Starting as a Manga Editor

Chapter 189: I Meant for You to Sit on the Chair!

At the same moment Ji Fuliang felt he was about to take off—

Whether he was actually taking off or not... remained unclear at this point.

But Tang Yao felt that Avalon could finally soar with confidence.

Because Li Xue had brought news—Rumi's biological mother had finally relented.

"Truly not easy," Tang Yao couldn't help shaking her head upon hearing this.

She hadn't anticipated such turbulence in this collaboration either.

However.

Her brief sigh was interrupted when she noticed Li Xue's odd expression and reddened eyes before her.

Hmm?

Soon.Tang Yao set aside all thoughts about the collaboration. Seeing Li Xue's visibly low spirits and tear-stained eyes, she gently took her soft hand and cautiously asked, "Xue?"

"..."

Li Xue snapped back to reality, looking down at Tang Yao. Seeing the concern on her fair face and hearing her address, she froze momentarily.

But quickly.

She seemed to realize something, touching her cheek with her other hand before shaking her head lightly. "I'm fine. Just got emotional after reading a comic..."

Since Tang Yao had conceived "The Long Goodbye" on a whim, Li Xue hadn't seen it much earlier than other viewers either.

She only got to read it right before Tang Yao uploaded the comic.

And though she wasn't as deeply affected as Guan Fang, she was clearly moved.

"Oh—"

Hearing this, Tang Yao drew out the syllable, finally understanding what troubled this older sister.

Seeing Li Xue's slightly reddened eyes, she gently stroked her hand, her voice softening involuntarily, yet she couldn't resist teasing, "Miss Li, you're a battle-hardened editor. How could a comic make you cry?"

"What battle-hardened?"

Li Xue seemed embarrassed, turning her face slightly away. "No matter how much I've read, excellent works still resonate deeply... I can't fathom how you conceived such a story. Initially, I thought it would be like 'The Human Balloons,' especially with the adjusted art style."

"But that ending..."

Here, she seemed to recall the plot, sniffing lightly while clutching Tang Yao's small hand, looking adorably overwhelmed by emotions.

Tang Yao found this somewhat amusing.

Truth be told, regarding psychological horror, Junji Ito was equally formidable—

Spiral, The Human Balloons, Gyo, Tomie series...

These were just the famous ones.

His lesser-known short stories were even more intense—The Enigma of Amigara Fault, The Groaning Drain, The Long Dream, The Face Burglar, The Town Without Streets...

Many iconic scenes were unimaginably twisted.

"Have you considered seeing a psychiatrist?"

Tang Yao had genuinely wondered this more than once while reading his works.

Yet even this master of horror had occasionally created tender, moving stories.

Yes.

Precisely "The Long Goodbye" that Tang Yao had updated. Who would've thought such a horror maestro also possessed such gentle compassion?

In fact, this was the only Junji Ito work that had made Tang Yao cry.

Even setting aside the contrast of a horror artist crafting sentimental pieces, this story left a profound impression.

The twist where the protagonist realizes they're the deceased wasn't novel.

But the core of the story struck deep chords.

As the male lead in the comic said, the afterimage was conjured through collective familial longing—it could walk, sit, converse, seemingly reviving the departed. Yet its responses never exceeded one's imagination; its advice might merely reflect one's own thoughts... like talking to a photograph.

Even so, the male lead's family still sought to summon it, because facing this unresponsive hologram could slightly ease heart-wrenching pain, pretending the departed remained, offering footing in emotional abysses.

Now consider:

If the female lead's afterimage formed through the male family's superficial compromise,

Then why, when she was clearly unwelcome in her marital home and the male lead had moved on, did his afterimage persist unconsciously?

Could it be... the father's profound longing sustained it?

Any attentive reader would realize this.

Hence the final scene where the female lead returns home to her aged father becomes so poignant.

Tang Yao personally adored this short story.

And it seemed this world's readers didn't dislike it either—

Given even Miss Li had teared up.

"...You still haven't answered."

Seeing Tang Yao holding her hand and looking amused, Li Xue displayed rare petulance: "Why suddenly choose this theme? Also, with two narrative threads, why make the romance so chilling—love fading with time, the female lead ultimately abandoned? Compared to the exceptional familial thread—her worry for her father, the male family's longing for departed elders, that final scene..."

"Sit down first."

Hearing this, Tang Yao snapped back to attention, smiling as she gently tugged Li Xue, intending for her to sit properly.

Li Xue instead stepped forward and plopped directly onto Tang Yao's lap, her slender arms encircling Tang Yao's neck. Blinking her reddened eyes, she stared at her.

Tang Yao looked at the mature woman now seated in her embrace, momentarily stunned.

Completely baffled.

Wait.

I meant for you to sit on the chair!

Of course, Tang Yao wasn't tactless enough to say this aloud—she was just caught off guard by someone so substantial sitting on her lap.

That said... Miss Li's figure was truly remarkable.

Even seated in someone's lap, this remained undeniable.

Being indoors, Li Xue had removed her coat, leaving her sweater clinging to her exquisite figure, accentuating every graceful curve.

Quite impressive.

Her plush, slender thighs pressed tightly together as she sat sideways on Tang Yao's lap... Although she knew it was illusory, it genuinely felt like a girlfriend seeking comfort.

Weirdly adorable.

An odd kind of charm.

"Speak."

Whether unaware of or indifferent to their position, Li Xue simply tightened her arms around Tang Yao's fair neck and urged.

Fortunately, they sat toward the back during lunch break with few staff around—

Otherwise, this would be hard to explain...

Tang Yao refocused: "Actually, I just wanted a change of pace..."

Li Xue fell silent briefly: "Then... did you project your own feelings into the work?"

"Hmm?"