Starting as a Manga Editor-Chapter 37: You Deserve to Be Damned

“Sir, I honestly don’t know her real age.”
Shang Tao quickly explained when he noticed the Vice President’s expression change, trying to defend himself: “I’m not part of the editorial department. But she really looks young, seriously, like eighteen. You remember what I told you, right...? She just doesn’t feel like an editor.”
“……”
Zhao Fangsheng stayed silent, but he did recall Shang Tao saying something along those lines.
Back then, he thought Shang Tao was joking — exaggerating to flatter her.
But now you’re telling me… that wasn’t an exaggeration? That s**t was real?
Eighteen?!
Zhao Fangsheng tried picturing an eighteen-year-old as Editor-in-Chief... Sure, it felt like something out of a manga — but real life isn’t manga. Thirty, he could grit his teeth and accept. But eighteen? That was too much.
Truth be told, he was backing off.
Sure, private companies don’t always care about seniority. They might even prefer younger hires — more energy, more creativity.
But that only applies to regular staff... For leadership roles, age is an unspoken barrier.
That’s just how society works. Most people assume young leaders — especially those promoted at rocket speed — lack experience, wisdom, or maturity. They may struggle with office politics, social dynamics, and can be hard for colleagues to accept or take seriously.
Put bluntly — they’re seen as unreliable.
Meanwhile, older leaders are generally perceived as stable and dependable.
Yes, that’s a generalization. Old doesn’t mean capable, and young doesn’t mean incompetent.
Ding Yilong was a prime example of that.
But still, that’s the conventional wisdom... at least among the older generation.
Even if he ignored all that, Zhao Fangsheng still had to think about what the rest of the editorial team would think. The male editors weren’t young — how would they feel if an editor-in-chief barely looked eighteen walked in?
Plus, there were practical issues. Take Shang Tao — the guy’s pushing 55. What happens when they’re in a meeting, trying to talk shop, and there’s this massive generational gap?
Yeah...
The more Zhao Fangsheng thought about it, the less viable it felt. The more he thought, the more his head hurt.
So young!
And with that level of talent?
It was...
Zhao Fangsheng thought about it, still a little unwilling to let it go. “You’re sure... she really looks that young?”
“Absolutely.”
Shang Tao nodded. “Honestly, saying she looks like an idol isn’t even the best comparison, but I couldn’t think of anything better at the time. You know idol groups, right? If you’re not sure, just look up a few videos... I don’t know Tang Yao’s exact age, but she’s definitely under 25. Even if she’s not eighteen, she’s barely over twenty. If she walked into a school campus, the guards wouldn’t even stop her...
Oh! I’ve got the perfect term! You know what a JK is, right?”
“Okay, enough. I get it.”
Zhao Fangsheng raised a hand to cut off the increasingly absurd description. He had given up completely. He looked down at the Human Head Balloon manuscript on the desk and shook his head gently.
With his age and experience, he knew — geniuses do exist in this world.
Not just in editing. Even in blacksmithing, some people were winning titles at nineteen...
People are different, after all.
And today, he’d had the privilege of meeting one.
But he also knew... genius didn’t mean invincible — especially young geniuses.
“Forget it. No need to arrange a meeting with her. Just give her back the storyboard.”
He was completely letting it go now.
Shang Tao seemed to realize something, and chuckled awkwardly, “Uh… maybe the VP should judge for himself how young she looks?”
Zhao Fangsheng gave him a glance and shook his head. “No need. She’s too young. But I will remember her name.”
“Alright then.”
Shang Tao chuckled again, a bit embarrassed.
At the same time, he silently apologized to Tang Yao.
…Looks like I messed up.
But hey, he hadn’t lied. She really was young.
Anyway, he figured he’d apologize to her later... or just push those two manga she submitted as their top priority — make up for it that way.
“Sir, do you want to read the other manga too?”
Trying to smooth over the moment, Shang Tao checked his watch — almost clock-out time — and asked.
“I’ll take a look. No harm.”
Zhao Fangsheng glanced at the other manga Tang Yao had recommended and picked it up.
Shang Tao could only wait patiently.
This second manga wasn’t like Human Head Balloon — it didn’t scream “something big is coming” from the first few pages.
The story began in a pretty standard way.
So Zhao Fangsheng didn’t show any strange expressions and just quietly read on.
Shang Tao, having lost interest in watching him read, pulled out his phone to assign some tasks to his subordinates.
Time passed slowly.
When he looked up again, Zhao Fangsheng was still reading.
His face was still neutral — but he was completely focused, leaning slightly forward, eyes glued to the pages, like he was fully immersed in the world of the manga.
“?”
Shang Tao silently raised an eyebrow.
What the heck?
Was Tang Yao some kind of manga sorceress?
He had to admit—
At that moment, his curiosity about the two manga hit an all-time high.
About ten minutes later—
Zhao Fangsheng finally looked up, his expression tinged with wonder. He took a deep breath and exclaimed, “Fascinating… truly fascinating! To come up with such a novel concept — turning historical and mythological figures into heroic spirits, and making them battle across different belief systems… this is pure genius.”
And it wasn’t just the premise.
Zhao Fangsheng thought the story and characters were incredibly compelling too.
Holy Grail War, catalysts, mage families, the church… one intricate worldbuilding element after another!
He’d gotten completely drawn in without even noticing.
But what frustrated him was... just when the story was getting good — it ended!
“Where’s the rest?”
Thinking that, Zhao Fangsheng looked at Shang Tao and asked the one question burning in his mind.
“The rest?”
Shang Tao looked at him like he was crazy. “That’s all there is. Editor Tang only gave me this much.”
“…Don’t tell me it’s a serialized work?”
Zhao Fangsheng blinked, then realization dawned. He looked down at the manuscript again, eyes widening: “She wants to serialize this on the website? This deserves a magazine serialization! Wait, I get it now… Ding Yilong!!!”
As he said it—
His voice rose a bit, and his expression turned furious once more.
Everything clicked in an instant.
Tang Yao didn’t get along with Ding Yilong… It was obvious now — she was being suppressed! Such an amazing work couldn’t get a magazine slot?! She had to resort to a web release and enter it into the manga award for exposure?!
You deserve to be damned!
Ding Yilong!
His rage burned.
He hated Ding Yilong with a passion now.
“…Vice President?”
Shang Tao was startled.
“It’s nothing.”
Zhao Fangsheng barely calmed himself, looked at the manga again, thought for a moment, then handed both it and the storyboard back to Shang Tao: “Both of these go into the early release lineup!”
Human Head Balloon was a no-brainer.
It was crazy, striking, and attention-grabbing.
Perfect to show readers just how… diverse the manga award submissions could be.
As for the second one — Fate/Zero…
Sure, including a serialized work in the manga award promo was a bit much. And kind of annoying — ending right when it got good was frustrating as hell.
But considering the current situation in the editorial department, he decided to approve it. Even if he was planning to deal with Ding Yilong, it’s not like he could get rid of him today.
And the manga award was already getting buzz thanks to Ou Congquan’s drama. If the work was strong, it could bring serious popularity.
And Fate/Zero clearly was a great manga!
Perfect to use as pre-launch hype for the magazine serialization… and also a way to test how readers responded to the story. After all, his own taste wasn’t everything.
Two birds with one stone!
“Got it.”
Shang Tao nodded, now fully hyped about the two manga. But this wasn’t the time to read them.
He could only agree for now.
And he finally breathed easy — the Vice President’s approval meant the two titles were definitely in.
Now he could back to Editor Tang with confidence.
“Make sure they’re included.”
Zhao Fangsheng reiterated, to show how important it was. Then he added, “Also, when you return the storyboard, tell Editor Tang to reassure the mangaka who made Fate/Zero. Let them know the serialization opportunity will come. And give Editor Tang some encouragement too — tell her she did an amazing job.”
Fate/Zero was yet another testament to Editor Tang’s talent for discovering and nurturing mangaka.
Zhao Fangsheng didn’t know exactly how much she’d contributed to this manga, but given the situation with Ou Congquan... it was probably a lot.
And then there was that chaotic brilliance called Human Head Balloon...
He couldn’t help but sigh again — a real genius!
It was just a shame… she was so young.
Otherwise, he’d have fired Ding Yilong today and promoted her by this afternoon.
But oh well.
It didn’t have to happen right away.
Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Let her gain a few more years of experience... she might produce something even more dazzling. Then she could transition into a Deputy Editor-in-Chief role and, after proving herself, everything would fall into place. Age wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
As Zhao Fangsheng watched Shang Tao walk off, he was already thinking ahead.
Meanwhile—
Tang Yao had no idea—
She had come this close to randomly becoming Editor-in-Chief.
And missed it… all because of her age.
She probably never imagined that her age would become a debuff.
Otherwise... who knows? She might’ve chosen to stay in the role for a few more years.
After all, it was a stable job. Without Ding Yilong stirring the pot, if the pay had been a bit better, for her sister’s sake and as a fallback, she might’ve stayed another couple of years.
Unfortunately—
That opportunity never materialized.
And instead, she would set off on a different path.
You could call it… a near miss.