Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 108: Still Somewhat Perceptive

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Still Somewhat Perceptive

Tuesday, sunny.

The alarm clock had rung three times before Qin Guanglin finally climbed out of bed, his face showing signs of exhaustion.

He had been chatting on the phone until late last night, and it was only after ten when he suddenly remembered there was still work undone; reluctantly ending the call, he took his draft into the studio and stayed for several hours until finally completing the drawing of the noon’s sketch well after two in the morning.

Staying up late is harmful to one’s health...

Yawning and shuffling to the bathroom to wash up, Qin Guanglin paused while changing his clothes, deciding not to wear the ones bought for him by He Fang. Instead, he randomly picked out a striped short-sleeved shirt from the closet and prepared to head out to work.

It’s not like I’m going on a blind date; why dress up so nicely?

He straightened out the hem of the shirt, feeling much more comfortable in this simple and unassuming outfit.

Taking the bus to the company, Sun Wen laughed as soon as he saw him, "Only looking sharp for one day?"

"I’m still handsome today." Qin Guanglin ran his hand through his hair, "You know nothing."

"That’s true; there’s no need to look so flashy. One day you should get that hair of yours cut, and you’ll look much more pleasing."

"Go on, just be jealous."

Qin Guanglin took his seat and paid no further attention to him, as there was serious work to be done. He needed to focus and get the stories for the booklet illustrated.

This wasn’t just any job. After looking at Chen Rui’s hand-drawn line drafts yesterday, he realized that creating comics was quite different and more intriguing than he had originally imagined.

"Morning, boss."

"Mm, morning."

Jiang Lingling saw that Qin Guanglin was engrossed in the booklet again so early in the day and took a second look, "What’s that?"

"A story."

"Oh~" She nodded, picked up the third issue of the comic she had drawn the day before from the table, and handed it over, "Boss, can you see if I’ve made any progress?"

Qin Guanglin took it and glanced over it, then back at her, "Uh..."

"What’s wrong?"

He pondered for a moment, then said, "These characters, made up of a few lines, there’s no progression to speak of. A kid given enough time could probably imitate and produce something similar..."

"..."

"You could draw this a million times and still not improve because the appeal comes from the story itself..." Qin Guanglin explained earnestly. In his eyes, spending time on this was a pure waste, only of interest to beginners.

To him, the core of these comics was creativity; as long as you had a good idea, a casual drawing would attract fans. This was his initial misunderstanding of comics: thinking they required only a good idea and minimal technical skills, easy enough to produce with a computer.

Jiang Lingling’s smile gradually disappeared, unable to hold back from interrupting, "Alright, boss, you’re busy."

She had only hoped for a compliment, but instead, she got an unwelcome dose of blunt truth!

Even a child could draw it... Such an underhanded insult!

Feeling aggrieved, she returned to her seat and took a big gulp of soy milk, which she accidentally choked on, coughing a few times and casting a resentful glance at Qin Guanglin.

"..." Qin Guanglin felt confused, "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine, just drank too fast."

"Take it easy. There’s no rush; work hasn’t started yet." He said dismissively, dropping his gaze back to his booklet.

That question was too naive; she understood instantly. Hm, she does have a bit of insight.

No one disturbed him for the whole morning, and Qin Guanglin finally solidified the female lead’s image after wasting six sheets of drafting paper. The story provided no direct description of her appearance, leaving it all to the readers’ imagination.

Drawing the male lead, on the other hand, was much easier, with detailed descriptions from head to toe—a few strokes and it was done.

"Let’s go for lunch."

Lunchtime came, and Sun Wen called out, bringing over Qin Guanglin’s umbrella to return it, "A big umbrella really comes in handy; I’ll buy one too sometime."

"Yeah, I’ll send you the link later." Qin Guanglin packed away the umbrella and stretched before standing up.

He bought the umbrella for dual purposes, to shield from the sun and the rain—it was his personal "umbrella guard" weapon of choice.

Sun Wen nodded, "By the way, I’ve made plans with my girlfriend; we’re going out this weekend."

"I hope you two won’t argue while you’re out," Qin Guanglin offered his blessings, "Have fun."

"Don’t jinx it; next week, I might take a couple of days off like you, so cover for me, will you?"

"Sure."

Qin Guanglin agreed, then looked towards Yu Le, "Can Yu Le handle it?"

"No way, I’m still far behind." Yu Le quickly shook his head, "Brother Lin, you need to teach me more."

He was a beginner, not even two months into his job, enthusiastic, sure, but it was not enough time to learn much. He was only slightly better than Jiang Lingling.

"You have to ask. How can I teach if you don’t?" Qin Guanglin clicked his tongue, "Learn from Jiang... Lingling, right, learn from Jiang Lingling. She even asked me questions this morning; you have to be inquisitive and think more."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Lin."

"The boss should raise your salary," Sun Wen jokingly punched the elevator button, "Not only did he hire a lead artist, but he also solved the issue of a training instructor; you deserve a double pay."

"That’s funny, since I don’t know as much as you. Why are you asking me?" Qin Guanglin didn’t view himself as instructor material. He could manage other drawing types, but he didn’t understand comics as well as Sun Wen.

"See, you’re being modest again," Sun Wen scoffed, "I can just color, and even that took a long time, while you just took a look and could do it. Are you trying to show me up or what?"

When it came down to it, this job was still about drawing, about colors. And with his solid drawing skills, Qin Guanglin could pick up anything much faster than anyone else. It’s true what they say: you really can’t compare people.

"Enough, you’re the one being modest."

"Let’s drop it," Yu Le interjected mournfully, "You’re both being modest, and I’m the true rookie here."

"..."

"..."

"Just practice more." Qin Guanglin patted his shoulder, "Remember, I couldn’t even draw an egg once..."

"Stop reminiscing; I still can’t draw it well," Sun Wen cut him off, "Are you mocking me again?"

Back in their dorm days, Sun Wen was the worst at drawing eggs. For some unknown reason, everything else was passable, but eggs turned out deplorable every time. He even failed an exam over it once, which earned him a long period of ridicule.

"Really?" Qin Guanglin gave him a sideways glance, "An egg is so simple, just an ellipse..."

"Get lost."

Sun Wen cursed playfully, and familiarity washed over him, transporting him momentarily back to their college days.

They joked and laughed as they went downstairs for a quick lunch. Back at the company, Qin Guanglin immediately rested his head on the desk to catch up on sleep; he had been yawning all morning, and he still had to keep Teacher He company to look at houses later. He needed to be fully energized for that.

He wanted to meet her with all his energy intact.