Jiang Yu posted the lottery announcement on Weibo and then turned off her phone, no longer paying attention to the matter.
She wasn’t a teenager anymore – she wouldn’t stress over trivial things. After doing what needed to be done, she put it out of her mind and remained perfectly calm.
But while she stayed composed, others were far from it. Wen Mengyan watched as the chaos under Jiang Yu’s Weibo post gradually subsided, nearly grinding her teeth in frustration. She was furious.
Wen Mengyan was a well-known artist on Weibo, particularly skilled at drawing anime-style characters. She often collaborated with online authors to create illustrations for serialised works.
Her manhua was actually quite good, above average in quality. Over the years, she had gained a small following. However, her popularity remained lukewarm – partly because she lacked a true breakout work and partly because artists with her level of skill were abundant online. Compared to others, she didn’t stand out much.
Editor He at Wanwu Publishing was her cousin. The two had a good relationship. During a casual conversation, He mentioned that The Ladle Chronicles was looking for an artist for its manhua adaptation and thought Wen Mengyan would be a good fit. However, Xia An, the original author, was extremely picky. Editor Zhou had already recommended several artists, but Xia An was dissatisfied with all of them, causing the project to stall.
“A big-name author like Xia An is great to work with, sure, but for our publishing house, it’s not entirely a good thing. Big names aren’t easy to handle – compromises are inevitable… But I think Zhou’s patience is wearing thin. The artist for The Ladle Chronicles will probably be decided soon.”
Knowing about The Ladle Chronicles’ adaptation, Wen Mengyan had already pleaded with her cousin to help her secure this opportunity.
If she could become the artist for The Ladle Chronicles, her fame would skyrocket. On top of that, the story was set to be adapted into a drama in the future – there was no downside for her.
Since Editor He and Editor Zhou worked at the same publishing house, they interacted frequently. To cover her tracks, He recommended multiple artists to Editor Zhou, not just Wen Mengyan. However, out of all the names, Wen Mengyan was the most well-known.
Judging from Editor Zhou’s attitude, he seemed very satisfied with Wen Mengyan. He had even told Editor He that the chances of her getting the job were about 90%.
The two of them had treated The Ladle Chronicles as their prize already. Wen Mengyan had even treated her cousin to a lavish meal in celebration. But who could have expected such a sudden twist? A newcomer had appeared out of nowhere.
Xia An actually chose a rookie artist?
For a moment, Wen Mengyan found it ridiculous, but even more so, she was unwilling to accept it. The opportunity had been right in front of her, almost within reach – only to slip away at the last moment. How could she be okay with that?
Even though she was upset, she had to admit – this artist, [A Fleeting Dream] was incredibly skilled. His artwork was so exceptional that it was almost jealousy-inducing. It was no wonder Xia An took notice.
But so what if his art was good? She wasn’t about to give up on The Ladle Chronicles.
The next day, Jiang Yu’s Weibo remained relatively calm. She was naturally laid-back and her attitude influenced her fans as well. They adopted a relaxed mindset, ignoring the haters entirely.
The haters tried to stir up trouble, but Jiang Yu was too small of a public figure for it to gain traction. However, things were different over at Wanwu Publishing – chaos had erupted.
Fans flooded the publisher’s Weibo, harshly criticising Jiang Yu’s artwork. They insisted that handing The Ladle Chronicles to a newcomer was unacceptable and demanded that the publisher choose another artist.
The comment section was a mess of real and fake accounts – some fans, some haters and some stirring up trouble for their own agendas. Anyone with a sharp eye could tell that someone was deliberately muddying the waters. And the goal was clear: The Ladle Chronicles.
Editor Zhou glanced at the comments and felt a headache coming on. The Ladle Chronicles already had a strong fanbase and those same fans would be the primary audience for the manhua. If things continued like this, it could spell trouble.
“First, contact [A Fleeting Dream] and discuss the manhua with him,” he instructed.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was completely focused on her drawing. It was Sunday and since she didn’t have class, she had spent the morning painting. She was working on a Water Margin-themed illustration for Shen Zhiwei.
She had arranged with a restaurant downstairs to have her meals delivered. However, once she got into her art, she became so immersed that she didn’t hear the doorbell. The delivery worker had to call her phone multiple times before she finally picked up.
“Hello, is this Miss Jiang? I’m from XX Restaurant – your delivery is here! I’m at your door.”
A few seconds later, the door opened. A young woman with a high ponytail stood before him. She had fair skin and wore a loose-fitting outfit that wasn’t particularly stylish. But she had such good looks that even the most basic clothes seemed fashionable on her.
“A-Are you Miss Jiang?” The delivery guy stammered.
Jiang Yu nodded. “I didn’t hear the doorbell earlier, sorry about that.”
His face instantly turned red. He quickly handed her the food and, without saying much else, fled the scene – leaving Jiang Yu standing there, confused.
It was already the afternoon. She had only finished drawing two characters so far, but that wasn’t a bad pace.
As she ate, she thought about how to tackle the next character. The Water Margin illustration was both easy and difficult to draw. Easy, because the characters had strong, established identities – anyone who had read the book could picture them clearly. Difficult, because that very familiarity left little room for artistic interpretation. One wrong move and the depiction would collapse and she still had to meet Shen Zhiwei’s expectations.
She had read Water Margin multiple times and even taken notes on the characters. As she drew, she often referred back to the book. After all, their personalities were revealed through their actions and mannerisms.
After finishing her meal, she tossed the container into the trash, then leaned back in her rocking chair on the balcony, letting her body relax completely.
The apartment she rented had a small but cosy balcony. She had placed a plant stand there, filling it with succulents. Looking at them always put her in a good mood.
She reached out to touch a Bear’s Paw succulent – its leaves, covered in tiny hairs, looked like a chubby bear’s paw. She found it utterly adorable.
Just then, her phone rang. She had only recently gotten this phone and very few people knew her number. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number from City B.
Jiang Yu found it a little odd.
“Hello?”
“Is this [A Fleeting Dream]? I’m surnamed Li, a staff member from Wanwu Publishing!” The voice on the other end was polite.
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow and leaned back completely in her chair. The gentle rocking motion made her posture even more relaxed.
“You’re calling about The Ladle Chronicles, right?” she asked directly.
The person on the other end faltered for a second, clearly not expecting her to be so blunt.
“Y-Yes, that’s exactly why I’m calling!”
Jiang Yu idly played with her succulent and smirked. “Before we talk about collaboration, shouldn’t your publishing house deal with the mess you created first? My Weibo was always peaceful, but ever since yesterday, it’s been a complete disaster. I didn’t do anything, yet I’m being attacked. And that’s all because of you.”
Her tone was light, but the person on the other end broke out in a cold sweat. Editor Zhou had only told him to discuss the manhua – he hadn’t mentioned handling the Weibo issue.
“Uh… I’ll have to check with our editor about that.”
Jiang Yu didn’t make things difficult for him. “Go ahead. I have plenty of time.”
After hanging up, she frowned slightly, thinking about the situation.
Forget the collaboration – regardless of whether she worked with them or not, the mess was their doing. It was only right for them to clean it up.
At Wanwu Publishing.
“Brother Zhou, [A Fleeting Dream] said we need to fix the Weibo issue before discussing the collaboration,” Xiao Li reported as he entered the office.
Upon hearing this, Editor Zhou was momentarily stunned and instinctively asked, “The issue on Weibo? What issue?”
As soon as he asked, he quickly realised what it was about.
Xiao Li replied, “Have you forgotten? Someone leaked the news about [A Fleeting Dream] and the fans of The Ladle Chronicles flooded their Weibo, cursing them out. From what I heard, [A Fleeting Dream] seems quite displeased.”
Editor Zhou frowned slightly, feeling a bad premonition.
He had seen [A Fleeting Dream]’s artwork. It was far beyond what third-rate illustrators could produce; this was the work of a truly skilled artist. Someone like that was not necessarily on the same level as them and might not even agree to collaborate.
Xia An’s plan might fall through.
Editor Zhou sighed and looked up at Li. “Give me [A Fleeting Dream]’s phone number. I’ll reach out to them.”
At that moment, Jiang Yu was lounging comfortably in a rocking chair, eyes closed, resting.
The chair beneath her swayed gently. If there were a pot of tea on the side table, she would look exactly like someone who had already retired, living a leisurely old-age life – just the sight of it was enough to make others envious.
Her phone on the table suddenly rang.
Jiang Yu picked it up and glanced at the screen – it had only been ten minutes since she received a call from Wanwu Publishing.
“Hello, this is [A Fleeting Dream].”
Her voice over the phone was clear and crisp, carrying a certain coolness.
Editor Zhou was slightly surprised – surprised by how young the voice sounded. He said, “Hello, [A Fleeting Dream]. I’m Zhou Xing from Wanwu Publishing. Earlier, I had our staff reach out to you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yu immediately chuckled. “So, it’s Mr. Zhou. My surname is Jiang.”
Zhou Xing said, “Sister Jiang, I think you already know why I’m calling, even without me saying it.”
“Of course, I know your reason for calling. To be honest, it’s been a long time since anyone questioned my drawing skills. The fans of The Ladle Chronicles certainly surprised me.”
Jiang Yu was speaking the truth. Ever since she became famous at the age of twenty-three, her reputation had only grown and her artwork had become increasingly valuable. Whenever people mentioned her or her illustrations, it was always with praise. Now, suddenly seeing people call her work trash left her feeling not only amused but also a little intrigued.
Zhou Xing: “…”
At this moment, his suspicion was confirmed – [A Fleeting Dream] was likely the alias of some legendary figure in the art world. He couldn’t quite tell if her words were meant to be sarcastic.
“Xia An is a top author under the Qingxing Platform. The Ladle Chronicles is very popular and has a large fan base. Everyone is looking forward to its manhua adaptation. Xia An greatly admires your work, which is why we wanted to collaborate with you and have you illustrate the manhua.”
Jiang Yu wasn’t particularly surprised to hear this, as she had already guessed it.
She let out a light chuckle and lazily said, “Editor Zhou, as I just mentioned, before we even discuss whether I want to collaborate or not, you all need to at least show some sincerity. The mess on Weibo – you have to resolve that first. After all, this trouble was brought to me due to the ‘mistake’ of your staff.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xing immediately said, “I sincerely apologise for this matter.”
His tone was very earnest because he understood that this issue was indeed the publishing house’s fault. The fact that Xia An wanted [A Fleeting Dream] as the illustrator wasn’t widely known and they hadn’t even contacted her yet, yet somehow, the news had already leaked.
The only ones who could have leaked this information were their own staff members. Clearly, they were in the wrong.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xing said, “We will figure out a way to shift the public’s attention away from you. Now, can we discuss the collaboration?”
Jiang Yu asked, “I’m very curious – why did you choose me? In your eyes, I should just be a rookie illustrator. What made you decide to work with me?”
Zhou Xing gave a wry smile and said, “It wasn’t us who chose you. It was Xia An.”
He shook his head and continued, “Before you, we considered several other suitable illustrators, but Xia An didn’t like any of them. You were the only one she felt was the perfect fit, which is why we decided to reach out to you to see if we could collaborate. Of course, if you lacked skill, no matter how much Xia An liked you, we wouldn’t have compromised.”
Before discussing the collaboration, they had, of course, researched [A Fleeting Dream]. Without a doubt, their artistic skills were exceptional – there was no question about their professional abilities.
“So, our collaboration…” Zhou Xing began.
Jiang Yu hummed softly and said, “We’ll talk about our collaboration after the Weibo issue is resolved.”
“Brother Zhou, look at Weibo! Xia An just posted! She’s speaking up for [A Fleeting Dream].”
Xiao Li suddenly rushed in from outside, calling out.
Zhou Xing was taken aback.
Xiao Li’s voice was quite loud and Jiang Yu heard everything. Her eyes flickered slightly. “Since Mr. Zhou is busy, let’s talk next time.”
Zhou Xing nodded. “We’ll resolve the Weibo issue as soon as possible. We truly admire your work, Miss Jiang and if possible, we hope to collaborate with you.”
Jiang Yu didn’t respond.
After hanging up, she thought for a moment, opened Weibo and searched for Xia An’s account.
At that moment, Xia An’s latest post had only been up for three minutes.
But Xia An was, after all, a top-tier author. In just three minutes, the post had already gathered hundreds of comments.
It read:
“[A Fleeting Dream] is my favourite illustrator. Anyone who has seen their work would find it hard to deny their skill. Do you all really think they aren’t suitable for The Ladle Chronicles? I think the opposite – only they can bring my vision of The Ladle Chronicles to life. If possible, I hope to collaborate with them. @A Fleeting Dream.”
Xia An’s post made it clear – she wholeheartedly supported [A Fleeting Dream] and was speaking up on their behalf.
Moreover, she attached several images – Jiang Yu’s past illustrations of food. Each dish looked so vividly realistic that just looking at them through the screen made people’s mouths water.
[[A Fleeting Dream]’s artwork is amazing. I don’t understand why so many people are against them. Like Xia An, I also think they’re perfect for The Ladle Chronicles.]
[Wow, these food illustrations are mouthwatering. They remind me of the food in The Ladle Chronicles. I think [A Fleeting Dream] is a great fit – much better than the previous illustrators.]
[Art major here – I have to say, [A Fleeting Dream] is absolutely a master. Their use of colour and light is top-tier. I wish I could draw like that.]
[Art student chiming in. After looking at [A Fleeting Dream]’s work… I secretly think it’s even better than my professor’s. I don’t get why anyone would be dissatisfied.]
No matter how much the haters tried to smear them, the artwork spoke for itself. People could see the quality for themselves and there was simply nothing to criticise.
As a result, Xia An’s statement brought out many of her fans to support [A Fleeting Dream].
At this moment, a user named Romantic Wanderer suddenly commented:
[If you’re not satisfied with [A Fleeting Dream]’s artwork, why don’t you go hire Ning Danzhu instead? Do you even have the money to afford them?]
This comment made the crowd pause in shock.
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