Chapter 83: Are You Really Not Planning to Draw Anymore?

"No, no, no, it's the tragic elements that make a story a classic. Think about it: a comic where everyone is happy and harmonious, versus one with regret and emotional depth—which one leaves a deeper impression on you?" Luo Chen recalled the classic manga from his previous life; every one of them was marked by sorrow and hardship. Without those, would they really be so memorable?

Leaving the hesitant girl behind, Luo Chen offered her an encouraging look before turning back to his room. It's perfectly normal for Dai Xinhua to feel a bit conflicted—she usually draws wholesome comics, and being suddenly asked to create tragic characters is bound to take some adjustment.

But Luo Chen wasn't worried. Girls are generally more emotional, and if they really set their minds to tormenting a character, they'd outdo any master. Just look at the Korean dramas popular with girls in his past life—the more heartbreaking, the more healing they seemed to be.

Seeing Luo Chen return to his room, Dai Xinhua sat alone, frowning in thought. Luo Tianyi's eyes darted, as if an idea had struck her. She got up and leaned close to Dai Xinhua.

"Xinhua, are you not planning to update your comic anymore?"

Luo Tianyi cozied up to Dai Xinhua, trying to win her over.

"Comic... comic?" The girl didn't immediately understand; she hadn't started drawing anything yet. But she soon realized which comic Tianyi meant, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Update? Absolutely not!" Speaking of her dark past, Dai Xinhua shot Tianyi a fierce glare. After her last comic was discovered, she was nearly scared to death. Although her worst fears hadn't come true, she dared not draw another risqué comic. If she got caught again...

That would be the end for her.

"Eh? Really not going to draw anymore?" Luo Tianyi pressed in, staring at the nervous girl in the beret. She didn't believe Xinhua had no lingering thoughts.

"Not... not drawing..." Dai Xinhua's eyes flickered with struggle. If Tianyi hadn't brought it up, perhaps she could have let it go, but now she felt a restless urge. Was she really going to give up?

"Yes, I absolutely won't draw anymore!" But remembering the consequences, she became resolute again.

This time, being caught was a life sentence. Next time, it might as well be the death penalty.

"I have lots of reference photos, you know. Besides, it's only the two of us who know about this; nobody will find out." Seeing Dai Xinhua still struggling, Luo Tianyi pulled out her phone and showed her a trove of pictures—shots of Luo Chen interacting with every girl, with Yan He and Luo Chen featuring most prominently.

Hmph, with so much material, Tianyi doubted Xinhua could resist.

Suddenly confronted with such perfect references, even Dai Xinhua, who had resolved not to draw, wavered. If she didn't enjoy it, would she really risk being caught just to make those comics? Not to mention, collecting her own material was a hassle—if only the two of them knew, it didn't seem dangerous at all.

Should she agree?

"But if I'm drawing Fate/Zero, I won't have time for anything else, right?" Dai Xinhua hesitated, mounting her final resistance. Between drawing risqué comics and working on Fate/Zero, she chose the latter.

"I meant in your spare time. When you're tired or bored from your main project, you can switch things up." Luo Tianyi provided another timely excuse. Material sustenance is important, but spiritual nourishment is indispensable.

"Well... I'll think about it." Dai Xinhua wanted to refuse, but seeing all those references, she couldn't quite bring herself to say no. If she didn't want to draw with so much inspiration at hand, could she still call herself a true comic artist?

Seeing Dai Xinhua tempted, Luo Tianyi felt reassured. With this material, could Xinhua really hold back?

Looks like her spiritual sustenance was secured.

Luo Tianyi cheerfully sent the files to the still-hesitant girl, chuckled softly, and hummed a tune she had just invented as she returned to her room.

She still needed to come up with lyrics, didn't she?

Ah... so annoying, so annoying. Maybe she'd just leave it to the ever-resourceful Sister Yan He.

...

Unaware that he was being set up by his own sister, Luo Chen sat at his computer desk, gazing at the website he'd painstakingly built.

Though he'd only taken the first step, Luo Chen was quite pleased, especially seeing the number of registered users in the site's two opposing factions, displayed in stark black and white. His mood soared.

The "Dirty" faction: 47,000. The "Clean" faction: 1.29 million.

Thanks to Luo Chen's relentless efforts, he'd finally managed to redeem himself. He didn't want to become famous only to have his fans call him the "King of Filth" on the streets—what a terrifying scene that would be.

Upon opening the site, aside from a few videos holding their place, the rest was empty, looking as if no one else had contributed content yet. It was cold and quiet.

The only lively spot was the chat and comment section Luo Chen had set up. The comment count had already reached hundreds of thousands, with people asking all sorts of questions. If he promoted the site after his next livestream, registrations could reach three or four million. Maybe then, submissions would start pouring in.

Seeing things progress as he'd envisioned, Luo Chen was in good spirits. With some free time, he could answer fans' questions; he couldn't afford to go too long without interacting with them.

It was midday, so the comment section was especially bustling.

[Is this really a personal website? Is Little Angel planning to make a livestream platform?]

Most people noticed something odd—did a personal website really need to be this big? With so many categories, it seemed like he wanted to build a full-fledged platform.

[But the Stardust Platform wouldn't agree to that, would they?]

[Who knows, maybe Little Angel plans to fill the whole site with his videos. With all these categories, is he trying to be an all-around streamer?]

[There's even a dance section here. Does Little Angel plan to livestream dance performances? Hahaha...]

[By the way, does anyone know what Little Angel looks like? Handsome uncle? Middle-aged strongman? Or maybe a fresh-faced youth?]

[Maybe he's a scruffy uncle, a foot-scratching brute, or a shut-in nerd.]

[You're dead, daring to diss our Little Angel.]

[Yeah, exactly...]

...

Seeing so many people guessing his appearance in the comments, Luo Chen suddenly lost the urge to reply.

Let them guess.

(PS: Thanks to the reader "Fallen Character" for the 500 Qidian coins, and to the readers "Yellow Maple Leaf (Prince)" and "Dead Fatty in Spring Thunder Emperor IL" for 100 Qidian coins each, as well as "lufeeway" for 10 Qidian coins. Two updates today as usual.)