novelraw Chapter 14: A Deranged Li Xue
Chapter 14: A Deranged Li Xue
Li Xue really did love manga—but her love had its limits...
And horror manga? Definitely not part of it.
She had no interest in twisted, grotesque, or unsettling stories that made her feel uncomfortable.
In contrast—
She much preferred beautiful things. Like, say, the lovely Tang Yao sitting next to her.
Still, she was an editor… and even if horror wasn’t her thing, she read it when she had time—for work.
In fact, she made a point to read all types of manga.
Although she mostly read popular, mainstream titles—and certainly less horror compared to the shoujo genre she managed—her reading volume still far exceeded that of the average reader.
By her twenties, Li Xue had already risen to Deputy Editor at the publishing house. No one in the editorial department dared speak against her appointment. Sure, people gossiped behind her back—that was inevitable—but not one person questioned her professionalism.
That alone proved her editorial talent… and the hard work behind it. That said—
She’d read her fair share of horror manga. All the major titles that made waves on the market? She’d checked them out.
But this one?
She had never read a horror manga this twisted—no, more accurately: this wild and unhinged, yet strangely festive.
This was her first time.
The first time she’d read a horror manga that left her completely stunned by the end.
It started with a knock on the window—just enough to hook the reader's curiosity. Then the story unfolded, taking everyday things and warping them into nightmares. It turned something symbolic of celebration and childhood—balloons—into something utterly terrifying by prefixing two words: “human head.”
That realistic art style added an eerie layer of believability. The detailed facial expressions and subtle body language… all of it culminated in that scene where a human head deflated like a balloon—
And it hit.
It hit hard.
And then the plot completely spiraled out of control—a large-scale horror carnival that wrapped up cleanly, but left just enough lingering tension to keep the dread alive.
The entire manga was tight and seamless, and the impact stuck with her long after the final panel. The open ending let the gloomy atmosphere seep through the paper, wrapping around her like a dense, choking fog.
It was just… so damn polished. And so brilliant!
Human heads! Balloons! Who the h*ll puts those two together!?
And draws it like that?!
And this was supposed to be a hobbyist’s work?
If that was amateur...
Then half the professional manga artists in the industry might as well quit!
But that was the issue…
This was a horror manga.
Tang Yao… drew a horror manga.
Did that really… fit???
“Finished reading?”
Just then—
Tang Yao noticed Li Xue had reached the last page. She set her phone down and looked up, smiling sweetly at the still-shell-shocked editor clinging to the manuscript. “So? How was it?”
“……”
Li Xue slowly came back to her senses. She pulled her gaze from the manuscript and looked up at the cute, adorable Tang Yao.
At that moment—
She finally felt herself snap out of the manga’s world and return to reality.
But that only made it worse.
She couldn’t—she absolutely couldn’t connect Tang Yao with the horror manga she’d just read!
The contrast was insane!!
“It was good.”
Li Xue stared blankly for a long time. Though still rattled, she eventually managed to say, “Surprisingly good. While horror manga isn’t as mainstream, to be honest, if someone submitted work of this caliber, no editor would ask for changes… You really drew this?”
“Mm. Good enough for the manga award, right?”
Tang Yao nodded and smiled, a faint dimple appearing on each cheek. “So now the issue isn’t the manga award anymore, it’s how to get funding from venture capital…”
Yeah, technically speaking—she really did draw it.
“You…”
Li Xue, now certain it was true, glanced down at the manga, then back up at Tang Yao. Suddenly, she said:
“Stand up for a second.”
“Hm?”Tang Yao blinked in confusion but still got up from her chair. “What for?”
Li Xue stared at the girl standing gracefully before her—porcelain skin, flawless beauty, and a puzzled look on her face.
What for?
Seriously, what kind of question is that!
Still looking dazed, Li Xue stood up too. She took a step forward, placed her hand gently on Tang Yao’s shoulder, and asked seriously:
“Have you… gone through something lately? Some kind of trauma?”
“Eh?”
Tang Yao looked at the mature woman standing right in front of her, clearly not expecting that question. “What trauma?”
“Then why did you draw a horror manga like this? Wait—actually, forget that. With this level of skill, why are you working as an editor? No, hold on—what about your startup idea…”
Clearly—
Miss Li here hadn’t completely recovered from the shock. She was still all over the place—practically rambling now.
“Calm down, Miss Li!”
Seeing Li Xue spiraling, Tang Yao had a pretty good guess what was going on. She reached out to pat her shoulder—but Li Xue’s arm was in the way, so she settled for gently pinching the woman’s waist instead. Just enough to snap her out of it.
At the same time, she explained:
“I have drawn manga before. I gave it up, then switched to editing. As for this horror story—it’s just something I thought was interesting. And the manga award needed a submission, right? I didn’t feel like hunting someone down, so I drew it myself. It’s not like I had a mental breakdown or anything, don’t worry.”
“……”
Li Xue looked at Tang Yao’s calm, totally normal expression—and got even more confused. She felt like she was drunk or something… and weirdly, it was kind of cute.
It took a while—
But she finally digested what Tang Yao had said. She tightened her grip on Tang Yao’s shoulders and continued:
“Let me get this straight. You were told yesterday that the award submission got pulled… and you show up today with a fully drawn manga. So that means you were—already preparing this?”
“Nope.”
Tang Yao shook her head. “I only came up with the idea last night. Why would I prep something like this in advance? Took a lot of effort though—stayed up drawing till 2 AM.”
She was just being honest.
When she drew, it was basically like copying from a script. Maybe it was because she’d transmigrated, or because she had dual memories—but her memory was insane. Not just manga—she could recall things from her childhood crystal clear.
On top of that…
Her drawing skills from her previous life as a corporate drone had stacked with the original host’s skills. So drawing something like this? Easy. One night was honestly kind of slow.
But that was her perspective.
To Li Xue—who was 100% a native of this world—it was straight-up mind-blowing.
Oh~ no manuscript for the award?I’ll just draw one myself~Teehee~ done by morning~
If someone had said that to Li Xue earlier, she’d have rolled her eyes and walked away without hesitation—because even pausing for a second would’ve been an insult to her intelligence.
But now, hearing it come from Tang Yao, in that tone—
And after seeing the work herself…
She couldn’t roll her eyes. Not even a twitch.
Because that was not some amateur’s self-indulgent doodle.
It was a professional-grade one-shot, the kind she could confidently publish as-is.
So when she heard Tang Yao’s reply—
Li Xue fell silent again. She stared at the girl she still had by the shoulders, and after a long pause, finally asked:
“One night?”
“Mm-hmm. One night.”
“Then why the hll are you even trying to start a company!!!!*”
That was it.
Li Xue finally broke.
She gripped Tang Yao’s shoulders and shook her like crazy, her flawless face flushed red, practically vibrating with emotion:
“You drew that in one night! That makes you a super-genius! Why the hell are you working as an editor?! Just draw manga! Make a living off your art! Royalties! You could live off royalties for life!
And you’re not just insanely skilled—you’re beautiful! You could be the most dazzling star in the entire manga industry! If you keep drawing—not only will money stop being a problem, you could even MARRY ME, for all I care!
You’re already a bishoujo yourself—why the hell are you making some bishoujo collecting game!? WAKE UP, DAMMIT!!!”
“……”
Tang Yao, swaying left and right in Li Xue’s grip, stared at the elegant woman who was now completely losing her mind.
“Uh… what?”