You Really Deserve to Die

"President, I really didn't know her real age."

Shang Tao noticed the vice president's expression change and hurried to explain... to defend himself. "I'm not in charge of the Editorial Department, but she really does look very young. She honestly looks barely eighteen. Do you remember what I told you... that she really doesn't look like an editor?"

"..."

Zhao Fang Sheng fell silent, recalling that Shang Tao had indeed said something like that.

But at the time, he'd thought Shang Tao was only half-joking, exaggerating to butter her up.

But now you're telling me that wasn't an exaggeration? That damn thing was serious?

Eighteen?

Zhao Fang Sheng tried to imagine an eighteen-year-old as editor-in-chief... It would certainly make for a very manga-like story, but this was real life, not a manga. He might have managed to swallow it if she were around thirty, but he just couldn't accept eighteen.

To be honest, he was having second thoughts.

It was true that private companies could disregard seniority and even favor younger employees, believing them to be more energetic and innovative.

But that was for ordinary employees... When it came to leadership, age had always been an invisible barrier.

That had to do with the way society as a whole worked. Generally speaking, most people believed that younger leaders—especially those promoted at lightning speed—often lacked sufficient experience and managerial wisdom. They might also be immature when dealing with interpersonal relationships and workplace dynamics, making it difficult for them to earn widespread recognition from their subordinates and colleagues.

In short, they seemed unreliable.

By contrast, most people generally considered older people more stable and reliable.

Of course, that was relative. Older people weren't necessarily reliable, and younger people weren't necessarily unreliable.

Ding Yilong was a case in point.

But overall, it did fit most people's common sense... or at least the common sense of most older people.

Even setting all that aside, Zhao Fang Sheng still had to consider what everyone else in the Editorial Department thought. As far as he knew, its male editors were, on average, no spring chickens. How would they react to an eighteen-year-old... or at least a young-looking eighteen-year-old girl becoming editor-in-chief?

And there were other complications that came with the age gap. For instance, Shang Tao here was almost fifty-five. If they had to interact for some reason, like at a meeting, there could be a huge generational divide...

Right.

The more Zhao Fang Sheng thought about it, the less reliable the idea seemed, and the more his head hurt.

She was so young!

And so capable, despite being so young.

Good grief...

Zhao Fang Sheng thought it over, still somewhat unwilling to give up, then asked, "Are you sure... she looks really young?"

"Absolutely."

Shang Tao nodded. "Actually, girl group members aren't quite the right comparison, but I couldn't think of a better way to convey how young she is. You know what a girl group is, Vice President, right? If you're not sure, you can look up some videos... I don't know Editor Tang's exact age, but she's definitely under twenty-five. If she's not eighteen, she's probably just over twenty. She could walk into a school and the security guard probably wouldn't stop her...

"Oh! I've thought of a word that describes it! Vice President, do you know what a JK is?"

"That's enough. You don't have to say any more. I get it."

Zhao Fang Sheng raised a hand to stop Shang Tao, who was getting more and more carried away, and finally gave up. He lowered his eyes to the manga on the desk, titled Uzumaki, and shook his head gently.

His age and experience had taught him that geniuses really did exist in this world.

And it wasn't just editing. There were geniuses in blacksmithing, too. Some people could win consecutive championships by the time they were nineteen...

You really couldn't compare one person to another.

And today, he'd been fortunate enough to meet one.

But he also knew... geniuses weren't all-powerful, especially young geniuses.

"Forget it. There's no need to tell her about the meeting. Just give her the storyboards."

Zhao Fang Sheng had given up completely.

Shang Tao seemed to realize something then and gave an awkward chuckle. "Um... whether she's young or not, the Vice President would have to see her for himself."

Zhao Fang Sheng glanced at Shang Tao and shook his head. "No need. She really is too young. But I'll remember her name."

"Okay."

Shang Tao chuckled awkwardly again.

He also apologized to Tang Yao in his heart.

...Looks like I messed things up.

But he really hadn't lied. She really was young.

Anyway, he'd apologize to her later... or help promote those two manga as their most important works, to make it up to her.

"President, are you going to read the other manga?"

As if to cover up his embarrassment, Shang Tao glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost time to leave. He asked anyway.

"I'll take a look. It won't hurt to spend a little longer."

At that, Zhao Fang Sheng glanced at the other manga Tang Yao had recommended and picked it up.

Shang Tao had no choice but to keep waiting.

Unlike Uzumaki, the other manga didn't give the impression that a storm was brewing just from its opening.

At first, the story unfolded in a very conventional way.

So Zhao Fang Sheng showed no unusual expression as he quietly flipped through it.

Shang Tao had also lost interest in watching Zhao Fang Sheng's reactions. He stood to one side and used his phone to contact his subordinates and assign them work.

Time passed slowly.

When Shang Tao had finished assigning the work and looked up, he found that Zhao Fang Sheng was still reading.

His face still didn't show anything unusual, but... he was completely absorbed, leaning forward slightly, eyes fixed on the manuscript as if he'd been drawn into the world of the manga.

"?"

A question mark slowly appeared in Shang Tao's mind.

Wait.

Was the manga Editor Tang recommended really that good?

Did she have some kind of magic?

He had to admit it.

At that moment, Shang Tao became intensely curious about those two manga as well.

About ten minutes later, Zhao Fang Sheng finally looked up. With a hint of lingering enjoyment on his face, he took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Fascinating... absolutely fascinating! To come up with such a novel premise—to make people from history or mythology into Heroic Spirits, then have gods and immortals from different systems battle it out... What a genius!"

It wasn't just the premise, either.

Zhao Fang Sheng found the story and characters just as compelling.

The Holy Grail War, catalysts, magical lineages, the Church... One fascinating detail after another!

Before he knew it, he'd been drawn in.

But one thing really frustrated him... Just as the story was getting good, it ended!

"What comes next?"

Thinking of that, Zhao Fang Sheng looked at Shang Tao and asked the question that concerned him most.

"What comes next?"

Shang Tao gave him a look that said, "What are you talking about?" and replied, "That's all there is. Editor Tang only gave me this much."

"Could it be... an ongoing series?"

Zhao Fang Sheng froze for a moment, then caught on. Looking down at the work in his hands, his eyes gradually widened. "Could this be meant to run on the website? This is absolutely good enough to run in the magazine. Wait, I get it... Ding Yilong!!!"

As he spoke,

His voice rose slightly. He suddenly shouted, anger rising on his face again.

In an instant, he figured out a lot of things.

Editor Tang and Ding Yilong were at odds... Obviously, she'd been suppressed! Such an excellent work, and it couldn't even get a magazine run! She was being forced to put it on the website! And she had to rely on the Manga Award to get it exposure!

You really deserve to die!

Ding Yilong!

At that thought,

Zhao Fang Sheng was so furious with Ding Yilong that his teeth practically ground together.

"...Vice President?"

Shang Tao was a little surprised.

"It's nothing."

Zhao Fang Sheng managed to calm himself down. He looked at the manga in his hands once more, considered it for a moment, then handed it back to Shang Tao along with the storyboards. "Both manga are good. Add them to the lineup for early release!"

Uzumaki was definitely a good fit.

It was bizarre enough to grab people's attention.

That would be a great way to show readers just how... um, how diverse the works in the Manga Award were.

As for the other manga, Fate/Zero...

He did think it was a little absurd to include an ongoing series in the Manga Award's promotion, and it was frustrating, too... It was frustrating even for him to reach such an exciting part and then have the story stop.

But given the current state of the Editorial Department, he decided to agree. Even if he decided to deal with Ding Yilong, it wasn't as though he could do it in the morning and have Ding Yilong pack up and leave that same afternoon.

And thanks to Ou Congquan, this year's Manga Award really was attracting a lot of attention... As long as the work was good, it ought to bring it plenty of readers!

And Fate/Zero was clearly an excellent work!

This would be a great way to build anticipation for its official magazine run... and give them a chance to see how readers responded to the story! After all, he couldn't be sure based on his own reaction alone.

Two birds with one stone!

"Okay."

Hearing that, Shang Tao was now more curious than ever about those two manga, but this clearly wasn't the time to read them.

He could only nod in agreement for now.

He also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the Vice President had given the word, there was no question that both manga would make the early-release lineup... He could give Editor Tang the good news.

"Make sure they're included."

Zhao Fang Sheng reminded him again to show how much he valued the works. Then he added, "Also, when you return the storyboards, remember to tell Editor Tang to reassure the artist behind Fate/Zero that there'll definitely be a chance to serialize it... And encourage Editor Tang, too. Tell her she did a great job this time."

Once again, Fate/Zero had proven that Editor Tang had a talent for discovering and cultivating manga artists.

Zhao Fang Sheng didn't know how much Editor Tang had contributed to the manga, but considering Ou Congquan's situation... it was probably quite a lot.

Combined with the unpredictable Uzumaki,

He couldn't help but marvel again. She really was a genius!

It was just a shame she was so young.

Otherwise, Ding Yilong really could have been dealt with in the morning and sent packing by the afternoon.

But never mind.

There was no need to rush.

Maybe this was a good thing. After a few years of experience... she might achieve even more impressive results. Then she could serve as deputy editor-in-chief for a while to prove herself, and everything else would fall into place. Her age wouldn't be an issue anymore.

As he watched Shang Tao leave, Zhao Fang Sheng thought to himself.

Meanwhile,

Tang Yao still had no idea.

She'd been just one step away.

She'd almost ended up editor-in-chief for no apparent reason.

Because of her age... she'd missed her chance. She probably hadn't even imagined that her age could become a DEBUFF.

Otherwise, it was hard to say whether she might have chosen to keep working as an editor for a few more years.

After all, this job was quite stable. If that troublemaker Ding Yilong weren't around and the pay were a little higher, she might have stuck it out for another couple of years, for her sister's sake and as a fallback.

Unfortunately,

It ultimately hadn't worked out.

And she would take another path.

Well... she'd just missed her chance.