You Sound Sleepy

Translator: BipBop

Xu Zhu was well informed: 【My boss went out to participate in a seminar. Originally, I was supposed to come along, but the law firm internships were delayed and the quota changed. I hate it!】

Que Qingyan had already left the city in the morning.

Xu Zhu: 【Knowing these kinds of large-scale seminars, he won’t return in a couple of days. Are you looking to do something with him again?】

Lin Mian: 【Yes】

Lin Mian cried and thought, this time it’s for something actually important.

Lin Mian poked on Que Qingyan’s WeChat avatar and clicked on the text message field. After hesitating for a moment, she closed it. She bit the edge of her pillow, struggling to come to terms with herself.

For – for the time being, let’s put this matter aside. This kind of thing… needs to be told in person.

In the next two days, the severely troubled Author Mu Mian entered one of her worst manhua bottleneck periods. At night, she stared at a blank draft. At dawn, she stared at a blank draft. She couldn’t make a single stroke and could only mindlessly watch horror movies from her special cd cabinet. 

I didn’t think of it before, but now those tragic cannon fodder that die in the middle of the movie…

Kinda look like me…

The more I watch, the more it seems similar…

After three days of sulking in her apartment, her editor called, notifying Lin Mian of something important.

“Author Mu Mian, the autograph convention that I mentioned last time is scheduled for this weekend. The location is still in the nearby City T.”

Lin Mian was a little bit surprised. “So soon?”

Since Mu Mian’s shoujo manhua became a big hit, she had already done multiple autograph conventions in nearby cities. She was quite familiar with how the autograph process worked.

For all the previous autograph conventions, they had to book venues and market everything at least a month in advance. This time, however, the convention came too fast.

“I also think it’s too rushed, but we discussed it over with the organizers, and they insisted that the convention and activity center had already been fully booked two months ahead. Two months, that is too late.” The editor held the phone between their shoulders and was typing. “Coincidentally though, there is a book fair, and there is an author under our magazine that is going to autograph there. It’s gonna be this weekend.”

Under the same magazine as 《Sugary Love》, Guan Tao was the manhua author who was going to be there.

“We’ve discussed this and feel a collaborative autograph convention is doable. The promotional banners and announcements can be quickly made. We already have the copies.” The editor continued, “Knowing how popular you are, there’ll be a lot of fans coming two days in advance. If you agree, author, I’ll post the schedule and plan. You can take a look…”

In actuality, the in-person autographs wouldn’t have much effect on their publicity. The main purpose of this marking stunt lay in following the activity roadmap that was posted publicly, creating momentum for their new release.

Lin Mian calculated the time. After she finished giving autographs and came back, Que Qingyan was probably already back in the city. 

But, since he wouldn’t meet the real Xu Tong face-to-face who was coming back Wednesday, she still had time to tearfully confess to him face-to-face.

The editor sent the schedule over to Lin Mian, worried that the next sentences Lin Mian would say was “I won’t go. I won’t go. I won’t go.” The editor said, in a forced gentle voice, “How is it?”

Lin Mian paused the horror movie. She squeezed her finished milk carton and softly said, “I’ll go. I’ll go. I’ll go.”

Editor: “…” Why do I feel like there’s no going back?

The autograph convention was held in a nearby city, not far away.

The magazine company booked a hotel and assigned two assistants for Lin Mian. The autograph time was scheduled to start at noon on Sunday.

The next day, Lin Mian was at City T’s convention center.

On the first floor of the convention center, a long line of energetic people formed in front of the entrance of a booked venue. The venue that the company booked was on the first floor. The event hadn’t officially started yet. Lin Mian went to buy some water. She was blocked by people in the crowded entrance area. She tried to look for the staff-only entrance but to no avail. Her head lowered, she began to make a call to one of the assistants at the venue. 

Before the call was answered, Lin Mian heard a familiar voice calling “Junior” behind her. Her hands began to shake. She canceled the pending call.

 “…” Why???

Lin Mian turned her head mechanically and saw a boy waving at her happily. She squeezed a “junior” smile.

“Se- senior?”

Happily surprised that it really was her, the boy walked over. “Junior, why are you here? Are you also attending the autograph convention?” 

“I…” Lin Minan looked at the huge banner at the entrance of the venue. She suddenly remembered something.

This boy is a diehard fan of Mu Mian’s horror manhua. He’s a fan of mine.

Lin Mian shook the water bottle in her hand and awkwardly said, “I… I was just passing by to buy some water.”

Every other convention in the past, Mu Mian would wear a mask when autographing things. The only facial features her fans could capture would be her eyes. Lin Mian wasn’t worried about being discovered. She was more worried about…

The boy didn’t question why she just so happened to be in a nearby city and just so happened to buy water at a convention. He smiled shyly. “You know I came here for other things. I truly didn’t know that Mu Mian was doing autographs here.”

“If I have time later, I might get an autograph…” The boy suddenly thought of something and awkwardly said, “By the way, I haven’t returned the umbrella you lent me. If it’s fine with you, can I get your WeChat account…” 

Her assistant called her back. Lin Mian gestured towards her phone apologetically. “Sorry senior, I have to answer a friend’s call.”

The boy was obviously a little disappointed but he still smiled. He mouthed, “Then, I’ll go first. Let’s talk some other time.”

Lin Mian answered the call, walking in the opposite direction of the boy. She wanted to wait for the boy to leave before returning to the venue. Unexpectedly, with every step he took, he turned around three times. It was like he had to see her leave first before he left. She went farther and farther away from the convention center…

On the other side of the call, the assistant, standing in the staff aisle, looked around in confusion. “Author Mu Mian, where are you? I can’t see you.”

“…” Author Mu Mian replied, her voice sounding a little aggrieved, “I’m 300 meters away from the convention center, on the corner of some road.”

Assistant: “…”

There were too many people coming for autographs, and the originally planned ending time of 5 pm was pushed back by an hour due to the sheer number of people that came.

The venue was mostly cleared out. Lin Mian signed the last manhua, wearing a mask. Her exposed eyes squinted slightly and her eyebrows curved. She softly said through her mask, “Thanks for your support.” 

“Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks!” A girl dressed in a blue skirt graphed her autographed item and profusely thanked Lin Mian. Her face blushing, the girl honestly said, “Goddess, I really love your manhua! I’ll always support you!!”

Almost all the fans have left. Guan Tao, a fellow manhua author who had autographed in the same venue, smiled and said, “I also really like your manhua.”

“Since you can draw such a sweet shoujo manhua, your love life must also be sweet, right Mianmian?”

Lin Mian squeezed her wrists, recalling her bitter history of pursuing a certain someone. She shook her head and then nodded.

Whenever I think of confessing to Que Qingyan, I just…

No. The consequences…

On the first floor of the convention center, other venues besides the autograph event were being closed down, one after another.  

Lin Mian and Guan Tao took care of a few things and left with their assistants. 

Ding. A group of people nearby walked out of an elevator. 

Lin Mian, still wearing her mask, glanced. She froze.

On the second floor of the convention center, there was a multimedia conference hall. Lin Mian had taken a cursory glance at the meetings in the convention center when she was at the staff aisle before. She had seen an academic seminar on law listed to take place on the second floor. There was a long list of names in gold lettering, but she didn’t look carefully at it. 

Xu Zhu had mentioned he was going to attend a seminar with his advisor but was replaced because of a conflict involving internships…

She ran into that boy at the entrance before…

At that moment, Que Qingyan, surrounded by a group of people, walked out of the elevator. He wore a crisp suit and leather shoes, standing out from the crowd. 

He raised his hand to sort out his silver-colored cufflinks and tilted his face down, talking with a man next to him. His aloof eyes inadvertently fell in the direction of Lin Mian.