Chapter 87: 49.2

Now Cheng Zhaoci has to start working on his next, proper length serial comic, ‘Theoretical Time Turnaround.’

He has been workshopping the comic in his past life already, with the protagonist and the first three stories worked out. Clearly, though, he’d have to change them. Thankfully, this is going to be an episodic comic, which meant that each story inside will be independent and freely modifiable.

The comic’s protagonist, meanwhile, will not be the protagonist of each story within. Instead, he serves as the bridge that takes the readers from each story to the next.

He is going to be a young adult… So basically, he’s got to draw him somewhere between a male and demi.

He also looks very creepy. Pure black hair and eyes, that do not have highlights at all. He looks more dead than alive.

Also, this protagonist is someone that just… is. No one, not even himself, knows where he came from, or where he should go. He has always been there.

He believes he is something born of desire.

He has no past, has never experienced tragedy or love. He is simply a being that walks the world.

And he has one single ability. He can offer insectoids the chance to redo things.

That’s the ‘Time Turnaround’ part of the title.

When they have the chance to relive their lives, would they do better? Do worse?

The protagonist offers them this opportunity, and then observes without intervening anymore.

Cheng Zhaoci finishes adapting the setting and first story for the insectoid culture quickly.

To be honest, while transmigration ruled the roost in his past life, the protagonist being transported back in time was also quite popular in Cheng Zhaoci’s time on Earth, with some of them depicting protagonists who failed miserably in life before, but achieved great success when given the opportunity to redo things. Cheng Zhaoci wanted to ask a question with this comic. If the protagonist was someone who didn’t have what it took to succeed, could they really change themselves so dramatically when ‘reborn,’ and become masters of their own fate?

He does not deny outright the possibility, but it requires such a great amount of willpower… Willpower that meant the protagonists likely wouldn’t have led a failure of a life in the first place.

Imagine if Cheng Zhaoci was transported back to his time as a human child. Would he have been able to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get into Tsinghua or Peking University? Cheng Zhaoci thinks that is utter bollocks.

While it is true that working as an adult is more tiring than going to school, but he’s already used to waking up at ten, for example. Going back to the past, without a mobile phone or even computers, as they haven’t become household objects yet? And he no longer had his supportive fans and friends on the Internet to talk to? Get him to wake up early every day for school, and repeatedly jam knowledge into his brain?

He might last a few months if pushed, but not any longer.

He is not under enough desperation or hopelessness to be able to stand strong against the suffering.

This will also apply to the protagonist of his first story. But of course, it’ll be boring for both him and the readers to beat the same drum over and over again, so the stories to follow would feature different types of characters. It is Cheng Zhaoci’s aim to draw a compilation of ‘rebirth’ stories. He’s planning to set three chapters for each story, give or take depending on the reception.

He had his comic planned up to this when he was offered some contract work by a company. Since drawing comics, especially more serious and disconnected one like the one he’s planning to, is a pretty big risk with potentially no payoff, he decided to sign and focus on the company’s work.

The next thing he knew, he died of a stroke from overwork.

Well… He did meet his dad, and Xiao Ji and He Huaijian, and the love of his life thanks to that, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to thank that shitty boss.

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There is nothing more valuable than one’s body and health, no matter the money on offer.

Now, it’s time for Cheng Zhaoci to start reworking the details of the stories themselves to fit the insectoid background.

When he’s got the first story sorted, his editor sends him a message and a drafted contract.

Cheng Zhaoci signs it after checking carefully. As Evan is a freelance individual, the clauses are much simpler and easy to follow.

After that is done, the editor sends him another message.

[Editor Lee: the comic department of the company is going to host a meet-and-greet with the readers, do you want to go?]

A meet-and-greet? While he probably didn’t need to hide his male identity in case it affected his viewers’ perception of his comic’s quality anymore, recalling the brave, sex-defying universal hatred everyone had towards his comic on the second arc of his love comic, which meant that even the shemales and demis would probably be able to yell obscenities at him online even if he revealed he was a male… He can’t go, unless he plans to get the Grand Marshal to set aside his entire personal security detail with him.

Nope nope nope, he’d rather not look like the mafia trying to collect debts at a meet-and-greet.

Cheng Zhaoci thus declines the invitation. That said, the editor’s invitation is a reminder that his comic is popular enough that he can’t shrug off face-to-face interaction with his fans forever. Instead of a shocking reveal of his male identity then, he should probably mentally prepare them.

Thus he gives his profile an update – ‘It’s time I told you the truth. I’m actually not a demi, but a male.’

He still keeps his profile picture the same, though, remembering that he isn’t exactly in a safe position to let his appearance be known, just in case.

Then Cheng Zhaoci watches as the first new comment on his profile comes.

[IsFlickerHappyEndToday: hahaha, I was all sad and serious watching the latest battle news, and suddenly, I snorted!]

Cheng Zhaoci “…”

Then comments continue to go ‘haha,’ with some wondering if the comic artist saw how sombre the mood has become online, and is telling them a joke.

What? A male named ‘BombInMyPants’? And a male that didn’t do anything when they were far less than kind asking for updates online? And who is very clearly a damned dog of an insectoid?

You’re saying, that this loveable dorky shithead of an insectoid is a male?

There is even a reader claiming he fell off the bed from laughing, and Cheng Zhaoci should pay his medical bills.

Cheng Zhaoci would rather throw the person off his bed again. Pulling a long face, he can’t believe that the commenters do not believe in his male identity.

There is even a male-verified comment that says if BombIn were male, he’d immediately go do a number 2 while doing a handstand. Cheng Zhaoci decides to take a screen capture. Who knows, it might prove useful one day, no?

The comments continue to ‘hahaha.’ The air is jubilant.

A frustrated Cheng Zhaoci decides to pay the comment section no more heed from now on.

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