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"Hmm?"

Tang Yao noticed Kang Ming staring at her and turned her head.

"...It's not entirely the other editors' fault."

Kang Ming snapped back to attention, avoiding Tang Yao's gaze and looking at the screen in front of him. "The two manga you recommended are just too popular."

"I know about that."

Tang Yao leaned over to glance at his screen before casually replying, "Didn't that happen yesterday?"

"..."

Kang Ming fell silent. He looked at Tang Yao's expression, which clearly conveyed 'What are you talking about?', then at the two works on the website with likes already jumping to 200,000, and was completely defeated.

At the same time, he confirmed that he truly had no talent for being an editor. At least compared to the girl in front of him, he had not a shred of talent.

I really should resign...

Thinking this, Kang Ming shook his head, his mind made up. He decided to tell Tang Yao about it.

After all, Tang Yao was the one who interviewed him, and she had taken good care of him after he joined.

For both reason and sentiment, Kang Ming felt it was necessary to tell her about his intention to resign.

"Editor Tang..."

Kang Ming organized his thoughts and was about to speak.

But just as he started, footsteps suddenly echoed.

Although Kang Ming hadn't been a worker for long, he was indeed talented.

Instantly.

He recognized the footsteps as Ding Yilong's. His words caught in his throat, and he turned his head.

On the other side.

Tang Yao also saw Ding Yilong.

He was walking towards her workstation with a dark expression.

The other editors had clearly noticed him too, and the entire editorial department fell silent.

"..."

Tang Yao frowned slightly, watching Ding Yilong approach, wondering what kind of trouble he was trying to stir up this time.

He stopped in front of Tang Yao, his face still grim. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "Third-rate Painter's Fate/Zero can be serialized on big comic. Contact them... The manuscript fee is 900 per page. You should know how high that is. Tell them to prepare it as soon as possible."

"..."?

Tang Yao slowly formed a question mark.

She had considered many possibilities, but never this one... Ding Yilong was actually here to talk about serialization.

To be honest.

900 per page for a manuscript fee was not small.

The so-called manuscript fee was literally the payment for a manga artist to draw the manuscript, usually calculated per page. For example, if a manga artist drew 20 pages in an issue, they would receive 900 per page, totaling 18,000 yuan for that issue.

This was also the first income most manga artists received.

In this parallel world, the overall manuscript fees for manga were similar to Tang Yao's previous life in Japan. Mainstream manga magazines paid around 450 per page... and most manga artists received no more than that.

Teacher Rumi, who was famous and successful in this world, only received 2,500 per page.

Incidentally, erotic manga artists received the same manuscript fee per page as regular manga artists.

As for Third-rate Painter... meaning Tang Yao herself, who was unknown and was about to have her first serialization, receiving 900 per page was indeed not little.

This also indirectly proved how popular Fate/Zero was.

However...

Was Ding Yilong dreaming? Serialization just like that with a single sentence?

"Third-rate Painter does not intend to serialize with our magazine."

Tang Yao shifted her gaze from Ding Yilong back to her own desk and replied directly, "I have already asked for her opinion."

"...What did you say!?"

Ding Yilong froze upon hearing this, then his eyes widened. "What do you mean she doesn't intend to serialize with the magazine!? Did you do all that? Hooking up with the new media department, sweet-talking Ou Congquan, wasn't it all for this!?"

It was obvious.

He had also gathered quite a bit of information these past few days.

In fact.

The reason he came to find Tang Yao was to save himself... after failing to shift the blame and getting yelled at by Ou Congquan when he called him.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fang Sheng and Shang Tao had not contacted him even once, but kept approaching Tang Yao instead.

Ding Yilong realized something.

As an old hand at the magazine, it wasn't difficult for him to inquire about internal matters.

Soon.

He learned about everything Tang Yao had done...

And when he found out that Ou Congquan's problem had been solved, and he hadn't even been notified.

Ding Yilong knew he was in big trouble!

Then came the early release of the manga award entries... When he saw Ou Congquan posting his thanks to Tang Yao, and the standout category on the website.

Ding Yilong felt like the sky was falling... He, the editor-in-chief, was completely unaware of such a major event.

What did this mean?

Ding Yilong didn't know, but he started to panic and went to find Zhao Fang Sheng early in the morning.

But Zhao Fang Sheng completely ignored him.

Then, he came to find Tang Yao.

Because he had been paying attention to the website yesterday, even though in his opinion, Tang Yao had just gotten lucky!

But the popularity of that Fate/Zero was indeed high, very high!

So he planned to do something to slightly salvage his impression with Zhao Fang Sheng.

For example... quickly sign Fate/Zero, which was exploding with popularity. That way, even if something he didn't want to see happened, he would have something to say!

But now Tang Yao told him.

That Third-rate Painter wasn't planning on serialization!?

What a joke!

At the same time.

Kang Ming's eyes widened sharply upon hearing Tang Yao's words.

"I advised him, but I couldn't change his mind. He just doesn't want to serialize, it's that simple."

Tang Yao pulled a form from the file basket, filled it out, and replied calmly, "I think I made myself very clear."

"How is that possible!!"

"Do you think I'd believe your nonsense? Wait... is this revenge?"

Ding Yilong trembled with anger, watching his chance to save himself slip away. Unable to accept it, he roared, then suddenly thought of something: "Are you trying to get revenge on me? Do you think you can make me leave this way? You want to wait until I'm gone to serialize!? Dream on! I'll drag this out shamelessly! I'll drag it out until the manga's popularity dies down! Then let's see how you explain yourself to that Third-rate Painter!"

The popularity of this manga award would indeed pass.

And so would the popularity of those works... After all, they were all short stories. While Fate/Zero looked like a long-form work, it had only just begun.

Even if the hype died down, given Fate/Zero's quality, it wouldn't be completely ignored... On the contrary, if handled well and the quality maintained, the final results would definitely not be bad.

But the effect would certainly not be as good as announcing the serialization while the hype was at its peak.

After all, readers' emotions couldn't stay that high forever.

This was why Ding Yilong said those words.

However, all of this depended on... whether there really was a Manga Artist by the name of Third-rate Painter.

"Then take your time dragging it out."

Tang Yao looked up, handed him the completed form on the desk, and said calmly, "I'm not interested in playing along. I'm leaving."

Ding Yilong looked down, and his pupils contracted sharply.

It was a resignation form...

Kang Ming, standing beside him, also saw it and was a bit stunned.

Wait.

I haven't even said anything yet?

You're resigning first?

Sorry, it's been a bit late recently, mainly because the plot transition before the resignation is a bit tricky