At 6:23 p.m., the sunset stained the curtains orange-red.
Su Yu's phone buzzed.
He picked it up, glanced at the screen—and paused.
Griseo had sent a compressed file. After extracting it, there were twenty-four pages of high-resolution line art, plus a fully rendered, insanely detailed color cover.
All finished.
Su Yu opened the first image and zoomed in.
The lines were clean and decisive—no stray strokes, no clutter.
Expressions, body language, fabric folds… every detail was handled with perfect restraint.
The panel rhythm was excellent, the eye-leading was crystal clear—there was no need for a second revision.
"This kid… it's honestly a waste if she doesn't go draw weekly serialization someday," Su Yu sighed. "The hope of reviving comics in Shenzhou is basically riding on her shoulders."
Still marveling, he tossed the phone aside, opened the laptop on his knees, and started the final preparations before launch.
"I'll send the files to the typesetter first," he said. "Then I'll talk to a few comic platforms—see if we can negotiate a good featured slot."
Kiana leaned against the couch, watching Su Yu sit cross-legged beside her. A small lap desk was on the floor.
"After it goes live…" Kiana asked, "will anyone read it?"
"They will," Su Yu answered without looking up. "With Griseo's skill, as long as promotion is done right, it'll be harder not to blow up."
He stopped typing and turned to look straight into Kiana's eyes.
"And your story is genuinely good."
Kiana blinked.
"What?"
"Three Years of Sakura," Su Yu said seriously. "It's a good story."
"It's tragic, but it's not the cheap kind of tragedy written just to hurt people."
"Deep Snow's ending is miserable, sure—but her struggle, her pain, her final accusation against the world… and that instant of release at the very end—all of it feels real."
He paused, his gaze softening.
"Real things have the most power. They move people. They stick."
He turned back to the screen and kept typing.
"So don't worry. People will read it. People will remember it—remember that girl… who fought so hard to the very end."
Kiana didn't reply.
Her eyes drifted toward the window. The sun was sinking, the horizon painted in vivid orange and red.
Would someone really remember?
That girl the world abandoned.
That girl who struggled until her last breath in despair.
If that were true… how wonderful would it be?
The layout process went smoothly. "Hui Shi"'s name was even stronger than Su Yu expected.
The moment the editors on several platforms heard it was "Hui Shi's" new work, they practically begged to sign it on the spot—and the recommendation slots were pushed to maximum.
Now only the final step remained.
Su Yu stared at the publishing form on the screen, fingers tapping.
"Screenwriter name…"
He thought for a few seconds.
Real name was out. Too easy to expose his identity—and then how would he keep being a lazy shut-in afterward?
So—
His fingers rattled across the keyboard.
[Moon-Sea Thunderfish-Fishycat]
Kiana leaned over to look. Her expression turned… complicated.
"What kind of cursed name is that?"
"A tasteful username," Su Yu said with a straight face. "Cool and cute. And it has a bit of mystery."
"...I think it's just chuuni," Kiana deadpanned. "Sounds like the kind of name someone uses before screaming 'TRANSFORM!' at the moon at 3 a.m."
"Chuuni is a man's romance," Su Yu shot back, lips carrying a faint smile.
Also… Kiana didn't know yet.
This username would become the future account name of the God of Earth.
Su Yu filled in the artist field without hesitation this time:
[Hui Shi]
"Just using her pen name directly?" Kiana frowned. "She agreed?"
"Of course she agreed. And honestly—if there's hype to borrow, you'd be stupid not to borrow it," Su Yu said righteously. "Griseo's already a big name in the scene. Her fans will rush over the moment they see a new release."
"That's called… borrowing a hen to hatch an egg—no, wait, a strong-strong partnership."
He hit Publish.
"All right. Officially launched."
A pop-up appeared on screen:
[Three Years of Sakura has been published. Awaiting review.]
Su Yu leaned back and stretched.
"Now comes the moment we witness a miracle."
Meanwhile.
Three streets away from Su Yu's home, inside a luxury apartment building—
Dan Zhu sat cross-legged in a gaming chair, eyes locked on the monitor, fingers flying across the keyboard.
Her room was basically a two-dimensional paradise.
Anime posters covered the walls—some so bold they'd need censor bars.
Shelves were lined with limited-edition figures, and even more hand-made clay miniatures… including one of Su Yu.
Markers, sculpting knives, and wet paint were scattered across the desk. In the corner were boxes of unopened doujin deliveries.
A textbook nest: veteran, wealthy otaku.
As Dr. Mobius's assistant—and unlike her sister Cang Xuan, who spent every spare second watching the stock market—Dan Zhu poured her free time into the ACG world. A true internet surfer.
"Okay, this narration is basically done…" Dan Zhu adjusted her red-framed glasses, satisfied as she watched the video preview.
The title was long:
[Deep Dive Analysis! Complete Hui Shi Masterworks Retrospective! From Ironblood and Roses to Golden Courtyard Affairs, a feast from a top-tier artist (includes hidden easter eggs)!]
A full week of grind.
As Hui Shi's number-one fangirl, Dan Zhu had collected nearly everything—even discarded drafts.
Those delicate lines. Those heart-throbbing anatomy studies. That perfect tension…
Especially the Golden Courtyard Affairs series—drawing Boss Kevin, that violent maniac Kalpas, and the quiet Kosma as…
Dan Zhu swallowed hard.
So easy to ship. So unbelievably easy.
Just as she was about to hit upload, a blinding message streaked through the live chat:
[URGENT URGENT URGENT! Hui Shi posted a new work!!!]
Dan Zhu froze.
A new work? She hadn't heard anything—
She immediately tabbed out, opened Hui Shi's homepage.
Sure enough: a brand-new post pinned at the top, published two minutes ago.
[New comic Three Years of Sakura is live, collaborated with teacher "Moon-Sea Thunderfish-Fishycat." Please support~]
Dan Zhu clicked in and scanned the synopsis and tags.
[Mystery / Yuri / School / Depressing]
Her movements stopped.
Yuri?
Wasn't Hui Shi known for otome, plus a side of BL—specializing in "man-on-man-on-man"?
Why would she draw yuri?
And mystery + depressing on top of that?
Is this… real?
Or is the art style fake?
....
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