22.2 - The Twenty-Second Flavor Part 2

Translator: tarararawr

There was a lot of traffic on the way home.

The lights at night were like a river of stars spread out into the world. The man effortlessly held a shopping bag in one hand and held his little girlfriend in the other.

Their silence while walking here was very warm and comforting.

When they reached [Zhong Yi], the cell phone in Xian Bei’s pocket suddenly rang.

She easily took it out and clicked it open. Xian Bei stood in place while shocked. She was covered with goosebumps and wanted to cry.

A familiar number had replied with a message that they had filmed a frame for the second part

of her work 《Sangshi Zhi Cheng》.

The city had fallen and danger loomed in every corner.

The birth of a new life in the refugee base had become a beacon of light and comfort for all of the desperate people.

The young father held the baby in his arms and the professor asked, “Is there anything you want to say to your child?”

At the moment when everyone’s eyes were brimming with tears of excitement and looking forward to the great ambitions in the magnificent speech to have the baby undertake, the father only faintly said,

“May you be just an ordinary and peaceful human being for all your life.”

And this manga had been sold out and out of print for a long time.

Xian Bei didn’t move for a long time. Chen Zhuo asked, “What’s the matter?”

The girl regained her senses and wiped her eyes. She shook her head and did not answer.

She didn’t want to talk, so he stopped asking questions. On that day in Yuan Guang She’s library, he was lucky enough to learn Xian Bei’s enduring secret from Yuan Yuan, so he didn’t want to force the Xiao Beike 1 to open its mouth any more.

When she was ready to talk about it, he would listen with his heart and soul.

When she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t ask any questions.

It was the greatest honor in this world to be able to have a ray of pure white light shining on him and that he could visit the soft, colorful, and deepest parts of her heart.

——

In July, a manga convention was held in Ning City.

Yuan Guang She, as one of the organizers, had the largest display booth and invited six leading mangakas to a signing event.

Yuan Yuan wasted a lot of flattering words in order to invite Madam Xian Bei and have her show up. She finally invited the “Difficult Boss” to come over.

Of course, there were conditions attached——death if she didn’t show up.

It was a fine day. There was a sea of people inside and outside of the exhibition hall.

Chen Zhuo was about to send Xian Bei off to the gymnasium when Yuan Yuan came over, said a greeting, and quickly took her away. She detained her inside the gymnasium for the signing.

Boss Chen had just taken out a drink and didn’t have time to say a few words. He could only chuckle to himself and sighed.

The book signing officially began at 10. The six cartoonists took their seats. Only Xian Bei wore a mask that covered most of her face.

Fans in the audience were already holding banners and flashing signboards to express their love. “Madam Xian Bei! We love you!”

There were men and women holding their cellphones with the camera light on and setting off poppers. They surrounded Xian Bei.

Xian Bei didn’t have the courage to look up and smile at them. She could only fiddle with the marker in front of her repeatedly with both hands, at a loss as to what to do.

And all the mangakas around her waved and skilfully smiled 2 .

They all stayed at home to draw……Why are they all so amazing and proper…….

Envy, jealousy, and regret……

At this time, Yuan Yuan, who had been busy trying to put out fires, happened to stop beside her. She arranged the manga books in front of her and the work ID on her chest was dangling in Xian Bei’s eyes.

Xian Bei became more and more uncomfortable and her back was sweaty. She had to turn to her friend for help. She quietly hid her hand behind the table and tugged at Yuan Yuan’s skirt with a bit of strength.

Yuan Yuan frowned and whispered, “What’s the matter?”

“……I…….I don’t feel well.”

“It’s okay. You’re all right. You have a reserved public image. You can do it.” Then, Yuan Yuan changed the way she comforted Xian Bei. “Anyways, the signing will begin soon.”

When she finished speaking, she fluttered away without touching the ground.

As Xian Bei continued to tremble as she shrunk, she quietly felt for her phone and found a Wechat notification on the screen.

She clicked on it and it was from…….SSSSSSSSSSR. Ever since that old man, who might occasionally have a little bit of a childlike innocence, knew that Xian Bei scratched her heart and lungs 3 on Onmyoji 4 to make an in-app purchase in the game for a SSR 5 , he changed his screen name to……SSSSSSSSSSR…….

His profile biography was: Fairy’s shikigami 6 , the highest rank, always following her everywhere

Footnotes

贝壳 (bèiké) – shell 巧笑倩兮 (qiǎoxiàoqiànxī) – the smiling part comes from a famous line from the Book of Songs . Source 抓心挠肺 (zhuāxīnnáofèi) – Metaphor for very uncomfortable It’s a game where it follows the most famous Onmyoji in Japan, but he lost his memory. You summon shikigami and fight demons. Stands for Specially Super Rare 式神(shì shén) – Shikigami are spirits that a Onmyoji will summon to their aid.