I Became an All-round Artist

Editors usually enjoy reading novels.
People who read novels often have a bit of an overactive imagination.
For instance, if an author keeps emphasizing how handsome the protagonist is, readers might start feeling a strong sense of identification—
That’s called delusion.

By the time Lin Xuan got off work in the evening, she had calmed down and stopped entertaining such wild thoughts.
She happily called Lin Yuan, "Guess where I am!"
"Su City," Lin Yuan replied.
Lin Xuan was taken aback, "How did you know?"
"I guessed."
Actually, Yang Feng had already told Lin Yuan that afternoon.
Lin Xuan didn't dwell on it and said excitedly, "I’ve started working at Silver Blue Publishing! I might even get to meet my idol soon!"
Lin Yuan was puzzled, "Who's your idol?"
His sister, feeling amused, asked, "Shouldn't you be asking why I’m working at Silver Blue?"
Lin Yuan: "..."
Lin Xuan laughed triumphantly, "I bet you’re curious! Well, I wasn’t fired after Lingchuan was acquired. A few of my colleagues and I were transferred to Silver Blue. They probably value my skills."
Lin Yuan responded half-heartedly, "Impressive."
Lin Xuan changed the topic, "But honestly, I suspect the editor-in-chief might be after my beauty..."
"He wouldn't dare!" Lin Yuan’s voice rose.
Lin Xuan clicked her tongue and laughed, "Just kidding! Be honest with me, are you a bit of a sister-obsessed? Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m actually a little sister-obsessed myself—Yaoyao is my true love!"
Lin Yuan: "..."
What was she even talking about?
Lin Xuan continued, "By the way, I don’t have a place to stay yet. Do you have space at your place?"
The family already knew that Lin Yuan was renting off-campus. To live off-campus, students needed their guardians' approval.
"Yeah," Lin Yuan gave her the address. "No need to rent anywhere else. Just stay with me. There's plenty of room. I’ll send you the address in a bit."
"Great! By the way, aren’t you going to ask me who my idol is?"
Lin Yuan asked, "Who is it?"
His sister grinned, "Chu Kuang!"
Lin Yuan was stunned, "Didn’t you hate him?"
Lin Xuan coughed, "That was in the past. Times have changed. Now, Chu Kuang is my idol. I might even get his autograph soon!"
"My old homework books already have my name on them. Mom probably hasn’t thrown them out yet; they’re still in the old house."
"What use is your signature to me? I can’t sell it."
"…You want to sell his autograph?"
"Why else?"
"Is it worth much?" Lin Yuan sounded intrigued.
Lin Xuan thought for a moment, "I think it’ll be worth something in the future."
Lin Yuan: "..."
Maybe I’ll just stick to teaching art.
Lin Xuan laughed, "Alright, I’m going to call Mom and let her know about my new job so she doesn’t worry."
"Okay."
Lin Yuan hung up and sent the address to his sister. He was happy that she could now work in Su City.
Silver Blue Publishing was great.
Maybe I’ll publish my next short story with them, even if they pay a little less. If I butter them up, they’ll probably take good care of my sister.

Meanwhile, at Silver Blue Publishing.
In the editor-in-chief's office, Lü Bei was enjoying some music when a woman knocked on the door.
"Come in," Lü Bei said.
The woman entered and bowed slightly, "Just as you predicted, after 'The Legend of Chusen' was released, several publishers, including Ding Sheng, have been trying to track down Chu Kuang. They’ve been asking around, seemingly wanting to poach him, but I’ve done my best to conceal his identity as you instructed."
"They always want to steal my people. Dream on."
Lü Bei snorted but showed no signs of concern.
The woman seemed worried, "But I have to remind you, if they keep searching like this, it’s only a matter of time before they find Chu Kuang’s information. What if they..."
"Don’t worry," Lü Bei said, looking out the window. "Even if they get his details now, it’ll be difficult to lure him away."
"Why?"
"That’s not for you to worry about," Lü Bei smiled. "From now on, you don’t need to concern yourself with this. Just focus on your duties at the editor-in-chief’s office. Also, we’ve hired a new person for the office. As the lead secretary, your top priority is to take good care of her."
"Understood."
The woman nodded and left, still puzzled. Who was this newcomer that Lü Bei seemed to value so much?

...

When Lin Xuan arrived at Lin Yuan's place, her eyes widened, "Is this the house you rented?"
"Yes," Lin Yuan smiled.
He had already spoken to Sister Zhao.
Sister Zhao, always accommodating, immediately agreed when she learned it was Lin Yuan’s sister. She even said she’d invite Lin Xuan for a meal sometime.
"Hello, you must be Lin Representative’s brother. I’m Zhang Cheng, Lin Representative’s assistant!"
As Lin Xuan walked in, a bald man popped his head in to greet Lin Yuan.
It might be a bit unfair to call him bald since he had a few stubborn strands of hair, expertly styled to stay in place no matter how much he moved.
"Editor, you don’t have to be so formal."
Lin Xuan was a bit helpless. This was her choice of assistant—
Her former editor-in-chief, Zhang Cheng, from her time at Lingchuan.
It wasn’t that she was trying to make things difficult for him; he had practically begged to be her assistant, winking at her non-stop during the selection process.

Lin Xuan felt quite helpless.
Her former editor had now become her assistant, and she was really struggling to adapt to the change.
Today, Zhang Cheng insisted on helping her move to her brother's place, saying that she had too much luggage for one girl to carry on her own.
Lin Xuan had no choice but to accept.

Lin Yuan smiled and greeted him, "Hello."
Zhang Cheng nodded, glanced around the house, and smiled, "Alright then, I’ll head out. Just call me if you need anything, Lin Representative."
"Okay, take care, Chief Editor," Lin Xuan replied.
Zhang Cheng waved his hand, "Don’t call me Chief Editor. Just call me Xiao Zhang. If you call me 'Chief Editor' at Silver Blue, what will the actual chief editors think?"
Lin Xuan sighed, "Alright, I’ll just call you Old Zhang like we did back at Lingchuan."
Zhang Cheng: "..."

Under the moonlight, Zhang Cheng left.
As he walked out of the neighborhood, his steps were light, and there was a smile on his face.
It seemed his hunch had been correct—Lin Xuan’s background was anything but simple!
First of all, this neighborhood wasn’t cheap, and her brother looked like a student. How could a student afford to live here without some serious backing?
And that house—it was beautifully decorated.
He couldn’t help but remember the time Lin Xuan was eating instant noodles with everyone else at the office. Once, she nearly got into a fight over a sausage! It really made him feel a strange sense of nostalgia.
She truly blended in with us common folk!
If he managed to serve this lady well, securing a decent position at Silver Blue wouldn’t be out of reach.
His future looked bright!
But who exactly was backing this lady?

...

After Zhang Cheng left, Lin Xuan scanned the rooms, "Which one’s mine?"
Lin Yuan asked, "How about the master bedroom?"
Lin Xuan rolled her eyes, "What kind of family position do you think I have? If Mom found out, I’d be done for!"
"Then how about this one?"
Lin Yuan pointed to the room on the left, "It’s Xia Fan’s room. You can stay here from now on. I’ve already talked to her, and since she’ll be busy with competitions, she won’t have much chance to stay here."
In fact, Jian Yi and Xia Fan rarely came over.
Both were students, and even on weekends, it was rare for them to stay overnight.
If worst came to worst and the house was full, Jian Yi could just sleep on the couch—he probably wouldn’t mind.
Lin Xuan nodded.
She knew Jian Yi and Xia Fan well. Back before they all went to college, they used to hang out at Lin Yuan’s place frequently.

"Oh, by the way," Lin Xuan suddenly remembered, smiling, "Da Yaoyao is taking her college entrance exam next month!"
"Already?"
Lin Yuan was surprised. He had almost forgotten—it was already July, and his younger sister, Lin Yao, was a senior in high school, so of course, she’d be taking the exam soon.
Lin Xuan smiled mysteriously, "Guess which university she wants to go to?"
Lin Yuan thought for a moment, "Is she also applying to Qinzhou Academy of Arts?"
Lin Xuan snapped her fingers, "Exactly right! Since her big brother is at Qinzhou Academy, she definitely wants to go there too. Once she’s at your school, you better make sure she doesn’t get bullied."
Lin Yuan said seriously, "I’ll protect her!"
No one in the family doubted Lin Yao’s ability to get into Qinzhou Academy.
Lin Yao was a true academic star, always ranking at the top of her class. Every year, when Lin Xuan asked her what she wanted as a gift, her answer was always the same:
Study materials.

Lin Yuan suddenly thought of something, "Did Mom agree to this?"
Lin Xuan pouted, "In the past, Mom would’ve definitely said no. Studying art is expensive! You, being her son, got to choose whatever you wanted, but us daughters had to follow her plans. But now things are different. You’ve made a lot of money, and the family is more comfortable financially. Since Da Yaoyao wants to study art, Mom has agreed."
"That’s good."
Lin Yuan wondered which major his sister would choose. She seemed to like drawing, didn’t she?
Whatever she wanted to do, Lin Yuan wasn’t going to interfere. Whether it was his sister or his cousin, he’d support them in whatever they wanted to pursue.

"It’ll be nice from now on," Lin Xuan said softly. "Both Da Yaoyao and I will be in Su City, so we can look out for each other. Honestly, when we were little, we used to get mad at you. We thought Mom was way too biased. She always gave you the best of everything, and it felt like we were just extras. I even wondered if she had us just so we could take care of you."
Lin Yuan stayed silent.
Lin Xuan smiled, "I still remember one time when Mom saved the ribs for you, but you secretly left them for us. That night, Da Yaoyao cried for hours without making a sound, because, as you know, we shared a room with Mom... Surprised? Didn’t expect your sisters had their own grievances, did you?"
Lin Yuan remained silent.
Lin Xuan lowered her voice, "Are you mad?"
Lin Yuan shook his head, "I was just thinking, let's have ribs tomorrow. I have a good friend, my senior, who's a real expert in cooking."
Lin Xuan: "..."
She pinched his cheek and turned around, saying, "You should wash up and get to bed. I’ll tidy up the place."
Lin Yuan nodded.

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