Invitation

"Damn it!"

Song Jiayu sat in the office, his face dark.

Over the past two days, the words he'd heard most often around the industry were "Shui Xin" and "Rurouni Kenshin"... And whenever he heard them, he thought of that woman, Su Ruo.

Even when he walked into the Manga Company, he saw a few employees sneaking glances at him and laughing.

He could guess what they were laughing about.

Everyone at the Manga Company knew he'd pursued Su Ruo and failed, then tried to suppress her out of spite, hoping to force her to give in.

But what happened? He'd spent months putting in all that effort to suppress Su Ruo, only for her to discover a monstrous newcomer like Shui Xin. Everything he'd done before now looked like a joke.

More importantly, he felt a serious threat from Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal.

A newcomer with no established fanbase had managed to place fourth on Man Ying after just two chapters, earning the support of more than ten thousand voters.

Song Jiayu thought it was only a matter of time before Dong Yun's Secret Girl surpassed Magic Realm and Tian Shu, Mo Yu's two former flagship comics, in popularity.

But what about Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal?

It was terrifying. The first installment had received just over four thousand votes, but the second had gotten more than fourteen thousand. What about the third and fourth?

Could it overtake the others?

In the past, if someone had told the employees of Mo Yu that a newcomer comic artist would top the rankings on Man Ying, they would have laughed in derision.

But now, the thought of that possibility didn't make Song Jiayu want to laugh. Instead, he felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

After all, he hadn't come all the way from Modu to Luo Province and Mo Yu for fun. His main purpose was to add some impressive achievements to his résumé.

For example, when he eventually returned to Modu and joined the Manga Company where his father had devoted his life, his résumé could say that he'd served as Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Mo Yu, a top comic company in Luo Province, and edited the most popular series in its flagship magazine, Man Ying. That would look great.

But if that number one spot on his résumé became second or third...

Then it would be meaningless.

People only remembered first place. No one remembered second or third...

If that happened, his trip to Luo Province would have been a waste, and his father would be disappointed in him.

His father held a high position at that Manga Company, but that didn't mean he had absolute power there. There were plenty of competitors and rivals, and everything had to follow the rules. If Song Jiayu wanted to inherit his father's position, connections, and influence, and take his place after he retired, he couldn't afford to lose at the outset. If he couldn't achieve anything at a place like Mo Yu, how could anyone back in Modu believe in his abilities?

No. He couldn't let this happen.

Song Jiayu raised his head.

By now, his conflict with Su Ruo was no longer a petty matter of pride.

It was a struggle over their interests.

"Hey, did you read the new installment of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal in last week's issue of Man Ying?"

"Of course! Damn, Kenshin was so cool—the moves, the swordsmanship..."

"Who cares about that? I mean the woman who showed up at the end. She's my new goddess."

"Wasn't Xiao Jun Jiang your goddess? What, now that that series is over, you've got a new one? You sure change your mind a lot..."

"Shui Xin really knows how to leave us hanging. The second chapter ended right there, and they didn't even reveal the name of the girl who showed up at the end, or who she is, or what happens next. They're really keeping us in suspense."

"If you're left wanting more, that just means the author drew it well. Otherwise, it wouldn't leave you hanging. If a series isn't good and still pulls a stunt like this, impatient readers will drop it instead of getting hooked and following it."

"I hope my future boyfriend is as cool as Kenshin."

"Forget it. You're never getting a boyfriend."

"Heh..."

"But was this really drawn by the same author who did The Garden of Words? It feels so different! That was a romance comic, but what is this one? War, scheming, action, romance—it seems to have a bit of everything! And it's really good!"

Like Su Ruo, Chu Yu sensed that something had changed today.

For some reason, the anime and manga fans in his class had switched from discussing other series to talking about Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal. Even the discussions of Magic Realm, Tian Shu, and Secret Girl, which appeared in the same issue, weren't as lively.

They even wondered why Chu Yu wasn't joining in, since he'd always been enthusiastic about conversations like that.

His classmates who loved comics used to gather after class to discuss the latest popular series. But one day, when they were talking about Rurouni Kenshin, Chu Yu truly realized that the series seemed to have become a hit.

In just one week, with a single chapter, the series had spread rapidly across Luo Province through the Man Ying platform. The speed was astonishing.

Fans had gathered of their own accord, and countless comic readers had discovered Shui Xin's previous work, The Garden of Words. Copies of Mo Ying magazine featuring The Garden of Words were even selling online for two or three times their original price to Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal fans.

In Chu Yu's System Space, his World Points kept increasing nonstop. They'd already passed two hundred thousand, and the money in his bank account was steadily rising, too!

That evening, at Chu Yu's home.

Chu Yu stared at the box of letters in front of him, looking bewildered.

"These are all addressed to me?"

"That's right," Su Ruo said.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" Chu Yu looked over the pile.

"Read them if you want. If you have time, you can write back. If you don't want to read them, put them away, or figure out how you want to deal with them."

"There might be a lot more of these in the future..." Su Ruo said.

"By the way, I came by today because there's something I need to tell you." Su Ruo looked at Chu Yu.

"What is it?" Chu Yu asked, puzzled.

"This is an amendment to your contract. Once you sign it, your pay will go up from six hundred to a thousand per page." Su Ruo smiled and took a document out of her bag.

"The Manga Company proposed this. You don't need to worry about it. The previous rate of six hundred per page was just the standard for ordinary comic artists in Man Ying. After last week's voting results came in, the company naturally adjusted your rate to reflect your potential."

"Another raise." Chu Yu was almost numb to it. His rate had gone up twice in just two weeks.

"Also, it's almost the New Year. In about two months, our Manga Company will hold its Annual Gala before the holiday. We'll invite executives from the companies we work with, our management team, the chairman, and any comic artists the company feels are important enough to attend." Su Ruo finally got to the point she'd wanted to bring up.

"The editor-in-chief told me today that you're on the invitation list, too!"

"He asked me to find out what you think. Would you... be willing to go?"

"The Annual Gala?" Chu Yu glanced at the contract amendment in front of him.

He wasn't interested in events like that, but they'd raised his pay first and were now inviting him. He felt a little bad about refusing.

"Then... I'll go," Chu Yu said cautiously.

"Great!" Su Ruo smiled.

"Also, you can bring one person with you. Your girlfriend, a family member, whoever you like."

"I can bring someone?" Chu Yu glanced at Zhao Qinyin, who'd been quietly sitting beside them.

Chu Yu understood that he'd been invited because of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal's success. No matter what, Zhao Qinyin had played a part in creating the series. Since he was allowed to bring someone, she was the first person who came to mind.

"Do you want to go?" Chu Yu asked her.

"Me?" Zhao Qinyin hadn't expected Chu Yu to ask her.

Of course she wanted to go. As an unsuccessful comic artist, she'd jump at the chance to attend an event like this and meet so many famous comic artists.

But when she thought of what Su Ruo had just said, she felt a little embarrassed.

After a long pause, she finally managed to get out a single word.

"Yes!"

"Great. Then it's settled!" Su Ruo nodded.