Idle Chatter

"You're right. That's the series." Shen Xin nodded.

"Dong Yun's new series is impressive. It's achieved this kind of success after only a few installments. Honestly, I have to admit I'm not as good. Even if I started a new series in the future, I don't think I could achieve the same results."

"But as astonishing as Dong Yun's new series is..."

"Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal is the real monster!"

"After all, Dong Yun has been famous for years, just like you and me. She has a large readership..."

"But what about that newcomer called Shui Xin?" Shen Xin's eyes were now filled with gravity.

"He'd only had one short comic serialized in Ink Shadow before this. You could say that any manga artist in Man Ying had a readership far larger than his..."

"But what happened in the end? It hasn't even been that long, and this series has already become so popular..."

"I really don't think this series will stop climbing the rankings after it surpasses your Tian Shu."

"Or to put it this way... if the later story doesn't fall apart, then Man Ying is actually what's holding it back..."

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" Wang He said, unconvinced.

"No matter what, Shui Xin is still just a newcomer..."

"A newcomer?" Shen Xin smiled.

"Old Wang, don't let your perspective be limited to Luo Province."

"It's true that, throughout the history of Luo Province's manga industry, no newcomer's work has ever topped the rankings of the three leading magazines."

"But in the history of Longguo's manga industry, people have done things even more outrageous than that."

"For example, those young manga artists active in Modu..."

"People like Tang Xin, Ye Chun, and Nangong Yue. If their works hadn't been published by those manga companies in Modu, and had instead gone to a company like Mo Yu, I think... with the strength of their work, they could have topped the rankings very quickly too!"

"Sometimes, you really have to admit it. You and I are both talented in this line of work, or we wouldn't have made it this far. But compared to those truly gifted manga artists, we're just nowhere near their level."

"Wait, aren't you overestimating Shui Xin by comparing him to Tang Xin and Ye Chun?" Wang He asked.

"Overestimating him?" Shen Xin shook his head.

"Surely you read those people's work regularly, don't you?"

Wang He nodded. Their work was serialized in top magazines published by the Modu Seven Great Manga Companies, after all. He couldn't help knowing about them.

"Leaving aside the results each of them achieved, what do you think..." Shen Xin looked at Wang He.

"Compared with the first few chapters of those people's series when they first debuted, how appealing do you find the first four chapters of Shui Xin's Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal?"

Wang He fell silent, deep in thought.

He compared them in his mind...

Gradually, his expression changed.

"Judging just by the plot, content, and depth of the first few chapters, I think Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal might be a little better..." Wang He said hesitantly.

"I feel the same." Shen Xin took a sip of his drink.

"I even think Shui Xin's series might have had greater potential."

"It's just that Man Ying's platform is holding it back, so it can only have the influence it does now."

"If Shui Xin had been as lucky as Tang Xin and Ye Chun, and met someone who recognized his talent and gave him the chance to debut as a newcomer among the Modu Seven Greats, then maybe... with this series, Shui Xin could have secured a place among them too!"

Wang He moved his lips, but couldn't find anything to say. His emotions urged him to argue, but reason told him that what Shen Xin said... seemed to make sense.

"I think we've gotten a little off track." Shen Xin smiled. "Even setting aside everything I said before, I'd much rather have Shui Xin be the one to surpass me than Dong Yun."

"He may be a newcomer, but he's still a manga artist discovered through Mo Yu. If you're worried that you'll lose face in front of those manga artists at Feng Yu after Dong Yun tops the rankings, why not support Shui Xin instead?"

"Being a manga artist is so hard!" After finishing work for the night, Chu Yu collapsed face-first onto the desk.

"My head's spinning, and my hand's so sore... I wish I could be a lazy couch potato who did nothing but have fun every day!"

For a whole month, he'd spent all his free time drawing comics. Lately, even going out for a stroll had felt like a luxury.

The initial excitement of drawing comics had gradually faded. Now all he had to look forward to was one deadline after another, and the comics were a real pain to draw.

He genuinely admired Zhao Qinyin. She must really love drawing to keep up her excellent grades at school while creating her own comics—and even helping him as an assistant.

"Having fun? Mm-hmm! I heard you, Master Chu. You've worked hard. I'll take you out for drinks tomorrow..." Su Ruo teased as she sorted through the manga drafts.

At her words, Chu Yu's expression changed dramatically.

Every time they went out for drinks to celebrate something, he and Su Ruo ended up getting knocked out by Zhao Qinyin.

Su Ruo didn't mind, of course, but after it happened so many times, Chu Yu had started feeling embarrassed. After all, being sent home by Zhao Qinyin while barely conscious every time really was hard on his pride.

"Forget it! I was only saying that... It's not like we achieved anything worth celebrating. We got the same results as last week, so what's there to celebrate?"

"I've finished the draft for Episode 6 of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal. Tomorrow I have to start thinking about how to draw Episode 7. Going out isn't an option!" Chu Yu declared righteously.

Zhao Qinyin was still as quiet as ever, but while spending time with Chu Yu and Su Ruo, she was clearly in a much better mood. She smiled more often, too.

That was how she looked now, a faint smile on her face as she watched the other two tease each other.

It was late at night. Before long, Su Ruo left with the draft for Episode 6, and Zhao Qinyin finished her work and left as well.

It was already eleven at night.

Chu Yu lay in bed, thinking about the voting results and rankings from that day.

More than twenty-five thousand votes?

Although Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal was still in fourth place on Man Ying, just like last week, the number of people voting for it had gone up by a full six thousand since the previous issue.

Honestly, the increase in the series' readership made him happier than the increase in his payment.

It made him feel that all those late nights spent working on comics hadn't been for nothing.

At school, when he heard his classmates talking about his work, he no longer felt embarrassed. Instead, he got excited.

Whenever he heard someone say Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal was good, he was over the moon.

Without realizing it, ever since he'd gotten the Mangaka System and been coaxed into becoming a manga artist, Chu Yu had come to feel that, even if the work was tiring, he'd found plenty of joy in it.

Whether it was getting to read these excellent comics from a Different World, meeting Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin through his work, or earning money from his manga drafts...

All of it was gradually changing Chu Yu's life...

"For Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal to top the rankings on Man Ying, it still has to surpass three other series!"

"Looks like I'll have to work even harder."

Lying in bed, Chu Yu took a deep breath.

His gaze grew resolute.