Before the Annual Gala

After winter break began, Chu Yu finally understood what it meant to take it easy.

He no longer had to work on manga late into the night every day.

Usually, a week's worth of manga work took a week to complete. But with him and Zhao Qinyin working together, they had both finished their work for the week by Wednesday. When Su Ruo found out, she could only marvel at them.

Zhao Qinyin was already one of the faster artists among manga creators.

But compared to Chu Yu, even her speed paled.

After all, when the system had first bonded with him, it had enhanced his manga-drawing skills and speed.

So in just five days, the two of them had finished the new chapter's manuscript without working overtime in the evenings.

Su Ruo looked over the manuscript Chu Yu had just handed her: Chapter Eleven of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal. Suddenly, she felt she was coasting as an editor.

She couldn't offer any input on the story, and there was no need to chase them for pages. Man Ying's deadline was Sunday, but this guy had always finished drawing by Friday.

And now, with the two of them on holiday, they'd simply finished the manuscript by Wednesday.

Su Ruo had worked in the industry for years. She'd seen plenty of manga artists who churned out work like machines, but a team as productive as Chu Yu and Zhao Qinyin was one of a kind.

If they put school aside, worked during the day, and did a little overtime at night, two chapters a week wouldn't be a dream!

Of course, that depended on whether Chu Yu could handle the intense creative workload. By this point in Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, not only was the story still going strong, but every foreshadowing thread was tied neatly to the next. To pull that off, he must have planned out the entire work before putting pen to paper on the first chapter.

Su Ruo wondered how long Chu Yu had spent refining the story in his mind.

She guessed it must have taken quite a while.

"Phew!" Chu Yu let out a long breath. He was a slacker at heart, and now that he'd finished his work for the week, he wanted to rest.

It was vacation, after all!

What was the point if he spent all his time drawing manga?

Besides, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal had already reached Chapter Eight in Man Ying, and today he'd handed Su Ruo the manuscript for Chapter Eleven.

At this pace, the work would end in just four more chapters. It would take less than two months for the entire series to finish running in Man Ying.

By comparison, Chu Yu didn't feel particularly pressed.

"So, does that mean I don't have to come over for the next few days?" Zhao Qinyin asked after hearing about Chu Yu's work schedule.

"Yeah. Let's take the rest of the week off before the New Year!" Chu Yu nodded.

"It's winter break, anyway. I'd feel bad keeping you here working all the time, especially since the New Year is less than two weeks away."

"Of course, we could also push ourselves a little during this time. At this week's pace, maybe we could draw all four chapters of the Cross Scar section of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal before the New Year. Then the work would be finished, and everyone could enjoy the Spring Festival without a care..."

"F-finished..."

At Chu Yu's words, Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin both froze.

They'd been so focused on the work's reception and the drawing process that they hadn't realized it until Chu Yu first brought it up.

The story had already reached this point.

Even without the extra time they had during the holiday, at their usual pace, they could finish drawing it within a month and complete its run within two.

"Time... really flies..."

"After this is finished... what are you planning to do, Chu Yu? This work is called Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, right? The 'Trust and Betrayal' part... does that mean there are other arcs? Are you going to serialize the other parts of the story?" Zhao Qinyin looked at Chu Yu.

Su Ruo wanted to know, too.

Other arcs?

"To be honest... I have no idea what the other arcs would be."

Chu Yu gave a helpless shrug.

Of course he knew that Trust and Betrayal made up only a small part of Rurouni Kenshin. But the original work as a whole had been rated A-grade by the system. Even if he wanted to test his luck, he couldn't get an A-grade work with the B-grade Lucky Draw Chances he had.

As for exchanging World Points, the points he'd earned from Trust and Betrayal were nowhere near enough to redeem all of Rurouni Kenshin.

"And next semester is my last semester of high school. The Gaokao's in June. My grades aren't like yours, Zhao Qinyin. I've been slacking off too much. If I don't work hard, I probably won't even get into a third-rate university."

"How could I possibly think that far ahead? The work isn't even finished yet. And if it's still number one in the Popularity Poll this week, there's also the Dragon Star Award over the New Year."

"I'll just take it one step at a time."

Chu Yu's answer was vague. Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin lowered their heads, lost in thought.

"Hey, hey, why'd you both go quiet?"

They remained silent.

"Fine, fine. Let's not talk about that anymore!" Chu Yu shook his head.

"Sister Su, didn't you say our manga company is holding its Annual Gala this Saturday? You told me and Zhao Qinyin to buy suits and formal dresses for it. We're done with this week's work, and all three of us are here anyway. Why don't we go now?"

Chu Yu's suggestion immediately caught Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin's attention.

Women were easily drawn into a conversation about shopping, especially when clothes were involved. Even Zhao Qinyin perked up.

"Then, shall we go now?"

"Sure!"

At a shopping mall in downtown Ming City.

"Hello, sir. What do you think of this outfit?"

The shop assistant saw Chu Yu step out of the fitting room and smiled as she walked over.

"It's all right!"

Chu Yu checked himself in the mirror. In his dress shoes and suit, he did look much more mature. He just felt a little strange seeing himself like that, since he'd never worn anything in that style before.

Across the way, Zhao Qinyin and Su Ruo came out of the women's fitting room together.

Zhao Qinyin had changed into a red dress that left her shoulders and arms bare. She wore a pair of moderate-height heels.

Her hair fell around her face, and her eyes looked a little flustered. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she seemed embarrassed.

She'd never given the outfits TV hosts wore much thought, but now that she was wearing one herself, she realized how awkward it felt.

She wasn't used to the heels, and the dress exposed far too much. It was nothing like her usual casual clothes or the ankle-length skirts she wore on weekends.

Su Ruo, beside her, had changed into a black evening dress. With her slender waist and pale, straight legs, she looked beautiful and self-assured. After years in the working world, she was nothing like a young girl as nervous as Zhao Qinyin.

The two of them drew quite a few admiring glances from other shoppers.

It was the end of the year, and Ink Fish wasn't the only company holding an Annual Gala. Plenty of people at the store had come for the same reason as Chu Yu and the others. The men in particular kept glancing at Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin.

That only made Zhao Qinyin more uncomfortable.

"Hey, Chu Yu, you don't look half bad!"

Su Ruo's eyes lit up when she saw him in his suit.

"You used to wear jeans and T-shirts, or your school uniform, so it was hard to tell. But now that you've changed, you're actually kind of handsome."

Su Ruo's voice snapped Chu Yu out of his daze.

Only then did he realize he'd been momentarily stunned when he saw how the two of them looked.

But Chu Yu quickly replied, "I knew that already. And next time you compliment me, drop the 'kind of.' Just say I'm handsome."

What a narcissist.

Su Ruo rolled her eyes.

"So, what do you think? Are the outfits okay?" Chu Yu looked at them.

"I think they're fine. I'll take this one."

Su Ruo already had several evening dresses at home, but she still planned to buy a new one for the Annual Gala. A woman's wardrobe was always missing just one more outfit.

"I think... it's a little too revealing..." Zhao Qinyin's voice grew quieter.

"Isn't that what these dresses are like? You're just not used to paying attention to those areas. When you see what the other women at the gala are wearing on Saturday, you'll realize how conservative your outfit is," Su Ruo said with a shake of her head.

"Then... all right..." Zhao Qinyin murmured.

Since she'd started drawing manga, she'd only ever heard about Ink Fish Manga Company's Annual Gala. She'd never attended.

Compared to the excitement and anticipation of going to the event, she could put up with wearing an outfit she wasn't used to.

The two of them returned to the fitting rooms and changed back into their clothes.

With snow falling heavily outside the mall, they couldn't exactly head out in dresses.

While they were changing, Chu Yu went to the checkout counter.

"How much are their shoes and dresses, plus my suit and shoes?"

"Would you like to pay for everything together, sir?" the cashier asked with a smile.

"Yeah!"

The woman quickly entered everything into the computer. The final total made Chu Yu's heart jump.

That's expensive...

That's almost... my...

More than half a week's pay.

At first, Chu Yu had measured the cost against his monthly living expenses from before.

But that only made him feel worse. He'd roughly worked out that the number of months could be rounded up to a full year.

So he quickly switched to measuring it in weeks of pay.

That made him feel much better.

If Chu Yu had stayed home and drawn manga today, the money he could earn from the pages he finished would be enough to pay for two outfits like his.

His mood improved right away.

By the time Zhao Qinyin and Su Ruo came out, Chu Yu had not only paid the bill but also put his thick down jacket back on and was ready to head home.

"You paid?"

Su Ruo and Zhao Qinyin looked at each other.

They knew Chu Yu was making good money now, but they hadn't gone along with him planning to take advantage of him.

"I'll transfer you the money..." Zhao Qinyin said as she took out her phone.

"Forget it!" Chu Yu waved his hand.

"We all worked hard together to get Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal where it is today. I've been wanting to find a chance to thank you both..."

"The gifts I gave you on Christmas Eve were meant to show my appreciation, too. Though it seemed Sister Su wasn't too fond of the scale. This time, you both chose what you wanted yourselves, so just think of it as another thank-you from me... You don't need to transfer me the money. I won't accept it."

"But I really like the manga tools you gave me... Sister Su can let it go, but I should pay for mine..."

"All right, all right, let's go. That's that!" Chu Yu knew he couldn't win an argument with Zhao Qinyin, a girl with such a sharp mind and clear logic.

He grabbed the bag with his clothes and headed for the store entrance by himself.

He'd finally decided to give someone a present. It would be so awkward if Zhao Qinyin refused to accept it, so he simply didn't give her the chance.

Su Ruo stopped Zhao Qinyin, who was still about to say something, and shook her head.

"Let it go. He said he was giving us a present to thank us for helping with his work. There's no need to say anything more..."

"Being so particular about every little thing would only make it awkward. If you feel bad, then put even more care into giving Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal a proper ending. Make sure it has no regrets—that's what matters," Su Ruo said.

As far as Su Ruo was concerned, if someone she liked well enough gave her a present, she'd accept it. She could always find an opportunity to return the favor later. Unlike Zhao Qinyin, she wasn't as inexperienced with these things.

"What's wrong? Why are you still thinking about that? Hurry up!" Chu Yu called from the entrance, looking at them in exasperation.

"Okay, coming..." Su Ruo hurried over.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Qinyin followed.

Over the next two days, neither Su Ruo nor Zhao Qinyin came to Chu Yu's home.

After all, Chu Yu had already submitted that week's manuscript. And although he'd asked Zhao Qinyin if she wanted them to work overtime and finish the whole story before the New Year, her answer was that she was busy with the holiday approaching. She could comfortably handle one chapter a week as an assistant, but two would be difficult...

Since Zhao Qinyin had put it that way, Chu Yu didn't press the matter.

For him, finishing the manga in two weeks or in a month made little difference.

The New Year was only a few days away. The chill across Luo Province couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm. Children and elderly people braved the snow and wind to go out into the streets.

During this time of year, all kinds of street food stalls were allowed to set up in the city.

And with pocket money from the New Year, elementary and middle school students were happy to spend it on their favorite manga magazines and merchandise.

The orders for the magazines published by Luo Province's Three Great Manga companies—Feng Yu, Ink Fish, and Dragon Fang—all went up.

Ink Fish Manga Company found it a little strange that Luo Cheng, one of its major distributors, had ordered nearly thirty thousand more copies of Man Ying than usual. But they assumed it was because of the New Year's sales bump, even if... the increase was a little startling.

Then Friday arrived, bringing with it the release of Chapter Nine of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal.

The sales of Man Ying at bookstores across Luo Province were already far ahead of those of Tianyin and Fire Dragon, the other two major magazines in the province.

By now, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal had become the work manga fans in Luo Province talked about most.

In comparison, after Dong Yun's departure from Tianyin, Zhong Ning's Star Realm had dominated on its own, while the two most popular works in Fire Dragon took turns claiming the top spot.

Man Ying, meanwhile, had settled into a pattern of one standout and three strong contenders.

Dong Yun's Secret Girl had managed to hold back Shen Xin's Magic Realm, but not by much. It was on about the same level as Magic Realm and Tian Shu.

Only Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal stood in a league of its own on Ink Shadow in last week's popularity survey. It was the only work in Man Ying to surpass forty thousand votes, and it had beaten Dong Yun's Secret Girl by a full ten thousand.

The votes might number only in the tens of thousands, but most manga fans lurked without voting. Even if they loved a work, they might not bother casting a vote for it online. It was simply a matter of personal habit.

If a work received tens of thousands of popularity votes, its actual readership could easily be ten times that number or more.

Clearly, the rankings in the Popularity Poll were just numbers. What mattered most to a manga artist was how many people supported their work.

The work in fifth place in Man Ying had fewer than ten thousand votes, yet it was only one place behind Tian Shu in fourth. In terms of actual fans, the gap between them was more than two tiers.

The Popularity Poll results over the past two weeks had shown the entire manga industry in Luo Province that Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal wasn't just in a league of its own in Man Ying. Even across the entire province, including Tianyin and Fire Dragon, it stood alone at the top.

It was hard to believe that the work had been drawn by a newcomer.

Shui Xin, a manga artist who had burst onto the scene at the end of the year. No one outside knew whether this person was a man or a woman, young or old... And yet this person was about to reach the peak of Luo Province's manga industry.

Word had it that Shui Xin, the person now stirring up the manga industry across Luo Province, would also attend Ink Fish Manga Company's Annual Gala.

That left many people in the manga industry eager for tomorrow's Ink Fish Annual Gala.

(These two chapters were updated together. I wrote them in the same document and couldn't be bothered to split them.)