The Unveiled Rose

Jessica asked softly, "Is that possible?"

Steven didn't answer directly. He merely said, expressionless, "Have you thought about what would happen if I intervened? If people start investigating me, then my past with Annalise will no longer be able to stay hidden." If things really escalated that far, the people who criticized Jessica would only get more numerous and malicious.

Jessica gradually sat up, her expression becoming serious.

Meanwhile, Steven subtly pulled away from her.

Jessica looked at him and asked, "Then, what do you think I should do to solve this?"

"Simple," Steven said flatly. "Keep an eye out on Zane's attitude."

Jessica was unwilling but couldn't find another solution, so she reluctantly agreed, "Alright."

...

I glanced at the time after finishing today's task. It was only 3:00 pm.

The progress was faster than usual!

I was a bit incredulous, so I quickly opened the draft and carefully checked it. Surprisingly, there were no issues at all.

Zane noticed my actions and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm drawing too fast," I replied honestly. "I can't quite believe it."

Zane chuckled. "Then, you can take a break now."

"No way," I said, already thoroughly in love with the feeling of being busy. "I need to find something else to do."

Zane walked over to me. "You can't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Don't worry." I originally planned to continue coloring the sketches, but seeing Zane's stern gaze.

I decided to hold back.

I pulled out my phone and lay back on the couch. "I won't overwork myself."

Still not at ease, Zane said, "I'll be here watching you."

I reluctantly stopped myself from continuing to work and opened my phone, looking through the comments on various platforms.

Most of them were asking me to hurry up with the next chapter. There were also a few discussions about the characters in the comic.

Since I had time, I decided to reply to each one. "Thank you for the support."

What I didn't expect was that some people were asking me for a collaboration.

I excitedly stood up, handing my phone to Zane. "Look!"

Zane read through the comment carefully. He smiled and said, "Not bad. People are already recognizing your work."

"Yeah." I was happy as well, looking at it for a long time. The smile lingered on my face.

Sitting back on the couch, I replied to the commenter, "I'm honored you like my work, but sorry. I'm not accepting ads for now."

The commenter replied instantly, "If it's a matter of price, we can discuss it."

It seemed like they were worried I'd reject them just because of the low payment.

I quickly explained, "It's my issue. I just feel that once I start accepting ads, the purpose of creating this comic will no longer be as pure." They replied, "But you need to earn money to provide a better life for your daughter."

I looked at Zane.

With Zane around, it didn't seem like it was my responsibility to improve Willow's living conditions, right?

Zane looked at me with confusion.

I averted my gaze and replied to the commenter without any exaggeration, "Her current living conditions are already the best."

The commenter expressed regret that we couldn't collaborate.

I wished them the best of luck in finding better partners.

After the conversation, I put my phone down and lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Zane asked, "Did you manage to finalize the collaboration?"

I shook my head. "No."

Zane was shocked. "Hmm?"

"I've decided..." I turned to look at him. "No matter how successful this comic becomes, I won't accept a single advertisement!"

Zane met my gaze, and after a long pause, it seemed like he understood my thoughts. He smiled and asked, "No regrets?" I nodded. "No."