I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 55
Together with the editor of Honeydew, I had a sumptuous lunch at the staff canteen on the first floor of the convention center. We also discussed the beginning and the plot direction of my new book. After receiving Tuzi’s approval, I returned to Yae-Do’s booth, and Ai Luodi went to eat.
The little girl’s disciplined biological clock, a full stomach, and the pleasant air conditioning at the convention made me feel drowsy almost as soon as I sat down at the booth.
Considering that the cosplay dance event at the convention center doesn’t start until 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and there aren’t many people reading books at this time, I moved my small chair back a bit and lay down on the long bench meant for resting.
“Shall we go out for barbecue tonight?”
“Yae-Do’s novels? They sell novels at the convention too?”
“I heard there’s going to be a new maid cafe at the Nanxi District, the only one by the sea in the whole country…”
“Boss, do you have other designs for this body pillow? No lolis or mature women, maybe an octopus girl or a goat?”
“…”
In the bustling atmosphere of the convention, I quickly drifted into a dream.
—
?This outfit suits you well, like a little princess.?
?Who cares if it’s for the demon race? A demon princess is still a princess, right? Boss, pack these two outfits.?
?Don’t mind what others say. If you like it, that’s all that matters.?
—
In a dazed state, I seemed to have dreamt of that strange otherworldly place again.
?After catching the prey, the first thing you need to do is to remove their skin like this, here and here. Reach your hand over, grip the knife, let me show you… Yes, just like that, great!?
?It tastes better with a bit of spice when you grill it.?
?It’s okay, go ahead and eat. From now on, we are companions. What’s your name??
?No name? Then I’ll help you pick one…?
?…Feel like you’re not much of a talker? You’ve been with me for over a hundred years. It’s okay to be a bit willful.?
?Yes, girls can be a bit willful. It’s a girl’s privilege… What’s with that expression??
?It doesn’t matter, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.?
?Because you’re still very weak now, you don’t know any magic. If one day in the future I get injured or your abilities surpass mine, then it will be your turn to protect me, okay??
“…”
—
“Little sister, little sister?”
In my drowsy state, it seemed like someone outside was calling, “Little sister! Little sister, boss! We want to buy something!”
Huh?
Awakening from my slumber, I looked around and noticed that there were several middle-aged men sitting in front of the booth, and one of them was sneakily taking photos of himself with a phone.
Are those pictures of me taken from here?
“Boss, what do you sell here?”
One of the men, who was seated at the guest chair outside, tapped the table as if urging for a menu. “Something that looks good, not too cliche. Please recommend.”
“Coming!”
Seeing customers approaching, I quickly stood up from my chair and fumbled to put on a hat. I rushed to the front counter, asking, “What kind of novels do you like?”
Wait, did I just have another dream?
I thought to myself quietly while searching for books on the nearby bookshelf. Ai Luodi hadn’t returned from lunch yet, which meant I had probably only slept for less than half an hour.
Dreams are truly fascinating. You can have a dream that seems to last only a few minutes at night, but when you wake up, eight or nine hours have passed. A short nap, or hitting the snooze button in the morning to catch a few more minutes of sleep, can sometimes result in a dream that feels like it lasts a lifetime.
However, since I’m dreaming, it probably means my nap is about over. Normally, you don’t need to rest for too long during lunchtime; ten minutes to half an hour is ideal. Any longer, and your body will enter deep sleep, leaving you feeling groggy for the rest of the afternoon.
In response to my question, the man in front of me had a somewhat playful expression. “To be honest, little sister, do you need some extra cash lately? Want to add me on WeChat?”
What? Need money? Add you on WeChat?
My ‘WeChat’ contacts are either landlords or tenants, and its primary function is to serve as a wallet. Why would you want to add me on WeChat?
The guy’s words instantly brought to mind a classic meme:
“Are you here to cause trouble? Do you want to get schooled?”
“What’s going on? What would you like to buy, gentlemen?”
Just as I hesitated about whether to recommend books like “The Fierce Horse Qi Continent” or “The Strongest Son-in-law in Sheep Village, Fei Yangyang,” the editor Tuzi walked over from outside and asked, “Are you reading a book?”
“Uh… no, I’m not.”
Seeing Tuzi, who was dressed in a mature office lady outfit, the middle-aged men felt somewhat awkward, and the one who was taking photos put away his phone. “Just browsing,” he said.
After that, they left in a somewhat dejected manner.
“This time at the convention, since it’s free to enter, there might be some ill-intentioned people trying to lure cosplayers or girls into doing illegal things,” Tuzi said, watching the men leave. “When you’re alone outside, remember to be vigilant.”
Oh, I see.
I felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Thank you, Editor.”
“Later, the ‘Uncle Ben’ from the group might come looking for you. If there’s nothing important, don’t engage too much with him. Just act like you don’t know him.”
Then, the editor looked towards the stairs on the first floor and said, “Little Ai is coming back soon.”
‘Uncle Ben’ from the group?
The author who had a morning argument with someone about whether men can use a girl’s profile picture?
“You can check the group messages. If you encounter authors like that in the future, just mention me for handling or block them,” Tuzi said, grabbing a pack of nuts from the snack box behind me. “I’ll head over now. If you need anything, message me on QQ.”
“Okay, sure.”
After the editor Tuzi left, I opened my phone with a curious mind and switched to Editor Tuzi’s author signing group. I scrolled through the messages in the group from the time I had been eating and sleeping:
?See that? This kind of little loli is perfect for using a cute girl profile picture.?
?I’m almost at the convention. I’ll go take close-up photos of this divine-level loli for you in person.?
?You guys, all men, and all using girl profile pictures. Truly speechless… Tsk, tsk, tsk.?
The cause of this seemed to be some author who had reposted “Yae-Do has a new loli editor” along with several pictures of me and shared them in Editor Tuzi’s author signing group.
As it was close to noon, many authors had already woken up, and within seconds of posting, his message received a barrage of responses from other authors:
?Just use it, what’s it to you??
?No, brother, your emotional intelligence is really low. Are you still studying or living in your parents’ basement? Speaking like this in society will get you into trouble.?
?Why should I? It’s my own QQ, why should you care about my profile picture? Looking for a fight??
Following this, “Uncle Ben” and the authors in the group got into a heated argument, with both sides resorting to personal insults.
Subsequently, the editor Tuzi seemed to notice the group’s verbal warfare and muted “Uncle Ben” and some of the authors who were using offensive language for 10 minutes. She also sent a message that read, Let’s have peaceful discussions in the group. Avoid using derogatory language and refrain from starting confrontational topics.”
Ten minutes later, “Uncle Ben” was un-muted and said, ?Hehe, little Honeydew, still discriminating and creating small cliques. There’s no need for this broken place?, and then he left the group chat.
In response, Tuzi shared a screenshot of his departure message and added, “Please pay attention to the group announcement. If anyone voluntarily leaves the signing group after causing trouble, they will be blacklisted and never signed again.”
I see.
So much happened during my meal and nap. It seems that being an editor is not an easy job…
After understanding the situation, I put away my phone just as the editor Ai Luodi returned from the stairs.
“Ah… the food here has no taste at all. I miss the spicy hot pot from my hometown…”
She removed the partition and entered the shop, coming over to the snack box. Ai Luodi grabbed several bags of spicy sticks from inside, then turned towards me, shaking the red and shiny packaging in her hand. “Little one, want some?”
“Uh… I’ll pass.”
“No need to save money for them.”
“Um…”
I felt even more awkward, shaking my head repeatedly. “I really don’t like those.”
“In that case, I’ll eat your portion.”
Ai Luodi took out two packs of spicy fish snack from the box and closed it with a loud snap. She went back to her chair, put on disposable gloves, opened the packaging, and took a handful of spicy sticks covered in chili oil, devouring them with gusto.
Wow…
As I watched this scene, for some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine.
It seems that my two future editors… might not be the type I can easily handle…
……