money in the end, you can still be a cartoonist. You don't have to worry at all."

Tang Yao: “…”

"besides."

Li Xue paused, blushing a little, and said, "We are friends... Although I don't want to admit it, I really don't have any close friends in real life, let alone friends I can confide in."

"You're the only one, and I don't want this to become a problem between us."

"I don't know if you can understand... If I don't lend you money now, and if the game eventually fails because of missed opportunities, you might not mind, but I will definitely wonder... Why didn't I lend you money then?"

"And this feeling of guilt will make me subconsciously distance myself from you. By then, I probably won't even dare to look for you, because I know myself..."

"You can understand, right? My best friend is clearly struggling with money, but I have some spare cash but I'm indifferent. How can I have the nerve to approach her?"

"I don't want to end up like this. I don't want to lose you as a friend. I don't want to sit here and do nothing, watching you worry... I'd rather use all my savings to help my friend realize her dream. Even if I end up losing money, we can still sit together and listen to your complaints, to hear you say, 'Miss Li shouldn't have lent me money.'"

"Because money can always be earned back, but once you lose a friend, you can never get it back."

"I'm giving you this money today. Whether you become an editor or not, whether you succeed or fail, we will still be friends."

"So... do you need me as a friend?"

"..."

Li Xue did not try to hide the fact that it didn't matter if she lost money, but instead analyzed the situation seriously.

And not from the perspective of money... but from the perspective of friends.

Tang Yao looked at Li Xue, pursed her red lips gently, and her expression was a little complicated.

If you say you are not touched, that would be a lie.

Oh my friend.

Li Xue and Tang Yao looked at each other.

After a long time.

Tang Yao made up her mind. She turned her head to look at the bank card on the table and said softly, "Miss Li, if we fail in the final game, I will be yours from now on."

Li Xue was stunned for a moment, then blurted out: "...Then why don't you just accept the money and consider it a failure?"

"I mean, your own personal cartoonist."

Hear this.

I don't know if it's the influence of the words "dowry" and so on.

Tang Yao's fair face flushed slightly. She glared at Li Xue and quickly explained, "I'll paint whatever you ask me to paint. Any subject is fine until I pay you back."

"...I was so scared. I thought I could buy you with this little money."

Li Xue thought about what she had just said, and her pretty face flushed. She grumbled softly and continued, "So you accepted it?"

"Ah."

Tang Yao took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Ms. Li, thank you. I will use this money properly, and no matter what the result is, I will return it to you..."

"it is good."

Li Xue let go of the hand on Tang Yao's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief: "Then now..."

"Do you have the time?"

Tang Yao put away her bank card, stood up, and at the same time reached out to pull Li Xue up. Without any hesitation, she said directly, "Accompany me to rent an office space."

Li Xue's choice, and those words... seemed to have wiped out the last bit of strangeness between the two of them.

"So urgent? Let me think."

Li Xue raised her snow-white chin slightly, thought for a moment, and then replied: "If you accompany me to drink a cup of milk tea, I will accompany you."

"...Didn't you say to control the heat!?"

"Now I'm not alone."

Li Xue put her arm around Tang Yao's slender waist and said happily, "We're not afraid of getting fat together!"

Tang Yao: “…”

finally.

Li Xue still didn't listen to her cousin.

It is still unclear whether her choice was rational and whether she would make a profit or a loss in the end.

But she had gained a true friend.

(End of this chapter)