Chapter 267: A Gradually Realized Heart
They talked a lot, from starting with manga, they slowly moved on to sharing experiences in their respective industries. One of them was a big-time streamer, the other an unknown background manga artist. They got along well in many areas. Especially when it came to complaining about the lack of success in their careers, on this point, they were quite in sync.
“When I first started submitting, only three people watched my videos, and it didn’t change for a whole month. I later made several more videos, but still no one watched. Do you know what these people said? They all said, ‘The uploader’s voice is too exaggerated, it’s so annoying.’ It really pissed me off!”
“Me too! Do you know how outrageous they were when I first started submitting my manga? They didn’t even glance at it before throwing it in the trash, acting as if I didn’t exist! I was so pissed off, really pissed!”
“Me too! When I signed my contract, just because I wouldn’t show my face on stream, these bastards started flaming me, calling me an ugly girl. It pissed me off so much. I’m a beautiful little lady, okay!”
“The editors are too despicable, saying things like, ‘If it weren’t for your dad’s connections, I wouldn’t even look at your work.’ What kind of person is that! Making me sound like a rich second generation!”
The two of them complained while drinking milk tea. It had to be said, they got along particularly well in this regard, and they were quite compatible in many areas. Perhaps it was because they had both experienced a lack of success in their careers, so they felt a strong connection.
Onlookers would have even thought these two girls were drinking alcohol instead of milk tea.
“Phew, it feels so much better to get it all out. I usually don’t have a chance to complain to anyone about these things.”
Xiao Yanhan lay on the table, having finished venting her grievances. She was now extremely tired.
“It’s useful to vent to friends once in a while. Although I say that, I never tell Linna. Linna doesn’t tell me about her work either.”
“Aren’t you two on good terms? You were in the same school before.”
“We were only deskmates for our third year of high school. And she wasn’t a novelist before. Didn’t I tell you?”
“What did she do before? I’ve never heard her talk about it. Is her family very rich? She even went into the entertainment industry.”
She said, complaining as she sucked on her milk tea. She still knew too little about her idol. Although she particularly liked this little idol and was happy to be the only one among so many fans to have the opportunity to get close to her and live under the same roof, she still felt that she knew too little about her.
Recently, she hadn’t been very active in the “Send Razor Blades to Urge Updates” group. As Shion-sensei’s number one female fan, her disappearance once made the group members think she was missing. But how could Xiao Yanhan care about that? She had the opportunity to live with her idol, and they could even hug and hold hands. How could she continue to waste time in a group chat?
Hearing Xiao Yanhan say this, Fang Jiangning smiled wryly.
“No, on the contrary. Don’t look at her like that. She used to be quite poor. In our third year of high school, she often freeloaded off my milk tea and my meals.”
“I can’t tell.”
“It’s true. She even had her grades slip because of her part-time jobs, and her parents were called. Later, she even asked me to help find someone to pretend to be her parent. Haha, it was so interesting.”
Thinking back to the days when she and Ye Zhiyun had pretended to be Yu Linna’s parents, Fang Jiangning would still laugh. She really missed that time.
These were all things Xiao Yanhan didn’t know. Yu Linna usually didn’t bring up her own affairs, nor did she take the initiative to talk to others about them, so Xiao Yanhan had no way of knowing. Hearing her story from Fang Jiangning, her eyes lit up.
“Tell me more.”
“Alright. I know you, a little fan, are interested in her story. Come on, I’ll tell you slowly.”
…
When Xiao Yanhan and Fang Jiangning returned to the dorm, it was already past ten o’clock. Yu Linna and Lan Ranyan had already taken a shower. At this time, Yu Linna had changed into cute raccoon pajamas, with headphones hanging around her neck, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen, her fingers flying across the keyboard with a rhythm, creating a clattering sound.
In a daze, Xiao Yanhan seemed to see Yu Linna in an illusory space, a space she couldn’t step into. In this space, only Yu Linna was staring at the screen, the sound of her fingers tapping on the keyboard. No one or anything could interfere with her. In this world, the only thing Yu Linna saw was the world she had created.
Xiao Yanhan went over and took a look. It was new content for Zixuan and the Paper Airplane, content she had never seen before. It was certainly very happy to be able to see new content before other fans, but doing so also seemed to take away some of the fun. She silently retracted her gaze. A true fan should buy the new book on the day of its release to support the author.
“What are you looking at? Is it that good-looking? Seeing your idol’s appearance, you can’t help yourself?”
Lan Ranyan patted her shoulder. She used a little too much force, almost making Xiao Yanhan fall. Xiao Yanhan steadied herself and looked at Yu Linna’s figure. She felt an inexplicable sense of envy.
At least, Yu Linna had her own work. She had a clear goal and path to follow. And her, she didn’t even know where she was going next, nor did she know where she could go.
“Are all geniuses like this?” Xiao Yanhan couldn’t help but say out loud.
Yes, Shion-sensei was an undisputed genius. This was beyond doubt. In less than a year since her debut, her popularity had surpassed that of last year’s rookie king, Air-sensei. She had even crushed many veteran authors in sales, becoming the undisputed new pillar of Wenqing. And she was also considered by the industry to be the author most likely to be on par with the supreme god author of Qidian. She had also written a script for a TV series, and now this TV series was a hit, with high popularity. Many people had paid for a membership to watch this TV series. For a time, piracy was also rampant, and it only gradually improved after being cleaned up by law enforcement.
But it still couldn’t deny the halo of this genius. One had to know that Shion-sensei was only 18 years old. She still had a lot of time, and a lot of room for growth. No one knew what step she would take in the future.
“Sure enough, geniuses are different, right? For a genius, as long as they work a little hard, they can have everything.”
Xiao Yanhan smiled wryly.
This world was really too unfair.
But, she didn’t feel there was anything wrong with this result. This was her idol, her favorite friend. For her to have such achievements and talent, this was what she deserved.
“You…”
Lan Ranyan wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She just patted her shoulder and said nothing. This Xiao Yanhan was still young. It seemed it was still very difficult for her to fully understand.
Xiao Yanhan was both fond of and jealous of Yu Linna, but soon, she felt a sense of crisis again.
It was on a weekend. She woke up in the morning, and Yu Linna was typing as usual. This was not surprising at all. It was probably after Xiao Yanhan finished washing up that she found Yu Linna in her pajamas, talking on the phone.
“Little Tang, you want to ask me out? But don’t you have to work? But… mmm, let me think… alright, watch a movie, have a meal. I still have time for that. Mmm, okay.”
Xiao Yanhan watched with her mouth agape as she finished the call. Then Yu Linna stretched, twisted her neck, and took off the hood of her pajamas, a head of blonde hair cascading down her back. She opened her closet, seemingly looking for suitable clothes.
“Lin-Linna, are you going out???”
Xiao Yanhan didn’t even realize her voice was stuttering.
“Mmm, a friend asked me out to play.”
“A guy or a girl?”
“A guy.”
“!!!!!”
Xiao Yanhan felt a huge crisis in her life!
This unease, this panic, was unprecedented!
Linna is going on a date?? No, no, no, that’s not allowed!!
“You’re not allowed to go!”
“On what grounds?”
“This, this…”
“It’s my freedom to go with whoever I want, right?”
“But aren’t you working?!”
“It’s almost done, very soon, it won’t be delayed. Besides, he’s also a colleague of mine from work. It’s a good time for me to chat with him about work-related matters.”
My god!!!
Xiao Yanhan panicked! Completely panicked!
She didn’t want Yu Linna to go out with a guy! Not at all!
Where did this guy come from? I’m going to cut off his descendants!
Yu Linna clearly didn’t know about Xiao Yanhan’s inner activities. She changed her clothes, put on her shoes, and then took the dorm key and went out, leaving a bewildered Xiao Yanhan in the wind.
Xiao Yanhan’s teeth itched with hatred. She also went to open her closet to find clothes, and even found a pair of sunglasses and a mask, specially choosing a set of gender-neutral clothes.
“Yan, what are you doing? Are you going out too?”
Lan Ranyan had just finished brushing her teeth and washing her face. Seeing Xiao Yanhan changing her clothes, she asked.
“Mmm, I’m leaving. Otherwise, there won’t be enough time!”
She put on her sunglasses and mask and rushed out, not even taking her dorm key. Lan Ranyan looked at her, and then thought of Yu Linna, who seemed to have a date today. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of panic. This Xiao Yanhan, could it be that she…
No, no, no, Lan Ranyan, you can’t imagine those strange things. You’re a well-educated girl with normal values. That girl Xiao Yanhan’s feelings are just the love for an idol, definitely not those strange yuri dramas.
Although that was the case, Lan Ranyan couldn’t help but think of the anime Citrus, which her roommate Fang Jiangning had roasted a few days ago. The image of the two female protagonists intimately kissing kept appearing in her mind. A blush slowly appeared on her face, and her cold and aloof image was about to collapse.
“Ahem, I’d better have some coffee.”
Lan Ranyan felt she couldn’t think about it anymore. Coincidentally, she had brought a coffee machine from home during the holidays. She would make herself a cup of coffee first.
And what about Xiao Yanhan? She secretly followed Yu Linna onto the bus, tailing her all the way, pretending to be a passerby hiding behind her. When Yu Linna felt someone behind her and turned around, Xiao Yanhan would deliberately lower her head and play on her phone, pretending not to know anyone.
Finally, Yu Linna went to meet that guy.
“Morning, Linna. We meet again.”
“Little Tang, long time no see. You’re quite handsome today.”
“Haha, you’re quite cute too.”
Xiao Yanhan poked her head out, took off her sunglasses, and squatted in the bushes. When she saw the guy’s face, she was shocked.
She never would have thought that Wenqing’s idol author, Bai Chen-sensei, would actually have a scandal with Shion-sensei. And she had thought Bai Chen-sensei was a very serious person. She never thought he would actually want to defile her idol! Hmph, from now on, I won’t buy a single one of Bai Chen-sensei’s books!
Xiao Yanhan was so full of hatred. She watched as Bai Chen-sensei and Shion-sensei walked together, talking and laughing like a handsome man and a beautiful woman. The thought of this made Xiao Yanhan very uncomfortable, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
