Chapter 30: 27.2

Though very soon, Xiao Ji finds his shame and confusion gone and cooled, as Cheng Zhaoci suddenly mentions, “oh right, did you read my latest comic yet?”

Then his He Huaijian-ge and Xiao Ji both turn towards him, as He Huaijian’s gaze loses what little temperature it had.

His good and cute a-Ci suddenly looks rather evil and conniving.

Although Cheng Zhaoci hasn’t noticed, telling them, “I’m going to do a love story next.”

He’s been thinking about the story since he finished watching the movie with Sun Wushe, but he’ll need some time to recharge first. He’s still just off the heels of his month-long marathon. He would much rather not die another premature death.

“What kind of male do you two think is popular?” Cheng Zhaoci asks, knowing it’s futile to try to get an answer from anyone else, who’d most likely reply ‘any male is great.’

His two childhood friends, though, probably have a more neutral opinion as they grew up in an environment absent of males.

“Ones like you,” Xiao Ji says without hesitation. Honestly, even if Cheng Zhaoci still had his fake insectoid marks on his face, he thinks he’ll be popular regardless, “your personality is really different, even fresh compared to other males.”

He said it earnestly, but Cheng Zhaoci only laughs, “hahaha! Yeah, right!”

Yes, obviously they love him so much they just give him grandparents’ doting eyes treatment. He’s still a minor, you know, ones who cannot be recipient to that kind of love yet, and…

“Seriously? ‘You’re so different, so interesting, ho, male, you have my attention now’?” Cheng Zhaoci even shudders a little, “oh, spare me! That’s way too stale.”

It just reminds him of ‘bossy CEOs’ and those greasy ‘devilish’ smiles on TV. Oh, please. No, thanks.

Sun Wushe, who is listening in “…”

Meng Yuele shakes him a little, “what’s wrong? You look like you just swallowed a fly.”

“Is that stale?” Sun Wushe asks with not much of a shift in tone.

Meng Yuele takes a moment to realise what he’s asking about; meanwhile, Wei Zhuo seems to have entirely missed the conversation.

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard it before, at least,” Meng Yuele answers honestly, but as Sun Wushe’s mood improves, Meng Yuele adds, “but if Mr Cheng thinks it’s stale, then it probably is.”

Since the male has so many interesting thoughts, right?

Sun Wushe… is just speechless. He sure wants to give Cheng Zhaoci a good shakedown. Why was that stale?! No one has ever heard that before!

“My advice is for you to lay down the brush for a bit,” He Huaijian coldly interrupts Cheng Zhaoci, “do you know how influential your comic has been? I bet upwards of 70% of students in this academy have seen it, and the percentage is still growing.”

The word ‘comic’ is said especially quietly, too, so none of the shemales outside can hear.

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“If we leave out the fact that you’re a male, I suspect you’ll get thrown in a river in a sack,” He Huaijian says, not exaggerating his tone at all, “I had heard students that were even planning to dig up your true identity just so they can stuff you in a bag and give you a beating.”

Although the plan went nowhere because He Huaijian reported them to get them punished.

“Some of them seem actually obsessed with the story, so really, take a break,” He Huaijian pats Cheng Zhaoci on the shoulder. He is really worried Cheng Zhaoci might produce another ‘In a Tiny Flicker’ and seriously compromise his own safety.

‘Love story,’ he said, but he didn’t specify if it was sweet romance or a tragic one.

Cheng Zhaoci is clearly dumbfounded. Not because so many insectoids are trying to look for him to beat him up, but more at the amount of readers he apparently has.

This is the first time he has come to realise something significant.

Having worked in the industry himself, a story like that in his previous world would have attracted some fans, but not a lot. There are so many people on Earth with stories to tell and the means to tell it. Enough that a Cheng Zhaoci story is like a drop of water into the ocean.

But this sector is largely unexploited in the insectoid world. What might a blank canvas achieve?

Before everyone has come to put their own strokes down, a legend might be born from a single vision!

There is no other similar work to serve the niche!

He was simply drawing to supplement the family income. Ah…

Luck? He might be a sort of pioneer for something in the insectoid society’s inevitable development, if he could be so bold and shameless. Maybe.

He Huaijian, seeing Cheng Zhaoci straighten up more and more, and his eyes seem to sparkle with brightness, knows that he wasn’t deterred by what he said.

“What say you?”

Cheng Zhaoci tells He Huaijian in his mind, that he thinks he has risen to prominence. He excitedly gives He Huaijian a pat on the shoulder back, a “thanks!” for the ‘data’ he’s provided, and leaves happily as Xiao Ji and He Huaijian’s afternoon lessons are about to begin.

He Huaijian “?”

The shemales at the door split apart to give Cheng Zhaoci a path. When he passes by, he cheerily tells them, “thank you for taking care of my older brother at school.”

“Oh, you, you’re welcome,” one stunned shemale replies, as the shemales and demis watch Cheng Zhaoci take off.

That night, Xiao Ji has finally lost it after refusing his classmates’ invitation to train together for the fifteenth time. Slamming the dorm door shut, he yells, “what the fuck?! Huh?! What in the fucking fuck are they doing all suddenly buddy-buddy with me? Do I look like I’m some real friendly insectoid? And what the fuck were they thinking with those creepy shameless smiles!” Xiao Ji ruffles his hair in frustration.

He Huaijian, who has turned off his friend request notifications a while back, sighs and says, “they were thinking about your younger brother. They don’t want to buddy-buddy up with you, they want to call you brother.”

“… Fuck.”

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