I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 280
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Chapter 280: Leave Your Mark on the Cat Tree of the Little Elves!
“If you’re a beginner, learning to draw for the first time, or if you’ve had drawing experience before and have a generous budget, you can directly use a drawing tablet.”
Lisa opened the large box with the Jialan Company logo and the words “Hyacinth III” next to the table. She took out a white-greenish board from it, along with some accessories.
“This is a stylus, and over here… This model of drawing tablet has many brush options, and the pressure sensitivity is the highest precision, considered the highest level product from Mr. Tom’s company at the moment.”
Handing me the board and stylus, Lisa asked curiously, “Little one, are you going to learn how to draw?”
“Oh… it’s not for me.”
I hastily handed the board to Yin Xiamo.
“Yin Xiamo is the artist, I’m not very familiar with drawing.”
I couldn’t exactly say I wasn’t familiar. It felt like most people in elementary, middle, or high school had “self-studied” drawing to some extent, either by casually doodling with classmates or by copying characters they admired from comics and animations.
Back in my time, the most popular comics in our class were “Manhua World” and ” the most popular magazines in class were “Zhiyin Manke,” with many memorable comics like “Ah Shuai,” “Fool,” and those from Zhiyin Manke such as “Star-Stealing Girl,” “Spirit List,” “Cellphone Boy,” and so on. When I was in middle school, we were a group of kids from the welfare home studying together with kids from the city. There were more or less some wealthy kids in the class, and whenever the weekly comic books came out, they would buy them from the nearby newsstand and generously share them with the whole class after reading.
Quite a few kids awakened their talent for drawing during that time. Whenever they had free time, they would crazily copy the girls and boys from the comic books, causing headaches for the teachers, who eventually forbade comic book circulation in the class.
However, the problem is, once an issue involves the “interests of the whole class,” execution becomes extremely difficult. When the teacher’s orders came down, not only the study committee and discipline committee, but even the class monitor joined in the “rebellion.”
On the surface, they nodded and bowed to the teacher, saying that they were strictly investigating comic books, but privately, they enjoyed reading them together with everyone else.
Including myself, I tried to “self-study” drawing at that time. I once got fired up when the author of “The Rabbit Gang” in “Comic World” talked about his experience creating comics in the media. I even made up my mind to “become a great artist.”
However, reality was cruel. After trying to draw stick figures for a few months, I realized that I didn’t have much talent for drawing. In the end, I had to redirect my energy back into studying and writing.
Then I discovered that I seemed to have a little talent for writing. I started searching everywhere for books like “Storytelling” and “Grimm” that nobody else wanted to read.
Drawing really requires talent. I feel like this profession demands talent just like being a professional eSports FPS player: some people are naturally skilled with guns, some play for thousands of hours and still reach only a platinum level, some study for a year or two and only achieve a beginner level, while others can match some masters after just a few months of learning… You can’t force these things.
Anyway… I can’t draw, but Xiao Mo can. I can write books, but Xiao Mo isn’t familiar with Earth culture. So, isn’t it perfect that we’re together?
“How do you use this…?”
Taking the board and stylus, Yin Xiamo seemed a bit puzzled. She tried tapping the screen with the stylus and then inspected the device.
“Nuo’er, this is what you’ve been talking about these past few days?”
“Yeah, sort of,” I replied somewhat embarrassedly.
“It’s a tool for drawing on the computer. I’ve been wanting to get it for Xiao Mo for a long time.”
“Oh?”
The girl beside me flashed her trademark mischievous expression.
“So my little kitty has turned into a succubus who enjoys looking at her own lewd pictures?”
“What do you mean by enjoying looking at lewd pictures!” I instinctively retorted.
“What does that have to do with buying the drawing tablet?”
“If I start drawing, almost all of my drawings will be your ‘lewd pictures,’ won’t they?” Yin Xiamo chuckled, covering her mouth.
“Isn’t Nuo’er’s intention to have me fill your… um-hmm, our computer with those?”
“What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?!”
I raised my voice and reached out, pinching Yin Xiamo’s cheek.
“I bought this so you don’t have to draw on paper every time, it’s not safe, and it’s hard to find colors!”
“So… Nuo’er wants to see more delicate ‘lewd pictures’ of herself?”
Yin Xiamo put on a look of ‘Ah, I see now, I completely understand,’ and said, “Okay, I’ll do my best.”
“That’s not it!”
I increased the pressure on her cheek, stretching her beautiful face.
“There are a lot of people here! Don’t make such jokes!”
“The two of you have such a good relationship.”
Meanwhile, Lisa seemed to have finished adjusting her laptop. She took a cable and connected Xiao Mo’s board to the computer.
“Have you used other drawing tablets before?”
“No, never,” I replied, speaking on Xiao Mo’s behalf.
“She has always drawn on paper before.”
“I see. Then using a drawing tablet is just fine,” Lisa said, turning her head.
“I was also thinking, if you’ve used other tablets before and you’re really used to them, you can switch to that. After all, some artists are more accustomed to traditional drawing tablets, drawing while looking at the computer screen. But if it’s your first time trying to draw on a computer, a drawing tablet like this is sufficient. You can think of it as a large tablet computer, the cursor is professional.”
I nodded. “Is this… expensive?”
I hadn’t used a tablet computer before, but I remembered hearing “Marisa’s Iron Butt,” also known as Jiang Wei, talking about it. He sold computers, and the shop had some similar items. My first impression of tablet computers was… that they were essentially computers with only one screen, with performance relatively inferior to desktops and laptops.
However, they were more convenient for both carrying and using than desktops and laptops. You didn’t even need a mouse or keyboard. You could just turn it on and use your hands or the accompanying pen, much like a smartphone, but with many more functions.
Other than that, I don’t have much of an impression of these electronic products because I really can’t afford them.
“The factory price is just over four thousand, and if our internal staff buy it, it’s around four to five thousand yuan. We sell it for 8888 yuan to the public, and sometimes we have promotions where it’s 7999 yuan. But the price doesn’t matter much to you, you’re Mr. Tom’s esteemed guests and also Little Yue’s good friends. If you want, we can give you two or three.”
Offering two or three… you really are generous…
Anyway, I won’t be using it, so it’s fine for Xiao Mo to have it. After all, we shouldn’t be greedy.
“So this is how it’s done…”
Under Lisa’s guidance, Xiao Mo held the tablet in her left hand and the pen in her right, trying to draw a few strokes on the blank document.
Yin Xiamo exclaimed, “The technology here… really exceeds my expectations.”
“That’s how technology products are. When drawing tablets first appeared, the connection with computers and this type of hardware was very immature. There weren’t many brush options, and they couldn’t detect pressure or lines. Drawing a picture required many corrections. Artists who came from that time would probably be more accustomed to traditional drawing tablets.”
Lisa chuckled. “Forget about drawing, remember there’s a particle collider in this city? They’ve been researching quantum mechanics in the Craftsman District recently. It seems like there’s been progress in the research of quantum computers. There will probably be a bunch of new products coming out, with more and more new features.”
Quantum computers…
Lisa’s words reminded me of what Su Yunjin mentioned before about the “Mianyun District” and integrated digital twinning.
Maybe if that water-based district is really established, the world is truly going to enter the era of the Metaverse.
“Come on, little one, give it a try and see if it suits you.”
Seeing that both Xiao Mo and I were silent, Lisa leaned in proactively and said, “Everyone has different talents and different levels of acceptance for drawing tablets. First try out this drawing tablet to see if you like it. If this one doesn’t work, you can try another one, or you can also try a drawing pad. Drawing tablets are like monitors and ergonomic chairs. It’s best to try them out in person to see which one is best for you.”
“Okay,” Xiao Mo nodded, then looked at Lisa.
“May I ask if you’re also an artist?”
“Me? No way,” Lisa replied.
“As I said, my previous job was as a school counselor in Newcastle. The students who commonly had psychological issues were those involved in literary creation, like novelists or artists. So, I have some understanding of drawing from that experience.”
Lisa sat down on a small chair nearby. “In recent years, I don’t know if Mr. Tom got hit on the head by a brick from heaven or something, suddenly wanting to sell Jialan Company’s products worldwide and calling me over to help. I had to quit my job at the school and become a… oh, a boring administrator here.”
“Lisa is very kind, she has a master’s degree in psychology,” Xiongxiong chimed in.
“If you have any psychological issues, you can talk to her.”
“These two little ones don’t have any major issues. It’s just this one…” Lisa gestured in my direction.
“This little kitty here might be a bit burdened by worries, so she might not be completely open sometimes.”
“Actually, kitties don’t need so much psychological burden. If they want to scratch a board, they scratch it. If they’re hungry, they eat little fish snacks. Isn’t life supposed to be like that?”
Huh? Why… would I scratch a board?
“Well, Nuo’er, try scratching the cat scratcher, and I’ll draw something for you.”
Noticing that the conversation was taking a strange turn, instead of helping to steer it back on track, Yin Xiamo “aided and abetted” by finding a spot to stand, facing me.
“Miss Sikong Yue, do you sell cat scratchers here?”
“We don’t have cat scratchers, but we have cat climbing frames.”
Sikong Yue raised a hand. “Do you want a cat climbing frame? The automatic rotating kind, with a teasing stick for the cats.”
Yin Xiamo nodded. “Yes, we’ll take it. Bring it over for Nuo’er to lean against and scratch.”
Hey!
I didn’t react immediately. “Why would a company that sells electronic products also sell cat climbing frames?”
“So Nuo’er doesn’t actually object to the cat climbing frame?” Xiongxiong chuckled, covering her mouth.
“Just a reminder, besides animal husbandry and agriculture, the pet industry in our country is also one of the most developed globally. We have over sixty million people who own pets, but there are over eighty million pet cats and over thirty million pet dogs. On average, each person has around two pets. So, it’s not surprising that we sell pet supplies, right?”
Strange, this is very strange!
Wait a minute…
No, wait…
Suddenly, in my mind, I saw the logo of the products on the automatic “pooper-scooper” litter boxes on the second floor of the café.
No wonder I felt like I’d seen that little logo somewhere. I see, I see it every day when I pass by the litter boxes on my way to and from work.
Did you start supplying pet supplies to the café a long time ago?
“Here, the fully automatic teasing cat climbing frame has arrived!”
While I was still marveling at how small the world was, Xiongxiong had already brought over a sample of a cat climbing frame over a meter tall. She skillfully assembled the climbing frame and placed it next to me.
“Nuo’er, come and try.”
“Try what!”
I raised both hands, mimicking a cat ready to scratch. “Do I look like I need to sharpen my claws?”
Although in my “previous life” I might have been seen as an uncle, I didn’t have that image of a scruffy, unkempt uncle you’d find in novels or comics. Usually, as soon as I noticed my nails were getting long, I’d trim them. There was absolutely no need for me to “sharpen my claws on a cat scratcher.”
Why did I feel like I was somehow tied to a “cat scratcher”? It felt like falling into some kind of trap. Who even brought up the concept of a “cat scratcher” in the first place?
“Okay, that’s it. Nuo’er, put both hands on the cat scratcher… uh, I mean, the cat climbing frame, and then lift your butt up.”
On the side, Yin Xiamo dragged the drawing tablet and lit up the screen facing me.
“Look over here, look over here. Make your expression a bit shy, yes, and maybe show a little fang… Yes, yes, just like that.”
For some reason, under Xiao Mo’s “command,” I couldn’t help but follow her request and posed holding onto the cat climbing frame.
“So cute…” Xiongxiong covered her mouth.
“I envy Xiao Mo a little. She gets to sleep with such a cute little kitty every day.”
“It’s not a little kitty!”
I instinctively retorted, then turned towards Xiao Mo. “Are you done yet?”
“It’s not possible to finish so quickly.” Lisa looked at me as if I were a fool.
“Typically, even the fastest sketch by a regular artist of a person takes at least seven or eight minutes…”
“I’m done,” Xiao Mo interrupted, setting down her pen.
“I’m not very good at using this yet. I haven’t colored it, so let’s just do it in black and white for now.”
“Already finished? So fast?!”
Lisa couldn’t believe it, subconsciously taking the drawing tablet from Xiao Mo’s hand. When she saw the screen, her eyes widened.
“This… are you really using a tablet for the first time?”
“Hmph.”
Having grown accustomed to Xiao Mo’s drawing speed, I let go of my hands, stretched lazily, and then returned to her side.
“You annoying Xiao Mo, even though you received a gift, you still take the opportunity to tease me.”
“I’m not tease you. I really like Nuo’er’s gift, really.”
Xiao Mo leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Thank you for the gift, my dear. Love you~”
“Uh… um…” I, who had initially intended to confront her about it, suddenly forgot what to say.
I stood there, my face heating up with embarrassment. It took me several seconds to come back to my senses, and I quickly found a place to sit down to alleviate the awkwardness.
“Well… as long as you like it.”
“No…… my purpose for going on stage to perform just now was just for that computer. I’ll use it to stream games later. This drawing tablet was just a bonus! Don’t get the wrong idea, hmph!”
“……”
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