If he weren't sitting in this chair, he'd probably fall straight to the ground, Zheng Fan thought. This is Feng Siniang, the genuine Feng Siniang. Then... where am I now?
"My Lord, you're awake! My Lord, you've finally woken up! I've been waiting for you for half a year," she said.
Beautiful women look beautiful even when they cry, just as truly handsome men look handsome even with a shaved head.
Though Feng Siniang was no longer a young girl, her inimitable allure was something those young lasses could never emulate.
She was a character from one of Qin Siyao's works, created when Qin Siyao herself had just started university.
It seems young girls are always eager to shed their youthful inexperience; they learn to apply makeup and dress up to appear mature more quickly. Conversely, women who are truly older often go to great lengths to look as young as possible.
When Qin Siyao designed and drew the character Feng Siniang, she must have infused her with her own fantasies of a mature, sophisticated woman—an 'older sister' archetype. And precisely because she approached it from a young woman's perspective, the result was particularly effective.
"My Lord, when Yun'er came to tell me just now, I couldn't believe it! I truly couldn't believe it! No, no, no, I was afraid that little slip of a girl was deceiving me, getting my hopes up for nothing again," Feng Siniang said.
Feng Siniang walked straight up to Zheng Fan and, FWUMP! pulled him into her embrace.
Yes, it wasn't Zheng Fan, the man, who pulled Feng Siniang into his arms; he was the one being embraced.
But it makes sense, he thought. Given how weak my body is now, I couldn't possibly support the weight of a grown woman. Besides, Feng Siniang is quite tall, not the petite type at all.
It wasn't that Zheng Fan was a coward, nor could he be blamed for overthinking. The truth was, Siyao's comic was incredibly rich in content. Moreover, Zheng Fan had helped Siyao flesh out many of the later plotlines, so he was more familiar with the character of Feng Siniang than he could possibly be with anyone else.
"My Lord, come. They will be overjoyed to know you've awoken," Feng Siniang said gently, helping Zheng Fan to his feet.
Though she called it 'helping him up,' in reality, it was more like she was propping him up entirely.
They? Who are 'they'?
A bewildered Zheng Fan was led out of the room by Feng Siniang and into a small courtyard. The courtyard, which wasn't very large, contained only a well and a loquat tree.
It appeared to be a 'front shop, rear courtyard' layout. The two-story building at the front served as the storefront, while the small courtyard and a row of single-story houses at the back were living quarters for the staff. This was a traditional design, much like modern establishments where the ground floor is a shop and the upper floor provides accommodation.
As they were about to leave the courtyard and enter the front hall, Feng Siniang stopped, still supporting Zheng Fan, and gestured for him to look into a small room. The door to this room was narrow, and its interior was rather dim.
Through the limited light, several layers of wine jars could be seen stacked inside. It must be a wine cellar, Zheng Fan deduced.
A man in a tailcoat stood before an unsealed wine jar, a long-handled ladle in his hand. He seemed to be tasting the wine, or perhaps inspecting its quality.
A tailcoat—such modern attire. The girl who wiped my body earlier was dressed in ancient Chinese clothing; the contrast with this man is stark, Zheng Fan mused.
At that moment, Zheng Fan naturally didn't have time to register that the sweatshirt and boots he himself was wearing were also clearly modern styles, equally out of place here.
"A Ming, My Lord is awake! My Lord is truly awake!" Feng Siniang called out excitedly to the man inside.
A Ming... A Ming? A Ming! Could it be...
The man in the tailcoat, still holding the long ladle, took a few steps toward the doorway, allowing his features to become clear.
His face was very pale, somewhat reminiscent of the young gentlemen of ancient times who were fond of applying powder and rouge. But unlike those young masters, this man possessed an additional, almost demonic charm.
The tailcoat he wore was clearly very old and worn, with obvious mending marks in several places.
A Ming... He really is A Ming!
Zheng Fan had drawn this face, this person, countless times. In the three years since the studio disbanded, he had spent a small portion of his time drawing commercial comics to fund his euthanasia trip to the Netherlands. The majority of his time, however, was dedicated to continuing the unfinished works of his friends.
The vampire A Ming... He... he's actually here too!
At this moment, Zheng Fan seemed to finally grasp what Feng Siniang had meant earlier by "they."
So, in this world, it isn't just me and Feng Siniang. There are others... others... the main characters from the comics, those... Demon Lords! Still, a vampire in a tailcoat holding a long ladle in a Chinese-style wine cellar... it seems a bit too incongruous. His image fits better with red wine... swirling a glass of red wine, lips stained as if with fresh blood...
A Ming's gaze fell upon Zheng Fan, scrutinizing him intently.
That gaze... it isn't humble, not even remotely equal. It's vaguely condescending.
At least, by Zheng Fan's own reckoning, this vampire A Ming's attitude towards him was vastly different from Feng Siniang's!
He... he looks down on me!
The character A Ming was created by Deng Ge. Deng Ge usually appeared carefree, but everyone in the studio knew that deep down, he was incredibly proud. Events had proven Deng Ge had the capital for such pride; after the studio dissolved, two animated films he spearheaded became massive hits, instantly making him a hot commodity among investors.
A Ming was a character who inherited Deng Ge's personality. However, being a comic character, he had far fewer restraints than Deng Ge. In the comic series *Vampire A Ming*, he would never back down or admit defeat to any opponent. He wouldn't resort to fawning or dissimulation; instead, he consistently chose to confront his adversaries head-on, metaphorically 'flipping the table' to fight them desperately.
"Audacious! Have you still not paid your respects to My Lord?" Feng Siniang's sharp reprimand cut through the air.
A Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.
He placed his right hand over his left breast,
bowed his head slightly,
and said, "Greetings... My Lord."
Feng Siniang seemed thoroughly exasperated by A Ming's perfunctory attitude. Afraid of upsetting Zheng Fan, she could only whisper to him, "My Lord, don't mind him. He's just got that morose temperament of his. Let's go to the front and meet everyone else."
As soon as her voice fell, Zheng Fan found himself being propped up by Feng Siniang once more and guided into the front hall.
The front hall was considerably larger, giving off the vibe of a cross between a dance hall and a theater stage—still in a vintage style, of course.
"WHOA, who's this?"
Feng Siniang and Zheng Fan had just stepped inside when they heard a surprised exclamation.
Zheng Fan turned his head and saw a man nearly two meters tall. The giant was bare-chested, a large bundle of firewood strapped to his back, and a battered woodcutting machete hanging from his left hip.
The woodcutter, Fanli! Hui Qiang's comic character.
He was an honest, taciturn comic character, not a particularly engaging protagonist. He enjoyed chopping wood and, more disturbingly, chopping people. His greatest pleasure was to 'chop people into human sticks' and admire his handiwork.
"Fanli, greetings, My Lord!"
Fanli's demeanor was much more respectful than A Ming's had been. Without putting down the firewood on his back, he dropped to one knee, his sincerity evident.
His voice was booming, like a megaphone.
At this moment, the young man on the stage, who had been chipping away at a large boulder, suddenly turned around, his gaze locking onto them.
Zheng Fan felt the stare and looked over. In that instant, his mind reeled, as if he were seeing his old studio colleagues appear before him once more.
Liang Cheng... No, that's not Liang Cheng. That's the Zombie character Liang Cheng created!ŸŸŸ
However, this character was also named Liang Cheng. Furthermore, when designing this character, the creator Liang Cheng had also drawn him to look very much like himself.
This Zombie Liang Cheng leaned one hand on the stone, a smile playing on his lips, as he looked over at them, at Zheng Fan.
And on the other side of the stage, a dwarf dressed like a jester let out an exaggerated shriek and prostrated himself on the stage before Zheng Fan, wailing in a voice that was part sob, part song, "Heavens above, My Lord! You've finally awakened! Xiao Sanzi pays his respects to you!"
Xue Three knelt on one knee, his posture exceptionally clear.
Just then, a blind young man walked in through the doorway. He held a bamboo cane, tapping it—TAP, TAP, TAP—in front of him as he gripped the doorframe with his other hand and stepped over the threshold.
He chuckled, "My, what a lively gathering. Are we starting dinner early?"