The Dragon Kingdom Plane was nothing like the Earth Plane. On Earth, adults generally regarded comics as something only children read.
That was exactly why, after comics emerged as a genre in the last century, they quickly swept across the entire Dragon Kingdom.
In the Dragon Kingdom, famous manga artists were every bit as well-known as popular celebrities, and they could make even more money.
In the Dragon Kingdom Plane, having a classmate become a manga artist felt much the same as having a classmate who had acted in a TV drama or movie.
Although Qin Qianyv was the class monitor and a top student, in private she was also an avid comic reader who loved reading in her spare time. She was a seasoned fan.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have started reading Garden of Words without thinking when she saw the manuscript in Chu Yu's desk last time.
"Garden of Words..."
Qin Qianyv glanced at Chu Yu, but kept her expression unreadable.
"Liu Jie, could I borrow these comics after Xue Qing finishes reading them?" Qin Qianyv asked, turning to Liu Jie.
"If you want to read them, you can borrow them first, Monitor. I'm in no hurry," Xue Jing said with a smile.
While Chu Yu slept and his identity as a manga artist piqued Qin Qianyv's curiosity,
Zhao Qinyin, the class monitor of Class Five Grade Three, who had been carried to the infirmary by Chu Yu after suffering from low blood sugar during the Flag Raising Ceremony, and who had ranked first throughout all three years of high school, stared nervously at her phone.
More precisely, she kept checking again and again to see whether a certain friend had sent her a message on WeChat.
That morning, Ink Fish Manga Company held its regular Serialization Meeting.
Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Song Jiayu sat at the head of the table, with the company's manga editors, including Su Ruo, seated along both sides.
The meeting was a heated debate from start to finish. The company only had a handful of good magazines, and every editor wanted the manga they oversaw to be serialized in a good one. It affected not only their artists' futures, but also their own income, reputation, and standing in the industry...
Wherever there were people, there would be conflict. It was the same in every line of work.
Whether things went as they hoped depended on the quality of the work, but also on the editors' standing within the company—or, in other words, their connections.
"After discussion, I'll now announce the results of the meeting," Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng said. He was around forty, with a square face and a stern expression.
What followed was a series of serialization proposals. Some were approved, while others were rejected.
The editors sat tensely in their seats.
As Pang Feng announced each decision, the editors below either looked delighted or dejected.
Finally!
"Su Ruo's proposal to serialize Black Magician by Yu Tianke is rejected."
At his words, Su Ruo's hand clenched slightly.
She had expected this result. With a sigh, she began thinking about how she should comfort that person.
At the front of the table, Song Jiayu looked at Su Ruo with a smile.
Su Ruo immediately bristled.
For three whole months, Song Jiayu had opposed every serialization proposal she made.
That had been true of her previous works, and now even Black Magician. Without opposition from Deputy Editor-in-Chief Song, they would have had a good chance of getting serialized.
"By the way." After announcing the meeting's decisions, Pang Feng looked around at everyone.
"I have another announcement. After discussion, Shadow Swordsman will end its run within three weeks because of its poor popularity. That will leave an opening in Man Ying."
"Anyone interested should start preparing."
Pang Feng's words made the editors below breathe faster.
Everyone knew that although Ink Fish Manga Company published many magazines, it had only one true flagship: Man Ying.
Its sales network covered the entire province, and it sold over 350,000 copies a week.
Whenever a slot opened in that magazine, the editors and the manga artists under them would fight over it.
It had been two months since the last opening. At last, another one was available.
It was nearly noon when a faint vibration came from Zhao Qinyin's phone.
It was a WeChat notification.
Although class hadn't ended yet, Zhao Qinyin still sneaked her phone out.
This wasn't her first time experiencing something like this, but she still felt nervous, her heart racing.
"Sorry. The serialization proposal for Black Magician was rejected after the meeting."
Her expression didn't change, but deep in Zhao Qinyin's eyes lay profound disappointment.
So... it had failed again?
Was I really... untalented?
Her phone vibrated again.
A new message came in.
"Are you free tonight?"
"How about we go out for dinner together?"
After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Qinyin replied.
"Sure!"
"I'm sorry!"
Before they began dinner,
Su Ruo took a deep breath and apologized solemnly to the girl sitting across from her.
"S-Sister Su, why are you apologizing?" Zhao Qinyin asked, bewildered.
Su Ruo hesitated for a moment, then finally came clean to the girl about her situation at the manga company.
Zhao Qinyin listened attentively. Her expression shifted from confusion at first, to concern, and finally to calm.
"So, Sister Su, the reason you're apologizing to me..."
"Is that you think my work didn't get a chance to be serialized because you proposed it, and the deputy editor-in-chief deliberately targeted you, which ultimately led to the proposal being rejected?"
"That's right." Su Ruo nodded firmly.
Honestly, she'd felt guilty toward the artists under her for quite some time. She completely understood those authors who had once been close to her but eventually switched to other editors.
Zhao Qinyin fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"Sister Su, you don't need to blame yourself over this."
Su Ruo looked at her.
"Thank you for being honest with me about all this."
"But when all is said and done, the reason the proposal didn't go through is simply that I'm not good enough," Zhao Qinyin said.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're also the editor in charge of Garden of Words, which has recently reached the top of the rankings on Ink Shadow, right?"
Su Ruo glanced at her, unsure why she had brought up Garden of Words.
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