CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: HOHOHOHOHOHO

"The two assistants are newbies, so when you have time, give them some guidance," Sun Wen had appeared at some point, using his gaze to indicate Jiang Lingling and Yu Le.

"What can I really teach?" Qin Guanglin didn’t even lift his head, busily pouring tea for his buddy.

The rule of pouring tea, nobody knows when it started, but frequent players all knew it, even those who didn’t know would roughly get the idea after a game of Cappuccino.

"Point out anywhere they’re lacking, so they can learn and make things easier for you too."

"I’m still a newbie myself," Qin Guanglin had just won another hand and lifted his head in great spirits, "You should teach me more."

"Stop kidding," Sun Wen laughed, waving his hand, "I won’t disturb you, keep playing."

"I need to take a break too," Qin Guanglin put away his phone and laid his head on the table to refresh himself.

He wouldn’t mind answering any questions those two assistants had, but asking him to actively offer pointers was out of the question; they weren’t familiar enough with each other, and unsolicited advice might just end up being annoying.

But Yu Le, that kid would probably welcome some guidance, seeing as he’s living for the comics.

In the afternoon, work proceeded as usual. While everyone else was busy with their own tasks, Qin Guanglin alone was idling over the drawing tablet, not really producing much of anything.

Whether it was four-panels, six-panels, or eight-panels comics, if the style was consistent, it was best to unify the character designs too. That would not only save a lot of trouble when drawing but, if popular, could even become a series on its own.

Character design is the hardest part; once the character issue is resolved, the story could quickly be completed according to the script without having to think too much.

The previous spoof was just for fun, not taken seriously, but now he wanted to create some moe and heartwarming character designs, struggling with whether to start with a super-deformed big head style or a softer, more realistic one, he wasn’t satisfied with any of his drafts.

He idled away like that until it was time to leave work. There were quite a few characters on the drawing board, but they were all roughly sketched half-finished products without any that he particularly liked.

"See you, Brother Lin."

Yu Le, who was extremely passionate about comics was, ironically, the fastest one to pack up and leave.

"See you," Qin Guanglin put down his pen and also started to pack up for the day.

"Goodbye, boss," Jiang Lingling said, slinging her equally fluffy bag over her shoulder as she too walked out of the office.

"See you."

"Wait for me, Lin," called Sun Wen, who was close to finishing his own work, just a few more minutes.

"We don’t even go the same way."

Qin Guanglin said this, but he didn’t leave immediately; he stood to one side, took out his phone, and checked in with He Fang to see what she was up to.

"I’ve called Xiao Yu to have a couple of drinks with me," Sun Wen hurried with the task at hand, "Ah, I don’t want to go back home, with nowhere else to go."

"Huh?" Qin Guanglin frowned, "If you’re not going back, where do you want to go?"

"Just trying to go back as late as possible, preferably when I’m already sleepy, then just fall into bed and sleep."

Sun Wen really didn’t want to go home and continue the argument, with no really good solution to reconcile, so he decided after an entire afternoon of consideration to leave the issue alone and cool off for a couple of days to see what happens.

"Avoidance won’t solve anything," Fool Qin suddenly turned relationship guru and offered advice, "You have to face it bravely. Confront the problem; if you can’t solve it, find a way to. Leaving it there only makes things worse."

"Maybe if I have a couple of drinks, I’ll figure something out. Are you coming or not?"

"Sure, I’ll keep you company."

Qin Guanglin had already received a reply from He Fang; she had a dormitory gathering and couldn’t come to meet him.

He alerted Qin’s Mom that he wouldn’t be returning for dinner, and as Sun Wen finished up his work, they casually tidied up and descended together, catching a ride in the direction of West City.

The place was set at Shao’s Home-cooked Restaurant next to Luo City University, where the food was good and cheap; a nice spot to savor the college days again.

Sitting in the car, Qin Guanglin felt a tinge of anticipation, thinking if He Fang and her dormitory gathering were also at the restaurant; it would have been nice, but after scanning the area upon arrival and not seeing any familiar faces, he slightly let go of the idea.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve been here."

Sun Wen casually took a seat and sighed as he looked at the menu, "It feels like just a blink of an eye, and two years have disappeared."

"Well, that’s a pretty long blink."

Qin Guanglin retorted and turned to see Uncle Shao about to come over to greet them. He gestured, "Uncle Shao, you go ahead with other things first. We’ve got one more person coming."

Someone else, huh." Uncle Shao set the teapot on the table and nodded, "Then you guys drink some tea first, and just call me when they arrive."

"Oh right, Uncle Shao, can you get us a plate of peanuts?" Sun Wen stood up and called out before heading straight to the nearby fridge. He looked back and asked Qin Guanglin, "What do you want to drink?"

"Wang Lao Ji."

"Get lost, you sound like a nagging woman." Sun Wen laughed and cursed as he casually carried out a case of beer, "I’ll choose for you, this is it."

"Xiao Yu isn’t here yet, what’s the rush?" Qin Guanglin shook his head, "You two drink more, I can’t drink much."

He always thought of alcohol as just something to enhance the mood. Drinking too much was uncomfortable and unpleasant, so he always controlled his intake, stopping when he felt it was enough, no matter how others urged him.

"Your tolerance is built up over time. Drink a few more times and you’ll be fine."

Sun Wen carried the beer back and used chopsticks to pry open the bottle with a pop, "See, now even if I want to get drunk, it’s hard. It takes practice."

What’s the point of practicing that?"

"Hmm... it’s harder to get drunk."

Qin Guanglin looked at him like he was an idiot, "Wouldn’t it be better if I just don’t drink?"

"Many times, you can’t get out of it." Sun Wen poured him a glass and filled another for himself, "Alcohol is the essence of grain, drink more and stay young."

"It’s not worth it to go out of your way to practice." Qin Guanglin grabbed a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, not planning to touch the alcohol just yet.

"When you get married and get plastered, you’ll regret it when you can’t even make it to the bridal chamber."

Men’s conversations always revolve around those matters.

"Hey, I won’t drink when I get married."

"How can you not drink at your wedding?" Xiao Yu slouched in, pulling up a chair and sitting down, "I’m only a bit late, and you’re already talking about marriage?"

"Just chatting." Sun Wen lifted the menu and waved it at Xiao Yu, "See anything else we should add?"

"No need, just order whatever, we’re here to drink, not to eat," Xiao Yu poured himself a beer and drained it with a slurp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Lin, take a look." Sun Wen pushed the menu to Qin Guanglin.

"This is fine."

Qin Guanglin glanced over the menu briefly, then turned and waved to Uncle Shao, "Uncle Shao, we’re ready to order over here."

"Why suddenly drag me out for drinks?" Xiao Yu looked at both of them, suddenly getting a bad feeling, "Just talking about marriage, don’t tell me one of you is getting married?"

Inviting him, the single dog, over to rub salt in the wound would be too much!

"You ask him." Qin Guanglin pointed at Sun Wen with his chin.

Xiao Yu suddenly remembered the incident at noon and burst out laughing, raising an eyebrow at Sun Wen, "You were asking me at noon how to make up after a fight, are you seeking advice now?"

"Advice, my ass, just drink." Sun Wen picked up his glass and gestured, "Let’s all toast to start."

"Come on, cheers."

"Bottoms up."

The three glasses clinked together, making a series of light sounds.