Chapter 266 : Not Cool for More Than Three Seconds~
"I... uh..."
Jiang Xue looked completely bewildered after hearing Ling Ning’s critique. She had poured so much effort into her doujinshi, yet in her Teacher’s eyes, it seemed to be worth little more than its art style.
Ling Ning realized her comment might have been harsh, but it was the truth. The fact that Jiang Xue had only sold three copies all day spoke for itself.
"Maybe... I'm just not cut out to draw?" Jiang Xue murmured, visibly shaken.
From a young age, Jiang Xue had dreamed of becoming a manga artist. But her parents had always opposed her ambitions, saying drawing was a dead-end career. They urged her to settle down and marry, hoping she’d inherit the family business instead.
Though her family was wealthy thanks to a lucrative government land buyout, her father was not content to rest on his newfound fortune. With a sharp business sense, he had built a successful company, becoming even wealthier over time.
After Jiang Xue graduated from college, her parents wasted no time lining up suitors, though she managed to derail each match with tears or tantrums. However, she knew she couldn’t keep going on like this forever.
Determined to follow her dreams, Jiang Xue had left home, using her college savings to move to City S. She rented a high-end studio apartment and dedicated herself to her journey as a manga artist. But reality hit hard—her carefully planned manga ideas were rejected by every magazine she submitted to, and her savings dwindled rapidly.
Eventually, Jiang Xue had to give up her upscale apartment and find cheaper accommodations. She landed a job at the maid café where Ling Ning worked, cutting her once-lavish lifestyle drastically. Used to spending freely, she struggled at first but eventually adapted, even finding some enjoyment in her new, simpler life—thanks in no small part to Ling Ning’s guidance.
But Ling Ning’s blunt critique brought her back to the question she had feared all along: Was pursuing manga a mistake?
Seeing Jiang Xue’s dejected look, Ling Ning patted her shoulder gently. "Are you really going to let a single critique make you question everything?"
"I… I just…" Jiang Xue stammered. Normally, she would have shrugged off criticism from anyone else. But hearing it from the person she trusted most stung deeply.
"If you’re going to give up just because of one setback, maybe it’s better to quit while you’re ahead."
"No… I don’t want to quit." Jiang Xue’s response came out without a moment’s hesitation. Drawing manga had always been her dream. She had endured her parents' disapproval and countless other challenges to reach this point, and even if her Teacher doubted her, her love for manga remained unwavering.
Ling Ning chuckled softly, finding Jiang Xue’s determination endearing. She remembered her own struggles as a writer—how she had faced low rankings and harsh criticism, even from friends who doubted her. There had been countless times she’d wanted to give up, feeling as if the world were against her. But she’d pressed on, wanting to share the worlds and possibilities within her mind with others.
She saw a bit of her younger self in Jiang Xue.
"I may not be an expert in manga, but do you know ‘Moe-Lost-Kitty’?"
Jiang Xue’s eyes lit up. Moe-Lost-Kitty was one of the biggest names in 18+ manga. Of course, she knew about her, though she didn’t understand why her Teacher was bringing it up. Did Ling Ning… know Moe-Lost-Kitty?
"I happen to know her personally," Ling Ning said, flashing a sly smile.
Jiang Xue’s heart leaped with hope. If her Teacher had connections with Moe-Lost-Kitty, did that mean…?
"If you bring the right kind of ‘gift,’ I’m sure she’d be happy to give you some guidance. And as for your storytelling… have you forgotten what your Teacher does for a living?"
Jiang Xue’s eyes filled with emotion, a lump forming in her throat. She didn’t know how to express her gratitude, so she simply whispered, "Thank you."
"I’ll take this doujinshi as well," Ling Ning said with a grin, handing Jiang Xue the money. "You’re my apprentice, after all. And no giving it to me for free!"
She handed Jiang Xue the cash and then, with a dramatic turn, strode off confidently… only to walk straight into something hard. The impact left her with a stinging forehead and a familiar floral scent lingering in the air, leading her to realize she’d collided with a woman.
The scent felt oddly familiar, as if she’d smelled it somewhere before. But the sharp pain in her forehead pushed any further thoughts aside.
"Ugh, not cool for more than three seconds, am I?" Ling Ning thought with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. She’d just had her cool Teacher moment, only to ruin it in the most ungraceful way possible.
"S-Sorry," she stammered, face flushed with embarrassment.
"No... it’s okay," the woman replied softly, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
That voice triggered another flicker of familiarity, but by the time Ling Ning looked up, the woman was gone.
"Are you alright, Ling Ning?" Bai Yiyue rushed over, noticing the red mark on Ling Ning’s forehead.
Ling Ning shook her head. Though the collision had hurt, the pain was already subsiding.
"Seriously, Mom! You need to watch where you’re going! What if you bumped into a wall?" Ling Ye scolded her, hands on her hips like a little adult.
"But… you did look pretty cool just now, Mom," she added with a mischievous grin.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
I feel like a drained salted fish today. I spent all day chatting instead of writing, and it’s all Xiniang’s fault!