Since university, Shi Yin hadn’t had dinner at home with anyone else.

Back in the dormitory days, she would eat with her roommates. But after she moved out during her sophomore year, the casual conversations like “What do you want to eat?” or “Look at you, what do you feel like eating?” while lounging on the couch in comfy clothes, disappeared from her life entirely.

Shi Yin felt that it wasn’t very healthy for the editor-in-chief to eat takeout for both lunch and dinner, so she suggested, “Editor-in-chief, why don’t we go out to eat?”

Gu Congli glanced at her. “Up to you.”

She jumped off the sofa enthusiastically, but then sat back down after a moment of thought. “Never mind, let’s just order takeout. I haven’t washed my hair.”

As Gu Congli had expected, he didn’t even move, calmly staring at his computer. “Alright, up to you.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Up to you.”

“Is there anything you’re craving?”

“No, anything is fine.”

Shi Yin nodded, scrolling through the food delivery app on her phone. “Alright, I’ll just order something random.”

The man didn’t say anything, fully focused on whatever he was doing.

Seeing him so serious, Shi Yin didn’t dare slack off either. She hadn’t started working on the draft for Hong Ming , and now with this person sitting here like a teacher waiting to check homework, after ordering takeout, she obediently went to the study to start drawing the first chapter of her new series.

The house was quiet as the two of them worked separately in their own rooms. Shi Yin gradually got into the flow of things, completely absorbed in sketching the characters, not noticing anything around her.

Until the doorbell rang.

Shi Yin looked up. Gu Congli had already gotten up from the living room to open the door. She heard the cheerful voice of the delivery guy and the calm “thank you” from the man. After a few seconds of silence, the security door closed.

Shi Yin quickly gripped her pen and lowered her head, pretending to be deeply focused.

With one hand, Gu Congli carried two bags and walked to the doorway of the study, knocking lightly on the doorframe.

Shi Yin looked up, trying her best to appear as if she’d been diligently working all along — “I’ve been so good and hardworking, totally focused on drawing without distraction.” She blinked innocently. “What is it?”

Without any expression, the man held up the bag high, the iconic red, white, and black KFC logo facing her with a big smile. “Did you order this?”

“Yes,” Shi Yin smiled brightly. “I also ordered two chocolate sundaes. Did he give them to you? They probably haven’t melted yet, right?”

Gu Congli ignored her, turned around, and placed the bags on the small bar counter. He put the ice cream in the fridge and stood at the kitchen door, rolling up his sleeves.

Shi Yin followed him out and watched as he rolled up his cuffs casually before walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator.

She hesitated, leaning over the small bar counter to look at him. “Editor-in-chief, don’t you like hamburgers?”

Gu Congli scanned her fridge. It contained juices, beer, soda, cola, yogurt, chocolate, some soy milk dessert boxes, but absolutely no vegetables.

It was easy to imagine how this woman lived her life.

He frowned slightly and was about to open the freezer when Shi Yin said quietly, “There’s nothing much to cook at my place. If you don’t like it, I can order something else for you.”

Her voice sounded wilted.

Gu Congli turned his head to see her leaning on the small bar counter between the kitchen and living room, her long hair cascading down past the edge of the table. She lifted her eyelashes, her bright, round eyes looking carefully at him.

This gaze was extremely familiar.

Gu Congli closed the refrigerator door, turned around, and pulled a burger out of the bag. “I’ll just have this.”

Shi Yin curved her lips upward.

She had ulterior motives.

She had missed seeing the divine sight of the editor-in-chief eating takeout for lunch, so wouldn’t watching him eat a hamburger be even more delightful?

Shi Yin thought she was still kind-hearted since she hadn’t ordered a Big Mac from McDonald’s.

She leaned on the counter, watching him take the burger out of its box, slowly unwrap the packaging, pick it up, and bring it to his lips.

Then he paused.

He looked up at her.

Shi Yin’s eyes were bright, gazing at him with eager anticipation.

Gu Congli calmly asked, “Do you want me to feed you?”

“…”

Shi Yin nearly choked on her saliva.

She coughed twice, her ears turning red. Her heart fluttered briefly as if someone had suddenly teased her, but within two seconds, she snapped back to reality.

Shi Yin, being sensible, replied, “I wish.”

Gu Congli: “….”

After finishing their meal, Gu Congli’s laptop ran out of battery. He then discussed the final chapter of ECHO and the summer newcomer award with Shi Yin before leaving.

Shi Yin’s job never had weekends, but editors did. Gu Congli often worked overtime, starting at nine in the morning and finishing at six in the evening. This made Shi Yin worry as she glanced at his hair.

Even Zhao, the previous editor who only stayed late during the deadline period for a year, had visibly lost quite a bit of hair.

After Gu Congli left, Shi Yin shared her concerns with Fang Shu. She dropped her pen and typed while leaning back in her chair: [Desk-mate, I think Gu Congli is going bald.]

Fang Shu replied instantly: [?]

Then she exploded: [You always come to talk to me about men, go away.]

Shi Yin: [Hey, we’re having a serious conversation. Why are you jealous? I really think he’s going bald. Look at all my editors, which one has thick hair?]

Feeling somewhat melancholic, she continued: [Maybe when he starts losing hair, my inappropriate feelings for him will vanish. After all, my affection seems to be based on his looks.]

Fang Shu mocked her: [You still have time to mourn your inappropriate feelings? Have you finished the assignment Mr. Gu gave you?]

“…”

Shi Yin sighed as she stared at the thirty-page storyboard drafts in front of her.

One problem after another.

Each mountain higher than the last.

The homework would never end.

Not in this lifetime.

As August approached, Shi Yin officially embarked on another intense journey of meeting deadlines. She was so busy that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Whenever she was awake, she was clutching her digital drawing tablet. Even meals and showers were limited to ten minutes.

Liang Qiushi had grown accustomed to her work rhythm. When she was idle, she would lounge around at home; when busy, she wouldn’t even have time to go home and would bring a sleeping bag instead.

The new assistant, however, was encountering this level of intensity for the first time. In the beginning, she managed to keep up, but soon she burst into tears and wanted to quit.

Shi Yin was already overwhelmed, and having only one assistant was insufficient. She had to take time to console the new assistant — this girl’s hair was messy, her lips pale, her eyes bloodshot, and she clutched her wrist tightly as she cried out, “Teacher!! I can’t do it anymore!! I haven’t slept properly for three days!!!”

Shi Yin was buried in her work, diligently rushing her drafts. Upon hearing this, she waved her hand dismissively and said earnestly, “Becoming a manga artist isn’t easy. If you can’t handle this level of work, you won’t be able to endure it once you debut.”

The new assistant, fresh out of college with a passion for manga, though from an art academy, had no prior experience in manga. Her two submissions had gone unanswered, rejected immediately with no further communication.

Hearing Shi Yin’s words, she hesitated for three seconds before solemnly declaring, “Teacher, I’m done with manga. Tomorrow I’ll look for a job at an advertising company or in design.”

Shi Yin: “….”

Shi Yin: ?

What happened to the fiery passion for chasing dreams?

After contemplating for a moment, Shi Yin put down her pen and spoke seriously, “Wait a moment.”

She then took out her phone and messaged Zhao, the editor: [Brother Zhao.]

Zhao: [Teacher Shi Yi, what’s wrong?]

Shi Yin: [Is the editor-in-chief there?]

Zhao: [Yes.]

Shi Yin: [Can you take a picture of him? Or do you have any photos of him in your album? Could you send me one?]

“…”

Zhao thought Teacher Shi Yi must have gone crazy from rushing her work. Why would he store a man’s photo on his phone?

Zhao was speechless but opened the camera on WeChat anyway, pointed it towards the editor-in-chief’s desk, snapped a picture, and sent it.

Zhao: [What are you planning to do? Don’t infringe on our editor-in-chief’s portrait rights, it could be disastrous.]

Shi Yin calmly opened the image, waiting for it to load.

The man was quietly sitting behind a large, long desk, intently focused on his computer. With sharp eyes, thin lips, and a high nose bridge, his expression was cold and indifferent.

Shi Yin saved the photo and opened a photo-editing app, intending to beautify it further.

But after staring at it for a while, she found it impossible to make any edits.

Even the WeChat camera treated attractive people differently, applying beauty filters and soft lighting automatically.

What’s worse, Shi Yin thought this man looked better in motion.

She raised her hand and held the photo up in front of the young assistant, her voice soft and tempting. “Once this draft is submitted, he’ll be yours.”

The assistant seemed to know exactly what she intended and reacted with surprising calmness. “Teacher Shi Yi, I graduated from an art academy too. There are plenty of handsome boys in art academies—” She looked up, paused, and her gaze stuck on the screen. “What’s this?”

“The editor-in-chief of Crimson Moon , my responsible editor. On the day I submit my draft, he’ll come to collect it.”

Probably — Shi Yin silently added in her mind.

“What about him in person—”

“He’s even more handsome than this, absolutely no beauty filters, no soft lighting, no Photoshop, a candid shot.”

The assistant nodded, shook her wrists briskly, and returned to the computer, sitting down with the air of a competent career woman, showing none of her recent graduate awkwardness. “Teacher, send me page fourteen once it’s done.”

Shi Yin: “Hehehe.”

Liang Qiushi: “….”

Liang Qiushi thought women were truly terrifying creatures.

The time spent rushing deadlines was both long and short. Time flew by, and by early August, Shi Yin completed the entire first chapter draft of Hong Ming on the final day of the deadline. She sent it to Gu Congli and then retreated to her bedroom to catch up on sleep.

She slept heavily for over ten hours, finally being woken up by a phone call.

Still half-asleep, she fumbled for the phone under her pillow, answering without looking, pressing it to her ear. “Hello…”

Gu Congli’s voice on the other end sounded distant, likely still in the office working. “I’ve finished reviewing the draft. No major issues.”

Shi Yin closed her eyes, tugged at the blanket, and lazily rolled over. She hadn’t slept well for more than half a month, and now, finally having caught up on sleep, she was nestled comfortably in the soft, fluffy blanket, rubbing against it contentedly. She responded lazily, “Mm…”

Her voice was sultry and languid, dragging out the final syllable.

“…”

The other side suddenly fell silent.

Three seconds later.

Gu Congli hung up.

“…”

Shi Yin: ?