Chapter 131: Has Jiang Lang Exhausted His Talent?

Chapter 131: Has Jiang Lang Exhausted His Talent?

The next day.

At six in the morning, Zhang Yanting woke up groggily. It was time for her to get up, make breakfast, and send the kids to school.

"Hubby…"

She instinctively reached out to move the arm that Yang Dahai would usually rest on her neck while sleeping. However, this time...

She didn't feel anything?

Huh?

Zhang Yanting forced herself awake and looked to her side, only to see the bed was empty.

"Dahai?"

She paused, calling out tentatively, "Is he in the bathroom?"

But then she recalled that she hadn't noticed Yang Dahai coming to bed last night...

Her heart began to race. Did Yang Dahai not come home last night?

If so, where had he gone?

She remembered that after dinner and a bath, Yang Dahai had mentioned needing to do some work in the study. But...

Yang Dahai wasn't the kind of man to work through the night after work hours.

Could he have sneaked out while she was asleep and still hadn't come back?

Although Yang Dahai had been a model husband and father for years, with no bad habits, always fulfilling his role impeccably...

But her best friend had once warned her that the men who appear perfect are often the ones with the most hidden problems.

Back then, Zhang Yanting had just laughed off the advice, not taking it seriously.

But now, discovering that Yang Dahai hadn't come to bed all night...

She started to panic...

Could it be that Yang Dahai had finally slipped up?

Otherwise, why wouldn't he have come to bed all night?

Zhang Yanting, now full of anxiety, quickly got out of bed, already a little angry, and was about to call Yang Dahai to find out where he was.

But as she reached the table to grab her phone, she noticed... the light was still on in the study across the room.

She hesitated, then walked towards the study with her phone in hand.

Yang Dahai... was in the study!

[Translator: sauron]

Zhang Yanting breathed a sigh of relief but then noticed that Yang Dahai, though fully dressed, had bloodshot eyes and was staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him.

Panic set in again as she rushed to Yang Dahai's side, calling out, "Hubby... Dahai? Yang Dahai?!"

Yang Dahai, his eyes still bloodshot, continued staring at the computer screen, suddenly muttering to himself, "It's all meaningless."

"Thousands of years from now..."

"Life will end..."

"Morality is meaningless..."

"Identity is meaningless..."

"Faith is meaningless..."

As he spoke, his body trembled, and his breathing was heavy.

His breathing was so light, yet so heavy.

If the surroundings weren't so quiet, Zhang Yanting wouldn't have noticed his slight breathing.

But Yang Dahai's breaths, though faint, seemed to be all he could muster, like the final breaths of a dying man.

"Hubby, don't scare me..."

Zhang Yanting was terrified. She couldn't understand what was happening to Yang Dahai.

She instinctively glanced at the computer screen in front of Yang Dahai and saw an image of a scene in a comic, depicting a cinema with a man and a woman standing in the audience section, smiling at each other, with no one else around.

Could it be that this comic caused Yang Dahai to become like this?

But the scene looked so warm...

Zhang Yanting was confused but quickly focused back on her obviously distressed husband.

...

"Congratulations, Yao Yao Shu! Your comic 'Gods' is still holding the fourth spot in the rankings this week."

Gu De'an, Yang Shuzhun's editor, said cheerfully over the phone.

"Great, thank you, Teacher Gu."

Yang Shuzhun smiled with satisfaction after hearing the news and hung up the phone.

Although "Gods" was still in fourth place, he wasn't disappointed. After all, aside from the small climax of the Bronze City's god-slaying action, the plot had remained relatively flat.

So, it was normal for the popularity not to increase.

In fact, the fact that the rankings hadn't dropped was a sign that "Gods" had a solid fan base.

This also proved that his story structure was on the right track.

Next up was another exciting arc.

But now he realized that just killing off characters like Ye Sheng and Yaji, who were only temporarily developed, wouldn't be enough.

Although their deaths drew attention and discussion among fans, it wasn't enough.

Ye Sheng and Yaji weren't well-developed enough for their deaths to elicit significant emotional responses from fans.

He needed to invest time in developing popular, well-rounded characters who fans would grow to love.

Then, when those characters met tragic ends, the fans would feel much more affected!

So... he couldn't just focus on the main character.

He needed to develop the supporting characters well so that he could later deal a heavier blow.

With a plan forming in his mind, Yang Shuzhun decided to set the next arc within the academy.

"Now... let's stage a great show within the academy."

He said confidently.

With a good setup for several key supporting characters, his protagonist can grow later... Well, for now, let him remain the same unlucky guy.

Having planned everything out, Yang Shuzhun then looked at the six complete volumes of...

"Edge Runners."

He was filled with mixed feelings, not about "Edge Runners" itself, but...

"It's a pity, but the plot of 'Chainsaw Man' has been disappointing."

Yang Shuzhun shook his head, "Is 'Edge Runners' truly your peak work? Have you exhausted your creative talents?"

To be honest, he had initially looked forward to "Chainsaw Man."

He even considered studying it like he did with "Edge Runners," to learn from its plot and settings.

So he had been following the story of "Chainsaw Man" closely during his free time.

But after so many chapters, he could only conclude that its plot and settings were mediocre.

The characters were somewhat interesting, especially the female lead Makima—a beautiful red-haired woman, very much his type.

And the tension in the scene where she flirted with the protagonist was well done.

But that alone wasn't enough to surpass his work, "Gods."

After all, the upcoming story arcs in "Gods" were set to deliver one intense climax after another.

"If you continue with such a lackluster story..."

Yang Shuzhun thought, looking at the volumes of "Edge Runners" as if conversing with Lin Qingshan, "I'll be the one to win."