novelraw Chapter 141: Inviting Li Xue
Chapter 141: Inviting Li Xue
“Good call turning her down.”
Tang Yao sighed. “I really don’t want to meet these people. I’ve already got more work than I can handle, and once FGO is on track, there’ll be even more to deal with.”
“Hmm… Are you tired?”
Li Xue looked at the beautiful girl in front of her with concern.
“Not really, but…”
Tang Yao hesitated for a moment, locking eyes with the gentle and elegant older woman in front of her. She thought of what she’d been considering earlier and wavered a bit.
Should she invite her?
If she brought it up, Li Xue would definitely agree.
Tang Yao had no doubt about that.
But would she really enjoy the work?Tang Yao didn’t want to affect her life path, even if she was already fully capable.
But then she remembered that moment in the café, when Li Xue had smiled sweetly and handed her a bank card, calling it a dowry.
She just couldn’t bring herself to ask.
If it were anyone else, she would’ve asked outright—no hesitation. Either you’re in or you’re out.
But Li Xue was different.
She didn’t even know what exactly made her different. Maybe it was the companionship when she first arrived in this world. Maybe it was when Li Xue went all in and offered up everything she had. Or maybe it was the time they’d spent together since…
Whatever it was.
Tang Yao just wanted her to be happy. To be free.
She didn’t want her doing things she didn’t enjoy.
If Tang Yao had to choose, she’d rather take on the burden herself, and just share her happy moments with Li Xue, spinning around in a hug…
That was why she’d never made up her mind to invite Li Xue—until now.
Honestly, it was a strange feeling.
“Say it.”
Li Xue saw that Tang Yao hadn’t spoken in a while and chuckled helplessly. “Don’t just stop halfway through your sentence.”
“I want to find a professional manager.”
Tang Yao snapped back to reality and, after a moment of thought, decided to tell her.
The studio definitely needed restructuring.
And there weren’t many people she could discuss this with.
Whether she invited Li Xue or not, she wanted to hear her thoughts.
“I see…”
Li Xue hesitated. “So, are you planning to recruit someone from outside?”
Tang Yao paused. “…Actually, I already have someone in mind. I just don’t know if they’d agree.”
“Well, you won’t know unless you ask.”
Li Xue replied directly, “Who is it?”
“…You.”
At this point, she had to say it.
“I think you’re the most suitable.”
“…”
Li Xue blinked, staring at Tang Yao, clearly surprised. “Me? I don’t know how. If I did, I’d have come to join you long ago.”
Actually, Tang Yao wasn’t the only one who had considered this.
Li Xue had also thought about coming to support Tang Yao.
But she’d quickly dismissed the idea.
Because she didn’t understand games… otherwise, she wouldn’t have tried to push Tang Yao toward making manga in the first place.
And while her current job was “Deputy Editor-in-Chief,” it wasn’t really a management role.
“Then just take the title and learn on the job while helping me oversee the managers we bring in.”
Tang Yao said directly, “Our Avalon definitely needs restructuring. It’s not just a trend—it’s our responsibility to the rest of the team. Once we restructure, the company will keep growing, and the organization will become more complex. I can’t handle it alone.
“I’m more interested in content anyway, and I’m not good at management.
“That said, this is really about what you want. Do you want to do this kind of work?”
“…”
Li Xue looked at Tang Yao’s beautiful face without replying. “I’m afraid I’m not up to it…”
“ANF focuses on 2D culture, and I plan to expand beyond games into manga and anime. Those are all your areas of expertise.”
Tang Yao replied, “Even if you can’t take over entirely, just focusing on that part would be enough. And worst-case scenario, you can be my secretary…
“I know what you’re capable of. Just follow your heart—ask yourself if you enjoy being an editor more, or if you’d rather be here.
“But don’t compromise for me. I don’t want you leaving Wenxin Press only to be unhappy.”
“When did I ever say I liked being an editor? I just love manga.”
Li Xue blurted out, “And you’re here… why would leaving Wenxin make me unhappy?”
“…”
Tang Yao sighed. “Didn’t I just say? Don’t do it for me. Think of it this way—if I hadn’t founded this studio, if I weren’t here, would you still come?”
Li Xue answered immediately, “Nope!”
Tang Yao’s eyes widened slightly at her instant reply.
That blunt, huh?
“Well, if you weren’t here, why would I come?”
Li Xue chuckled. “I’m not ambitious. And besides you, who else would invite me to such a promising company?
“If I hadn’t met you, I’d probably be stuck at Wenxin forever… So there’s no way I’d make a decision that ignores you.”
Tang Yao hesitated. “Then… what do you want to do now?”
“That depends on what you want.”
Li Xue held Tang Yao’s hand and said softly, “What I’m most afraid of is messing everything up. I really don’t have the experience.
“But you said I could even just be your secretary—that I can handle. So the decision isn’t up to me anymore.”
“Then who’s it up to?”
“You.”
Li Xue raised their joined hands. “…Do you want me to come over?”
Tang Yao answered instinctively, “Of course I do.”
Hearing that—
Li Xue pressed her glossy lips together, looking pleased.
“But… I’m worried you won’t like this kind of lifestyle.”
Tang Yao added quickly, choosing her words carefully. “You’ve been an editor for a long time. A sudden change like this…”
“Would take some adjustment, yeah.”
Li Xue nodded. “Even being a secretary means starting over. Just thinking about it is a little overwhelming… I’m still afraid of screwing it up.”
Tang Yao hesitated. “Then…”
“But I want to see you every day.”
Li Xue interrupted softly before Tang Yao could finish. “As long as you don’t mind, I’ll learn gradually.”
“…”
Tang Yao froze, staring at Li Xue’s gentle face.
See each other every day…?
Li Xue noticed Tang Yao’s gaze and asked quietly, “Would you mind?”
Tang Yao came back to her senses and shook her head. “No. Don’t forget—you’re part of this company too.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Even if I do this?”
Li Xue suddenly blew warm breath over their joined hands. The heat brushed across the skin like a gentle tease, ticklish and light.
“?”
Tang Yao slowly raised a question mark. “Aren’t we talking about work?”
Li Xue giggled softly. “I just wanted to experiment.”
“Why would I mind that…”
Tang Yao couldn’t help but laugh, and also opened her red lips to blow warm air onto their hands.
“What about this?”
Li Xue suddenly let go of her hand and cupped Tang Yao’s smooth, delicate face.
Maybe because their hands had been joined so long, her hands weren’t cold.
But Tang Yao still felt weird about it. Her cheeks flushed slightly—but thankfully, Li Xue’s hands covered it up. “And this is work-related?”
Li Xue answered seriously, “Well, think about it. If I’m your secretary, and I have to face such a cute boss every day, what if I can’t keep my hands to myself…”
Tang Yao rolled her eyes. “Being secretary is the backup of the backups. And do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what a secretary does?”
“Would you mind?”
Li Xue’s voice dropped a little.
“No.”
“Then…”
Li Xue rose slightly on her tiptoes, then dropped back down again—as if to psych herself up. She did it a few more times, then leaned forward slightly.
Tang Yao noticed her movements and blinked her beautiful eyes at her.
Li Xue paused when she saw those clear, pure eyes. She came back to herself and rubbed Tang Yao’s cheek. “What about this…?”
Tang Yao sighed helplessly. “I won’t mind. Seriously, don’t worry. Whatever you do, I won’t mind.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Li Xue let go of her face. Her ears were a little red, but her expression stayed calm. “I’ll hand in my resignation tomorrow.”
“Mm… It’s probably going to get really busy.”
Sensing the mood getting a little intense, Tang Yao quickly changed the subject and smiled brightly. “But the two of us will be fine. Looking forward to working with you, Manager Li.”
Li Xue blinked. “…Manager?”
“What else would it be?”
Tang Yao grinned mischievously. “Once the studio restructures, HR, finance and legal, marketing and PR, platform ops, external partnerships, even M&A—that’s all on you.”
“Oh, and the FGO-mangaka collab, plus finding a scriptwriter.”
“Also, we’ve got to get ANF’s manga and anime divisions off the ground.”
“And the studio’s second game, Dou Pai…”
“…”
Tang Yao launched into a long list of urgent studio matters.
Li Xue’s eyes widened slightly as she listened to the torrent of responsibilities. Her whole body tensed.
Then—
When Tang Yao finally paused for breath, she blurted out, “I think I’m still more suited to editing…”
With that—
She turned to leave.
Tang Yao immediately grabbed her coat. “You already agreed—you’re not getting away.”
“But I didn’t think there’d be so much! I can’t learn all that!”
Li Xue’s voice was on the verge of tears as she kept heading for the door.
Tang Yao started to panic. She yanked on her coat and blurted out instinctively, “I’ll give you a kiss, okay… just don’t run.”