novelraw Chapter 171: Shot Upright in Bed, on the Brink of Death
Chapter 171: Shot Upright in Bed, on the Brink of Death
“…?”
Tang Yao stared at her little sister, a question mark practically hanging over her head as she asked in confusion, “Why would I take a bath with you?”
Like—What?
Where did that even come from?
How was that a normal thing to say?
Okay, sure, not like it was impossible… It had been a long time, and she definitely wasn’t as shy about it as she used to be. But was she totally comfortable with it? Not exactly.
It was full exposure, after all...
“……”
Tang Xun stayed silent for a moment, then muttered, “Aren’t you really sensitive about other people…?”
“What about other people?” Tang Yao was still totally lost.
What’s up with her sister today?
“……”
Tang Xun’s eyes slowly dropped to Tang Yao’s chest, which rose and fell gently with each breath, accentuating her soft, graceful curves.
Tang Yao noticed where she was looking and glanced down at herself. Then it clicked. “Oh… yeah, I do kinda mind. Honestly, it’s a pain. When I sit down, I lean forward without realizing it. Sleeping on my stomach is uncomfortable. And maybe it’s all in my head, but my shoulders always hurt if I sit for too long…”
She grumbled for a few seconds, then circled back, “But how does taking a bath solve that? And didn’t you say ‘other people’? Who’s the ‘other’?”
“……”
Tang Xun was stumped.
She suddenly felt kind of embarrassed.
What was she supposed to say—Hey, are you obsessed with boobs?
So she blurted out, “Just answer me. Are you coming or not?”
“No.”
Tang Yao shot her sister a glare and rejected her outright. Then she flopped onto the couch, slouched into the cushions, and rolled sideways—
Right onto her sister’s lap.
Tang Xun didn’t dodge. She simply looked down at her sister, puzzled.
…She really didn’t seem like the type.
Then why did Chainsaw Man’s protagonist have such a deep obsession?
She looked at her sister resting on her lap and fell into thought.
It couldn’t be her, right?
Sure, it was kind of… attention-grabbing, but her sister had never seemed the self-absorbed type.
“…At least tell me why you brought this up?”
Tang Yao looked up and chuckled at her sister’s thoughtful expression. “If you explain, maybe I’ll say yes.”
“…You posted a new manga, right? On Third-Rate Sensei’s account.”
“Yeah.”
“That protagonist… he’s really pervy. I don’t know why you’d write someone like that, but I heard that whether it’s writing or filmmaking, the story always reflects the creator’s inner world…”
“Well, that is something people say. As long as the creator’s human, it’s inevitable that parts of their own thoughts get embedded into their work…”
Tang Yao nodded as she began explaining.
But midway—
She froze.
Wait a second!
The protagonist’s a total perv!
And in this world… she’s the author of Chainsaw Man...
And her sister just asked her to take a bath with her…
!!!
No way!
Tang Yao shot upright like a dying man jolted back to life, face turning bright red. “I didn’t!!”
Now she understood what her sister was really asking.
“……”
Tang Xun gave her a skeptical look. “Really?”
“Of course really!” Tang Yao scrambled to defend herself. “I just created the character! Whatever he thinks has nothing to do with me!”
“But didn’t you just say any creator would naturally include some of their own thoughts in their work?”
“……”
That… did sound familiar.
And honestly, if an author couldn’t read back their own writing without thinking, “I might’ve slipped in a little bias there…”—then were they even human?
Tang Yao was completely flustered. The blush on her fair cheeks deepened, quickly spreading to her ears.
She reached up and cupped her sister’s face with both hands. “Anyway, I’m telling you—I didn’t!”
What the h*ll!
Was this karma for being a plagiarist!?
What kind of psychological torture was this!?
If she’d known this would happen, she never would’ve drawn the damn thing!
On the other side—
Seeing her sister’s reaction,
Tang Xun seemed to confirm something. She gently tugged at the hem of Tang Yao’s shirt and whispered, “When you’re outside, stop thinking about weird stuff. If you have to, do it at home—at least I’m the only one here…”
“...I swear I didn’t put any personal thoughts into the story! That’s just character-driven writing!”
Tang Yao looked like she wanted to scream. “Just wait till you read the later chapters, you’ll understand!”
“Then… are we bathing together or not?”
Tang Xun still didn’t believe her and asked again.
“……”
Tang Yao looked at her sister. That cautious, probing tone—awkward as hell, but clearly filled with quiet concern.
She knew—
If she refused again,
She’d pretty much be confirming her sister’s suspicions…
That realization left her utterly defeated. “...Fine. On New Year’s Day.”
Tang Xun looked like she wanted to say more.
“I’m showering now!”
Tang Yao leapt to her feet and bolted, no time for further discussion.
Tang Xun watched her sister’s retreating back, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Tang Yao reached her room and started digging through her clothes. Only then did she finally calm down.
It was awkward, sure.
But it also gave her a wake-up call. She realized something critical—
She absolutely, absolutely couldn’t let anyone else find out she was “Third-Rate Mangaka.”
Otherwise she’d be socially dead.
If her sister made her feel this embarrassed, she couldn’t even imagine what it would be like in front of other people.
Like, say—Li Xue…
Wait.
Tang Yao froze, arms full of clothes, as a horrifying thought popped into her head.
Could Miss Li… also be thinking that way?
They worked together almost every day.
Would she start thinking Tang Yao had some… particular preferences?
“……”
Tang Yao shut down the thought immediately. She picked up her clothes with trembling hands, her face once again blushing red.
There’s no way…
No way she’d be that dumb. Right? Right??
…
The next day.
Tang Yao arrived at Avalon, pulled out her chair, and glanced toward Li Xue’s usual spot. She remembered her late-night panic and found herself laughing at her own paranoia.
After a good night’s sleep,
She’d calmed down.
Tang Xun might be one thing, but there was no way Li Xue would think that way.
She was a mature, reliable big sister type…
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
The big sister herself appeared.
Li Xue seemed to have just come up from ANF’s downstairs office, holding a stack of papers. The moment she saw Tang Yao, she strode over quickly.
“Tang Yao, you ran off yesterday, didn’t you!?”
“Miss Li, let’s not talk about that right now.”
Tang Yao knew she was out for revenge and quickly changed the subject. “What’s that in your hand?”
“…It’s a proposal from ANF.”
Li Xue glanced at her, then reluctantly let it slide for now. “Want to take a look?”
“Sure.”
Tang Yao reached out and took the documents. After flipping through them for a moment, she looked up and asked, “The Rin Tohsaka account is getting an update?”
“Yeah. Cai Quan said ever since the last round of promotion, that account hasn’t had any new content. Its follower count is starting to drop. And considering it’s still the most-followed account on the platform, he thinks it’s a waste to let it sit idle. Plus, we might use it to promote our second game later, right?”
Li Xue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said seriously, “So he’s thinking of putting out a video before year’s end—keep the buzz going, maybe tease the new game a bit, talk about Chainsaw Man, that sort of thing. I think it’s a good idea…”
“Mhm.”
Tang Yao nodded thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, she said, “That’s definitely doable. But… what if we did it live instead?”
Li Xue blinked. “…Live?”