Chapter 243: Guest Performer

Chapter 243: The Guest Performer

—I concede.

—You know nothing of my power.

Meng Fan, who had not updated his image gallery in ages, found himself defeated in short order. He had actually lost a meme war to Wu Tong, a discovery that felt like stumbling into a brave new world—strange, yet wonderfully refreshing.

"I'm off to sleep. See you tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight."

After finishing his chat with Wu Tong, Meng Fan returned to his manga.

To date, fifty-seven chapters of *Spirits Beneath the Earth* had been released. With Ku-ye forced to churn out more scripts, there was enough material to carry the story through to chapter seventy without a hitch.

The third volume of *Campus Love Guide* had also hit the shelves, and the first two volumes had already gone into reprint. He had expected this series to contribute little to his sales experience, yet it had already racked up nearly twenty thousand copies sold. Statistics showed that more girls bought this manga than boys, for no other reason than the art was simply beautiful.

Combined with the reprint of the first volume of *Spirits Beneath the Earth* and the publication of the second, the requirement of one hundred thousand sales for the [Professional Manga Artist] achievement had been met without him even realizing it. All that remained was the publication of five more collected volumes.

With fifty-seven chapters of *Spirits Beneath the Earth* out, and each volume containing eight chapters, there was enough content for seven volumes.

However, even if Ku-ye were willing to release them all at once, and even if the publishers and distributors were convinced, the submission and review process still had to be honored. Currently, only up to the fourth volume had been approved, and the third was already on the printing presses.

Truth be told, this pace was already remarkably fast.

The [Professional Manga Artist] achievement required ten collected volumes; he had already cleared five, with the sixth and seventh soon to follow. With three left to go, at his current pace, a week should be enough.

Wait a little longer!

Meng Fan was anxious; he was eager to start his own original work, but he valued his first original manga too much to rush. He was determined to hold out until the [Professional Manga Artist] rewards were unlocked.

"Fine! I'll give myself more time to refine the plot and the world-building!"

After drawing two chapters of *Spirits Beneath the Earth*, Meng Fan spent his time brainstorming his original manga. He had already sketched over a hundred drafts for character designs and settings, and written over thirty thousand words of plot.

...

"Ah!"

Meng Fan bolted upright, eyes wide, gasping for air as he clutched his stomach.

"Just a dream!"

He looked down at his belly. While his abs hadn't fully surfaced, the flab was largely gone. It felt flat, and pressing down, he could feel the firmness of the muscle beneath.

Since his rebirth, Meng Fan had never had a nightmare, let alone one related to that day. Perhaps it was because December had arrived, reminding him that the date was drawing near, or perhaps something else—even though he had resolved to go to Lion City, the nightmare had come for him all the same.

He touched his forehead; it was slick with cold sweat.

It was only four in the morning. Unable to fall back asleep, he used his livestreaming assistant to research and watch various videos. After a nightmare like that, he felt he needed to learn something new.

With his current physique and capabilities, bolstered by his "black technology" and his hat, he was far more formidable than he had been before his rebirth. Besides, he reasoned, going to Lion City didn't necessarily mean a head-on collision with the robbers; he could call the police, or even gather concrete evidence beforehand.

Still, his heart felt unsteady.

He felt he needed another skill under his belt. Even if he didn't end up using it, it would provide peace of mind. Besides, one can never have too many skills.

What should he learn?

Meng Fan had no clue and turned to the internet.

Martial arts?

While he believed in Chinese Kung Fu, finding a true master was no easy task. Learning from online tutorials was impossible; he certainly wouldn't learn anything practical for real-world combat.

As for Taekwondo or Karate, finding a place to learn was simple, but their practical application was... questionable. They were mostly for show.

Sanda, boxing, judo, wrestling?

Free fighting, mixed martial arts?

Completely out of his depth, Meng Fan didn't know where to start. However, his search led him to a martial arts gym in Hangzhou specializing in free fighting, located near the Huanglong Sports Center. Since he couldn't decide, he figured he might as well go take a look, pick the one best suited for him, and perhaps train hard enough to trigger a new task.

By the time he checked the clock, it was nearly six. Meng Fan threw on his sportswear and headed out. He reached the school track right at six, where he soon spotted Wu Tong in her athletic gear.

"Didn't sleep well?"

After their run, Wu Tong noticed Meng Fan seemed off.

Meng Fan smiled. "Went to bed late."

"Get to sleep earlier from now on. Even if you exercise every day, you need your rest. Go back and catch up on some sleep."

"Alright."

After showering, Meng Fan did indeed sleep for another two hours before heading out to check on that martial arts gym.

As the elevator doors opened, he stepped out and nearly collided with someone coming in. Meng Fan paused. "Sister Bai? What are you doing here?"

The person stepping out was Bai Zhi. She was holding a box and smiled at Meng Fan. "I came to Hangzhou for an event yesterday and thought I'd drop by to see you. Oh, I see you're always at home during your streams, so I guessed you were staying here and just came straight over."

She leaned toward the door, lowering her voice. "Are you hiding a beauty in this golden house?"

Meng Caiwei often stayed here when she visited Hangzhou, and Bai Zhi had stayed over twice herself.

Meng Fan shook his head. "There's no beauty here."

Bai Zhi shoved the box, filled with figurines, into Meng Fan's arms and huffed, "I thought you were hiding someone, otherwise why wouldn't you let me in to sit?"

Meng Fan quickly opened the door; he knew better than to argue with a woman.

"Are you heading out? Busy?"

Bai Zhi changed into slippers and sat on the sofa. "Is it urgent? If it is, I'll go."

Her posture suggested she had no intention of leaving.

Meng Fan said, "It's not really urgent..."

"Are you sure it's not urgent?" Bai Zhi confirmed again, then put on a pitiful expression. "Because I have an urgent matter I need your help with."

"What is it? A sand painting performance for a concert?" Meng Fan asked. "When is it? You could have just called; no need to make the trip."

"Making the trip is mostly to see you, of course." Bai Zhi winked, teasing him. "It is a performance, but not for a concert, and not sand painting."

"Then what is it?" Meng Fan laughed. "Do you want me to perform basketball shots?"

Bai Zhi said, "It's voice acting. I'm participating in a Mango TV variety show, the second season of *Sound Masters*. I made it to the annual showcase, which is basically the finals. The production team requires a guest performer, and I've looked everywhere but couldn't find anyone. Either they weren't a good fit, or they were busy. I didn't want the producers to just assign me someone random, and now, you're the only one who can help me."

Could she really not find anyone?

Impossible!

But Bai Zhi truly felt that no one was more suitable than Meng Fan.

Seeking guaranteed monthly votes.

(End of chapter)