Chapter 258: The Father’s Authority
Although their first meeting wasn’t very pleasant, Huo Ningning and Xiao Yanhan were still polite to each other on the surface, and there wasn’t much conflict between them. At most, they had some disagreements on how to treat Yu Linna, but besides that, there were no other problems.
“This time I brought my new work. You saw my semi-finished product in the dorm, and now it’s finished. What do you think of my drawing?”
Xiao Yanhan hadn’t come just to play this time; she was also here to ask for advice. After all, Shion-sensei was her idol, and novelists and manga artists were not that different. She also wanted to learn something from her. Shion-sensei was so good at writing stories, and the market was always buying her works. She really wanted to get something from her, and it would be even better if she could change her manga style.
“You’re drawing a fighting manga this time? It’s not impossible, but this kind of theme is quite difficult to draw. Without professional knowledge, it’s hard to support a serialization.”
“Well, I’ll just draw it as a comedy manga. The readers won’t mind anyway,” she said, scratching her head.
“You’re a manga artist?”
Huo Ningning asked with a hint of surprise, drinking her hot cocoa. She suddenly found that Yu Linna’s friends all seemed to be incredible people, and she was the only ordinary one.
“I’m not an official manga artist yet, but I’m working hard. If I can debut as a manga artist one day, I’ll give you my autograph.”
Xiao Yanhan’s goal was to become a manga artist, and a very popular one at that. But her submitted manuscripts had basically never been accepted; they were always rejected. At first, she thought her drawing wasn’t good enough and kept revising and practicing. Later, her art style had matured, but her storytelling hadn’t improved at all. No editor was interested. In the editors’ eyes, they were basically just waste paper.
Yu Linna finished reading the manga, her brow furrowed. Although it wasn’t good to say it directly, especially with Huo Ningning present, this manga really didn’t attract her. It could even be said that it wasn’t interesting at all. The plot was too cliché.
“How is it?”
But looking at Xiao Yanhan’s expectant eyes, she really couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth. This little girl was also working very hard. It wasn’t good to discourage her. If it were a guy, Yu Linna would definitely not be polite, but the problem was that she was a little girl, and she was too embarrassed to say such harsh words.
But from the perspective of a professional writer, this story was indeed not very good. Not to mention being cliché, the romance came out of nowhere, and it was clearly a story about a fighting arena, so why was there a plot about high school students going to school? Was this treating a professional arena like an amateur game?
In short, there were too many things to roast. This was definitely not a qualified work, and it could even be said to be a bad book.
“It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. It’s not particularly bad, but it’s not good either.”
She still gave a slightly more neutral answer for Xiao Yanhan’s sake.
As expected, Xiao Yanhan’s face quickly fell, her eyes full of disappointment. It was no wonder. It was a very painful thing for one’s painstaking work to not be recognized. Yu Linna also understood this feeling. To work hard and not be rewarded, that feeling was indeed very bad.
“You’re still young, you have plenty of opportunities. Just take your time and practice.”
“I’ve been drawing for almost three years.”
“…”
Yu Linna was even more at a loss for words.
“After drawing for so long, there’s still no improvement. Did I choose the wrong profession?”
Xiao Yanhan said with a wry smile. Her appearance made one’s heart ache. As someone who had experienced working hard without any reward, Yu Linna understood this feeling very well.
“You’ll find a path that suits you.”
Though she didn’t know when she would find it.
Xiao Yanhan then changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on this matter. Perhaps it was also to escape. She wanted to find some lighthearted topics.
“So you’re from Experimental High School?”
“Yeah, I did pretty well on the gaokao and got into Guangnan University.”
“That’s great. I was a few points short of the admission line.”
“So I became roommates with Linna.”
“Hehe, that’s so enviable.”
It was clearly a very normal and harmonious conversation, but to Yu Linna, who was making tea, it somehow had a gunpowder-like smell. And she felt a chill down her back, a strange sense of unease. In fact, she wasn’t wrong. Huo Ningning was indeed annoyed. She was the most aggrieved one. She had wanted to have a world for two with Yu Linna, but who would have thought a Xiao Yanhan would appear halfway? It was so frustrating. This damn person had to come and disturb their little life. So annoying. And she was even showing off. So annoying.
“I’ll go get something to eat.”
Seeing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Yu Linna simply left the living room and went to the kitchen to get something from the fridge. Her house clearly had no air conditioning, yet it felt a little cool. What was going on?
Huo Ningning stood up, using the excuse of going to the toilet.
Yu Linna naturally didn’t think much of it and went to the kitchen to get something. The weather had been getting cooler recently. She had to prepare some thicker clothes when she went back to school. Just as she was thinking this, she reached out to open the fridge. Suddenly, a soft, warm creature from behind pulled her back and hugged her tightly.
“Ningning?”
She looked up in confusion, at this Huo Ningning without glasses. For some reason, she felt a sense of unease.
“You’re willing to call me by my name?”
Huo Ningning said sullenly, tightening her grip, holding Yu Linna even tighter.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just not very happy. Didn’t we agree it would just be the two of us?”
“Well, I can’t just ignore a guest when they come, can I?”
“Then I need some compensation.”
Huo Ningning rested her head on her shoulder and said sullenly.
If you count from the time they met, she was the one who had known Yu Linna the earliest. She was the first in everything. Whether it was getting to know her or being her friend, she was the first.
This Xiao Yanhan was just someone who had appeared halfway, yet she was so arrogant.
“Isn’t it just one more person? Is it really that big a deal?”
“It is. I care a lot.”
“Ningning, you’re squeezing me a little tight…”
“Sorry, I’m a little anxious too. Little Linna, I, I want some compensation.”
“What compensation?”
Huo Ningning didn’t answer with words, but just moved her face closer and gave a light, dragonfly-like kiss on Yu Linna’s right cheek, then let go of her hands. Her face was flushed, like a cooked red shrimp. She wiped her cherry lips with the back of her hand, then covered her face and left the kitchen.
Yu Linna stared blankly, touching the right side of her face that had been kissed, looking a little dazed. She was just, kissed by a girl? This…
She stood there stunned for a full minute. When she came back to her senses, she thought, Wait, I’m the one who was kissed. Why is she the one running away???
And she didn’t see Xiao Yanhan hiding behind the kitchen. Xiao Yanhan covered her mouth, trying her best not to make a sound, her face red. She swore she absolutely didn’t see it on purpose. She had just wanted to get a Coke, who knew she would see such a stimulating scene. What the hell is this!
This, this, can two girls be so intimate? This, this…
It was a little stimulating.
No.
It was very stimulating.
Xiao Yanhan felt like she was about to die. If Yu Linna found out, would she be dismembered into eight pieces?
In short, she could no longer remain calm.
…
“Achoo!”
Ye Zhiyun was drinking tea at home when she suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose, wondering if the weather had gotten cooler recently. At this time, a few green leaves in the courtyard slowly fell to the ground. Ye Zhiyun stood up, thinking it was time to find a gardener to trim the garden.
…
Tang Yumeng was originally studying out of province, majoring in drama performance. Her popularity had risen recently, and many directors had started to look for her to act. As her net worth rose, many people also began to pay attention to this little actress who had been unknown in the entertainment industry. But that was none of her business. She had come home.
The vacation was so long, and there was nothing to do at school. It was better to go home. The role she had taken on hadn’t started filming yet, so she was still very free. But she didn’t want to take this time to shoot commercials. When she had no fame and had to swallow her pride to take on bad commercials for survival, she had suffered a lot. Now that those people saw she was famous, they wanted to curry favor with her. They could forget about it.
She lit a cigarette for herself, taking a beautiful drag. No matter where she went, cigarettes were still the best. It was just a pity she couldn’t smoke at home; she would be beaten.
“Yumeng, what are you doing again?”
“Ahem!!”
Tang Yumeng was startled and immediately threw the cigarette on the ground, stomping on it twice. She even whistled to the left, pretending nothing had happened.
“Dad, you’re out for a walk so early. I haven’t even gotten home yet, and you’re already out.”
Tang Yumeng said with a forced smile.
How could she have known her old man would be out? This was still a distance from home. Her old man shouldn’t have chosen this time to come out either. There were many pedestrians on the road, all looking over, partly because Tang Yumeng was good-looking, and partly to watch the fun between the father and daughter.
“Didn’t I tell you to quit? You’re lying to me again.”
“Actually, I have quit. It’s just that my mouth was itching. It’s fine, it’s just one. I don’t have any more.”
“Then hand it over.”
“Huh?”
“What ‘huh’? Hand it over.”
Tang He held out his old, uncalloused hand, his eyes brooking no refusal.
Tang Yumeng was truly at a loss for words and could only obediently hand over the half-smoked pack of cigarettes from her pocket to her father.
“And the lighter?”
“…”
Tang Yumeng surrendered, handing over the lighter as well. This old coot, he wouldn’t even leave her a lighter.
“I hear your fame has gone up, but I still have to say, don’t get in too deep.”
Tang He put away the cigarettes and lighter, stuck his hands in his pockets, and said seriously.
Tang Yumeng had just had her cigarettes and lighter confiscated and was in a bad mood. She dragged her luggage, nodding and “mm-hmm”-ing. What she wanted to do was her business. Why did he have to care so much?
“Yumeng, are you impatient?”
“…No, no. When Dad speaks, how could I dare?”
“Yumeng, I’m doing this for your own good. Look, a few years ago you suddenly said you wanted to be a star, to go into the entertainment industry, giving up the opportunity at Wenqing to stubbornly go into the entertainment industry. You’ve been in the industry for a few years now, you should know what you’ve become. You’re not famous, you have no fame. Isn’t it just that you’ve gotten a little heat recently? Shouldn’t you go home and consider it, and do what you should be doing, like your brother?”
Tang Yumeng casually cleaned her ears, not very interested.
“Mmm, I think so too, Dad. In the future, I should do what I want to do, not what I should do. Living like that is too tiring.”
Tang He’s blood pressure rose again. He was certain that if he didn’t lose his temper today, he would have to go to the hospital.
