Friday

As time passed, even a day after the magazine went on sale, readers' condemnation of Ou Congquan still showed no signs of letting up.

If anything, it was getting worse.

But as more and more readers condemned Ou Congquan, they also began to notice the AORI Tang Yao had written.

Whether out of hope or wishful thinking,

quite a few readers had started demanding that the editor speak up, in addition to calling for Ou Congquan to come out and explain himself.

"These idiot readers—what's this got to do with me...? Well, I guess it does have something to do with me, but what do they mean, asking me to speak up?"

Tang Yao got out of bed and read the readers' comments. Grumbling under her breath, she turned her head and said, "You agree, right, Xun?"

"..."

Tang Xun stood behind her sister, tying her ponytail. At that, her hands paused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Tang Yao explained, "Here's a simple example. A classmate writes a terrible essay, but by coincidence, its title is the same as yours. Then the teacher asks you to explain why she wrote it that way."

"Then I wouldn't be able to explain it."

"Exactly."

Tang Yao smiled, then continued, "You don't just have to explain. You have to stand your ground. It's only an example, but if you ever run into something unfair, don't back down. If you can't resolve it yourself, you still have me. Don't worry. Your big sister will always stand by your side, no matter what."

"...I know."

Tang Xun nodded. With practiced ease, she gathered Tang Yao's hair, looped a hair tie around it, and fashioned it into a pretty ponytail.

"By the way, have you ever had to call your parents to school?"

Tang Yao suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up. "Isn't that a thing? Like when they ask your parents to come in?"

She really wanted to try it.

After all, she'd never had the chance.

"I'm in high school, not elementary school."

Tang Xun glanced at the ponytail she'd tied, checked that it looked fine, then stepped back to inspect it as she replied, "They don't call parents in that often."

"Oh, I see. So how are your grades?"

"Top ten in my year."

"..."

Tang Yao was left speechless.

She was so impressive. What could Tang Yao say?

That was the realm of top students, a place she'd never reached.

"After all, you work so hard to pay my tuition."

Tang Xun seemed to know what her sister was thinking. She stepped forward again, stood behind Tang Yao, and gently tugged at the hem of her shirt before smoothing out its wrinkles. "Everything's going well at school. You don't have to worry."

"You don't need to say things like that... Eek!"

Tang Yao had been about to tell her sister not to say things like that and not to put too much pressure on herself, but before she could finish,

Tang Xun's little hand, which had been smoothing her shirt, suddenly moved upward. She half-embraced Tang Yao and gently lifted her full breasts.

"Xun!"

Tang Yao's body stiffened, and her face turned bright red. She hurriedly twisted away. "What are you doing?"

"Checking if the one we bought last time fits."

"You could've just asked."

"You would've lied."

"I..."

Tang Yao glared at the girl in front of her, flustered and annoyed. "What kind of ridiculous excuse is that? Could I use that excuse to feel you up, too? Do you think that'd be reasonable?"

"Of course."

Tang Xun stood in front of her sister, her proud chest lifted slightly as she started tying her own ponytail. "But I don't lie, and I don't need you to buy me one, so there'd be no point... Besides, you're the only one who reacts like a girl when your sister does something like that."

"..."

Tang Yao wanted to argue, but couldn't come up with a reason. She could only say earnestly, "That wasn't a girlish reaction. I was just caught off guard."

"Sure."

Tang Xun finished tying her ponytail and lowered her hands. Her stunning face and high ponytail gave her a youthful, girlish charm.

Tang Yao reached out and pinched her soft cheek. "Do you enjoy arguing with your big sister?"

"Not really."

Tang Xun let her sister knead her cheek while she took out her phone to check the time. "I have to go to school."

"...Go on."

Looking at her cool, aloof sister, Tang Yao could only reluctantly let go of her cheek. "Be careful on the way."

"Mm. Remember to eat properly while you're home."

Tang Xun turned to gather her things, then walked toward the door, ready to leave for school.

But at the doorway,

she suddenly stopped, turned around, and came back to her sister.

"Hmm?"

Tang Yao looked at her in confusion.

"I wasn't teasing you earlier. I really was worried you'd be embarrassed."

Tang Xun tilted her porcelain-white face up slightly and gazed at her sister. "And no matter what I do, I can't change the fact that you're my big sister and that you've always protected me. I don't know what happened that made you stay home, but no matter what, I'll always stand by your side too, Sis."

Tang Yao froze for a moment, then rubbed her head and said gently, "Xun, thank you."

Tang Xun went to school.

Tang Yao stretched, then looked at the draft pages on the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

She really hadn't told Xun about the Manga Award or releasing the chapters early.

It was too hard to explain... The reason she was staying home today was simply that she needed to race against time to draw the manga.

But

it wasn't a bad thing. Even if she told Tang Xun, there was nothing she could do to share the burden, and it would only make her worry... Right now, all she had to do was get to work.

After all, just as the sisters had said, no matter what happened, they would always be there for each other.

That was enough.

"Come on, you can do this."

Tang Yao looked at the draft pages on the table, took a deep breath, then bent over her desk and started drawing again.

She was even faster than yesterday.

Actually, she'd vaguely noticed something during this time: transmigrating seemed to have brought her some benefits.

The most obvious one was that her memory had improved. Perhaps because she had to accommodate two souls, she could recall anything she'd ever seen.

On the other hand, her drawing skills seemed to have improved too, for some reason—maybe they'd combined somehow.

Right now, she felt like her hands did exactly what she wanted.

She could do this.

She could draw it!

With that thought, Tang Yao's mind soon went blank, and she sank into her work once again.

Outside,

the first light of dawn appeared, then slowly climbed higher and shone into the room.

As time passed, the sunlight shifted across the room.

During that time, apart from stopping at noon to eat a little and use the bathroom, Tang Yao stayed at her desk.

It was a little after two in the afternoon.

Tang Yao finally came back to herself—or rather, was forced to.

Her phone on the table was ringing.

She'd already told Miss Li she had something to take care of today and wouldn't be going in, so it shouldn't be her.

Was it work, then?

Tang Yao glanced at her phone, then at the piles of draft pages on the table. She should have enough original pages. She'd see who it was.

She set down her pen and picked up her phone.

The moment she did, she frowned.

It was Ou Congquan—or, more accurately, a message from his assistant, Li Jiang. It was short and to the point.

[Editor Tang, Teacher has finished the storyboards for the next issue. I'll send them to the editorial office shortly. Are you free to receive them now?]

"..."

Finished?

That fast?

Tang Yao read Li Jiang's message, leaned back in her chair, and eyed it skeptically.

Storyboards weren't finished pages. Some manga artists didn't even bother with rough sketches; they'd just jot down the dialogue and call it a day.

But this was too fast.

He'd visited yesterday, and they were already done today.

She didn't think he could accept things so quickly and resign himself to preparing storyboards.

So was he still going ahead with his original plan? Would they really have to get the higher-ups involved?

What Tang Yao didn't know was that Ou Congquan had pulled an all-nighter yesterday.

"..."

Tang Yao stared at the message and thought it over. In the end, she replied to Li Jiang, asking him to send the original pages over in half an hour.

Li Jiang immediately replied that he'd received the message.

Tang Yao put away her phone, stood up, gathered the draft pages on the table, and got ready to leave.

She'd go take a look.

She'd see what was going on, then decide whether Shang Tao needed to get the higher-ups involved.

Besides, there were enough original pages of Fate Zero for now.

Perfect.

At the same time, at Ou Congquan's home,

Ou Congquan sat in the middle of the already-cleaned living room, dark circles under his eyes.

Usually, he was expressionless, but now, sitting on the expensive sofa, he felt like he was perched on pins and needles.

He couldn't sit still.

"What did she say?"

Just then,

Li Jiang came out of the assistant's room.

The moment he appeared, Ou Congquan turned and stared at him intently, asking for the fourth time.

"...Editor Tang said to send them over in half an hour. It's not time yet."

Li Jiang was getting a little annoyed from being asked, but still replied patiently.

That made four times...

But Ou Congquan clearly wasn't going to let it go. "Why half an hour?"

"..."

Li Jiang fell silent.

You're asking me? How should I know?