Zhang Ziqiang said slowly, his voice reflecting the deliberation of someone who spent more time thinking than talking. "First of all, it's obviously because Teacher Su Li's art skills are excellent. Even a background character ends up looking beautiful, with nothing to criticize.
And you even gave 'Xu Jing' a simple single ponytail. You probably thought that hairstyle was too ordinary and had no moe appeal. But by sheer coincidence, it actually made her stand out. She seems to be the only female character in the entire serialization so far who keeps a single ponytail."
Hearing this, Su Li couldn't help but respond modestly, spinning her stylus between her fingers. "I actually think my skills still have room for improvement. I just got used to drawing the kinds of female characters I'm good at. That's why, even though I meant to draw a background character, I subconsciously turned her into a pretty girl."
It had to be said that sometimes, the visual designs of manga characters were extremely homogenized across the industry. They were distinguished purely by hairstyle and hair color, as if they were all born from the same basic mold. The most unfortunate one was actually the male lead. Male protagonists in harem series always gave people the feeling that they were the same person every time, perfectly embodying the essence of the so-called Kirito face. There was nothing wrong with that, as it allowed readers to easily project themselves onto the story.
Su Li continued, "As for the hairstyle, you are right. I personally prefer long straight black hair, twin tails, side ponytails, and bob cuts. Even with a standard ponytail, the hair has to be long enough to reach the hips. A plain, everyday single ponytail like this character's is the most common thing in real life. I honestly think it has zero moe appeal, so I just used it casually. I didn't expect it to accidentally make the character feel different."
"But that can't be the only reason you find her interesting, right? There must be more," Su Li asked, her curiosity piqued despite herself.
Zhang Ziqiang didn't hold back. As Su Li's assistant, he felt that it wasn't enough to help only with the technical side of drawing. He also needed to contribute to the creative thinking that drove the series forward.
"There's also the character's personality and behavior," Zhang Ziqiang said unhurriedly, his calm tone contrasting with the frantic energy of the studio.
Su Li immediately made a face that clearly said, "Are you messing with me?" Before Zhang Ziqiang could continue—mainly because he spoke painfully slowly while she was impatient by nature—she couldn't help interrupting. "What personality does she even have? Don't even mention behavior. I didn't waste any ink developing her at all. She barely has any lines. She is a permanent background board, Zhang."
Zhang Ziqiang didn't rush to respond to her rebuttal. He continued calmly, his eyes fixed on the panels they had just finished. "Her personality might be something you didn't pay attention to when you set her up, Teacher. But I noticed it. That's, although this girl has average talent, she strives upward and loves studying to the point of obsession. That's not wrong, is it?"
Su Li nodded without hesitation. "That's right. She is just a background character. Of course her talent has to be average. Otherwise, it would definitely be a mistake on my part. You know the protagonist's harem already has a blonde, flat-chested tsundere rich girl with an IQ of two hundred and fifty. I can't possibly set up another high-IQ girl. That would be repetitive and ruin the balance."
"Talent isn't important. What matters is her drive to improve and her love of studying," Zhang Ziqiang insisted, leaning forward slightly.
"I don't understand what you are saying. That kind of simple setup, placed on an unremarkable background character—what is interesting about it? Isn't this just your imagination? I did it purely to serve as a foil for the most important younger sister character in my work, 'Yang Qianqian.' There's an old saying: 'He who stays near vermilion gets stained red, near ink gets stained black.' I gave Yang Qianqian a plain but positive energy best friend, and that definitely adds points to her character."
Su Li explained her design logic for the background character "Xu Jing" with total confidence, completely unaware that this minor character had already been altered by an outside force. She firmly believed that everything came entirely from her own intentions.
This was where Zhao Youyue's subtle interference truly shone. If she had done what she did the first time she entered the Dimension Gate and given the character she played some invincible superpower, then even if the work changed because of her, the creator would simply think they had a brain glitch or drank too much. They would realize it clearly violated the setting and immediately fix it.
But now, Su Li firmly believed that all of this had been her original design.
The younger sister character "Yang Qianqian" was indeed someone Su Li focused heavily on. First, because she was actually a younger sister enthusiast. In real life, she had two adorable younger sisters of her own. Second, because the younger sister archetype was extremely popular and was the favorite among many male readers. Naturally, she leaned even more toward the younger sister. As for whether other harem members even had best friends, she didn't care at all.
So Su Li wasn't wrong. The background character "Xu Jing" existed only in relation to the younger sister. Without the younger sister's high popularity, she wouldn't exist at all.
At this point, Zhang Ziqiang let out a small sigh. He didn't really want to argue with Su Li anymore. She was clearly a manga artist with very strong opinions, and her achievements had cultivated an innate arrogance. But thinking about the character "Xu Jing," he still steeled himself and said, "That might not be a bonus. It might be a deduction."
"What?" Su Li completely lost her composure, her eyes widening. She even thought that it was no wonder Zhang Ziqiang had been in the manga industry for so many years without achieving anything. He completely missed the point. How could he say a background character was interesting in a way that hurt the leads?
Zhang Ziqiang suddenly sped up his speech and blurted everything out in one breath, his voice rising with conviction. "That's right. This 'Xu Jing' always appears as a background board in the manga, but she is always studying. When Yang Qianqian is missing her older brother and getting lovesick, Xu Jing is studying. When Yang Qianqian is thinking about how to fight for affection and deal with love rivals, Xu Jing is studying.
When Yang Qianqian is tearing into other harem members in front of the male lead and entering full shura field mode, Xu Jing is still quietly studying in the corner. Even though she is still a background board. I thought you arranged it this way with deep meaning, Teacher Su Li. Turns out I overthought it."
"Th—this…" Su Li was left dizzy by Zhang Ziqiang's rapid-fire delivery. But he wasn't done yet.
"This is a campus harem manga. Everyone in it is basically a student. But whether it's the male lead or all the girls revolving around him, including the younger sister 'Yang Qianqian' that you think you portrayed extremely well, none of them do anything proper as students. All they do is make noise, jump around, and tear at each other.
Compared to 'Xu Jing,' who studies quietly in the corner, I want to say this. Xu Jing is pure and unaffected, completely different from that group of flashy, cheap girls in the protagonist's harem. That's why I think this character is interesting. If readers never notice her, fine. But once they do, she will definitely deduct points from 'the girls.' Those girls have no independence at all. They are basically throwing themselves at the protagonist. Cheap."
After hearing all of this, Su Li was completely stunned, her thoughts in total chaos as she stared at the drafts on her desk.