At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

Chapter 202 Passionate Battle of Wits - Ultimately, No Match for the Younger Man's Control

Upon hearing Su Che's answer, Yali couldn't help but chuckle.

She hadn't expected him to have such a huge appetite, wanting to benefit himself from both sides.

"Wait a minute, teacher, such greed might end up getting you killed!"

"Um... I'm sorry, but I still don't want the original OC to just disappear from my memory like this. Miss Ari, this is one of the few principles I want to stick to."

When he said those words, Su Che's gaze was resolute.

If his cat were there, it might be moved to tears by his determination.

From an outsider's perspective, he was preserving OC's original appearance for the sake of his house cat, because the image of the house cat was already deeply ingrained in people's minds. The house cat was his future leading lady, not any other woman.

"Is that so? Okay, okay, okay."

Three "good"s in a row, half with helplessness and half with indulgence.

The goddess Ari spoke as if she were spoiling her ignorant younger brother.

"Since this is your decision, then as your artist, I will naturally respect your choice."

"Wait, teacher, don't worry too much about this. If we adopt your suggestions, then in the final draft, I only need to restore the character illustration to its original state. The half-body illustration won't show the face, and the costume design won't include a head, so the extent of the changes is still manageable."

She casually reassured him, as if she had expected this all along and had already prepared a way out.

Su Che's tense mood immediately relaxed after she saved his face, and he slowly exhaled:

"Then I really thank you, Miss Ari. It was my fault for not expressing my needs clearly this time."

He took the initiative to assume responsibility, but in reality, when faced with unpaid illustrations, most clients wouldn't even dare to speak up, let alone make a request.

It's already a favor that the artist is willing to draw; who would dare to make demands?

Ari simply smiled without saying a word, quietly and elegantly sipping her Ristrictto. Her exquisite face became more and more beautiful the more you looked at it, flawless.

At that moment, Su Che, who was stealing a glance at her, suddenly frowned slightly. He felt that her face not only resembled the older sister next door from his childhood, but also looked somewhat like the picture of the blind date his mother had sent him a few days ago.

Although the makeup and outfits are completely different, the first impression of their figures, temperament, and facial features is completely different...

I always felt that they could be perfectly overlapped.

No way...

If such a coincidence were possible, then my marriage...emm...

No, no, I should ask Mom for some more information to confirm when I get back, otherwise it would be bad if I made a mistake.

Seeing that the other person was looking over, Su Che immediately looked away to avoid being captivated by her.

At the same time, they looked for other topics, trying to break the awkward situation of differing opinions.

"Wait a minute, teacher. We've finalized the original artwork. How about we chat about what's been going on in your life?"

Without him having to hesitate for long, she directly guided him into starting the conversation.

"it is good."

"I saw on the platform last time that during the 'gap period' of the past few years, Teacher Dengdeng seems to have collaborated with new artists several times..."

"!"

When the goddess mentioned this, his heart skipped a beat, and he sensed something was wrong.

She replied cautiously, "Yes, because of limited funds, and because I simply cannot afford Miss Ari's fee, I have no choice but to..."

"So you went and trained a lovely newcomer?"

She looked at him with a smile, her eyes sparkling, and the corners of her mouth curled into a rather dangerous arc.

"what……"

"I've read Hare's profile. He's a really fast-improving kid, and he's also very cute. He's the kind of little artist that everyone loves."

Her words carried a complex meaning, as if she were sighing, and she murmured:

"Affordable price, plenty of time, positive attitude, prompt replies, and she puts her all into every submission. Most importantly, she matches your aesthetic. Who wouldn't like an artist like that?"

"!?"

Su Che had the illusion that he was being read by someone, and he had reason to suspect that Goddess Ari had seen An Qing in person.

Otherwise, such a precise judgment could not have been made.

They might even be friends on social media. This isn't uncommon among artists.

"Um... Miss Ari doesn't want me to contact other illustrators?"

Su Che used his skill, "Answering a Question in Response."

This technique originates from "The Great Art of Countering Bad Water," and its effect is to replace a locked, dangerous answer with a counter-question. It can cleverly resolve difficult situations and understand the other party's needs, making it very useful.

Its combat power rating is 38.

He knew in his heart that Ari wasn't the kind of person who would force people to place orders; that didn't fit her personality.

If she doesn't want to date someone else when she knows she doesn't have the money, then there must be another reason, rather than her deliberately making things difficult or being unreasonable.

Sure enough, she nodded readily in agreement:

"Teacher Dengdeng is the most comfortable client I've ever worked with. I also really like your child and can create all sorts of new works for her. I'm very happy during the creative process."

The "child" here refers to his OC.

"So, if Teacher Dengdeng is willing, she can hand over all her responsibilities to me. I can sign a 'full-term responsibility contract' with Teacher Dengdeng, and I will take care of all the settings related to the child's OC."

"Of course, as for the payment, I'll only take one percent, as a symbol of the contract taking effect."

She made the suggestion earnestly.

"?!"

Hearing this, Su Che was at a loss for how to deal with the goddess's offensive.

He's not stupid; he can accurately calculate that for manuscripts averaging 100,000, one percent is 1,000...

And one thousand is precisely An Qing's current rate for accepting commissions...

In other words, the goddess deliberately suppressed the price of her 10-level red commercial manuscript by 1000... directly creating a direct match with An Qing, and completely crushing An Qing in terms of quality, completion, and all other aspects, making it impossible for her to refuse.

From a rational perspective, in terms of the cost-effectiveness of commissioned writing and the usability of the finished product, the goddess wins hands down.

Emotionally, if Anqing is bullied and loses her orders, she will cry and be difficult to comfort, which is not good for the current ecosystem of the house cat.

Su Che was caught in a dilemma.

"What, are you feeling sorry for your little artist?"

Ari leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, and observed his micro-expressions with great interest.

Su Che felt a slight chill and subconsciously shook his head.

You can't resist a piece of meat that's right in front of you. If you buy 1000 manuscripts in bulk, you can perfect your OC system to the extreme within 10 orders, making it three-dimensional and crushing other commissioned writers without a system.

"I just feel that Miss Ari has done so much for me, but why bother? She could have earned more money, but instead she has to devote her precious energy to me... Is that really appropriate?"

He used the skill "asking instead of answering" again, and the effect was extraordinary.

Bypassing An Qing's protection, they directly addressed Ari's needs.

Ari simply smiled upon hearing this and said casually, "What difference does it make what kind of commission I'm drawing? The reason I raised the price of my work is to filter out commissions I don't want to draw and clients I don't want to work with. It's a kind of filtering."

The fees I receive aren't a necessity for me. More than money, I want to retain the clients I like and the children I admire. Do you understand, teacher?

"..."

Seeing that the goddess sister was going straight for the ball and the topic was gradually becoming dangerous, Su Che suddenly felt tricky and felt that he had been forced into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

Having said all that, to refuse now would be ungrateful.

"That's right. I've been busy with other things lately and haven't had time for creative work. So if Miss Ari really wants to sign a full-term contract, the demand for my projects might not be that high..."

He expressed it tactfully, meaning that he is currently focused on music and doesn't have time to cultivate a persona for his new book. He added that he would have to wait until his current tasks were completed before he could fully dedicate himself to it.

If Miss Ari can wait, then the contract can be signed; if she doesn't want to be sidelined, then she should reconsider.

Ari was fully aware of his movements, but of course he couldn't tell him that he had seen him perform live.

He said with feigned regret, "Is that so? It seems that Teacher has more important things to do later."

Her meaning was clear: music seemed to hold a higher place in someone's heart than creative writing and commissioned works.

"But it's okay, I can wait for you to send your requests. After all, I don't take orders from anyone else but you."

She chuckled lightly and then uttered a weighty statement.

"no……"

Su Che was under immense pressure. "Miss Yali, you really don't need to close your order-taking channels for my sake... Otherwise, I would feel really bad."

"Feeling bad about it, so you asked me out?"

"..."

Looking at her mischievous yet alluring expression, he was a little dazed, and before he could speak, he confirmed it with his own words:

"Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"Uh-huh."

As she spoke, she pulled an A4 sheet of paper from her bag, which turned out to be a pre-printed "OC Full-Term Responsibility Contract".

No! She came prepared.

Alarm bells immediately rang in Su Che's mind. Looking at the pre-prepared contract, he wavered once again.

"Hey, wait a minute, teacher, don't be afraid. If you cooperate with me, you won't lose out or be fooled. Besides, we both live in Tianhai, so close by, I can't run away, right?"

She lightly tapped her index finger, handing the contract to him—

"Let's check it out. See if all the terms and conditions are acceptable? If there are no problems, then just sign it, okay?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she even prepared a pen and placed it on his left.

"..."

Now, Su Che had no choice but to have a thorough check-up.