Starting as a Manga Editor-Chapter 38: Benefactor

"Anyway, I'm really sorry."
Shang Tao left that final sentence behind, gave a slight bow, and walked away.
…leaving Tang Yao standing there completely puzzled.
Sorry for what exactly?
Tang Yao watched Shang Tao leave, frowning slightly with a confused look.
That Director Shang was acting super weird when he came back to hand over the storyboard…
One moment he was asking her to comfort the manga artist who drew Fate/Zero, telling her the serialization opportunity was guaranteed,
and the next, he was apologizing.
What the h*ll was that all about? Was she supposed to comfort herself?
What serialization? Did he misunderstand something?
Also, could he not be so vague—what exactly was he apologizing for?
Seriously…
But soon, Tang Yao stopped caring.
It didn’t seem all that important anyway…
The one thing she cared about the most was already taken care of.
Fate/Zero got on the express lane of the Manga Award promotion!
Mission accomplished!
And not just one, but two manga titles got in!
What she’d worried about the most—Fate/Zero being a serialized work—didn’t end up being a problem after all.
According to Shang Tao, Deputy Editor Zhao had approved it directly, without even asking for an explanation.
That saved her a ton of trouble.
After all, she never saw herself as good at bluffing.
If someone asked how a serialized work could be promoted as new media…
she wouldn’t even know how to answer that.
Anyway, even though she didn’t know what Shang Tao was apologizing for, things worked out—so who cares~
"Yes!"
Once Shang Tao had completely left the lounge, Tang Yao bounced lightly in place, her chest bouncing proudly with her movement—she was clearly delighted.
And for good reason.
All the prep work was now done.
Next up…
She stopped bouncing and pulled out her phone with a happy grin, finding Li Xue’s contact info.
Just about time to get off work. All she needed now was her benefactor!
Eleventh Floor.
Same break area as before.
But since it was the end of the workday, there was no one around except Li Xue.
And today’s big sister was—just as stunning as always.
Her makeup was flawless, and she wore her signature black-and-white combo.
Under her skirt, her long, sleek legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings, not a single ounce of extra fat—absolutely perfect shape.
This was also the first time Tang Yao had seen Li Xue after work hours.
And the fact that she could look this elegant and composed after an entire day at the office,
with bright, clear eyes and that warm big-sister vibe…
Honestly, it was pretty incredible.
Not to mention—
This big sister wasn’t just pretty.
She was also carrying Tang Yao’s hopes.
So when Tang Yao saw her, she completely tripped over her words:
“Benefactor… no, honored guest… I mean, Miss Li.”
"Tang Yao, let’s not get into anything else just yet."
Surprisingly, Li Xue didn’t tease her for the nervous rambling.
Instead, she reached out and placed a hand on Tang Yao’s shoulder, took a deep breath, and said heavily:
“You owe me.”
“Huh? Me? What did I do?”
Tang Yao blinked, confused.
Li Xue repeated, “Doesn’t matter. You owe me.”
“Miss Li… did something happen?”
Tang Yao was genuinely concerned now. She reached out and gently held her soft wrist, furrowing her brow slightly but speaking gently:
“It’s okay, I’ll be here for you. Just tell me what happened. And what exactly am I supposed to make up for?”
Li Xue: “Come home with me.”
Tang Yao: “???”
“Then you just sit to the side and eat dinner. Two bentos. You have to finish both!”
A look of frustration appeared on Li Xue’s delicate face, as if recalling a traumatic memory. She huffed:
“Why didn’t you come today? Why didn’t you show up for lunch?
Do you know the pressure of opening two lunchboxes all by yourself?
Do you know the stress of eating two bentos alone?
Do you know how many calories that is?
My entire week of dieting went straight down the drain!
You owe me!”
“……”
Tang Yao’s face still held a faint blush. Hearing that, she immediately let go of her wrist and glared at her gently:
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you!?”
Li Xue blinked in surprise. “Did what on purpose?”
Tang Yao: “……”
“Wait.”
Li Xue looked at the flustered girl in front of her and suddenly realized something.
She burst into laughter, gently shaking Tang Yao by the shoulder:
“You didn’t seriously think I meant you were going to ‘keep me company,’ did you? Like that kind of company?”
Was that why she got so shy? Even her ears are red! This is too cute!!
“……”
Tang Yao couldn’t take it anymore.
She leaned forward slightly, pressing her firm curves against Li Xue’s, then reached out and playfully grabbed her neck, shaking her:
“You totally did it on purpose!”
“I really did eat two bentos though.”
Li Xue didn’t mind at all. She even reached out and lightly stroked Tang Yao’s red ear, laughing so hard her shoulders shook:
“And I really lost my entire week’s diet progress.
Do you even know what that means for a woman turning 27?”
“Check your stomach before you say that again!”
Tang Yao let go of her neck, replying grumpily:
“And here I was worried about you… I don’t even want to talk about serious stuff anymore.
Why are you dieting anyway? Having a little softness is cuter!
I think you look great!”
“Really?”
Li Xue tilted her head, stood on tiptoe, and turned sideways to inspect her figure.
She seemed pretty pleased.
“Alright, I’ll let you off the hook this time… but tomorrow you have to come eat with me.
I’m going to pack a high-calorie bento just for you!
If I gain weight, you’re going down with me.”
“Deal.”
Tang Yao agreed, watching the cheerful big sister in front of her…
Honestly, she didn’t want this moment to end.
But life doesn’t always go the way we want.
“…But,”
Tang Yao hesitated a moment, then gathered herself and continued,
“I probably won’t be able to stay with you for much longer, Miss Li.”
“Hmm?”
Li Xue blinked and looked at Tang Yao’s lovely face.
“That game project—I’ve finished all the prep work.
And I brought the proposal with me.”
Tang Yao picked up the folder she had tossed aside earlier and handed it over.
“I hope you’ll take a look and then decide whether to introduce me to that investor.”
“……”
Li Xue looked at Tang Yao, then at the folder in her hand.
After a brief silence, she took it and smiled gently.
“Aren’t you worried I’ll say no just to make you stay?”
“I’m not.”
Tang Yao shook her head earnestly.
“You’re not that kind of person.
If you were, I wouldn’t be telling you this in the first place.”
“…So you’re serious about this.”
Li Xue saw the determined look on Tang Yao’s face and sighed softly.
She lowered her gaze to the folder.
“…It’s rare to make a friend at work.”
“Miss Li.”
Tang Yao could tell Li Xue was genuinely feeling down.
She immediately pulled her over to a chair and sat beside her, trying to cheer her up:
“Just because I won’t be working here doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore.”
“We can still be friends, sure… but I’ve gotten used to making bento for two…”
“Uhh… then I’ll sneak in to eat every day!”
“You’ll exhaust yourself like that.
I’m not that unreasonable.”
Li Xue lifted her head, gave Tang Yao a playful glare, then chuckled softly.
“Alright, I’m just being sentimental. I’m not heartbroken or anything.
No need to keep comforting me.
Like you said, not working together doesn’t mean we can’t stay close. Don’t worry.”
“…You’re so cool.”
Tang Yao looked at her fair and elegant profile, a little emotional.
The truth was…
She’d thought about asking Miss Li to leave with her.
But that idea was crushed the second it popped up.
She was just a regular editor.
But Li Xue wasn’t—she was already a Deputy Editor at such a young age, with a bright future ahead.
Asking her to gamble her entire career on a future Tang Yao herself wasn’t even sure about…
that would’ve been selfish and arrogant.
“I’m not like you, you know.
Hearing someone call me cool doesn’t make me lose my mind.”
Li Xue lifted the folder in her hand with a smirk.
“And I’m not going to go easy on you.
If I think this isn’t good enough, I won’t contact that investor—no matter how many compliments you throw at me.”
“Of course. Please, take a look.”
Tang Yao nodded and gestured for her to open it.
Li Xue said no more.
She lowered her head, opened the folder, and began reading the proposal carefully.
There was a lot inside.
But she read it with total focus, like she’d gone back to her early editor days.
Still, even with that much effort, there were plenty of parts she couldn’t understand.
Battle systems, upgrade systems, gacha resource allocation, pool design…
Each category had sub-sections, long explanations, and a ton of numbers.
Some sections even had notes on illustration design.
It made her read slowly.
But slowly or not, eventually she got to the end.
Almost forty minutes later,
Li Xue finally looked up and turned to Tang Yao sitting beside her.
Tang Yao asked quietly, “Well?”
“…Honestly, I didn’t understand a lot of it. Or at most, I got the gist.”
Li Xue looked right at Tang Yao’s face and gently said,
“But there were plenty of parts I did understand.
And from that, I can say one thing for sure—
You’re serious. Really serious.
So, I’ll contact my relative.
We’ll arrange a meeting time.
I’ll let you know once it’s set.”