Chapter 105

Page Fifty-Four The Wisest in the Year

Almost every booth had large speakers playing their respective BGMs, and some particularly terrifying subwoofers made people feel vibrations when passing by. Thus, the convention hall was extremely noisy, not because anyone was competing over whose speaker quality was better.

Fortunately, the Witch Workshop’s booth design was thoughtful. The stage was set up inside the booth, with wall panels that somewhat blocked out the noise from other booths, minimizing interference when Thunder Meow-Meow sang.

Although the space utilization was very low and could not accommodate many tourists.

Unlike during the Water World event, Tian Qian, who had prepared in advance, brought high-quality lossless accompaniment. Compared to the a cappella performance at the beauty pageant, this impromptu performance was more impressive.

The golden-haired magical girl passionately sang on stage, while customers buying the comic lined up to pay. I held the sign for “Last in Line” outside the booth, feeling dejected.

So dejected, unable to see Thunder Meow-Meow jumping around on stage, I felt so disheartened!

Wu Qinglan stood beside me, handing out flyers to each person in line. This person always seemed hunched over seriously, looking listless. Could there be something wrong with their spine?

Honestly, there were quite a few people queuing up, far exceeding my expectations.

“This comic is unexpectedly selling well. You must have done a lot of promotion, right?”

Could it be due to Miss Marika’s influence? After all, she was a somewhat famous illustrator.

“Haven’t you noticed? It’s all thanks to that little idol! You’re so lucky to know someone of her caliber. Just singing a song can bring in so many people.”

He peered at Thunder Meow-Meow, who was singing her heart out on stage, and patted my back hard, causing me to cough.

“Although her voice is indeed excellent, how does singing lead to increased comic sales?”

I asked, puzzled. Surely, listening to a song doesn’t make one want to buy a comic immediately? That didn’t seem logical.

“You’re still too naive, boy. Think about the structure of our booth.”

He lightly tapped the wall behind him and said proudly, “From outside, you can’t see the inside. Once people hear such an outstanding voice, they’ll become curious about the singer’s appearance, and then they’ll queue up. Plus, with my pricing strategy—selling a thick single-volume comic for only forty-five yuan—most people will buy it just because they’ve come this far.”

This person wasn’t selling books to make money; it was purely for promotion.

“It seems reasonable.”

If I were a tourist and left empty-handed after waiting in line for so long, I’d also feel like I was cheated.

“However, it’s really impressive. Listening to this voice, I thought there were three or four people in the group.”

It wasn’t unreasonable for Wu Qinglan to think this way. With Thunder Meow-Meow’s infinite vocal range and ability to switch voices quickly, it sounded like multiple people singing together.

The downside was that after each song, Thunder Meow-Meow needed considerable rest. And now, after another song ended, her voice no longer rang out.

Wu Jian came squeezing through the entrance, directly walking towards me.

“Brother Kai.”

Noticing Wu Qinglan was there, she adjusted her address to me.

“Sister Miāomiāo seems to have sung herself out. She announced the performance is over.”

Only a few songs in, and she couldn’t continue, showing how much energy her style consumed.

“How fast!” Wu Qinglan exclaimed.

Hearing Wu Jian’s words, some tourists at the end of the line who had come for the song left disappointedly, shortening the queue significantly.

“Is this real? Don’t leave! Our comic is excellent!”

Facing the departing crowd, Wu Qinglan looked weak, pitiful, and helpless… but shamelessly begged, “Hey, boy, can’t you let the little idol sing a few more songs?”

“Do you think I have that kind of face value?”

To Thunder Meow-Meow, my face was only valuable as a punching bag, so she loved hitting me (physically).

“Don’t you think she doesn’t dislike you?”

“Are you blind? Her gaze isn’t full of disgust?”

“Foolish boy, that means she cares about you!”

What kind of logic is this?

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to the publishing booth.”

Uninterested in the antics between me and Wu Qinglan, Wu Jian sighed and turned to leave.

“Hold on.”

I called her back, handing the “Last in Line” sign to Wu Qinglan, who stared at me wide-eyed and scolded.

“Damn? Are you going to slack off again?”

“I’ll be right back!” I added, “Before lunch!”

“Hey, you’re still thinking about lunch?”

I bowed to him and chased after Wu Jian, instinctively patting her arm to invite her back to the Witch Workshop’s booth. But when I touched her, she jumped away as if electrocuted.

She looked even more delicate as she drew her arm back like a startled bunny.

Are you serious about that small action? Such a tiny move hurt so much.

“This is a natural reaction of a female body!”

Before I could comment, she preemptively explained.

“It’s fine, after all, you’re a female now. Suddenly touching you was my mistake.”

I pointed toward the booth.

“Before your book signing, I need to take you to meet someone first.”

“Who?”

“A person you know.”

“A person I know?”

Customers buying comics on-site received paper bags, posters, and postcards, so the magic girls in red and black uniforms were helping pack them at the cash register.

Though both were quick-handed, neither Fei Yue nor Yan Yao, who were either a middle school delinquent or a stoic ascetic, would use a service-oriented smile to please customers. Especially Yan Yao, who perfectly inherited Yan Liuzhuan’s “you owe me money” scowl.

Smile, you stoic! Customers might be dissatisfied!

At this moment, two otaku wearing checkered shirts finished paying and passed by us.

“That magic girl with the bandage is what they call the ‘evil eye’ middle school delinquent. She’s trying hard to overcome her shyness, which is kind of cute.”

“Oh, and the black one is great too. That disdainful look is unbearable.”

Surprised, these were unexpected compliments?

Are you into S&M, buddy?!

I waved at Xiao Yao, who glanced at me and greeted Fei Yue before slowly walking over.

Graceful in posture, dignified like a lady from a wealthy family—except for that giant scythe.

“Do you really need to carry such a big scythe around?”

Even if it were plastic, it was still heavy and unnecessary. Like Tian Qian’s weapon, a massive longbow, which was currently discarded backstage.

“Yes.”

She nodded, indifferent as a soulless grim reaper.

“This scythe is an integral part of this character.”

Artists are often obsessed with strange things. As long as you’re happy, that’s fine.

“Alright, let them get to know each other.”

I stepped aside, pushing Wu Jian forward.

“Huh?” Wu Jian stared at Xiao Yao in shock, half-turning to ask, “Didn’t you say she’s someone I know?”

In contrast, Xiao Yao remained calm, her first-year wisdom rapidly processing. Her deep eyes sparkled with intelligence.

She quickly concluded and walked forward to pat Wu Jian’s head.

“Only a few days apart, Sister Cāngyǔ has changed a lot.”

…

I overestimated her.

“No, she’s Brother Fēng Wǔ…”

I directly revealed the truth and introduced Xiao Yao to Wu Jian.

“She’s Yan Liuzhuan. You’ve become friends, yet you didn’t recognize her?”

“Now that you mention it, it’s true!”

Compared to Wu Jian, who had dramatically shrunk and regained her youthful appearance, Xiao Yao hadn’t changed much. Her features still resembled Yan Liuzhuan’s.

“So… why did Brother Fēng Wǔ turn into a woman?”

It seemed Xiao Yao was asking Wu Jian, but she was actually looking at me.

“Why are you looking at me? Ask her yourself!”

Why do I feel like I’m being blamed for something?

I turned to Wu Jian again.

“Whether to tell her or not is up to you.”

“I came for the book signing… I’m sorry for deceiving you. Actually, that novel was written by me, just submitted under my sister’s name.”

“I knew.”

“I didn’t mean to deceive you, but… Huh?” Wu Jian paused, “You knew?”

“After hearing so much about the novel at the Water World, I guessed the possibility. If Sister Cāngyǔ were the author, we wouldn’t have discussed the content without interest.”

Maybe she was tired, leaning the scythe against the wall and adjusting her stray bangs, she continued.

“If someone had seen my paintings, I would care deeply about their opinions. Any creator has emotional needs, and Sister Cāngyǔ lacks this, but you show it clearly. Isn’t the answer clear?”

Speechless at such a sharp deduction.

“Amazing.”