Chapter 228: You’re Dreaming
The news that Little Angel might reveal her face on a live stream was like a deep-sea torpedo, instantly igniting the fans’ enthusiasm. The topic once again shot to the top of Weibo’s trending list. This uploader’s popularity was arguably on par with any top streamer on major platforms, especially with the future prospects of Bilibili. The website might even purchase larger exclusive live streaming projects, and at that time, Bilibili would become a top-tier live streaming platform in the country, not just limited to anime series.
Fang Jiangning started making videos just before high school. At that time, she was just a spectator. Suddenly, one day, the thought occurred to her: if others can be popular uploaders, why can’t I? So, she decisively used her own account to upload her self-made videos. In the beginning, not many people watched, but slowly, her videos gained attention. Later, she started getting into the live streaming industry. At that time, Bilibili’s live streaming wasn’t as popular as it is now, and there weren’t many viewers. In that pioneering era, Fang Jiangning left her footprints step by step, achieving remarkable success in both video creation and live streaming. Because of this, she was successfully selected as one of the top ten uploaders of the year, and even made it into the top three.
The outside world was very surprised. After all, in their view, most of Bilibili’s popular uploaders were otaku men.
But there was no trick to how Fang Jiangning got to where she is today. She had always relied on hard work, step by step. Even though her parents didn’t agree to her using a camera, she was still able to make a name for herself, which was a testament to her excellence.
“Linna, are you really not going to help me with the stream?”
“No. I don’t want to be doxxed.”
“It won’t kill you to help. Stingy.”
“Is this the first day you’ve known me?”
No matter how she tried to persuade her, Yu Linna remained unmoved. If she said no, she meant no. Fang Jiangning was helpless. She had wanted to pull her in for a joint stream. Yu Linna had such a good foundation, an outstanding appearance, and had even been in the entertainment industry briefly. She was very suitable to be a popular female streamer. And if things went smoothly, the two of them could even become a sister duo on Bilibili.
However, Yu Linna would not agree to be a streamer.
Because she was already a popular novelist.
Although she was unwilling to help her with the stream, Yu Linna was not without loyalty. She still forwarded Fang Jiangning’s Weibo post, adding the comment, “Looking forward to seeing Little Angel on screen.”
Shion-Sensei, who rarely posted on Weibo and usually only did so to promote new books, had actually used her main account to forward Little Angel’s post and even liked it. For a moment, the novel circle also exploded.
“I can’t believe Shion-Sensei is also a fan of Little Angel?”
“Just for the sensei’s words, I’ve decided to buy her novels, three copies of each volume!”
“Long live Shion-Sensei! Love you, muah!”
“Why do I feel like Shion-Sensei and Little Angel have some chemistry…”
“If the person above keeps talking nonsense, I’m going to focus fire on you!”
This Weibo post was also popular for a while. After all, in the fan circle, Shion-Sensei was famous for her mystery. She didn’t show her face, her appearance and gender were unknown, and all people knew was that her novels were very good. The only certain piece of information was that Shion-Sensei was a teenager about to enter university.
Xiao Yanhan was scrolling through Weibo on her phone and saw Shion-Sensei’s post at the top of the trending list. She gave it a like.
Then, she turned off her phone screen and lay on the sofa, looking melancholic. She was so envious of her idol, Shion-Sensei. A single Weibo post could attract so much attention. If she could meet her idol in person, she would surely be able to resolve her confusion. Xiao Yanhan rarely fanned over others, especially a novelist, but she was a die-hard fan of Shion.
There wasn’t much information about Shion-Sensei’s experience on her encyclopedia page. Everyone just knew that this Shion-Sensei was a legend who had spent seven days and six nights writing the first volume of Ballad of the Enchantress and had won the gold award at the Wenqing New Talent Award in one fell swoop. When her subsequent novels were published, they set a new record for Wenqing in recent years. And Zixuan and the Paper Airplane had completely crushed the new author from Qidian when they went head-to-head, winning Wenqing its first direct victory.
With these stories, Shion-Sensei had long since become an idol in Xiao Yanhan’s heart. She was even more surprised when she learned that her idol was the same age as her. How she longed for an autograph from her idol, but unfortunately, her idol never planned to attend reader meet-and-greets, nor would she accept interviews with reporters. She was already a god-tier author. Couldn’t she show her face more, get a few endorsement deals, and accept interviews with reporters like Air-Sensei?
Not even having a photo of her idol to drool over, that was the most unbearable part.
“Little Yan, aren’t you going out?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Yanhan got up from the sofa, stretched, and prepared to change her clothes. As the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. She had experienced it many times. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine what the outcome would be.
She changed her clothes and went out, holding a file folder.
…
Guozhi Comics.
Xiao Yanhan stood at the entrance of this large company, took a deep breath, and squeezed through the crowd. She told the receptionist about her appointment with the editor. The receptionist kindly asked her to wait, and soon, the editor she had an appointment with sent her a message, telling her she could go in.
She held the file folder and submitted her work to the editor. The editor opened the folder, which contained a stack of manga manuscripts. The editor before her was a middle-aged man with glasses, slightly overweight, with obvious dark circles under his eyes. He was old, but his gaze was still sharp.
He flipped through the manga Xiao Yanhan had drawn, thinking as he read. He finished in less than three minutes.
“Miss Xiao, to be honest, your art style has improved a lot compared to before. Your grasp of the characters’ facial features and clothing design is much better than at the beginning. This art style is very good.”
“Then…”
Just as a smile appeared on Xiao Yanhan’s face, the editor’s next sentence threw her back into hell.
“However, the story still hasn’t improved. It’s very boring. I don’t know what you’re trying to do with all these military plotlines. It really drags the story down, and the female lead’s screen time is severely compressed. Since you plan to draw a futuristic manga, and you’ve crammed in so many settings without being able to properly introduce the female lead in the limited space, then this work can be said to be a failure.”
So it’s no good after all…
Xiao Yanhan lowered her head, clenching her fists on her knees.
Sometimes it’s like this. Hard work doesn’t necessarily pay off, but not working hard will definitely not pay off.
This sentence was more of a comfort to her. Xiao Yanhan couldn’t feel the meaning of hard work. Everyone told her to work hard, everyone told her to give it her all, but hard work alone was not enough. Sometimes, talent was also very important.
Not everyone can succeed…
“Thank you.”
That was all she could say. She took back her manuscript, bowed, and left.
She had been to many companies, many publishing houses. She had lost count of the works she had drawn. But even so, not a single one of them was interested in her manga.
In the beginning, everyone would give her father face and say a few perfunctory words. As time went on, everyone knew she hadn’t inherited her father’s genes, that her manga was terrible, and gradually, their attitudes became less friendly.
Xiao Yanhan held the works that people considered trash, lost on the street. Persisting in a dream was really not an easy thing. It turned out that sometimes, talent was really important.
Xiao Yanhan’s father was also a manga artist, and a very famous one at that. He had serialized a manga before, creating his own glorious era in the field of manga and pushing it to new heights. At that time, the internet was not as convenient. Everyone had to go to the bookstore to buy manga, and it was difficult to find information about the artists. At that time, her father was really amazing, creating his own glory. Although he didn’t draw manga anymore, he was still respected by people.
As his daughter, she hadn’t inherited his genes. She couldn’t create her own era in this circle, and even her works were terrible. Her father had guided her before, but drawing manga wasn’t just about teaching; it also required aptitude. Some things couldn’t be taught; they had to be understood on your own. Obviously, Xiao Yanhan didn’t have this ability.
“Little Yan, you’re back. What do you want for dinner?”
When she got home, her mother was already used to her daughter’s state. She just asked what she wanted to eat, not about her submission.
This daughter of hers was too stubborn in the field of manga.
It was a pity she hadn’t inherited it from her dad. There was nothing to be done about it. Just because the parents are amazing doesn’t mean the children have to reach their level. That’s very unrealistic.
Xiao Yanhan went back to lying on the sofa, throwing the file folder into the trash. There was no need to look at these failed works.
If I could meet my idol, my idol would definitely help me, right? The setbacks I’ve faced in the manga field, Shion-Sensei should be able to understand, right…
No, probably not. After all, she’s a genius. Her first submission was accepted, and she even won a gold award. Geniuses will never understand the suffering of ordinary people, never.
Xiao Yanhan lay on the sofa. She wanted to touch manga less and less. After long-term setbacks, she had become disheartened. She wanted to give up.
…
By the way, Ye Zhiyun’s days in the United States were not going well. Because her aunt was there, she had been very obedient these past few days and no longer made random calls. Her aunt only stayed for about two days before going back. During that time, she even asked if she wanted to go back with her, but she politely declined.
“Zhiyun, you look very unhappy.”
“Heh, you know again.”
“I’m your brother.”
“I see…”
Ye Zhiyun smiled and said nothing.
Sometimes, the hardest thing to see through is the human heart. Her aunt used to be very good to her, but who would have thought that her aunt would read her diary and use it to threaten her? The hardest thing to guess is a person.
“Brother, don’t you think Auntie has changed a lot?”
“She has changed a lot. It’s probably because she’s been struggling on her own. Both her methods and her style are just like our mom when she was young.”
“Yeah, it’s a pity she’s not exactly like Mom.”
Ye Zhiyun left a mysterious sentence and then went back to her room.
With her weakness in her aunt’s hands, there was nothing Ye Zhiyun could do. If she wanted to protect Yu Linna, she could only be obedient.
But she, Ye Zhiyun, would never submit. The temporary compromise was for a chance to fight back later.
