Chapter 19: Unexpected Encounters and Artistic Demands

The fan interaction segment concluded with a grand group photo, having passed without any major mishaps, albeit not without a few minor scares.

Zhong Tian, looking utterly liberated, swiftly retreated to the changing room in the lounge to shed his cosplay attire.

What a glorious liberation!

Ya★ta★ze!

This afternoon, he planned to explore Binhai City with Li Jianren and their friends, grab a bite to eat, and then head home by car.

Zhong Tian pulled out his phone, just about to dial Li Jianren.

Snap—

“Woah!”

Zhong Tian jolted, startled, and spun around with a flush of annoyance, exclaiming, “Why do you two sisters always take such pleasure in frightening people!”

“Haha, because it’s endlessly amusing,” Lin Chu said, flashing a peace sign. “How do you feel now that the event’s wrapped up? Aren’t you just brimming with joy?”

“That much is certainly true.”

“However,” Lin Chu continued, “a rather significant matter will unfortunately impinge upon your upcoming leisure time.”

“What??” Zhong Tian nearly fumbled his phone, “What could possibly be so urgent now?”

“A novel author has specifically requested a meeting with you, and it’s scheduled for tonight,” Lin Chu stated, adjusting her glasses. “It concerns the comic adaptation of her novel, and your own work is nearing its conclusion, isn’t it?”

“……?”

An author had actually singled him out by name?

“What is her pen name?”

“Su Linxi.”

****

“Su Linxi…”

Zhong Tian murmured the name to himself as he stepped inside the grand cruise ship before them.

This establishment, one of Binhai City’s most renowned hotels, had been ingeniously converted from a colossal cruise ship. Its service, ambiance, and pricing all ranked among the absolute best in this bustling first-tier metropolis.

‘What kind of background must one possess to dine at such an establishment?’ he mused.

While the primary objective wasn’t a meal, but rather a business discussion…

Still, he suspected it would entail a considerable expense.

“Now, Zhong Tian, let me tell you something,” Lin Chu began, walking beside him with a briefcase clutched in her hand. “This author, Su Linxi, hails from an incredibly prominent family; her parents’ generation are names you’ve likely heard before. They are figures of immense wealth and influence. You’ll need to be especially observant and discreet later on. Though, to your credit, you’ve always handled such situations remarkably well~”

‘Reading the room… ah, I excel at that,’ he thought with a wry internal smile.

Zhong Tian was, in fact, familiar with Su Linxi; she was a highly celebrated light novel author, rumored to be quite young. He had previously heard whispers of her work being adapted into a manga and had harbored a small, private anticipation for it. Never in his wildest dreams, however, had he imagined that this very project would land squarely on his own shoulders.

‘Hmm… I wonder what kind of person ‘Su Linxi’ might be?’ he pondered. ‘Surely, she’s a young woman.’

‘Perhaps a gentle, intellectual young lady, complete with spectacles,’ he mused, painting a picture in his mind.

‘Isn’t this just a textbook stereotype of a literary girl?’ he then questioned himself.

All these carefully constructed fantasies, however, disintegrated mere minutes after he pushed open the door to the private room.

A young woman she was, indeed… but perhaps a touch too youthful, even childlike.

Before him, seated at the expansive round table, was a girl with long, pale-blonde hair, resting her chin in her hand, her gaze silently fixed upon Zhong Tian as he pushed open the door.

The girl appeared no older than a middle school student, her physique and facial features betraying her youth.

‘Hold on… this is ‘Su Linxi’?’ he thought, bewildered. ‘But isn’t she just a mere child? This is entirely different from the image I’d conjured.’

‘No, not a single detail matches, save for her gender,’ he mentally corrected himself.

The girl lifted her gaze, her lake-blue eyes, sparkling like brilliant diamonds, meeting Zhong Tian’s. Her striking, sculpted features and inherent aura were quite unlike those typically found in Asians. The young woman before him—Su Linxi—appeared to be of Eurasian descent.

“You must be Teacher Kezhong and Editor Lin Chu, I presume.”

A composed voice resonated from behind Su Linxi, causing Zhong Tian to momentarily falter. A tall, slender figure gracefully emerged from the young woman’s side. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the figure stated. “I shall be representing Miss Su Linxi throughout the entirety of this discussion.”

The man possessed a shock of white hair and a meticulously trimmed short beard, clad in a crisp black tuxedo. His entire demeanor simply exuded the unmistakable air of a seasoned butler.

‘Astonishing… is this truly a bona fide young lady of immense standing?’ he thought. ‘Yet, aside from her striking looks, one wouldn’t discern it from her attire alone, for she is dressed remarkably casually, much like myself.’

Zhong Tian himself was clad in a simple shirt and shorts, his hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.

Despite his unassuming ensemble, his inherently attractive features ensured he still made a rather favorable impression.

‘There’s simply nothing for it; I didn’t bring any suitable formal attire!’ he lamented internally.

Nevertheless, observing ‘Su Linxi’ dressed as casually as he was, Zhong Tian felt a measure of relief wash over him.

“Yes, I am Editor Lin Chu, and this gentleman beside me is Teacher Kezhong. And you, I presume, are Teacher Su Linxi…?”

Lin Chu gazed at the young woman, a hint of disbelief flickering in her eyes.

‘She’s far too young!’ Lin Chu silently exclaimed. ‘What on earth is going on with the youth these days?’

“You… are Kezhong?” ‘Su Linxi’ began, her voice a soft melody, yet her halting words momentarily stunned Zhong Tian. “The profile… didn’t… state… you were… male?”

‘Su Linxi’s voice was remarkably pleasant, but her words emerged in a broken, halting cadence, as if each phrase required immense effort to articulate.

Observing Zhong Tian’s reaction, the butler courteously interjected, “Miss Su Linxi suffers from a delicate condition; she has found speech challenging since childhood, and as such… she rarely speaks aloud.”

“Oh… I understand.”

‘Difficulty speaking, then?’ he mused. ‘Perhaps that is precisely why she chose the path of writing, to express her innermost thoughts, and became a novelist.’

Zhong Tian idly rubbed the strands of hair near his cheek, deliberated for a moment, and then offered a reply to the young woman’s question.

“Ah, I am indeed a boy,” he confirmed. “It’s merely that, as you can plainly observe, I happen to possess a rather feminine appearance.”

“That’s… not merely… ‘similar’…” she said, tilting her head slightly. “You’re… very… beautiful.”

“Ahaha—thank you,” Zhong Tian replied, managing an awkward yet impeccably polite smile.

“I… wish to… speak… with Teacher Kezhong,” ‘Su Linxi’ stated, looking up at the butler. “You… and Editor Lin Chu… may step aside… to conduct your… discussions.”

“Very well,” the butler affirmed with a nod, then gestured courteously towards Lin Chu. “Please, proceed.”

‘Su Linxi’ watched as the two moved to a nearby table to begin their discussions, then turned her gaze back to Zhong Tian. “Please… sit,” she offered.

Zhong Tian settled into a chair directly opposite ‘Su Linxi’.

Given that it was an expansive round table designed to seat over a dozen people, a curious distance of two or three meters separated them during their conversation. This peculiar spatial gap left Zhong Tian feeling rather disoriented.

“I… truly… enjoy… your… manga.”

“Ah… thank you, Teacher ‘Su Linxi’, for your kind words of affirmation.”

‘Su Linxi’ shook her head impassively at his words. “This… is not… an affirmation… from a fellow novelist,” she clarified, “but rather… from a devoted fan. Therefore… simply say… ‘thank you,’ and that… will suffice.”

Zhong Tian nodded in understanding. “Alright. Thank you.”

“Therefore… I have… a few… requests… beyond the… standard contract… terms,” she continued, “but these… are also… fundamental… prerequisites… for the contract’s… formation.”

“Understood… please elaborate.”

“Very well,” ‘Su Linxi’ replied. “Firstly, I wish… to integrate… my own… creative input… throughout the manga… production process.”

“Oh? This… what precisely… does that entail?”

“To ensure… the resulting… manga… precisely embodies… the visual… narrative… within my mind, I will… offer you… specific… artistic direction… and design suggestions.”

“That… would be exceedingly difficult to achieve, wouldn’t it…?” Zhong Tian felt a wave of immense pressure wash over him at her words.

“Generally… speaking, yes, it is… indeed… quite challenging… to accomplish,” ‘Su Linxi’ conceded. “Therefore… I intend… to visit… your studio… regularly… to provide… continuous feedback… and then… oversee… the revisions.”

“What??