โHeave~โ
Squire stepped onto the stool and brought in the bedding and mattress she had aired out on the balcony before leaving this morning.
Since it was already dark, the sunโs warmth was completely gone, replaced by a cold dampness lingering in the airโฆ
At least the smell of alcohol had dissipated.
Then, she brewed two cups of instant coffee with the boiling water from the kitchen cornerโthe only beverage she had at home suitable for entertaining Nangong Xiwang.
โMiss Nangong, hereโs the coffee.โ
โOh, thank you.โ
During this time, Nangong Xiwang was operating Squireโs computer.
Squire didnโt mind a stranger using her computer. The Operations Divisionโs work didnโt require a computer; all instructions from superiors came through social apps on the phone. There was nothing sensitive saved on the hard drive, and she rarely used it herselfโฆ
For Squire, the computer was just a necessary device to connect to the scanner since she was still a traditional paper-based artist.
Though in this era, AI-assisted art could produce content much fasterโeven comics could be generated that wayโthere were always those who insisted on tradition. And these traditionalist manga artists often garnered more fansโฆ
โTeacher Zhenjian Yingxiong, take a look.โ
Nangong Xiwang sipped her coffee and called to Squire.
โThese manga sites are pretty big and suitable for newcomers to make a start. But for online serialization, itโs best to update a few pages every week, or even dailyโฆ which is quite a workload.โ
However, online serialization was different.
Squire had to pursue efficiency.
Though the quality demands were lower than print, the quantity requirements were higher.
Since print publication wasnโt an option, putting the manga online was something Squire had considered, but although she drew every day, her output speed wasnโt fast enough to support a serialized work.
Besides, she was only part-time. Her main job was being a weirdo.
So regarding Nangong Xiwangโs suggestion, she answered honestly:
โIโm afraid I canโt keep upโฆโ
Nangong Xiwang, however, interpreted this differently.
โAh, so this kind of meticulous drawing takes time to complete?โ
She assumed Squireโs main occupation was manga drawing and said:
โThen how about I introduce you to an assistant? I know a few freshly graduated university manga artists. Their salary demands arenโt high, though their skills arenโt as refined as yours. You two can set up a studio togetherโฆโ
โNo, thatโs not necessary.โ
Before Nangong Xiwang could finish, Squire clearly refused.
She wasnโt a proper manga artist, nor had she made money from manga. Why should she pay to support an assistant?
No way.
โIs it a money issue?โ Nangong Xiwang asked.
โThatโs part of itโฆโ
Mainly, it was because her physical condition was uncertain. Who knew when she might revert?
She didnโt want to explain too much to an assistant. The Nyx Driver had to be kept secretโif World Tree Technologies found out, it would be trouble.
โThat makes senseโฆโ
Nangong Xiwangโs imaginative mind seemed to fill in some hidden past behind Squireโs words and sighed:
โYouโre a girl living in a place like this; there must be a lot of hidden reasons, huh?โ
โโฆY-yeah, there are some secrets.โ
But not as a girl.
โCreating alone means no shortcuts. Youโd better focus on perfecting the work first, then show it to the editorsโIโll say a good word for youโฆโ
Nangong Xiwang glanced at her watch and asked:
โTeacher Zhenjian Yingxiong, have you eaten dinner yet?โ
โNot yetโฆโ
Sheโd been distracted by her sisterโs calls on the way home and forgot about eating.
Come to think of it, she might not have even had lunchโฆ
Nangong Xiwang waved her hand and slapped Squireโs back with a sharp clap.
โCome downstairs, Iโm treating you to dinner!โ
When the respected editor came to visit, Squire felt she should be the one to treat.
But the other party insisted on paying, and if Squire argued, she would get upset. This left Squire baffledโฆ
Just because she liked her manga, she came all the way to provide guidance, offer suggestions, and even treat her to a meal? Were they really close? Or was this some new kind of scam?
Yet the editor seemed genuine, having read her manga and treating her kindly. Squire didnโt want to harbor suspicions about Nangong Xiwangโs motivesโฆ
โShall we just settle here?โ
To ward off the autumn chill, the two chose a cheap hot pot restaurant.
Blue Court didnโt have any upscale restaurants, especially around Squireโs low-rent apartment area where residents werenโt wealthy. The hot pot place looked quite rundown, but it was still a restaurant, and the clientele was decent.
By the way, to avoid being recognized by her clothes again, Squire changed into an oversized coat. Originally a menโs style, this plain cotton jacket was worn long, with sleeves even covering her handsโฆ
When Nangong Xiwang asked, Squire explained it was an old hand-me-down from her brother.
Coincidentally, the thin jacket had seen better days, perfectly embodying the image of a poor kid struggling alone in the city, which made Nangong Xiwang even more concerned about Squireโฆ
Having Nyx generate a perfectly fitting size based on the clothing data was possible, but Squire didnโt want to rely too much on that mysterious driver.
โLucia, right?โ
She once again used her sisterโs name to deal with Nangong Xiwang.
โYeah, it feels weird being called by my pen name all the time, just call me Lucia.โ
Though being called by her sisterโs name was strange too, at least it wasnโt abrupt.
โCan we exchange contact info? You only left an email when submitting. If you had a phone number, I wouldnโt have to wait outside your apartment.โ
โOh, sorry. Can I add you on QTalk?โ
Squire pulled her phone out from the wide sleeve, and Nangong Xiwang didnโt mind.
โOkay, but no phone number either? Your identity really is mysterious.โ
Since she was a weirdo in an evil organization, to avoid disturbances at work or private investigations, Squire never gave out her number. So she didnโt share it with Nangong Xiwang eitherโjust a professional habit.
Of course, this habit also shielded her from all sorts of scam calls.
Even work-related matters were handled through social apps, so basically only her parents and sister knew her numberโฆ
โOh, the hot potโs here!โ
The server brought over a yin-yang hot pot with clear broth and spicy red oil. Since Squire claimed she couldnโt eat spicy, she only ate from the clear broth side.
Naturally, she refused seafood including squid and cuttlefish.
Squireโs hot pot eating style surprised Nangong Xiwangโno spice, no dipping sauce, and even a bowl of plain water to rinse off flavors before eatingโฆ
What fun was there in hot pot like that?
But Squire was long used to such eating habits.
โThank you, Miss Nangong. I wonโt refuse.โ
Grateful to the treating editor, Squire picked up her chopsticks with her small hands and clumsily dipped the paper-thin slices of meat into the pot.
Just then, her phone on the table buzzed with a notification.
Not a call, but a friend request on the social app QTalk.
And the avatar wasโฆ
A white syringe pistol.
Squire roughly knew who it was.
She looked up at Nangong Xiwang and typed a message.
ใFran?ใ
ใMr. Squire, can you come to the company tomorrow?ใ
Only one day into paid leave and already called back?
But on second thought, maybe they found a way to remove the driverโฆ
ใThe boss seems to be firing me.ใ
The previous incident probably caused losses worth tens of millions; as the instigator, Fran being fired wasnโt surprisingโฆ
ใLooks like youโre getting fired too.ใ
Eek?!
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