Starting as a Manga Editor-Chapter 54: Sorry

Li Xue noticed the look Lin Shuang gave her, but didn’t say anything — she just nodded at her slightly.
That’s when Tang Yao also spoke up. “Miss Lin, sorry for making you come all the way out.”
“It’s fine. If my cousin introduces someone, I should at least meet them.”
Lin Shuang turned back to Tang Yao and gave a polite smile, then asked, “So, what’s the project you’re talking about?”
She didn’t really get it.
But since she was already here.
Might as well hear her out.
On the other side...
Tang Yao understood that Lin Shuang had now switched roles — she was no longer speaking to her as Li Xue’s cousin.
So she skipped the small talk and answered straightforwardly, “A game.”
“Hmm…”
Lin Shuang deducted a few points in her mind right away.
After all, Tang Yao didn’t look like someone who played games at all.
And besides... who doesn’t know online games are a money-making business nowadays?
But that money isn’t for just anyone to grab — the field is completely saturated.
“But not traditional games — mobile games,” Tang Yao continued. “I know online games are a red ocean right now, but mobile games are still just getting started... and mobile’s portability and ability to make use of fragmented time give it a huge edge over traditional online games. I think it’s a great direction.”
“Oh?”
That finally sparked a bit of interest from Lin Shuang, since she was bullish on mobile platforms. “So you're trying to emulate games like Run Rush and Flappy Bird?”
The two titles she mentioned were successful buy-to-play mobile games at the moment.
“No.”
Tang Yao shook her head. “There’s definitely a market for buy-to-play games… but I don’t think that’ll be the mainstream model on mobile.”
“Then you’re talking about…”
“Yeah, bringing online games to mobile.”
“……”
Lin Shuang gave her another look, then nodded. “That’s true — as far as I know, the big companies are heading in that direction too...”
“……”
Tang Yao picked up on what Lin Shuang really meant — basically: Everything you’re saying, I already know. And the big companies are already doing it. So what makes you think you can beat them?
“But those big companies... they’re mostly focused on porting their existing PC games to mobile, right?”
Tang Yao paused to organize her thoughts, then replied, “I think current mobile hardware still isn’t strong enough to handle overly complex games. Lightweight games are better suited to mobile. In other words… they need to be made for mobile from the start.”
“Oh?”
Lin Shuang frowned slightly but followed her lead. “Made for mobile? You mean you’re not considering PC ports at all? Have you read last year’s game industry from China? PC games are still seeing solid growth, and PC IPs are still very valuable. As for mobile... honestly, not much worth mentioning.”
“I personally don’t think PC ports are viable because of the hardware gap... Of course, I’m not saying we should abandon PC IPs entirely. I just think we shouldn’t force mobile games to mimic PC gameplay.”
“……”
Lin Shuang frowned again. “So you’re suggesting a whole new gameplay system for mobile? But would PC gamers go for that?”
“……”
Tang Yao paused — because she’d realized something.
Their perspectives… were fundamentally different.
It was obvious Lin Shuang saw mobile as merely an extension of PC — just a side hustle piggybacking off successful PC games.
But Tang Yao thought the opposite. She saw it as a completely separate track.
“We don’t necessarily have to appeal to PC gamers — or rather... the very existence of PC games makes it even more necessary to differentiate.”
After thinking for a moment, she said, “Because there’s a hardware gap. If the mobile version is exactly like the PC game, PC gamers won’t bother with it. And mobile games that are just watered-down ports are at a natural disadvantage.”
Lin Shuang gave no comment. Her face remained unreadable. “So this ‘made-for-mobile, lightweight game’... what exactly is it?”
Tang Yao noticed her expression and felt her heart sink — but didn’t show it. She answered seriously, “I call it a 2D gacha game. The gameplay is relatively simple, with visual style based on traditional animation and manga aesthetics. It focuses on character storytelling, and items are acquired via gacha draws.”
“2D?”
“……”
Tang Yao hesitated. It would take too long and be too vague to explain out loud.
So.
She handed over the proposal she’d brought. “Actually, I wrote up a full project proposal. If you have time... could you please take a look?”
Lin Shuang looked at her, then at the proposal in her hand. After a brief pause, she reached out and took it.
Then...
She started flipping through it.
Throughout it all, Li Xue sat beside Tang Yao without saying a word.
She didn’t help out, didn’t chime in.
Not until Lin Shuang was fully engrossed in the proposal did she turn to glance at Tang Yao.
But Tang Yao didn’t notice.
She just kept her eyes on Lin Shuang, face calm, completely unaffected by the other woman’s subtle disapproval.
Li Xue smiled faintly.
Lin Shuang flipped pages quickly.
No idea if she was just that talented, or if she was used to reviewing proposals like this.
In less than twenty minutes...
She’d already reached the final page of the thick document.
Then...
She closed the proposal and handed it back to Tang Yao, giving her verdict: “Very creative.”
Tang Yao took the proposal without saying anything.
Sure enough…
The next second—
“But I do have a few questions.”
Lin Shuang tapped the table lightly with her finger, speaking calmly. “This game only has PVE mode, right?”
“Yes, just PVE — to keep it lightweight.”
“Then I’d summarize this game’s traits as anime-style visuals, low social interaction, low competition, light gameplay, and heavy focus on story and character design.”
Lin Shuang couldn’t hold back anymore. She lightly shook her head. “Honestly, it doesn’t sound like an online game at all. How are you planning to make money long-term? To be blunt, online games make their revenue by encouraging competition and comparison among players. Your game — it’s more like a visual novel than a game.
Can something like this really turn a profit?
And how do you plan to get enough players?”
Tang Yao fell silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and replied, “As for getting enough players, I’ve done some prep. In short, it’s tied to a manga IP…”
She brought up Fate/Zero.
But after listening, Lin Shuang showed a polite but apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not familiar with manga, so I don’t know much about that... But even if everything goes smoothly like you said, how do you plan to make money later on? You mentioned gacha in the proposal?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any successful cases of that in the market?”
“...No.”
Tang Yao shook her head and replied softly.
And her heart sank to the bottom.
But she still didn’t show it — and didn’t bring up the manga-game synergy again.
Because clearly, Miss Lin Shuang wasn’t someone who read manga.
So she changed approach and explained, “Currently… mobile storage and performance just can’t handle hyper-realistic 3D games. Even if you forcibly port a simplified PC game, the graphics are barely passable.
In that case, PC gamers would never choose to play on mobile. But lightweight 2D games that aren’t resource-intensive are different... As for revenue, I don’t think it has to rely on player competition or comparison. At the end of the day, games are entertainment products. Even visual novel games, which you mentioned earlier, have buyers.
This game could be deeply tied to the 2D fandom, using…”
“Mm.”
Lin Shuang nodded, then directly cut her off. “It’s definitely creative. But... your game’s monetization model is vague, the investment return is low, and there are no successful precedents in the market… so I’m sorry.”
“……”
Tang Yao’s body tensed, and her lashes trembled slightly.
But in the next second—
She smiled again. “I see... then thank you for your time. Really appreciate it.”
“No problem. You’re Li Xue’s friend.”
Lin Shuang definitely noticed Tang Yao’s disappointment.
And honestly, she was a bit surprised at how quickly the girl composed herself... But she didn’t comment. Instead, she asked, “So you left your job to start this? You were an editor before?”
“Yes.”
Tang Yao politely replied, “I’ve always received a lot of help from Miss Li.”
“You two known each other long?”
“Not really, actually.”
The two chatted briefly.
Then Lin Shuang turned to Li Xue. “How are things at the magazine lately?”
“Same as always.”
Li Xue finally spoke. “What about you?”
From there...
The three of them chatted idly.
The topic had nothing to do with games anymore.
Naturally, the conversation didn’t last long.
Soon after...
Lin Shuang glanced at the time, then said apologetically, “I should probably get going…”
She paused, hesitated for a moment, then looked at Tang Yao again. “I’ll keep an eye out for any angel investors who might be interested in your project. If I find someone, I’ll try to recommend it to them.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Tang Yao smiled and gave a genuine thank-you.
“No problem.”
Seeing the smile on Tang Yao’s face, Lin Shuang was a little surprised.
So young...
But still so polite, and emotionally steady.
Unfortunately...
Her ideas were just a little naïve.
Still in that dream-chasing phase of life.