Starting as a Manga Editor-Chapter 73: Gentleness

After a brief adjustment period,
the ragtag team known as Avalon—The Ideal Land—began pushing full steam ahead toward their goal…
As for why the studio was named that, Kang Ming had asked Tang Yao about it at the time.
Tang Yao’s answer was… well, the studio’s first game was related to Fate, and since King Arthur was an iconic figure in that series, she chose the name accordingly.
Avalon, the sacred land of Celtic mythology, King Arthur’s final resting place—
a paradise in the afterlife.
In the Fate series, the sheath of Artoria Pendragon’s Excalibur is also called Avalon, the Distant Ideal Land.
So the name made perfect sense.
Of course…
to say Tang Yao had no personal feelings about it would be a lie.
She honestly hoped her studio might one day become a kind of “ideal land” of its own.
But she couldn’t quite bring herself to say that out loud.
So she brushed it off with a line about how she picked the name because of the quote:
"No one can harm the king who rests peacefully in the land of Avalon."
And oddly enough, Kang Ming and the others really liked the name.
Whether they saw through Tang Yao’s real intent, or just thought the line sounded cool and dramatic—either way, the next day…
The three of them seriously printed out the studio’s name on an A4 sheet and taped it to the door.
It was practically a grand opening.
From that point on, Avalon Studio was ablaze with energy, charging ahead according to Tang Yao’s plans.
Meanwhile, the last remaining Operations Team at Mingyu Tech…
finally figured out what Tang Yao and the others had been doing in the company’s old finance office.
Their feelings—like Si Jinliang’s—grew increasingly complicated.
Especially when cheers and excitement occasionally drifted from what used to be the finance room—now Avalon Studio.
They couldn’t help but glance toward Si Jinliang’s office… then sigh.
It reminded them of the old days at Mingyu Tech.
A bit like looking in the mirror.
He built his tower, threw a grand banquet… and watched it all collapse.
Not a perfect metaphor, maybe—but it still stirred some painful memories.
For the next two or three days, they were clearly distracted at work. Tang Yao didn’t even bother checking on them.
…Mostly because Tang Yao only ever showed up during work hours and meals.
The rest of the time, she was locked away in the studio—nobody could see her anyway.
But today,
things changed a little.
Because around noon, someone new—another stunning woman—walked into the building.
Li Xue, dressed in a sharp black-and-white business outfit, was as breathtaking as ever. Light makeup, a mature style, perfect curves paired with a flawless face—she exuded sophistication and that classic urban elite vibe from head to toe.
Someone like that…
it was impossible not to look.
Even more so today—because Big Sis was wearing black stockings.
Long, straight legs wrapped in sheer black, paired with high heels—the visual impact was too strong.
The guys in Mingyu’s operations team?
Completely forgot all their pain.
What company’s going under? What unpaid salaries?
Minor issues.
As long as Tang Yao… and this goddess… were around,
they’d never leave the company.jpg.
But Li Xue didn’t even glance at them.
Wearing a faint smile, she headed straight for Avalon Studio.
Knock knock.
The door suddenly rapped.
Tang Yao was completely focused on her drawing tablet, so she casually called out, "Come in," without looking up.
She didn’t realize that Kang Ming and the others were out grabbing lunch—and none of them ever knocked anyway…
The door opened, and the sharp sound of high heels tapping across the floor came closer and closer.
Tang Yao still didn’t notice.
Until—
"Forgot about me already?"
"...?"
Tang Yao froze at the voice.
She looked up—and saw Li Xue standing beside her, poised and beautiful.
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Miss Li!"
At that, a mix of joy and mock sadness flashed across Li Xue’s face. Her lips moved, but no words came out. Then, feigning formality, she said, "Miss Tang…"
"What’s with you?"
Tang Yao saw her expression and half-laughed, half-cried. "I was just working and didn’t notice, okay? Why are you acting like some abandoned little wife?"
Li Xue played the part, whispering, "Wouldn’t dare. I’ve seen too many cases where someone stops cherishing you after you marry them…"
"...?"
Tang Yao blinked and stared. "When exactly did you marry me…?"
Li Xue’s expression flipped instantly—eyes twinkling with mischief. "Hmm? Who said I was marrying you?"
Tang Yao froze, then tilted her head down slightly.
A faint blush crept across her beautiful face.
Embarrassed.
"Pfft…"
Seeing her expression, Li Xue finally broke into a giggle. "Fine, fine, I’m marrying you."
"!"
Tang Yao jerked her head up, cheeks flushed, and lunged forward to tickle her.
"Wait—haha—!"
Li Xue couldn’t dodge in time.
The two of them crashed into each other, bursting into laughter, tangled together in a silly mess.
Two minutes later—
Both had red cheeks, chests pressed together, arms wrapped around one another, completely out of energy.
To be fair, they both worked out and weren’t out of shape.
They just… laughed so hard they couldn’t move anymore.
After a while,
Tang Yao finally caught her breath. Realizing the position they were in, she shyly released her hold on Li Xue’s slender waist and sat back down. Then she gave her a playful glare. "You actually tickled me back!"
"You started it."
Li Xue panted slightly as she pulled up a chair. Her long, graceful legs wrapped in black silk crossed elegantly, showing off every curve of her feminine figure.
Tang Yao chuckled. "So you fight back, huh? Just wait—I’m not paying you back. Ever heard the saying? The debtor is the boss."
"Mhm. Not paying me back."
Li Xue smiled, completely unbothered. She even teased softly, "Then consider the debt paid off."
"You… I’m fine. Really. You don’t need to worry."
Tang Yao blinked at her words, then lightly bit her rosy lip.
Truth was—
Li Xue was a thoughtful, mature, gentle soul. In just a few lines, she’d completely dissolved that lingering guilt inside Tang Yao.
Because in this country—even in this parallel world—relationships mattered.
And Tang Yao didn’t have the kind of thick skin to borrow such a large sum and not feel guilty about it.
She couldn’t be that shameless.
She figured Li Xue had done it on purpose.
That’s probably why she hadn’t visited in person these past few days—only contacted her via messages.
Maybe it was just to keep Tang Yao from overthinking things.
"Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself."
Li Xue said gently, "I told you—I gave you the money willingly. Even if the game fails, it’s okay."
"...Don’t jinx it."
Something soft inside Tang Yao trembled. Her lashes fluttered, but she didn’t show it. "The game’s already on track. We’ve made real progress these past few days. Want to take a look?"
Li Xue blinked. "Oh?"
Tang Yao grabbed the mouse, pulled up the project, and opened up their recent work for Li Xue to see.
Li Xue leaned closer to look at the screen.
The moment she saw the lifelike animated sprite—expressions and all, moving with the flow of the story—her eyes went wide with shock. "This is… a mobile game? It’s so polished."
"Right?"
Tang Yao smiled. "It’s just the beginning, but the rest of the team already thinks it looks great… though your timing’s a bit off. If you’d come one day later, you could’ve seen the main menu and the gacha pool… I’m already prepping the character art."
"……"
Li Xue stared at the animated sprite—something she’d never associate with the term "mobile game."
She didn’t quite get it.
So instead,
she turned her head to look at Tang Yao’s delicate, porcelain-like profile and asked softly:
"Are you tired?"