**Chapter 4: The Bi-Monthly Magazine**

**Chapter 4: The Bi-Monthly Magazine**

Itou Ayumi had just arrived at the restaurant next to the company office building. Since it was still work hours, the fast-food chain restaurant wasn't too busy, with only three or four diners.

There was a couple in matching outfits, a balding middle-aged man in a suit, and a handsome young man with slightly messy hair. But they had already ordered their meals and were eating, so none of them seemed to be the Aoyama-sensei who had asked Itou Ayumi to treat him to a meal.

It seemed that Aoyama-sensei hadn't arrived yet. But since there were still a few minutes left before the time they had agreed upon, she figured it was fine to wait.

Itou Ayumi was about to find an empty seat to wait for Lin Qingshan's arrival.

But then, the handsome young man with slightly messy hair waved at her, "Are you Itou-san?"

Itou Ayumi was taken aback, "Uh... Yes, I am..."

Since arriving in the Magic City (Shanghai) for work, it was the first time she heard someone use the familiar honorific from her hometown to address her.

Lin Qingshan smiled brightly, "I'm glad you're here... Oh, by the way, I'm Lin Qingshan!"

"You are... Aoyama-sensei?!" Itou Ayumi blinked in surprise.

"Yes... that's me..." Lin Qingshan scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

...

Itou Ayumi looked at the handsome young man with slightly long hair in front of her, still finding it hard to believe.

After all, in the manga industry, while age isn't a huge factor, most mangaka (manga artists) usually gain their experience over time.

This is especially true in Japan, where most manga artists start as assistants to more established artists.

Even those who start by creating their own works often see their debut efforts fail.

But Lin Qingshan was submitting his work to Mangajie Culture as a new mangaka from the start.

So, it made sense that he would be younger, right?

But when Itou Ayumi looked at the mature style of "Edgerunners," with its storyboards that could rival those of an anime, she subconsciously assumed that Lin Qingshan must be an older, more experienced rookie mangaka.

But now...

The young man in front of her had slightly messy but thick and shiny black hair, with a pair of bright, slender eyes beneath his bangs. His jawline formed a clear V-shape, and his youthful appearance made him look like he was around her age!

"Is something wrong?" Lin Qingshan asked, stuffing noodles into his mouth with a blissful smile.

Itou Ayumi shook her head, "No, it's just... Aoyama-sensei, wouldn't you like to order something else? I still have some money and can treat you to something other than just vegetable ramen."

Lin Qingshan had already ordered the cheapest item, vegetable ramen, and was waiting for her to pay when she arrived at the restaurant.

It might sound a bit impolite, but then again, he had ordered the cheapest thing on the menu...

Itou Ayumi found Lin Qingshan a bit difficult to read.

Lin Qingshan slurped down the last of his noodle soup and smacked his lips.

Then, he said nonchalantly, "It's fine. I'm very satisfied with vegetable noodles. After all, you're the one treating, so I shouldn't be too indulgent, right? Besides, I'm already full."

Lin Qingshan always knew his limits. Just because someone else was paying didn't mean he should splurge.

Besides, from the looks of it, this Japanese girl seemed to be part of the "Magic Drifters" (people who move to Shanghai for work). Living in Shanghai wasn't easy; she had come a long way to work here, so it wasn't easy for her either. He was content just filling his stomach with vegetable ramen.

And to be honest, after being hungry for so long, even vegetable ramen tasted like a gourmet meal.

"Well... okay." Itou Ayumi said, "Shall we discuss the business cooperation for 'Edgerunners' now?"

Lin Qingshan nodded, "No problem."

"Aoyama-sensei, did you bring your manga manuscripts and ID?" Itou Ayumi asked.

"Here they are." Lin Qingshan took out a folder and then pulled out his ID card.

Itou Ayumi instinctively glanced at the ID card.

Lin Qingshan, age 25...

Only two years older than her...

Then she took out the manga manuscripts, but...

Unlike typical rough drafts, Lin Qingshan's manga manuscripts were highly polished, giving the impression that they weren't just drafts.

Generally speaking, a manuscript is a rough sketch made by the mangaka during the planning phase of the story and layout.

Usually, these rough drafts are not given much attention, with characters being drawn very sketchily, sometimes even as simple as blank mannequins or stick figures. The backgrounds might just be circles with notes indicating what scenery should be drawn there.

But Lin Qingshan's manuscripts were nearly fully completed portraits and backgrounds. Itou Ayumi had to compare them with the final published version of "Edgerunners" to notice the subtle differences between the manuscript and the final product.

This was thanks to Lin Qingshan's Master-Level Ability: Kaleidoscope Drawing, which allowed him to create highly polished artwork effortlessly.

Moreover, Lin Qingshan wasn't originally a professional mangaka and didn't know much about what a manuscript should look like. To him, there were only good drawings and bad drawings, so he would redraw anything that wasn't up to his standard.

These "manuscripts" were just the early drafts that he wasn't satisfied with.

After reviewing the first dozen or so pages of the "manuscripts," Itou Ayumi was convinced that "Edgerunners" was indeed Lin Qingshan's work.

But when she turned to the next page after finishing the initial pages, she froze.

"This is... the content of the fourth chapter of 'Edgerunners'?" Itou Ayumi asked.

"Yeah, I brought the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters with me." Lin Qingshan shrugged, "I didn't bring too many manuscripts."

Itou Ayumi's eyes lit up, "So, Aoyama-sensei, how many chapters of your work have you completed?"

"I've drawn up to the 23rd chapter." Lin Qingshan casually replied.

Itou Ayumi was stunned, "Our Newcomer Awards competition required submissions of medium-length works... Aoyama-sensei, you didn't..."

"I know." Lin Qingshan replied nonchalantly, "Don't worry, 'Edgerunners' is planned to be a 40-chapter series."

Since "Edgerunners" had only 10 episodes in the anime, with each episode corresponding to about two or three manga chapters, the manga would have around 30 chapters.

However, since "Edgerunners" was originally adapted from the game, its audience primarily consisted of players of "Cyberpunk 2077," who were already familiar with the world setting. There wasn't much need to explain the background in the anime.

But in this world, there was no "Cyberpunk 2077," so the background, factions, and story settings needed to be described, right?

This was why Lin Qingshan added the scene adapted from the "Cyberpunk 2077" trailer in the first chapter, mainly to introduce the background.

He also provided explanations for Black Chrome, cyberware classification, and the divisions of Night City, so it would take about 40 chapters to complete the story.

"23 chapters!" Itou Ayumi was amazed, "Then what are your plans for the upcoming chapters, Aoyama-sensei?"

"Well, it's a story about the protagonist getting a powerful cyberware, joining a gang, meeting the heroine and friends, and starting his rise to the top." Lin Qingshan said casually.

"Just as I thought! The protagonist will meet some great companions!" Itou Ayumi nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, then let's sign the contract. According to our company's process, Aoyama-sensei, since you're debuting through this Newcomer Awards competition, your work will be serialized in 'Manga World GOGO.' It's a bi-monthly magazine, with one chapter being serialized every half month. Based on the popularity of your work and fan votes, your work will also compete with other entries in the Newcomer Awards competition...

Regarding the payment, the best rate we offer new artists is 400 yuan per page. If you serialize two chapters a month, which is about 30 to 40 pages..."

(End of Chapter)