Chapter Eighteen: Decision!

Chu Yu took the manuscript from Su Ruo's hand and immediately began to flip through it.

Su Ruo, standing beside him, was no stranger to Chu Yu's home. She familiarized herself with the layout and found paper cups and tea, quickly bringing back three cups of steaming hot tea.

"Xiao Yin, come!"

"Thank you, Sister Su." Zhao Qinyin took the tea from Su Ruo with both hands, but her eyes remained fixed on Chu Yu.

To be honest, Zhao Qinyin knew almost nothing about Chu Yu.

It had only been a little over a month since Chu Yu took her to the infirmary because of her hypoglycemia. Afterward, she had inquired about him from a few of his former classmates who had transferred to Class Five due to the high school division.

Parents deceased...

Aloof personality...

Reclusive lifestyle...

Poor grades...

All she heard about him from Chu Yu's former classmates from his first and second years of high school were these things.

This made it difficult for her to figure out how to repay Chu Yu's kindness, which she had been wanting to do for some time.

It wasn't until today, when Su Ruo invited her to be Teacher Shui Xin's assistant, that she realized... the world was so small.

The young man who, in his classmates' eyes, was cold and quiet, was actually working hard to become a manga artist, just like her.

Moreover... in the field of manga, Chu Yu's current achievements were far superior to hers.

After all, Chu Yu's "The Garden of Words" had basically secured the first place in Ink Shadow's Popularity Poll.

Her last manga serialization had been three years ago, and it was canceled after only a few chapters due to low popularity.

"Amazing!" Chu Yu closed the manuscript in his hands and looked at Zhao Qinyin.

His gaze was no longer filled with scrutiny and doubt as before, but with enthusiasm.

Chu Yu hadn't forgotten the purpose of her visit, so when he looked at Zhao Qinyin's work, he didn't focus on the story's quality but rather on her drawing skills.

Whether it was the backgrounds, linework, details, use of screentones, or composition, Chu Yu didn't believe he was stronger than her. In fact, if it weren't for the system gifting him manga specialization skills, Chu Yu would have been completely outmatched by her in terms of drawing technique.

Honestly, in Chu Yu's opinion, having Zhao Qinyin as his manga assistant was truly a waste of her talent.

If she wanted to make money, with her drawing skills, drawing fanbooks or doujinshi would definitely be much more profitable than being an assistant.

Of course, Chu Yu would never say this out loud.

"You're amazing... Classmate Zhao Qinyin!" Chu Yu understood perfectly that the matter of the assistant was not yet settled.

Sister Su had brought her over to meet him. She was very satisfied with him now, but whether things would work out... depended on what he thought!

"I am extremely satisfied with your drawing skills..."

"You must have heard from Sister Su about my situation. Because I want to finish three chapters of the Manga Manuscript by next Friday to submit for the Serialization Meeting, I urgently need an assistant..."

"I just don't know what you think about being my assistant for the upcoming period after meeting me today. Are you willing, or not?"

Willing... or not!

If Zhao Qinyin had known that Teacher Shui Xin was a man, she definitely wouldn't have even come to this meeting.

After all, for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl to work late at night with a male Manga Artist, no matter how innocent Zhao Qinyin was, she would definitely worry about her own safety.

But if that man were Chu Yu...

Zhao Qinyin remembered what she had said to Chu Yu when he carried her to the Infirmary and left.

"...If there's a chance, I'll repay this favor."

At that time, Chu Yu had only replied.

"We'll talk about it if there's a chance!"

A chance...

Zhao Qinyin sighed.

She thought about it and decided to trust Chu Yu.

After all, for someone who could save her immediately, Zhao Qinyin had a certain level of recognition for Chu Yu's character.

And if she set aside the factor of personal safety, Zhao Qinyin did not reject the idea of being Chu Yu's Manga Assistant.

"Mhm!" Zhao Qinyin nodded.

"So, is this settled?" Chu Yu blinked his eyes.

"Thank me! Young Man!" Sister Su on the side also became happy.

With this, the three chapters of Manga Manuscript before next week's Serialization Meeting would not only be guaranteed in quantity. Chu Yu, with the help of an assistant, could also spend more time on details, and the Quality would surely reach another level.

"Since it's decided, then Teacher Chu Yu, we don't have much time. Can you show me the previously completed Manuscript and the Manga Name?" Zhao Qinyin was also a person of action. Once she decided to do something, she would never procrastinate.

After all, she was going to be an assistant for Chu Yu's work, so she had to understand what kind of stories Chu Yu wanted to draw and his manga style.

"Oh, oh, the manuscript, right!" Chu Yu ran to his desk and brought over the previously drawn Manga Manuscript.

"But for the Manga Name, I don't have that..." Chu Yu said a little sheepishly.

Actually, it's not that there isn't one, but that the original work is already in his mind. Why would he need to redraw something like a manga draft, storyboards, dialogue, or panels? He can just copy it directly!

"There isn't one?" Not only Zhao Qinyin was surprised, but even Su Ruo looked up.

Su Ruo knew that Chu Yu had started drawing the original manuscript directly, but she didn't expect him to start drawing the original manuscript without even doing the name?

If he just draws whatever comes to mind, what if something is unsuitable? Wouldn't that be a waste of effort?

Moreover, Zhao Qinyin would be assisting Chu Yu in completing the manga, and these things would need to be referenced. After all, the name reflects Chu Yu's manga's composition, background, and character proportions, as well as the size of the panels. If Chu Yu doesn't provide the name, Zhao Qinyin can't just improvise, right?

"I understand. There isn't one today, but there will be tomorrow!" Chu Yu understood this as well.

For manga names, Chu Yu only needed to translate them from the original work in his mind. Compared to the delicate and cumbersome original manuscript, he could draw the names for two chapters in one day tomorrow.

"I... understand!" Zhao Qinyin nodded.

Then, she lowered her head and looked at the new manga manuscript Chu Yu had mentioned drawing.

Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance!

Zhao Qinyin's delicate eyebrows twitched.

Just from the title, and the somewhat oppressive art style on the first page, she could basically confirm that this work was completely different from the light and sweet romance manga, The Garden of Words.

Ten minutes later, Zhao Qinyin finally came back to her senses.

She bit her lower lip, feeling a sense of frustration.

It was only one chapter, so she couldn't see any major breakthroughs.

But she could feel the sense of loss when she flipped to the last page and found that the manga ended there.

Not only was the drawing skill delicate, but relying on just a short chapter's plot, it had already immersed Zhao Qinyin in the era of change on RB Island over a hundred years ago, drawing her attention to the young man named Kenshin.

Zhao Qinyin understood that none of her previous works had created such anticipation in the first chapter.

She felt a little unwilling...

The other party debuted later than her and was in the same cohort. Yet, their first work had achieved considerable success.

And with this second work, Zhao Qinyin even had a feeling that the plot, once it unfolded, would be much more exciting than The Garden of Words...

At this moment, Zhao Qinyin only felt the gap between herself and the other person in terms of manga talent.

(To everyone who has read this far, please give a collection! If you think there are any areas the author could improve, feel free to offer suggestions. The author basically reads all reader comments, and perhaps one of your suggestions might spark the author's creative inspiration. After all, the author doesn't reject ideas from book reviews! covers face)