Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 61, Part 2: Hiroki Takashiro

(The opening of the Niya chapter)

Unbeknownst to him, Ming had already spent eight long years at his publishing house in Tiangong City.

During this period, even with Ming deliberately letting him win, Kotaro still ascended to the throne of the Okamine family patriarch without any suspense!

Not long after, another joyous occasion came to the family—Kotaro was blessed with a daughter, who was named Mikie Okamine.

This adorable baby girl brought endless joy and warmth to the entire family.

Unfortunately, despite Kotaro's achievements and happy family life, his relationship with Akira did not improve.

There still seems to be an insurmountable chasm between the two brothers; the estrangement between them remains deep and shows no sign of easing.

As for Ming, after losing the battle for the position of head of the Gangfeng family, his publishing company has been thriving thanks to "Oborozu" and the comics he unintentionally signed with some new writers.

Today, Ming was in his office, staring blankly at the mountain of manuscripts piled on his desk, sighing inwardly:

"Ha~ I have to say, I think I understand why Horarym likes to boss me around so much... Even someone like me who doesn't need to sleep would feel tired from this much workload!" Ming covered his face, his usually cold expression starting to twitch.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Uh... President, are you there?"

Hearing the knock on the door, Ming was taken aback, then composed himself and said coldly, "Come in."

A girl with long brown hair, dressed in casual clothes, walked in, carrying a bag of coffee.

The brown-haired girl placed the coffee on the table, looked at Ming whose eyes revealed fatigue, and timidly asked with concern:

"President... if my guess is correct, were you busy dealing with those mountains of documents again last night? Your body can't handle this for long... but it's your own choice."

"So, I went out this morning to buy some coffee, thinking it would help you wake up."

Ming looked up slightly, saw the concern in the girl's eyes, shook his head, and replied expressionlessly:

"Thanks, Hiroki, but coffee and such are unnecessary for me, so you don't need to buy it for me next time."

The young woman, whose full name was Takashiro Hiroki, showed a slight look of regret after hearing what Ming said. She nodded slightly to indicate that she understood and said, "I understand."

As soon as she finished speaking, she slowly moved to the small and exquisite seat next to the main seat in the office.

Then, he gently took a portion of the manuscript that Ming had placed on the table, and then focused intently on correcting it.

Ming looked at her without saying anything. His long, slightly pale fingers slowly reached for the steaming cup of coffee on the table.

He inserted a straw and started drinking, reminiscing as he drank.

Hiroki Takashiro was someone that Akira had recruited by chance two years ago at the gate of a university in Tiangong City.

At that time, she had just finished her studies in the painting department and was in a predicament of being unable to find a job after leaving the campus.

At this crossroads in his life, Ming noticed her talent for drawing comics and her ability to handle documents, so he took her under his wing and made her his secretary.

In addition to the basic royalties of 4000 RMB per month, Ming also paid her 6000 RMB as his secretary. As a second-generation rich kid, Ming could easily afford this extra amount.

(By the way: Ming had not considered at all the possible relationship between Hiroki Takashiro and Nia Honjo in the future.)

Honggui noticed Ming's actions and felt a surge of surprise, but on the surface, he remained calm and continued to revise the manuscript. After taking a few sips of coffee, Ming put down his cup and said softly, "It tastes alright."

Honggui looked up, a slight smile unconsciously appearing on his lips. "That's good. This is a newly opened store. I bought it to try because the reviews were good."

Ming gave a soft "hmm" and his gaze fell on the manuscript on the table. "The progress of this batch of manuscripts is okay, but some details need to be polished a bit more."

Honggui replied, "I think so too, especially the characters' expressions, which could be made more vivid."

Ming nodded slightly. "So, do you have any specific ideas? For example, which works would you refer to or what style would you adopt?"

After a moment of contemplation, Hiroki said, "We can look at the character expressions in Makoto Shinkai's works; that kind of subtlety is worth learning from."

"The expressiveness of the characters' faces during battles in 'Tales of Time and Space' is also quite good."

A hint of approval flashed in Ming's eyes. "That's a good idea. But we need to adapt it to our own style; we can't just copy it blindly."

Honggui smiled and said, "Of course. By the way, should we start brainstorming the theme for the next issue?" Ming leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's right. It seems that the initial idea for this book is to revolve around the theme of 'love under the intersection of time and space,' but we haven't figured out the specific storyline yet."

Hiroki's eyes lit up. "This theme is very appealing. Perhaps we could design a plot where the male and female protagonists come from different times and space, and their connection is formed through a mysterious picture book."

After listening, Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "That sounds interesting, but how can we ensure that this kind of cross-time and space interaction doesn't seem abrupt?"

Hiroki tilted his head and thought for a while. "We can set some special rules, such as allowing communication only at specific times or under specific conditions."

Minglu showed a hint of interest. "Okay, let the author approve it. Give him these suggestions."

Hiroki happily replied, "Okay." Then he prepared to deliver the message.

She had only taken a few steps after turning around when she turned back to look at Ming. "President, to be honest, I've always thought you're a true anime and manga enthusiast! But, most people wouldn't really notice that."

"Thank you for the compliment," he replied simply.

Then she left the office.