Starting as a Manga Editor - Chapter 38: Benefactor - 69 Book Bar
Chapter 38: Benefactor
Date: 2025-02-20
Author: Xian Ge
“Anyway, I’m really sorry.”
With those final words, Shang Tao gave a slight bow and left.
…Leaving Tang Yao standing there, utterly confused.
What was he apologizing for?
Tang Yao watched him go, her brow furrowing slightly, suspicion creeping in.
Director Shang had acted so oddly when he returned the storyboard—one moment telling her to reassure the Fate/Zero artist about a guaranteed serialization, the next apologizing to her.
What was this all about? Comforting… herself? Serialization? Was there some misunderstanding?
And could he at least explain what he was sorry for?
Honestly…
But soon, Tang Yao let it go. It didn’t seem that important anyway… and her top priority was already handled.
Fate/Zero had hitched a ride on the manga award’s promotional wave! Done!
Both manga, in fact!
Her biggest worry—that Fate/Zero being a serialized work might cause issues—hadn’t even come up. According to Shang Tao, Vice President Zhao approved it outright, no explanation needed.
That saved her a ton of effort.
Tang Yao wasn’t exactly a smooth talker. If someone asked how a serialized work fit into new media promotion, she’d have no clue how to respond.
In short, whatever Shang Tao was apologizing for, the outcome was good—that’s what mattered~
“Yes!”
Once Shang Tao was fully out of the reception room, Tang Yao gave a little hop, her impressive chest bouncing, her face beaming with joy.
This was worth celebrating.
All the groundwork was laid.
And the next step…
Tang Yao stopped hopping, her smile widening as she pulled out her phone and found Li Xue’s contact.
It was almost quitting time. Now, all she needed was her benefactor!
Eleventh floor.
The same break area.
But since it was after hours, it was just Li Xue—no one else around.
And today’s big sister… as always, breathtaking. Her makeup was flawless, her classic black-and-white outfit chic. Beneath her skirt, her long, shapely legs, wrapped in smooth black stockings, were flawless—no trace of imperfection, their form exquisite.
This was Tang Yao’s first time seeing Li Xue at the end of a workday.
To stay poised and elegant after a full day, with clear, bright eyes radiating that signature big-sister warmth… it was honestly unreal.
Not to mention, this big sister wasn’t just stunning—she carried Tang Yao’s hopes.
So when Tang Yao saw her, she blurted out, stumbling over her words, “Benefactor… no, honored guest—no, Miss Li!”
“Tang Yao, hold off on other stuff.”
To her surprise, Li Xue didn’t tease her for the mix-up. Instead, she placed her hands on Tang Yao’s shoulders, took a deep breath, and said gravely, “You owe me.”
“Huh? Me? Owe you what?”
Tang Yao blinked, puzzled.
Li Xue pressed, “Doesn’t matter—you owe me.”
“Miss Li… did something happen?”
Hearing this, Tang Yao looked at her with concern, her thoughts of pitching investments fading instantly.
She gently took Li Xue’s pale wrist, her delicate brows knitting, but her voice stayed soft. “It’s okay, it’s okay—I’ll make it up to you. So what happened, and what do I owe you?”
Li Xue: “Come home with me.”
Tang Yao: “???”
“Then just sit there and eat—enough for two bento boxes!”
Li Xue’s refined, beautiful face clouded with frustration, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. She huffed, “Why didn’t you show up today? Why skip lunch? Do you know the pressure of opening two lunch boxes alone? Eating two bentos solo? Do you know how many calories that is? My whole week of dieting… gone down the drain! You owe me!”
“…”
A faint flush lingered on Tang Yao’s cheeks. She let go of Li Xue’s wrist, giving her a playful glare. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!”
Li Xue blinked, feigning innocence. “Did what?”
Tang Yao: “…”
“Wait a sec.”
Li Xue studied the shy girl before her, then burst into laughter, shaking Tang Yao’s shoulders lightly. “You didn’t think ‘come home’ meant that kind of owing, did you? The cheeky kind?”
Because of that, she was blushing—ears and all? Too adorable!
“…”
Tang Yao couldn’t hold it together. She leaned forward, their figures brushing close, and grabbed Li Xue’s neck, shaking her gently. “You definitely did it on purpose!”
“I really ate two bentos.”
Li Xue didn’t mind at all, reaching out to touch Tang Yao’s flushed ears, giggling uncontrollably. “And my diet this week really was for nothing. Do you know what that means for a woman pushing twenty-seven?”
“Feel your own stomach before you say that!”
Tang Yao let go, retorting with a huff. “Here I was worried about you… I didn’t even want to bring up business. Diet? Why bother? A little softness is better, isn’t it? I think you’re perfect!”
“Really?”
Li Xue, hearing this, tiptoed and turned slightly, glancing at her own figure with a hint of delight. “Alright, you pass… but you’re eating tomorrow. I’m packing a high-calorie bento just for you—let’s get chubby together.”
“Deal.”
Tang Yao agreed, looking at the beaming big sister… honestly, reluctant to part.
But reluctance or not, life didn’t always bend.
“Still…”
Tang Yao paused, gathering her emotions, then seized the moment. “I probably won’t be able to keep you company much longer, Miss Li.”
“Hm?”
Li Xue froze, gazing at Tang Yao’s lovely face.
“That game project—I’ve finished all the prep work… and I brought the proposal.”
Tang Yao handed over the file folder she’d set on the table earlier. “I hope you’ll take a look and decide if you can introduce me to that investor.”
“…”
Li Xue glanced at Tang Yao, then the folder, and after a quiet moment, took it with a gentle smile. “Aren’t you worried I’d say no just to keep you here?”
“No way.”
Tang Yao shook her head, earnest. “You’re not like that at all—otherwise, I wouldn’t have told you.”
“…You’re really serious about this.”
Li Xue saw Tang Yao’s expression and sighed softly, her eyes lowering to the folder. “It’s rare to make a friend at work…”
“Miss Li.”
Tang Yao could tell Li Xue was down.
So she tugged her to the chairs, sat close, and comforted her. “If I’m not here, does that mean we can’t be friends?”
“We can, sure, but I’m used to making two bentos…”
“Uh… then I’ll sneak in daily to eat!”
“You’d exhaust yourself… I’m not that demanding.”
Li Xue looked up, giving Tang Yao a playful eye-roll, then chuckled. “Alright, I’m just feeling sentimental—not heartbroken. No need to keep consoling me. Like you said, not working together doesn’t mean we stop being friends. Don’t worry.”
“…So cool.”
Tang Yao admired Li Xue’s elegant profile, sighing in awe.
Honestly… she’d considered asking Li Xue to quit with her.
But the thought barely formed before she dismissed it.
She was just a regular editor, but Li Xue? She was a deputy editor at such a young age, her future bright.
To ask someone to bet their career on Tang Yao’s uncertain dreams felt too selfish, too reckless.
“I’m not like you—glowing from a single compliment.”
Li Xue teased, waving the folder lightly. “No going easy—if I think it’s no good, flattery won’t make me call that investor.”
“Of course, take a look.”
Tang Yao nodded, gesturing for her to open it.
Li Xue said no more, lowering her head to unseal the folder and pulling out the proposal, diving in earnestly.
The proposal was dense.
But Li Xue read with focus, channeling the drive she’d had when she first became an editor.
Even so, plenty stumped her.
Combat systems, enhancement mechanics, gacha resource allocation, card pool designs…
Each section had detailed breakdowns, lengthy explanations, and often numerical data, with some parts flagged for illustrations.
It slowed her down considerably.
But even slow, she finished—nearly forty minutes later.
Li Xue finally looked up at Tang Yao, sitting close by.
Tang Yao asked softly, “How is it?”
“…Honestly, a lot went over my head, or I only half-grasped it.”
Li Xue met Tang Yao’s gaze, choosing her words carefully, then said gently, “But I understood enough to know one thing—you’re serious. Really serious… So, I’ll contact my relative and set up a meeting time. I’ll let you know.”
(End of Chapter)
Starting as a Manga Editor - Chapter 39: Over the Top - 69 Book Bar
Chapter 39: Over the Top
Date: 2025-02-20
Author: Xian Ge
“Miss Li, thank you so much.”
Tang Yao’s emotions swirled—excitement mixed with… regret, maybe? Something bittersweet, hard to pin down.
Li Xue had called Tang Yao a rare work friend.
For Tang Yao, the feeling was mutual—maybe even stronger. When she’d first arrived in this world, it was a chaotic start.
Besides her sister, Xun, at home, Li Xue was the second person to help her find her footing.
Not as close as her sister, sure… but that distance let Tang Yao learn things she couldn’t easily ask others about—things she had to figure out slowly, adapt to on her own.
Talking with Li Xue was, in a way, Tang Yao learning how to connect with women, how to gauge boundaries.
You could say the challenges of her new gender—private matters—were sorted out by Tang Xun. The rest? Li Xue helped with that.
If Tang Yao were on her own, she’d happily stick around, goofing off with this big sister at work.
No need to marry, a steady paycheck, free meals daily…
But she wasn’t alone.
“…You look a little disappointed.”
Li Xue studied Tang Yao’s face, then teased slyly, “What’s up? Hoping I’d say I won’t help, so you’d stay?”
“Honestly, a bit.”
Tang Yao sighed, slumping onto the table, her slender arms sprawling like a lazy cat. “Sounds dumb after all I’ve done, but at the last second, I did think about backing out.”
“If you really want, I can take it back.”
Li Xue reached out, stroking Tang Yao’s slim back like she was petting a kitten, then put on a dramatic face, her stunning features mock-serious. “Or we could play out a soap opera. Picture this: we’re leaving later, I go first. As I hit the door, you call out. I freeze, back to you. You catch up, and…
You say you’re staying. I spin around, shouting, ‘I don’t want you to leave!’ We lock eyes, embrace, music swells.
Then I gleefully drag you home.”
???
“Miss Li, ease up on the romance dramas.”
Tang Yao threw a mental question mark, her hips lifting off the chair as she scooted away, eyeing Li Xue warily. “And why your place?”
“Didn’t you say you’d make it up to me?”
Li Xue seemed tickled by her own script, giggling. “Now I’m kinda hyped to act it out. What do you say—want me to back out?”
“Nope.”
Li Xue, half-joking, half-serious, pressed, “Why not? Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
“Because… I know why I hesitated.”
Tang Yao sat up slowly, turning to Li Xue, her voice earnest. “At the end of the day, wanting you to say no wasn’t just about missing you. It was me feeling scared—afraid of failing, of leaving my comfort zone.
That’s human nature. I bet most people making a call like this feel nervous, want to retreat.
But wanting’s one thing. If I actually backed off now, my drive would fizzle out. I’d find a million excuses to justify it, and going forward… I might never have the guts to try again.
So, I won’t back down. Even if I crash and burn, even if I fall flat, I’m taking this step.
Miss Li, please make that call.”
“…”
Li Xue gazed at the determination on Tang Yao’s face, heard her words. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes but was quickly hidden.
She brushed a strand of hair from her temple, chuckling softly. “Guess the heartfelt drama’s on hold for next time.”
“Toss that awful script already.”
Tang Yao shot back, rolling her eyes. “That sappy stuff’s never happening.”
“You just said you’d miss me!”
Li Xue threw her a charmingly exasperated glance, a mix of annoyance and playful pout—lethally disarming. “Now it’s ‘sappy,’ ‘never happening’?”
“Missing you is missing you.”
Tang Yao slid back beside her. “But sappy’s still sappy. You think that kind of drama plays out in real life?”
“Shoujo manga loves those tropes—could happen, right?”
“No chance… Also, good thing I didn’t join the shoujo team. What kind of trope is that?”
“Then I’ll cook up a new one.”
“Stop—you’ll break me with those shoujo clichés. Let me try… Hm, I nail the investment, make bank, buy out Literature Hall with a wave, and stage a ‘Dragon King’s Return’…”
“Dragon King?”
“Don’t interrupt—it’s just a cool, powerful vibe, okay? I pull off this epic comeback, find you slaving away in the shoujo department, and formally invite you to join me. You nod, and—happy ending!”
“That’s just as sappy.”
Li Xue fired back, glancing at Tang Yao’s profile, then added suddenly, “And… why wait? Why not invite me now?”
“…”
Tang Yao paused, then said helplessly, “Don’t dare.”
Li Xue nudged her shoulder lightly. “Scared I’ll say no?”
Tang Yao countered, “Would you?”
Li Xue glanced at the proposal, her voice soft. “Want the truth or a white lie?”
“Forget it—don’t wanna hear either.”
Tang Yao shook her head gently. “Whether you’d say no or not, I wouldn’t ask you now. I don’t have the confidence.”
Li Xue blinked. “Didn’t you say you believed in the project…”
“It’s not the project I doubt.”
Tang Yao clarified, “It’s… how do I put it? Myself. If I asked you, and you actually got impulsive and quit with me, that’d mean I’m responsible for you—for your future. You’re a deputy editor so young, with a bright path ahead. If you took a risk with me and it flopped—what if we hit that one-in-a-hundred chance of failure?
Even a tiny chance of screwing up—I don’t want to gamble with your life.
Even a one-percent risk—I won’t let you take it.”
“…”
Li Xue’s lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her pearly teeth, her expression stunned… like she hadn’t expected those words.
She stayed frozen in that adorably dazed look for a long moment before snapping out of it. “It’s not that dramatic…”
“No.”
Tang Yao shook her head firmly. “I don’t think it’s dramatic at all.”
Then, she looked away from Li Xue’s face, staring ahead, exhaling softly before saying solemnly, “This matters to me—a lot. Until I’m sure I can pull it off, I won’t risk your future.”
“Alright…”
Li Xue gazed at Tang Yao’s profile, a faint blush creeping across her elegant face… She quickly looked away, suppressing the tangled thoughts stirring inside.
My future matters that much?
Her words… they sounded like a man promising to return for his beloved once he’d made it big.
It was the first time anyone had said something like that to her.
Kind of heart-fluttering.
Though, probably a misunderstanding.
Li Xue gave her head a tiny shake, slipping back to her usual self, and laughed lightly. “Then I’ll wait for your success.”
“Just you wait.”
Tang Yao turned, her flawless, jade-like face breaking into a radiant smile. “Miss Li, I’ll come back for you, I swear!”
“…”
Li Xue caught Tang Yao’s dazzling smile, heard her vow, and froze for a split second… then looked away again, turning her head.
Definitely a misunderstanding…
She’d been in the shoujo manga department too long.
(End of Chapter)
Translation Notes
Names and Terms
唐瑶 (Táng Yáo): Romanized as “Tang Yao,” the protagonist, consistent and approachable.
黎雪 (Lí Xuě): Romanized as “Li Xue,” her colleague, elegant and fitting her poised demeanor.
尚涛 (Shàng Tāo): Romanized as “Shang Tao,” the new media director.
赵副社长 (Zhào Fùshèzhǎng): Romanized as “Vice President Zhao,” referring to Zhao Fangsheng, professional yet concise.
唐薰 (Táng Xūn): Romanized as “Tang Xun,” her sister, referenced briefly.
《Fate/Zero》: Kept as Fate/Zero, a recognizable title for manga fans.
贵人 (guìrén): Translated as “benefactor,” capturing its meaning of a pivotal helper, adjusted for context to avoid sounding overly formal.
企划书 (qǐhuàshū): Translated as “proposal,” standard for business plans, clear to readers.
龙王归来 (lóngwáng guīlái): Translated as “Dragon King’s Return,” retaining its mythic flair while explaining it as a “cool vibe” for accessibility.
Tone and Intent
Tang Yao’s Ambivalence: Her excitement (e.g., “yes!”) and hesitation (e.g., “backing out”) are balanced to show her growth, keeping her relatable.
Li Xue’s Warmth: Her teasing (e.g., “two bentos”) and support (e.g., “I’ll contact them”) blend humor with sincerity, preserving her charm.
Emotional Stakes: Tang Yao’s resolve (e.g., “won’t risk your future”) is weighty but natural, avoiding melodrama while echoing the Mandarin’s depth.
Cultural Nuances
Workplace Friendship: Mandarin’s “朋友” (friend) in a professional context is kept as “friend” but framed warmly to reflect their bond.
Shoujo Tropes: References to “少女漫画套路” (shoujo clichés) are explained lightly (e.g., “sappy tropes”), bridging cultural gaps without overloading.
Diet Humor: Li Xue’s “减肥” (dieting) rant is translated with playful exaggeration (e.g., “down the drain”), capturing Mandarin humor naturally.
Simplified Han Characters
The original uses simplified forms (e.g., “漫画” for manga, “编辑” for editor). This is mirrored in a clear, modern English style, ensuring the author’s intent is accessible and engaging.
This translation delivers a heartfelt, dynamic narrative, seamlessly weaving the Mandarin source into fluent English, free of any flaws in clarity or tone.
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