Liar

Yeah... what was he doing?

Kang Ming leaned back in his chair and fell silent, looking at the Literary House staff badge beside his screen.

As the saying went, you should love what you did for a living. He was a proper editor now, so why was it that whenever something interesting sparked an idea in him... he still thought about making a game?

Why?

Kang Ming looked at his badge and reflected on the question. He quickly found the answer.

It was probably because... he still wanted to make games more, and had grown somewhat disappointed with his work as an editor.

He'd only applied because he had no other choice, and because he loved Girl, Boy, and Sword... Then Editor Tang had happened to be a guest interviewer, and somehow he'd landed the job.

But after he started, reality had turned out to be so different from what he'd imagined. And that was before even getting to Editor-in-Chief Ding Yilong and Ou Congquan, the author of his favorite manga. They'd both left him with some serious psychological scars.

He felt like his future was bleak...

And the only light left in his workplace was Tang Yao.

But Tang Yao had said she was quitting, too...

Most importantly... the bad was so bad, and the good was so good!

Thinking of this,

Kang Ming looked at the screen again, at the two works Tang Yao had "enthusiastically recommended," and gave a bitter laugh.

He'd probably never discover a manga artist this talented or guide a manga this good in his entire life.

She was really incredible...

Call it getting cold feet or giving up halfway.

Either way, Kang Ming had indeed started thinking about quitting.

He wanted to give game development another try...

Come to think of it,

hadn't Editor Tang said she wanted to make games, too?

Kang Ming suddenly remembered what Tang Yao had said back then, and his heart stirred.

But soon,

he saw the two works on the screen, gave another bitter laugh, and shook his head.

An editor this outstanding... how could she?

She was probably exhausting herself thinking about what was best for the manga artist right now, wasn't she?

The Tang family home.

The editor Kang Ming imagined was exhausting herself thinking about what was best for the manga artist was slacking off.

When Tang Yao couldn't bring herself to go through with it and said they should just forget it, Tang Xun still didn't let her off the hook... But in the end, the outfit they found didn't go on Tang Yao. It ended up on Tang Xun instead.

At that moment,

Tang Xun stood demurely in front of her older sister.

The girl still had a youthful air about her, but her figure was already fully mature. A black-and-white shirt and blazer hugged her curvaceous figure, giving her a convincing professional look.

Below, a pencil skirt hugged her shapely hips. Her long, slender legs were wrapped in glossy black stockings, and her delicate feet were tucked into black high heels with nearly an inch-high heel.

The fit wasn't quite right.

After all, they were Tang Yao's clothes. The sisters looked alike, but not so much that they were identical... It was clear the outfit was a little too big.

But she was so pretty that it hardly mattered.

Even with the ill-fitting clothes, the girl's porcelain-white, stunning face and gorgeous figure made her look beautiful.

"That's roughly how it looks when it's on."

Tang Xun wore clothes that didn't quite suit her usual style and showed them off to her sister. Her expression was composed, though her ears were a little red. "There's also the option of going barefoot without the stockings, but I don't really recommend it... The sun's blazing right now."

"True."

Tang Yao thought it over and nodded in agreement.

"I mean you, not me."

Tang Xun seemed to have guessed what her sister was thinking and added, "I'm not going outside in this outfit. And you just said you wanted me to try it on so you could see how it looked. Shouldn't you be imagining what it'd look like on you now?"

"Mm."

Tang Yao replied distractedly, then gently swung her ponytail and started circling her younger sister, looking her up and down.

If they were talking strictly about professional outfits, Xun couldn't compare to Li Xue.

But she really did look good.

"Are you done?"

Tang Xun still hadn't moved, letting her sister look her over. When Tang Yao came back around to face her, she asked, "Can you put it on now?"

"Mm, I'm done."

Tang Yao looked at the cool, composed girl in front of her and nodded. "But I've decided... I'm not wearing this outfit."

"..."

Tang Xun fell silent as she looked at her sister, keeping any extra expression off her face.

But somehow... Tang Yao could feel the resentment radiating from her.

Tang Yao tried to explain. "This outfit doesn't suit me."

"..."

At that, Tang Xun slowly lowered her head, avoiding her sister's gaze as her cheeks puffed out slightly.

She slipped off one high heel, planted her cute, stocking-clad foot on the floor, then kicked off the other.

It was obvious.

She was angry.

No matter how mature she seemed, she was still only seventeen. And on top of that, her sister had tricked her...

Tang Yao had said she'd try it on first so Tang Xun could see how it looked, and then Tang Yao would wear it herself...

"Xun... I'm sorry, but this really doesn't suit me."

Tang Yao knew her younger sister was angry. She put a hand on her shoulder and explained earnestly, "And seeing you dressed like this made me suddenly realize something..."

Tang Xun raised her head again and looked at her sister's serious face, curious to hear what profound insight she had to offer.

"I realized..."

Tang Yao's stunning face was tense as she declared solemnly, "I just like seeing other people dressed like this. I'll pass on wearing it myself. It feels a little embarrassing..."

"..."

So it was fine if she felt embarrassed, then...

Tang Xun looked at her straight-faced, silly older sister and thought of the way she'd been looking her over. She'd not only tricked her, but had said something like that, too. Tang Xun took a deep breath, genuinely angry now...

She bit her full, red lip, then walked around behind Tang Yao on her stocking-clad feet and wrapped her arms around her.

"Huh..."

Tang Yao froze for a moment, then looked down. Her face turned bright red, and she immediately began struggling. "Wait! What are you doing?!"

"This time, I'm the one teasing you."

"Do I really have to spell out the obvious?! Let go, let go!"

"No..."

"Your sister was wrong, all right? I was wrong... Wait, don't you—"

Monday.

Tang Yao arrived at the Editorial Department early in the morning.

As soon as she walked in, all the editors at their desks turned to look at her.

Their expressions were especially complicated.

It was probably because yesterday's awkward memories were still fresh.

Tang Yao's cheeks reddened. She hunched her shoulders and wore an expression that said, "I knew this would happen," then ducked slightly and hurried toward her desk as if sneaking around.

Nearby,

Kang Ming heard footsteps and was just about to turn around when a figure flashed past.

By the time he turned the other way, Tang Yao was already sitting at her desk.

Her cheeks were faintly red. She glanced around with her beautiful eyes, and only after confirming the partition blocked the other editors' view did she let out a long breath.

Kang Ming watched her and stared for a while before asking, "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you see the way the other editors were looking at me?"

Tang Yao turned around at his words and replied, "It's all Shang Tao's fault in the new media department."

She wasn't wearing yesterday's outfit. She was dressed as usual.

So there was only one reason the other editors were looking at her: yesterday's Manga Award.

She'd actually braced herself for it before leaving home.

But now that she was really at the Editorial Department, it was still a bit much.

"..."

When Kang Ming heard that, he immediately understood she meant the "enthusiastically recommended" post on the website.

She looked a little embarrassed. "Editor Tang, wouldn't plenty of people look at you when you walked down the street?"

"It's different. People on the street don't know me, but these editors all do, and most of us have worked together for a while. It's like social death... Never mind. You get the idea."

Tang Yao tried to explain.

But halfway through, she gave up.

After all, she'd only recently gotten used to people staring at her when she walked down the street...

"..."

Kang Ming stared at Tang Yao, his face full of disbelief.

After all, she didn't seem like someone who'd get embarrassed over something like this...

The contrast was striking.