Reality Isn't a Manga, There's No Play of Resolving Misunderstandings and Getting Along Harmoniously

Living room.

After Tang Yao's question, a brief silence fell.

Li Jiang, standing at the kitchen doorway, looked utterly shocked... because he truly couldn't fathom how such a cute girl could be so assertive.

And Teacher Ou seemed to be rendered speechless?

...Huh?

Li Jiang stood at the kitchen doorway, utterly stunned, unsure whether to approach or retreat.

After a long while.

He finally mustered the courage, holding a tea tray, and nervously brought the tea over to the two of them.

"Um... tea."

He carefully placed two steaming cups of tea in front of them.

Ou Congquan ignored him, still staring intently at Tang Yao.

Tang Yao, however, turned her head and said, "Thank you."

Because this was a matter of tutoring.

"Why... do you know?"

Li Jiang's appearance seemed to break the stalemate, and Ou Congquan spoke again.

"I'm an editor. Although I haven't been in the industry long, I'll do what needs to be done and take the responsibility I should."

Tang Yao said matter-of-factly, "Upon learning I'd be your editor, I read all your previous serializations, including your two earlier short stories. And setting aside the concluded arcs, just looking at the Hell Arc, which is currently wrapping up, starting from chapter 102 at the end of last month, you've deliberately depicted the male protagonist's expression when he sees the female protagonist interacting with the second male lead. While not directly described, you clearly put a lot of effort into indirectly portraying his displeasure."

Ou Congquan's mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, but he couldn't utter a word.

Because he had indeed started describing the male protagonist's inner turmoil from that chapter.

"Why..."

"Are you a broken record?! I said, I'm an editor."

Tang Yao took a deep breath. "I won't interfere with what you want to draw, nor am I interested in proactively interfering. But out of professionalism, and as a safeguard, for instance, if you actively propose a discussion, I must understand your work to offer advice. And like last issue, when you clearly went off track, I also had to understand your work to provide constructive criticism."

Ou Congquan: "..."

"You, for that childish and ridiculous reason, feared I would influence you, but you forgot that an editor is the first reader."

Tang Yao stared at Ou Congquan. "Your attitude is equivalent to dismantling your own brakes and passenger seat, then driving a car without brakes on the highway, and thinking you're amazing. You even ridiculously believe the brakes would steal the steering wheel from you, all because the brakes malfunctioned once. What, did your car's brakes grow hands after they broke?"

Ou Congquan's face gradually turned bright red.

Meanwhile, Li Jiang, standing nearby, widened his eyes, sensing trouble. He was about to signal Tang Yao with his eyes to stop.

"Your inexplicable development this issue is fundamentally flawed! The previous arcs didn't care about this issue at all, and now you suddenly want the male protagonist to be bothered?"

But Tang Yao seemed oblivious to Li Jiang's hint and continued, "It's because you read reader comments, right? They pointed out this issue, along with some comments about repetitive developments and the male protagonist being a saint. Then, you had a sudden inspiration and started intensifying things for the male protagonist, simultaneously creating this development that's completely different from before, and it's like shit."

Ou Congquan's face gradually turned a liver-red hue. "So what if I did? Should I not change? Should I stagnate? Is staying the same the best option?"

"It's not wrong to want to change, but your problem is..."

Tang Yao slightly lifted her snow-white chin, looking at him as if he were trash. "Completely disregarding the editor's opinion, for that childish and ridiculous reason, fearing influence, you didn't even look, didn't even have the courage to judge."

"What if I looked? Would anything change?"

Ou Congquan seemed somewhat angered into embarrassment. "If I communicated with you, told you what I truly wanted to draw, could you, an outsider, offer any practical and effective suggestions? Wouldn't you just tell me to change! Stop me! Would that be meaningful?"

Tang Yao retorted, "Have you tried?"

"I don't need to try! If you're so confident, then tell me now! What should I do!"

Ou Congquan said stubbornly, "Now that things have happened, of course, you can sit there and dictate! It's not you getting cursed, after all! Tell me! What should I do!"

Tang Yao directly pushed the file bag in front of her.

"..."

Ou Congquan looked at the expressionless Tang Yao, then at the revised manuscript she handed over, and said incredulously, "Are you kidding me!"

Tang Yao remained silent.

"Fine! I'll see! What did you write!"

Ou Congquan was furious. He snatched the file bag from the table, tore it open roughly, took out the revised manuscript, and as he flipped through it, he panted, "You think you're..."

However.

Mid-sentence.

He suddenly vanished.

Ou Congquan, holding the revised manuscript, froze on the sofa as if petrified.

On the other side, Li Jiang, who had been extremely tense since the beginning, ready to pull Ou Congquan away at any moment, was also stunned. He looked at the suddenly motionless Ou Congquan with confusion.

Ou Congquan didn't notice Li Jiang's gaze, staring blankly at the revised manuscript before him.

[Don't use death events to shape characters, it's too stupid.]

[The male protagonist and female protagonist's relationship cannot be sublimated through death events, nor can the second male lead and female protagonist's relationship be resolved by a crisis, for the same reason.]

[If you want the male protagonist to shed the "saint" label, you can use another method. This is too extreme. See below for details.]

[You cannot use the "Sigh of Lament" that appeared in the first arc to resurrect the male protagonist, as it would make all the settings in the second arc a joke.]

[The "Wheel of Hell's Cartography" mentioned at the start of the third arc has yet to appear in this arc.]

[...]

The first page of the revised draft.

A whole page of densely packed feedback.

If it were just feedback, Ou Congquan wouldn't be stunned.

But... everything mentioned was exactly what he was planning to draw next, and much of it he hadn't even told anyone else. It had only been hinted at previously and existed solely in his mind.

It was completely in line with his own thought process.

Some things, he had even forgotten himself, like the "Wheel of Hell's Cartography" setting... yet it appeared on the paper.

"..."

Ou Congquan stared at the first page, stunned for a long time, before slowly turning to the next.

[Change death events to a mechanism. The final boss of hell has too low a presence. The setting suggestion is to change from pure brute force to "The Unapproachable" and "collection of malice"—meaning anyone who approaches her will directly confront their inner fears and darkness, falling into an illusion constructed by their own darkness and fears.]

[...]

The first page pointed out problems, and the following pages contained suggestions for revision... there was more content, and surprisingly, even illustrated demonstrations.

Anyone could see the effort put into it, and the hard work behind it.

Ou Congquan blinked, then read each line carefully.

Then.

His eyes widened with each word, shining brighter and brighter, his breathing gradually quickening.

Just moments ago it was from anger, but now it was from excitement.

Li Jiang clearly sensed Ou Congquan's emotional shift and was even more shocked. She slowly turned her head to look at Tang Yao—what magic had she cast?

Tang Yao didn't notice.

About fifteen minutes later.

Ou Congquan finally looked up, clutching the revised draft tightly as if it were a life-saving straw, his voice trembling slightly, "What does 'collection of malice' mean?"

...Exactly the same.

It was truly identical!

The revision suggestions in the latter part of the draft perfectly matched what she wanted to express, only with more skillful execution.

And most importantly, following the draft's ideas would seamlessly connect with the current chapter's development and mend the damage done to the readers.

"I remember it was clearly written."

Tang Yao replied, "You don't need to ask to confirm something that is clearly stated."

"Then..."

Ou Congquan's eyes were still bloodshot, but unlike before, they were no longer filled with anxiety, but with light.

He wanted to ask more.

Tang Yao, however, stood up directly and, meeting Ou Congquan's bewildered gaze, asked, "Were the revision suggestions effectively conveyed?"

Ou Congquan subconsciously replied, "They were conveyed..."

"Then please consider them as you see fit."

Tang Yao nodded, then added, "Of course, if you intend to draw according to your original plan, feel free."

With that said.

She turned to leave.

"Wait."

Ou Congquan looked at the departing Tang Yao in surprise, a hint of urgency in his voice, "I actually have a few more questions I need to confirm with you..."

"Confirm?"

Tang Yao paused, then turned back, pointing at the apprehensive Li Jiang, "I visited you four times. Three of those times, I was blocked at the door and only met Assistant Li. Except for the first time, I handed the revised draft you're holding to Assistant Li to pass on during the other three visits. And you're asking me to confirm now? Should I sit up straight and listen carefully to what you have to say?"

Ou Congquan: "..."

"Stop joking."

Tang Yao looked down at Ou Congquan, her expression cold, as if looking at trash, "You're a great Manga Artist. You can use your status to tell an editor to get lost. But that doesn't mean that by putting on a humble facade, reality will be like a manga, where misunderstandings are resolved and everyone gets along. Reality is not a manga.

Although I'm an outsider, and I don't understand character development, plot, or drawing, and I haven't eaten as much rice as you've eaten salt.

But I can choose who to invest my effort in, and undoubtedly, you are not worth it... nor do you deserve it."

This revised draft is ultimately for the readers, and for myself, who worked hard as an editor for the first time last week.

It's also to let you know what foolish things you did last week.

If you had just looked at the revised draft last week, perhaps things would have turned out differently, but your conceit and arrogance have forced things to develop to this point."

Ou Congquan pinched the revised draft in his hand, looking at the delicate handwriting on it, and was stunned.

If I had looked last week...

Ou Congquan recalled the content of the revised draft, then thought about what he had drawn this issue... Regret began to surge wildly.

He subconsciously lowered his head, appearing somewhat... disheveled.

Li Jiang, looking at Tang Yao, who was as cold and aloof as an ice beauty, was also stunned, then abruptly turned his head away, not daring to look again.

"Ask yourself, if the person sitting here now were you last week, what would the situation be?"

Tang Yao looked at Ou Congquan, who was slightly lowering his head and tightly gripping the manuscript, and said coldly, "Think carefully again, is this attempt to keep me because you know you were wrong, or because that revised draft can get you out of the current predicament of being flamed by readers... It's probably the latter, because like Ding Yilong, that conceit and arrogance etched into your bones will never disappear, only temporarily subside when trouble arises.

Admit it, even if you could do it all over again, you would still make the same choice, using your status as a Manga Artist to humiliate a rookie editor for a ridiculous reason.

You're just reveling in the feeling of being saved right now, so stop putting on a show of sudden enlightenment.

Because it's truly sickening."

Ou Congquan gripped the manuscript even tighter, though Tang Yao couldn't see it due to the angle.

But Li Jiang, who had turned his head, clearly saw that Ou Congquan, who was over fifty, had a face full of embarrassment.

"Also, don't think that drawing according to the revised draft will solve all your problems."

Tang Yao continued, "Don't treat readers like fools. The damage caused by your foolish plot this issue won't disappear, and they will never forget that scene of intertwined fingers you drew at the end. Your good reputation accumulated through hard work will be stained with an indelible mark of your lapse in judgment, and many angry readers will simply abandon the series.

Just look at next week's reader survey, and then look at the sales of the next collected volumes... but this is all your own doing."

"That's all."

"If you feel angry, if you feel insulted, you can tear up the revised draft in your hand and throw it in the trash, just like you did the last few times I visited."

Tang Yao withdrew her gaze and said finally, "I don't want to, nor am I interested in answering your questions now. My patience was exhausted last week. After this storm passes, no matter what, I don't want to be responsible for your work. Even if Ding Yilong doesn't switch me, I will resign voluntarily and let another editor be responsible for your work.

You can continue to use that ridiculous excuse to guard against the next editor... I hope we never meet again."

After finishing her last sentence.

Tang Yao nodded to Li Jiang, said "Thank you," and then, "Goodbye."

Then.

She turned and left.

It wasn't until Tang Yao turned away that Ou Congquan slowly raised his head. He looked at Tang Yao's retreating figure with a complex expression, looking at the editor who was about the same age as his daughter. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Soon, Tang Yao was gone.

Ou Congquan withdrew his gaze and looked down at the manuscript in his hand again... a revised draft that anyone could see had taken considerable effort and hit the nail on the head.

He fell silent.

Yeah.

Why didn't I look sooner?

If I had looked sooner...

Ou Congquan thought of the disappointed attitudes of the readers, their angry curses, and then recalled Tang Yao's words.

If I had looked at this revised draft last week...

As he thought about it, His expression became somewhat distorted...

But this time it wasn't out of anger, but out of... remorse.

At the same time.

After watching Tang Yao leave, Li Jiang also turned to look at Ou Congquan.

Just then, the phone on Ou Congquan's desk vibrated.

Li Jiang noticed... and also saw the name of the caller--Ding Yilong.

However.

Li Jiang glanced at the phone, then at the silent Ou Congquan, and decided to remind him later.