Late-Night Conversation

In the middle of the night, Chu Yu woke up thirsty.

His head was still spinning. He sat on the edge of the bed, thinking for a long while before remembering that he'd gotten drunk, and that Zhao Qinyin had brought him and Su Ruo home.

Thinking back on tonight's so-called celebration, Chu Yu couldn't help finding it ridiculous. He was a guy, and Su Ruo had been in the workforce for several years, yet the two of them had both been knocked out by Zhao Qinyin, a student whom everyone around her thought was a well-behaved girl.

Considering how much Zhao Qinyin had drunk, and how she'd still managed to bring them both home with a clear head, Chu Yu knew that kind of tolerance couldn't be trained. In that regard, Zhao Qinyin's talent for drinking could rival her talent for studying.

So when Chu Yu stepped out of his room and saw that Zhao Qinyin was still awake at this hour, sitting on his sofa and engrossed in a cartoon, he was at a loss for words.

Zhao Qinyin's cheeks were still faintly flushed, but Chu Yu could tell from her clear eyes that she wasn't drunk at all. The redness was probably just a physical reaction to the alcohol and hadn't affected her mind in the slightest.

"Are you... going to rest?" Chu Yu was terribly thirsty. After downing three glasses of water in a row, he turned to Zhao Qinyin and asked.

Chu Yu wasn't surprised that Zhao Qinyin had brought him and Su Ruo back to his home. After all, she'd been doing her manga-assistant work here for nearly two weeks, so she was quite familiar with his place.

But this was the first time Zhao Qinyin had stayed here at night instead of going home.

Chu Yu's question had two meanings. First, if she was tired and wanted to rest, she didn't need to feel awkward. He lived alone, and there was a guest room where she could sleep.

Second, if Zhao Qinyin didn't want to stay at his place, he could take her home. Surely she couldn't spend the whole night watching cartoons—that would be far too hard on her body.

"I don't want to go home. I drank too much tonight and smell of alcohol all over. Grandma wouldn't be happy if she found out."

"Also, if I drink without getting drunk, I usually end up really alert and not sleepy at all. Since you're both asleep, all I can do is watch cartoons here!" Zhao Qinyin understood what Chu Yu meant.

"Your grandma? Aren't your parents home?" Chu Yu asked.

"My parents... are both gone."

Perhaps because they'd drunk together that night, Chu Yu felt that Zhao Qinyin had let down her guard around him and that they'd grown closer. She was more willing to talk with him.

"I've always lived with my grandma."

Her parents... were gone!

Chu Yu understood what Zhao Qinyin meant.

"You have a really high tolerance. Did you build it up by drinking regularly?" Chu Yu didn't press the subject and instead asked about something else he'd been wondering.

"No..." Zhao Qinyin replied flatly, then said nothing more.

Chu Yu assumed she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask further. But after Zhao Qinyin had been silent for half a minute, she spoke again.

"Everyone in my family has been a heavy drinker for generations. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my father were all famous drinkers in the villages around here."

"I see. So you inherited their talent for drinking?" Chu Yu nodded.

"No," Zhao Qinyin said.

"I was sickly from birth and often had cold hands and feet. When I was little, my grandfather heard from some village doctor who was also a fortune-teller that I was possessed by an evil spirit, which was why I was so weak... He said I had to drink strong liquor to protect my health..."

"So from the time I was two, my grandfather often gave me alcohol. At first it was only a little, but later the amount got much larger."

"Maybe I inherited their strong constitution, too. As I grew up, my tolerance gradually increased. Eventually, even my grandfather couldn't outdrink me."

What the heck?

Chu Yu was stunned. What kind of grandparent would do that? Giving his granddaughter alcohol from the age of two?

"But a few years ago... my grandfather also passed away. My parents' situation had been a huge blow to him. Then, when I started junior high, I developed a basic understanding of the whole evil-spirit thing. After that, I hardly drank anymore. I'd only have a drink with friends or elders when I was in a good mood, and I'd keep myself in check. Once I'd gotten them drunk, I'd stop."

So that was it.

Chu Yu nodded. Sure enough, you couldn't judge anyone by appearances!

Everyone at school thought Zhao Qinyin was a top student and a well-behaved girl. Who would've guessed that in private she was a drinking champion, that she liked drawing manga, and that she even earned money working as a manga assistant for others?

But she'd said she drank when she was in a good mood?

"You said you only drink when you're in a good mood. Does that mean something made you happy today?"

Zhao Qinyin gave Chu Yu a strange look.

"Why do you think I went to the gathering yesterday?"

"As a manga creator, I've failed for three years. Even though I was only an assistant on Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, I was still incredibly happy that it got serialized in RB Manga World! It feels like I've finally managed not to fail too badly on this path in manga... Even if nobody knows my name, as long as someone remembers the manga I worked on and says, 'The art in Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal is pretty good,' I'll be satisfied!"

Looking at Zhao Qinyin's serious expression, Chu Yu didn't know what to say. He felt that he shouldn't have asked that question.

Compared with how seriously she took manga, he really did fall short.

That was also why Chu Yu found it hard to understand why Zhao Qinyin felt so strongly about manga.

"Why... do you want to work in the manga industry so much?"

In the end, Chu Yu couldn't hold back and asked.

It was a question he'd wanted to ask from the very first day Zhao Qinyin became his assistant.

With Zhao Qinyin's grades, she could get into any university program in the country. And Chu Yu had learned from Su Ruo that Zhao Qinyin wanted to take the Gaokao and go to a university on RB Island. She wanted to study in the birthplace of manga and continue her career as a mangaka.

No matter how he looked at it, Chu Yu thought she had better options than a mangaka's life, which was like gambling.

Zhao Qinyin looked at Chu Yu and was quiet for a long while before answering.

"Maybe it's because of my father."

Zhao Qinyin thought for a moment.

"My father was a mangaka. I was influenced by him from a young age, so I came to love manga too. I also learned how to draw manga from him."

No wonder her artwork was so good... Chu Yu thought.

"My father's dream was to make a name for himself in the RB manga world one day..."

"Unfortunately, he never achieved his dream..."

Zhao Qinyin paused for a while before continuing.

"But I wasn't forced into it by my father's dream. He introduced me to the manga industry, and over time, I grew to love it and began to dream of becoming a mangaka. As I got older, my thoughts gradually came to match his. His dream slowly became the dream I wanted to pursue..."

So that was it!

Chu Yu glanced at the cartoon on the TV. The two of them didn't speak again for a long time.

But when Chu Yu looked at her again, he noticed that the flush from the alcohol had finally faded, and her cheeks had returned to their usual pale color.

Her eyes had also drifted shut. She was slumped on the sofa, her breathing slow and even.

Had she fallen asleep?

Chu Yu thought for a moment, then got up.

He took a clean blanket and pillow from a cabinet. He covered her with the blanket and tucked the pillow beneath her neck.

He turned off the TV and the lights, then checked on Su Ruo in the other room. She was cursing someone in her sleep, but she hadn't thrown up from drinking, so he was relieved.

It was only four in the morning on Saturday. Once things had quieted down, Chu Yu started feeling sleepy too, so he went back to bed for a few more hours.