Li Xue Lost Her Mind

Li Xue really did like comics, but her affection had its limits...

And horror comics clearly fell outside them.

She didn't like those twisted, bizarre, frightening images that made her uncomfortable.

By comparison,

she much preferred beautiful things, like Tang Yao, who was right beside her.

But she was an editor... Even if she couldn't really stomach this genre, she would still read it whenever she had time, for professional reasons.

In fact, she read comics of every genre.

Most of what she read were popular works on the market, and compared with the Shoujo Manga she was responsible for, she didn't read that many.

But she still read more than most ordinary readers.

Li Xue had become an assistant editor at the Editorial Department in her twenties. Her colleagues had no complaints, though it was impossible to believe nobody talked behind her back.

But she had held on to that position... Those who gossiped about her said all sorts of things, but not one of them ever questioned her professionalism.

That showed her talent as an editor... and the effort she had put in behind the scenes.

But.

Li Xue had read quite a few horror comics and had encountered most of the popular works on the market.

But she... had never seen anything this twisted—or, more accurately, this wild and lively—in a horror comic!

It was the first time.

The first time she'd encountered a horror comic like this.

And it was also the first time she'd finished a horror comic and just sat there stunned... It began by leaving readers with the hook of someone knocking on a window, whetting their curiosity. Then, as the story unfolded, it infused everyday, familiar things with elements of horror, adding the words "human head" to a balloon, an object associated with celebration and childhood innocence, and gradually drawing readers into an atmosphere of dread.

The realistic art style lent it a subtle sense of truth, and the detailed facial expressions and body language eventually culminated in the image of a human head deflating like a balloon... delivering a shock that hit hard and fast!

Then the story spiraled out of control, racing to a brisk conclusion amid a grand, nightmarish spectacle, leaving behind a lingering aftertaste before ending outright.

The whole comic flowed seamlessly, yet its impact lingered. The open ending let its gloomy atmosphere spread like a dense fog, as if it could seep right through the pages and wrap tightly around her.

This was... so polished! And so brilliant!

Human heads! Balloons! She'd managed to connect the two!!

You could draw something like this!!

Was this... an amateur?

If this counted as amateur work,

then half the manga artists in the industry would probably have to kill themselves!

So the question now was... this was a horror comic.

Tang Yao had drawn a horror comic.

Did that really... make any sense???

"Finished reading?"

At that moment,

Tang Yao noticed that Li Xue had reached the last page. She set her phone down, looked up at the older woman still clutching the manuscript, and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

"..."

Li Xue slowly came back to herself, pulled her gaze away from the manuscript, and looked up at the adorable Tang Yao.

At that moment,

she finally felt herself being pulled out of the comic and returned to reality.

But that was exactly why

she simply! couldn't! connect Tang Yao with the horror comic in front of her!

The contrast was just too huge!!

"It's great."

Li Xue stared blankly for a long, long time. Though she still felt a little disoriented, she replied, "It's unexpectedly good. Horror comics definitely have a smaller audience than mainstream comics, but honestly, with work at this level, no editor would ask for changes or anything like that... You drew this?"

"Yeah. This should be good enough for the Manga Award, right?"

Tang Yao nodded and smiled happily, revealing two faint dimples. "So the problem now isn't the Manga Award. It's figuring out how to get money from Venture Capital..."

Well, from a technical standpoint, this really was something she'd drawn.

"You..."

Hearing the definite answer, Li Xue looked down at the comic, then back up at Tang Yao. Suddenly, she said, "Stand up first."

"Hm?"

Tang Yao looked confused, but got up from her chair anyway. "Why?"

Li Xue looked at the puzzled girl standing gracefully before her, her porcelain-white face breathtakingly beautiful. Hearing the question, she fell silent.

Why?

What do you think!

Li Xue got to her feet in a daze, took a step forward, and came to stand in front of Tang Yao. She gently pressed a hand to her shoulder and asked seriously, "Have you... been through something recently?"

"Huh?"

Tang Yao stared at the mature, alluring woman in front of her. She hadn't expected that question at all. "What would I have been through?"

"Then why would you draw a horror comic like this? Wait... I should ask this differently. With your drawing skills, why are you an editor? No, there's also the whole business-startup thing..."

Clearly,

Li Xue still hadn't entirely come back from the comic... She was still very confused, and was even starting to babble.

"Calm down, Miss Li."

Tang Yao saw Li Xue rambling and guessed what was going on. She reached out to pat her shoulder too, but Li Xue's arm was in the way... so she gave up and instead gently pinched the older woman's slender waist, hoping the slight pain would help her calm down. Then she replied, "I really have drawn comics before. I just gave it up later and switched to editing... As for why I drew a horror comic, it's just because this story was interesting. And the Manga Award doesn't have an entry, right? I couldn't be bothered to find someone else, so I gave drawing it a try. It has nothing to do with going through anything, so don't worry."

"..."

Li Xue looked at Tang Yao's calm expression, and felt even more confused. She was so dizzy she might as well have been drunk... and pretty cute, too.

After a long while,

she finally processed what Tang Yao had said. Pressing harder on Tang Yao's shoulder, she continued, "Let me ask you something. You were only told yesterday that the ace artist's submission for the Manga Award had been rejected, and today you came up with a comic you'd drawn yourself. So... had you already been preparing for this?"

"No."

Tang Yao shook her head slightly and answered without thinking. "I only thought of it last night. Why would I prepare something like this for no reason? Though I did spend quite a bit of time drawing it yesterday. I worked until two in the morning..."

She really had answered without thinking.

After all, when she'd drawn it, she could practically say she'd just been copying it straight from the source. Whether it was thanks to her transmigration or to having two sets of memories, her memory was incredible! She could vividly recall not just an entire comic, but even memories from when she was a few years old in her previous life.

And then there was... the drawing skills she'd developed as an overworked corporate drone in her previous life. They seemed to have combined with the original owner's skills, too. Drawing it had been no trouble at all; taking one night had actually been slow for her.

But that was only from her perspective...

For Miss Li, who was a complete native of this world, it was downright shocking!

Ah~ The Manga Award didn't have an entry~ So I'll just draw one myself~ Ehehe~ I finished it in one night.

If someone had told Li Xue something like that just moments ago, she'd have rolled her eyes and walked away. Even hesitating for a second would've been an insult to her intelligence and common sense.

But now, Tang Yao was telling her essentially the same thing in a different tone...

And Li Xue couldn't roll her eyes at her at all, because she'd just finished reading the comic herself.

It wasn't some amateur's self-indulgent little project.

It was a short comic that, even through the eyes of a professional editor, was extraordinary.

So after hearing Tang Yao's answer,

Li Xue fell silent again. She quietly looked at the girl beneath her hands. After a long while, she finally asked, "One night?"

"Yeah, one night."

"Then why are you even starting a business!!!!"

Hearing the definite answer again,

Li Xue finally lost it. She grabbed Tang Yao by the shoulders and shook her hard, her stunning face flushed as she grew more and more worked up. "You drew a work like that in one night! That makes you a super-genius, doesn't it?! Why be a manga editor, then? Draw comics for me! Go make a living from drawing! Royalties! You could make enough from drawing to last you your whole life!

"And on top of being so talented, you're so beautiful! You could become the brightest star in the manga world! If you just keep drawing, you won't just make money! You could even marry me! Why are you starting a business?! Why are you making a Pretty Girl Collection Game?! You're a pretty girl yourself! Get a grip!!!"

"..."

As Tang Yao was shaken back and forth, she looked at the older woman in front of her, so worked up she'd almost lost her mind, and stared in bewilderment. "Huh...?"