Starting as a Manga Editor

Chapter 142: Subtle

When she heard Tang Yao’s words,

Li Xue froze, like she’d been caught doing something sneaky, visibly flustered.

Even though her face wasn’t visible,

Her body language was filled with panic.

“……”

Tang Yao blinked, realizing something was off. Her pretty face flushed with a rosy hue.

She didn’t even know why she’d said that.

Probably because Li Xue’s actions just now were a bit too suggestive.

It just slipped out.

That had to be it. It’s not like she was actually... into girls, right?

…Probably not.

Even though ever since she’d changed into this form, she couldn’t feel attracted to men—and she did like big sisters and pretty girls—

She was still clear-headed enough to know reality wasn’t a novel, movie, or artsy drama.

Just because she couldn’t accept men didn’t mean everyone else felt the same.

Even if, at this point, she was kind of on a different path, it didn’t matter much. Her crap parents weren’t around anymore, and the game was making decent money.

But still, the other person wasn’t her.

So she couldn’t just let her desires run wild. Her fondness for older sisters and cute girls stayed strictly on the appreciation level.

Like how she loved watching Xun run around with her smooth, snowy legs out—because it was eye candy. Or how she liked seeing Li Xue in black stockings—because it looked amazing.

But that was it.

The boldest her imagination ever got was wondering how it’d feel to wear those things herself.

She hadn’t even thought about taking it any further.

Because Li Xue wasn’t her.

She couldn’t take advantage of someone’s affection or their friendship just to pursue her own interests...

Even if she didn’t mean to, it wouldn’t be fair.

It’d be totally irresponsible.

She figured if she ever let that kind of thought show, she’d just end up being disliked.

So even though a wild thought popped up from time to time, it never lasted. She’d forget about it right away.

...She was probably just overthinking lately.

What was she even saying?

“……”

On the other side—

After stiffening up for a moment, Li Xue slowly turned around. Though she’d panicked just a second ago,

Now that she faced forward, her expression was calm.

Her gentle eyes locked onto Tang Yao’s face. Then she asked, “Really?”

“What do you mean, really...”

Tang Yao started to ask on instinct.

But then she realized she didn’t need to ask.

Because Li Xue had already cupped her face and leaned in for a kiss.

“You’re actually doing it?”

Tang Yao laughed and turned her face to the side, dodging her. Then she glanced at Li Xue’s rosy lips, her ears heating up—but it quickly faded.

Because Li Xue looked a bit peeved.

Clearly, she hadn’t overthought it.

“Do you even remember how many things you just dumped on me?”

Li Xue didn’t try to force another kiss. She just kept holding Tang Yao’s face and said, “You promised me earlier, so I’m just collecting a little interest!”

“Relax. I was just messing with you.”

At that,

Tang Yao chuckled, her dimples showing on her beautiful face, a hint of playful charm in her expression. “I’m not making you handle everything by yourself. We’ll hire some pros together—you’ll mainly supervise them...”

“So I still have to understand all of it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then just let me kiss you.”

Li Xue took a deep breath and leaned in.

“I’ll help out!”

Tang Yao laughed and dodged her again.

Their cheeks brushed past each other.

But because Li Xue kept moving forward, they ended up in a full embrace.

Li Xue let go of Tang Yao’s face and wrapped her arms around her pale neck. Her usually calm, graceful expression now tinged with a blush.

“Don’t worry.”

Tang Yao noticed Li Xue’s body was tense and assumed she was nervous. She patted her back, smiling again. “I’ll definitely help out when the time comes... And don’t forget, you’re a shareholder. You said yes earlier—running away now would be ridiculous.”

Li Xue pushed down the strange feelings on her face and held Tang Yao’s soft figure close, whispering, “I’m just really scared I’ll mess it all up.”

“So what?”

Tang Yao said matter-of-factly, “If you hadn’t given me money back then, Avalon Studio wouldn’t even exist. Why weren’t you scared I’d mess it up?

“This whole studio exists because of you. Even if you mess up, so what? Who’s gonna say anything? You’re a shareholder—even if we go bankrupt, I won’t hold it against you. Worst case, the two of us go back to drawing manga.”

Hearing that,

Li Xue went quiet. Her heart felt warm.

She could feel that Tang Yao truly meant what she said.

That trust—it hadn’t been misplaced.

It felt... really good.

She thought back to their first meeting, to the clumsy girl with a keyboard pressed to her chest.

And all her hidden anxieties finally faded.

But that only made her more hesitant to ruin this precious friendship.

“You really wouldn’t mind?”

After a moment of silence, Li Xue let go and stepped back, meeting Tang Yao’s eyes.

“Mm.”

Tang Yao nodded earnestly.

“But I’m still worried.”

Li Xue’s tone turned teasing. “Do your words from earlier still count?”

“...Fine, you can kiss me.”

Tang Yao’s expression stiffened. She realized how stupid she’d sounded earlier and shot her a playful glare. Then she tilted her head up and closed her eyes.

“……”

Li Xue looked at Tang Yao’s fair, delicate face. Her long lashes trembled slightly. Her features were small and refined, impossible to look away from.

So beautiful.

That thought swelled in Li Xue’s chest.

She felt a sudden surge of impulse.

But reason and restraint ultimately won out.

She’d probably be hated if she really did it...

She wasn’t some naïve little girl.

She valued their friendship far more than a moment of recklessness.

“Forget it. I’ll ask for something else.”

Li Xue giggled.

Tang Yao opened her eyes and looked at Li Xue’s soft, lovely face, smiling as well.

See? No one else was like her.

But the thought passed quickly.

Because after accepting her identity, she had also come to accept her fate.

“Go ahead—just don’t run away.”

“When Avalon Studio finishes restructuring, you have to promise me one thing…”

“What thing?”

Tang Yao was curious.

Li Xue smiled. “Not telling. But if you don’t agree, I’ll run away.”

“Fine...”

Tang Yao gave her a suspicious look, thought about it, and didn’t press. She just pulled her down to sit. “Then let me tell you my plan for how Avalon should grow.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

Li Xue didn’t think about anything else and nodded seriously.

“Besides the departments I mentioned earlier.”

“First is FGO. We need to find a good scriptwriter. And the mangaka collaboration has to move forward. We need to meet Teacher Rumi.”

“Then there’s the website. The game section is fine. But I want to build up the manga and anime sections too. We’ve got money now. We’re a 2D-centric site—how can we not even have anime? Still, anime’s manageable. The real challenge is manga. That’ll be on you. Most mangaka prefer magazine serialization.”

“But we’ve got advantages too. Online serialization is the future. Otherwise, Wenxin wouldn’t be pushing online reading. We can offer competitive pay and revenue sharing. Plus, we can highlight ANF’s unique platform strengths. You help me brainstorm that too.”

“Oh, and we might consider livestreaming. But I’m a bit unsure about that part.”

“And then there’s our studio’s second game, Dou Pai. That’s where I’ll be shifting my main focus next…”

“……”

Tang Yao kept talking.

Li Xue looked at her beautiful profile, and couldn’t help but inch closer.

Human emotions are complicated and subtle.

They were both thoughtful people.

Whether it was probing or implying—

They’d already gone as far as they could without crossing the line.

Neither wanted to ruin what they had over a fleeting impulse.

But once something has begun to bloom, it’s hard to erase.

There’s a saying for it.

Love begins without reason, and grows without end.

…

That night.

At Li Xue’s home.

Ever since she got home, Li Xue had been distracted—even when she got into bed, her mind was wandering.

And she couldn’t sleep.

She lay there, ignoring the cold, and suddenly hugged her blanket tight. Her smooth, round legs wrapped around it too.

But the tighter she held it, the more restless she felt.

She couldn’t calm down at all.

Eventually, she let go of the blanket, got out of bed, and shuffled out in her cute slippers.

In the bathroom—

Moonlight streamed in through the window like a beam, gently lighting the space.

Dust floated through the air.

Soft, dreamy.

In the moonlight, a graceful woman stood in plain pajamas that did nothing to dull her beauty.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a face as fair and flawless as jade.

Then—

She lightly slapped her cheeks and murmured to herself, “What are you thinking, you idiot…”