Handsome

Eleventh floor, lounge.

"Over here."

Tang Yao had just walked into the lounge.

Li Xue gave her a small wave, beckoning her over.

Tang Yao looked her way. The older woman was as beautiful as ever, her makeup flawless and her outfit mature: a white blouse on top, paired with a pencil skirt that barely contained her shapely curves. A classic black-and-white combination.

Below the skirt, her long, shapely legs were wrapped in fine black stockings, showing off their graceful lines to the fullest.

So long... and so evenly proportioned. The heels made them look even straighter and prettier.

...Black stockings, nice.

As Tang Yao entertained various stray thoughts, she pointed toward the vending machine again.

But before she could leave this time, Li Xue stood up first and hurried over, taking her by the arm. "Don't buy bread. I made a portion for you today. Come sit with me."

"Huh?"

Tang Yao was a little surprised. Li Xue had treated her to food once before, but she hadn't expected her to go out of her way to bring her a meal.

"Don't 'huh' me. Take this lunchbox."

Li Xue led her to a seat and handed her one of the lunchboxes, then opened the one in her own hands. She picked up a piece of Guo Bao Rou and offered it to Tang Yao. "I tried making a dish from a cuisine I'm not familiar with. Tell me if it tastes good."

"Mm... It's yummy."

Tang Yao opened her mouth and took the meat. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed the crispy-outside, tender-inside Guo Bao Rou, and she immediately gave it a positive review.

Whatever else, she had to make sure the person feeding her got some emotional payoff.

After all, Li Xue was the one treating her.

"That's good. Have another piece. This one looks even tastier."

Sure enough, hearing Tang Yao's response made Li Xue even happier. Like a doting mother, she picked up another piece of Guo Bao Rou from her lunchbox.

"You already brought me food."

Tang Yao accepted the piece, then opened her own lunchbox and mumbled around her mouthful, "Why keep stuffing me with more?"

"You wouldn't understand. Watching you eat makes me happy."

Li Xue raised her chopsticks and gave them a little wave. "Without a bit of everyday warmth, even the most beautiful person can seem unreal and distant. Even when you're sitting together for a meal, you might still feel far away from them. You're like that. If you hadn't put on that little 'mysterious spacebar teleportation' show in front of me back then, I'd probably still think you were some untouchable beauty who didn't belong in the mortal world.

"Your aura suits that image too well. You're so pure it's intimidating to an older woman like me, who's been battered by society. If it weren't for one coincidence after another, I probably wouldn't have approached you."

"I've never heard of that theory."

Tang Yao lowered her head and took a few bites of rice, then looked up and replied indistinctly, "I don't think I'm above the cares of the world, and someone like that couldn't possibly exist anyway. Besides... I've been battered by society too."

"That's what they mean by a doctor being unable to heal herself, and someone who can guide others being unable to guide herself."

Li Xue looked at the cute girl with puffed-out cheeks, who reminded her of a little squirrel, and continued, "You just don't know yourself."

"..."

Tang Yao glared at her briefly, but halfway through, she lost her nerve. After all, she was holding a meal her older friend had made for her. All she could do was puff out her cheeks and look at Li Xue. It looked less like she was angry and more like she was pouting.

Li Xue felt her heart melt. She could eat three bowls of rice even without any side dishes.

The two of them enjoyed a pleasant lunch.

Tang Yao went to buy drinks as usual, and when she returned, Li Xue was tidying up after their meal in an orderly fashion, radiating the air of a devoted wife.

"Thanks. But is it really okay for you to cook for two people by yourself?"

Tang Yao handed her one of the drinks and sat down beside her.

"It's fine. I don't have much to do when I get home anyway. Cooking's my only hobby."

Li Xue took the drink and shook her head. "Besides, making food for you makes me happy."

Tang Yao joked, "Then I recommend you try working as a part-time nanny."

"It's not like I'd do that for just anyone."

Li Xue gave Tang Yao a playful sidelong glance. "Right now, I only want to cook for you."

"That's nice."

Tang Yao couldn't deny that she was happy.

She took a sip of green tea, screwed the cap back on, then bent down and rested her smooth, pale chin on top of the drink bottle. "In this materialistic society, people are cold and heartless. It seems like only you older sisters still have any warmth left~"

"..."

Hearing this, Li Xue dropped her joking tone and asked softly, "Did your editor-in-chief give you a hard time again?"

The trouble caused by Teacher Ou.

Li Xue had heard about it too.

One of the manga artists in the Shoujo Manga editorial department had gotten caught up in the backlash as well.

Though the impact was relatively small compared with what the artists in the Male-oriented magazine faced.

Even so, it had still made an impact. The website and the Manga Award had a Shoujo Manga category too.

"No, I was just making a passing comment."

Tang Yao knew Li Xue had misunderstood and explained, "Besides, this only just started blowing up. Before I came to eat, Editor Ding happened to be called away. I guess they're holding a meeting about the Manga Award."

"I think I saw Vice President Zhao before I came over... I see."

Li Xue seemed to recall something and shook her head gently. "Sounds like this is serious."

"The timing's just bad. The company seems to care a lot about the Manga Award and the online platform. With something like this happening all of a sudden, the person in charge is probably about to lose it."

Tang Yao smiled. "At least Editor Ding told me himself that a hopeless, low-level editor like me won't have to handle that great manga artist anymore. So I guess I've turned a disaster into a blessing."

Hearing this,

Li Xue studied Tang Yao's profile and seemed to realize something. Her expression softened as she asked quietly, "Actually, I read the latest issue of Girl, Boy, and Sword too... just now."

"Hmm?"

"It was awful. I couldn't follow Teacher Ou's train of thought at all. I've read most of the works published by our company, even the Male-oriented ones, so I can really understand how the readers feel. What was that supposed to be? What were they thinking? I almost threw the magazine away."

"Right?"

"But I'm an editor, so I calmed down in the end and read it again. Then I saw the AORI afterward, and somehow I got the impression that maybe it was intentional. Maybe there'd be a major reversal next issue. Maybe that so-called incarnation of hell was the embodiment of all malice, and maybe she was behind it all. Then I felt a little hopeful."

"Ah... I see."

"So you came up with that AORI yourself and added it, right? Is there really going to be a twist later?"

"If things go the way Teacher Ou wants, no. It'll still be awful from here on out."

"What do you think, then? About that tagline at the end?"

"Out of a sense of editorial responsibility, and maybe pity... I just felt sorry for the readers."

Tang Yao answered nonchalantly, "I thought of it and added it on a whim."

Looking at Tang Yao's casual expression, Li Xue guessed at some of the truth and chuckled. "Liar. You probably know what Teacher Ou's thinking, and you have a plan to fix it... But what if Teacher Ou really does go on drawing it the way they originally intended?"

"What's that got to do with me? They made their own mess. I just added a line. Teacher Ou can still draw whatever they want."

Tang Yao straightened up and stretched a little. "If they pull a stunt like that and still don't wake up after readers push back so fiercely, then they can go to hell. I did my job as an editor, and the readers' anger got through loud and clear."

"I knew it."

Li Xue smiled and leaned over to bump Tang Yao's shoulder gently. "That was really cool."

"Huh?"

Tang Yao was a little surprised. She immediately shifted aside and looked at Li Xue, uncertain. "Why are you suddenly praising me? And why 'cool'?"

"Because you deserve it."

Li Xue leaned closer to Tang Yao again, pressing up against her as before. "I'm suddenly starting to believe that the beautiful-girl gacha game you told me about could succeed. I finally understand what my relative meant by 'investing in people.'"

Do everything you can, then leave the rest to fate.

No matter what, take responsibility for what you ought to.

That was easy to say, but actually doing it was hard.

Li Xue was twenty-seven by the traditional reckoning this year, and she was about to turn thirty. That meant she'd spent nearly ten years working her way up at this company.

In all that time, her colleagues had come and gone like revolving lanterns, and she'd seen every kind of editor. The works in the Shoujo Manga department might not be as popular as those in the Male-oriented department, but small temples had their share of troublesome spirits.

She'd seen far too many people who didn't just fail to hold to their principles; they didn't even know what those principles were.

With Teacher Ou making such a mess this time, if one of the editors under her had been in Tang Yao's place, given Teacher Ou's reputation, they probably wouldn't have tried again and again to change the artist's mind like Tang Yao had. One visit, one outburst from that long-established manga artist, and they'd likely have backed down.

After all, this was one of their flagship manga artists, and Big Comic was one of the top five major magazines.

It wasn't some no-name little publication.

Yet Tang Yao had kept trying until the very end.

And when the situation had become impossible to salvage, with the artist set on doing things their own way and the boss above them acting like an idiot, an ordinary editor would probably have given up entirely. They'd toss the consequences and the readers' feelings aside.

But Tang Yao hadn't. Within the limits of her responsibilities and abilities, she had still done what she could to soften the blow and limit the fallout.

Had that tagline helped?

It had.

Li Xue knew that once the readers' initial anger faded, they would notice that line and feel a flicker of hope—or at least find a way to comfort themselves.

That would help them get through the next two weeks, until the next issue of Big Comic went on sale. By then, how Teacher Ou chose to draw it would hardly matter.

After two weeks to cool down, the readers' emotions would gradually settle, and their expectations would lower. Even if Teacher Ou kept charging down the road of making a mess, the readers wouldn't be as upset. They'd be more inclined to accept it.

Of course, the work's performance would probably plummet.

But at least this issue had given the readers some room to breathe. Even when everything was beyond saving, Tang Yao had still fulfilled her duty as an editor.

Not for Teacher Ou. Not for anyone else. Just for the readers.

She had simply done her job as an editor—the bridge between readers and manga artists—and when the artist on the other end had gone berserk and started swinging wildly, she'd given the readers a little shield.

Even if that shield was made of paper.

But honestly, in that situation, she'd still held to her principles, thought of the readers, and done what she could within the narrow space available to her.

That really was cool.

Li Xue suddenly understood why, after knowing Tang Yao for only a week, she felt as if they'd been friends for years.

Maybe it wasn't because they'd clicked at first sight, or because of their personalities.

Even setting aside Tang Yao's breathtaking beauty and her sweet, lovable personality,

Li Xue figured she'd still like the girl in front of her.

Because even without any of those external qualities, Tang Yao was still an adult with principles, someone who took responsibility.

And with a friend like that, Li Xue would never have to worry that she might do something to hurt her.

"You have a good eye."

Across from her,

Tang Yao froze for a moment, then finally understood. A happy smile spread across her porcelain-pale face as she grabbed Li Xue's arm. "I've already finished eighty percent of the game's proposal. As for the manga... I've drawn the opening storyboards too. Keep looking forward to it, and get ready to introduce me to that investor."

"..."

Li Xue looked helpless and gave a wry smile. "I was just saying that offhand. But honestly, Tang Yao, I really don't recommend taking a risk..."

Tang Yao was about to reply when the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.

She had a call.

Tang Yao pulled out her phone and glanced at it. When she saw the number, her brows furrowed slightly, but she still answered.

Sitting beside her, Li Xue could hear that it was Ding Yilong, apparently asking Tang Yao to return to the editorial office.

A moment later,

the call ended.

Tang Yao put her phone away. "Sorry, Miss Li. I have to get back."

"Okay."

Li Xue nodded and reminded her, "Tell me if anything comes up. And if you need my help with anything, get in touch."

"Sure. Bye."

Tang Yao nodded, then stood and headed for the lounge exit.

But when she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something, turned around, and came back to Li Xue.

Li Xue raised her pale chin slightly and looked up at Tang Yao, surprised. "What is it?"

"I almost forgot... It looks great."

Tang Yao glanced around and saw two other people in the corner of the lounge. She bent down and leaned close to Li Xue's ear, whispering like she was sneaking around. "But I don't have time to admire it today. Could you wear it again tomorrow?"

After all, she had asked for it.

She had to compliment her.

It was just good manners.

...It definitely wasn't because she wanted to see it again.

"..."

Li Xue looked at Tang Yao, who was blushing and sneaking around like a thief, and couldn't help laughing. She gave her a playful sidelong glance. "What are you so nervous about? I'll wear them, I'll wear them. I'll wear them for you every day, all right?"