Changqing Media.
When Tang Yiyi arrived, she was carrying a cup of milk tea she had just bought downstairs. The cup was covered in a thin layer of condensation from the ice inside, making it look especially refreshing in the sweltering summer heat.
“Tang jie!” The secretary of Chief Editor Qian at Changqing Media greeted her enthusiastically.
Tang Yiyi hummed in acknowledgement and handed over the milk tea in her hand. “I just bought these downstairs – go ahead and share them with everyone.”
The secretary beamed with joy, taking the milk tea as she said, “The chief editor is waiting for you in the office and so is Editor Zhou from Wanwu Publishing…”
She glanced toward the office and lowered her voice. “From the looks of it, Editor Zhou seems pretty aggressive today.”
Tang Yiyi’s eyes flickered, immediately guessing the reason for Editor Zhou’s visit. It was undoubtedly about the manhua adaptation of The Ladle Chronicles. Wanwu Publishing had already hyped it up to the fans, promising that the manhua would be released next year. But now, they hadn’t even found an artist yet – of course, they’d be anxious.
With a slight nod to the secretary, indicating she understood, Tang Yiyi leisurely strolled into the office.
Chief Editor Qian was a sharp and efficient woman, dressed in a blue business suit with thin-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, giving her a refined yet shrewd appearance. Sitting across from her was Editor Zhou from Wanwu Publishing. Both of them turned their heads at the sound of Tang Yiyi entering, fixing their gazes on her.
“Good afternoon, both of you. Want some milk tea? I bought quite a lot,” Tang Yiyi said cheerfully, raising the passion fruit iced drink in her hand.
Neither Chief Editor Qian nor Editor Zhou had any interest in drinking milk tea. They had called her over for business.
“Yiyi, you can’t just brush this off anymore. We need a definitive answer from you this time – you have to pick an artist for the project,” Editor Zhou said, sounding exasperated.
As her publishing editor, Editor Zhou had always been proud to work with Tang Yiyi. After all, she was a top-tier author – her books always sold well upon release. However, dealing with a big-name author meant dealing with their quirks too. Since Tang Yiyi wasn’t short on money, she insisted on making sure every adaptation of her work was perfect, which made things difficult for the people around her.
They had already gone through several artists for The Ladle Chronicles, but Tang Yiyi was dissatisfied with all of them, driving Editor Zhou nearly insane.
Editor Zhou pulled out a list and said, “Look at these. They’re all well-known artists. Check out these ones – ‘Cola Chicken Wings,’ ‘Lemon Yogurt,’ ‘Cookie Biscuit’ – their art styles are all great! And their names even sound delicious, doesn’t that fit perfectly with The Ladle Chronicles?”
Tang Yiyi: “…”
Sitting down on the couch, she casually glanced at the names Editor Zhou had recommended. As expected, these were well-known artists, all with prior experience in manhua – on paper, they seemed like a great fit.
However, Tang Yiyi still shook her head. “Their art styles don’t hit me. They’re not right for The Ladle Chronicles.”
Editor Zhou instantly lost it. “Little ancestor, what do you want then?! What kind of art style does hit you?!”
Chief Editor Qian sighed. “Yiyi, we’ve already gone to great lengths to meet your demands, but time isn’t on our side. It’s already nearly November. Once the artist is chosen, we still need to negotiate contracts and discuss collaboration details, all of which take time. I understand that you don’t want to settle for less, but if we can’t find the perfect candidate, we’ll have to go with the best available option.”
Seeing how serious they were, Tang Yiyi finally spoke up. “I’m really sorry, Chief Editor Qian, Editor Zhou. I know I’ve been stubborn about this, but actually, I do have an artist in mind.”
Both of them were stunned. “Who?”
Tang Yiyi pulled up Weibo and showed them. “This one – [A Fleeting Dream]. She’s a newcomer, but I love her work. Look at this drawing of a soup dumpling – every fold in the dough is so finely detailed and the thin skin is perfectly rendered. This level of skill is incredible. I think she’s the perfect choice for The Ladle Chronicles.”
Chief Editor Qian and Editor Zhou took her phone and browsed through the works of [A Fleeting Dream]. Indeed, despite being a newcomer, her art was exceptional. Her food illustrations were not only highly realistic but also looked even more appetising than real food.
Judging by these pieces alone, she seemed like an ideal candidate for The Ladle Chronicles.
However, Editor Zhou hesitated. “Her art is amazing, no doubt… but she charges a lot per piece. She’s clearly on a high-end path. Would she even be willing to take on a project like this?”
Tang Yiyi was momentarily taken aback. “I… didn’t consider that.”
She had been so thrilled to find the perfect artist that she hadn’t even thought about whether the artist would agree to the job.
“That’s one concern,” Chief Editor Qian added. “Another is – does she even know how to draw manhua? I admit her work has a certain spirit to it and it’s incredibly appealing, but manhua illustration is different from regular artwork. The key challenge is panel composition – can she handle that?”
Chief Editor Qian frowned slightly. She had gone through all of [A Fleeting Dream]’s drawings and genuinely admired her talent. However, she noticed that the artist had never drawn a manhua before. Handing The Ladle Chronicles over to someone who had no experience in manhua storytelling – was that really a good idea?
Tang Yiyi said, “I didn’t think about that.”
Seeing her slightly deflated expression, Editor Zhou said, “Whether they accept the job or not, we should at least reach out to them first. It’s not easy to find someone you’re satisfied with. Who knows how long it’ll take to find another if we pass this up? But just to be safe, we should also keep looking in case this [A Fleeting Dream] doesn’t work out – we’ll need to have other options.”
Hearing this, Chief Editor Qian had no reason to object. Given Tang Yiyi’s picky attitude and unwillingness to settle for less, if she couldn’t find a suitable artist, she might just give up on the manhua adaptation altogether.
After some discussion, they decided that reaching out to [A Fleeting Dream] would be handled by Editor Zhou since all publication matters fell under Wanwu Publishing’s responsibilities.
With a clear course of action, Editor Zhou felt relieved and cheerfully returned to the publishing house.
Not long after he arrived back at his office, his colleague, Editor He, came over, eager for an update. “Editor Zhou, how did it go with The Ladle Chronicles? Did Xia An approve any of the artists I recommended?”
Editor Zhou glanced at her and said, “Editor He, the artists you recommended were all good, but Xia An found someone she liked even better. I’m about to reach out to them.”
Hearing this, Editor He’s eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment, but she quickly composed herself and asked, “Xia An is known for being extremely picky. What kind of artist managed to impress her?”
Editor Zhou sighed. “A newbie.”
Editor He was surprised. “A newbie? Editor Zhou, isn’t it a bit risky to hand The Ladle Chronicles over to someone inexperienced? You know how many fans Xia An has – if this adaptation flops, our publishing house will take the heat.”
Editor Zhou let out a helpless sigh. “You think I don’t know that? But like you said, Xia An is famous for being picky. She’s not short on money and refuses to compromise. If the artist isn’t exactly what she wants, she’d rather scrap the entire adaptation. Now that we’ve finally found someone she’s enthusiastic about, we have to at least give it a shot. And honestly, I’ve seen this artist’s work and I have to say – Xia An has an eye for talent. Their style is truly impressive. If it weren’t for the fact that they’re a newbie, I’d have no objections at all.”
Hearing this, Editor He chuckled. “If even you’re saying that, then this artist must really be something… What’s their name? I’d like to take a look myself and see just how good they are.”
Editor Zhou replied, “Their username is [A Fleeting Dream] on Weibo… No clue if they’re male or female. Their style is all over the place – sometimes delicate and intricate, sometimes wild and unrestrained. Their subjects are varied too. Honestly, I can’t quite figure out what kind of person they are.”
Editor He nodded thoughtfully and chatted with him a bit longer before leaving his office. However, as soon as she stepped out, the smile on her face faded.
She quickly made her way to the break room, pulled out her phone and dialled a number.
“The Ladle Chronicles project might not go to you,” she said as soon as the call connected.
The person on the other end responded, prompting Editor He to sigh. “How would I have known someone unexpected would show up? I really thought you had a strong chance. Of all the artists I recommended to Editor Zhou, you were by far the most outstanding.”
Editor He had planned this carefully. She knew how picky Xia An was – so much so that Editor Zhou had struggled to find an artist she’d approve of, causing the adaptation to be delayed. But there was no way the publishing house would let this drag on forever. This time, Editor Zhou had been determined to get a final decision from Xia An.
To increase her relative’s chances, Editor He had deliberately recommended several artists, making sure that her younger cousin was the most outstanding among them. That way, as long as Editor Zhou and Xia An weren’t completely blind, her cousin was almost guaranteed to be chosen.
But no matter how meticulous her plan had been, she hadn’t accounted for an unexpected competitor completely disrupting it.
“Editor Zhou said Xia An has taken a liking to an artist named [A Fleeting Dream]. Apparently, they’re a newbie. Talk about sheer dumb luck – getting a boost straight into the spotlight thanks to The Ladle Chronicle’s popularity.”
“Big sis, you have to help me!” The voice on the other end pleaded.
Editor He sighed again. “What can I do? I’m not Xia An’s editor. I did everything I could, but she didn’t choose you. There’s nothing more I can do.”
Her cousin pouted, then suddenly declared, “If you can’t do anything, then I’ll figure something out myself!”
Before Editor He could respond, the call ended with a sharp beep.
In a dimly lit bedroom, a young woman set her phone down, her expression dark with frustration. She muttered to herself, “[A Fleeting Dream]… I want to see for myself just how good you really are.”
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