CHAPTER 384: CHAPTER 374: HIM

After the New Year, Qin Guanglin threw himself back into the gym.

He definitely would not have gone, but he had gained a few pounds over the holidays and it had started to affect his pile driving, which was unbearable, even as a sign of happiness. It had to go.

The coach was the same as before, yet he didn’t recognize his old student until they exchanged WeChats, at which point he exclaimed in surprise.

"Is it possible for me to slim down to 130?"

Touching the flesh on his belly, Qin Guanglin felt a bit melancholy, Teacher He hadn’t cried for a long time now.

Time spares no one.

"Pretty tough, I think at most 150 or 160—just theoretically, that is. Most people can’t stick it out." The coach secretly wiped away some sweat.

"...Alright then, let’s start, don’t be gentle on me."

For the sake of his happiness, Fatty Qin started to huff and puff with effort, always weighing himself with the scale as soon as he got home.

He Fang’s workdays passed leisurely. The marks of time didn’t show much on her, but she had started using face masks to prevent aging too quickly.

Life is about tormenting oneself, always restless.

"Anyone hit on you at the gym?"

Lying on the sofa with her legs propped up and a face mask on, He Fang looked up at the sound of the door and asked the sweaty Qin Guanglin returning from his workout.

"Who’d hit on me? I used to be handsome enough for that, now only my daughter would fancy me..."

"You’re all sweaty, go take a shower right away, don’t hug her as soon as you’re home."

"I had a rinse on my way back."

Qin Guanglin insistently hugged his daughter, elbowing He Fang aside, leaned on the sofa holding his daughter and watched TV. He Fang hummed discontentedly and snuggled up to them.

"Stop it, I’m tired right now..."

"I’ll keep at it."

...

Luo City’s night scene was bustling and lively, the lights forming a continuous tapestry, the neon signs coloring the city with vitality.

In another corner of the city, on the 27th floor of a high-rise, the living room was empty except for a lazy cat lying on the sofa. The lights were bright, and Chen Rui stood alone by the window, looking into the distance, unwarrantedly feeling lonely.

Starting a business faced challenges not just with customers, but also competitors—especially in a mature industry, where passion alone doesn’t take one far.

A deep sigh escaped from his lips. After a while, Chen Rui composed himself and went back to toiling on his computer.

May.

The weather was beginning to feel a bit dry. On a sunny weekend, Chen Rui had arranged to meet Qin Guanglin to discuss business,

Although it had been two years since Guanglin left the company, he remained one of the main artists, with two comics whose popularity never waned. Chen Rui always consulted him on comic-related matters.

"Feeling so leisurely, asking me out for tea?"

"There’s something important to discuss."

Chen Rui’s eyes showed a touch of worry, not in the mood for jokes. If things weren’t really difficult, he wouldn’t have specifically sought out Qin Guanglin.

"The contracts with the channels we’ve been working with expire next month, and we won’t be renewing them."

"Huh?" Qin Guanglin was confused, "Why not renew?"

"They don’t want to renew."

"...And then?"

"And then..." Chen Rui paused, looking at him, "Do you not understand what this means?"

"What does it mean?" Qin Guanglin asked.

He really hadn’t thought there would be any impact. If it doesn’t continue, then it doesn’t...

"Your income will decrease."

Chen Rui looked at him, "Over twenty percent of your previous income came from various channels. Now that the collaboration has ended, not only will the revenue from those channels decrease, but your exposure will also be reduced accordingly..."

"Uh... that’s quite a lot." Qin Guanglin scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

"Why did it suddenly stop?"

"Hadn’t I warned you about this before..." Chen Rui sighed, "We are now isolated without support. This is just the beginning, and who knows what’s waiting for us down the line."

Although the platform itself had gained some popularity, it was still not enough. It was at a critical point of development. Once the income plummeted, it would be difficult to attract top-tier artists, and while nurturing the emerging artists, they also risked being poached by others.

This was the plight of small companies. Even if all resources were given to one person, it couldn’t match the casual exposure of large companies. It was difficult to gather popularity, let alone income.

"Is the company going to close down?" Qin Guanglin asked. Did He Fang’s mouth really have magical powers?

"..."

Chen Rui was left speechless and waved his hands dismissively, "Can’t you hope for something better? We’ve just started and you’re already thinking I’ll go bankrupt... Forget it, you wouldn’t understand."

He sighed and said, "I called you here to give you a heads-up so that you won’t freak out when there’s less money coming in—but you should have made enough already, right? Just the physical sales alone should keep you happy, not to mention your wife’s a famous writer... Tsk tsk."

Before, it was just a small studio and no one cared how it operated. Now that the platform has developed, it has become a small climate of its own, and some people have become restless... No one will allow him to share the profits with the artists.

It was a critical point in the company’s development. Such interference at this time could sever a positive cycle that had been hard to establish. The immediate effects might not be noticeable, but in the long run, success would be difficult to achieve, not to mention the unknown troubles that might arise—it’s entirely possible to be scattered and shattered.

Chen Rui had also become aware of his predicament not long ago: short-term profits were a minor issue, but if this platform truly grew, it would come to poach talent from the entire industry, which would be truly terrifying.

He faced two choices: to become a retirement home for great creators, dwelling quietly in a corner and scrounging a little from the comics market, or to wait to be suppressed or acquired.

After explaining these things to Qin Guanglin, Qin Guanglin was silent, unable to intervene as an artist, even if his fame were to double—it would be of no use. The only possible help he could offer was to give Chen Rui a lifeline if the company was on the brink of collapse.

"Your company doesn’t seem to have much of a future," Qin Guanglin muttered, shaking his head.

"It’s too late. If it were a few years earlier, perhaps we could have forcefully made a breakthrough. Now, it’s almost a monopoly... A change of dynasty is too difficult."

Chen Rui sighed, wishing he had been born twenty years earlier.

"Regardless, you’re still very conscientious. That last contact who approached me, they later proposed terms. I asked around, and guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"One of their terms was that they had the right to change my comics, and when I didn’t want to draw, they could find someone to draw under my name..." Qin Guanglin looked exasperated, "Too fresh."

"It’s been like this for a long time. You just don’t know it." Chen Rui smiled, pausing briefly, "Did you actually go ask about it?"

"Ah... Haha, just casually finding out. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely stay with you," Qin Guanglin chuckled awkwardly.

If this place went down, he still had to live; no matter how frustrating, he needed to find a place to bow his head and eat.

"Don’t worry, as long as you can hold on, I will stay with you. My daughter is growing up every day, and the sequel hasn’t been drawn yet."

"Your words put me at ease."

Chen Rui nodded, clenched his fist, and swung it hard, "Let’s take them on!"

"Do you have confidence?" Qin Guanglin asked.

"Of course not, with such a large scale, they could squash me like a grasshopper."

"Then why do you still bother jumping?"

"One has to jump a couple of times, can’t just admit defeat so easily."

Chen Rui turned his head to look out the window. Sunlight streamed through the window panes onto his face, creating sharp light and shadow.

"It’s not necessary for me to achieve the success, I just need to pave the way. There will always be others like me who will stand up."

"Like Yu Le?" Qin Guanglin suddenly remembered Yu Le’s fervent eyes from the past.

"Yes, like him, and many others like him."