Chapter 27: What to Eat Tonight

**Chapter 27: What to Eat Tonight**

A month passed in the blink of an eye. For Lin Qingshan, time really seemed to fly by.

Thanks to the money he earned from *Edge Runners*, he finally escaped his life of poverty.

Although he hadn't achieved great wealth, with his after-tax income exceeding ten thousand yuan per month, he had basically attained financial freedom in this world.

It's worth noting that this world is roughly equivalent to ten years before his previous life. Back then, a ten-thousand-yuan income, even in a big city like Shanghai, would have meant a middle-class lifestyle.

Lin Qingshan's life philosophy in this world was to enjoy the moment—play music and dance while you can.

So, during this time, he lived quite comfortably. Not only did he buy comics and novels, but he also purchased a TV, a computer, and a gaming console.

Just as Lin Qingshan was enjoying the pleasure brought by the traditional online game *系熊第,就来坎我*, his phone suddenly rang.

It was Ayumi Itou.

"Hello, moshi moshi," Lin Qingshan answered the call, putting it on speaker.

"Mr. Qingshan... about the recent storyboard you sent, the plot..." Ayumi Itou got straight to the point.

"Oh, the storyboard I just sent you? The plot... let me think..." Lin Qingshan had too many drafts stored up and had already drawn up to Chapter 34. He really couldn't remember what the plot of Chapter 14, the one he had just sent, was.

But thanks to his "hard drive memory" ability, he instantly recalled the plot he had drawn for Chapter 14.

"Oh, it's the part where Pilar dies. Is there a problem?" Lin Qingshan said casually.

Translator: sauron

He was looking up game walkthroughs online...

"Yes... My opinion is that Pilar's exit feels too... sudden," Ayumi Itou said, looking at the storyboard where Pilar suddenly gets his head blown off by a seemingly harmless cyberpsycho. Her expression was odd.

The plot seemed completely inexplicable. One of the protagonist's companions wasn't killed by a villain's scheme, nor was there any connection to the protagonist's storyline.

He wasn't even killed by his own subplot. He just died suddenly.

While it's true that Pilar provoked the situation, his death still felt too abrupt.

It left the reader utterly confused.

Most importantly, the previous plot had painted a picture of peace and positivity.

Pilar might not have been very close to David, but when David gifted the cybernetic arm, Pilar was at least considered one of the team.

And later on, David had integrated into the team and collaborated closely with Pilar.

Just when everyone was happily working together, Pilar, a member of the protagonist's team, suddenly died.

Who wouldn't think, "What the heck is going on?"

"It's not a problem. I think this plot development is reasonable. When it comes to a character who's destined to exit, it's best to build them up halfway and then kill them off," Lin Qingshan said offhandedly.

In reality, he was just brushing Ayumi Itou off.

He didn't create this storyline; he was just copying it!

He didn't have the skill to make such changes, and if he altered this part, how would the subsequent plot unfold?

Everything would get messed up. He didn't have the ability or the time to rewrite the story bit by bit.

Moreover, as a "copy artist," copying someone else's work is already questionable. Messing with the original story would be even worse.

After all, adaptation isn't random creation, and retelling isn't just making things up.

As a copy artist, how could he change the original author's work?

Adding a few details is fine, and he wasn't slipping in his own content willy-nilly.

Instead, he was adding some background settings and term explanations based on the world of *Cyberpunk 2077*. That shouldn't be too much, right?

But making direct changes would be too much!

It just so happened that Lin Qingshan remembered a quote from a famous manga artist in his previous life, so he used it to explain things to Ayumi Itou.

"Well... okay," Ayumi Itou took a deep breath. "But Mr. Qingshan, don't you think your art style is too realistic this time? I'm worried it might cause controversy."

Lin Qingshan was surprised. "No way, that scene wasn't too realistic... I actually toned it down."

As everyone knows, the *Edge Runners* anime is an 18+ show, full of nudity and bloody violence.

Lin Qingshan knew that in a manga without an age rating, it couldn't be that explicit or violent.

So he made some "clothing adjustments."

For example, in the scene where Kiwi and Lucy enter deep dive mode, he added "black customer service" over the ice pool.

In the scene where Pilar gets his head blown off, he toned it down a bit, only drawing a bald neck connected to half a jaw.

Is that still a problem?

"But... never mind. It's just my concern. If you think it's okay, then it's okay," Ayumi Itou sighed.

"Mr. Qingshan, I'll send it out as it is."

"Alright!" Lin Qingshan nodded, then said with a grin, "Thanks for your hard work, Ayumi. How about coming over for dinner tonight?"

As they became more familiar, there was one night when he made a big meal and thought it would be a waste if he couldn't finish it.

After all, anyone who's cooked knows that making a feast for just one person is quite troublesome.

So he tried inviting Ayumi Itou over for dinner, and she actually came.

After all, the manga company didn't provide meals or accommodations. Ayumi Itou lived alone, so at night, she either had to cook for herself or eat fast food.

Coincidentally, just like Lin Qingshan, she found that cooking for one person was too troublesome.

Eating fast food outside wasn't healthy, and after a while, one starts to miss home-cooked meals.

So Ayumi Itou didn't refuse.

Now, the two of them had become dinner buddies.

"What's for dinner tonight?" Ayumi Itou paused for a moment, curious.

"Ingredients-wise, I bought pork belly and plan to make braised pork. Also, the season is just right—bamboo shoots are particularly tasty now, so I'm making pickled bamboo shoot soup."

Lin Qingshan added, "For soup, I'm keeping it simple—just making miso soup."

"Miso soup..." Ayumi Itou's eyes lit up, and she almost started drooling.

"Alright, I'll come over after work. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Qingshan."

She instantly perked up.

Lin Qingshan couldn't help but laugh. His braised pork and pickled bamboo shoot soup were way tastier than miso soup made with radishes and fish bones.

But this Japanese girl was only interested in the miso soup.

Well, it's understandable, given her cultural background.

"Okay, see you later," he said.

"See you later," Ayumi Itou felt a warm sensation in her heart after hearing those words.

(End of Chapter)